Wireless Access

Hello:

We are trying to bring in WiFi access to a nearby parking lot. The lot dimension is: 650'x350' ft. Instead if using a mesh network or wireless bridge, I am thinking about bringing fiber to two locations in the parking lot. In each location install 4 directional AP's (on a light pole) on a light pole. See the heatmap below. The only issue to this design, even though the AP's will be directional, they are very close to each other. I was wondering if they will provide enough signal/throughput without bleeding into each other or have channel overlapping issue. If you have any other ideas to cover such a wide parking lot, I would love to hear abut it.

parking lot with 2 pods design

Thank you!

If you have a strong radio signal, like an AP transmitting, it will increase the noise floor on close by receivers. This has to do with the physics of filters and results in the recommendation to separate APs as much as possible.

If these we not poles, but concrete (or metal) structures, the approach may work as the structure will block (or actually attenuate) the signal between the APs.

With poles, you may be successful if you can mount the APs with some RF blocking material (like a metal plate at 30cm/1ft at least from the back of the AP). I can't guarantee though.

If you have very low requirements on the bandwidth or client counts, it may work without additional precautions. Make sure that where possible the channel separation is as large as possible for close-by radios that carry the most traffic.

From the diagram below, I would at least remove one of the APs that are pointing to the other pole (the AP on the right of the left pole or the AP on the left of the right pole) as those are covering the same area.

Maybe others have good experience...