Coverage at your venue

Although you may want to provide full coverage of your entire venue, and this is certainly ideal, it can cost literally thousands of dollars to do so depending on the size, layout and construction of your premises. While many venues comfortably achieve full coverage using just a single Zenbu wireless router, others may require additional access points, high gain antennas and a large amount of cabling.

You may find that on balance it is best to simply provide whatever coverage you can achieve from a single Zenbu router positioned as best you can. This does not require electricians, RF engineers and network technicians or any special technical knowledge and costs only $249. Simply connect the Zenbu router to your existing broadband internet connection. Although your entire premises may not be covered, this is the easiest way for you to cheaply provide wireless broadband internet access to your customers. You can always add high gain antennas or additional access points later, so you have nothing to lose in starting small and simple.

You might find that most customers don't mind sitting in your reception area, restaurant, lounge or at particular tables to access the internet. Especially when they see how cheap it is.

Hints and options

The following hints can help you maximise the coverage you achieve with minimal expense. Some of the ideas are easy and cost nothing, some require you to purchase additional hardware. One size does not fit all, but at least some of these hints should help you improve coverage.

1. Place your router in a position which minimizes the amount of material it needs to transmit through to reach your users.
   If you have a window from which you can see the area you want to cover, place the router near the window. If your customers can see the router they should have no trouble connecting. Bad materials to transmit through are metal, concrete, brick and water. Better materials are dry wood (wooden buildings) and glass. Aluminium foil insulation in walls can be problematic.
2. Make sure interference from other devices is not causing a problem.
   Other wireless devices such as cordless phones, baby monitors, wireless CCTV systems, and even microwave ovens can interfere with WiFi signals. Basically anything that transmits in the 2.4GHz radio band could cause a problem. The most common source of interference is 2.4GHz cordless phones (1.8GHz and 5GHz phones won't interfere), but the worst device we have seen is a wireless CCTV system which when switched on would make the WiFi totally unusable even with the computer only 1 metre from the Zenbu router. Switching off the wireless CCTV system allowed instant good coverage throughout the property.
   
   It's very easy to test for interference if you suspect it is the problem (as long as it is one of your own devices causing the interference!) - just turn the device you think could be causing the problem off and test the WiFi signal. If it is suddenly dramatically improved, you have probably found the problem.
3. Add external, high-gain antennas in positions which maximise coverage.
   If it is difficult to position the router itself in a location which maximises coverage, try adding an external antenna. The standard antennas on the Zenbu router simply unscrew and can be replaced. Often running a cable from the Zenbu router to an outdoor antenna will be all you need to do to get the coverage you want.
   
   You can also connect a second wireless access point to the monitored port on the Zenbu wireless router. This method allows you to position the second access point a distance (up to 100 metres) from the Zenbu router without signal loss like that which occurs with long antenna cables. The Ubiquiti Nanostation units (also below) are great for this job.
   
   [ Some antenna options ]
   
   Please make sure you disconnect the electricity supply from your Zenbu router before you change the antennas. Do not reconnect the power supply to the Zenbu router while antennas are not connected to both terminals. Failure to do this can damage the radio of your router and its ability to transmit and receive data can be severely limited.
   
   
4. Add additional wireless access points.
   You can connect a regular wireless access point in bridge mode to the monitored port (number 1) on the Zenbu wireless router. This method allows you to position the second access point a distance (up to 100 metres) from the Zenbu router without signal loss like that which occurs with long antenna cables. The Ubiquiti Nanostation units (also below) are great for this job.

High gain antennas and accessories

An online vendor of accessories that we have used is Go Wifi. They deliver promptly and are reliable. Please confirm your plans and coverage expectations with them before ordering any additional equipment.

The Zenbu wireless router needs a RP-TNC Male connector to connect to it. The antenna end of the cable will vary depending on the antenna you choose.

