WAN Communal WiFi Is it possible to connect to an AP from far away? Or is it limited by the device connecting? My question concerns AP's like Ubiquiti's NanoStation locoM2 which claims 5km+ range. Would I be able to connect to it from that far (in ideal conditions) with a laptop's embedded WiFi? I understand that interference and obstacles will greatly reduce this, but would I achieve say, 1km? Or is it limited on the laptop's side? And is communal WiFi (ie lots of users using the same AP) users vulnerable to network sniffing? Is there something better than Ubiquiti for wide area wifi networks? I am a beginner in large scale networking, so please forgive the stupidity, Thanks in advance

Operational range depends on both ends. If the AP can be heard 10mi away, it doesn't do much good when your laptop/tablet/phone has a low power transmitter that cannot be heard 300ft away. The Nanostation range is _between two nanostations_.

> is communal WiFi users vulnerable to network sniffing?

Yes, however the link is almost always encrypted (WPA-Enterprise, so each link has it's own key.)

> is there something better than Ubiquiti for wide area wifi networks?

That's a shopping question / opinion, and off-topic. (Everybody has their favorite gear.)