Networking

Network map

• Internet from VOI (wifi-based, tested 60mbit down 20mbit up to Speedtest.net Winnipeg) comes from a drop in the middle of the space, through one of the red-ziptie lines below the drop, to the server room.
• There, it goes through a 5-port gigabit switch, to a Linksys G router (IP 192.168.1.1), which is also connected to a 24-port Intel 510T switch.
• Another cable from the internet-side switch goes to a D-link DIR-655 N in Assentworks for their network.
• A Belkin wireless-N router in the lounge room is setup as an N-only AP, connected to the Intel switch.

• Speedtests: 40mbit down on Dlink, 33mbit down on Linksys; 9mbit up on both (dlink was 1mbit up before QOS was turned off.)

Wiring

All wires connect back to the Intel switch unless otherwise indicated.

• 2 lines (white cable, red zipties) from server room to internet entry point at the middle of the space. One is the internet feed, warning - it is PoE (24V? on the spare pairs).
• 2 lines (white cable, green zipties) from server room to desk/work area at NE of building.
• 6 lines (orange cable) from server room to: junk/LAN party room, 2 poles of lounge room, Assentworks SE corner, Assentworks SW corner, electrical panel.
• 2 lines (orange cable) to desk in learning room and vending machine.
• 3 lines (white cable) to both sides of bench in workshop, and to King's Head AP at fire escape (this last one is PoE, 48V).

The above runs were conservative - in many cases only a single drop because we were low on cat5, when I'd have preferred to put 2 drops to be prepared for the future - but they still total up to 2000ft of cable, and ~15hrs of wiring work.

King's Head Pub AP

A popular meeting space in Winnipeg, 1 block away from Skullspace, which doesn't have wifi - but we can see the rear of its brick building from Skullspace. So we used a donated Cisco Aironet 1100AP, modified it for external antenna connection, ran some LMR400 cable outside the fire escape door and up the fire escape ladder, and pointed a 19dbi dish towards the pub. SSID is SkullSpace-dish-aimedatKingsHead, ask a member for the password. It doesn't work at all in the south main-floor area, but it does have coverage in most parts of the north main-floor area. Speedtests: 1 to 4mbit down on a laptop with a good wireless card (Atheros N). I tried to replace the Cisco 802.11B card in the AP with a 802.11G upgrade card (AIR-MP21G-A-K9), but it became almost impossible to connect - likely because Cisco was becoming involved with Broadcom at the time that G card was made, who's known for the low sensitivity and receiver quality of their chipsets.

Plans to increase coverage:

• upgrade 19dbi to 24dbi antenna - I have some, but they're huge and a lot of windload to put on the fire escape ladder (especially if they ice up in the winter), would prefer a roofmount pad. We'd need to calculate that the smaller beamwidth of the higher-gain antennas doesn't lose coverage of the edges of the King's Head - this math would be size of Kings's Head building x distance = degrees of view?
• add antenna receive diversity - again, the second antenna would be better on an additional (spaced farther apart horizontally) roofmount pad; vertical diversity on the fire escape ladder wouldn't help as much.
• move antenna - currently the view (all the way up the fire escape ladder) to the front of King's Head is blocked by a concrete building. 5-10ft south on a roofmount would be ideal.
• add an amplifier or a higher-power radio. The Cisco puts out 100mw, have a 500mw amplifier. Since this isn't an omni but a highly directional antenna, we could maybe classify it under the rule that allows 24dbi gain and 24dbm power output (500mw is 27dbm, but we're losing 3 db in the 40ft of LMR cable and connections, which brings us nicely to 24dbm).
• ground the fire escape ladder - I'm careful about grounding all antenna structures.
• check that the antenna and LMR cable/connections are running at full efficiency - this is old gear from my garage and I can't guarantee that they were.

Signal in the North-main floor area is currently -82 to -87 when connection is possible, with all of the above I'd hope to get it to mid-70s numbers which should allow for pretty good coverage, considering we're a block away and going through thick brick/concrete.

Network Map

• 192.168.1.1 Linksys Router in server room
• 192.168.1.2 Reserved
• 192.168.1.3 Belkin N Router in Lounge area
• 192.168.1.4 King's Head AP
• 192.168.1.5 Reserved
• 192.168.1.6 Intel 510T switch
• 192.168.1.7 South-pointing AP
• 192.168.1.8 Reserved - print server
• 192.168.1.9 MUMD latest Ubuntu (currently natty 11.04)
• 192.168.1.10 MUMD host distro
• 192.168.1.11 MUMD Debian wheezy
• 192.168.1.100?-199? DHCP space
• 192.168.1.250 SkSp Cameras
• 192.168.1.251 New Camera