NCL1155/1170 Configuration and Installation. Network Communications Link 1155/1170

NCL1155/1170 Configuration and Installation

Network Communications Link 1155/1170

Our NCL family of products can be used to join two LANs and create a WAN (Point to Point)…

NCLNCL

WAN Solutions

NCL

NCL NCL

…or to join multiple LANs into a WAN (Point to Multipoint).

ISP SolutionsAnother common use of the NCL product is for ISPs who wish to connect their customers to the Internet via a Wireless Link.

InternetNCL NCL

For more advanced ISP solutions we have our LMS product, which is a complete business/networking solution.

NCL Technical Overview

-Frequency Range: 2.400 - 2.4835 GHz-Radio Type: DSSS-Max Link Path Distance: up to 16 KM (10 Miles)-Channels: 11-Bandwidth: 22 MHz per channel

-RF Tx Output Power: +25 dBm max; +20 dBm min-RF Rx Threshold: -84 dBm

-Center Frequency Spacing: 5 MHz

Orthogonal Channel Set

Channels 1, 6 and 11 provide enough frequency separation to co-locate three RF links without interfering with each other.

2.412 GHz, 2.437 GHz and 2.462 GHz

-Over the Air Data Rate: up to 11 Mbps

-User Throughput: up to 8 Mbps

Data Rate

– amount of data per second that is carried by a system when the radio is transmitting data (active)

Throughput

– average amount of data per second that is carried by a system

– throughput is lower than the data rate

– can be varied between 11, 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps

-Reverse Polarity SMA connector at antenna port-10BaseT connector at ethernet port-RS232 DB9 Console port for initial configuration-Auto-sensing 90 - 260 VAC Power Supply-00C to 550C operating temperature

-15cm wide X 19cm long X 5cm high-1.2 Kg in weight

-10% to 80% relative humidity

Which Mode?

The NCL can be implemented in one of two modes depending on the type of solution you require. (All NCLs on the same network must be functioning in the same Mode)

Bridge Mode

OR

Route Mode

Bridge ModeUsed when connecting two segments of the same network together via the wireless link.

In Bridge Mode, the NCL product supports all protocols.

NCLNCL

TCP/IP

NetBEUI

IPX/SPX

AppleTalk

Route ModeUsed when connecting two different networks together.

The NCL/LMS products support TCP/IP when functioning in Route Mode.

NCLNCL

TCP/IPNetwork ID: 192.168.10.0

Network ID: 10.32.0.0

Wireless Wide Area Networking

Point to Point Networking

Involves one NCL acting as a ‘Master’ and the other acting as a ‘Station’

NCL Master NCL Station

Point to Multipoint Networking

Involves one NCL acting as a ‘Master’ and all other NCLs acting as ‘Stations’

NCL Master NCL Station

NCL Station

NCL Station

* Can have up to 10 stations in a PTMP

NCL Interfaces

Antenna Connector

(WAN Port)

D.C. Power

RS232 Console

(Config Port)

10bT ENet Connector(LAN Port)

WaveRider NCL SystemConfiguration

Initially the NCL must be configured using an RS-232 cable attached to the DB9 console port.

A terminal emulation program such as ‘Hyper Terminal’ can be used to configure the unit. Make sure of the following settings:

Communication Settings

After initially configuring the NCL and assigning it an IP address, Telnet can then be used to remotely access the unit and run any configuration or diagnostics commands.

Factory Default Password

No password, just pressENTER

Default ConfigurationFrom the factory, the NCL comes with the following Radio and IP settings:

Radio Settings

IP Settings

On both the Master and Station radios, the following parameters must be set:

Radio Configuration

1. Radio Type - Master or Station

2. Radio Channel – from 1 to 11

3. Radio Unit ID – from 1 to 16,383

4. Radio Enable/Disable

Master Specific:

1. Radio Station ID – from 1 to 16383

Station Specific

1. Master ID – from 1 to 16383

The complete command set to configure a Master and a Station radio for CH3 and IDs of 1000 and 1001 respectively would be:

IP Configuration

In order to remotely administer the NCL, an IP address must be assigned.

While in Bridging Mode, the unit will work fine without an IP address, but in Route Mode an IP address must be assigned to both the Ethernet and Radio ports.

