High-Gain Patch Antennas Boost Wi-Fi Capacity In Crowded Lecture Halls

An anonymous reader writes "To boost its Wi-Fi capacity in packed lecture halls, Georgia Institute of Technology gave up trying to cram in more access points with conventional omni-directional antennas, and juggle power settings and channel plans. Instead, it turned to new high-gain directional antennas. They look almost exactly like the bottom half of a small pizza box, and focus the Wi-Fi signal from the ceiling-mounted access point in a precise cone-shaped pattern, covering part of the lecture hall floor. Instead of the flaky, laggy connections, about which professors had been complaining, users now consistently get up to 144Mbps (if they have 802.11n client radios). 'Overall, the system performed much better' with the new antennas, says William Lawrence, IT project manager principal with the university's academic and research technologies group. 'And there was a much more even distribution of clients across the room's access points.'"

Comments

Radiated power?

[jhol13]

In Europe we limit the maximum radiated power (EIRP). This means you'd have to drop TX power and the directional antenna helps on RX only. Still might be worthwhile.
Although there is ample proof that WiFi don't have health issues, I still want to limit the EIRP. But to what level, I do not know. I think directional antennas currently have too strict a limit - you are not supposed to be standing next to a directional antenna anyway. OTOH people hardly understand what a 20dB antenna does (in TX).

Re:$591.25 a pop, for the antenna alone !

[datapharmer]

Only problem is where you shop. Not to plug newegg, there are many other cheap(er) venders you can probably find this at too, but just to prove a point:

$43 shipped: http://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-33-993-021
$66 shipped: http://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-33-978-030
$80 shipped: http://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-33-993-022


I imagine if you are buying for a large institution you have a vendor that offers volume discounts as well, so they should in theory be paying even less than this.

Re: $591.25 a pop, for the antenna alone !

[kenh]

What do you imagine each unneccessary AP they deployed cost? If such an antenna costs as much as one displaced AP and provides a better signal, it's money well spent.