Networking & wireless: need guidance for a sparse wireless network

need guidance for a sparse wireless network

I don't have any significant experience in setting up wireless networks, so I may use the wrong terms in what follows.

In a small religious community in rural Australia, most of the residents are scattered in small single person dwellings (studio's) up to 2Km from the main "house". The main house has a satellite internet link and a Netgear wireless router which serves the two residents who live in that house. Other residents either have their desktop computers located in the main house, carry their laptops to the main house or use dial up (slow and expensive).

I have established that studio's with clear LOS to the house can receive a wireless signal (up to 48Mbps) to a laptop with a Netgear USB wireless adapter if I am outside of the studio, in some cases on its roof. Because the house is situated at the high point of a ridge some studios don't have LOS at ground level to the house.

What I'm thinking of doing is to put an external aerial at each location with an Ethernet-802.11b/g bridge (hopefully with PoE). At the main house the bridge would be Cat 5'd to the Netgear router (only one of its Cat5 ports is used), at the studio's the bridges would be Cat5'd to the residents computer.

* Would this work?
* Are there other approaches I should consider?
* What sort of bridge should I use?
* What sort of aerials should I use?
* Might I need to use multiple aerials at "the house" (omni directional for the closer studio's and a directional for each studio further away)?
* Should I put bridges in roof (hence PoE) to minimize aerial cable length.
* What about lightning arrestors, the area gets lots of storms ?
* Would I need to use crossover connections at studios/


Cost is a significant issue, so if I can assemble bridges and aerials from parts etc then I would consider doing that - although because I live 200Km away I have to consider support.

Thanks in anticipation - actualtiger