Setting Up For The Antenna Alignment Procedure - Intel 2011B - PRO/Wireless LAN Enterprise Access Point Configuration Manual

Directional Antenna
on Roof of Building A
Antenna Cable
Figure 6-12: Example Setup for Using RF Link Test to Align Antennas
The alignment procedure is to point the antennas toward each other so that the RF Link Test for
each access point shows the maximum RSSI reading. The antenna positioning is further refined by
reducing the access point's radio power, while maintaining the maximum RSSI reading.
Some access points support the radio power control feature; others do not support this feature.
This procedure is covered in the following subsections.

6.6.1 Setting Up for the Antenna Alignment Procedure

Follow these steps to set up the bridging access points. An example setup diagram is shown in
Figure 6-12.
1. Install the directional antennas so that nothing obstructs the line of sight between them. For
best results, mount each antenna on a pole on an elevated location such as the roof of a
building. An example of a directional antenna is shown in Figure 6-13.
2. Connect the antenna cable to the access point's Antenna 1 connector, sometimes referred to as
the Primary connector. As shown in Figure 6-14, this is the connector on the right as you face
the rear of the access point.
If the standard antenna cable is not long enough, use a special low-loss antenna cable. The low-loss
antenna cable is custom made for a particular installation. It usually connects to the access point
through an adapter cable. Length of the low-loss cable may be up to 60 feet. Only site survey or
cable specialists should make custom antenna cables of this type.
Configuring Access Point Bridging and Repeating (WLAP Mode)
Wireless AP Link
Access Point A
Computer with
Serial Cable
Chapter 6. RF Link Test
Directional Antenna
on Roof of Building B
Antenna Cable
Access Point B
Computer with
Serial Cable
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