Tune Wireless AP

RouterOS Wireless Networking
1

Hi,

I want to tune my wireless APs for a good customer-experience.
Problem is that Voip is not as good as I would like it to be with the
default settings.

My standard AP is RB600 with 4 R52 cards. One for Uplink, 3 with
120Deg-Sectors (Mars). 5GHz Band. Maximum separation between
frequencies. Clients are all RB (1xx and 4xx). No Nstream.

Clients have mixed signals from good to very bad.

I`ve found some parameters to play with (may be more relevant parameters??):

  • Data rates
  • Hardware retries
  • Frame lifetime
  • Client/AP Tx -Limits

What are good values to give good voip experience?
Reducing available Data rates and HW retries should save airtime
when there are bad signal clients?
Enabling Frame lifetime should do the same?
Reduce Bad-Signaled Clients to a low bandwith should help?

Anyone figured out good working numbers for this parameters?

Thanx,
Stefan

2

To start, what exactly are good and bad signal strengths?

3

between -54 and -92. This is a region without normal DSL so some people
accept bad performance as the alternatives are even worse (modem/isdn).
I do not want to throw them off. But it is acceptable to limit those with
bad signal to a small bandwith.

Stefan

4

You need to upgrade antennas, move them higher, whatever needs to happen to improve the -92 signals.

Those above -64 need the power turned down. You need to tune everything to be within -64 to -72 if at all possible.

If you can’t improve the weak links I would install a different AP just for the weak links so the better links don’t suffer.

5

Most effective is to give VoIP a higher traffic priority.
Getting the Radio link good is, of course, a necessity.

If you have a VoIP server, like asterisk, then mark (Mangle) all the inbound/outbound VoIP traffic based on the server IP address(es). If notm then there are a coule of TOS marks to find - google 'em.

Than set up a queue with priority 2 to match the mangle mark.

Then VoIP traffic will get priority over everything else.

If you got a spare adsl line and a lot (100+) clients, designate that adsl as just-for-voip.

You’ll need to look at ‘mark routing’ on your gateway router to send VoIP traffic down the right pipe.

6

Cant mount higher (without killing the budget). Antennas are 120Degree Mars which work
quite well. Clients are mounted in Stelladorado Housings which perform quite like the MT
Client Antennas. Cards are R52. Power is adjusted to the allowed values (1W EiRP).

So I’ve to live with weak signals and do the best with it and tune parameters for best
customer experience.

Stefan