Number of users for AP1200?

[dchia78]

Hi, I will like to know how many users can the AP1200 support? The product specifications did not mention anything on that.

[blue.modal]

Short answer: We recommend starting at 25 user per AP, then adjusting up or down based on application performance.

Long Answer: The limit is 1024 - but you would never want to do that. To determine the appropriate max for your environment, consider your headcount, your applications and your signal strength.

If you are getting the maximum signalling rate ("11Mbps") and the max data rate (6Mbps with optimized packet sizes) you still have to be aware of the fact that your WLAN is half Duplex, meaning that over any measurable period of time, your actual bandwidth is 3Mbps divided by the number of users.

We have seen applications where .11b is ineffective with just two users, and others where 100 users think it's incredibly fast.

Matthew Wheeler

Chief Wireless Architect

www.BlueModal.com

[r.phen]

Matthew,

any idea on limiting number of users to associate with AP ? especially in the education enviroment (university or school) where student can move anywhere they like. What is the implementation consideration of this approach ?

Thanks

Rudy

[r.phen]

Matthew,

any idea on limiting number of users to associate with AP ? especially in the education enviroment (university or school) where student can move anywhere they like. What is the implementation consideration of this approach ?

Thanks

Rudy

[blue.modal]

Limiting the number of users per AP is possible - in fact that is one of the methods that Cisco suggests for pseudo-load -balancing.

The problem with relying on that method is that an AP will not refuse a connection or refer a client to another AP until the max user count is reached. The result is that if you limit AP#1 to 25 clients, then users #1-25 will get decreasing performance, and user #26 will be the first to use AP #1, which will give him great performance.

I prefer to create a coverage plan that includes cells sized and shaped for whatever group of users is appropriate. A 300-seat lecture hall, for example, should have 3 to 10 APs with antenna gain and beamwidth and output power levels manipulated to divide the space into 3 to 10 areas, each with a primary AP and a secondary, but none that are covered by more than 3 APs.

Doing that requires some detailed knowledge of RF, but it is the only way to get reliable performance in high-density areas.

Matthew Wheeler

Chief Wireless Architect

http://www.BlueModal.com

[sbhadrav@cisco.com]

The Access Point can support up to 20 clients (PC) or 7/8 phones comfortably, which depends on the application. The AP has the physical capacity to handle 2048 MAC addresses. However, because the AP is a shared medium and acts as a wireless hub, the performance of each user decreases as the number of users increases on an individual AP. Ideally, not more than 24 clients should associate with the AP because the throughput of the AP is reduced with each client that associates to the AP.
The AP has the physical capacity to handle 2048 MAC addresses, but, because the AP is a shared medium and acts as a wireless hub, the performance of each user decreases as the number of users increases on an individual AP. Ideally, not more than 24 clients can associate with the AP because the throughput of the AP is reduced with each client that associates to the AP.