A Wireless AP is a crucial component in wireless networks, functioning as a bridge for transmitting and receiving Wi-Fi signals. It acts as a “wireless switch” that enables mobile devices to connect to a wired network seamlessly, forming the backbone of Wi-Fi coverage.
Wireless APs allow mobile devices to connect to a wired network through Wi-Fi, commonly used in residential areas, offices, and educational campuses. Typical coverage ranges from tens to hundreds of meters, depending on the environment.
A wireless AP works by receiving network data through an Ethernet cable, converting the electrical signal into a radio frequency, and broadcasting it as a Wi-Fi signal. This enables the establishment of wireless network coverage across an area.
This guide covers everything you need to know about Wireless AP setup and optimization. Understanding data communication is vital, as it accounts for about 50% of network projects, with wireless aspects contributing to 20%. For optimal performance, learning the fundamentals of network infrastructure is key.
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In some big cities, it is not convenient to lay lines due to various reasons, such as the high cost of optical fiber, weak signal of twisted pair over long distances, river obstruction, city appearance, etc. We all hope to connect to the network conveniently and quickly, so setting up an AP wireless network has obvious advantages.
In this article, Lao Yang organized the relevant knowledge points of AP into three modules. I hope it can be helpful to you. You are welcome to forward and collect it.
01 Understanding Wireless AP Coverage: Key Considerations
(1) AP coverage area
The maximum indoor coverage distance is 35~100 meters
Maximum allowable outdoor distance: 100~400 meters
(2) AP coverage
The empirical values of the penetration loss of 2.4G electromagnetic waves for various building materials are as follows:
- A. Concrete wall (15~25cm): attenuation 10~12dB
- B. Wooden wall (5~10cm): attenuation 5~6dB
- C. Glass window (3~5cm): attenuation 5~7dB
*The impact of various building materials on wireless signals
- When the AP and the terminal are separated by a concrete wall, the AP’s transmission coverage distance is reduced to approximately < 5 meters.
- When there is a wooden wall between the AP and the terminal, the AP’s transmission distance is approximately less than 15 meters.
- When there is a glass wall between the AP and the terminal, the AP’s transmission distance is about < 15 meters effective distance
(3) Determine the number of APs
For common open spaces with an area of less than 150 square meters, such as hotel public lounges, small bars, cafes, conference rooms, western restaurants, etc., when the number of users is expected to be no more than 30, placing one AP in each place can meet the demand.
When the space is large, multiple APs will be installed to meet the coverage requirements. When the capacity requirements are large, that is, there are too many users in the coverage area of the AP, multiple APs will need to be placed in the same space to increase capacity.
02 Super detailed! Networking methods for wireless AP network coverage
Regarding the application of wireless AP, the most common networking mode is AP coverage. Different application scenarios will have different networking modes.
(1) Small and medium-sized wireless coverage networking methods
Traditional wireless AP coverage is mainly used for network coverage in some small places. As shown in the figure below, it is suitable for some bookstores, small restaurants or villas, etc. It uses an AC router for AP and broadband playback. The effect is very good.
What is an AC Router?
AC router is a kind of router. AC routing refers to routing using AC functions. AC controller is used for wireless coverage to centrally manage all APs. It can be called AP “steward”, and its role is to manage APs.
A router is a network device used for data communication in many companies, businesses, internet cafes and large networks.
(2) Wide-area wireless coverage
For large venues, such as hotels and ×××, we can use the following networking methods for wireless coverage, using PoE power supply and wireless AC. AC has the function of unified control of wireless APs, which can simplify network management and maintenance.
Plan the access layer Poe switch according to the number of APs. Please note that when selecting a Poe switch, you need to know the Poe power standard and then select the corresponding Poe switch.
Poe power supply standard:
Determine the power supply protocol supported by the AP (AP or IPC) (such as 802.3af, 802.3at, or non-standard PoE). The PoE power supply protocol supported by the switch must be the same as that of the power supply terminal.
The single-port output power of an 802.1af standard PoE switch is 15.4 W, and the single-port input power of an 802.3at standard PoE switch is 30 W. For power-consuming devices with high power consumption, it is recommended to use an 802.3at standard PoE switch.
(3) Summary of wireless AP coverage
In the process of implementing AP coverage, in order to ensure the stability, flexibility, coverage, scalability, etc. of the solution, there are two points to note:
1. Wireless AP Setup Instructions
In large wireless networks, AP wireless coverage is mainly due to the many advantages of wireless AP: flexible network expansion, wide coverage, easy management, etc.
