I need to implement two separate Wireless Lans within an environment that suffers from distance and speed, as such I have been looking at the 802.11g derivatives to improve speed and particularly coverage.
I have read much of the impressive work on testing the pre-802.1n products on this site which has given me an insight into a potential solution.
Accepting the issues with legacy wireless networks, I am looking to utilise two Netgear Rangemax 240's with different SSID's (hidden) and two different WPA2 Pre-shared keys.
I have a number of questions;
1. Can the two networks co-exist
2. Do I need to manually assign different channels or will they select different and appropriate channels
3. I am only interested in utilising the switch / WLAN capabilities of the device (which will be connected to a Checkpoint Firewall), are there any issues in not utilising the routing or broadband elements of the device
4. I see Tom's references to tests at locations 1 through 5, what were these distances
5. I am looking to achieve reasonable connectivity (above 2mbps) at distances of around 400 - 500 feet and in some instances through thick walls. Is this realistic.
6. Is there any way to achieve a form of Wireless Repeater in (instances where signal is degrading) using this solution
If you want reliable speed at long range I'd forget about all that MIMO and pre-n stuff. Just setup an 802.11g accesspoint with a couple repeaters and/or a large amplified antenna. The Buffalo WHR-G54S makes a great accesspoint/repeater if you want decent speed and quality on a low budget. There is a switch on the bottom of the unit to make it either an accesspoint or a reapeater/bridge. If you want to go the amplified antenna route Radiolabs.com has a great selection of high powered directional and omni directional antennas.
Here is the location info:
How Wireless is Tested Location #1: AP and wireless client in same room, approximately 6 feet apart.
Location #2: Client in room on same level, approximately 45 feet away from AP. Two sheetrock walls between AP and Client.
Location #3: Client in upper level, approximately 25 feet away (direct path) from AP. One wood floor, sheetrock ceiling, no walls between AP and Client.
Location #4: Client on upper level, approximately 55 feet away (direct path) from AP. Two to three interior walls, one wood floor, one sheetrock ceiling and stainless-steel refrigerator, between AP and Client.
Location #5: Client on upper level, approximately 65 feet away (direct path) from AP. Four to five interior walls, one wood floor, one sheetrock ceiling, between AP and Client.
