Standard AP - updated

Update Standard Access Point / AP3 in outdoor case with PoERecently we returned to an installation of our first standard AP to update the equipment slightly so we could reuse the parts elsewhere. This saved some money, assuming labor is free :-), and also mitigates any (unreported) problems we may have had with the m0n0wall AP powersave mode bug. I hasten to add our m0n0wall client has had no problems running trouble free for 244 days before I rebooted to upgrade the firmware!

10. Close up of the main APSince we first defined and described our standard AP, we've moved from 802.11b-based m0n0wall backhauls running on Soekris 4501 boards to 802.11a backhauls running Pebble on Soekris 4526 boards purchased as kits from Metrix.

Senao AP3 replaces Soekris

The Engenius AP3 (recently replaced with the CB3+ Deluxe) is commonly hacked to turn it into a bridge or to add PoE support, but our needs were simpler. We had already built a PoE splitter/injector that used 12V just like the AP3, so all we needed was an external antenna connector.

Standard AP updated Hacking an AP3 to work with an external antenna

The images show the simple steps needed. First open the AP3 using the four screws on the bottom. Remove the top of the case - it should come apart easily. Then remove the existing pigtail connector and add your new one. Make sure the removed connector doesn't touch any of the circuitry. You can drill a hole for a new connector, or dangle it free as we did here. We left the lid off the case to help cooling, and since it was going inside a weather resistant enclosure anyway.

Updating the AP was simple. First we configured the AP via its web-based interface. Then we got on the roof, unscrewed the Soekris board, removed the existing pigtail and then added the AP3 and its new pigtail. Then we plugged it in and ... held our breath when the LAN light didn't go on. Ugh, at first we thought we needed to add a crossover to the Cat-5 cable, but then the LAN light came on and it all started up just fine.

After that it was mostly plain sailing. While there, we updated m0n0wall to the latest firmware version. There was some odd interaction between its auto-firmware update function and the MikroTik captive portal gateway, but after we disconnected the backhaul that went away and we could upgrade first to m0n0wall 1.0 and then 1.11 succesfully.

Now we're ready to install the Soekris board, with m0n0wall, as the captive portal gateway for the 2nd DSL feed in the Golden Hill neighborhood network.