Wireless AP and AC purchase tips

When building an industrial IoT system, the purchase of wireless access points (APs) and wireless controllers (ACs) is crucial. They not only determine the coverage, stability, and security of the network, but also directly affect the efficiency of subsequent management and maintenance. The following is a guide to choosing wireless AP and AC from an engineer's perspective, covering essential features and performance indicators.

1. Secrets for purchasing wireless AP

Frequency band and rate:

Dual-band support: Prioritize APs that support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz dual-band to meet the connectivity needs of different devices. The 5GHz band typically has higher speeds and lower interference.
High speed: Pay attention to the maximum transmission rate of APs, such as those that support IEEE 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 6 standards, which can provide higher wireless bandwidth to meet the transmission requirements of multimedia services such as high-definition video and voice.

Coverage and capacity:

Coverage: Select the appropriate coverage range based on the application scenario, such as a single room, multiple rooms, area coverage, and so on.
Capacity of the AP: Ensure that the AP can support sufficient terminal access, especially in densely populated areas such as conference rooms and production lines.

Power supply and installation method:

Power supply mode: APs that support PoE Power over Ethernet power supply can simplify wiring and reduce installation costs.
Installation method: Select the appropriate installation method based on the environmental characteristics, such as ceiling, panel, or box.

Safety and stability:

Encryption method: Supporting the latest encryption standards such as WPA3 and WPA2 to ensure the security of data transmission.
Stability: Select APs that have undergone rigorous testing and have industrial-grade designs to ensure stable operation in harsh environments.

Other functions:

Seamless roaming: Supporting wireless roaming function, ensuring that users can seamlessly switch APs and maintain network connectivity during mobile use.
Intelligent RF management: It can automatically adjust RF parameters and optimize network performance.

2. Tips for Choosing Wireless AC

Management scale:

Maximum number of managed APs: Select the appropriate AC based on the network size to ensure that all APs can be managed and centralized management and control can be achieved.

Configuration and monitoring:

Centralized configuration: The AC should support the centralized configuration function, which can uniformly set the parameters of the AP and simplify the management process.
Real-time monitoring: It has real-time monitoring function, which can view key information such as AP status and traffic in real time, and can detect and solve problems in a timely manner.

Security and Policy:

Access security control: Support access control policies based on users, devices, or locations to ensure network security.
RF intelligent management: It can automatically adjust RF parameters to optimize network coverage and performance.

Extensibility and compatibility:

Scalability: Consider the scalability of AC to ensure easy upgrades when the network expands in the future.

Compatibility: Ensure that the AC and AP are from the same manufacturer to achieve optimal performance and compatibility.

Other functions:Fault recovery: Support automatic fault recovery function to ensure rapid service recovery in the event of network failure.
Ease of use: Select AC with an intuitive management interface and rich help documentation to reduce management difficulty.

When purchasing wireless AP and AC, it is necessary to consider key factors such as frequency band and rate, coverage and capacity, power supply and installation method, security and stability, and make a choice based on the needs of specific application scenarios. At the same time, we should pay attention to performance indicators such as AC management scale, configuration and monitoring, security and strategy, scalability and compatibility to ensure the construction of an efficient, stable and secure industrial IoT network.