We recently installed a Starlink system for a honey farm near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. The property has 3 buildings on it, one is the customers home, one is used for honey production, and the other for creating and producing honey based alcohols (mead), among many other quality handmade products - https://www.bbbhoneyfarm.com/
Each building is approximately 60-80' apart, so we were tasked with setting up a reliable
and efficient way of sending the Wi-Fi signals to each building, and all over the property.
For these distances we ended up going with a few D-Link meshing routers to bridge the gap, and
provide a minimally intrusive way to share the Starlink internet over the whole farm, and throughout each building. These routers broadcast both 2.4ghz and 5ghz signals providing decent range for meshing between multiple buildings within a 100' range (the range we have found the most success). These D-Link routers require some programming in order to have them communicate with each other, but that programming is fairly easy to do with the D-Link Wi-Fi App (https://ca.dlink.com/en/consumer/apps). When all was said and done with the installation, we were able to walk around the farm and experience great speeds in any location.
We have done a fair number of setups similar to the one done at the BBB Honey Farm, but no property is the same, and adaptability, as well as Wi-Fi Alternatives is key to utilizing and dispersing your Starlink internet anywhere you need it. The beauty of the Starlink system is the speeds that it can achieve (especially in a rural setting), you can send it to multiple buildings and have multiple networks ran off of a single ISP while still maintaining some pretty impressive averages.
One of the alternatives we have setup is the
Ubiquiti Loco M series links (point to point). Although there is some price up front for the links (as well as programming and cabling needed) they provide an excellent option for long range internet sharing (up to 13km (M2) P2P) and can save you money in the long run. We have seen a few cases where our clients were trying to run a rural business and had a separate internet service, and provider, for each out building on the property (ex: office/shop/barn) just to be able to handle the demands of the business and avoid the risk of internet down time. Now enter Starlink onto the scene and customers finally get what they pay for, one internet provider and one monthly fee gives you a world of possibilities for your home and your business.
Another great option (and the most stable) if you are within a 100m (328') range would be a direct hard line (using approved Cat cable) from a switch to each location - This is what we will be doing for some of our clients in the near future - Once you have the hard line ran over, you can then add that to a network switch feeding internet throughout the building via pre plumbed Cat cabling, or straight in to a wireless router that disperses the Wi-Fi. We have seen vast differences in the speeds between a hard wired system and a strictly wireless system. Although we aim to get the most out of a system, any speed test software, or app should be taken with a grain of salt (many factors play into the final numbers). The main things that we want to see in the end result is a happy customer and a stable internet umbrella covering any and all areas that Wi-Fi is needed. All 3 methods of connection outlined in this post have been successful for us, and our customers, and can be customized to fit any businesses needs.
To summarize;
D-Link meshing routers
-For short distance internet sharing.
-Easy setup and no extra supplies needed.
-1 router per building required
https://www.amazon.ca/ref=nav_logo LX1870 from $140-$190.
Hard Line Cat Cabling
-For up to 100m or 328' from switch to each buildings router.
-Trenching and conduit often required
-Router at each location
-Price varies depending on labor cost/time and cabling price per ft.
-On average the most expensive, but the most stable option.
Ubiquiti M Series Loco
-https://www.amazon.ca/ref=nav_logo $80-$120/link: for long distance internet sharing (Ubiquiti M2 or M5) (2 needed for point to point link)
-Moderate setup
-Able to send signals over a very long distance
-Extra supplies needed (J-arm/mounting pole/cat cable/silicone..)
-Installer may be needed (hourly rate)
-Router at each location
-Middle of the pack for overall price, still a very stable option (with good line of sight)
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