Is this a unicorn? After a cursory search I can't find one (including on the ruckus website) so I thought I'd ask if anyone knows of such a thing and how well it works. If such a creature does not exist, do you know of any WiFi range extenders that will work with a Ruckus system?

I'm asking because at the project I'm on now, there is the real possibility that we won't be able to get cat5e to two stacks of units. Not without a lot of tearing up drywall, and maybe not at all with the conduits that are in place between the units and the IDF. We've stepped it off a number of times, and the closer stack is about 220 feet away. The one next to it is around 250 feet away. Conduit is 3/4" smurf that already has 4 coax in it. We would only get a steel fish tape with a flex tip on it to go about 90 feet. We'll have a brand new 1/4" duct rodder tomorrow that is obviously much more rigid, but I'm still not quite sure that will work. I think it's maybe a 50/50 chance to be honest, given the distance and limited space to work in.

Oh yeah, the access points we're using are R310's, if that matters or makes a difference. The system isn't up yet, so we can't test the signal strength coming from the neighboring units at the moment. In the event that we can't get wires there and there isn't a range extender solution...well, I'm sure those access points are more powerful than the Ubiquiti ones that are staggered throughout the building (don't recall the model number, but they're rectangular and thin, about 8 inches long, with antennae). I hope so at least.

Thanks for any input!!!

J

Mesh mode.

Isn't this what their SmartMesh does? Extends to AP's that aren't hard wired?

I think this is correct.

Can you pull the existing wire out and re-pull? And potentially eliminate some coax at same time? PITA but probably still preferable to relying on a wifi link for racked equipment.

+ a whole bunch.

I'm not one of our network guys so my knowledge of mesh systems is limited. Thanks for the info on this. I can mention it to the network guys.

We have pulled new wires before using the old ones as pull strings, but, again, this is 3/4 inch smurf and there are already four coax in it. We would ultimately be cutting off people's television four units at a time for likely an entire day. That just wouldn't fly.

Also, another reason it's not a great idea is because this is an old building and I guess codes weren't too great back then. The conduits don't run all the way to their first junction box. They run to somewhere within 5 - 6 feet of the first junction box, and then are run freely through the wall...actually through metal studs as well, so, we would have to cut a lot of (big) holes to get that infrastructure back in place. That's just not an option, we aren't a drywall and painting and wall treatments company.

Better description of how the wires are run: Equipment room to 1st unit in a stack of four. That unit is the second floor. out of conduit, free running, through multiple studs, are four coax cable. Once at the box, the line for the second for hooks to a splitter there and is distributed through the unit. One coax feeds down through a conduit to the first floor. Two coax feed up through a conduit to the third floor. One feeds through a conduit from the third to the fourth floor. The conduits between floors are sometimes broken or don't go all the way to the box they're supposed to, we've come across ones that were free run, through studs, as well.

Basically, a nightmare PITA situation. We're just not gonna go that route.

We got wires to every unit except for the eight units that are the 3 and 4 stack. So, they're surrounded by other access points. Hell, I've seen us get signal from up to 100 yards away from an access point, with decent strength. That wasn't through concrete walls, of course...well actually some of it may have been.

Anyhoot, thanks for the info about SmartMesh. We got the new duct rodders today, 400 feet long, but got pulled off the job this morning before we even had a chance to try and fish. If we can't, sounds like we've got a decent option for those 8 units.

Thanks!

(Just thought of another option as well, but, I hope it doesn't come to it...I don't even know if it's possible yet, I haven't spent much time looking at the hallway ceilings.)

Can you combine some of the coax signals to free up a coax and then use an ethernet over coax adapter?

No, the coax isn't ours it's the cable company's. We can't mess with their system. Plus the way the wiring is laid....well....nope, wouldn't work. Only if we ran an extra coax from the first unit to the unit below. But it isn't our system to mess with. I'm about to email my boss so that he isn't blindsided by the possibility when we go back (probably next week) in case we aren't able to fish the conduits.