Point-to-point wireless bridges to the barn, the shop, or the second building

Two outdoor radios, one on each building, aimed at each other. They carry your network across the gap the way a cable would, only through the air.

At the far end, the radio connects to the network equipment that building needs: a switch for wired ports and an access point for Wi-Fi.

It extends the internet you already have. It isn't a second internet line: when the service at the main building goes down, the far building loses it too.

It depends mostly on line of sight: whether the two radios can see each other from where they'd mount. Trees, a rise in the ground, or another building in between can weaken the link or block it.

Leaves count. A path that looks clear in March can look very different in July, so I plan for the trees with their leaves on.

For the short distances between buildings on one property, the view usually matters more than the distance. On a clear path, a bridge usually carries a typical home or small-office internet connection with room to spare. I don't promise a speed before I've seen the path.

I check the line of sight on site before quoting. If there's no clear path, I'll say so, and we can talk about the alternatives, including cable in buried conduit between the buildings. That's more work, but a buried line doesn't care about trees. I don't dig trenches, so that option gets scoped separately.

More about network cabling

You can try. An indoor mesh unit or extender has to get its signal through the walls of both buildings and across the yard, and it usually struggles. The signal at the far end tends to be weak. It may come and go.

A bridge is built for the gap. The radios mount outside and aim straight at each other, with no walls in the way, so the link is usually much steadier.

If the other building is close and an outdoor access point at the main building already reaches it, that may be all you need, and I'll say so.

More on outdoor Wi-Fi and mesh

Each end is set up the same way:

• On the building. The radio mounts on an eave, a wall, or a short mast, wherever it gets the clearest view of the other one. Where it goes and how high are settled at the site visit.
• Powered through its cable. Each radio gets its power over its network cable (PoE), from the switch or a small injector inside, so no outlet is needed at the radio.
• Built for the weather. Outdoor-rated cable where it runs outside, a drip loop so rain drips off instead of following the cable in, and sealed entry points.
• Grounding and surge protection. Planned as part of the job, because outdoor equipment is exposed. Any bonding to the building's electrical grounding system is electrical work, so a licensed electrician does it.

The far building needs power for its switch or access point. If it needs a new outlet for that, it goes to a licensed electrician too.

The two radios are set up to talk only to each other, over an encrypted link, and they're part of your own network, not a public hotspot.

Like any network equipment, the radios have admin logins. They're set up in your name, and the logins are handed over with everything else.

I choose the radios after checking the distance and the path. For the rest of the network, I usually use UniFi equipment. I'm an independent installer, not affiliated with Ubiquiti.

More about UniFi installs

Yours. The link is tested, and you get what you need to run it without me:

• The admin logins for both radios and any other equipment.
• A labeled port map, so anyone can tell which cable goes where.
• A one-page written summary of how the bridge and the network are set up.

No lock-in: anyone competent can pick it up later.

You can buy the hardware yourself from a parts list I provide, or I supply it at cost plus a small markup, with a 50% deposit on the equipment and the rest due on completion.