Cisco Systems OL-7426-03 quick start External Antenna Connectors, Antenna Sectorization

The following sections contain more information about Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access point internal and external antennas:

•External Antenna Connectors

•Antenna Sectorization

•802.11a Internal Antenna Patterns

•802.11b/g Internal Antenna Patterns

External Antenna Connectors

The AP1020 and AP1030 Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points have male reverse-polarity TNC jacks for installations requiring factory-supplied external directional or high-gain antennas. The external antenna option can create more flexibility in Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access point antenna placement.

Note: The AP1010 Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points are designed to be used exclusively with the internal high-gain antennas, and have no jacks for external antennas.

Note that the 802.11b/g 2.4 GHz Left external antenna connector is associated with the internal Side A antenna, and that the 2.4 GHz Right external antenna connector is associated with the internal Side B antenna. When you have 802.11b/g diversity enabled, the Left external or Side A internal antennas are diverse from the Right external or Side B internal antennas.

Also note that the 802.11a 5 GHz Left external antenna connector is separate from the internal antennas, and adds diversity to the 802.11a transmit and receive path. Note that no external 802.11a antennas are certified in FCC-regulated areas, but external 802.11a antennas may be certified for use in other countries.

Antenna Sectorization

Note that the Cisco WLAN Solution supports Antenna Sectorization, which can be used to increase the number of clients and/or client throughput in a given air space. Installers can mount two Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points back-to-back, and the Network operator can disable the second antenna in both Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points to create a 360-degree coverage area with two sectors.

Installers can also mount Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points on the periphery of a building and disable the Side B internal antennas. This configuration can be used to supply service to the building interior without extending coverage to the parking lot, at the cost of eliminating the internal antenna diversity function.

802.11a Internal Antenna Patterns

The Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points contain one 802.11a radio, which drives two fully enclosed high-gain antennas that provide a large 360-degree coverage area. The two internal antennas are used at the same time to provide a 360-degree omnidirectional coverage area, or either antenna can be disabled to provide a 180-degree sectorized coverage area.

5/26/05 Cisco 1000 Series Lightweight Access Point External and Internal Antennas OL-7426-03