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Gain, Distance, and Loss Considerations
When planning your wireless network you first need to define the distance between wireless links or between the
access points or radios. A link budget will need to be done. First you need to know the characteristics of the radio
equipment being used. For every radio operating at a given data rate, there will be a specification listing transmit power
and receive sensitivity. You also need to meet the minimum receive Carrier to Noise (C/N) and Carrier to Interference
(C/I) ratios. As the distance between your wireless points increases you must either increase antenna gain or transmit
power. In general increasing antenna gain is the lowest cost way to increase range. There are numerous on-line tools
you can use to calculate your range.
Cable considerations
When designing a wireless network you should use 50 Ohm low loss coaxial cable for optimal results. This type of cable
usually begins with a 100 series style up to a 900 series style. The lower the number of the series, the smaller the
diameter of the cable. Lower number series cables such as 100, 195, etc. are used for very short pigtail connections to
access points, surge protectors (in close proximity), and amplifiers. Larger series cable such as the 400 series are typically
used for medium antenna cable runs and the 900 series is used for long distance applications such as base station tower
installations that can be 100 feet or more off the ground. As a general rule, 195 series is good for distances under 20
feet, use 400 series cable for 20-50 feet, use 600 series cable for >50 feet. The chart below defines the approximate loss
values for the main types of low loss cables.
View our Low Loss Coax Cable applications overview in the Resources section of this paper
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