AvaLAN Wireless AW900F User Manual

AvaLAN

WIRELESS

AW900F

AW900F-PAIR

USER’S MANUAL

900 MHz Industrial Wireless Ethernet Radios

Industrial-grade, long-range wireless Ethernet systems

AW900F | AW900F-PAIR

Thank you for your purchase of the AW900F Indoor Wireless Ethernet Radio.

The AW900F includes:
(1) AW900F radio in extruded aluminum box
(1) AW2-900 2.5dBi omnidirectional antenna
(1) AW-12VPS 12 VDC Power Supply (USA plug only)

The AW900F-PAIR includes:

(2) AW900F precongured radios in extruded aluminum box

(2) AW2-900 2.5dBi omnidirectional antenna
(2) AW-12VPS 12 VDC Power Supply (USA plug only)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Quick Start Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Operational Summary Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Physical Setup Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Digital Setup Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

LCD Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Technical Specications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Radio Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Antenna Alignment Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Transmitter to Reciever Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Abbreviation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

User’s Manual

Professional installation is required. The radio equipment described in this guide
emits radio frequency energy. Although the power level is low, the concentrated
energy from a directional antenna may pose a health hazard. Do not allow people
to come closer than 23 cm (9 inches) to the antenna when the transmitter is
operating in indoor or outdoor environments. More information on RF exposure is
on the Internet at www.fcc.gov/oet/info/documents/bulletins

If you have any questions when conguring your AvaLAN system, the best place to get answers is

to visit www.avalanwireless.com. You will also nd the latest updates there. If more assistance is
needed, send email to [e-mail].

To speak to a live technician, please call technical support at the number below during normal
business hours.

© by AvaLAN Wireless Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Revision 09.5.2014

125A Castle Drive

Madison, AL 35758

Sales and Technical Support: [phone]

Technical Support [phone]

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AW900F | AW900F-PAIR

User’s Manual

Compatible Accessories

Antennas

AW11-900

900 MHz Directional 11 dBI
YAGI Antenna

AW5M-900

900 MHz Omnidirectional
5 dBI Magnetic Antenna

Accessories

AW15-900

900 MHz Directional 15 dBI
YAGI Antenna

AW5P-900

900 MHz Omnidirectional
15 dBI Pole Antenna

AW-12VA

Auto Adapter Lightning Arrestor

AW-RFx900

x = 4ft, 10ft, 25ft or 50ft

900 MHz Antenna Extension
Cable

Technical Support [phone]

AW-LA

Warranty

AW-Warranty-900

These items can be found on our website,
www.avalanwireless.com

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AW900F | AW900F-PAIR

User’s Manual

Quick Start Guide

PROGRAMMING:

Step 1. Gather the AvaLAN radios, power supplies, 2x CAT5 cables and a computer with an RJ45

Ethernet interface.

Step 2. Connect the radios one at a time directly to the PC via an Ethernet cable. Set your computer
to an IP address of 192.168.17.1 (refer to page 6 for detailed instructions). Enter the radio’s default
IP address* of 192.168.17.17 into a web browser.

Step 3. Enter the password and click login. The default password is “password”.

Step 4. Toggle to select the device type - Access Point or Subscriber Unit. An access point (AP) can

communicate with up to 4 Subscriber Units (SU).

• For each SU:

• Record the Radio Address (Ex. 00.17.3A) for the AP steps below. The Radio Address is shown

for 5 seconds on the LCD display during of the boot up of the radio and is also displayed on
the Browser interface in Device Information section.

• Click the Subscriber Unit button.

• Set the Subscriber’s ID as 1,2,3 or 4. Record this ID for the AP steps below.

• Set the 128bit encryption key. Use this key for all radios in the group.

• Set the Transmit Power to the LEGAL level with respect to the Antenna Gain and Cable length

– See page 11 for instructions to congure per FCC/IC power limits.

• Set the administrator Password.

• Set the IP address to a unique value (Ex. 192.168.17.20). This IP address is only used to

manage the radio but all other Ethernet packets will transparently pass through the radios
regardless of their subnet.

• For the AP:

• Enter the Radio Address (see prior steps above) of each SU into the matching Subscriber ID

eld that was assigned in the prior step.

• Click the check box of each SU that will be active in the network (this is typically checked

for all SUs but can be unchecked to increase throughput when an SU is known to be inactive.

• Enter the 128bit encryption key used used in the group.

• Set the Transmit Power to the LEGAL level with respect to the Antenna Gain and Cable length

– See page 11 for instructions to congure per FCC/IC power limits.

• Set the administrator Password.

• Set the IP address to a unique value (Ex. 192.168.17.30). This IP address is only used to

manage the radio but all other Ethernet packets will transparently pass through the radios
regardless of their subnet.

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Step 5: Bench Testing

Power up the units on the bench before deploying in the eld. It is important to keep the radios
at least 20 feet apart using the 2dBi omni antennae and Transmit power set to 10dBm to prevent
over driving of radio’s receiver (permanent damage can occur).

User’s Manual

• Power on all the radios with the computer wired directly to the AP.

• Open a web browser to the IP addresses assigned in the prior steps to view the operation of

all the radios.

• Perform PING testing to simulate network data and observe overall performance.

INSTALLATION:

Every installations is dierent, however radio performance is typically best at shorter distances
using directional antennae with unobstructed paths in low noise environments. It can be challenging
to determine the best approach for a unique installation. The radio’s browser interface has a link
performance statistics that is helpful for troubleshooting radio interference noise levels.
Please call AvaLAN Technical Support for assistance as needed.

Technical Support [phone]

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AW900F | AW900F-PAIR

User’s Manual

Operational Summary

The AW900F Radio allows the user to create a long-range, wireless Ethernet network with up to

4 subscriber units per access point.

Conguring a wireless link with the AW900F requires the establishment of six elements:

• Each radio must know whether it is to be an access point (AP) or subscriber unit (SU).

• Each radio must have an IP address that is unique among all others on the same network.

• The AP must know how many SUs are expecting communication.

• The SU must be assigned a unique subscriber ID to specify which time division slot it will use

when communicating with the AP.

• The AP and any given SU must share a common 128-bit encryption key and each radio’s

unique 64-bit Radio Address.

The access point (AP) automatically scans to locate the other radios in the group, encrypts
Ethernet data received from the network, and transmits it wirelessly to the correct subscriber
unit (SU). Any 10/100 BaseT Ethernet client device (ECD) can be connected to an AW900F
subscriber unit. Each SU encrypts Ethernet trac received from the attached ECD and transmits
the data wirelessly to its AP. Each SU can be plugged directly into an ECD without adding drivers
or loading software. Essentially, once the AP/SU pair is congured and running, it behaves like a
transparent Ethernet cable that encrypts and then passes all trac including VLANs.

Note: Every SU should be placed at least 50 feet from the AP to avoid overloading the radio’s
receiver. If two AP units are installed very close to one another, they may interfere with each
other causing degraded throughput and range. Locate APs at least 25 feet apart (see antenna
guide on page 16).

Physical Setup

1. Before placing the radio in its nal location, it may be best to perform the digital setup procedure

described in the next section.

2. Connect the AW900F’s RP-TNC RF connector to a suitable antenna. A 2 dBI omni-directional dipole

antenna (AW2-900) is included and is suitable for testing and general applications. Application specic

antennas are available if greater range and/or directionality is required. Choose one of our other
antenna models that can be found on our website at www.avalanwireless.com.

3. Power is provided to the unit by means of the 120 VAC to 12 VDC 0.5A wall power supply.

Technical Support [phone]

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