I have to setup a wireless network for our student residence, the flat is 120 meters high, 80 meters length, 50 meters on the sides.
There are going to be at maximum 1000 students connected to the network, i want them to be able to VOIP in the network only(no internet), and also basic internet is needed for text browsing.
Will this equipment work well for such a service?
Mikrotik RB/433AH X 2
Mikrotik R52 802.11a,b,g MiniPCI X 4
Outdoor Enclosure - Large X 2
13dBi 2.4Ghz 120 Degree Sector Antenna X 4
Yes and with a 12dBi omni connected to a UBNT bullet I have covered 140 cluster homes on an estate…but…
How high is the building?
How many connected computers? is that 1000 people and 500 computers or 1000 people and 1000 computers or 1000 people, 500 computers and 1000 wifi phones?
This guy says the building is 120m high.
If the builders used the new way of building in this country, that means it’s a 40 floor building.
If they used the older way of building, then we’re talking about a 30 floor building.
We also need to consider variables such as how much reinforcing was put into the concrete. In other words, will the antenna be able to blast through two slabs of concrete or three and even if the antenna can blast through two slabs, can the CPE communicate effectively with the base station / AP. It’s pointless having -65 signal strength on the RX from the AP and -87 on the TX back to the AP.
First of all secure a broom cupboard or some other secure place near the comms duct on the 15th floor. You need this for your control equipment and UPS.
You are then going to get a decent 220V power supply in there. That is not a lead with a multi plug. Get an electrician to run some surflex from the DB on the floor to a couple of sockets and then mount your 9U cabinet over that.
You’ll end up with a cabinet similar to the one in the right of this picture. Notice the conduit that goes direct into the cabinet.
I squeezed a four year degree in engineering into six years at Tuks, so I’d like to think I am able to talk about what students are capable of getting up to. Remember the old addage “Brandewyn het nie brieke nie”. A drunk student is capable of just about anything. Everything must be secured and it must be “student proof”
That cabinet will house a MikroTik RB1000, a managed PoE rackmount switch and a patch panel.
The cabinet will also (obviously) house your UPS that will keep everything running when Eskom goes off, as well as your Zap Traps. Go to any electrical wholesaler, ask them to get their AD/DC catalogue out and order you a LP2-8 or two. Remember there is EVIL lightning up where you are. Everything MUST be protected.
From the cabinet, you are then going to run 2 UTPs to every third floor. There you are going to put up a simple unit that looks like this.
The integrated unit has a 15dBi antenna and a RB411R. That’s it.
Divide the floor into thirds and put one in each of the furthest thirds. So if the passage is 50m long, you put one unit at about 17m from one end and another unit about 17m from the other end. This should get through the horizontal walls and should blast up and down through the old reinforced concrete to give you really good coverage in the building.
I have done what you are trying to do - in two 20 floor buildings - so I know what I’m talking about.
So:
Electrical work
9U cabinet
RB1000
28 x Poynting or Acconet integrated enclosures with RB411R
At least 18 APs. The correct number depends on type of furniture and appliances (microwave, stove), tile in bathrooms and location of the elevator shaft.
