The subject has been up before, but the newest I found was 3 years old. Has something changed?

The case is: one room, 20x50m.
500 devices (mobile, laptop, pad, press camera..)

Can it be covered by mikrotik wlan devices?

Say 50% of the devices can handle 5ghz. 50% is stuck on 2,4Ghz.
How many 2,4GHz devices can be put in this room? Are there antennas available to keep the signal from each radio within a small area?

If all AP's are set with the same SSID, will devices that support 5GHz prefer 5GHz over 2,4GHz?

this guide has some interesting info

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/c ... 693245.pdf


I think mikrotik can do it.

band steering its not supported, but maybe using more power for 5ghz will do the trick.

Things I learned from Ciscos guide:

it is better for two APs to share a channel
than to have two channels overlapping on the edge. Two APs sharing a channel can demodulate each others’ transmissions and share the bandwidth amicably. When two channels overlap at the edge, it is just noise to both and will result in collisions, retransmits, and SNR degradation.

Simply having a dual band client does not guarantee that it will choose 5 GHz over 2.4 GHz. The Microsoft Windows operating system defaults to a Wi-Fi channel search that starts with the 5
GHz channel 36 and continues searching through all of the 5 GHz channels that the client is capable of. If no 5 GHz AP is found then it will continue the search in 2.4 GHz starting at channel 1. Unless the Windows default is changed or the user has chosen a third party Wi-Fi utility to set spectrum preference to 2.4 GHz, the client radio will first try to associate to a 5 GHz AP. Apple Computer’s latest release for Atheros and Broadcom chipsets also searches 5 GHz first.

Tablet computers and smartphones have begun entering the market at a staggering rate. The vast majority of smartphones shipping today operate in 2.4 GHz only. While many of them are 802.11n clients, of these most have implemented a single input single output (SISO) rather than Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO). A SISO device is only capable of supporting MCS7 data rates, or 54 Mbps

The way cisco creates celles are by lowering the signal strength and hope it will not overlap with the surrounding cells. This sounds like something any AP can handle. To me this approach sound to simple. Even the distributor of Mikrotik here recommended Muru for this task. What does Muru do that mikrotik can't?

The way cisco creates celles are by lowering the signal strength and hope it will not overlap with the surrounding cells. This sounds like something any AP can handle. To me this approach sound to simple. Even the distributor of Mikrotik here recommended Muru for this task. What does Muru do that mikrotik can't?

yes lowering power, manipulating datarates an MCS, and wireless ACL to filter clients by signal strenght, that mikrotik can do and at a fraction of cost of other brands.

i have heard of meru, they use a proprietary technique that sound like magic but i have not tested it (in my country they have a closed market only direct partners can sell their products)

meru its on other range of price cheapest meru ap its 300US and is single radio, plus a controller of minimum 1300US for the AP´s you end with a solution at least 3x expensive than mikrotik.

Normally if you have budget for mikrotik you dont have budget for meru or ruckus or aruba.

I think a good and proactive design test and tunning can give great results whit mikrotik, and mikoritk its strong in reconfigurability and trouble shooting tools.

i think the success of a wlan project are:
50% are the design and configuration human factor
50% are the hardware capabilities

I'd like to test mikrotik for this application. Over the years I've replaced a lot of expensive cisco wlan that users complain about i favor of cheap mikrotik. It won't be cheap to test with mikrotiks either. I'll need probably 15 AP's and 500 people. I don't have that many friends! (Or I could do a small scale setup with only 2.4GHz and 250 people. Still I'll need more friends!)

I wish someone could say that they've tried this kind of setup and share they're experience.

I've now spoken to some friends who runs a catering service. We're thinking of setting up a test with 2.4GHz only, and invite a bunch of people for a snack and wlan test. Which antennas would be the best suited? According to the cisco guide the preferred antenna should ha low gain and cover as small area as possible on the floor (antenna will be placed in the ceiling)

RB951-2HnD (and G) has superb radio performance, plus can be powered by POE and provide POE on ether5, which would bring lots of flexibility for wiring arrangements.

RB951-2HnD (and G) has superb radio performance, plus can be powered by POE and provide POE on ether5, which would bring lots of flexibility for wiring arrangements.

yes Ui version has PoE input on port 1 and PoE output (500 mili amperes max) on port 5

G version (gigabit ports) has PoE input on port 1 but no PoE output

Ouch! -Ui version, that's it, forgot to specify that, sorry

Apart from gigabit/poe-out, both radios are the same and have integrated antennas, was a little concerned when tried my first units, but these have killer performance as is.

Isn't the antenna in 951 (and 751) shaped so that the signal goes equally out in all directions? If so it would have to be mounted in the height of peoples head. I think a more directional antenna is required to mount the equipment somewhat less visible.

I have a bunch of rb951g laying around. Rule of thumb: Keep at least two 951g's in the car at all times. They come handy in lots of situations. Too bad the 951 doesn't have connection for external antenna, like the rb751g.

I'd think a rb912 bundled with a outdoor box + an r11e will be the box of choice. But which antenna will be the preferred?

Keep at least two 951g's in the car at all times.

ohh yeah

I'd think a rb912 bundled with a outdoor box + an r11e will be the box of choice. But which antenna will be the preferred?

yes you can assemble something like this

http://www.4gon.co.uk/images/rf-element ... ot_one.jpg

i will prefer a rb922 (has a 5ghz ac radio) and add the 2.4ghz radio