2 APs near each other hinder operation ?

[BobY777]

Anyone know if there is any study done on whether two APs operating near each other can cause detrimental operation to each other?

For instance in higher power transmitters, I have seen where one high power transmitter on a nearby channel, will "desense" a nearby receiver (receiving on a channel near the transmmit channel of the other unit), making that receiver incapable of receiving weak signals, that it might be able to receive if the nearby transmittrer wasn't turned on.

I thought that one APs transmitter might overload the receive section of the other AP, since the antennas are located so close to each other. This happens many times to regular two way transmitters if they are close to each other and not filtered well. And I don't think APs have much rf filter circuitry, if any in them. That would make them larger and cost more.

However since they are so low in power, maybe detrimental operation isn't a factor.

But I thought maybe other tech people here may know.

[FlaWireless]

depends on the situation, but you need to look at your noise floor. Indoors I try to use the lowest power possible and only use 1,6,11 on B/G networks.

[BobY777]

Hello FlaWireless:

Yes. I also use just 1, 6, & 11. I use the Orinoco Client Manager software for site surveys. It is compatible with the AP chip set and so I can see information for the AP and the laptop. Can see noise, signal to noise ratio, signal strength, etc.

However I did get an AP from a different manufacturer last week, I really like for the most part. It is very rugged and can be used outdoors in temp. extremes and is 500 mW. However it has a chipset in it that is not compatible with my Orinoco Client Mgr software. So I can't use the Orinoco client mgr software for site surveys now. And I like many other people just don't have the $3000 plus to get Air Magnet.

So what I did with the new AP is I look mainly at just its signal strength on my Orinoco Client Mgr software. Thats about all it will tell with this incompatible chip set.

But I need "two way" information. That is I want to know if the uplink and the downlink are working properly. The Orinoco software told me that. So what I do here is run a continuous ping and also watch the signal strength. The continuous ping will tell me if any packets were lost. And the uplink and downlink have to be working for the ping to work. So at least I can check it that way.

That leads me to a question. What kind of site survey software do you use? It's interesting to find out what other people use.

Thank you,

[spiderbite]

Since I only play with Cisco gear these days, I use the ACU tool from Cisco.

I dont like airmagnet because the results on airmagnet differ from the results on ACU.

I thought dBm was dBm. But now it appears that dBm is relative to the card you are using.

Which makes me wonder why survey with airmagnet if I am using the Cisco card or any other card.

Likewise the spectralink phone tends to crap out at -69ish dBm or so

but the cisco card still says its great in the laptop next to me usually by about 10dB...


but I still have to know the phone works so I survey with the phone.


If somebody knows the answer to this eternal question I would be forever grateful....