Wireless Networking - Leaky Feeder Cable / Radiating Coaxial Cable RMC50

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2.4GHz Radiating Coaxial Antenna Cable / Leaky Feeder Cable - 27.5mm Radiating coaxial cable 50Ohm

Leaky feeder is an antenna technology originally designed to deliver radio services in tunnels. If your car radio continues to work as you pass through a long tunnel is likely that a leaky feeder installation is involved.

As its name implies leaky feeder is a cable which leaks a small amount of the radio signal throughout, just like a hosepipe with holes drilled at intervals
along its length. Leaky feeder cable is also often called Leaky CoaXial or LCX cable.

At Solwise our interest in the technology stems from a number of WiFi installations where conventional access-point and antenna combinations have
proved troublesome. For instance, a hotel with long corridors and solid concrete floors and walls can require an access point in every room in order to
ensure reliable WiFi for every guest. An installation such as this would be expensive in hardware costs, tricky to install and hard to manage and maintain.
A traditional multi-AP type installation would also raise potential issues with client roaming and user confusion when they see several wireless networks.

A leaky feeder installation, perhaps in the suspended ceiling of the hotel corridor, can replace many access-points with just one, feeding a leaky cable
over the length of the corridor. The signal from the cable would pass though the wooden doors providing a service to every room. Using a single AP in
this way makes the entire wireless network appear as a single WiFi network which greatly simplifies connectivity and roaming issues for the users.

Another example of a difficult WiFi installation is a warehouse or cold-store where stored product creates canyons into which radio signals cannot
penetrate. A leaky feeder cable above each canyon or hanging from ceiling joists can be a cost-effective one-stop solution.

Download the rest of this introduction which includes details on installations and testing


Leaky Feeder RMC-50 Cable

CON-N-RMC50-SKT - N Type socket	CON-N-RMC50-TERM - Stopper
Click on images to see larger view

Leaky Feeder Webinar and PowerPoint Show

Download Webinar here

Download PPS here

Stock Code

NET-WL-LF-RMC50
(Price per metre)

CON-N-RMC50-SKT
(Price each)

Features

Below shows a rough picture of how the signal would typically be propagated down a corridor if a multiple Access Point scenario was used.

Scenario1
Click on image to see a larger view

Because of shadows caused by the walls of the rooms and corridor then coverage in those rooms out of line of site of an AP can be very poor. The red areas show where the signal is very strong but note the shadows where signal is not reaching.

Compare this with the sort of coverage an LCX system can provide.

Scenario 2
Click on image to see a larger view

With LCX cable running down the ceiling of the corridor then coverage is much more complete. Basically any point that can ‘see’ the cable can receive a good signal.

From the above you can see, in a multiple AP setup, as long as you are in line of site of one the AP’s then you get an excellent signal; in fact a signal which is almost certainly much stronger than is required. On the other hand, with the LCX setup, due to the distributed nature of the signal from the leaky antenna then the signal is evenly broadcast down the entire corridor bathing the whole area in a medium gain signal. Although the absolute strength of the signal from the LCX is lower than that which might be given in direct line of site of an AP, the fact that the LCX system gives a higher coverage with much reduced shadow effects results in an overall much better solution.

Another example of a difficult WiFi installation is a warehouse or cold-store where stored product creates canyons into which radio signals cannot penetrate. A leaky feeder cable above each canyon or hanging from ceiling joists can be a cost-effective one-stop solution.

Cable Specifications