Howdy,

I am reading up on Aironet 1141's - in a view to changing over from 1200 - for RADIUS.

Its only a small setup - 6 individual AP's.

My quick question was is there any power/range differences between integrated and external antennas?

Say its an open room no obsticals etc. Just curious as to whether the range/coverage would be distributed in a different way or if the antennas would spread differently?
I would have though the newer models would have a higher throughput over a longer distance - but as the antenna can't be specificly directed it wouldn't have the same range...

Random but just interested!

I haven't done any scientific measurement on this, but I believe there's no significant differences between them (assuming the external version is also equipped with diversity antennas). I've used differently only once so far, in corridors between warehouse shelving where high gain (patch) antennas were needed.

This is just my personal experience with small deployments. Both are great APs. Looks obviously depend on who is making the decisions but the 1140 series does look better in an office space. I have noticed some decreased range with the integrated antennas but depending on the size of the setup you will probably still be fine. Having deploed both 1140 series and 1250 series I would say that if you can go with the 1140 series and can spare a little more cash, go with the 1142 APs. It gives dual band coverage so that if you have interference on the 2.4 gig band, then you can still use the 5 gig band (hopefully) to avoid interference. Just had this problem a couple months ago. Popped the 1142 up and it fixed the interference problem. If you insist on using external antennas then I would go with the 1252 APs. For the range difference between the two, I would just get an extra 1142 IF NEEDED. In the long run you will have the same amount of users either way but probably have them across a greater number of APs which can be good for performance. Also don't forget to use non overlapping channels for adjacent APs. I hope this helps.

-J

There can be significant differences in the range of your wireless network depending on your choice of external antenna..

Take for instance the two wifi towers I put up this afternoon. I used 3 x 1310 outdoor rugged ap's paired with a 14.5dbi PCtel mso24014nf three sector antenna. The antenna type changes the radio signal propagation wave, blasting the signal further in 3 x 90 sections.. The only problem is getting the clients signal back to the antenna.. That's where Luxul 1 watt amps come in, if you can find them...

Thanks for the replies chaps,

I guess my answer at the moment is yes there can be a different between the 2.
We are set on the 1141's which is what we have quoted for but if the 1142's might be a better option then I will look into that - thanks.

Its all a single 3 story (old) building and a quick site survey pulled up a single area with a couple deadspot - (the current setup using 6 AP's) which has been effecting roaming.
It was setup before I got there and 1 of the 6 AP's is setup as a repeater. I have a feeling howver that its stuck to far between 2 other AP's and not really handling traffic.
Therefor I'm hoping that I can increase the coverage area with 6AP's - just using a little "imaginitive talent" in arranging them - getting rid of the single repeater.

They seem to be shelling out fairly decent coverage with enough room between each service set so all in all it should be ok.
As far as I can tell the 1200's that are installed at the moment have the basic external antennas installed - so a good few years old. I'm hoping the newer technology can at least match that.
I found quite a nice sheet on Anttenna (antenni?) - http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collate ... Sheet.html
Lists the 1140's near the bottom - but I have nothing to really compare it with.

Now the next hope is that I can get the dammed things working with Windows Server 2008 - without it having a hissy fit about not recognising the EAP type...

One thing to keep in mind is what the antennas are designed for. The 1142 is designed for 10-12ft ceilings and a carpeted office space. That said, the 1262 is designed for external antennas which have more diverse choice when it comes to RF patterns.

If you move from a 2-4dbi antenna, not only do you change the gain on the antenna, you change the shape and size of the RF coverage, which is something to keep in mind.

Use what makes sense. My opinion is not to use anything that ends in 1. 1141, 1041, 1261. Use dual band radios as they give you increased capacity and bandwidth.

Sorry just got back.

Ok so I took the hint - and had another quote. If the AP is designed to do something then why not go with it so we are going with the 1142's - as reccomended. At least now I can sleep easy knowing that what we are putting in place will be sufficient for what we need.

Fun times ahead