There are a many permutations of wireless equipment deployed by Air-Stream members when setting up their wireless networks, each have their pro’s and con’s the following articles explore some of this equipment.
Generally there are five parts to consider for a fixed wireless installation. In most Air-Stream installations these are considered seperately so that the best individual parts can be customised for the situation, however there are also all-in-one solutions available which incorporate all five parts. These five parts are:
- Host/Controller
- Wireless Radio
- Coaxial Cable
- Antenna
- Enclosure and Accessories
A computer board that controlles one or more wireless radios. This is usually a dedicated single board computer such as a Mikrotik Routerboard. The computer board is loaded with software that drives the wireless hardware as well as providing any networking and routing services required.
A module that is controlled by the host which provides IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n MAC layer to the board through an interconnect such as MiniPCI and the 'wireless' radiofrequency physical layer to an antenna through an antenna port such as an MMCX connector.
To connect the antenna to the wireless radio invariably requires a length of coaxial cable. Most antennas have N type or RP-SMA plugs while the radio modules have MMCX connectors (see Common Wifi Connectors). This connection is usually achieved by having a small length (10-20cm) of flexible cable called a pigtail to bring the antenna port to a bulkhead then a longer length (1-5 meters) of low loss coaxial cable connecting the antenna to the bulkhead.
The antenna selection depends on the purpose of the installation. Broadly there are two types of antennas used, directional and omni-directional. Directional antennas are used for 'client' connections (ie to connect into an existing access point to gain network acces). Omni-directional antennas are used for access points where clients connect in (ie to provide an access point for 'clients' to gain network access.)
Weatherproof enclosures, power supplies, Ethernet cables, masting, u-bolts, cable ties, self-amalgamating tape and other hardware required to mount and power the equipment.
