@88inall,

 

MAXtream on PtP links doesn't make any sense. Turn it off.

 

Select 802.11n-only WiFi mode, 20 MHz channel width, set Distance setting to 0.2 km for an actual distance of 0.1 km and use the antenna alignment tool to properly align the CPE's antennas. Check signal quality, SNR etc.

 

If you still experience bad throughput, perform a WiFi search to see whether your area is overcrowded. If so, a CPE510 would probably perform better (I use CPE210 only in rural areas).

 

BTW: the disconnects of the CPE if directed to your neighbors WiFi router are caused by the weak signal back from the WiFi router to the CPE. Sure you can »see« this WiFi router's SSID on a CPE, but question is: can the WiFi router send a stable signal back to the CPE, too? Almost certainly it has much weaker omnidirectional antennas, so the link will never perform reliably over such a distance, which is too large for an omnidirectional AP mounted indoors.

Hello @88inall 

 

The signal between the two antennas starts good - SNR 62db but I can watch it cycle from that to low to broken connection -- like clockwork, every 3 seconds. The connection appears to be cycling or looping somehow. 

 

 

For the distance of 0.1km without any obstacles, SNR 62dB is not good enough. What's more, there might be some interference between the two antennas if the SNR appears unstable. Could you please verify whether there are any obstacles like hills/trees/winds between the two CPE210s?

 

Generally speaking, there is no need to configure the Distance settings if the real distance between the CPE_AP and CPE_Client is less than 300 meters.

On the CPE_AP, it's suggested to configure a different SSID from your neighbor's WiFi in case the CPE_Client confuses it.

On the CPE_Client, survey the SSID from the CPE_AP and connect it with the WPA/PSK password, change the LAN IP address to a different one to avoid IP conflict between the two CPEs, then no more settings needed.

 

If the CPE_Client is correctly connected to the CPE_AP, you will see the MAC address and SSID name of the CPE_AP and the Tx/Rx Rate, as shown in the following figure.

CPE_Client’s Radio Status:

 

 

Besides, you could refer to this instruction to adjust the orientation of outdoor AP for better signal coverage

 

Hope this information is helpful. Best regards!

 

Fae wrote

For the distance of 0.1km without any obstacles, SNR 62dB is not good enough.

 

Just to clarify:

 

A SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) of 62dB is indeed pretty good, but can be better (70dB is not unusual with CPEs over 100m).

Since SNR (in dB) equals RSSI (in dBm) – noise level (in dBm), the rule is: the higher the SNR, the better.

 

A RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator or just: signal level) of -62dBm would be bad.

Since RSSI (in dBm) equals SNR (in dB) + noise level (in dBm), the rule is: the higher the RSSI (nearer to zero), the better.

 

Assumed the noise level is -99dBm, a SNR of 62dB would equal a RSSI of -37dBm, this is a very good signal.

 

But if it's the RSSI which is -62dBm (note the unit), the SNR would equal 37dB, which is a not so good signal-to-noise ratio.

 

BTW: the quality of the signal in percent is computed as follows (note that it leaves out the noise level completely):

• For RSSI values higher than -50dBm, signal quality is always 100%.
• For RSSI values lower than -50dBm the formula is: signal quality ~= 2 × (RSSI + 100).

 

For example, if the RSSI value is -62dBm, signal quality is 2 × (-62dBm + 100) = 76%.

That's not good for a CPE, it can reach easily 100% over 100m.

 

 

@88inall, please post the Status page with all four values, RSSi, SNR, Noise level and Tx CCQ.

Also number of nearby APs and their channels woud be considerable.

 

You should easily reach an RSSI of -30 to -40dBm over 100 meters.

 

If the signal really »cycles« (never saw such an effect), there might be heavy interfernces caused probably by a non-WLAN device operating in the 2.4 GHz band. Check whether there are any remote controls, microwave ovens, A/V transmitters, DECT phones, Zigbee, Bluetooth etc.

 

Or maybe the PowerLAN adapters are defective and cause a cross-talk on the cable. Just try to connect the CPEs wirelessly w/o connection to the PowerLAN adapters, but on your site connected to your laptop directly.

 

@88inall,

 

Imagine two water hoses. One of them has a 360º shower at the end and the other one has a thin spotlight at the end. With the same water pressure, the spotlight reaches further than the shower, while the shower supplies everything all around with water, right?

 

The 360º shower is the WiFi router, the spotlight is the CPE.

 

Now, the CPE's strong signal can be received by the WiFi router, but its receiver sensitivity is very poor. Interferences happen, sometimes also overriding the radio caused by the strong signal.

 

In the other direction, the WiFi router's weak signal can be received by the CPE because its receiver sensitivity is very high.

 

So, yes, this are two different methods for communication (directional vs. omnidirectional). However, as you wrote, this does not work reliably either. It would work a bit better if the WiFi router is mounted outdoors (and the direct line has fresnel zone clearance), but then it works only on a very limited range.

 

Regarding PowerLAN (or also called Powerline after a vendor who produces PowerLAN devices): you did mention it in post #3 »power line extender device«. Do you mean the PoE injector which comes as a power supply with the CPE or do you mean a PowerLAN device connecting the CPE's/PoE's LAN port over mains power with the LAN port of a router standing elsewhere?