Black Box LWN602A User Manual page 17

• Distance Between Access Points
In a standard office environment, it is a good idea to ensure that access points are between 30 and 100 feet from one another.
A distance of 30 feet is needed in high-density environments and those with many walls separating access points. A distance of
100 feet is sufficient in low-density areas with plenty of open space.
These three tips can help determine how many access points to deploy in a given area. In general, the square footage estimate
provides the best budgeting estimate, with client estimations and the distance between access points confirming the square foot-
age calculations.
As with all rules, there are exceptions. If certain locations in the network have a higher density of clients, such as conference
rooms or lecture halls, a higher density of access points is required. Conversely if there are large open areas with few active
clients, fewer access points are sufficient.
Planning Tools
If following general guidelines do not provide enough confidence or if the deployment environment is particularly challenging, you
might consider using software planning tools like AirMagnet Planner or Ekahau
planning tool with the SmartPath AP on-line software. Such tools are useful in determining the placement of access points with-
out performing a site survey.
Associated Access Point Costs
After you determine how many access points you need, it becomes simpler to determine the other costs involved with deploying
Wi-Fi because most are driven by the quantity of access points. These costs include the following:
• Installation and Wiring
- CAT5: CAT5 wiring is required for all SmartPath APs acting as portals.* One advantage of SmartPath networks is that you can
deploy SmartPath APs in a mesh to avoid some of the wiring costs.
- Power: Power lines are required for all SmartPath APs acting as mesh points.† Portals receive power through power lines or
through Ethernet cables by using the Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) option.
- Installation: SmartPath APs can simply snap into standard dropped-ceiling environments. However, if the installation is in a
warehouse or any environment without dropped ceilings, consider the installation costs.
• Infrastructure: PoE Switches
You must cable every SmartPath AP acting as a portal to a switch port. For PoE, there are several considerations:
- 802.3af: The current PoE specification provides enough power for all 802.11a/b/g access points.
- 802.3at: The current PoE specification supports higher power devices like 802.11n access points.
- PoE injectors and midspans: These save money on switch upgrades by injecting power into standard Ethernet connections.
• Site Survey and Debugging Software
- For a sizable deployment, you probably will use site survey and debugging software. Deployment and troubleshooting tools
from Ekahau and AirMagnet pay for themselves very quickly. These products enable the validation of a deployment and allow
you to troubleshoot client and access point issues. (For more information, see Section 2.3, Operational Considerations.)
• Professional Services
- When deploying wireless LANs, professional services are often required to perform site surveys.
*A portal is a cluster member that links one or more mesh points to the wired LAN.
†Mesh points are cluster members that use a wireless backhaul connection to link through a portal to the wired LAN.
Chapter 2: Preparing for a WAN Deployment
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Site Survey (ESS). Black Box also includes a free
®
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