How to do remote ethernet access over twisted pair telephone wire?

I support a small main office with 2 computers wired to a wireless router with DSL/internet access and a laptop connecting to the router wirelessly.

I want both wired and wireless access at a remote location about half a mile from the main office. The remote location has twisted pair telephone wire but not network cable, and it’s too far for network cable anyway.

I understand that I can get an "ethernet extender" to extend the ethernet network over the twisted pair telephone wire, such as: DCE/2178EE-2PK (Data Connect Brand, Chinese made) for $389 per 2 pack. http://dataconnectus.com/DCE_2178_Eth_Ext.htm

Assuming this is accurate, my question is: what’s the cheapest way to provide both wired and wireless access at the remote location ?

I THINK the answer is as follows:
wired access can be provided at the remote location with a network switch such as:
Linksys EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch (about $20 )

wireless access can be provided with a wireless access point such as
Linksys WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point (about $65 )

Is this the best and cheapest way to accomplish this goal of wired and wireless access at the remote location? In particular, is there some single device that would provide both wired and wireless access at the remote location? (Note that DSL/internet access is at the main office, NOT the remote location.)

Thanks in advance for any response.

 

Thanks Tony, for your reply.
The specifications for the "Ethernet extender" say that it can transmit 5 MBPS up to one mile so that is twice as far as the twisted pair goes. There is no line of sight so point to point wifi is not a possibility. The second DSL line would over time be more expensive than the current option, I think.
Any comments on whether there is any other option for the remote access devices besides both a switch and an access point?

 

I don't know about access points, but if you get a wifi router, it would most probably have 3-4 ethernet ports built in.

You would have to open the ports on the router to get anything other than internet/mail working out of the box.

 

Thanks RSINFO, for your response. I don't understand what you mean by your comment:

"You would have to open the ports on the router to get anything other than internet/mail working out of the box."

A standard wifi router at the remote location would indeed have ethernet ports built in, but the incoming cable would come from another router, not from the DSL modem, so how would that work and where would the cable plug in?

 

The input from your HO should go into a ethernet port marked as WAN or Internet. Then the router would NAT it & you can access internet on LAN or wireless. Since it would most probably have a firewall, either you can switch it off or open the required ports. Either way, Windows networking through netbios would not work ie. you cannot browse the LAN computers or open them through their netbios names. IP address would work.

 

If you ignore the WAN port on the router, it behaves just like a switch with a wireless access point attached. So four port router would give you three ports available for use at the remote site.

Personally, I wouldn't connect two offices via copper. There are earthing effects that can cause issues such as you actually running a current over the network cable (if earth at one site is significantly lower that at the other). There is also the lightning risk.

DSL link at the remote office and VPN is by far the best solution. I'm sure it will perform better and be more reliable than anything running over a standard telephone cable over that sort of distance.

 

Thanks, Reggie and RSInfo, for your additional comments.
Reggie, a DSL link at the remote site won't be easy because the telephone line is an extension from the main office. The remote site doesn't have a direct connection to the outside telephone network. Lightning and grounding questions are important, and we had a lightning problem last summer. But DSL itself is delivered to the main office over a standard twisted pair line that's at least a half mile to the roadside telephone company box, and we have never had either a grounding problem, or a lightning problem with the DSL itself. So what does a DSL installation do that is not usually done in an application like I have described?

 

Terminated and isolated cable connections that will cope with surges and ground impedance issues.

 

If it can even be done I would recommend a Digital protector at both ends. Your best bet would be a single mode fiber link between the two locations with media converters at both ends. No lightning worries then.

 

Can you tell me more about the "digital protector "? Google doesn't give anything that seems relevant. What is it; where do you get it? Thanks for the suggestion.

 

http://www.godigital.com/support/downloads/010193_Inst_Note_ADR__TAD_with_GelFilled_Protectors.pdf

http://www.portasystems.com/protection/Network/CatIndex.htm

http://www.hyperlinktech.com/productfamily.aspx?id=201

We use Circa.

http://www.circatelecom.com/index.html
http://www.circatelecom.com/html/ct_prod_data_mod.html