Cisco 8800 Series Deployment Manual page 35

Access Point and Antenna Selection
For rugged environments, it is recommended to select an access point platform that requires external antennas (e.g. Cisco
1602e, 2602e, 3502e, 3602e, and 3702e Series Access Points). It is also important to ensure an antenna type is selected
which can operate well in rugged environments.
Access Point Placement
It is crucial that line of sight to the access point's antennas is maximized by minimizing any obstructions between the Cisco
IP Phone 8800 Series and the access point. Ensure that the access point and/or antennas are not mounted behind any
obstruction or on or near a metal or glass surface.
If access points with integrated antennas (e.g. Cisco 1040, 1130, 1140, 1602i, 2602i, 3502i, 3602i, and 3702i Series Access
Points) are to be used in some areas, then it is recommended to mount those access points on the ceiling as they have omni-
directional antennas and are not designed to be patches.
Frequency Band
As always, it is recommended to use 5 GHz. Use of 2.4 GHz, especially when 802.11b rates are enabled, may not work
well.
For the 5 GHz channel set, it is recommended to use a 8 or 12 channel plan only; disable UNII-2 extended channels if
possible.
Data Rates
The standard recommended data rate set may not work well if multipath is present at an elevated level.
Therefore, it is recommended to enable lower data rates (e.g. 6 Mbps) to operate better in such an environment.
If using for voice only, then data rates above 24 Mbps can be disabled to increase first transmission success. If the same
band is also used for data, video or other applications, then is suggested to keep the higher data rates enabled.
Transmit Power
Due to the potential of elevated multipath in rugged environments, the transmit power of the access point and Cisco IP
Phone 8800 Series should also be restricted. This is more important if planning to deploy 2.4 GHz in a rugged
environment.
If using auto transmit power, the access point transmit power can be configured to use a specified range (maximum and
minimum power levels) to prevent the access point from transmitting too hot as well as too weak (e.g. 5 GHz maximum of
16 dBm and minimum of 11 dBm).
The Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series will utilize the access point's current transmit power setting to determine what transmit
power it uses for transmitted frames when DTPC is enabled in the access point's configuration.
Fast Roaming
It is recommended to utilize 802.11r / Fast Transition (FT) for fast roaming. Enabling 802.11r (FT) also reduces the
number of frames in the handshake when roaming to only two frames. Reducing the number of frames during a roam,
increases the chances of roam success.
When using 802.1x authentication, it is important to use the recommended EAPOL key settings. See the WLAN
Controller Advanced EAP Settings section in Configuring the Cisco Unified Wireless LAN Controller and Access
Points for more information.
Quality of Service (QoS)
Need to ensure that DSCP values are preserved throughout the wired network, so that Cisco Unified Wireless LAN
Controller and access points can set the WMM UP tag for voice and call control frames correctly.
Beamforming
If using Cisco 802.11n access points, then Beamforming (ClientLink) should be enabled, which can help with client
reception.
See the Beamforming (ClientLink) section in Configuring the Cisco Unified Wireless LAN Controller and Access
Points for more information.
Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series Wireless LAN Deployment Guide
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