MikroTik

Does anyone know of an indoor dual band AP packaged with antennas and based on Routerboard?

I've a few projects[1] coming up which need to support clients on both bands, I've used Cisco AIR-AP1252 on previous projects but they were pricey and have now been replaced by new models. Dual band APs are now becoming very common and are even available in our local Carrefour!

The RB751 is a great access point but not dual band, I suppose I could pair them up with Omnitiks but it would look a bit silly.

I'm hoping someone has packaged a RB411AR with a second radio card and antennas into something which will look 'nice' in a building. I'm resigned to the fact it will cost more than the RD751 but I expect it to be cheaper than Aruba, Cisco et al.

Andy


[1] one of them is a 10 floor building 250m x 230m in size requiring full coverage.

You can use rb433 with two card. 1x 2,4Ghz and 1x 5Ghz

or 411AR as you wrote

Yes I can use those models and add wireless cards but I need a package which can be installed indoors and 'look nice'. The black metal Mikrotik enclosures with antennas poking out of one end really don't do the job and they are only good for three antennas anyway.

One good thing about the Cisco Aironet 1260 and the Aruba AP-125 access points is you can install them in a high profile building without being embarrassed by the appearance. The RB751 looks OK too but it is only 2.4GHz.

I can't believe I'm the only person to have this issue.

Andy

I understand your need for this, I've faced the same problem. I then decided to get RB2011's for 2.4Ghz and OmniTik's for 5Ghz. Works pretty good, but it's for a large home situations, so not really comparable. It would be nice if they released something like this in the future. With that I mean that they build a pre-packaged version. I believe that using the available parts and cases (maybe 3rd party) that it's possible to build this. Won't be cheap, but will be good.

I do wish to add that you are not looking for dual-band but dual-radio. Generally dual-band means that you have 1 radio that can run either 2.4Ghz or 5.0Ghz but not at the same time! Might help in your searches or explaining to people what you are looking for.

Yes I can use those models and add wireless cards but I need a package which can be installed indoors and 'look nice'. The black metal Mikrotik enclosures with antennas poking out of one end really don't do the job and they are only good for three antennas anyway.

Your office space seems huge and I would recommend to install at least two AP's on each floor or every second floor. Until MT does not announce anything new, you could look up enclosures from RF elements or meconet to name a few, but they all require an external antenna. If there are suspended ceilings in your facilities then you might consider placing the router in the ceiling void and mount the external antennas to the ceiling pannels, however that would be a little cumbersome. But if you are looking for an out of the box solution which will impress the visitors or directors then choose the Aironet.

Your office space seems huge and I would recommend to install at least two AP's on each floor or every second floor. Until MT does not announce anything new, you could look up enclosures from RF elements or meconet to name a few, but they all require an external antenna. If there are suspended ceilings in your facilities then you might consider placing the router in the ceiling void and mount the external antennas to the ceiling pannels, however that would be a little cumbersome. But if you are looking for an out of the box solution which will impress the visitors or directors then choose the Aironet.

I'm leaning towards the Aironet too but will need a considerably larger number of AP than that. The floors are over 50cm thick reinforced concrete and the internal walls (blockwork and reinforced concrete) have up to 10dB penetration loss breaking the place into lots of rooms and corridors. A quick computation indicates up to something like 40 AP on some floors and lots of RF issues. There is a large DAS going in as well for cellular and other communication networks as outdoor penetration losses are around 25dB.

It was worth asking, you never know what someone might have come up with.

thanks

andy

a dual radio ap with a 'corporate' look is definitely missing and would be great to have. something like a RB952G? it would be nice

3x3 or 3x4 MIMO would be nice also

The floors are over 50cm thick reinforced concrete and the internal walls (blockwork and reinforced concrete) have up to 10dB penetration loss breaking the place into lots of rooms and corridors. A quick computation indicates up to something like 40 AP on some floors and lots of RF issues. There is a large DAS going in as well for cellular and other communication networks as outdoor penetration losses are around 25dB.

I wouldn't like to plan the frequencies. It's going to be a nightmare.
You might want to go for Meru Networks if the traffic is not going to be too dense. All APs work in sync on one radio channel, thus capacity is lower, but radio planning is not needed. Radios operate on the maximum allowed power, so you might reduce the AP count. Dual and triple radio APs are available.