I'm seeking this advice for my dad, I have no idea if this is possible but he asked me and I said I wasn't sure but I would check. Google search is coming up with lots of irrelevant answers which leads me to believe it is either not possible or not very common if it is possible.

My dad runs a farm & a couple businesses related to the ag industry. He uses a significant amount of data on his cell-phone plan providing a data uplink on real-time monitoring devices. The primary device is an iPAD that is used to monitor planting/harvest/chemical applications etc on the ag fields. 90% of his fields are within a 2 mile radius. He has high-speed fiber optic internet service available at a very affordable monthly rate at the main farm which is centrally located to most of the ag fields. Is there any type of long-range broadcast internet that he can use to provide a wifi type link to the monitoring equipment instead of the cell phone carrier data plan?

The terrain is flat and mostly open. He can place an external antenna ~65' high if it is outdoor rated, or ~60 feet high under a tin roof (in the barn) if it's not outdoor rated.

Requirements:
Range: Minimum range: 1 mile; Goal range: 2 miles; Dreaming range: 5-10 miles (is that possible?)

Must be able to be used on mobile devices that are not necessarily in the same place at any given time (IE, has to hit a moving target).

Must be reasonably affordable ($1500-2000 is the point at which it would be cheap for him to continue paying for the high-use data-plan).

Must not require any overly burdensome licensing requirements. Licensing isn't an issue as long as the fees/training/knowledge/hassle are reasonable.

Other notes: If 1 mile broadcast range isn't feasible it's possible that he can set up multiple stations 3/8-3/4 mile from one-another and utilize multiple broadcast antennas and use long-range directional antennas to get the wifi to each broadcast station but cost of multiple stations would likely go up pretty sharply...

Is this possible? Am I asking in the wrong place?

You probably want to cross post this in the Urban Commandos subforum for a better response from the networking guys.

I've only experienced them at work, but one of the other teams was using this radio and this antenna to get some pretty long-range Wifi. I'm not sure on price or complexity to set up, but might be worth looking into.

You could try building your own system using an old satellite dishes connected to routers on each end.

How-To: Build a WiFi biquad dish antenna
http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

You really need 2 separate systems.   One to beam the connection from point A to point B and then another to create a outdoor hotspot at point B.

Tons of factors involved to give you an exact solution (or  if it is even practical ) but the best bang for the buck solution........


If there is ( or could be)  Line-of-sight between the area that currently has internet connectivity and the area that has it then you could probably get by with a couple of Ubiquiti Nanostations like a NSM3 or NSM5   for a 2 mile link.    

At the far end you could use a Ubiquit OUTDOOR AP to create a hot spot

ETA:  If you want to cover more area on the hotspot ( you could could ditch the included 5dbi antennas for 10 or 13dbi Omni    

Remember:  this is not a specific solution   just a shot in the right direction

Microwave link point to point and then a higher power wireless router at the remote end.

Just want to say that I did take the previous advice to cross-post this in urban commandos subforum. I've checked into a couple of the suggested options and have so far struck out.

The EnGenius ENH900EXT (pretty high powered, high-tech device) was suggested but it would only be capable of 600-700 feet omni-directional range for the use I'm looking for.


One thing to keep in mind that is the range of coverage needed in a single field is still pretty large. Some of the ag fields are 1/2 mile long so well over 1,000 feet coverage is need from even a centralized location in the field. A solution that utilizes a sub-station with a directional antenna communicating to the base-station and an Omni-directional antenna communicating with the mobile equipment would add several complications. #1 setup & tear-down of the sub-station every time they change fields, #2 antenna aiming problems may arise, #3 powering a remote radio-station where no line-power is available, #4 other concerns with transporting said equipment to the location.


I understand that there isn't an easy or cheap solution, just surveying the options.


How much could that gain on an Omni-directional system?

Op did you check out my link they claim to pick up signals over a mile away.

It depends on a lot of unknown ( at least on my end ) factors.  Im still not 100% certain what exactly your expecting the system to do.   PM me your number if you want and I'll call you tomorrow and we can talk about it


RE: JostphT

Respectfully,

That article is not really practical/applicable to the OP,   is over 10 years old and pre-dated the very first iPad ( and iPhone for that matter).

Get the omni antenna up higher.
I have covered military 'plant' type airports without all that much trouble.
LOS directional link to tower closest to center of site.
Multiple antennas to create omni off the tower.
Occasionally even encrypted with real NSA hardware.
Had to put a safe in the tower.