I'm just curious which country, offhand, has the highest power limits (EIRP) for either 2.4GhZ or 5GHz unlicensed Wi-Fi bands?
Is it the USA?
EEPROM default is used when "no country" is set and tx-power is set to "default". When you use some country, the setting is lowered according to country limits. You also need to take into account the antenna gain setting. It lowers your TX power so that the total radiated (EIRP) power is within limits.So that EEPROM default is a hardware safe limit, not a regulation limit?
I have seen (if I remember well) that it sets power to 17dBm and the max settable is like 23 or 27 dBm, so
in that case 17dBm would be the safe limit for the hardware?
(this of course means the EIRP is still above the 30dBm unlicensed limit with many antennas)
I surely haven't missed that, because it is the reason why I appreciate and defend the way of life with mikrotik. You know that.Jarda, I don't know how you missed this, but since RouterOS exists, it has been MikroTik ideology to allow the user to adjust whatever setting he wants. This causes many to say "RouterOS is very complicated", but in reality we just give you a lot of freedom.
I fully know about country regulations for unlicenced WiFi, but I was alerted by your "burn the routerboard" message..EEPROM default is used when "no country" is set and tx-power is set to "default". When you use some country, the setting is lowered according to country limits. You also need to take into account the antenna gain setting. It lowers your TX power so that the total radiated (EIRP) power is within limits.
Rest assured, especially since this radio is currently hooked up as a Wi-Fi adapter card in a desktop PC only 40 feet from the SOHO router, that I have no intention of increasing the transmitter power limits!This is the reason why the user can burn his card if he wants to
Correction to my incorrect post above. In the last few years, RouterOS will actually ignore any setting above the EEPROM safe limit, so with MikroTik made devices, you can't accidentally set power too high and damage them.When I understand correctly, I should set "no country" and "default" and then see what the indicated
power is, and not go higher than that. Is that correct?
Thanks! I think I had seen already that the power does not increase above some figure but I had blamed that on saturation of the final amp.Correction to my incorrect post above. In the last few years, RouterOS will actually ignore any setting above the EEPROM safe limit, so with MikroTik made devices, you can't accidentally set power too high and damage them.
I'm confused, so can you just clarify that this sentence above about going into "superchannel mode" is the setting you are referring to that a previous company (before Mikrotik?) allows to over ride the EEPROM safe transmit power limits but that Mikrotik never allowed?...if you ... go into the wireless advanced settings, you can switch to mode "superchannel" and overdrive the card ...
But that is not depicting the situation very well.Once on that forum there was VERY WISE statement:
"AP are as speakers of a HiFi set. If you turn the volume up to the highest value it does not mean that you can hear the better quality sound. Just louder.".
Thank you for saying what I didn't said just pointing that too much power of any device changes talking to SHOUTING. That is why in schools corridors it's always LOUD as each kid tends to be the best/loudest AP all the time...
Also, there is the problem of an arms race. When one user increases power, the other users will have more interference and may be tempted to increase power too. After that, the advantage has mostly disappeared.