I have an Open-Mesh wireless network on my hotel. The property comprises 6 buildings on 4.5 acres and we currently use 8 access points (APs) to provide good coverage. I have used OM2P-HS access points exclusively, all but one mounted outside in the optional outdoor enclosure.
To layout the network, I used the network view on cloudtrax.com, the cloud based network management software for Open-Mesh. The network view utilizes Google Maps, which provides adequate resolution to position APs, checking distances and line-of-sight.
As I re-positioned APs to strengthen & buildout the network, one required location had no AC power available (at reasonable price). I used to have a Meraki system which offered a solar power option, but the Open-Mesh system which I replaced it with does not. Having an old envelope handy, I did a little sketch of what a sufficient solar power unit might look like and describe it below for others that may have such need. There was no detailed engineering, rather a "likely to work" design.
A friend (thanks Jack) had given me a 12V, 15W solar panel and I guessed it might be good enough for my needs. I looked at the power consumption of the OM2P-HS. The nameplate states:
DC Input: 12~20V dc, 1~1.2A
PoE Input: 12~24V Passive PoE
Putting an ammeter inline with the DC input, yielded a quiescent consumption of about 90mA, with a 150mA peaking consumption during a disk image download to a laptop connected to one of the two wired connectors. So I used 1.5W as a power consumption baseline. I live in southern NM, which is an idyllic location for solar and allows me to run a little closer to the edge on design margin.
Plugging the numbers into a solar power calculator suggests that the panel I have and a 10Ah battery will work. I used the following parts, readily available locally (assuming you have a Harbor Freight and Battery+Bulb, or equal, in town). No product endorsements are made or implied.
15W, 12 V solar panel
solar panel frame mounting kit
100W solar charge regulator (needed to protect the battery from over/under charge)
solar power connection cable kit
12V 10Ah AGM battery
The solar charger noted provides a 12V output, which I wired directly into the Open-Mesh PoE injector, using one of the cables in the cable kit.
The mounting kit allowed the solar panel to be mounted at several angles, which compared nicely to guidance provided at Optimum Tilt of Solar Panels.
The final setup looks like this (the panel faces due south, set at 30 deg).
To layout the network, I used the network view on cloudtrax.com, the cloud based network management software for Open-Mesh. The network view utilizes Google Maps, which provides adequate resolution to position APs, checking distances and line-of-sight.
As I re-positioned APs to strengthen & buildout the network, one required location had no AC power available (at reasonable price). I used to have a Meraki system which offered a solar power option, but the Open-Mesh system which I replaced it with does not. Having an old envelope handy, I did a little sketch of what a sufficient solar power unit might look like and describe it below for others that may have such need. There was no detailed engineering, rather a "likely to work" design.
A friend (thanks Jack) had given me a 12V, 15W solar panel and I guessed it might be good enough for my needs. I looked at the power consumption of the OM2P-HS. The nameplate states:
DC Input: 12~20V dc, 1~1.2A
PoE Input: 12~24V Passive PoE
Putting an ammeter inline with the DC input, yielded a quiescent consumption of about 90mA, with a 150mA peaking consumption during a disk image download to a laptop connected to one of the two wired connectors. So I used 1.5W as a power consumption baseline. I live in southern NM, which is an idyllic location for solar and allows me to run a little closer to the edge on design margin.
Plugging the numbers into a solar power calculator suggests that the panel I have and a 10Ah battery will work. I used the following parts, readily available locally (assuming you have a Harbor Freight and Battery+Bulb, or equal, in town). No product endorsements are made or implied.
15W, 12 V solar panel
solar panel frame mounting kit
100W solar charge regulator (needed to protect the battery from over/under charge)
solar power connection cable kit
12V 10Ah AGM battery
The solar charger noted provides a 12V output, which I wired directly into the Open-Mesh PoE injector, using one of the cables in the cable kit.
The mounting kit allowed the solar panel to be mounted at several angles, which compared nicely to guidance provided at Optimum Tilt of Solar Panels.
The final setup looks like this (the panel faces due south, set at 30 deg).
