Which external antenna to use for the Cisco 2702E

[bschol]

Hello, I would like to know your experience on the following.

For a Warehouse, I have 2702(X) type APs, the ceiling height is app. 11 meters.

Which type will be the best option ?

2702E with external antenna's - like the AIR-ANT2544V4M-R Omni gain : 4dBi / 4 dBi or other ? antenna type ?

or

2702I with internal antenna's- Omni gain 4dBi / 4 dBi ??

What would be the best solution.

Thanks Bert

[Steven Shelton]

The best solution will depend on what you need from the system. 

Have you  determined the needed data rates and signal strength for the wireless clients  used in the warehouse?  Next step, mount the AP and antenna 11m high and survey the coverage.  Depending on what's in the warehouse, shelves and other RF barriers, an omni might not work, you may need directional antennas directing coverage between the rows of shelves.

I would start with the 2702e and test a couple of antenna options, it's better to prototype and test.

Test with the wireless client too, find out how far it can roam and maintain the desired data rate.  If the wireless client has specs and lists it's transmit power, match the AP transmit power to the client include the antenna gain.

11m/36ft is high, using that number as the radius gives a 4000sqft cell.

good luck with your deployment

The 

[bschol]

Thanks all for your feedback. Very useful.

[Ryo Kato]

The choice of antenna type depends on many factors, such as

- floor plan

- arrangement of racks

- positioning of AP

- materials may be disturbing radio signal (thick wall, metallic items)

Here's the information of the available antennas and it's signal characteristics:

<http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/aironet-antennas-accessories/product_data_sheet09186a008008883b.html>

You need one of the antenna in "Table 8: Dual Band Antennas for 2.4 and 5 GHz Access Points with RP-TNC Connectors" for 2702E.

Basically the internal antenna is designed to send the signal to front and 360° in azimuth plane (graphs at the end of the page). If you want to control the direction of the signal, take the external version.