FWIW, we were in a similar position with our community network at http://goldenhilfreeweb.org. We had a single AP which was a Cisco 350 and wanted to relay to another building and then have a 2nd AP there. A Cisco bridge was the obvious choice. We figured out we could use the cheaper 8 user version and throw in a router, but we didn't want to add another point of failure plus another/larger waterproof enclosure etc.
We ended up switching to SmartBridge for the new gear: http://www.smartbridges.com/ specifically the AirpointPro Outdoor and AirpointPro Total. The Total, in particular, is an interesting box because it is waterproof, ready to mount on a mast and has an integrated 13dBi panel antenna - i.e. perfect for a relay. We did perhaps order the wrong version. The airBridge Total could have been a cheaper solution. We discovered that the AirpointPro Total cannot bridge to the Cisco, so we had to switch the airpointPro Outdoor to be the first AP and then use the Cisco 350 as the 'new' 2nd AP. There some subtle MAC issues with one vs the other (the more expensive combo will succesfully pass the source MAC through the link which might be important for hotspot needs, whereas the airBridge substitutes its own MAC) which are reasonably well described in the support FAQs when you know to look for them :-). Other things to we noted adding SmartBridge instead of Cisco were: + less range POE - about 200ft max with the supplied 12V plugpack, though you can replace with an 18v to extend range + different MRTG scripts required, obviously + no HTTP interface to the devices, only SNMP with a supplied tool + much less detailed logs + a lot less 'knobs' to twiddle and settings to tune (not necessarily bad!) For this outdoor installation we estimate we saved about $600 on the relay radio alone, esp when you include the costs of an enclosure, pigtail and separate antenna. So far we're happy with the decision, though we don't have enough usage on the relay link to be sure yet. (Btw, pictures of the installation are available at http://goldenhillfreeweb.org/node/view/51). Hope this helps someone else! It took us a while to work through it all... cheers, michael -- general wireless list, a bawug thing <http://www.bawug.org/> [un]subscribe: http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
