@Cesar
We run one A5-14 with 60 Mikrotik clients in interop mode. I can push the A5 to a 100Mbps throughput.
This is a 40Mhz channel though but in a heavy uses spectrum.
I tried once a 80Mhz channel and could push the A5 even higher to 150+Mbps TTL client througput.
The limit in our case is the fact with 60 connected clients (I run the Mikrotik bandwidt test from 6 or 8 clients at the same time, but during this the rest of the clients are still using their connections.) airtime is limited especial when considered the spectrum is ‘dirty’
Since clients are not allowed to get more then 30 Mbps and this is very rarely seen to be used by clients (only downloads need this, most other internet usage hardly produces more then 10 Mbps per client) we see hardly ever more then 50 Mbps aggregated from these 60 clients over the AP.
Some things are important though:
- The use of RTS/CTS is compulsory! One or two units not using this ALWAYS (so set accordingly with the lowest threshold possible = always on) it ruins the network.
- Set the distances of each client in the client settings of AP. If not you’ll have regular 'network storms?
- I’d like to have all clients coming in at the AP with -50 to -55dB. If the signals are lower the connection rates drop and it takes only one or two ‘slow’ clients to ruing the network. You need to upgrade client antennas to get to this signals.
- In 20Mhz band you even under the best spectral circumstances and high s/n ratios (30 or more) you would get 50-60 Mbps tcp traffic to a client max. I see some of your clients having only MCS 6/7 meaning only 20 Mbps tcp throughput maximal! If these clients are using your network they consume so much time of AP the rest is also hammered.
- The AGM has to be set to -60 or -65 to eliminate signals from close ranges other AP’s. Meaning your clients need at least to be 5dB better then this (for weather fading etc. “fade margine”)
- Also try to get all associated CPE’s to work in same sort of power level at the AP (adjust output of the client to set them all in a 5 or 10dB wide range.) Yet again, if some units have much lower signal at the AP then the others, these ‘poor’ ones are molesting your network…
- Your clients are presumably all ‘n’ type of radio’s. The Mimosa is ‘ac’ and although I’ve been reading that ubnt’s ‘ac’ is not as good as it could be (like Mikrotik’s. But yet again. both atheros) the difference in using ‘ac’ CPE’s is noticably better then only ‘n’ clients. You DO get the higher MCS rates, given the signals are good.
The Mimosa is a very powerful ‘ac’ AP. Its wireless has some features (AGM) that helps eliminating high noise levels.
The used chipset/firmware is capable to use one chain out of 2 even if the signal differences are more then 3dB (Mikrotiks tend to fall back to ‘one chain only’ working mode if the 2nd chain is more then 3dB worse that the good one. I don’t know about ubnt but since the chipsets are the same I’d presume its the same. I saw the Mimosa using 2 chains even if the difference was 6dB!)
But after all, the capacity of the network comes from the usage of the spectrum. You need higher S/N ratio to use the Mimosa to its full extend and use higher channel bandwidth to get better use of the spectrum/time available to the AP.
Last, but not completely least; The A5c is probably working in standard regulatory domain and probably only transmitting with 23-24dBm of power. I am almost sure your previous Ubiquity radio was just set to maximum? 30dBm?
If that was the case, then obviously there was twice as much signal delivered to the client, thus higher MCS rates and higher throughput.
and functions disabled we hope they can help us, as we buy more than 10 A5c and plan to buy more than 20 in the next quarter.
