Wireless Access Point; Placement Considerations; Radio Frequency Barriers - SonicWALL SonicWave 200 Series Deployment Manual

Physical placement of the SonicWave wireless access point has a measurable effect on who can and cannot
access your wireless signal.
Access points should be kept clear of Radio Frequency (RF) interference sources. RF barriers can be
circumvented by deploying multiple access points.
A site survey can help find the optimum wireless access point placement, but you can find usable locations
without it.
Considerations include:
• Number of Access Points Versus User Density – If too many users connect to a single access point,
maximum transfer rates are reached and that access point may become a bottleneck for the whole
system.
• Bandwidth – How much data is moving upstream and downstream for a given type of user?
• Ethernet Cabling – Where are you running the powered Ethernet (PoE) cable to and how are you
securing that cable? Are you using a multi-gigabit 802.3at-compliant PoE injector or switch to power all
access points?
To maintain power to the SonicWave access point, the recommended maximum length of CAT5e cable,
from the 802.3at PoE injector, to the SonicWave access point is 100 meters (333 feet).
• Hubs / Switches – Your wireless deployment has to tie back into your network security appliance and
LAN resources. Consider where your key networking devices are deployed and how they will connect
efficiently with your wireless appliances. What speed is needed for your Ethernet connection to
accommodate the number of access points you are installing? A Gigabit Ethernet interface is
recommended when connecting a SonicWave access point to your SonicWall network security appliance.
• Legacy Clients - Older laptops and mobile devices might not support 802.11ac. Although clients with
802.11a/g/b hardware are supported by the SonicWall SonicWave, the presence of these legacy clients
within range of your wireless network could affect the connection speed of your 802.11ac clients.
For example, an 802.11b device authenticated to the SonicWave access point could limit all clients
connected to that radio to 802.11b data rates.

Radio Frequency Barriers

Determining how to circumvent RF barriers can be a challenging part of the placement process, but RF barriers
can also be used beneficially in an attempt to block signals where you do not want coverage. The 5 GHz
frequency is more sensitive to RF barriers. A wall that allows a 2.4 GHz wireless network to operate can block a
5 GHz one.

Wireless Access Point

Placement Considerations

Wireless Access Point Placement Considerations
SonicWall SonicWave Deployment Guide
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