User's Manual

4-3
Chapter 4
Performance Issues
Evaluating your area of planned operation
Since every operational environment is different, it is impossible for us to
tell you exactly what equipment you need and where you should put it to
achieve maximum performance from your RF System. However, since the
Access Points are very inexpensive, you should be able to obtain whatever
coverage you need. You can evaluate the RF Signal Strength of the
strongest Access Point with the same SSID by simply pressing the Status
Key. The status key will display the following:
mm/dd/yy hh:mm
alkBAT-zz%
ServerIP=nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn
DeviceIP=nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn
Ch:=n SSID=xxxxxxxxxxxx
WEP=Y Strength=nnn
The last line shows the signal strength. This is a number that can vary from 0-
100, 100 being best. You have adequate signal strength at 20. If you have less
than 20, you need to add an Access Point.
There is also some basic information about Radio Frequency itself that can help you
make smart choices about the location and composition of your system:
• Metal walls are almost impenetrable by RF. If your warehouse
computer is located in a metal shed, don’t locate the Access Point
Station inside with the computer. Locate at least one Access Point
outside the metal shed instead.
• The more walls you try to transmit through, the more the signal
breaks down. Walls that have metal studs (interior office walls)
and concrete walls with steel rebar slightly degrade the signal with
each wall you try to go through. Metal walls may require the use of
Relay Stations to achieve adequate coverage.
• Organic material absorbs RF energy. If you are trying to operate in
an area with lots of densely packed organic material (bags of beans or
corn), expect and plan for reduced operating ranges.
Raise the Access Point. Sometimes just raising the Access Point 12 feet will
dramatically increase your operating range, especially in a warehouse or grocery
store environment. Mounting the Access Point on the ceiling with the antenna
pointing down is the best.