FortiAP-231G - Deployment

[INK]

Hello Team,

I would like to get your opinions on deploying FortiAP-231G access points. I have checked the datasheet and compared its specs with other brands' AP that we are used to but it wouldn't help much to decide on the following:

1. How many AP to deploy in an environment of 100 people with light usage?

2. How many AP to deploy in an environment of 100 people with heavy usage (streaming, downloads, uploads)?

3. How many AP to deploy in a boardroom with 20 people on video conferencing?

Kindly assist.

[saneeshpv_FTNT]

Hi,

Your question is related to design and for this you need to conduct a site survey and create a WiFi heap map to determine the signal strength and coverage and then decide on the number of devices and where they are to be placed. I am worried if anyone could give you straight answer to this question. 

Regards,

[INK]

Hello. Thank you for replying. We performed a predictive heatmap on Ekahau and coverage is fine with 1 AP in the room, but what about the variant factors such as number of devices/utilization as mentioned in the different scenarios above. Let's say the Room is 17x 10 metres.

[elsantas]

Hello INK,

You can add in Ekahau, in each coverage area that you marked, how many devices and the usage (SLA) of each on of them. Then in health you can check if the particular AP can handle them.

Regards

[INK]

Room size: 170 sq. metres (17*10 m)

[saneeshpv_FTNT]

Hi,

As elsantas said, you can select APs and Antenna configuration from Ekahau to identify the best possible coverage for your room. Per the data sheet the per radio client capacity of 231G AP is 512 users/radio. So if you have enough coverage with 1AP, I think this should be sufficient to handle the traffic of 100 clients. Maybe you could consider applying some traffic shaping on your upstream devices to control the traffic.

Regards,