# Running wireless network bridge through a coax cable?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-wireless-network-bridge-through-a-coax-cable/233782>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 11, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-wireless-network-bridge-through-a-coax-cable/233782 "2004-03-11T22:38:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-wireless-network-bridge-through-a-coax-cable/233782/1 "2004-03-11T22:38:39Z")

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Recently I posted about using cable modems to pipe my home network through a buried coax cable, and got great answers explaining why that wouldn’t work, at least not like I wanted. Too bad; I like the security of hardwired networking and my house is already wired with twisted pair. I wanted to network the barn 150’ away so I could put a satellite internet hookup out there (it’s my only broadband option and only the barn has a view of the southern sky).

So I started to go the wireless bridge route instead.

But HEY! Why can’t I send the wireless access point signal through the buried CATV cable I already have?

I’m getting two Linksys WAP11 “wireless access points” that can also work as a wireless bridge. They do have jacks for the antennas to plug into, and you can also buy remote antennas whose cables plug into those jacks. Obviously, if I run cable from one to the other, I’m piping that same signal directly.

There are two complications:

1. My buried CATV cable is 75 ohm, whereas the antenna connections are probably 50 ohm, so I need a transformer to match impedances.
2. These devices are made to transmit much more power than they receive, and may not like being cabled together because they expect lots of attenuation. I probably need an attenuator in this line.

The CATV line itself will have some attenuation, but I am hoping not as much as an open air path.

I bet my transformers might be simple resistor networks rather than inductively coupled coils. A resistor network can match impedances, just not very efficiently - but in my case I probably want to add attenuation anyway, so maybe resistor networks will work.

Any idea whether this would work? Or how to decide how much attentuation to shoot for? I might get the attenuators right by trial and error, starting with too much and then decreasing the attenuation until it works.