Aironet 1250 AP with 5.2 dBi mast mount AIR-ANT2506

[hensleeds]

Hi, I am currently deploying a wireless network using Aironet 1250 ap's. I would like to use a few of these in an outdoor setting enclosed in a NEMA enclosures. I was going to use attach a single mast mount omnidirectional antenna to these 1250's. Will this work correctly or do I have to attach three to take advantage of the MIMO technology in the 1250 model? I have tested one with a single AIR-ANT2506 5.2 Db antenna and have had good results. Just wondering if connecting two more would make a difference , because the the ceiling mount antennas that we use for the indoor installations have 3 connections to the ap. I know this may sound silly, but i could not find any literature on Cisco's site regarding this.

[dancampb · Accepted solution]

You can go with a signal antenna but you will not get 'n' rates. To get the full range of data rates you will need all three antennas connected.

[Leo Laohoo]

I don't know when the Data Sheet will be updated but the new antennae for the 1250 is the AIR-ANT2451NV. Unlike the predecessor, this model will support both radios.

[Robert.N.Barrett_2]

I generally recommend that you stuck with the Cisco AP/antenna solutions.

However, if you must have something now, then you might want to look at something like this:

http://www.terrawaveonline.com/Dynamic/itemdesc.asp?CartId=14103142OMPBQ9-EVEREST-9&Cc=MIMO1A%5F5&ic=M6060060MO13602&tpc=

Leo: the September IOS release notes make mention of the AIR-ANT2451. However, the notes describe it as shown below. It may not be designed for outdoor use:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/wireless/access_point/ios/release/notes/12_4_21a_JA1rn.html

Antenna support

This feature provides support for the new antenna, AIR-ANT2451NV-R. This low-profile, omnidirectional antenna features six elements: a set of three antennas for the 2.4-GHz band and a set of three antennas for the 5-GHz band. Peak gain is 2.5-dBi in the 2.4-GHz band and 3.5-dBi in the 5-GHz band. This antenna was specifically designed for use with 802.11n access points to optimize performance.