Wireless network for Outdoor mall (Security)

Hello, I'm a security guard at an out door mall, I would like to have wireless internet access around the hole mall for security use only. Currently we only have wireless in our security office in the center of the mall and it only goes about 30 feet. I want to find a way to provide internet access for us across the mall. This is coming out of my pay check so I don't have money to buy things worth tons of money. If I leave the company so does my network.

My plan is to use a wireless range extender to pick up the current wireless network we have now and put it on the roof in some type of custom made box to keep it away from the weather, then attach a Hi-Gain 14dBi Outdoor Directional Antenna to the range extender. Does that sound good?
Do you think it will cover the mall?

These are the 2 items:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833995002

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833164156

Mall info:

The wireless needs to be projected around 500-700FT in all directions to cover the mall do you think this is possible with my plan or do you have any suggestions.

If you need to know, our current wireless is G its a built in Modem/Wireless router I think its with ATT business internet and we have a password to attempt to keep people from killing our download speeds. :-p

Edited by KIPC, 01 March 2010 - 11:22 AM.

What devices are you going to be using out in the mall?

Sounds like it'll work on paper. Not sure what the real world will be like tho. Wireless is so finicky. The littlest thing can mess it up.

Couple of things, you don't necessarily need to take it outside. You just need to get it up high. If you have drop ceilings, get it up on the top most rafter. You could put it up high inside and see. If it doesn't work well enough, then build the box for outside.

That antenna seems a bit of an over kill for 500 - 700 feet range but the mall is going to have a lot of metal.

You might want to think about upgrading to N instead of using just G. They aren't going backwards they are going forward with technology. And most wireless things you find will do N and G.

But I'd try really hard to get it wired to the router rather than try to connect the two via wireless.

I typed out this big long thing but then got to thinking it might not work with all the things that could interfere. But I typed it so I'm posting it dammit! lol

If it were me this is what I would do, I would get this piece of equipment. I would shut off the wireless in modem/router you have now. I'd run an Ethernet cable up into the ceiling, running it to the closest corner to the mall in the office or further if you can. I would get something like this and attach it to a rafter. Plug in the Ethernet cable, run a small extension cord up to it for power.

Like I said after thinking on it, I don't know if it would work. If you can get it to the wall right next to the mall, it might.

out int he field we will be connecting to the wireless network with, netbooks, notebooks in our patrol vehicles and Ipod touch on our officers. Our security Office is very well shielded so the signal is very bad inside of the office the radios already have trouble inside thats why I want to put the wireless on the roof, There is also no way to use a cable to the antenna because we are on the 1st floor and there is the management office on the 2nd floor we cant run a cable through the management office. Hopefully it will work, the good this is with newegg you can always return no questions asked.

If its shielded like that getting them connected is going to be tough. Good luck. Might be someone else reading this will have an idea.

To do this you are going to need more gas than the typical home router can manage. Try to find someone in your area that runs a small wireless ISP, they will have the experience and tools to help you out.

I think what you will end up with is a high power radio like this little guy with a larger omnidirectional antenna in the office. Most "consumer" AP's run at about 80mw transmit power - this one runs at 1000mw, which provides a lot more range even in difficult environments. It will be configured as an AP/WDS node (Access Point with Wireless Distribution Service). Then use more of the same, or the lower power version, outside wherever you can find enough signal to lock onto. If you make them AP/WDS as well they can link and relay the signal from the base. On the edge use them configured as Station or Station/WDS. The trick will be to get enough signal to get outside the building. Remember that you will have to run some kind of cable to each location just to supply power. These are POE radios, so it's a Cat5 run, even if you aren't using the Ethernet port (but it is much more convenient to go to some indoor location where the power injector is placed to jack in and control a misbehaving radio than it is to climb up to the roof....). Note that these are outdoor radios, you don't need additional boxes. They aren't very big either, which helps make them inconspicuous.

The system isn't too hard to set up, but can be a bit daunting to look at if you haven't dealt with this type of distributed wireless environment before. Let me know if you need more details.

I set up a very similar system for the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Police a few years ago and it cost them a bundle. I can do the same thing today for about 1% of what their system cost. Progress and competition are wonderful things.