When Wireless LANs Collide: How To Beat The Wireless Crowd

[610Alpha]

I recently moved to an Apartment and ran into major wireless connectivity issues. This article and another which I don't remember the name of helped me at analyze the wireless channels and at least get my ROKU to connect and most of the other wireless devices as well.

I would like to help my neighbors out by creating a "<Apt_Complex> Wireless Best Practices" (referred to as BP) document that the property management could email to all the residents and hand out to new residents.

The buildings are only 3 floors so my thought was to give each floor their own channel.

1st floor channel 1
2nd floor channel 6
3rd floor channel 11

My question is what about the 20/40 Mhz channel bonding.

Should the BP just say to use 20 Mhz or 40 Mhz?

I would also include in the BP to not hide SSID's.

Is there anything else that would be good to have in this Best Practices document?

Why isn't there something like this out on the net?

Any specific recommendations for 5 Ghz?

Thanks,
610Alpha

 

[stevech]

Be sure you are ready for the midnight tech support calls.
And whiners.

 

[sfx2000]

It can be done... but really dependent on the approach taken...in my cul-de-sac, I presented it as a means for all to have better wifi, and backed it up with technical chops (I'm a recovering 802.xx/3GPP2/IETF standards engineer).

I did some site-surveys and geo-maps showing AP's/Channels, and coverage areas from the street - some were pretty surprised, and this was a challenge...

It's not about dictating terms/best practices, it was about engaging the neighbors and presenting a solid case on how to improve things for everyone...

To this end, we have a mailing list now, and we map around new AP's as needed, and engage them - but this isn't a condo/apartment dwelling, this is all single family homes, and we're all owners in residence... which makes it easier perhaps...

sfx

 

[System Error Message]

for 5 Ghz the range doesnt go beyond a few walls and there are many more non overlapping channels.

 

[thiggins]

See also
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...6-it-takes-a-neighborhood-to-fix-bad-wireless

 

[stevech]

On small co-ops
I did a cul-de-sac internet connectivity project - for luxury $3M homes in a rural area with no cable or DSL (too far to nearest DSLAM), satellite Internet - bleah. The cable co. and telco weren't interested. I found conduits underground that were empty - put in for future communications. I hired a young aspiring IT guy to pull cat5 through these to the houses' garages (the demarcation). Then in one home, I put in a high gain antenna/bridge link that ran 1/2 mile to a tract house where we could put a new cable modem. That bridge fed a switch to the cat5 cables.

One house was too far for cat5 in one span. So I put an ethernet switch in a waterproof box and fed it power over cat5. The switch regenerated the 802.3 signals for a 2nd span.

It worked well. The agreement was each home shared in all costs including paying the young guy to sustain the thing.

This all worked well, for a while. Brief, because the cable TV co. saw this trend and decided to invest in covering these homes. And did so rather quickly, using the existing conduits.

 

[610Alpha]

Thanks for all the feedback and the link to the other article. I was planning on including links to all the relevant articles.

The only thing I was really considering about mentioning 5 Ghz was in the event they had a ROKU or other wireless media device in the same room as their router then I would suggest they use the 5 Ghz SSID for that media device. I know beyond the same room its a crap shoot.

I am not a wireless expert nor am I a CCIE but I did get a cert for HP Procurve as well as CCNA class and an MS in Comp Sci but that doesn't mean I know all the ins and outs of Wifi hence why I posted here.

I will try to get something typed up attach it to this thread for review.