Barn link planner

Will a beam reach the barn?

Put in how far it is, how high the dishes can go and what’s in the way. See the space the signal needs, and whether a beam, a taller pole or a cable is the answer.

m
m
m
m
What’s in the way?
m
%
1.5 m to spare6 m5 m300 mHeights stretched to show the detail
The zone a 5 GHz signal needsThe narrower 60 GHz zoneGreen clear, yellow tight, red blocked

The first answer

A 60 GHz beam will do it.

At 300 m with that view, a pair of 60 GHz dishes gives a fast link, typically close to a gigabit, that nothing else on the farm interferes with. It needs the line kept clear: even a branch in the way stops it, so a 5 GHz pair is the fallback if anything grows into the path.

Beam height at the trees
5.5 m
Clear space needed, 5 GHz
1 m
Clear space needed, 60 GHz
0.5 m
Book a link survey

A first answer from your numbers, on fairly level ground. Daniel checks the real line on site before anything’s bought.

How it works

A rugby ball, not a laser

A beam between two dishes isn’t a thin line. The signal spreads into a long, fat zone, widest in the middle, and most of it has to be clear for the link to hold up. That’s why a hedge that’s well below the line can still spoil it.

  1. Keep most of the zone clear

    Engineers aim for at least 60% of the zone free of hedges, trees, roofs and the ground. The planner checks the narrowest point: the obstacle you give it, or the middle.

  2. Higher frequencies need less room

    At 60 GHz the zone is a third the width it is at 5 GHz, so it squeezes past things more easily. But it fades in heavy rain over longer distances, so it's kept for links up to about a kilometre.

  3. Height fixes most problems

    Lifting both dishes lifts the whole zone. A short pole on a gable or a barn end often turns a 'no' into a 'yes'. When it can't, the answer is to go round: a hop via another building.

Questions

Beams across the yard: questions

How far can a wireless link reach?

With a clear view, a 60 GHz pair is reliable up to about a kilometre in British weather, and a 5 GHz pair reaches several kilometres. Most farm links are a few hundred metres.

Will it work through trees?

Not well. Leaves soak up the signal, and far more in summer than in winter, so a link that works in February can drop out in June. Go over the trees, or round them.

Is a cable better?

Under about 90 metres, a network cable in a buried duct is the most reliable link there is. Further than that it needs fibre, which is still the best answer if you’re digging a trench anyway. A beam is the answer when you’re not.

How accurate is the planner?

It does the same sums an engineer would, from the numbers you give it, on fairly level ground. It can’t see your farm, so Daniel checks the real line of sight on site before anything is bought.

Wi-Fi from the farmhouse to the far barnWalk the yard

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