Question about WiFi range (inside of building)

[Nowhere]

Place/range:
Between 1st and 9th floor in buidling made of concrete/etc.
Devices not bought yet, preferably cheap, "b" will be enough. Two WiFi adapters in ad hoc (or something...) mode, ideally one PCI card with small antenna attached and one USB "adapter".
Do you think it will work reasonably?

[Jessterw]

Given that sort of range without any signal extenders/amplifiers, if you could get a signal it'd definitely be weak. You'd also have to look at the total relative distance between the two points, as I'd guess it wouldn't be a straight line down, yeah?

For clarification, you're wanting to create an ad-hoc network/connection between two systems using the aforementioned (not yet obtained) WiFi adapters, for file/printer sharing and Internet connectivity I assume?

[schmosef]

1st floor to the 9th floor? That won't work. Too much building in the way.

[Nowhere]

Mostly Internet connectivity (at ~768kbps connection, of which I won't/can't use all anyway). Transferring quickly large files would be a nice bonus, but I can live without it (I can always bring PC down for that).
So...what would probably work? There's no possibility of amplifiers. And while it isn't straight down line, there are mostly large halls in between.

[Jessterw]

Well schmo is largely correct, 8 floors between is just too much for any standard wifi fare, especially desktop/notebook adapters.

[Nowhere]

OK, so what would probably work? I would be able to have some antenna at the end with PCI card. Also replacing USB card with PCI one (with small attached antenna) is possible, but I would prefer USB device...

edit: note that the USB one doesn't have to be "pendrive-like", it can be a box with antenna, just connected via USB...

[Fat Tone]

Could you mount both antennas outside so they have line-of-sight? Otherwise you are really going to struggle with that much concrete in the way. Also remember that it you aren't perpendicular to the walls/floors, the path through the concrete increases significantly.

The newer MIMO devices should do longer range, but I wouldn't want to buy the stuff before finding out. I don't suppose you are friendly with people on the 3rd and 6h floors?

[Nowhere]

Nope, no line-of sight possibility. But I don't think the path incrreases that much - mostly halls (really large ones!) in the way.
Hmm...and actually I do have friends on 4th floor...but the cost would increase too much
Also remember that even 1Mbps stable speed would be enough...is there a chance for that?

[Taz]

Also remember that even 1Mbps stable speed would be enough...is there a chance for that?

Not much even using pre 802.11n stuff You may find on some days you'll get a weak signal and others none at all.

[schmosef]

Sorry Nowhere, this doesn't seem possible. Can you run a wire down the side of the building?

[Nowhere]

Nah, it's a dorm and the head of it is somebody like Soup Nazi...

So...not even half o r1/3 of that 1Mbps?

[Jessterw]

It's not so much the speed you'd be able to obtain, it's the quality of the connection, or rather the lack of any constant signal strength. The degredation of the signal would just be too much with that kind of distance and structural blockage.

[az]

At my parents' house, I can't get a connection in first floor (not ground - the one above it) with the router in the cellar. You could make this work with amps and directional antennas, probably.

[Nowhere]

I guess there's no way then...

BTW, I thought also about Homeplug...but I have really no way of telling whether two places have the same phase :/

[cjolley]

Just get yourself 30m of cat5 and a roller.
Reel it out a window at night, and back in in the morning.

Drill holes in the walls if you need to.
Dorms are the building equivalent of rental cars.