MA-ANT-27 Directional Antennas As Sectors on one AP?

JasonTX
New here

MA-ANT-27 Directional Antennas As Sectors on one AP?

I am installing an MR-86 outdoor Wi-Fi access point, and I have a scenario in which 180 degree, longer-range Wi-Fi coverage would be beneficial.  The user density is low.  If I connect two MA-ANT-27 antennas, each connected to one 2.4 GHz and one 5.8 GHz connector, could I angle the two antennas away from each other and create two sectors of service?  Is the MR-86 designed to support this?  In the past, I've just installed four MA-ANT-20 omnis, but in this case the higher gain antennas would be better.  I could install two access points with MA-ANT-27s facing in opposite directions, but it seems unnecessary for this if I can make one AP work.

3 Replies 3
PhilipDAth
Kind of a big deal
Kind of a big deal

Yes, because they are in different bands.

GreenMan
Meraki Alumni (Retired)
Meraki Alumni (Retired)

That would only apply to MR76, where the 4 antenna ports are split 2 for 2.4 and the other 2 for 5 GHz.   As Randall has pointed out, the 4 ports on 86 are dual-band (to deliver the 4SS).

Randall_Vega_CR
Meraki Employee
Meraki Employee

The MR86 is a 4x4 access point, therefore the 4 antenna ports are connected to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz client serving radios. In order to ensure the highest performance, the antennas connected to the 4 ports should have overlapping coverage areas, otherwise, instead of extending coverage, you will be sending 2 spacial streams in one direction and two in another direction which is completely undesirable.

 

In the case of a 2x2 AP like the MR76, you could direct each antenna to a different direction to extend coverage, however since each antenna is dedicated to a radio/band, you would be covering each area with a single band. Not sure if this would serve your purpose but this is not tipically what one would look for.

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