Wireless Access

Guys,

1.Would you consider a D100 antenna as a good solution for down-tilt client coverage case?

The proposition of ANT-3x3-D100 is caused by the fact that we have a few old AP-175 with N-type antenna ports to utilize, but all setup will be used indoors, except low temperatures (freezer) there is no need for extreme weather protection. Older D805 had unsymmetrical E-plane pattern, but D100 looks ok to me. Client coverage cell size will be determined by AP installation height (from 6m up to 13m). Using different antenna types than native N-type (for example RP-SMA with adapters) is acceptable and I am open to any suggestions/opinions.

2.Do you have any experience with using not outdoor rated antennas for example in indoor freezers?

For example AP-ANT-13B is rated as indoor but has operating temp range starting from -40C (freezer is -25C without humidity condensation). Ofcourse using this type of antenna (RP-SMA, 2 pcs per radio) with AP-175 would require a bit of handy work (adapters, mounting, etc) but is it worth a shot?

3.Is there a way to use indoor channels on outdoor AP when it is provisioned as indoor (and used indoor)?

'show allowed-channels' command for AP-175 and my country code gives only 100+ channels. Maybe through regulatory domain profile, but won't this violate regulations or (more probable) controller will stick to default channels allowed for that country code, anyway. My goal is to have more channels in 5G band as max EIRP will remain low as for indoor.

1. D100 will be fine as a downtilt omni.

2. Indoor APs, the physical AP, should be fine at freezer temperatures, but using RP-SMA on N connected APs introduces some loss which should be accounted for.

3. I can't seem to get an output of available channels for a 175 on 6.4.4.5, but will try to connect one tomorrow and see if you can do indoor channels. There's new FCC approvals that allow for UNI1 channels on outdoor hardware, but we won't be pursuing since the 175 is EoS. So I will just have to test, but if not, there won't be a way to allow for it and other APs should be used (or DFS if available). 

Ad1. Ok, I was just worried about too rapid signal/SNR drop as client moves away from AP with D100 as a down-tilt, but definitely we will give this config a shot.

Ad2. I have seen some RP-SMA to N-type adapters rated with just 0.15db loss, so I guess this will not be a big issue as long as I stick to antenna factory pigtails (without using long cables).

Ad3. Thank you. I look forward to reading your test results.

The roll off on the D100 isn't any worse than any of the other 5dBi directionals. In some cases you want sharp rolloff to decrease the amount of RF cast laterally to neighboring APs, creating stronger 'cells' at the ground. 

Note that even if some adapter rate at low loss, they are not accounting for the connector loss. You should budget 0.5dB per connector/coupling. In your case using low dBi antennas won't affect much anyway, but should be accounted for if you are trying to squeeze every last drop of RF out of the system that you can.