02-27-2014 06:47 PM - edited 07-05-2021 12:17 AM
We have a multi-floor office building with a high denisty wireless deployment. Each floor is close to 25,000 sq feet with 6 to 7 3602i AP's per floor. There is about 1 AP per 3500 sq foot. This is mainly for Data only, but we do some voice and will do more in the future. My question is around the Transmit power configuration on the 5508. RRM is setting the power levels on these access points to 5 and 6 on most all of these. I have seen where certian client devices are not getting adequate throughput, and the RSSI is around -72 for some of these. Would it be recommended to manually adjust the power levels on each AP, or globally set the TPC minimum power level assignment to something other than the default which is currently -10 dBm? I typically do not modify the global TPC setting on our WLC's for indoor office envionrments, but was curious what the experts on here think as far as best practices concerning this. Thank you.
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02-27-2014 06:51 PM
I would set the minimum TX power to 8 or 11 and see if that helps.... The one reason AP's can lower their TX power is because they are line of sight, for example, in the hallways. Depending on your coverage, the TX power should be tweaked. The data rates is another thing to tweak, which can also shrink your cell size so that clients roam to close access points.
Thanks,
Scott
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02-27-2014 06:51 PM
I would set the minimum TX power to 8 or 11 and see if that helps.... The one reason AP's can lower their TX power is because they are line of sight, for example, in the hallways. Depending on your coverage, the TX power should be tweaked. The data rates is another thing to tweak, which can also shrink your cell size so that clients roam to close access points.
Thanks,
Scott
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02-27-2014 06:52 PM
You can also set the maximum TX power to maybe 17, which would be 50mW and that will also help make sure one AP isn't trying to cover everything.
Thanks,
Scott
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02-27-2014 07:35 PM
Thanks Scott. I appreciate your quick response. So just that I am clear, you would adjust the minimum power level assignment from -10 to 8 or 11, and the also set the maximum from 30 to something like 17? You are referring to the settings I have in screenshot below, correct? Thanks again.
02-27-2014 08:03 PM
Yes... those settings... you need to disable the band though, so you will have to take a down time, but not that long.
Thanks,
Scott
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02-27-2014 08:07 PM
I had actually planned on creating an RF Profile with these settings, and then applying that profile to a specific AP Group. Do I still have to disable the bands donig it that way?
02-27-2014 08:09 PM
No, but when you move the AP's to that group, the AP's will reboot.
Thanks,
Scott
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02-28-2014 05:55 AM
Guys... could you explain, what is the purpose to have a negative power value here? (-10?)
02-28-2014 06:15 AM
It's just in case you have a really high gain antenna. But I look at it as a default min to reduce the TX power to the lowest possible. Just like the max... That is outdoor power.
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02-28-2014 06:57 AM
Mhm... so the point is...
0 dBm = 1 mW
-10 dBm = 0.1 mW
Thanks!
02-28-2014 07:01 AM
Since I am not adjusting TPC globally on the WLC, and making this change under an RF profile, when I apply the RF profile to the AP Group, will it automatically adjust at that moment? The access points are already in this AP Group.
02-28-2014 11:15 AM
It will start adjustments, but probably take several cycles to fully adjust. The TPC algorythm runs every ten minutes. You can force it manually, but I would just let it work, after after a couple hours check the power levels, client coverage, and see if you need to make further changes to the settings.
02-28-2014 11:24 AM
Takes about 30-40 minutes but DCA will have to adjust also. Typically I have DCA set at 24 hours. You can restart DCA from the CLI:
config advanced 802.11a channel global restart
config advanced 802.11b channel global restart
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02-28-2014 11:37 AM
Thanks. I have DCA set for 24 hours as well.
02-28-2014 02:09 PM
Is there a recommended minimum power level assignment under TPC for the A/N Band?
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