Brocade Enterprise Wireless LAN Antenna Specification Guide, Version 1.5 - Manual (Page 13)

Enterprise Wireless LAN Antenna Specification Guide 1
53-1001881-01
Chapter
1
Antenna Selection and Description
Antenna selection
While several antennas may work in a given environment, some will provide better coverage than
others. Using the right antenna in the right location will maximize both the performance and
coverage of your network. Understanding the key characteristics that describe how an antenna
sends and receives radio frequency signals is critical to finding the ideal antenna for your
deployment. This guide supports the antennas used for an AP-5131, AP-5181 or AP-7131 series
access point and the AP650 and AP300 (non-integrated antenna) model access ports.
Brocade Enterprise Wireless LAN products operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ISM bands allocated
for unlicensed use. Access point and access port products available today support either the
802.11b/g/n or the 802.11a/n standard, or both. Wireless devices conforming to the 802.11b/g
standard operate in the 2.4 GHz ISM band, while 802.11a devices operate in the 5 GHz band. The
antennas in this guide are grouped according to the frequency band they support. Some antennas
are designed to operate within either band. These antennas (described as “Dual-band”) may be
connected to radios operating in either the 2.4 or 5 GHz bands, although a single antenna may not
be connected to two radios at the same time.
Connector types and definitions
There are combinations of antenna types and cables required to provide a satisfactory connection
to the AP. One confusing factor is “reverse polarity”. Reverse polarity is the FCC's requirement for
each WLAN manufacturer to have unique access point connectors. Brocade had previously
standardized our offerings for access points/ports:
• 2.4 GHz is Reverse polarity BNC female (RP-BNC-F)
• 5 GHz is reverse polarity SMA female (RP-SMA-F)
• Dual Band is reverse polarity SMA female (for AP-5131), and N-Female (for AP-5181).
NOTE
Reverse polarity presents confusion because of a lack of a standardized definition from connector
manufactures. Reverse polarity provides a center element, which should not be confused with a
male connector. A male connector is defined by the outer jacket of the connector rather than the
center element.