BUSINESS SITUATION
A client of ours operates two golf course establishments within relatively close proximity to one another (direct line of sight distance is approximately 13 kilometres). They would like to have both courses connected to a common network infrastructure already in place at one of the course locations. They require a solution which does not rely on a WAN connection going through the Internet. This is due to the fact that the surrounding area is primarily rural and available Internet provider package offerings in the area are either speeds which are insufficient for file sharing or prohibitively expensive.
As the image below demonstrates, the only solution that could accommodate the client’s need while staying within a reasonable budget would be an implementation of wireless technology. This will involve creating a wireless bridge between the two sites at speeds much greater than that which could be achieved over an Internet-based connection going from one site to the other and back again. We met with the client and formulated a plan to implement a wireless site-to-site bridge connecting the two golf courses together.
SOLUTION
Syscomm designed a solution which will take advantage of the relatively flat terrain in the surrounding area. There is a large cellular tower located approximately halfway between the two locations. After discussing with the telecom company it was determined that space is available for lease on the tower – this will serve as an ideal midpoint to relay and transmit the signal northwesterly toward the secondary golf course. By making use of the relay tower we created a wireless site-to-site network bridge.
The primary site which houses the network infrastructure was outfitted with a high-powered, long-range wireless bridge operating in the 5GHz frequency band. This was installed on the roof of the clubhouse which connects to the local network through a 1000BaseT (gigabit) connection. Signal is then broadcast from the primary site to the cellular communications tower at the halfway point between the two sites where it is relayed and rebroadcast through a pair of long-range wireless bridges until it reaches it’s destination at the secondary site and is routed back into local area network equipment in the secondary clubhouse. This enables a direct connection between the two sites with real-world performance of <10ms latency and speeds of up 150mbps.
END RESULT
The end result is a rock solid connection that works even through poor weather conditions. Client can sustain file transfer speeds that approach 100BaseT with latency comparable to local wireless. The secondary site has their Internet service, remote desktop sessions, databases, file sharing and VoIP system delivered through this link without drops or delays. Since installation they have been very satisfied with the final result and performance.
Leave a comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.