Anybody have experience with 802.11a in the real world yet? What hardware would you use?
We're using D-Link DWL-2000APs running 802.11g (yep, g) at our stores. The DWL-2000APs are great because they are small and heat-tolerant (up to 140 deg F ambient temp!). They can be configured as access points, point-to-point bridges, and multipoint-to-point bridges. We're using the point-to-point bridging to connect our stores and warehouses and the access point mode to provide client access within the stores. They support many useful features like 802.1x authentication, disabling SSID broadcasting and MAC-level filtering. 802.11g has worked like a champ for us.
D-Link also sells a great (and cheap!) little Power-over-Ethernet device that works wonderfully with these APs. For our point-to-point links, we're using 24 dBi grid antennas (probably overkill) and the standard antennas on the access points. For an apartment, I'd probably invest in some better omni antennas for the APs.
After discussing with folks on this list, I decided to fabricate our own "custom" enclosures. We used Davis Instruments (we're a dealer) NEMA-4 enclosures which were design to hold weather equipment. We cut some 1/2" x 1/2" aluminum channel and bolted this into the enclosures to mount the D-Links on. This helped a *lot* with heat dissipation and we were able to use zip ties to mount the APs.
Pictures of our installation: http://chrissnell.com/bw_wireless/
Davis Instruments enclosures: http://weathertools.com/dparts.htm [scroll down to "Davis Weatherproof Multi-Purpose Shelter"]
Good luck,
Chris
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