How to Choose a Wireless Access Point?

Nowadays, wireless LAN (local area network) becomes an independent part in our daily life. As waiting for your dishes in a restaurant, you may take out your phone and connect the Wi-Fi. I guess most of you have a wireless LAN. But if you have no or intend to upgrade your network, you’d better read this article on how to choose a wireless access point (AP).

 

Wireless AP Standards: 802.11n and 802.11ac

There are two newest IEEE wirelesss network standards including 802.11n (debuting in 2009) and 802.11ac (in 2014). The earlier 802.11n standard can support up to 540 Mbps, while the optimized 802.11ac products can provide the speed up to 1.3Gbps. 802.11ac is faster and more scalable than 802.11n. Except the improved speed, 802.11ac access points also optimize in the areas of range and reliability. Considering these factors, many enterprises may use 802.11ac technology.

However, though 802.11ac is better than 802.11n, it doesn’t mean it suits for everyone. First, 802.11ac needs big room for super wide channels. Second, you need to buy devices matching 802.11ac technology. At last, those devices should be close (20 or 30 feet) to the access point.

Dual Band Wireless AP or Single Band Wireless AP

Before discussing about dual band and single band, we need to know 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. 2.4 GHz is a lower frequency than 5 GHz. It can penetrate most obstructions better. The signal can reach further. Wireless access point is one of the devices which use 2.4 GHz. While 5 GHz has a higher frequency, signals can’t penetrate solid obstructions like walls as easily as 2.4 GHz. 5 GHz provides us with more usable channels.

                                   

In the past, some 802.11n wireless AP is single band and can only support 2.4 GHz. It fails to meet the demands for 5GHz devices. Thus, the trend urges the appearance of new dual-band access point. Dual-band means that the access point can transmit and receive in two separate bands. Dual-band access points can support 2.4 GHz speeds and leverage wide channels, high data rates for connecting 5GHz devices. When you buy access points, make sure the one you choose can support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

Spatial Streams of Wireless AP

The number of spatial streams is one of the influencing factors on wireless speed. 802.11n stopped at four spatial streams, but 802.11ac goes all the way to eight. 802.11n introduced MIMO (more multiple input, multiple output). MIMO means that we can get multiple radio chains and antennas to transmit and receive. The more radio chains, the faster the wireless network speed. With 802.11n, a device can transmit multiple spatial streams at once, but only directed to a single address. It means only one user can get data at a time. That’s called single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO). While with 802.11ac, multi users can get data at the same time. And that’s called multiuser MIMO (MU-MIMO). As you can see, the more spatial streams, the better.

Get Wireless APs From Fiberstore

We provide three types of wireless APs which can be applied to enterprises, schools, hotels, etc. Our wireless APs contain the good features of easy plug & play installation and intuitive management, which is beneficial for reducing the need for dedicated IT personnel resources. And the unique watchdog technology makes AP work more stable and ensure the wireless network operate properly. Repeater mode makes wireless coverage more flexible. Both 802.11n and 802.11ac APs (as shown in the table below) can be found in Fiberstore.

	Image	2.4GHz Speed	5.8GHz Speed	CPU	Antenna Gain
AP-S300		300 Mbps	No	533 MHz	2x3dBi
AP-D1200		300 Mbps	867 Mbps	650 MHz	4x3dBi
AP-D1750		450 Mbps	1300 Mbps	720 MHz	6x3dBi

Conclusion

This article is to give you some advice on how to choose a wireless access point. Well, when you decide to buy one, remember the tips mentioned above including standards, dual band or single band, spatial streams. The most suitable is the best. A reliable vendor is also important. Hope this article can help you find your desirable wireless AP.

Originally published at www.fiber-optic-equipment.com

Fiber Splitter for FTTH Applications

Passive optical network (PON) has been widely applied in the construction of FTTH (fiber to the home). With PON architecture, network service providers can send the signal to multiple users through a single optical fiber, which can help them save great costs. To build the PON architecture, optical fiber splitter is necessary.

What Is Fiber Splitter?

The fiber splitter is a passive component specially designed for PON networks. Fiber splitter is generally a two-way passive equipment with one or two input ports and several output ports (from 2 to 64). Fiber splitter is used to split the optical signal into several outputs by a certain ratio. If the ratio of a splitter is 1x8 , then the signal will be divided into 8 fiber optic lights by equal ratio and each beam is 1/8 of the original source. The splitter can be designed for a specific wavelength, or works with wavelengths (from 1260 nm to 1620 nm) commonly used in optical transmission. Since fiber splitter is a passive device, it can provide high reliability for FTTH network. Based on the production principle, fiber splitters include Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) and Fused Bionic Taper (FBT).

PLC Splitters

PLC splitters are produced by planar technology. PLC splitters use silica optical waveguide technology to distribute optical signals from central office to multiple premise locations. The output ports of PLC splitters can be at most 64. This type of splitters is mainly used for network with more users.

The Structure of PLC splitters

Internal Structure

The following figure shows a PLC splitter. The optical fiber is splitted into 32 outputs. PLC chip is made of silica glass embedded with optical waveguide. The waveguide has three branches of optical channels. When the light guided through the channels, it is equally divided into multiple lights (up to 64) and transmitted via output ports.

Outside Configuration

Bare splitter is the basic component of PLC fiber splitter. For better protection of the fragile fiber and optimized use, PLC splitters are often equipped with loose tube, connector and covering box. PLC splitters are made in several different configurations, including ABS, LGX box, Mini Plug-in type, Tray type, 1U Rack mount, etc. For example, 1RU rack mount PLC splitter (as shown in the figure below) is designed for high density fiber optical distribution networks. It can provide super optical performance and fast installation. This splitter is preassembled and fibers are terminated with SC connectors. It’s ready for immediate installation.

FBT Splitters

FBT splitters are made by connecting the optical fibers at high temperature and pressure. When the fiber coats are melted and connected, fiber cores get close to each other. Then two or more optical fibers are bound together and put on a fused taper fiber device. Fibers are drawn out according to the output ratio from one single fiber as the input. FBT splitters are mostly used for passive networks where the split configuration is smaller.

PLC Splitters From FS.COM

Fiberstore offers a wide range of PLC splitters that can be configured with 1xN and 2xN. Our splitters are designed for different applications, configurations including LGX, ABS box with pigtail, bare, blockless, rack mount package and so on.

Port Configuration	Package Style	Fiber Diameter (Input/output)	Connector (Input/output)	Pigtail Length
1x2	Steel tube, bare fiber	250μm	None	1.5m
1x4	Mini module	900μm	SC APC/UPC	2.0m
1x8	Pigtailed ABS box	2.00mm	LC APC/UPC	3.0m
1x16	Mini plugged-in	3.0mm	FC APC/UPC	Customized
1x32	LGX		ST APC/UPC
1x64	Splice Tray Type		Customized
2x16	Rack mount

Conclusion

Fiber splitter is an economical solution for PON architecture deployment in FTTH network. It can offer high performance and reliability against the harsh environment conditions. Besides, the small sized splitter is easy for installation and flexible for future network reconfiguration. Therefore, it’s a wise choice to use fiber splitter for building FTTH network.

Originally published at www.fiber-optic-equipment.com