When using a large wireless network, a large number of wireless APs are required. When managing these large numbers of wireless APs in a unified manner, you need to set up APs. However, you need to pay attention to the following:
- Wireless APs with overlapping signals cannot use the same channel.
- All wireless APs must use the same SSID.
- All wireless APs must use IP addresses in the same network segment and be in the same VLAN.
Since the coverage areas of multiple AP signals overlap with each other, the channels occupied by the AP coverage areas must meet certain specifications, and adjacent channels cannot overlap with each other.
That is to say, wireless APs in mutual coverage areas cannot be used, otherwise, the same channel will cause mutual interference of APs during signal transmission, thereby reducing the working efficiency of the APs.
Of the 11 available channels, only 3 are covered, namely channel 1, channel 6, and channel 11, and it is appropriate to use these channels as multi-cellular coverage.
In addition, the wireless APs used to implement wireless roaming networks must use the same network name (SSID) and use IP addresses in the same network segment. Otherwise, wireless clients will not be able to roam.
2. Considerations for building wireless roaming
In a wireless roaming network, the client’s configuration is the same as that in the access point network. During mobility, users do not feel the switching between wireless APs.
When building a wireless roaming network, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- The wireless AP and wireless clients must be in the same VLAN and the same IP address segment.
- The AP signal coverage areas should overlap with each other. Otherwise, it will lead to a wireless network dead zone. That is, the distance between wireless APs should be less than the limited transmission distance of the wireless APs.
3. The wireless APs must be set to the same SSID. Different SSIDs mean different wireless networks, and wireless roaming is not possible.
4. The same WEP or WPA encryption must be used. All wireless APs and clients must use the same WEP or WPA encryption, otherwise they will not be able to establish a connection with each other. WEP and WPA are also case-sensitive.
5. Wireless APs that overlap each other must use different or even non-adjacent channels, otherwise it will cause serious interference and reduce AP communication efficiency.
Channel is the frequency band. IEEE 802.11b/g operates at 2400~2483MHz. The US standard channels can be divided into 11, the European standard channels can be divided into 13, and the Japanese standard channels can be divided into 14. Each channel has a difference of 11MHz.
For example, channel 1 is 2 412MHz, channel 2 is 2 423MHz, etc. In practice, there is no interference between channels 1, 6, and 11.
03 Key points to follow in AP planning, see here
(1) AP installation location selection
Install one AP in a single room. Try to place the AP in the center of the hall. It is best to place it on the ceiling of the hall. If two APs are installed, place them at two opposite corners of the hall.
(2) AP frequency planning
Theoretically, the isolation degree of adjacent frequencies is required to be >= 35db. According to empirical values, when adjacent APs are set to the same frequency, the interval is required to be more than 25 meters; when adjacent APs are set to adjacent frequencies, the interval is required to be more than 16 meters; when APs are set to separate frequencies, the interval is required to be more than 12 meters.
To maintain a good quality WLAN, the number of users within the coverage area needs to be considered. The number of online terminal users of a single AP should not exceed 30.
(3) Follow the principles
- Coverage principle: First of all, ensure that the signal coverage can meet the user’s requirements
- Easy installation principle: planning and site selection should meet construction requirements
The load-bearing walls of reinforced concrete structures have a strong obstructive effect on wireless signals. Therefore, for “duplex” structure houses and villa-type home environments, the solution to the best signal coverage effect is to configure a wireless router for each floor.
In actual applications, the coverage range of indoor APs may only be around 30 meters at most.
The actual usage rate of 802.11b is only about 40% of the nominal value, which translates to a data transmission rate of about 600KB/s. If set to 64/128-bit WEP encryption, the transmission rate will drop further.
Therefore, you should pay more attention to interference issues when using it and try to stay away from microwave ovens, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, etc.
For large-sized apartments or small and medium-sized enterprises, wireless signals will be lost and damaged due to the obstruction of walls between rooms. Wireless access points are an effective supplement to improve the signal coverage and stability of wireless routers.
Therefore, it is necessary to deploy a powerful wireless AP. As a bridge between wired and wireless networks, the scalability of the wireless access point extends the user’s wireless experience to a wider area.
There are many brands of wireless AP, including Cisco and Huawei, TP-Link, Tenda, and Aruba. Which one have you come across that is the best? Welcome to interact in the comment section.