Wireless Access

Hi - First time on here.  I dont do configuration but do the equipment installation portion.  Instead of explaining the whole scenario of current issues at a customer site, it would be best to try and find some basic information to start with ... site has AP124' with a 5GHz (ANT-12) directional and a 2.4GHz (ANT-8) Omni directional ... AP134's were added to the site with the same antenna set up except that the AP134 documentation states the antenna ports are for "Dual Band" antenna.

Do you have to use the Dual Band antenna (ANT-19) on the AP134 or can you use the the single band ANT-12 and ANT-8?

Can you use an ANT-19 and an ANT-12 on the same AP134?

This will be good for starters and Thanks in advance for any help

First of all: the antenna ports on both AP-124 and AP-134 are dual-band interfaces, so the use of single-band antennas should be avoided (unless you're willing to give up MIMO and dedicate specific ports to each band).

Why are you using different antennas for each band? Is the 5GHz radio used for mesh and the 2.4GHz radio for client access? That is an unusual deployment, and may not be easy to replicate that with an AP-134.

Note that antennas AP-ANT-8 and -12 are end-of-sale.

Thanks,

/Onno

This was originally designed by others and does partially work - but trying to make better.  From what I know - the AP124 was originally set to use the 5GHz antenna on a certain port and the 2.4GHz on a different port.  I believe the original config for the 5GHz was point to point and now has been changed to MESH.  As I stated - I don't do the configuration's just hardware setup.  I did ask who is doing the config - if this is going to be a mesh network - does it require the mesh router and the Mesh-Air software - but have not heard back from them.  Other than that - would you agree that I should put ANT-19 Dual Band antenna on all AP124 and AP134?

Thanks for your current help

If you need a different antenna pattern for 5GHz as for 2.4GHz, this is not possible with the AP-134. The AP-124 could be tweaked to do that, but it came with severe restrictions and was never a recommended scenario.

You will need to pick the right set of dual band antennas for the AP-134, which is driven by the gain and coverage pattern you need. AP-ANT-19 (you'll need three) is certainly an option, but I can't tell whether that would be the best solution for your needs. The AP-130 series ordering guide (on Aruba website) lists your antenna options, and you could check the antenna datasheets to pick the right one for your deployment.

The AP-134 with AOS software supports mesh links, but this is really only suitable for no more than 2 mesh "hops". The main focus of these products is access. If you're deploying a larger mesh network, the Airmesh products may be a better option.