Consider this:

We need to provide a Camping site with wireless internet. Today we provide this using 13 small routerboards with both uplink and accesspoints using 2,4GHz but the setup is failing due to increasing demand for bandwidth and double amount of users – all links is terminated in a RB1200 serving as hotspot gateway with a Linux Radius server controlling the user access.

We plan to spare no effort (or expense) in solving the next years demand as we see an 100-150% increase in users and bandwidth demand. An increase from 150 to 450 concurrent users – pretty heavy increase and foreseeing more than 1.000 next season.

I expect that we need to change all 13 sites uplink to 5GHz dual channel but wonder if we should go for a point to multipoint solution or solve the demand with a pure point to point backbone. Also I need to confirm which bandwidth I should expect using eg. SXT or Sextant for the uplinks. Also I suspect that we would benefit from using a MIMO 2,4GHz in the accesspoint solution, maybe even combined with a dual band access (2,4 & 5GHz access on all sites).

The distance from the fiber source to the 13 accesspoints within 800meters (less than ½ yard) and the entire site is covered by 2 pcs. 60deg. Antennas from the central site today.

I am looking at 2 possible solutions at the 13 distribution sites:

1. Using 2 GrooveA 52HPn with 6-9dBi antennas, 1 running 2,4GHz and one 5GHz for the user access, connected by a 750UP with the uplink served by a SXT lite5 to the central distribution

2. Using either an Ubiqiti AMO-2G10 2x2 MIMO 2,4GHz antennas or 2 pcs. Cyberbajt SA-180-15VV Slim BOX antennas together with a Routerboard 433AH and 2 pcs. R2N 2GHz MIMO radios (or 3 pcs. R52nM), one for each 180deg antenna and the third for the uplink via a 5GHz antenna.

Regarding 1 – this would NOT allow MIMO access – If we only could buy an Omnitik 2,4GHz MIMO…. But would allow users access via both 2,4 and 5GHz everywhere.

Regarding 2 – This would allow 2,4 GHz MIMO access and maybe combined with a GrooveA 5GHz on each site, users would benefit from “the best solution available” – also designing for radio-channel interference would be easier because if we use the 2x180deg Cyberbajt antennas.

Question 1: Will the SXT suffice for receiving a high (50/50++ Mbps) bandwidth to the sites?

Question 2: Will the endusers benefit from the MIMO or is this just a dream considering that they will be located in tents and aluminium trailers/campingwagons upto 100meters away?

Question 3: Will they at all benefit from my dualband thoughts?

Question 4: Should I mount 13 pcs. SXT’s in the central end or go for a powerful multipoint device? And which?

Question 5: A better MIMO and dualband solution for outdoor use (3 antennas “in-a-box”)?

Hi,

it´s not easy, but you can succeed.
Try to arrange 3-4 master Backbone AP´s on different channels e.g. with Omnitiks.
Best solution is to connect theese APs by wire
Then connect max. 4-5 satellite 2,4GHZ APs (with SXT or R911 in metal case) to the master sites.
Use at the the satellite locations separate metal boxes for AP and uplink.
For bettter throughput you can add 5GHZ APs for endusers. Some of them have devices which will connect to 5GHZ.

Then you should be fine, after all take in mind your uplink should have an increased bandwith.