Hi All,

Right here we go:

Got a server sitting in an office. It is basically there to do some number crunching and to act as a server to connected clients using SOAP.

Clients need to send a request to the server as a SOAP encoded request.

Server does some number crunching with the input request and then responds with a reply.

Both the request and the response are in the order of 3 or 4 kbs.

Most of the clients are on a LAN so running TCP/IP over the LAN isn't a problem.

The problem is the mobile users. These users will be using ruggidised laptops in the field at up to 10 miles from the server.

I need some method of establising an IP link back to the server.

GPRS/Mobile would be nice but coverage is very poor in this area.

Anybody know of any off the shelf kit that can do this ? Someone mentioned packet radio, but I haven't a clue.

We have already discounted satellite if at all possible as we need minimum setup time, as the users really are mobile nearly all the time and also sat. is pretty damn expensive.

Any ideas ?

Cheers

Ian

 

GPRS with auto fallback to GSM if GPRS connections fail are probably your best bet.

Vodafones latest GPRS (Option) cards offer this functionality with the addition of a VPN client.

 

Sorry Michael. Should have made that clearer. GPRS/Mobile should have been GPRS/GSM are both very poor in this area.

Cheers

Ian

 

This any good to you ?

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/?reviews/revi...y.php?id=36764

 

Is there any way you could extend the range of an 802.11/WiFi network? Perhaps with a long antennae aerial at the server end and directional antennae at the client ends.

Here's and article about long range WiFi. Perhaps you could also adapt the 'mesh' concept discussed in this Register story (published today).

 

Some good stuff there, but keep it coming.

Cheers

Ian

 

Here's another article on long range WiFi, where the writers try out a 5-mile link and plan for a 21-mile link. It's do-able, especially as data throughput falls as signal/noise rises (i.e. distance from source) - you said above you only need a few kbps.