Cablefree Ofdm Radio Products

Transcript

OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide WIRELESS EXCELLENCE Wireless Excellence Limited The Oxford Science Park, G6, Magdalen Centre Robert Robinson Avenue, Oxford OX4 4GA T: +44 (0)870 4959169 E: [email protected] F: +44 (0)871 9187618 W: www.wirelessexcellence.com 20 January 2015 CableFree OFDM Radio products Quick Start Guide Point to Point, Point to Multipoint and WiFi Access Points Introduction Dear Customer, Thank you for choosing CableFree Wireless products! If you have requested specific pre-configuration of the items supplied please check before following configuration instructions here. All CableFree Radios are factory pre-configured with either standard (default) or customerspecific pre-configuration. Should you need or you want to alter the settings within your device these settings should be your starting point. Note that this document covers RadioOS, the fully-featured wireless operating system. For other products using other operating systems, please refer to appropriate documentation. Important Notes: When testing radios indoors (lab environment) take note carefully of the following:    Only use Power Supplies and/or POE Injectors supplied. Use of 3rd party power units may cause damage and void warranty Do not point high gain antennas directly at each other at short range: otherwise overload to sensitive radio receivers may occur, causing permanent reduction in receiver sensitivity. Either point antennas away from each other, or use several sheets of cardboard or wood to attenuate the signals. Received signals higher than around -20dBm are excessive. Do not power up high power connectorised radios without antennas attached: otherwise damage to the transmitter may be caused by reflections from the unterminated connectors When installing radios outdoors take note carefully of the following:  Mount radios carefully ensuring that all mounts, brackets are robust, correctly specified and suitable for the task. Ensure that there is no risk of the radios or antennas falling from the building in high winds or other mechanical shock or vibration. Ensure all screws are tightly fastened. Use only rust-proof stainless steel bolts on any 3rd party brackets. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide   Use Waterproof RJ45 "Field Attachable Connector" kits provided. Assemble and mate carefully. Do not allow moisture ingress into radios or warranty will be voided. Use Waterproof tape ("Self Amalgamating Tape") around all N-type RF connectors to avoid moisture ingress. Check carefully or radios and/or antennas may be damaged, RF cables destroyed, and warranties may be voided. Out of the Box: Wireless Excellence supplies all CableFree radio systems factory preconfigured, in that powering up the items, and placing in a compatible radio environment (with antennas, lack of interference) they will automatically associate, and traffic should pass. To power up a radio, use the appropriate power supply or POE injector provided. Do not use any other power supplies; this will invalidate warranty and may cause damage. Note there is a boot-up time of each radio of about 60 seconds or less. Boot-up time is dependent on CPU and specific software installation. During boot-up, the entire RadioOS operating system loads from FLASH storage into RAM, initialising hardware devices and appropriate drivers. There is no need to interact with RadioOS during boot-up. After boot-up, the “bridge” function in each radio “learns” the topology of the attached network by adding each known device to the MAC table, just like any normal layer 2 Ethernet switch. After boot-up and bridge learning processes have completed, the network should pass traffic transparently, as the default configuration has no bandwidth management, authentication or traffic limits set. The IP scheme used for management has been chosen to be 192.168.1.x, which is very simple, but the radios act as bridges, passing all other traffic from other IP addresses as well. This also enables the management network to be implemented on a subnet not accessible to clients or other users on the network. First Steps: Ensure that you have a direct connection to the device, normally an Ethernet connection via RJ45 connectors. This may well be from a laptop, as you may need to alter your IP address, (Please use a search engine if you do not know how to do this). You may have a specified IP address used on the device, this should be located in the documentation for the order, (Normally email attachments or text within a message of what IP you wanted on the device). If the default IP will normally be 192.168.1.100. (If you have a Point to Point pair then the slave will be 192.168.1.101). It is suggested that you use PING to establish that you can contact the device. