Apartment building MULTI A/P wifi installation

[delpaso]

INTERESTED IN INSTALLING A WIRELESS NETWORK TO DISTRIBUTE Internet through multiple access points.

Main project characteristics.

1.Roaming for the clients between the floors and the access points if needed (same SSID with attention to non-overlapping channels, same key as well?)

2.bandwidth limitation / management (see p2p applications)

3.Client isolation for safety.

The plan is as follows keeping the cost as low as possible.

A smart switch which connects to the modem and then "divide" the Internet to the access points via cable through tha elevator shaft. Perhaps a mikrotik router can do that as well. The idea is to keep everything centralised. Being a able to do all the controlling-management through only one point. The switch/ router.

As regards to the final users login methods, i am not looking for something sophisticated if not available. A shared key for the whole installation (see again roaming) in conjunction with MAC address filtering again "public" to all floors will be enough I guess. But again if a mikrotik router offers the operation of the hotspot that I read is preferable to an expensive smart switch.

If however it is possible to have 4 and not 8 UTP running to the 4 floors from the router is even better. That is if there are access points with more than one LAN port to pair them on each floor.POE is not a nessecity.

I look forward to any ideas regarding the project above (topology and equipment wise) since its only my second attempt to a similar project and i need someone's experience as help b4 placing an order.

Thanks in advance.

A.

[a13088]

We have much experience in hotel or apartment of dense AP installation. Network management issues which you mentioned are so easy to achieved by carrier grade AP and access control device like Nomadix. However you have to aware of the wireless problems in dense AP installation environment which rarely mentioned by AP vendors or players.

The first problem is interference. Wireless AP signal can pass through one to two ply of concrete walls. There are only 3 unoverlapping channels.Interference will happened if there are over 3 APs in the same wireless zone (3 to 5 floors). It will result to lost packets and total system bandwidth slow down. As per the stress test report from Novarum in 2007 on Meru, Cisco and Aruba , with similar dense AP environment of 15 APs and 72 PCs, total system throughput is just about 50M in both thin or fat AP system.

The second problem is signal strength. You may install the AP in public area or corridor. 2.4G wirelss signal is so difficult to pass through concrete walls to provide good and stable coverage inside the rooms. If you increase the AP power or use higher gain antenna, interference problem will be more serious.

The third problem is network connection jumping. Each wireless client can recieve many different AP signals of the same SSID.Client network connection will jump in always changing wireless environment. The worst case we seen in one of the leading 5 star hotel in China, network connection jumped in every 3 to 5 seconds. The wireless network is basically not usable.

You may not aware of the problems upon system installed and acceptance. The probelms will get serious with more wireless users in future. That's the bad real experience from our hotel clients.

The best way to solve the problems is the technology of providing WLAN coverage through cable TV network (WLAN over CATV).

[golfnut]

delpaso,

It can be done for a reasonable price.

A few tips:

I would start with the firewall/router. Consider untangle.com (it's free). Create an ISO, install it on a decent PC with two NIC cards and you've got one of the best PC appliances on the market (in my opinion).

It does protocol blocking (ptp), has spam, spyware, phishing, web filter, and virus protection. It basically blocks any harmful website and scans anything downloaded for viruses (including emails). It also has QoS for limiting bandwidth. Keeps the network running very smooth and protects client PC's.

Some wireless access points have client isolation built in.

Select AP's with auto channel select.

Depending on the number of access points you're considering using and the wireless environment, I would suggest doing a wireless site survey. Check out http://metageek.net/ in the free wireless tools section.

When you configure your access points, disable the lower data rates (1 and 2 meg). This will prevent wireless adapters in the PC's from latching on to a weak signal, especially when roaming.

Don't use WPA in this type of environment. It has an inherent problem (see MIC attack). I would consider WEP or WPA2.

Greg

[delpaso]

I was thinking of using somethink like this acting as a router feeding an unmanaged switch http://linkshop.gr/shop/index.php?ta...&product_id=51

and for access points anything from below

http://linkshop.gr/shop/index.php?ta...product_id=219

http://linkshop.gr/shop/index.php?ta...product_id=204

http://e-wifi.gr/Router-Boards/Mikro...-WLAN-24-Board

I would prefer to use something from tp link if someone would advise me to do so. Up to now everyone is advising me not to do so without really explaining why...

Any thoughts ?