In either mode, routes can be added to the route table with the following command:

ip route add <destination network> <gateway> <subnet mask>

IMPORTANT!!

Before powering off or resetting the NCL, make sure to save your changes, otherwise all your hard work will be

lost!

Case Studies

Diagnostic Utilities

To monitor the quality and performance of your RF link, there are 3 utilities which you can use:

1. RSSI Indicator

2. Radio PER Test

3. Radio Statistics

Typically the RSSI will look similar to this:

The first RSSI value indicates the average reading over a one second period while the second value is the measured peak during that time.

An install with a consistent peak of between 55 and 63 translates into a solid RF link.

RSSI tool can also be used to help align antennas.

Be sure to have data transmitting across the link for consistent results.

Monitoring with RSSIMake sure the radios are transmitting before running the RSSI test. There are a few options to ensure data is going over the link:

1. Radio txtest start

2. Radio txrx start <unitid>

3. Ping <ip address> -l <packet size> -t

When using Telnet, the RSSI values will not be continuous. Must be in console mode to get the continuous refresh every .5 seconds.

The following can be initiated on a Master radio only:

MS-DOS works best for the previously mentioned PING command:

PER Test

The Packet Error Rate test can be used to judge the quality of the RF link.

The PER is an indicator of the % of packets that are being received in error out of the total number of packets received.

This is not a continuous test. The Total # Received packets gets refreshed after each PER reading.

As with the RSSI test, it is best to have data flow over the link to get the most reliable results.

Radio StatisticsCertain Radio Statistics can be interpreted to give insight into RF issues such as interference, a bad RF link, etc.

Master

Station

Rx Data CRC Errors Received Packets

= % of packets received in error

Ideally an average of .01% would be ideal. The larger the sample size of data, the more accurate the number will be.

X 100

RX MAC Header CRC Error

Packets rejected at the MAC layer, usually with an indistinguishable MAC Header. Usually shows up when there is interference from another system. Not necessarily packets received from another NCL.

RX Data CRC Error

Valid packets received from another NCL but with errors.

Do I Have an RF Link?

Several ways to tell if an RF link has been established:

1. Radio settings

2. PER test

3. Interface Statistics

Master and Station

Master and Station

Station Only

For all of the above, a value of ‘UP’ means an RF link has been established, and a value of ‘DOWN’ means an RF link has not been established.

Radio Settings:

We know that the Station has not been authenticated my the Master by seeing the status as ‘DOWN’

We know that this NCL does not have an RF link with another NCL with ID #1001 by looking at the Link Status.

RA PER:

Interface Stats Radio:

Here the ‘Operational Status’ says the radio is DOWN. Authentication by the Master has not taken place. At the master radio this value is always UP.

Verifying Ethernet Communications

The IP PING command is the easiest way to test proper IP configuration and ethernet communications.

IP TRACEROUTE is another useful command. It can be used to ensure your routing tables are configured properly.

Other OptionsDNS

By adding DNS server IP addresses, you are able to use FQDNs in your IP PING and IP TRACEROUTE commands.

SNMP

With the addition of the WaveRider Enterprise MIB and the NCL MIB, an SNMP Management station can be configured to remotely monitor the NCL. Read and Write communities will need to be defined at the NCL, as well as Trap servers.

RIP

In Route Mode, the NCL can be set up to use the RIP protocol to dynamically build it’s Route Table.

Bridge Table

Entries in the local Bridge Table can be viewed using the following command.

Maintenance

From time to time a new software load may be needed to be loaded into the NCL1155 to add enhancements to the product and fix small bugs.

This is done via an FTP session to the Ethernet IP address.

Normally only one file will need to be uploaded: nclxxxx.exe

Any software updates, including installation instructions, are posted on the Technical Support section of the WaveRider web site.

Any FTP client can be used to upload the exe file to the NCL. The username field is blank, and the password field is the login password you have set for the NCL.

Use the ftp put command to install the new file to the NCL. Afterwards, ensure you reboot the NCL in order for the new software to be loaded.

Use the ftp get command to copy the config file from the NCL to a local drive for backup purposes.

This config file can be uploaded to a new unit, providing accurate configuration.