Multi-Site Wireless Setup

[UseLess]

Hey Neowinians!

I am a part-time IT Tech for my family business, and we're looking at doing some upgrades. Currently we have two sites (A and B), basically across the road from each other...say 75-100m apart. Both buildings are made of tilt-up concrete panels... and if anyone hasn't set up wireless near these, it punches straight through =P

Currently at site A we have:

• ADSL2+ Connection (Wired)
  
• TP-Link ADSL Modem (Wired)
  
• 8-port 10/100 TP-Link Switch (Wired)
  
• Server Box (Core 2 Quad, 2.66Ghz) (Wired)
  
• TP-Link Access Point with 2x 8dB Omni Antennas (Wireless N, 150Mbps, Stuck to a window facing Site B)
  
• 3 Mono Laser Printers (Wireless G)
  
• 3 Laptops (Wireless G/N mix)
  

Currently at site B we have:

• TP-Link Access Point with 3dB Omni Antennas (Wireless N - used to provide wired access to Site B)
  
• 10/100 Switch to share wired to phones (Wired)
  
• 4 IP Phones (Wired to Switch)
  
• 5 Laptops (Wireless G/N mix - accessing same wireless from SITE A access point)
  
• 1 Wireless Multifunction Printer (saves PDFs to the network- accessing same wireless from SITE A access point)
  

Currently we are also using externally hosted POP3 mailboxes and share small word documents (<<1MB), and NO ONE complains about the speed of the network - all runs smoothly, and never goes down.

We are looking at setting up exchange on the server at site A, with the 4 laptops at site B and 3 at site A accessing it...i ask, is it likely to put a massive strain on the wireless network? (Worried of excessive collisions)

I was looking at installing a 5Ghz link between A and B using these little things. I would then set up a new, 2.4Ghz wireless AP at site B to provide for the laptops. Do you think this would offer any improvement? ($100 each, $200...a worthwhile upgrade if we need it)

If you have any suggestions for a better way to do it, that would be appreciated =) Keeping in mind what we have now works, and it cost me all of $150 to do it =P While I would like to get something like this and throw 450Mbps over the road...I don't think it will reach (and i cant seem to find 5Ghz antennas that are cheap...i don't see why 2.4ghz ones wouldn't work but?). I would also like to get some proper Ubiquity hardware...but it all seems to be for big distances which we don't have, and the speeds are still only 150Mpbs for large costs (>>$500).

Thanks for any help you can provide =)

UL

PS. I managed to think of, set up, buy, install, and connect up what we have now with stuff from Perth/Australian shops, and all in an 8-hour day - that's why it looks so...kludgy - but it works!!

[#Michael]

Granted this is a family business but you are building a business network using consumer oriented products. You really need to look at building out this network using business products.