All-
I'm working on a personal project that basically involves linking up two sites via
802.11b. I'm using Linksys WAP11 Version 2.2 (they're cheap and ok for what I need)
and my questions revolve around the use of antennae and amplification. My setup is as
follows:
I've got one Linksys WAP11 at my house, roughly 1 mile w/LOS to the other site. The
WAP11 is a Version 2.2 (so the SNMP commands don't work, mainly because I can't find
the default community anywhere, public doesn't work) and it has a RP-TNC to N-Female
adapter on it, connected to a 75' run of LMR-400 that goes to the antenna. The antenna
has a barrel-type lightning arrestor on it for the 2-3ghz range (grounded to an
isolated ground for electronics) and is a 15.4dBi omnidirectional dipole antenna.
There is an identical setup at the other site. Basically, I'm attempting to determine
this; After replacing the antenna on the WAP11 with the more powerful antenna, I show
no increase whatsoever in signal strength. I'm getting a slight bit more coverage, but
not what I expected, and not nearly enough to reach the 1 mile LOS that I wanted. (I
didn't pick parabolic directionals because I am also hoping to resell service (at
nominal cost, mainly to subsidize the T-1) to local business!
es and people from the T1 I'm pulling in).
Being a relative novice to wireless, though I do understand the concepts involved, my
questions are as follows:
1. Why, even after putting a 15.4dbi antenna on the wNIC in my laptop, my range was
not altered/increased to a WAP with a 15.4 dbi antenna on it.
2. Can the Linksys WAP11 v.2.2's power output be increased to the 100mW that I believe
it to be capable of, and how would one go about this? (The WAP11 v.2.2 has no USB
port, and I can't seem to get the SNMP agent to respond, I've tried all sorts of
community strings to no avail). For the WAP11 v.1.0 it was easier, I reviewed details
at http://www.pasadena.net/aprf/ and because I can't communicate via SNMP, I can't
attempt these alterations. (I've even considered buying used WAP11 v.1.0s from ebay)
3. Even if the WAP11's power output is set at 100mW, will this be sufficient to
provide seriously increased range? And if it's already set at, say, 50mW, why didn't
the range increase from adding a more powerful antenna?
4. Would adding a 2.4 ghz amplifier boost the signal sufficiently?
5. (This is my truly novice question) Is there a good way to relate mW output to dBm
gain?
I pulled a lot of information from
http://www.byte.com/documents/s=1422/byt20010926s0002/1001_marshall.html, but my
questions remain.
Any assistance that can be rendered would be a great help. (And yes, I am aware I work
at a company that produces wireless equipment; however, it would be rather
unprofessional for me to go around asking company people about a personal project, as
I don't have any contacts in the wireless side of things (I'm an ATM / FR / MPLS / IP
network engineer). In addition, our Orinoco product line was spun off with Agere
Systems, so the people who would REALLY be the ones to ask aren't in Lucent anymore.)
Thanks,
-Daniel G. Brown
Senior Core Network Engineer
Advanced Core Networking Team
Lucent Worldwide Services
"If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in thought or deed,
I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which never yet hurt anybody.
It is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance which does harm."
-Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius
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