...or "How many clients can I put on an AP?". These two questions, more than most, will get you an "it depends" answer. There is a hard limit on 'number of associations' (AID's) to a particular AP radio, for example 200/radio for Cisco 3700 AP & 255/radio for Aruba AP-225 but that's not likely to ever be the limiting factor. RF efficiency is where the limits are imposed.In short, careers are spent answering these questions. There are a number of conditions that come into play, including but not limited to:
- Application(s)
- Clients (Protocol/Frequency, Capabilities)
- Architecture/Infrastructure (MCA, SCA, AP capabilities)
- Infrastructure Configuration
- RF Characteristics of the surrounding area
To know the answer, an actual WiFi Design is required, and it's always a moving target. There is, however, a way to get a "starting point". It is only that, a starting point, and does not include many factors involved in determining an "AP Count", but I've found it useful. All credit to @revolutionwifi (revolutionwifi.net) for the formula.
As an exercise in learning Python, I converted the worksheet to a Python script:
Download here
A colleague of mine converted it to JS, making it easy to include in this post. You can find it here.
As an exercise in learning Python, I converted the worksheet to a Python script:
Download here
A colleague of mine converted it to JS, making it easy to include in this post. You can find it here.
I'd highly recommend you Watch the video here, or head over to the downloads section of revolutionwifi.net and grab the worksheet that details the theory behind the formula. Essentially, it breaks down to:
1. Application Mbps / Device Capability Max Mbps = % of airtime (per device)
2. % of airtime (per device) * # of devices = % of total airtime needed
3. % of total airtimes / .8 (rounded up to whole #) = # of radios
4. of radios / 2 = # of Dual-Band AP's
Should be only a slight modification to include .11ac rates.
UPDATE: check out http://www.revolutionwifi.net/capacity-planner