Effect of Transmit Power Changes on AP Cell Sizing
There's a well known rule of thumb when planning wireless LAN networks which states that for every 6dB increase in AP transmit power, the coverage distance of the AP doubles, This is obviously assuming there are no obstacles to limit or reduce coverage - it assumes a clear path and considers the effect of Free Space Path Loss (FSPL). Nonetheless, it is a useful rule of thumb for planning. Although doubling coverage with 6dB is useful, I thought it might be interesting to look at the effect of increasing power by other increments too, to see the (theoretical) effect on coverage. Background Quite a few articles, web pages and wireless LAN text books quote the following rule of thumb when considering the effect of increasing the transmit power of an access point. For every increase of 6 dB, the coverage distance doubles. For every decrease of 6 dB, the coverage distance is cut in half. Here is an example of such an article: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wir...