$318 WiFi network bridge connects two locations up to 5 miles apart

If you've tried every antenna and extender on the market today with subpar results, HD Communications is apt to become your new best friend. The outfit has just revealed its HD26200, a "complete outdoor wireless network bridge in the 802.11b/g unlicensed 2.4GHz band that sells for only $318." Said device bridges wireless internet between two locales up to 5 miles apart without requiring a single RF cable, being that both Ubiquiti network radios are powered over Ethernet. If you're looking for the catch, the bridge does require a direct line of sight between the two locations, but the firm is reportedly looking to expand its non-line of sight family by the summer's end.

[Michael @ May 22nd 2008 1:11AM]

just incase your house is 5 miles wide...

[hrt @ May 22nd 2008 1:16AM]

I lol'd.

[Clinton @ May 22nd 2008 1:23AM]

" a 'complete outdoor wireless network bridge in the 802.11b/g unlicensed 2.4GHz band that sells for only $318.'"

keyword = outdoor

[Darkroom @ May 22nd 2008 2:57AM]

i lol'd also...

[Jayden @ May 22nd 2008 1:11AM]

I cant see that far. Can anybody?

[gabe @ May 22nd 2008 2:10AM]

u are the weakest link - good bye!

[David G. @ May 22nd 2008 2:26AM]

I feel so sorry for you Jayden, with you never being able to see the moon/sun/stars in your life and all. :(




:D

[Jake @ May 22nd 2008 9:10AM]

Ha ha ha! Oh gosh that's funny! That's really funny! Do you write your own material? Do you? Because that is so fresh. You are the weakest link goodbye. You know, I've, I've never heard anyone make that joke before. Hmm. You're the first. I've never heard anyone reference, reference that outside the program before. Because that's what she says on the show right? Isn't it? You are the weakest link goodbye. And, and yet you've taken that and used it out of context to insult [Jayden] in this everyday situation. God what a clever, smart girl you must be, to come up with a joke like that all by yourself. That's so fresh too. Any, any Titanic jokes you want to throw at me too as long as we're hitting these phenomena at the height of their popularity? God you're so funny!

[El Taco @ May 22nd 2008 5:44PM]

-1 for copying Family Guy.

[El Taco @ May 22nd 2008 5:45PM]

(that was @Jake)

[brando_commando @ May 22nd 2008 1:15AM]

5 mile los? no thanks

stick with hField tech's gizmo, i have it and it tears right through dead zones

[ugg.tryptophan @ May 22nd 2008 1:33AM]

"the bridge does require a direct line of sight between the two locations"

[Celanor @ May 22nd 2008 1:34AM]

...WWAN

[Andrew Rivlin @ May 22nd 2008 1:36AM]

Nice now I can get free internet from my office

[Wiigee @ May 22nd 2008 1:37AM]

cool, but dont think that would work to well in Seattle XD

[lawyer bird @ May 22nd 2008 2:45AM]

I just imagined you laughing as hard as your emoticon shows after making that comment.

...

It was awkward

[modenadude @ May 22nd 2008 3:17AM]

hahaha, so did I!

[Wiigee @ May 22nd 2008 3:21AM]

im easily amused ....=|

[zowoco @ May 22nd 2008 1:44AM]

I can see 5 miles when I stand on top of a mountain. Anyone can.

[Reader @ May 22nd 2008 2:17AM]

It was a joke... If you were to actually set this up it wouldn't be by literal LOS anyway, it would be done using a map or some other method.

[skulldriveshaft @ May 22nd 2008 1:51AM]

It's for those last 5 miles solutions, where the HSIP says it's going to cost way too much, hook up with your country neighbour :p

[A.C.E.R. @ May 22nd 2008 2:27AM]

I can set up a 10+ mile connection with 2 yagis for the same price.

[SimpleSurvival @ May 22nd 2008 2:33AM]

The only bumer about the PowerStation (UBNT radios mentioned) is the weak processors on board.
I've been working with UBNT boards for about 6 months and they have a serious problem with tossing packets. When you have limited users on the far end of the network, it works fine enough. But when you have too many (our experience has shown around 5-10 users doing regular internets) the radio craps out and can't toss packets fast enough. They can handle decent bandwith if you are doing large packet transfers. It just doesn't work when you are sending tons of little ones. I've been on the UBNT forums requesting that they do a Packets-Per-Second test on the LS, PS, and NS radios (nearly the same architecture), but they cop out with the excuse that its a "bogus test". My thoughts are that they know its a problem with their radio and don't want to say so.
Its a cheap solution, but I would not even consider calling it a useful business solution... and now days with residential with multiple computers in the home... its not even a very good residential solution.

