Wireless coverage in stairwells

[Wes Schochet]

Hi All-

We have been asked to provide wireless coverage in our stairwells.  These are typically eight to ten story concrete stairwells.    Horizontal vs vertical mounting, distance between APs etc.  We'd plan on using 9120 APs, but may have to use 3802s depending on availability.   Just looking for some information on best practices and to see if anyone has this working well.

Thanks,

Wes

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Wes Schochet wrote:

We have been asked to provide wireless coverage in our stairwells.

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This can be done legally or illegally. 

In a lot of countries, there are safety and fire code requirements about putting WiFi in stairwells. 
Talk to the local authorities first before embarking such journeys.

[ammahend]

Interesting, do you know is it’s illegal in US ? If yes then why? 

[Leo Laohoo]

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@ammahend wrote:

Interesting, do you know is it’s illegal in US ? If yes then why? 

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I am in no authority if this is illegal in the US, per se because each state and each county have their own building code.  In some state or counties, putting APs in stairwells may be legal but illegal in other state/counties.  

Now, why is there a building code in stairwells?  Because in case of emergency, like fire, enclosed stairwells must have mechanisms to be "smoke" free.  And if the walls around the the stairwells are not air-sealed, smoke (or even fire) might contaminate the stairwell. 

Always presume enclosed stairwells have-to "adhere" to the same building code as emergency exits &/or elevator shafts (until told otherwise, preferably in writing).

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi

  I had to install but it was only four.  For more difficulty that it sounds, I´d recommend you to take one AP, put in a stick and perform a survey floor by floor.  This is the kind of place that sofware like Ekahau or similar fail to predict. Doing this can allow to use the necessary number of AP and get good coverage.

  If possible, always on the horizontal unless the space to be coveraged is ridiculously  small.

[Arshad Safrulla]

What is the use case for connecting clients? Is there VOIP or just INET traffic? Any critical applications needs connectivity in the staircase? How many

maximum clients at the peek are you designing this solution for?

It is very difficult to comment on something like this without really looking at the layout of the staircase and a physical visit. Most importantly you need to check the feasibility for cabling as well. Another factor which might impact your ap positioning is aesthetic concerns raised by the designers. Also take note of the environmental factors, accordingly make use of Ap’s rated for suitable environment or nema cases.

I can only suggest look for an AP with external antennas and make good use of patch antennas if wireless connectivity is critical. May be if you can find some 9120axe or 3802e then you can think of using dual 5ghz external antennas per AP. If you think 9120i or 3802i will suite your requirement make use of horizontal wall mounts.

[Leo Laohoo]

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@Arshad Safrulla wrote:

What is the use case for connecting clients?

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We have a lot of cases where users want wireless in hard-to-reach places, such as stairwells, emergency exits and elevators.  

All the time, we tell the clients that is is against the building code and if they really "insist demand" then they need to deal with authorities and we will not install nor "endorse" something without legal go-ahead. 

In all cases, there is a demand like this because users have no idea there was ever a building code prohibiting this.  It is only when they come to the realization of this building code do we see if this is requirement is really deemed "critical" or not.

[Arshad Safrulla]

To be honest, most of the request we have covered in our part of the world comes with a valid business requirement. Below are some of the few we have worked recently

1. Healthcare provider who wanted VOIP to work inside the elevators, cold storage, staircases, store rooms etc.

2. O&G production facility wanted coverage inside washrooms, staircases and all other critical areas as they monitor employee location for safety purpose. (of course we used proper rated equipment's for these environments)

Above are very few to name, most of the time as I said we receive valid business related use cases to justify the requirements. However I agree once in a while where we received some dumb request's as well which I don't like to list here. 

That being said with the increase of IOT equipment across all the aspects of our life to automate most of the things demand for connectivity is increasing, most of the cases I haven't seen safety guidelines such as building codes etc. prevent you from installing AP's, rather they demand AP's with certain safety certification such as ATEX to be included in to the design to get the approvals.