To get started, the following is our setup:
Access Point:
RB532
MikroTik 2.9.13
1 - 200mW Prism2 cards (NL-2511MP) (12 dBi Omni)
1 - Atheros AR5213 (SR5) (Used for backhaul)
48V MikroTik POE
Client:
WRAP.2C
Custom built Linux operating system with HostAP drivers
1 - 200mW Prism2 cards (NL-2511MP) (14 dBi RooTenna)
12V Generic POE
If you need more information than provided, please let me know what you need.
Up until recently, we haven’t had any problems with this setup. However within the last few days we’ve tried to install two different clients where we’ve had poor connectivity. At each of these client installations, we’re seeing an average signal strength of -80 at both the client and tower. Which SHOULD be a strong enough connection??? But we’ve got PING times that jump all over the place, dropped packets and DUP (duplicate) responses.
The client distances for these two installations are: 4.79 mi and 6.51 mi respectively.
I’ve read elsewhere on this board, that the PRISM2 based cards do not have an adjustable ACK timeout (which I’ve confirmed by playing around with the HostAP drivers) and one user reported not being able to get links beyond 8km (4.9 mi). The nature of the problem (duplicate / dropped packet, etc.) seems to confirm this.
Can someone with more experience please confirm if our analysis is correct? The obvious solution to the problem is to replace the PRISM2 based cards with either the Wistron CM9 or SR2 card. Using the SR2 obviously requires the output to be dialed back to ensure we are within FCC limits. If we need to change cards, do you recommend the SR2 or the CM9? I’ve read about problems with the SR2 power levels with MikroTiks…but as near as I can tell, that problem has been resolved?
Any assistance or guidance you can provide is greatly appreciated.
George