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide Connect to Device: There are several ways to connect to the device, we prefer customers to access the settings by ‘Webfig’ this is carried out through a web browser. There are other methods for management of the devices, Telnet, SSH and Winbox, which should only be utilised by advanced users and ideally with the support of the supplier/manufacturer to assist using Team Viewer. For almost all deployments we recommend Webfig as the preferred tool. Webfig is a powerful graphical user interface (GUI) tool which allows management of all aspects of a CableFree radio. It works with all radios, HPR, MPR, whether in point-to-point, base station or client site application. Webfig requires a valid IP address on the CableFree radio to connect to, and runs on any PC running Win2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, etc. Click on the ‘Webfig’ and you will be taken to the logon page. The default username is ‘admin’ and password is blank (no password). You will then be greeted with the interface page. Alternatively you can use the following in the address bar of your browser: http:///webfig For ease this is the default link: http://192.168.1.100/webfig/ You will reach the following prompt (unless your browser has cached previously-used passwords) The default factory setting is "admin" for user and a blank password You will then arrive at the following screen: © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide On the screen above you will note a list of “features” on the left hand side. Some have submenus, shown by the small arrow to the right of the text. Webfig allows simple ‘point and click” configuration of parameters, allowing for quick changes and alterations to the system. Caution: It is easy to set a non-valid configuration of the radio router using Webfig, and even possible to set a configuration where access to the unit is lost. Common mistakes including setting an invalid IP address,, or worse, the Ethernet port disabled. Please take GREAT CARE to avoid this scenario. In some cases, it may be possible and necessary to do a “cold boot” of the operating system which will lose all configuration. In the worst case, of both the Ethernet port being and radio being disabled, it may be necessary to send the unit back to Wireless Excellence factory, where the unit can be opened and re-configured for use. Please note that may incur a charge for repair, please contact us for support packages or one off support. General Conventions, Menu access & a Key Tool: Use the side menu to access the individual items, then click on an item you will see the standard options at the top of the page: We advise that you only use, ‘OK’, ‘Cancel’ and ‘Apply’, ‘Remove’ will delete items and ‘Torch’ is a specific function normally used by suppliers to restrict configuration. With the side menu, you will not that the items with additional options has an arrow and when clicked the sub menu will show: © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide There are a number of tools available within the tool menu, items such as the ‘Bandwidth Test’ will be some of the most useful when testing connection bandwidth. There is also a link to the manual, often shown on the web page where you select Webfig, we do advise reading the sections on the setting you want to adjust. Key Tool: IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ There is a key tool which we do strongly suggest you use, this is within the ‘Files’ option from the side menu. In this area you can create a backup of the running configuration, this means that you make changes that do not work you can restore back to a working version. Before you begin making changes, click on the ‘Files’ option from the side menu. You will then see the installed files, please do not remove these as they are default for making the device work. To create a backup it is a simple operation of just clicking on the ‘Backup’ button, you will then see the file it has created. You can download this to your laptop or PC, we do advise that you take a working copy in case there is an issue and it needs to be restored. Should you want to restore the working file, simply click on ‘Restore’ button and agree to the install and re-boot. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide Interfaces: This is the first page we came to after logon, here you will see the interfaces on the device. This will include all interfaces setup and those available for use, it is noted that on some equipment some of these interfaces are not available for use hence left disabled during manufacture. LAN: Here you can see that there are three interfaces, two which are physical, ether1 & wlan1 and one which is software based and creates a link between devices, a Bridge. A single click on the ‘etherX’, (ether1 in this case), will bring up the details and options for the device. