EnGenius AP Configuration Best Practices

Jason D. Hintersteiner, CWNE #171

Manager, Field Application Engineering
EnGenius Technologies, Inc.

This document provides guidelines on best practices for configuring EnGenius Neutron and Electron
access points, along with guidelines to select the best access point models for particular applications.

Application Guidelines
When should you select 802.11n, 802.11ac wave 1, vs. 802.11ac wave 2 access points?

802.11ac only operates on the 5 GHz band. All EnGenius 802.11ac access points are dual band 2.4 GHz /
5 GHz, utilizing 802.11n on the 2.4 GHz band. In most deployments, dual-band access points are
recommended so as to shift all dual-band client devices (including all modern smartphones, tablets, and
laptops) to the less crowded and higher capacity 5 GHz band.

802.11ac wave 1 is appropriate for most SMB networks which require good throughput and performance
driven from requirements for signal coverage. EnGenius recommends using 802.11ac wave 1 access
points in applications with up to 30-50 simultaneous users per access point.

802.11ac wave 2 utilizes a technology called MU-MIMO which is good for very high user capacity
environments (e.g. lecture halls, conference centers, houses of worship, stadiums, etc.), where a
significant number of the client devices in the application also support MU-MIMO capabilities. 802.11ac
wave 2 is appropriate for environments that typically will have >>50 users per access point.

What’s the difference in MIMO rating between 2x2:2, 3x3:3, and 4x4:4?

MIMO (Multi-In, Multi-Out) technology in 802.11n and 802.11ac allows for the throughput to be increased
by increasing the number of parallel spatial streams connecting a transmitter and a receiver. Each spatial
stream requires its own antenna (positioned out of phase with the other antennas). Thus, a two-stream
(2x2:2) device has two antennas per band, a three-stream (3x3:3) device has three antennas per band,
and a four-stream (4x4:4) device has four antennas per band. The nomenclature is as follows:

{# transmit radios} x {# receive radios} : {max # spatial streams}

The maximum throughput enhancement is dictated by whichever wireless station (i.e. access point or
client device) has the lower number of spatial streams. Thus, to get double the throughput performance,
both the AP and the client device must each support 2x2:2. Similarly, to triple the throughput
performance requires both the AP and the client device to each support 3x3:3, and to quadruple the
throughput performance requires both the AP and the client device to each support 4x4:4.

Whenever there is a mismatch in capabilities, the wireless station with the fewer number of spatial
streams dictates the maximum throughput enhancement. As an example, in a situation where a two-
stream client device is associated to a three-stream access point, only two of the access point streams are
used. That said, a different three-stream client device associated to the same three-stream access point
will be able to utilize all three streams for communication.

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Most smartphones and tablet devices are only single stream (1x1:1), though higher end smartphones and
tablets (e.g. iPhone 6s/6s+, Samsung Galaxy 4) support dual stream (2x2:2) communication. Most modern
laptops support two stream (2x2:2), with some higher end laptops supporting three stream (3x3:3). In
most SMB environments, a two stream 802.11ac wave 1 access point is appropriate. In environments
with higher-end 3x3:3 clients (e.g. schools, offices, etc.), a three stream 802.11ac wave 1 access point is
appropriate.

In 802.11ac wave 2, the additional streams are used by the access point to communicate to multiple single
stream and dual stream client devices simultaneously with MU-MIMO technology. However, MU-MIMO
requires active support and feedback from the client devices, so its applications are currently still limited.
For more information on MU-MIMO, please check out the following blogs at Network Computing:

- How Does MU-MIMO Work?

http://www.networkcomputing.com/wireless-infrastructure/how-does-mu-mimo-
work/748964231
- A MU-MIMO Reality Check
http://networkcomputing.com/wireless-infrastructure/mu-mimo-reality-check/1263574300

When should you use directional and/or external antennas?

For MIMO technology in 802.11n and 802.11ac to work properly, the multiple antennas on an access point
need to be in precise alignment. Most EnGenius access points come with internal omni-directional
antennas where the alignment is fixed.

A few single-band models come with internal directional antennas, which are most appropriate for point-
to-(multi)point applications. These models utilize 2x2:2 MIMO by having the two antennas in the opposite
polarization. For more information on point-to-(multi)point applications, read the “Deploying a Point-to-
(Multi)Point Backhaul Network” white paper.

