Dense or Sparse Installation of APs
Symptom
- APs are densely installed, causing severe co-channel interference and poor Wi-Fi experience.
- APs are installed too far away from each other, leading to weak Wi-Fi signals and poor Wi-Fi experience.
Fault Location
If APs are densely installed, signals between APs interfere with each other. If the AP is installed too far away from each other, the signal strength in the coverage area is weak or even no signal is available. The following describes the scenarios:
Dense installation: In a higher education site outside China, APs are deployed at a distance of 5 m to 8 m. Since classrooms are separated by glass partitions, there is basically no signal loss. However, severe co-channel interference occurs on each channel. This causes unavailability of the channel and even the Wi-Fi network.
- At a higher education site in China, settled APs are deployed at the edge of an auditorium. Omnidirectional antennas cannot meet the coverage distance requirements in high-density scenarios, which results in insufficient coverage.
- At a site outside China, outdoor APs are deployed on the rooftop of a building to provide outdoor Wi-Fi coverage. However, no signal coverage is available near the building.
- At a site in China and a site in the Middle East, indoor settled APs are deployed too far away from each other. As a result, some areas between the APs suffer from insufficient coverage and weak signals.
Solution
Plan the WLAN again based on scenarios and adjust the AP installation positions and layout. If AP installation positions cannot be adjusted, disable some 2.4 GHz radios to reduce interference in scenarios where the APs are densely deployed. If the coverage is insufficient, adjust the transmit power of APs or add more APs to meet the coverage requirements.
Summary
According to the preceding case analysis, if APs are installed at improper positions, or are densely or sparsely deployed, Wi-Fi experience is affected. Installing APs at proper positions can better leverage the APs. Therefore, you need to plan the WLAN before installing and deploying APs. The WLAN Planner can be used to plan proper AP installation positions and simulate signal coverage.
In outdoor scenarios where APs with directional antennas are used for Wi-Fi coverage or Mesh backhaul, WLAN planning is necessary because there are strict deployment requirements and coverage distance restrictions.