	Ubiquiti NanoStation2 NS2 802.11b/g 400mW Outdoor AP/Bridge. The Ultimate 802.11b/g 2.4GHz Outdoor Wireless bridge or CPE for the Global WISP Community. Featuring Adaptive Antenna Polarity (AAP) Technology. This device is very easy to setup and performs very well. We were able to connect to the signal from one of these from 500 metres away through trees, wooden houses and power lines. Because they connect by ethernet cable to the Zenbu router they can easily be mounted outside a long distance away from the Zenbu unit (unlike 'normal' antennas). Power-over-ethernet means only a single ethernet cable goes out to wherever the Nanostation is mounted.
	HG2412P - 2.4GHz 12dBi Mini-Directional Antenna. These antennas offer high gain in an ultra-small package. The antennas are constructed of UV ABS plastic with aluminium back plate and stainless steel mounting bracket. The antenna can be used in Horizontal or Vertical Polarization by making a change to bracket mounting. The stainless steel bracket affords +/- 15 deg tilt adjustment. With its wide beamwidth these make a good sector antenna. This is a popular directional antenna (sends the signal in one direction only) which has a relatively wide beam. This antenna requires an N-Male to RP-TNC Male cable to connect it to the Zenbu wireless router.
	2.4GHz 14dBi 120 degree Sector Antenna. The HyperGain HG2414SP-120 Sector Panel WiFi Antenna combines high gain with a wide 120 degree beam-width. It is a professional quality cell site antenna designed primarily for service providers in the 2.4GHz ISM band. This WiFi antenna features a heavy-duty plastic radome for all-weather operation. The heavy-duty mounting system allows installation adjusts from 0 to 20 degrees down tilt. This has a wider beam than the mini-directional HG2412P, but is more expensive and much bigger. This antenna requires an N-Male to RP-TNC Male cable to connect it to the Zenbu wireless router.
	N-Male to RP-TNC Male "Pigtail". A premade cable for connecting antennas with integral N-Female connectors (such as the HG2414SP-120 and HG2412P above) to the Zenbu wireless router. You can always make cables like this yourself as required. The Zenbu wireless router needs a RP-TNC Male connector to connect to it. The antenna end of the cable will vary depending on the antenna you choose.
	2.4 GHz 9dBi RP-TNC Rubber Duck Antenna. To replace standard detachable 2.2dB antenna on wireless access points. Gives up to 50% more coverage. With Standard Reverse Polarity TNC Male connector (RP-TNC Male). Slightly improved performance over the 7dBi version below. These antennas replace the stand antennas which come with the Zenbu wireless router. Simply unscrew the standard antenna and screw these onto the Zenbu wireless router in their place to improve your coverage.
	2.4 GHz 7dBi RP-TNC Rubber Duck Antenna. To replace standard detachable 2.2dB antenna on wireless access points. Gives up to 50% more coverage. With Standard Reverse Polarity TNC Male connector (RP-TNC Male) This is an omni-directional antenna, meaning the signal is transmitted in all directions, just like with the Zenbu wireless router's standard antennas. The standard antennas simply unscrew from the Zenbu router and you can screw these on in their place.
	Free 'Windsurfer' antenna (and others). This and many other antennas can easily be made with very cheap materials, often things which people already have in their home. www.freeantennas.com provides templates and instructions for making many antennas on their website. If you are so inclined, trying out antennas you make yourself could prove quite satisfying and provide a great solution at very little cost.
	The Turbo HomePlug NP285 is the next generation of the popular HomePlug Ethernet over Power Adaptor. It increases data transfer rates up to 85Mbps - making it a powerful and simple networking solution for homes and small business. Now you can create a Local Area Network (LAN) over the home or office power points without the expense and complexity of dedicated network cabling. You simply connect the device with an Ethernet cable and plug it into a power point. The Turbo HomePlug is also ideal for streaming digital media content over your power lines e.g. send digital video files from your computer to a set-top box to play on a TV. Connecting one of these to your broadband modem and another to a power point where you'd like the Zenbu wireless router allows you to position the Zenbu router in a good location without having to run cables everywhere. Simply connecting the cables to these adapters turns your existing electrical cabling into a broadband internet network. We've tested them and they work like magic.