There are some environments where external antennas are appropriate. The AP models that support
external antennas all come with omni-directional dipole antennas, but it is not uncommon in such
applications to replace the antennas. In some instances, there may be particular aesthetic or mounting
requirements that necessitate the antenna be mounted separately from the access point. More
commonly, such access points are used with external directional antennas to extend coverage in a
particular direction. Such applications include warehouses, large parking areas, bus depots, truck stops,
car dealership lots, and so forth. EnGenius manufactures sector antennas with a 120o x 9o coverage
pattern. These come in 2.4 GHz 2x2:2 (SA2216), 2.4 GHz 3x3:3 (SA2312), 5 GHz 2x2:2 (SA5219), and 5 GHz
3x3:3 (SA5315). Additionally, there are numerous third-party antenna vendors that are compatible with
EnGenius access points.

When should you use standalone APs (Electron Series) vs. centrally managed APs (Neutron Series)?

The EnGenius Electron series utilizes a standalone WLAN architecture, where each AP is configured
independently and operates autonomously. This approach is appropriate for point-to-(multi)point
networks and for small independent Wi-Fi networks. EnGenius typically recommends the Electron series
for simple, independent networks that require less than 5 – 10 access points.

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As networks get larger and more complex, however, it is easier to manage and maintain the network from
a centralized location. The EnGenius Neutron APs utilize a distributed WLAN architecture, where the AP
configurations and statistics are coordinated centrally by a controller, but the operations (including client
data handling) are still handled at the AP, in order to prevent the controller from becoming a bottleneck
in the network. The controller can also be either on the local network (i.e. an EWS switch) or remote in
the cloud utilizing the ezMaster software. EnGenius recommends an on-site EWS controller for
independent networks that require up to 50 APs, and the cloud-based ezMaster controller for
organizations and managed service providers that operate multiple network sites.

EnGenius AP Models by Application and Capabilities

The following table summarizes the EnGenius AP product line, based on technology generation, MIMO
capability, and denotation of models with external antennas as well as models with internal directional
antennas.

EnGenius Electron EnGenius Neutron

Appropriate Venue /
Technology MIMO (Standalone APs) (Centrally Managed)
Application
Indoor Outdoor Indoor Outdoor
EnStation2†
Budget properties
EAP300 ENS202† EWS210AP
802.11n where throughput &
2x2:2 EAP350 ENS202EXT* EWS300AP
2.4 GHz only performance are not
critical
ECB350* ENH202† EWS500AP
ENH220EXT*
EnStation5†
802.11n Point-to-(multi)point ENS500†
2x2:2
5 GHz only applications ENS500EXT*
ENH500†
Budget properties EWS310AP
2x2:2 EAP600 ENH710EXT*
802.11n where throughput & EWS510AP
dual-band performance are not
3x3:3 ENH900EXT* EWS320AP
critical
802.11ac
Point-to-(multi)point
wave 1 2x2:2 EnStationAC†
applications
5 GHz only
Networks driven by EAP1200H
802.11ac 2x2:2 ENS1200 EWS350AP EWS650AP
coverage and good ECB1200*
wave 1
performance EAP1750H ENS1750 EWS660AP
dual-band 3x3:3 EWS360AP
requirements ECB1750* ENH1750EXT* EWS860AP*
2x2:2 ENS620EXT*
Networks driven by
802.11ac
high user capacity &
wave 2 EWS370AP EWS870AP
good performance 4x4:4
dual-band EWS371AP* EWS871AP*
requirements

