Q: Hi Folks for those who have used the EnGenius ENS500 N300 Long-Range 5GHz Outdoor Wireless Bridge/Access Point I have a couple of questions. I need to connect my local home WAN/LAN to our HOA pool control room which is about 400 feet (about 120 meters) away and houses the security video recorder. Sadly a hardwire connection to the pool control room is not practical. It has been recommended that I use two of the ENS500's. So here are my questions. 1) At the local end is the ENS500 connected to the WAN by Cat5/Cat6 cable or is it wireless? 2) at the remote end, is the ENS500 connected to the local router or a bridge? The local wan uses an ASUS router ( RT-N66R). I am looking for a complete list of items need to make the connection. The configuration I presume looks like this RPAC-54 ----------- WI/FI Broadcast (ENS500)-----> 400 FT <------ Receive Signal (ENS500) -----????? ----Wired to Security Recorder. As you can tell I am not a professional and this is not being billed to anyone just helping out.

Hi, not to worry fairly straight forward setup. Watch U a couple of YouTube videos, that EnGenius put up, that will teach You how set up the units. Access the units with the default IPs, then assign yours, and set it up so it will fit your routers requirements. I will not dive into that, since that is well explained in the Videos. Set both units up with your IP #s say 10.10.10.20, and 10.10.10.30, You may well be using 192.168.X.X range. I don't like that, since the 10 range is simpler, but your router range will dictate your IP range anyway. Set up the units so U can access both of them individually connected with Cat5/6 cables to the same router. Disconnect one of them from the routers hardwired Cat5/6 cable. Assuming U already have a camera set up with Cat 5/6 cable, and you see the transmitted image with this hardwired connection. If not that's the next step to complete with the cameras documentation. By now all your 3 pieces are set up and individually functional. Now disconnect the camera from the router, and connect it to the disconnected ENS500, again with a short Cat5/6 cable. Power up all pieces like U supposed to. At this point U R still In the same room, one ENS500 is facing the other, and U should be able to access the camera, the signal jumping from one to the other ENS500. If lucky, and successful U will see the cameras image. [Remember luck favors the prepared mind] [But at this point U R not only lucky, U R skilled !] Now all is left to increase the distance between the two ENS500 units and install them on the outside of the buildings where they supposed to reside for good. As a recap, they both are hardwired, one to a camera, and the other to the router + PC.

Q: The video says it is not good for multiple portable devices that move around. I need to support wireless tablets in an adjacent building. Will I need to bridge two units and provide a wireless router in the second building or can I use the ENS500 as an access point from the primary building?

I'm using it as an access point. However the signal is not dramatically stronger than any other product out there, so you'll need something to regenerate the signal in the second building.

Question 1

Can I add a 2.4 GHz wireless access point to a 5 GHz bridge made with these between buildings?  Does it need to be the same company?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can add the access point.  Here is how:  You need two 5GHz units to form the bridge.  Then plug the Ethernet jack on the AP into one of the bridge units giving you a local 2.4GHz wireless on one side of the bridge.  If you want to file share across the bridge make sure you set up the units as WDS Bridge.

Question 2

Hello there,

What is distance on these as I can not seem to find in online?

Thanks much!

Accepted Answer

I thought I saw they were good for a distance in excess of a mile with direct line of site.  My application has it abouy 500 yards apart and it works very well, even in heavy rain.

Question 3

Hi Folks for those who have used the EnGenius ENS500 N300 Long-Range 5GHz Outdoor Wireless Bridge/Access Point I have a couple of questions. I need to connect my local home WAN/LAN to our HOA pool control room which is about 400 feet (about 120 meters) away and houses the security video recorder. Sadly a hardwire connection to the pool control room is not practical. It has been recommended that I use two of the ENS500's. So here are my questions. 1) At the local end is the ENS500 connected to the WAN by Cat5/Cat6 cable or is it wireless? 2) at the remote end, is the ENS500 connected to the local router or a bridge? The local wan uses an ASUS router ( RT-N66R). I am looking for a complete list of items need to make the connection.  The configuration I presume looks like this                                                                                                
  RPAC-54 ----------- WI/FI Broadcast (ENS500)-----> 400 FT         <------ Receive Signal (ENS500) -----????? ----Wired to Security Recorder. As you can tell I am not a professional and this is not being billed to anyone just helping out.

Accepted Answer

Hi, not to worry fairly straight forward setup. Watch U a couple of YouTube videos, that EnGenius put up, that will teach You how set up the units. Access the units with the default IPs, then assign yours, and set it up so it will fit your routers  requirements. I will not dive into that, since that is well explained in the Videos. 
Set both units up with your IP #s say 10.10.10.20, and 10.10.10.30, You may well be using  192.168.X.X range. I don't like that, since the 10 range is simpler, but your router range will dictate your IP range anyway.  Set up  the units so U can access both of them individually connected with Cat5/6 cables to the same router.  Disconnect one of them from the routers hardwired Cat5/6 cable.  Assuming U already have a camera set up with Cat 5/6 cable, and  you see the transmitted image with this hardwired connection. If not that's the next step to complete with the cameras documentation.  By now all your 3 pieces are set up and individually functional.
Now disconnect the camera from the router, and connect it to the disconnected ENS500, again with a short Cat5/6 cable.  Power up all pieces like U supposed to. 
At this point U R still In the same room, one ENS500 is facing the other, and U should be able to access the camera, the signal jumping from one to the other ENS500. 
If lucky, and successful U will see the cameras image.  [Remember luck favors the prepared mind]  [But at this point U R not only lucky, U R skilled !]
Now all is left to increase the distance between the two ENS500 units and install them on the outside of the buildings where they supposed to reside for good.  As a recap, they both are hardwired, one to a camera, and the other to the router + PC.

Question 4

The video says it is not good for multiple portable devices that move around. I need to support wireless tablets in an adjacent building. Will I need to bridge two units and provide a wireless router in the second building or can I use the ENS500 as an access point from the primary building?

Accepted Answer

I'm using it as an access point.  However the signal is not dramatically stronger than any other product out there, so you'll need something to regenerate the signal in the second building.

Questions & Answers