User's Guide

Wireless Array
28 Installing the Wireless Array
Planning Your Installation
This section provides guidelines and examples to help you plan your Xirrus
Wireless Array deployment to achieve the best overall coverage and performance.
We recommend you conduct a site survey to determine the best location and
settings for each Array you install.
The following topics are discussed:
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“General Deployment Considerations” on page 28
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“Coverage and Capacity Planning” on page 30
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“IEEE 802.11n Deployment Considerations” on page 37
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“Failover Planning” on page 43
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“Power Planning” on page 46
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“Security Planning” on page 47
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“Port Requirements” on page 49
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“Network Management Planning” on page 53
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“WDS Planning” on page 54
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“Common Deployment Options” on page 57
General Deployment Considerations
The Wireless Array’s unique multi-radio architecture generates 360 degrees of
sectored high-gain 802.11a/b/g/n coverage that provides extended range. (Note
that XR-500 Series radios are omni-directional rather than sectored.) However, the
number, thickness and location of walls, ceilings or other objects that the wireless
signals must pass through may affect the range. Typical ranges vary depending
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For a complete discussion of implementing Voice over Wi-Fi on the Array,
see the Xirrus Voice over Wireless Application Note in the Xirrus
Resource Center.
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For optimal placement of Arrays, we recommend that a site survey be
performed by a qualified Xirrus partner.