WIFI Possible For Our Condominium?

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
There is interest in the condo where I live in having the buildings set up for wifi. We are looking for someone who really knows this business to make an evaluation of the suitability of our buildings for condo-wide wifi service and, if it is feasible, the cost of getting good wifi service in all 18 apartments and the office.

Can anyone recommend someone with the knowledge and experience necessary to be of help to us?
 

Eddy

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,668
219
0
There is interest in the condo where I live in having the buildings set up for wifi. We are looking for someone who really knows this business to make an evaluation of the suitability of our buildings for condo-wide wifi service and, if it is feasible, the cost of getting good wifi service in all 18 apartments and the office.

Can anyone recommend someone with the knowledge and experience necessary to be of help to us?

Stop by Computer System Solutions in Plaza Colonial. Not far from you. Angel or Marco will set you up. Basically it's a piece of cake. All you need is a strong transmitter "WIFI". You can probably set it up in the office "As Condos Dominicano have" Input the mac addresses of the people you want to give access to and you're in business. Probably take an hour or so to set up. Of course you'll need to get internet at the office. Could take a little more time if you use someone elses internet.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
Stop by Computer System Solutions in Plaza Colonial. Not far from you. Angel or Marco will set you up. Basically it's a piece of cake. All you need is a strong transmitter "WIFI". You can probably set it up in the office "As Condos Dominicano have" Input the mac addresses of the people you want to give access to and you're in business. Probably take an hour or so to set up. Of course you'll need to get internet at the office. Could take a little more time if you use someone elses internet.

I know Angel, etc, and have used them for other things. However, I'm not sure El Neptuno is a piece of cake. Or at least so we have been told because of the configuration of the buildings, the thick concrete and re-bar walls, etc. That is why we want more than an equipment salesman to make an evaluation.

If it is a piece of cake, that will be good news. But before we make an expenditure for equipment, we want to be sure we are going to have good service when it is installed and running.

Condos Dominicano appears to my untrained eye as being better configured than we are.
 

santanatwins

New member
Jan 20, 2004
153
8
0
Getting routers with strong antenna's will be your main concern. I recently stayed in a hotel constructed in a similar style to DR construction which had a sub router on every floor. So if you stayed on the 5th floor, you would log onto piso5 and so on. But the Wifi routers they used, whose antenna's stuck out from the drop ceiling weren't that strong. So I was forced to keep my door open at times and even step out into the hall to get a descent connection.

I also spent many years in the crown plaza hotel in kuwait where the wifi connection in every room was excellent. I'll ask my brother if he can ask the hotel IT admin what type of system they use so that you can use this as a reference.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
El Neptuno is not a piece of cake. The wall density, apartment layout, angle of the building etc. You are going to need a bunch of high gain antennas and multi access points (bridges) to get decent coverage.

Then you have to manage the bandwidth and users, who pays what etc.
Why is it slow and I pay? I know he downloads movies and I only use it for email blah blah blah.

You're going to need deep pockets and find a competent person to install and manage the network. Along with a good people plan :)
 

ExtremeR

Silver
Mar 22, 2006
3,078
328
0
El Neptuno is not a piece of cake. The wall density, apartment layout, angle of the building etc. You are going to need a bunch of high gain antennas and multi access points (bridges) to get decent coverage.

Then you have to manage the bandwidth and users, who pays what etc.
Why is it slow and I pay? I know he downloads movies and I only use it for email blah blah blah.

You're going to need deep pockets and find a competent person to install and manage the network. Along with a good people plan :)

Exactly!

Although I have friends in the state that have hacked their WiFI radios and tweaked with the TX power setting it up way higher than the FCC permits it and they have told me they have gained access as far away as 2 blocks from their house, so I guess you can play a bit with it in the DR if you know how or get somebody who knows how.

Plus the QoS as Robert stated will be a pain.
 

YUL514

New member
Aug 28, 2010
93
6
0
Ken2
If you have a chance,go see what they did at Las Canas at La Mulata.They have 91 units spread in 9 buildings.They have 5 or 6 transmiters around the complex.In El Neptuno,it would not be a good idea to instal the transmiter in the office.You would have to find a good central location. ie your appartment lol.
To see how it would perform,hook-up a transmiter at one point (your appt.) and go around the complex with a laptop recording how strong is the signal is.As I said earlier,you may need more than one transmiter.

Regards

Mike
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
113
Ken2
If you have a chance,go see what they did at Las Canas at La Mulata.They have 91 units spread in 9 buildings.They have 5 or 6 transmiters around the complex.In El Neptuno,it would not be a good idea to instal the transmiter in the office.You would have to find a good central location. ie your appartment lol.
To see how it would perform,hook-up a transmiter at one point (your appt.) and go around the complex with a laptop recording how strong is the signal is.As I said earlier,you may need more than one transmiter.