* Denotes AP models with external antennas

† Denotes AP models with internal direcKonal antennas

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2.4 GHz Radio Configuration Setting Best Practices
Parameter Recommended Setting Rationale
Turn off support for 802.11b/g devices, unless such
Operation Mode 802.11n
devices must be explicitly supported on the network.
Do not select 20/40 MHz. The use of 40 MHz
channels on the 2.4 GHz band does not provide for
Channel HT Mode 20 MHz
multiple independent channels in multi-AP
deployments.
Not applicable for 20 MHz channels.
Channel Extension N/A Channels 1, 6, 11 are the only independent channels
on 2.4 GHz. All other channels overlap.
Static channel settings recommended for optimal
Static (1, 6, 11 alternating performance in multi-AP environments. For EWS,
Channel Mode
across neighboring APs) define as “auto” in AP Group and override with a
static channel setting per AP
Select “Lowest” in AP Max power not recommended to ensure that weak
Group, then set by client devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets) will be able
Power individual AP to communicate back to access point. For dual band
• 14 dBm (indoor) APs, power level should be at least 6 dB lower on 2.4
• 17 dBm (outdoor) GHz band compared to 5 GHz band
Regulates number of simultaneous associated client
Client limit 127 (default) devices. Do not change unless advised to do so by
EnGenius personnel.
Regulates speeds at which client devices are allowed
Data rate Auto (default) to communicate with AP. Do not change unless
advised to do so by EnGenius personnel.
Used for backwards compatibility with 802.11b/g
RTS / CTS
2346 (default) devices. Do not change unless advised to do so by
Threshold
EnGenius personnel.
• Enabled (default) Frame aggregation is a feature of 802.11n/ac to
Aggregation • 32 packets (default) achieve higher throughputs. Do not change unless
• 32000 bytes (default) advised to do so by EnGenius personnel.

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5 GHz Radio Configuration Setting Best Practices
Parameter Recommended Setting Rationale
• 802.11n only (802.11n) Turn off support for 802.11a devices, unless such
Operation Mode
• 802.11n/ac (802.11ac) devices must be explicitly supported on the network.
To maximize throughput, use 40 MHz for 802.11n and
80 MHz for 802.11ac. The use of 160 MHz channels
• 40 MHz (802.11n) on the 5 GHz band (802.11ac) does not leave enough
Channel HT Mode
• 80 MHz (802.11ac) independent channels available in multi-AP
deployments. Note that higher density deployments
should use 20 MHz or 40 MHz channels on 5 GHz.
Based on standard channel definitions:
802.11n (40 MHz): 36, 44, 52*, 60*, 100*, 108*, 116*,
Channel Extension Upper channel 124*, 132*, 149, 157
802.11ac (80 MHz): 36, 52*, 100*, 116*, 149
*
DFS Channel: Some consumer devices may not support
Static channel settings recommended for optimal
Static (alternating across performance in multi-AP environments. For EWS,
Channel Mode
neighboring APs) define as “auto” in AP Group and override with a
static channel setting per AP.
Select “Medium” in AP Max power not recommended to ensure that weak
Group, then set on client devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets) will be able
Power individual APs to communicate back to access point. For dual band
• 20 dBm (indoor) APs, power level should be at least 4 dB higher on 5
• 23 dBm (outdoor) GHz band as compared to 2.4 GHz band.
Regulates number of simultaneous associated client
Client limit 127 (default) devices. Do not change unless advised to do so by
EnGenius personnel.
Regulates speeds at which client devices are allowed
Data rate Auto (default) to communicate with AP. Do not change unless
advised to do so by EnGenius personnel.
Used for backwards compatibility with 802.11a/n
RTS / CTS
2346 (default) devices. Do not change unless advised to do so by
Threshold
EnGenius personnel.
• Enabled (default) Frame aggregation is a feature of 802.11n/ac to
Aggregation • 32 packets (default) achieve higher throughputs. Do not change unless
• 32000 bytes (default) advised to do so by EnGenius personnel.

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SSID and Advanced Configuration Settings Best Practices
Parameter Recommended Setting Rationale
Descriptive name of
network with any
Some smartphone devices truncate SSID names in
distinguishing name up
SSID Name their display. Same SSID on neighboring APs
front. Use common
required for devices to roam from one AP to another
SSID across all APs in
network.
Leave disabled. Many client devices cannot
Hidden SSID None (i.e. Visible)
properly connect to a network with a hidden SSID
Isolate client devices connected to the same SSID on
• Yes (public) the same access point. Enable for publicly-
Client Isolation
• No (private) accessible networks to prevent clients from viewing
each other.
Isolate client devices connected to the same SSID on
• Yes (public) the same access point. Enable for publicly-
L2 Isolation
• No (private) accessible networks to prevent clients from viewing
each other.
If multiple SSIDs are to be used in the network,
VLAN Isolation Yes (if more than 1 SSID)
VLANs should be enabled
Each SSID should be on a separate VLAN if VLAN
VLAN ID 2 – 4093
isolation enabled
• Open (public) Public / semi-public networks should not use
• WPA2-AES Personal encryption to facilitate ease of access. WPA2-AES
Security (private / devices) should always be used. Never use WEP or WPA-
• WPA2-AES TKIP – these security methods are cracked and
Enterprise (RADIUS) deprecated, and do not support 802.11n/ac speeds.
Enables all dual-band capable clients to be on the
Prefer 5 GHz higher throughput and less crowded 5 GHz band.
Band Steering
Threshold: -80 dBm Note, all SSID, VLAN, and security settings on 2.4
GHz and 5 GHz must match precisely.
Intended for networks with excellent coverage (> -
Fast handover /
Disabled 67 dBm everywhere) and sticky clients. If enabled,
RSSI Threshold
set threshold between -90 dBm to -80 dBm.
Intended for use on single AP networks only. For
Guest Network Disabled multi-AP networks, define the guest network as a
regular SSID and implement VLANs.

