Wireless Equipment Placement And Range Guidelines - NETGEAR ProSafe SRXN3205 Reference Manual

ProSafe Wireless-N VPN Firewall SRXN3205 Reference Manual

Wireless Equipment Placement and Range Guidelines

The operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the
physical placement of the VPN Firewall. The latency, data throughput performance, and notebook
power consumption of wireless adapters also vary depending on your configuration choices.
Note: Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation
or inability to wirelessly connect to the SRXN3205. For complete performance
specifications, see
For best results, place your VPN Firewall:
• Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate.
• In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected PCs have line-of-
sight access (even if through walls).
• Away from sources of interference, such as PCs, microwaves, and 2.4 GHz cordless phones.
• Away from large metal surfaces.
Putting the antenna in a vertical position provides best side-to-side coverage. Putting the antenna
in a horizontal position provides best up-and-down coverage.
If you are using multiple access points for 11b/bg/ng, it is better if adjacent access points use
different radio frequency Channels to reduce interference. The recommended Channel spacing
between adjacent access points is 5 Channels (for example, use Channels 1 and 6, or 6 and 11). For
11a/na, the 6 Channel spacing is not needed.
The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending on both your security
settings and placement. Some types of security connections can take slightly longer to establish
and can consume more battery power on a notebook computer.
Understanding SRXN3205 Wireless Security Options
Your wireless data transmissions can be received well beyond your walls by anyone with a
compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment. The VPN
Firewall provides highly effective security features which are covered in detail in this chapter.
Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.
4-2
Appendix A, "Default Settings and Technical
v1.0, July 2008
Specifications."
Wireless Configuration