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Cisco 881W activation and wifi range issues.

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:32 pm
by sphester
Hi All

I'm sure I have visited a page that lets you activate the 881W routers that get installed or am I dreaming. If there is such a page could someone share a link for me?

I can remember visiting a page were it showed my units in the stake and the router they have.

Also is there a need to activate the unit or is this done as part of the install by the contractors?

Also does anyone have any good suggestions regarding the following issue. The new 881W have all been installed inside metal comms cabinets. This presents a small problem in that the metal cabinet reduces the range significantly.

Can the unit be moved outside to so it sits on the top or is this a big no no?

Are there cables we can buy to extend the antenna's so they reach outside the cabinet?

What have other people done if anything?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:32 pm
by aebrown
You should go to the Meetinghouse firewall article on the wiki. That links to the activation instructions, which include the URL to go to in order to activate the firewall (if it doesn't automatically go to that page when you power it up).

No contractors were involved in the firewall installation for my stake, so I have no idea whether they activate the firewall. But it's easy enough to test if the firewall is active (go to http://filteraudit.cjclds.net and see if you get a blocked page message). If you don't get the block page, then activate it yourself. It's quite easy to do.

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:11 pm
by rbeede
As for antennas you can get short pigtails to place the antennas outside or even different antennas with cable to fix the range issue.

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:21 pm
by sphester
aebrown wrote:You should go to the Meetinghouse firewall article on the wiki. That links to the activation instructions, which include the URL to go to in order to activate the firewall (if it doesn't automatically go to that page when you power it up).
I had tried this link but i guess it only works from the chapel connection. I seem to remember visiting a site from home that showed me the options for activation but must be dreaming this as never found it since perhaps I was at the chapel at the time.

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:00 am
by aebrown
sphester wrote:I had tried this link but i guess it only works from the chapel connection. I seem to remember visiting a site from home that showed me the options for activation but must be dreaming this as never found it since perhaps I was at the chapel at the time.
In the activation instructions, you'll see this note:
Note: http://firewall.lds.org is not a public website and is only used when activating the firewall.
Indeed, that is a special URL that only works when you are going through an 881W managed by the Church -- it will not work from anywhere else.

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:19 am
by bradhokanson
sphester wrote: Also is there a need to activate the unit or is this done as part of the install by the contractors?
in the UK activations are done by BT. They usually install the internet service and then install the 881w at the same time. In the U.S. Stake Tech Specialists installed many but anyone with the equipment and permission could do it.
sphester wrote: Also does anyone have any good suggestions regarding the following issue. The new 881W have all been installed inside metal comms cabinets. This presents a small problem in that the metal cabinet reduces the range significantly.

Can the unit be moved outside to so it sits on the top or is this a big no no?

Are there cables we can buy to extend the antenna's so they reach outside the cabinet?

What have other people done if anything?
Getting small legnth pigtails to extend the antennas outside the box has been the common recommendation.

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:31 pm
by sphester
bradhokanson wrote:Getting small legnth pigtails to extend the antennas outside the box has been the common recommendation.

I guess this sort of thing will work http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/rp-tnc-a ... able-.html

There magnetic too so will attach to the side of the cab easily and can be moved when required.

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 4:42 pm
by Mikerowaved
sphester wrote:I guess this sort of thing will work http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/rp-tnc-a ... able-.html

There magnetic too so will attach to the side of the cab easily and can be moved when required.
I like the idea of the magnetic base, however something to watch out for is the type and length of coax used. In the above example at WiFi frequencies, that 1 meter of RG174 used will cost you around 2-2.5dB of attenuation, depending on the manufacturer. That's roughly 40% of BOTH the transmit and receive signal lost. That kind of loss will limit the effective range of the router and will likely more than negate any benefit of relocating the antennas.

For cables up to 1m I would recommend at least LMR200 (or equiv.) and if you need longer than that, switch to LMR400, but don't exceed around 3m. If you really have to go over 3m, it would be far better to relocate the whole router rather than try to extend the antennas.

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:33 pm
by Jonahhex
The best method is to order 1041n WAP to cover areas that are not providing wireless connectivity. Pigtails in theory would be fine but I have not had much luck using them.

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:15 am
by sphester
jonahhex wrote:The best method is to order 1041n WAP to cover areas that are not providing wireless connectivity. Pigtails in theory would be fine but I have not had much luck using them.

What does the 1041n cost?