Outdoor Planning And Deployment Considerations; Planning And Deployment Considerations; Scale Requirements; Identifying Known Rf Absorbers/Reflectors/Interferences Sources - Aruba AP-85 Installation Manual

Planning and Deployment Considerations

Prior to deploying an outdoor wireless network, the environment must be evaluated to plan for a
successful Aruba WLAN deployment. Successfully evaluating the environment enables the proper
selection of Aruba APs and antennas and assists in the determination of their placement for optimal RF
coverage. This process is considered WLAN or RF planning and Aruba's system engineers can assist in
the outdoor planning process.

Scale Requirements

The potentially immense scale of outdoor deployments requires consideration of factors that may not
be as important in a typical indoor deployment:
Range (distance): Range or distance between APs must be taken into account during the planning

phase. Available AP mounting locations are often far less flexible in an outdoor environment.
Regardless of these outdoor restrictions, the desired goal is to achieve results similar to an indoor
deployment: a "dense" RF deployment that supports advanced Aruba features, such as ARM,
efficient client roaming, and failover.
Elevation: Proper consideration and planning for elevation differences between APs (AP to AP) and

AP to Client can be critical to success. To plan for these differences in elevation, it is important to
understand the 3D coverage pattern provided by the antennas that will be deployed in the
environment.
Non-Fixed Considerations: The RF environment might change on a day to day basis. Keep non-fixed

items, such as shipping containers, vehicles, and future building construction, in mind when
planning for an outdoor deployment.

Identifying Known RF Absorbers/Reflectors/Interferences Sources

Identifying known RF absorbers/reflectors/interference sources while out in the field during the
installation phase is critical. Even though outdoor environments consist of fewer RF absorbers/
reflectors/interference sources compared to indoor environments, ensure that these sources are
identified and taken into consideration when installing and mounting an AP to its fixed outdoor
location.

RF Absorbers

Cement/Concrete

Natural Items: Trees/vegetation

Brick


RF Reflectors

 Metal Objects: Roof-installed air-conditioning equipment, chain link fences (depending on aperture
size), other wire fences, or water pipes
Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide
Chapter 2
Outdoor Planning and
Deployment Considerations

Outdoor Planning and Deployment Considerations |

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