Set up a fiber optic connection along the roadway.
Set up a fiber optic connection along the roadway.
Hey, your plan makes sense. You’re aiming to extend Wi-Fi from the first floor of house1 to the third floor via a clear path between the two houses. Since you’re dealing with about 50 meters and need to avoid obstructions, clearing the height should help maintain a strong signal.
For a budget-friendly setup, a basic 50 USD per piece 2.4GHz P2P bridge seems reasonable. You won’t need to build a complex system if you stick to standard equipment.
Regarding routing: yes, there are P2P bridges that accept Wi-Fi input and can send it over Ethernet to a router. Your idea of using two Ubiquiti NanoStation M2 LOCOM2 or two TP-LINK CPE510 devices as transmitters and receivers works well. Just connect them to your modem in house1, route the signal through the bridge, and then forward it via Ethernet to the P2P bridge in house2. This avoids running cables from the modem directly to the bridge.
So, yes—your approach is solid. Go for the budget bridge and set it up as described.
I question the feasibility of achieving a stable 100Mbit connection at 2.4Ghz outdoors due to widespread interference. Back when WiFi was less common, I could easily connect across the street without needing direct peer-to-peer links. If you're not close to a flight path, 5GHz would likely perform better. Otherwise, a 60Ghz solution might be more practical. I’m not familiar with P2P bridges that integrate a WiFi access point, but I wouldn’t recommend setting one up outdoors because the signal would degrade significantly and result in poor indoor reception. In most areas, channel restrictions apply, and non-DFS channels are typically reserved for indoor use only.
You have a few choices for setting up your network. 1) If your home already has coax, Moca works well for the wired link back to the main router. 2) You might use power line adapters—though results vary. 3) A WiFi repeater with an Ethernet port is another option. Moca stands out as the top choice beyond Ethernet, supporting gigabit speeds. Power line adapters can be unreliable and often slow, but they may offer more stability than WiFi. WiFi repeaters are generally seen as poor quality, though some include Ethernet ports. You could capture the router’s Wi-Fi signal, send it via Ethernet to power the P2P bridge. Many of these bridges are designed for outdoor use and connect to each other. Often they’re powered through Ethernet, so you’ll need to run wires to POE injectors.
Loses aren’t the only requirement. Clearance between each wireless bridge point must be sufficient. In a busy area, traffic could still cause sporadic interference. The fix is raising the antenna height—like mounting it on a pole at house 1. As before, a 2.4GHz link might face clashes with nearby broadcasts. If a survey shows a quiet spectrum, 2.4GHz could be viable. Otherwise, a 5GHz setup may suit better with broader channels. Top PtP bridges use wired connections at each end. Adding wireless repeaters introduces more points of failure and potential interference. Your idea is feasible in theory, but the simplest or most practical path might lead to future connection issues. If you’re serious about precision, consider linking Ethernet directly to the PtP antennas.
Initially appreciate all three contributions; each answer sparked thoughtful consideration and provided useful insights, which is rare in tech discussions. Alex highlighted a valid concern about the 2.4 GHz frequency—channels are crowded—and noted the 5 GHz bridge only offers two ports for internal use, which isn’t ideal for installation. I understand this isn’t perfect, but it should still work. Likely opting for a 5 GHz P2P bridge next.
Donut, the Moca approach is unfamiliar to me but seems promising if I plan long-term installation. However, this setup will likely last only about a year. I didn’t mention that near house 2 there will be a new building. Eventually, I might relocate the P2P sender to a dedicated ethernet connection, so I can bypass traffic entirely and enjoy a completely clear signal zone—something I read about from Falcon.
Even without raising house 1’s P2P sender, I believe the positioning allows enough clearance for passing trucks. Most consumer P2P bridges include a PoE injector, which matches what I mentioned earlier. Overall, my vision is: house 1 hosts a router configured to receive internal Wi-Fi and send it via Ethernet to a 5 GHz P2P sender. House 2 has a 5 GHz P2P receiver connected to Ethernet into an access point. This setup should be straightforward, affordable, and reasonably stable. I expect around 100 Mbps should suffice, and ping times shouldn’t worsen much, especially with the proximity to a major server city.
I’m considering upgrading to Ethernet-to-P2P on both ends eventually, though this is just a temporary fix.
Regarding the equipment, the TP-Link Pharos CPE510 5 GHz looks promising—it advertises speeds up to 300 Mbps over 15 km, which should cover my needs (about 100 Mbps over 50 meters). Do you think it’s a suitable option?
I've reviewed the situation carefully. The direct "across the road" connection isn't ideal due to signal obstruction, but it still manages decent speeds. I suspect the signal reflects off the balcony, which affects reception from house 2. Switching to wireless on the other side introduces its own delays. Using a wired connection in house 2 consistently gives me better performance, even though direct testing shows faster results. The main drawbacks are noticeable latency and packet handling problems that aren't obvious to the user but impact reliability when multiple transmissions occur over wireless.