We are again considering deploying wireless outside, but we feel like we
keep running up against inherent contradictions that we don't know how
to solve.
Here are the expected "problems" we anticipate"
1. If we put high powered APs outside, then they will cause interference
with APs inside, and indoor clients might try to connect to them because
they seem "stronger" even though they'd have a better connection to the
indoor APs.
a. How do you deal with the interference problems between high powered
outdoor APs and indoor APs?
b. Do you use the same SSIDs indoors and outdoors, and if yes, do indoor
clients connect to the outdoor APs?
c. If you have a seperate "outdoor" SSID, to client wireless network
priority lists ever cause indoor clients to connect to the outdoor network?
2. We currently use one VLAN per building, all on the same SSID. Clients
outside might hop between APs that are on different buildings, but not
re-request a new DHCP lease.
a. What VLAN should we put the APs that are targeting outdoors on? If we
have a dedicate "outdoor" VLAN, I suppose we can give it its own subnet,
but if we don't have a seperate SSID... we are not sure what to do.
b. If we target antennas outside of a building, it might be pointing at
another building, thus causing clients in the other building to connect
to the wrong vlan. Right?
3. When we last tried to implement outdoor wireless (using 802.11b
tropos APs) wireless clients would often be mobile, but not decide to
switch to a new AP when they had lost the signal to the old one.
a. Do you actively force clients to reassociate to a stronger AP somehow?
b. Are clients better at that now?
c. Do you have a support statement which specifies whether you try to
make that work? eg "We try to make wireless work if you open your laptop
and are stationary. If you move without your laptop sleeping, you're
gonna have a bad time."
Thanks for any advice,
Ethan
--
Ethan Sommer
Associate Director of Core Services
Gustavus Technology Services
507-933-7042
**********
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