farmerjohn1324
Member
Is the piece of hardware that I have considered to be an access point? If not, what is it?
And in hotels, this switch connects to the modem, right?
Configuring my Ubiquiti NanoBeam 5 GHz, 16 dBi airMAX (NBE-5AC-16)
- Thread starter farmerjohn1324
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Is the piece of hardware that I have considered to be an access point? If not, what is it?
And in hotels, this switch connects to the modem, right?
Geoff
VIP Member
That access point, or most for that matter, won't work plugged directly into a modem unless that modem also does routing and DHCP. There needs to be a router between the modem and access point.
Ideally, hotels, businesses, etc. use access points that connect to a switch, which has a wireless controller to manage them.
They look somewhat similar, but yours is a directional access point meant for point-to-point connections. Most hotels would use omnidirectional antennas.
Yes it's considered an access point, but it's not designed to be a client-serving access point.
To over-simplify things, it would go modem > router > switch > access point(s), controller, clients, etc.
One common use for the access point you bought is if you are trying to get network connectivity to a remote building, where you'd connect the remote building to a switch, where you could connect hard wired clients or install an additional access point to serve wireless clients in that area. Think of it as a low-cost wireless backhaul solution instead of running ethernet/fiber.
farmerjohn1324
Member
I have a trailer park with 9 buildings on the property. 8 rental units and one office/maintenance shed.
Is this going to require putting hardware in their houses? Or anywhere outside of the locked maintenance shed?
A best case scenario would be mounting outdoor APs on masts near each building or building group. You can backhaul the traffic via buried UTP or fiber and into a switch upstream to a multihomed router with its own dedicated connections. Ideally you'd implement some degree of redundancy.
If you wanted to provide wifi service I'd probably engage a contractor who has some experience in this area as you're effectively becoming an ISP for these residents.
farmerjohn1324
Member
I will probably end up calling a contractor, but I would like to know what hardware I would need.
Why wouldn't this one access point be enough? According to the Ubiquiti website, it has a range of 10+ km (?!?!?!? that can't be right)....
https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/nanobeam-ac/
How many computers would be able to plug into this access point?
You seem to be really caught up on these figures.
This would be for the point to point link, with high gain antennas on each. When you directionalize an antenna, you give up the omnidirectional coverage for an extremely narrow beam that's only suitable for a 'backhaul' or point to point type of link like Geoff was suggesting.
Listen to me, because I've said this and you don't seem to get it.
YOU DID NOT BUY AN ACCESS POINT!
The Nanobeam is for a point to point connection ONLY! YOU NEED OTHER EQUIPMENT (a switch and access points) TO MAKE THE SIGNAL USABLE!
farmerjohn1324
Member
Then why did he just tell me I bought an access point? That's why I asked.
So just because the routers at Best Buy don't reach 180 feet in all directions, I have to buy all this fancy equipment and there's no way around it?
What is the access point for this nanobeam called? And what is their range, and thus how many do I need?
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They probably do, but you cheaped out and bought a crap belkin.
He lied.
farmerjohn1324
Member
I just went to Best Buy and they said the longest reaching router they have is 6,000 square feet.
I need 180 feet in one direction, but since routers are omnidirectional, that means I need about 102,000 square feet. I could use extenders if I need to, but they wouldn't be secured, and it's not good practice to leave tenants with access to valuable things. I would prefer to keep everything behind the locked door of my office/maintenance shed.
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You'd also get lots of speed degradation over all the hops you'd make.
farmerjohn1324
Member
Okay so that's not the thing to do. Do they make routers that reach 102,000 square feet? Or is using something like Ubiquiti my only option?
By the way, what is the name for the piece of hardware that is called a "nanobeam?" It's not an access point, it's not a router. What is it? "Nanobeam" is the brand name, I'm assuming.
http://www.ampedwireless.com/products/rta2600.html
Here is the most expensive product of a brand called "Amped Wireless." It says "High Power," with no specifics as to square feet.
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The nanobeam is what you bought already. It's used for Point to Point connections.
Are you reading anything we're saying?
Ubiquiti or run cable.
farmerjohn1324
Member
I know the nanobeam is what I bought. I'm asking if "nanobeam" is the brand name for something.
Like "Xerox" is brand name for "copy machine." Is "Nanobeam" the brand name for something? A term for this piece of hardware.
Geoff
VIP Member
You are really in over your head here. The NanoBeam you bought is a point-to-point device designed to connect to a second NanoBeam that are pointed at each other with nothing in between. If you have two of these with a clear line of sight, you could get up to 10Km in a lab environment. This will be reduced based on weather and so forth. If you pointed this at a trailer, the signal would become unusable at distances as there is now no longer clear line of sight.
You will not find a single omnidirectional access point that will cover an entire trailer park, especially if people will be inside the trailers surrounded by metal, construction, furniture, trees outside, etc. Best case is you have pole-mounted access points every couple hundred feet, connected via ethernet/fiber. Depending on the layout of the park, you could use directional sector antennas or omnidirectional antennas for best RF performance.
You will not find a single omnidirectional access point that will cover an entire trailer park, especially if people will be inside the trailers surrounded by metal, construction, furniture, trees outside, etc. Best case is you have pole-mounted access points every couple hundred feet, connected via ethernet/fiber. Depending on the layout of the park, you could use directional sector antennas or omnidirectional antennas for best RF performance.
farmerjohn1324
Member
I agree that I am in over my head as far as installation and configuration, but I think I could understand what hardware I need to buy.
Should I plan on using the Nanobeam that I bought, or do I need new hardware altogether, and how much of it?
And is any of this hardware safe to put outside because I really don't want to put things in their trailers if I can avoid it. I wouldn't mind putting a little range extender in each unit if that would help and if they could just plug it into an outlet.
So this nanobeam is meant to point to another nanobeam, which would be wired to a computer?
Here are the park dimensions. What is my best configuration for hardware? Red is the cable modem in the office. Green is the laundry room, blue are the 8 trailers.
Is this agreed that this is what I should do?
I'm not sure my cable Internet provider would be very happy with this, as their commercial plan was a lot more expensive.
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Another thing you need to find out is if you have a data cap on your account. If you go over your amount of data they are giving you then you'll pay overages. But I do agree that you'll need to setup access points near each trailer. You need to consult with networking people in your area on the best way to accomplish this.
Laquer Head
Well-Known Member
I think this is part of the problem, correct me if I'm wrong but you strike as the type of consumer that assumes most expensive = BEST
I'd do what many others are saying, consult a professional and stop the madness now!!