Building to building Bridge link using Aironet 1300's

[andrew.butterworth]

We have a requirement to link two adjacent buildings that are about 20-metres apart over a public road. I need some advice on what the best solution will be.

Initial thoughts are a pair of Aironet 1300's configured as Wireless Bridges but the antenna type and where to mount them is confusing me. Will the internal patch antennas be enough for this or will we need external antennas? If so what type - directional or? Do the AP's need to be mounted externally or can we simply mount them internally facing each other through windows? What do we need to be aware of regards signal overlaps and interference etc?

What looked like a simple setup seems to have opened a can of worms....

Thanks

Andy

[a.kiprawih]

Hi Andy,

The 20m distance is quite short.

In this case, as recommended by Cisco*, for AP1300 series, you can use the AIR-ANT2410Y-R antenna. This directional antenna can be used/installed indoor or outdoor.

Approximate Indoor Range at 6 Mbps : 548 ft (167 m)

Approximate Indoor Range at 54 Mbps: 165 ft (50 m)

*http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5861/products_data_sheet09186a008022198b.html

Look under 'Table 4. Antennas for the Cisco Aironet 1300 Series Outdoor Access Point/Bridge with RP-TNC Type Connector'.

Both AP1300 and the antenna can be installed indoor. You need to wall-mount the antenna facing each other from each building.

Since the distance is only 20m, you can play around with the transit power to control the signal distance.

As for overlapping channel & probability of interference, do a simple site survey (can use freeware NetStumbler) and make sure your antenna does not mounted near equipment like microwave, or any equipment that produced high frequency noise.

Hope this helps.

Rgds,

AK

[a.kiprawih]

For security purposes, restrict both bridges to only talk to each other using MAC. Also, use wep key between them.

Rgds,

AK

[andrew.butterworth]

Thanks for the reply. I am fine with the authentication & encryption it was just the physical stuff I have not had much experience with and my RF knowledge is pretty limited.

Andy