Wireless Mesh Network Coverage Considerations
This section provides a summary of items that must be considered for maximum wireless LAN coverage in
an urban or suburban area, to adhere to compliance conditions for respective domains.
The following recommendations assume a flat terrain with no obstacles (green field deployment).
We always recommend that you perform a site survey before taking any real estimations for the area and
creating a bill of materials.
Cell Planning and Distance
For the Cisco 1520 Series Access Points
The RAP-to-MAP ratio is the starting point. For general planning purposes, the current ratio is 20 MAPs per
RAP.
We recommend the following values for cell planning and distance in nonvoice networks:
• RAP-to-MAP ratio—Recommended maximum ratio is 20 MAPs per RAP.
• AP-to-AP distance—A spacing of no more than of 2000 feet (609.6 meters) between each mesh access
point is recommended. When you extend the mesh network on the backhaul (no client access), use a
cell radius of 1000 feet (304.8 meters).
• Hop count—Three to four hops.
◦ One square mile in feet (52802), is nine cells and you can cover one square mile with approximately
three or four hops (see
Figure 29: Cell Radius of 1000 Feet and Access Point Placement for
Nonvoice Mesh Networks, on page 72
and
Figure 30: Path Loss Exponent 2.3 to 2.7, on page
72
.)
• For 2.4 GHz, the local access cell size radius is 600 feet (182.88 meters). One cell size is around 1.310
x 106, so there are 25 cells per square mile. (See
Figure 31: Cell Radius of 600 Feet and Access Point
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Site Preparation and Planning
Wireless Mesh Network Coverage Considerations
