Wireless and POE Suggestion for Outdoor Environment Use

Scream

Scream

Scream

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I have been asked to install wifi around a local farm but also the ability for IP cameras. Its a large farm so in certain sheds I need a poe switch for cameras but some sort of wifi access point.

The problem I need to overcome is the dust, cobwebs and in the winter times you have damp especially when the roof drips or the walls gets wet from condensation.

Has anyone installed such setups in similar conditions and if so what did you use?

I've thought about using outdoor access points in the sheds and because they are large open sided sheds, they should output the wifi throughout the shed and any areas outside that are within range.

The poe switches are a problem as to how to keep them free from the dirt and damp.

Any suggestions would be greatful.
 
What sort of distances are we talking here? You can get wi-fi access points that are poe, then just keep the switches in buildings and run exterior grade cable out to the locations. You might be surprised by the range you can get from good wi-fi AP's.

Is this your 'thing'? The first place to start would usually be a site survey, because large, thrown together wi-fi networks rarely work well.
 
I have been considering Ubiquiti for the wifi but they have such a vast range of gear, its a puzzle as to what one should buy. I thought about running them from the poe swtich but protecting the switch from the surrounding conditions made me query that idea.

Do you know of anything suitable maybe IP rated to put each switch in?

The furtherest building is nearly 400m but there are buildings inbetween which will be connected using cat6 underground which is simple as duct is already in place for pulling cables.
 
Depending on budget and how many points you are planning to put in, fibre might be worth considering. You can only really get away with 100m runs (often slightly less) and if you piggyback switches to get to the 400m point, by the time you are at the end, thw switch count is getting high, which will negatively impact performance.

In terms of enclosures, there is plenty of stuff out there, ventilation would have to be considered though.

Is there a proper system in place for getting power out to these external buildings. You may run into issues of differing ground potentials and the like. Also, anything in a (possibly metal?) outbuilding, you would need to consider surge protection/lightning protection.

There are IP rated outdoor switches available, doubt they're cheap though!

Why does a farm need wi-fi over a 400m area?!?!
 
The Ubiquiti switches are tough :)

You can use an IP electrical box:
ubiquitiswitchjpg.jpg



Bear is mind that the 5 port is 24v only and won't support the APPro you need the 8 port switch for that
 
Thanks dmsims for the image. Looks ideal to what I am planning.

Fibre is overkill especially if my biggest run to a shed is around 90m but I do understand the beneift of fibre in terms of surges between buildings and I worked with fibre installations a few years ago in Europe.

4-5 switches isn't a problem if I need that many as I have did many setups like that over the years without problems.

I thought about a small data cabinet but I've seen a few in old grotty garages and you wouldn't believe the crap that gets through the air vents and I'm not sure how they react to damp or water getting on them. I have seen a few IP rated data cabinets but as usual, they are stupid money.

I'll look to see what electrical enclosures I can get my hands on and if I need a socket in one, thats no problem as I can wire one in.

Does anyone recommend a Ubiquiti poe wireless AP? Like I said before, there is a lot to pick from so if you have tried and tested one, let me know.
 
^^ Outdoor Ubiquiti Wireless access point

I was planning to feed these from the Poe switch in the enclosure.
 
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My only concern with a sealed box would be heat. My background is with rack mounted commercial kit, but I've seen cabinets up above 40ºC because of inadequate ventilation!

I was only thinking fibre for the distance. In your scenario then hopping 4-5 switches probably won't be a problem, but on more heavily laden networks that number would be on the high side for me!
 
How do you find the toughswitch? It's a bit pricey compared to others from TP-Link etc.

I've been looking at the Ubiquiti UniFi Outdoor 2.4Ghz 6dBi Wireless-N PoE Access Point (300Mbps) which is £90 or more but I'm wondering if cheaper ones would do. A lot of 5ghz AP's on sale but I'm not sure if they are much benefit especially if the range is lower than 2.4ghz.
 
Toughswitch has a very nice Web UI

TP-link 8 port POE switch only has power to four ports so that makes them expensive (and operating temp up to 40C)
 
Ordered some Ubiquiti kit so I will give it a test run at home to see how it performs before purchasing more. Still need an enclosure to hold the switch etc but I'll take a dander to may local electrical wholesaler.
 
If you're going for sealed IP enclosure, Rittal cabinets are some of the best, ETA are similar but cheaper. Use glands for cable entry and they should suit you perfectly
 
I am just working with D-link at the moment and setting up a few of there products and they do POE switches and also IP cameras. I have spoken to them and if you are still in need of a solution they will come out and do a free Site Survey to see what the best solution could be for you. Let me know if you are interested and I can get it set up for you.
 
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