Outside event wifi capability AP/Router suggestions?

gunbunnysoulja

My company is going to be providing wifi for an outdoor event, with 100/10 bandwidth. I am looking for suggestions for a wifi AP/router that would be robust to handle approximately 100 active users with excellent outdoor range. I don't think the elements are a concern, as it will be covered by a booth area. Budget max is $300.

Will also need something with built in capability to customize a splash screen with terms and conditions page.

it_consultant

Most $300 access points can handle a maximum of 30 users per antennae, assume you have 2 antennae, you are still quite short of your goal.

MiikeB

Amazon.com: Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AP Enterprise WiFi System: Computers & Accessories to the data sheet each one can handle 200 connections. Not sure how accurate that is, but if you got 3 of them you should be good. They also have a long range model for like $20 more.http://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/unifi/UniFi_AP_DS.pdf

natx

most of your users are going to be 2.4ghz, so you will be limited (if in the usa) to using channels 1, 6 and 11 on your APs.1, 6, and 11 are the only non-overlapping channels in the 2.4 ghz spectrum. if you used 1 and 3 and they are in range, their frequency overlaps and it causes interference. Wifi is a contention based technology, similar to users on a hub, and an earlier user alluded to the fact that too many users on one radio is a bad thing - collisions and retransmissions. From my experience in enterprise Wi-Fi, we wouldn't recommend more than 16 users on an access point, but that was for power users. I think if you spaced out 3 aps with same settings (ssid, encryption, psk all same) you might be able to pull it off, but it is going to be a stretch, especially as you cannot control where people will be concentrated. there is a technology with enterprise Wi-Fi called smart cell.. essentially you can put more APs, alternating channel 1-6-11 and using the lowest power level the AP supports. you will have to do a proper site survey before the event to ensure coverage works. Check out tools like in SSID er (all one word) or the Xirrus Wi-Fi gadget. Just remember this -- if the 4th AP is in range (-80dbmW or greater )of the other AP on same channel, you will have big time interference issues and it will do more harm than good. As far as clients roaming, roaming is dictated by the clients wireless NIC. Set all your APs (same brand/model) with the same SSID and security settings. clients will roam automatically when they have better signal from the closest AP. One thing we don't know is how much area are you trying to cover. generally a single AP with line of site should be able to handle 100m. If it is less than 100m square, you could possibly squeeze by with 3 basic APs, nothing really fancy. If you want something fancy, check out Xirrus they make a kit for events. I used to work there.

gunbunnysoulja

As it will be outdoors, I wasn't sure what kind of range to expect. We do want to have as much range as possible. Most connections will be via smart-phones. I don't expect too many power users, although I would assume people will be uploading photos to social media, etc...

The boss was hoping for a single AP solution. This is just a 1 day event, although we expect to utilize this setup for other events.

Also, the splash screen is a big requirement. Is that common for most AP's to offer guest wifi with a configurable splash screen for banner logo/terms & conditions/page redirect?

The Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AP Enterprise WiFi System does look very interesting/promising. One aspect I don't love is that it requires a computer to provide the splash screen for guest network, however. Checking with the boss to see if that is a deal breaker or not. Reviews seem good!

MiikeB

gunbunnysoulja wrote: »

As it will be outdoors, I wasn't sure what kind of range to expect. We do want to have as much range as possible. Most connections will be via smart-phones. I don't expect too many power users, although I would assume people will be uploading photos to social media, etc...

The boss was hoping for a single AP solution. This is just a 1 day event, although we expect to utilize this setup for other events.

Also, the splash screen is a big requirement. Is that common for most AP's to offer guest wifi with a configurable splash screen for banner logo/terms & conditions/page redirect?

The Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AP Enterprise WiFi System does look very interesting/promising. One aspect I don't love is that it requires a computer to provide the splash screen for guest network, however. Checking with the boss to see if that is a deal breaker or not. Reviews seem good!

I haven't heard of any wireless APs that provide the splash/login screen on their own, almost always it is provided by a computer I thought. You could look at loading untangle on a spare PC to handle the splash screen as well as some web filtering and possibly QoS if you are going to be using the same connection for any of your own stuff.

it_consultant

MiikeB wrote: »

Amazon.com: Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AP Enterprise WiFi System: Computers & Accessories to the data sheet each one can handle 200 connections. Not sure how accurate that is, but if you got 3 of them you should be good. They also have a long range model for like $20 more.http://dl.ubnt.com/datasheets/unifi/UniFi_AP_DS.pdf

Apparently they have some special sauce mixed in with their TDMA protocol, which is the only way this could possibly be true. When you read about traditional TDMA you can see why the radio won't work properly with more than 30 or so (per antennae/radio).

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