How I can reduce wireless signal in MR devices ??

[CGL]

Hello, we are working with location analytics features and need to reduce the wifi signal to iluminate less space. 

Can we do something with indoor MR`s ???

How I can measure the coverage of one of these wifi devices to know the area that  is covered ??

Best regards,

[MerakiDave]

Certainly, in your Dashboard go to Wireless > Configure > Radio Settings.  You can select each individual access point and manually set its transmit power in dBm in the right hand menu that comes up when you select the AP you want to adjust.  Lowering that value will effectively shrink your "coverage circle".  Also on that same page, make sure to enable "automatic power reduction" which might not be on by default, because you obviously do NOT want your APs transmitting at 100% transmit power.

The other thing to consider is on the Wireless > Configure > Access Control page, where you set the minimum bit rate, which also has that "cell sizing" effect, by disabling the lowest couple of data rates for each band.  A common setting is 12 or 18Mbps, but it depends on your specific environment and client devices.  Note this can be a per-SSID setting.

On your 2nd question, to better know how you're coverage looks, anyone will say doing a "site survey" is the only true way, and that's correct.  That can also involve (sometimes) expensive tools and/or professional services, depending on your deployment.  But for a simple and easy estimate, just use the built-in local status page on Meraki APs.  Associate a device to the AP and bring up a web browser and go to ap.meraki.com and that will bring up a local status page for that AP you're connected to.  It will show you signal strength, channel utilization, you can run a speed test... you can walk around with it and basically do you own mini site survey of sorts.

Hope that helps!

[PhilipDAth]

I prefer the second option that @MerakiDave gave - raise the minimum bit rate, rather than reduce the maximum power.  This ensures clients can still get a strong signal, they just have to be much closer.

[Uberseehandel]

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@PhilipDAth wrote:

I prefer the second option that @MerakiDave gave - raise the minimum bit rate, rather than reduce the maximum power.  This ensures clients can still get a strong signal, they just have to be much closer.

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Far better to stop chasing range, if you want happy WiFi users. Shouty WAPs do not make for good usable network coverage for all users. It is like buying cars based on their 0-100 kmh times, bragging rights.

The 5HGz portion of the spectrum is coming under increasing pressure all the time as mobile and IOT users increase and contention becomes a real issue. The only way to get a quart out of a pint pot is if we turn the noise down.

Hopefully, by the time the 60GHz kit gets deployed we will see more manufacturers producing well priced low powered WAPs and in that portion of the spectrum there should be sufficient bandwidth that we can build mesh environments that do not compromise throughput.

My approach is to provide WiFi coverage to each space/area that needs WiFi coverage, not to try blast signals around the place, which always causes problems eventually. Of course the Meraki charging model isn't very friendly to this approach. The high license fee encourage bad practices as far as WAP coverage is concerned.

[CGL]

Hello Uberseehandel, thanks a lot for your help.
Best regards,
Carlos

[mo_unify]

Informative post - thanks!

[CGL]

Hi PhilipDAth, thanks a lot for your help !!
Best regards
Carlos

[CGL]

Hi MerqakiDave, thanks a lot for your suggestions.
Best regards

[bhangad]

hello @MerakiDave thanks for your comprehensive solution. was looking for it. really appreciated.