Regards

Mike

If yours works the same as the set up at Las Canas you don't need to do it. Trust me on this one.
 

Eddy

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,668
219
0
I know Angel, etc, and have used them for other things. However, I'm not sure El Neptuno is a piece of cake. Or at least so we have been told because of the configuration of the buildings, the thick concrete and re-bar walls, etc. That is why we want more than an equipment salesman to make an evaluation.

If it is a piece of cake, that will be good news. But before we make an expenditure for equipment, we want to be sure we are going to have good service when it is installed and running.

Condos Dominicano appears to my untrained eye as being better configured than we are.

Yea, I guess you're right. At Condos, they have 1 high powered transmitter in the center and all the units pick it up. Here's the phone number of a Russian guy you might want to talk to. He set up a few transmission towers around Sosua. Andrei 829-678-3160
 

Jerry Albers

New member
Dec 12, 2010
59
4
0
Hey Ken, If you have pull Cat 5 cable for different access point for your antennas. Let me know if have the tools for crimping ends and testing cables. I also a Canadian Licensed Data Electrician , Ive worked for Black & McDonald in Canada for 3 years and the telephone Company install DSL in houses- I do it right or I dont do it!!! There things i can do to the telephone line itself that will speed up your connection. THat the dominican telco boys dont know about.

p.s. I dont work for pesos. But It will be done good and proper.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
This is all helpful information and I appreciate the input.

I have sent the link to this thread to all the owners so that all who are interested can read your comments.
 

YUL514

New member
Aug 28, 2010
93
6
0
Robert & Sky
I was there January 2010.They had problems but by the end of the month,it was working pretty good. I was giving Las Cana as an example for a multi-Routers installation.Since Judy left,the new manager,Dominique has been trying to fix it the cheap way by asking anybody and everybody that that comes to the hotel to have a look at the installation.Too many chefs ruin the sauce.

Mike
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
3,604
113
Robert & Sky
I was there January 2010.They had problems but by the end of the month,it was working pretty good. I was giving Las Cana as an example for a multi-Routers installation.Since Judy left,the new manager,Dominique has been trying to fix it the cheap way by asking anybody and everybody that that comes to the hotel to have a look at the installation.Too many chefs ruin the sauce.

Mike

This is not the Router problem. How can they serve 92 rooms with one line at 1.5 down? You tell me. It crawls even when the signal is strong.
 

CaptnGlenn

Silver
Mar 29, 2010
2,321
26
48
I'm not an expert on wifi or internet connectivity in the DR, but wouldn't it be easier to hard wire each condo with coax, then whoever wanted wifi in their unit could buy their own router? maybe run a wire to any outdoor common space, (pool, patio, etc.) and the complex could run that one for whoever is in the common area?

just a thought.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
It sure as hell would be a lot cheaper, and work better.

Agree with that! Problem is sharing the bandwidth, who pay's what etc.

Better off letting individuel owners do their own thing and offer WiFi in the common areas.
 

Jerry Albers

New member
Dec 12, 2010
59
4
0
Options for you..
1- buy a 4 port router and have 4 cat5 cables people can just plug into in a central area
and a have computer there some people can check emails.
2- buy 1 wirelesss router and people only close to the router can use it - eg. in the bar or coffe shop.. Still cheap.
3- every supply there own DSL internet and buy there own... for each condo.
DSL uses the phone line so - as long as each condo can have there own phone number they can have there own DSL internet without rewiring the building.
4 - rewiring the building - ill take your cash - Thank you.. but I think option 2 is best.
Put a wireless router in the coffee shop - tell people to use there laptops, crackberrys, ipods ipads, bla bla. If they dont like it - or complain - its to slow - they can go pay there own service... You can get 3 MB down for $100 a month from codotel. Thats about $5 a condo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: waytogo

stpetewifi

New member
Feb 3, 2012
3
0
0
Greetings!

Hi there. I stumbled across this thread while doing some research and thought I might offer some assistance. I'm the owner and operator of a small wireless communications company in Florida.

This is pretty spammy--you might want to take out an ad in our Classifieds.

I don't know how feasible it will be to directly help you because I'm not local.. although I do intend to visit DR sometime soon. I'm an avid kiteboarder and surfer :) ...But! I do offer free advice and can educate you on what you will need to accomplish your goals.. what to look for, what to expect..

Good Luck with your project!
 
Last edited by a moderator: