How far can your AP reach?
It’s the Wi-Fi age-old question. In 10 conversations, it gets asked 11 times! As a Wi-Fi designer, how do you fare with such a question? It could be asked in variant forms like:
- How strong is your AP?
- How many meters can your AP cover?
- How big is the AP radius?
- How many/will one AP be strong enough to cover the whole X (where X is an area of an apartment, house, office, floor, stadium…etc)?
In all fairness, it’s not wrong to question how good a thing is before you opt for it. But to ask such a question is wrong because it’s an incomplete one.
Let’s be straight to the point here: in its simplest form, this is a Rate Vs. Range question. One proper version of the question to ask would be:
How far can your AP reach if I want 5mbps throughput over my iPhone8?
This question is a good start for coming up with an ROM estimate for an answer. I say an ROM because there are so many other factors that could affect the Rate Vs. Range performance question.
Giving examples and telling stories are a few of the best techniques to send a memorable and impactful message across. Let’s try to put in simple and real-life analogies that would help clarify the question pitfalls and answer it.
Analogy #1: Wi-Fi coverage is like bouncing a pebble across water.
Analogy #2: Even in a one-sided conversation, you still need a listener.
Analogy #3: A Prius and a Ferrari are racing on the highway, which car can speed the most?
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