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide Here you can see the setup for ‘ether1’, as well as a number of settings you may wish to alter. There is more information as you scroll down the page, you can see the traffic monitoring ‘real time’ for this device. At the top of the page you can see the Interface name (can be changed), type, MTU, MAC address and ARP (address resolution protocol) setting. Then we move on to the interface state after auto-negotiation. Here, speed settings can be “fixed” to 10 or 100Mbps, and the full/half duplex and Negotiation modes changed. You do not change the IP address here, this is located in the IP sub-menu. Wireless: The ‘wlan1’ interface page is slightly different as there are more details and options depending on the desired setup. It is noted that there is a lot of options and information here as well as linked options within the other menu items. Firstly, you will see that you can enable and disable the interface with the check box. Also you can alter the name SSID, Frequency and associated RF options. Please be careful when doing this as to not interfere with existing networks in your location. We do suggest using a WiFi scanner to see all the channels and frequencies used locally, this can be done here, with the option at the top of the page or by using another product. The radio type preferred in all CableFree products is a family of cards using the Atheros chipset, which currently offers state-of-the art in unlicensed radio performance, in terms of features, throughput (including turbo mode), output power and receiver sensitivity. Atheros radios are continually improving, with a new chipset available and implemented in shipping cards approximately every 18 months. They are fully back compatible and interoperability is always assured. CableFree has long held the policy of supporting the “latest proven and stable technology”, as well as supporting customers with “legacy” equipment many years old. This means a network roll-out is ensured to be smooth, as well as future-proof to the limits of technology available. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide In the ‘Advanced Mode’ the radio band (2.4 or 5GHz) is set, with sub-choices for channel bonding (turbo mode) and b/g, b-only and g-only modes at 2.4GHz. The exact frequency is set from the available bands (note that in the next software version, 2.9.x, regulatory domain (country) and other settings prevent operation on unauthorised bands/power levels for the given country. The transmit power can be altered, in dB. The default is that of the radio card (normally maximum ‘safe’ power), and the power can reduced as required when high-gain antennas are used to maintain the EIRP restrictions for a particular country. DFS mode is for radar avoidance, required at 5.8GHz, and again in 2.9.x software, TPC (transmit power control) can be set to automatic to meet ETSI regulations. You can also see and alter the data rates supported by the card. These can be pre-set to disable connection at certain speeds. Remembering that the slowest client connection on an access point reduces all others to the same speed, it is common to use this to enforce a reasonable “lowest common denominator”. As we scroll further down the page, we can see there are fewer options, along with a useful real time traffic monitor. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide One of the advanced options covers Wireless Protocols. Two important protocols are NV2 and Nstreme. These give a huge performance advantage compared to conventional OFDM radios including most radios on the market. Both NV2 and Nstreme are proprietary protocol extensions which is one of the major differentiators of RadioOS based radios over ordinary 802.11a/b/g and other TDD chipsets. When turned off, the radio performs just as a standard 802.11 device and the router can be configured to act as an access point or client, connecting with cheap network equipment from Netgear, Dlink etc as well as Proxim and Cisco. With NV2 or Nstreme enabled, the wireless protocol is now encrypted using a proprietary rearrangement of packets and uses Framing and Polling protocol which ensures best possible wireless throughput in all conditions. This avoids the ‘send-acknowledge’ CSMA and ACK protocol that slows 802.11 greatly at long range. With NV2 or Nstreme and other relevant modes enabled, approximately 30-50% improvement in traffic throughput will be seen. Note: NV2 is a new feature and is preferred over Nstreme. There are many new features in NV2 and overall higher performance. Default factory configuration is to use NV2. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide Bridge: Selecting a Bridge interface shows the settings and performance of the Bridge. The bridge is a “virtual interface” as it has no hardware – the network administrator configures a bridge to include the actual physical interfaces (LAN, wireless, etc) as required, which are then bridged together. There are general various parameters including the MAC address of the bridge, and the ARP policy are displayed. The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) settings and status. STP is used to avoid “loops” in a bridged (switched) network, allowing redundant connections to automatically switch-over (though note STP has quite a long convergence time, and may not be ideal for all uses). The Bridge status. None of the items can be configured. When we scroll down to the end of the page, the traffic monitor on the Bridge interface, in kbps and packets/second. This is in real time. