Specifications

BPG_11n_v1.0 | Page 16
Vcell/Vport outdoors
Let’s take the example of a big open area. The spacing between APs is going to be much
greater than that of indoors.
If coverage is pervasive – with the recommended SNR and or signal strength levels (-65dBm
for voice and -70dBM for data only) – then the recommendation is to enable virtualization. If
on the other hand coverage is spotty outdoors, the recommendation is to configure single
channel but with virtualization disabled.
Warehouse
Warehouses are one of the most challenging environments you will encounter, the other
being hospitals. One of the main characteristics of warehouses that make them a challenging
environment for Wi-Fi is high ceilings.
The recommendation is to orient the default omni antennas horizontally. The other option is
to use directional antennas. When directional antennas are used, there are often deployed on
walls and mounted in such a way so their coverage is directed down a particular isle.
Another potential challenge is rows of shelves (often made out of metal). Then there is the
issue of what is stored on the shelves and when it is stored or not. For example, if the shelves
are loaded with containers of liquids the coverage patterns will be much different than if the
shelves were empty or store material that has less of RF attenuating properties.
When you survey first do it under fully-loaded conditions, during normal business operations
including when devices are in motion. This is critical for warehouses.
Another thing to consider with warehouses is the velocity of the clients. Many clients travel
around on forklifts so they have the potential of roaming from one AP to the next faster than
a person carrying a client would. The Meru Networks system is by default optimized for the
speed of typical human walking around. There are tweaks than can be made to accommodate
higher velocity clients.
For details on how to tune the system to accommodate faster client roaming please contact
Meru Support.
Multi-floor Deployments
The question of using alternating channels for different floors in multi-floor deployments is
often raised. While there may be situations where this is advantageous it is not generally
considered the best practice.
Use the same channel channels across floors. We do not recommend using different
channels across floors as this practice limits the capabilities of virtual cell. Use channel
layering to accommodate higher client densities and/or higher throughput requirements.
And remember to stagger AP placement between floors when designing for locationing.
MERU BEST PRACTICES GUIDE | 11n Design, Implementation and Optimization