Configuring a Wi-Fi network
Configuring a Wi-Fi network
Choose the right outdoor Wi-Fi antenna for your setup. You’ll need a high-gain directional antenna to cover a wide area effectively. Then, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to connect your devices and configure the network settings for optimal performance across 1000 users within a 1KM radius.
This is not a trivial setup. Wi-fi straight up doesn't have 1km range (limited by transmit power of client devices) or bandwidth (each additional device is another chance for transmit collision, especially in an area 1km in radius (hidden nodes)). I highly doubt there's a single antenna solution. We're talking dozens of access points, at least, I'd wager.
You're discussing WISP configuration, which isn't going to be easy or inexpensive. Your hands-on DIY method is appreciated, but have you considered reaching out to a local company for guidance? Will you handle the technical side yourself? Are you representing a small business? What's the goal of this initiative? Regarding your statement about having two ISP connections—250MB and 500MB—do you mean two lines offering 250Mbps and 500Mbps speeds? Please note the units are in megabits per second. Even if you manage to combine their bandwidth, reaching 750Mbps won't suffice for your needs (the provider) and over 1,000 clients. You need to evaluate the worst-case situation when all clients connect simultaneously; the network would become severely slow due to limited overhead capacity.
I'm preparing this network for a personal project. It's a small business setup. I have two ISP connections totaling 750Mbps, which should be sufficient. If bandwidth is tight, I can upgrade one line to 500Mbps, bringing the total up to 1000Mbps. There are 800 to 1000 clients spread across a camp about 1KM away, with each room containing 4 to 5 people. I could install a LAN router in every room and add 200 routers for the entire camp, but that seems too complicated. Instead, I plan to use outdoor Wi-Fi, employing 2 or 3 external antennas to cover the area and provide internet access to everyone. What type of outdoor antenna should I choose? How will I configure and manage this network?
Again, as I stated before, this is a large project and I would encourage you to employ a firm that deals with such setups to at least assess your needs (from bandwidth to hardware) and how you're going to manage it. First of all, I would suggest you dedicate an entire ISP line for this project. You should approach your ISP to determine the business accounts available and what they can provide. You just don't need massive download bandwidth; you also need a lot of upload bandwidth. And you might need to notify them that you'll be using their connection in this way or else you might be flagged for high bandwidth usage and reselling without permission. In this scenario, Ubiquiti hardware might be what you need. In summary, you'll need a point-to-point (directional) wireless bridge to get the signal that far then distribute the signal (omni-directional) to your clients. The latter might be best set up in a point-to-multipoint configuration with clients using individual airCubes in their rooms, for example. Or you might just choose to use several outdoor antennae which will eliminate 1 more piece of hardware to manage. Please refer to the Ubiquiti Community forums to get specific help.