Wireless solution for Big Caravan Park - Holiday Park

[SCC]

Hey Guys,

Looking for some kind of suggestion for putting the Cisco Meraki Wireless solution for a very large Caravan Park up to 35 acre park.

The problem is that we don't have any wiring infrastructure.  We are planning to alteast get some underground fibre work done, but not sure at this stage.

Any recommendation or suggestion for putting the wireless for such a big caravan park.

Does someone has done this already, so that we can see how this was done.

Thanks

[PhilipDAth]

Wow!  Is there any chance this is in the middle on no where (will make it much easier if their nothing else is using RF spectrum).

In my perfect world I would plan on the clients using 2.4Ghz, and saving the 5Ghz for backhaul.  I would use 20Mhz channels for clients.

I would want the MESH network to not have to use more than 1 hop to get back to a wired node, so that will control how much fibre needs to be run.

[SCC]

@PhilipDAth 

Is it possible to run the whole campus without wired connectivity, all on Mesh network ?

The thing is that its very challenging in getting the cabling work done.

[PhilipDAth]

Yes, but every time you go through a mesh repeater the throughput for clients drops by 50%.

So if you had:

<user> -> <mesh repeater> -> <mesh repeater> -> <wired ap>

The <users> thoughput would be 25% of what it would be if they directly connected to the wired AP - if everything is perfect.  If the connectivity between the mesh repeaters is not perfect, and the user does not have a perfect connection themselves, then you might be looking at 10% of the throughput.

5Ghz has higher throughput - hence why people like using it for backhaul for the MESH APs.  2.4Ghz has longer range, hence people like using it for users that are spread out.

The backhaul can also use focused antennas (like sector antennas) to improve their signal between each other.

Check out this MESH deployment guide.

https://documentation.meraki.com/MR/Deployment_Guides/Mesh_Deployment_Guide

[Uberseehandel]

With a 35 acre caravan park, I would not use AP-style WiFi for the backhaul, rather use a fixed Point-to-Point  or Point-to-Multipoint architecture, analogous to what the WISP operators use. Overall this would be more efficient from both cost and operational viewpoints. Point to point distances can be greater than with AP based systems.

[SCC]

its impossible to have such kind of towers to mount the access point.

[Uberseehandel]

The units are quite small and do not have to be mounted on towers.

Components vary in size between that of mobile phones and 200 mm dishes.

Not far from where we are based is a broadband sink hole. All the residents and businesses in the area use a WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider). Great service and the infrastructure is not noticeable, it is discrete. Components are mounted on existing buildings.

[jdsilva]

Are you trying to do outdoor wifi? Or are you hoping to get wifi inside all of those units in the picture?

[PhilipDAth]

I can't quite see in the picture - but are their lamp posts around the drive way?

They could be a good place to mount APs.

[SCC]

Hi @PhilipDAth 

Apologies for my delay in response.

That picture was just to give you the idea.

But this was the measurement of the site we have done manually just recently. The problem is that we have only internet in the office, except office to other places, we don't have any wiring infrastructure.

[jmoake]

If you used a MR76 at the office with a 5G sector antenna pointing to each amenity block and the 2.4 radio disabled

another 74 or 76 at the office with the 5G radio disabled and ANT20s on the 2.4 G antenna ports

a MR74 with a 5G sector antenna at each amenity block pointing back to the office and 2 omni ANT20s on the 2 remaining antenna ports for client service.

you could use the 5G for backhaul and 2.4 for client service