The NetVanta 150 Wireless Access Point (WAP), the Netvanta 160 and 161 WAPs, and the BlueSocket 1800 WAP come standard with Omni directional antennas, with the NetVanta 160 and BSAP 1800’s antennas being internal to the housing. The BSAP 1840 has connections for external antennas but is most often used with Omni-directional antennas as well. This document provides the theoretical range in meters you can achieve using the different wireless standards with these antennas.
These maximum distances assume that you are in an area with no obstructions in the path of the WAP and the wireless client. The typical office environment assumes moderate signal penetration of standard inner walls constructed of sheet rock, wood, or other non reflective material. The following distances are given as approximations only as the results will vary greatly depending on the company "environment".
Radio Type | Max Distance | Distance in typical office |
- 802.11b
| 100 meters | 60 meters |
- 802.11g
| 100 meters | 75 meters |
- 802.11a
| 50 meters | 25 meters |
- 802.11n
| 100 meters | 50 meters |
Typically, every environment offers some obstruction. Besides the physical barriers discussed above, walls made of steel or other reflective materials will cause the signal penetration to be significantly reduced. Anything that operates in the frequency ranges of any of the above standards will also cause loss if operating in the same area. This would include things like cordless phones and microwaves for the 802.11b/g 2.4Ghz radio. Other access points operating in the same range will also cause interference which will reduce signal range. Make sure you understand your environment physically and with regards to RF signal before deploying access points. This would include performing a wireless site survey along with completing RF analysis with a WiFi analyzer.
Useful Links
For more information on deploying a BSAP 1800 Series AP properly, please see the or the depending on your type of access point.
For more information on deploying a NetVanta 150 Series AP properly, please see the .
For more information on deploying a NetVanta 160 Series AP properly, please see the .
For more information on interference and how it can affect an Access Point, please see .
