Lee,
I've got a similar story to Mike's. We purchased 16 1510's back in 2007 and installed them throughout the campus. Then Cisco started releasing different versions of code for the controllers (mesh and non-mesh) which made it a pain, and then the 1510's were end-of-life, which made us replace them with 1520s. I never installed a radio tapping into streetlight power. I've got 5 mesh radios on poles and in all of them I had electricians run me a dedicated circuit (the rest are on top of buildings). It's not cheap. Maintenance-wise it's been a challenge. The fact that you have to have a bucket truck if you have to put your hands on the radios is both time-consuming and expensive. We fought an issue with water inside connectors for a while. We thought we had done a good job of sealing connections (we use coax-seal, which is moldable tape), but that was not enough. I attributed that to the high temps, high humidity and lots of rain we get here down in the south. We ended up filling connectors with dielectric grease. If guess I would say that if you have the money, the time, the patience and the personnel, go for it. As you mentioned, good design is crucial. If you have more questions feel free to contact me directly. Thanks, Hector Rios Louisiana State University From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lee H Badman Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 10:15 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Cisco outdoor mesh in use? I've played with the outdoor mesh part of Cisco controller based wireless, but not in prod- tapping streetlight power, figuring out how to mount on poles that don't necessarily want thinks mounted on them, etc. For those who gone the "real mesh" route in outdoor areas on campus- especially with Cisco, can you talk about success, frustration, and pain points? Obviously good design matters, but beyond that, what's the general satisfaction level? Thanks- Lee Badman ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
