So Cal Free Net.org

Hi all,

I've done a ton of research, and have made a lot of progress, but now need some help. I am designing a long-haul network between four mountain huts. Only one hut has a direct LOS to our office. From this one hut, I can reach two of the other huts. The topology is:

Office -- 4.5 miles -- Hut1 -- 5.7 miles -- Hut 2
---------------------- Hut1 -- 1.5 miles -- Hut 3 -- 1.4 miles - Hut 4

I'm pretty clear how this would work if there were only 1 hut, but need help with the role of P2P/P2M/Repeater/Client-Bridge modes when there are multiple long-hauls. Also, should I be considering 802.11a for part of this, and if so what parts?

The bandwidth requirements are relatively low -- just a webcam serving primarily still frames + weather station data at Hut 1, and primarily discrete device monitoring/control at the other huts.

Current Plan and Questions
--------------------------

Right now, I'm thinking about an 802.11b P2P link to Hut1, possibly using smartBridge airPointPRO's. Should I be considering 802.11a instead??

And from Hut1, I think I need 3 total radios (one to talk to the Office, and 2 more to talk to Hut's 2 and 3). Should these all be simple P2P links just using non-overlapping channels? Is there any interference I need to be concerned at this hut. Or should I be considering other topologies like Repeater mode, Point-to-Multipoint or Client-Bridge Mode.

For the near-term we'll only have wired networks at the actual huts (for the webcam and weather system). But down the road, we may want a local wireless system that visitors can hook into with PDA's, laptops, etc. Will that change the topology requirements?

Is there anything else I'm missing here. Any help or references would be appreciated.

Rick

p.s. For a better topology figure, see:
http://www.skimtta.com/media/images/mm_wireless_links.gif