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide IP Address: Accessing the IP address can be achieved by clicking on ‘IP’ then from the sub-menu click on ‘Addresses’. Here you will see any set on the device and to which interface they have been applied. Should you wish to change the address, click on the address, this will show the settings for the address and the interface it is applied too as shown. You can just change the address here and select apply, however we do suggest adding a new one and testing first. To do this select ‘Add New’ and fill in the boxes and click apply. Please not that you should always identify the subnet in use, in this case a ‘/24’ at the end of the IP address. It is also useful to add comments to the addresses, this allows others to see what has changed and why. You can also add an address to an interface, which may be of use if you are using multiple interfaces. Note that by default we recommend putting IP address on the "bridge" interface, and then ensuring all relevant interfaces (LAN, wireless) are in the bridge. Only change this if you are absolutely sure of your network and unit configuration. Graphing: This useful feature needs to be enabled (off by default) and records the performance of the unit over long periods of time, enabling useful diagnostic and comparison of present and past performance. Go to Tools-Graphing on the menu, and select the interfaces which you would like to be recorded. An example of output in the web interface is shown below: © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide Using Tools: All of our units with RadioOS are bundled with a set of powerful tools, these aid with installations, testing and fault recognition. This will only cover those tools useful to you as the customer, a number of these are only used within the manufacturing of the unit. One of the most useful tools is the ‘Bandwidth Test’, this is accessed by clicking the ‘Tools’ item on the menu and then clicking ‘Bandwidth Test’ on the sub-menu. This will show the test screen. Note that Bandwidth tester is extremely processor-hungry: if you attempt to run bandwidth tester on a router that is in service, it will degrade other functions. It is always better to use Bandwidth tester on routers either side of the router (or pair of routers) which need to be tested. © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG OFDM Radio Quick Start Guide CableFree has developed some compact stand-along “bandwidth tester” appliances loaded with RadioOS which can act specifically as bandwidth test server/clients specifically for the purpose of testing network infrastructure. They are capable of generating more than 100Mbps full duplex pseudo-random network data using the UDP protocol. In the first text box, enter the IP address of the other router (the one you want the test running to). Select protocol (UDP or TCP) and the direction (send/receive/both). If the bandwidth test tool connects correctly, you can see the overall throughput achieved instantaneously as well as 10s and long term average. On the second tab, it is necessary to enter a valid user ID and password of the opposite router in order for it to authenticate. Power, Powering Down or Power Interruption: CableFree radio systems are designed for uninterrupted operation and may be left powered up for many years at a time. The embedded RadioOS operating system is designed for such operation without need for restarts or reconfiguration. However for maintenance or reconfiguration, or in the case of a power outage, it may be necessary to switch off a CableFree radio system. There are no special procedures for switch-off: simply remove the power to the radio. The RadioOS system is designed for this use and no damage or loss of configuration will occur. When power is next applied, RadioOS will simply restart, and wireless connections will be automatically restored. Further Information: Additional manual materials can be obtained, as can training in all of the products Wireless Excellence produce. These can be a chargeable option, however on larger projects these can be rolled in with the project cost. We do offer an online support service, this can either be part of a bespoke package with regular health checks or as a on off cost to aid staff in managing the products installed on sites. The one off option is very popular with new staff. Extended Warranties: You may wish to extend your 13 month warranty, this can be done by contacting our friendly staff or the company who you purchased the equipment from. This can extend the supported life of a product up to 5 years from the purchase date and with some products this can go to a 10 year period. For any questions, Please contact our technical team at: Wireless Excellence Limited The Oxford Science Park, G6, Magdalen Centre, Robert Robinson Avenue, Oxford OX4 4GA T: +44 (0)870 4959169 E: [email protected] F: +44 (0)871 9187618 W: www.wirelessexcellence.com © 2014 Wireless Excellence Limited All Rights Reserved. OFDM-QSG