Definitely off topic here, and I know it's been discussed on the list
in the past, but darn it, I know some of the smartest wi-fi folks in
the world hang out here, and my internet searches keep coming up dry
:)

I need to set up a point-to-point wireless link, and just wondering
the best way to go. Labour is not an issue, but price of parts should
be <USD500. I need to tie a remote location to an existing internet
connection. This will be a low traffic link, but should be able to
sustain speeds of 3mbps for short bursts, and reliability is a must.

Straight line distance from client to AP is 1.58 km (0.98 miles), line
of sight or near LOS (I can see client's roof among tree tops from
tower at AP). Outdoor ambient temps will never exceed -45 C to 40 C.

Some options I've considered:

1. Indoor Cisco/Linksys WRT54GL with Tomato firmware and an external
directional antenna at both ends. Tomato supports client mode, allows
setting the Tx power up to 251 mW, (although I'm not sure if I'd only
be getting half that on a single antenna), and allows setting ack
timing up to 99999 m, so this scenario is a theorical possibility from
what I can tell. http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato/

2. Dedicated outdoor equipment, such as a pair of these from ubiquity:
http://www.aerial.net/shop/product_info.php?cPath=76_96&products_id=463
More expensive than the tomato option, would something like this be
more reliable? This one is rated -40 to 85 C, good enough for my
purposes.

3. Any other suggestions? I looked at Motorola's PTP 200. I have great
faith in their Canopy equipment, but at $4000 for a pair, it's a
little outside my budget for this project.

Thanks for your thoughts.

db