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Other Access Point Configuration Setting Best Practices
Parameter Recommended Setting Rationale
This is a consumer feature intended for ease of
Wi-Fi Protected connecting personal devices to private
Disabled
Setup (WPS) networks. This should always be disabled in any
enterprise deployment.
• Name: Location on
SNMP provides capability to monitor and
property
administer access point via third party network
• Location: Property
SNMP management systems. Disable if not being
name
used. If enabled, change default community
• Contact: Network
names and/or SNMPv3 passwords.
admin web address
AP time zone and local
daylight savings time (DST) Required to keep log functionality useful with
Time Zone
settings. Time server: Use correct time reference.
“time.nist.gov” or similar.
Local logging should always be enabled.
Logging Enabled Remote logging should be enabled if network
administrator using a syslog server.
Password Change from default Always change password from default setting
This periodically scans the environment for
beacons from neighboring 3rd party access
points. Useful for diagnostics but can add a lot
Background
Disabled of overhead on busy networks. Recommend
Scanning
that this is disabled for normal operation, and
only enabled when attempting to track down
external sources of interference.

Independent Channel and Transmit Power Setting Best Practices

For a dual-band access point, a 6 dB offset in transmit power settings is recommended so that the
coverage area of the 2.4 GHz band is roughly equivalent to the coverage area of the 5 GHz band.
Recommended settings are as follows

2.4 GHz Transmit 5 GHz Transmit

Location
Power Power
Indoor 14 dBm 20 dBm
Outdoor 17 dBm 23 dBm

For 2.4 GHz, only 20 MHz channels shall be used, and these should be set static with an alternating pattern
on 1, 6, 11. The 2.4 GHz band should be considered “coverage only” and only used by client devices that
are not capable of using the 5 GHz band. Band steering is recommended to encourage all dual-band
capable devices to use the 5 GHz band for connectivity.

On the 5 GHz band, the channel size selected depends on the capacity requirements of the network. As
capacity increases, the number of APs to handle the traffic increases, and the bonded channel size has to
decrease so as to create more independent channels.

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Additionally, some client devices cannot handle the DFS frequency portion of the band (UNII-2: channels
52-64 and UNII-2e: channels 100-140). If there is a large preponderance of devices on the network that
cannot handle these frequencies, you must only use the Non-DFS channels (UNII-1: channels 36-48 and
UNII-3/ISM: channels 149-165). In such scenarios, it is usually best practice to use 20 MHz channels to
maximize your independent channel options, independent of your capacity requirements.

The table below provides guidance on setting static channel settings in an alternating pattern based on
the capacity (i.e. 5 GHz channel width) scenarios as well as whether DFS channels can or cannot be used.

2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz 5 GHz

5 GHz Independent Channel
Application Channel Independent Channel
Pattern
Size Channel Pattern Size
Coverage DFS 36, 100, 149, 52, 116
(e.g. RV parks, private 20 MHz 1, 6, 11 80 MHz Non-
Use 20 or 40 MHz channels
homes, cafés) DFS
Mixed Coverage / 36, 52, 100, 116, 132, 149,
DFS
Capacity 44, 60, 108, 124, 157
20 MHz 1, 6, 11 40 MHz
(e.g. offices, hotels, Non- 36, 149, 44, 157
apartments) DFS (20 MHz recommended)
36, 52, 100, 116, 132, 149,
High Capacity 165, 44, 60, 108, 124, 157,
DFS
(e.g. stadiums, 40, 56, 104, 120, 136, 153,
20 MHz 1, 6, 11 20 MHz 48, 64, 112, 128, 161
conference centers,
shopping malls) Non- 36, 149, 44, 157, 165, 40,
DFS 153, 48, 161

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