Performance Hints; Microwave Ovens; Range - Proxim Harmony 8550 Manual

8. Performance Hints

This section provides the user with ideas for how to improve the performance of a
Harmony 802.11b network.

Microwave Ovens

Microwave ovens operate in the same frequency band as the Harmony 802.11b Access
Point. Therefore, if you use a microwave within range of the Access Point you may
notice network performance degradation. However, both your microwave and your
Access Point will continue to function.

Range

Every environment is unique with different obstacles, barriers, materials, etc. and, there-
fore, it is difficult to determine the exact range that will be achieved without testing.
However, Proxim has developed some guidelines to estimate the range that users will see
when the product is installed in their facility, but there are no hard and fast specifications.
Radio signals may reflect off of some obstacles or be absorbed by others depending on
their construction. For example, with two 802.11b radios, you may achieve up to 1000'
in open space outdoors where the two antennas have line of sight, meaning they see each
other with no obstacles. However, the same two units may only achieve up to 300' of
range when used indoors.
The IEEE 802.11b specification supports four data rates: 11 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps,
and 1 Mbps. Operation at 1 Mbps provides greater range than operation at 11 Mbps.
The Harmony 802.11b Access Point will automatically adjust the data rate to maintain a
usable radio connection.
Therefore, a client that is close to the Access Point may operate at 11 Mbps while a client
that is on the fringe of coverage may operate at 1 Mbps. As described in Chapter 4, you
can configure the data rates that the Access Point will use. Note that if you limit the
range of data rates available to the Access Point, you may reduce the effective range of
the Harmony 802.11b products.
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