This isn't really news for HD Communications, considering the package is just a bundle of 2 Ubiquiti radios that have been around for 6 months to a year already. You could buy the PS2 radios from many different distributors. Its a really silly announcement "Hi, we're selling someone elses crap, but the bundle has our name on it" Other distributors are selling single PS units for 159.00$ each. So, they aren't even selling them cheaper than anyone else...

[rock99rock @ May 22nd 2008 10:55AM]

+1

[A.C.E.R. @ May 22nd 2008 2:54AM]

Yeah, it's strange how a cheap consumer solution doesn't work for a business. That's like complaining that your bargain bin Linksys is getting saturated with your corporate office's network load.

[A.C.E.R. @ May 22nd 2008 2:55AM]

I failed @ reply school

[SimpleSurvival @ May 22nd 2008 2:57AM]

could you provide me a "cheap consumer solution" application for this sort of thing?

The point of my mini-rant was that they are trying to sell it like its a business solution, but really its just a consumer solution, and a very VERY small niche solution at that

[bradpitt @ May 22nd 2008 4:41AM]

hmm... fresnel zone?

[Taylor @ May 22nd 2008 6:02AM]

One thing I could think of with a decent use for this would be a national park.
Probably the only place with direct line of sight between locations 5 miles apart.

[packetsniffer @ May 22nd 2008 8:36AM]

"The HD26200 bridge is also powered over ethernet, so no RF cables are required, only an outdoor CAT5 cable to bring both data and power to the radios. "
"RF cable"? What? They seem to be referring to a regular power cable. All they had to do was mention "They are powered over ethernet". Leave it to Engadget to repeat the stupidity. ;-)

[Greg @ May 22nd 2008 11:22AM]

I believe they are talking about the lack of RF cable from a bridge to a separate antenna. Which can be helpful as its a heck of a lot easier to run Ethernet than it is to run big RF cables.

Models like these have been available for years, but the main selling point is the low cost, as good business solutions easily run into thousands.

[packetsniffer @ May 25th 2008 12:50PM]

I'm sure you're right, but Engadget doesn't appear to understand that if they're saying it doesn't need an RF cable since it's PoE. It could still be PoE and require an RF cable for an external antenna.

[Izzy @ May 22nd 2008 8:40AM]

I've used the Alvarion units that do this for years. We were able to stretch that range to about 8 miles depending on terrain. The problem with Alvarion was the cost, they were definitely not as cheap as these.

[c. thomas @ May 23rd 2008 12:19PM]

Xbox Live FTW

[nik @ May 22nd 2008 11:03AM]

This technology is nothing new... You could do the same thing with any AP and a good large dish. And for a lot less. As in under a hundred bucks.
All the tech to do these sorts of things have existed since a long time, just that nobody makes them as they are too expensive.

[com676 @ May 22nd 2008 8:56PM]

Also might consider buying a small yagi antenna from an ameteur radio fest for 2.4Ghz band. much smaller than a dish, and higher rf gain.

[dspiral @ May 22nd 2008 11:30AM]

could they have an uglier website? includes rotating earth gif.
http://www.hdcom.com/

[WISPWISE @ May 22nd 2008 12:01PM]

I've been using their solutions for a few years. So far, they haven't steered me wrong. These bridge kits work well for PtP applications and have been as reliable as others used in the past.

BTW - you have the wrong website.

http://www.wirelessnetworkproducts.com/

Ubiquiti is also on top of their game with support for my firmware requests. Any issues I had were fixed rather quickly considering some manufacturers make you wait until they are ready to release the next firmware update. Just sayin...

[SimpleSurvival @ May 22nd 2008 1:28PM]

Yes, and the AirOS SDK was released in a timely fashion (sarcasm)

[rcappo @ May 22nd 2008 10:19PM]

So instead of 4 friends paying the ISP $40/month, they could each get one of these and setup a large network and could share their files and internet access with each other for $10/month.