We have been making extensive use of these reasonably priced MikroTik wAP-60G units at these events because they allow us to provide for a quick, easy, weatherproof and non-interfering 60GHz wireless bridge network that provides more than the adequate amount of bandwidth required to support these temporary 2.4/5GHz Event Wi-Fi Networks.
The Beam Forming capabilities of the wAP-60G products allow for an easy and quick install, thus resulting in dramatic reductions in the time and costs to deploy and teardown. The majority of the savings in time and labor is mostly due to the avoided labor costs of installing/removing Ethernet cabling to all of the Wi-Fi APs.
We just started using the MikroTik wAP-60Gx3-AP as it provides us with the flexibility of using a single AP to cover up to an 180º field of view that can provide Gigabit connectivity options between the 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi APs, the Switch/Gateway and the typically remotely located 5GHz backhaul link.
They have become so useful that I have created some of these compact "60GHz Bridge PAKS" for us to use at events.
Each of our "60GHz Bridge PAKS" includes a single PtP wAP-60G "Wireless Wire" bridge kit and a PtMP wAP-60Gx3-AP with 8 Station/Slave units. They have all been appropriately pre-configured and locked onto different channels, with different SSID/PW settings. They are essentially ready to go right out of the carry case!
All of the PoE injectors, the appropriate 24VDC 0.38A & 0.8A power supplies and a supply of CAT5e couplers (plus spare ancillary components) are all conveniently packed into the Harbor Freight, Apache 5800 rolling carry case (https://www.harborfreight.com/5800-weat ... rotective-…), similar to a Pelican 1500.
The images shown below are from a recent event where we used one of our "60GHz Bridge PAKS".
The images show the MikroTik wAP-60GHz links in Green (longest 60GHz link was 104m). With the 1,116m, 5GHz, 40/80MHz wide channel, backhaul link is in Red.
A 60GHz PtP "Wireless Wire" Bridge kit served to extend the bandwidth from the 5GHz Backhaul link connected through a MikroTik PowerBox PRO (that was required to be located at specific spot atop a nearby parking deck in order to properly connect through the surrounding buildings). The small fresnel zone of the 60GHz frequency allowed us to create a 57m link from the roof of the Parking Deck, through an opening in the trees, over a street, to the back of the stage where our Gateway and Switch was located under the stage.
The 60GHz PtMP wAP-60Gx3-AP provided the connectivity to the seven(7) Xirrus High-Density Wi-Fi APs. We used the 8th PtMP 60GHz link to our Communications Van so that we could monitor the network during the event.
This project provided Wi-Fi for a private event that was held in the 200,000 Sq. Ft. Kuroda Field (an open field/park located in Waikiki) for 2,500 guests and about 100 staff members. The guests moved about the field at will, so we used seven(7) Xirrus XR4800 Series High-Density Wi-Fi Arrays (each provisioned with eight 5GHz radio modules) to cover the 250 tables in the seating area and a Xirrus XR6000 Series High-Density Wi-Fi Array (provisioned with sixteen 5GHz radio modules) to serve the Food Court, Food Trucks, Gaming area and the rear of the seating area furthest away from the stage. This allowed us to provide an adequate amount of Wi-Fi to the crowd as they moved about the field throughout the evening.
The field was completely fenced in with an 8 foot tall chainlink fence for the event. A 120 foot long x 30 foot high stage was built specifically for this one night event.
While we were ready with more bandwidth to more usage, as it turned out, the Peak number of concurrent users was just over 500 devices. Peak throughput was just under 100Mbps.
The high throughput of the wAP-60G Station units provided us with a very stable and flawless performance that supported seven(7) of the Xirrus High-Density Wi-Fi AP arrays that were installed out on the field within the 180º field of view of the wAP-60Gx3-AP that was installed on the main truss over Center Stage. One of the Xirrus XR4800 Series Wi-Fi arrays was installed 8' away from the wAP-60Gx3-AP over Center Stage.
