Cisco Systems AIRONET 1520 User Manual

GETTING STARTED GUIDE

Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Points

INCLUDING LICENSE AND WARRANTY

1 About this Guide

2 Introduction to the Access Point

3 Unpacking the Access Point

4 Becoming Familiar With the Access Point

5 Network Deployment Examples

6 Preparing the Access Point

7 Deploying the Access Point

8 In Case of Difficulty

9 Cisco 90-Day Limited Hardware Warranty Terms

1 About this Guide

This guide is designed to familiarize yourself with your Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point and prepare it for use in your wireless network. Due to the complexity and number of product options available, this guide does not provide detailed mounting and configuration instructions. Those instructions can be found in the following documents:

• Cisco Mesh Networking Solution Deployment Guide

• Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point Hardware Installation Guide

• Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Access Point Power Injector Installation Instructions

Detailed configuration information can also be found in the Cisco wireless LAN controller documentation for the controller and software release you are using. These and other documents are available on Cisco.com. Follow these steps to access these documents:

Step 1 Browse to http://www.cisco.com.

Step 2 Click Support. A pop-up window appears.

Step 3 Click Wireless under View Information by Product Type. The Select Your Product or

Technology page appears.

Step 4 Enter Cisco Aironet 1520 Series in the Search for a Specific Product field and click Go. The

Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Introduction page appears.

Step 5 Choose the appropriate link for the documentation you want to view or download.

FCC Safety Compliance Statement

The FCC with its action in ET Docket 96-8 has adopted a safety standard for human exposure to radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic energy emitted by FCC certified equipment. When used with approved Cisco Aironet antennas, Cisco Aironet products meet the uncontrolled environmental limits found in OET-65 and ANSI C95.1, 1991. Proper installation of this radio according to the instructions found in this manual will result in user exposure that is substantially below the FCC recommended limits.

Declaration of Conformity with Regard to the EU Directive 1999/5/EC (R&TTE Directive)

This declaration is only valid for configurations (combinations of software, firmware and hardware) provided and/or supported by Cisco Systems. The use software or firmware not supported/provided by Cisco Systems may result that the equipment is no longer compliant with the regulatory requirements.

General Safety Guidelines

Warnings

Safety warnings appear throughout this guide in procedures that may harm you if performed incorrectly. A warning symbol precedes each warning statement. The warnings below are general warnings that are applicable to the entire guide. Specific warnings are included in the sections to which they apply.

Translated versions of the safety warnings in this guide are provided in the Safety Warnings for Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Points document that accompanies this guide. The translated warnings are also in Appendix A of the Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point Hardware Installation Guide, which is available at cisco.com.

Warning

This warning symbol means danger. You are in a situation that could cause bodily injury. Before you work on any equipment, be aware of the hazards involved with electrical circuitry and be familiar with standard practices for preventing accidents. Use the statement number provided at the end of each warning to locate its translation in the translated safety warnings that accompanied this device.

Statement 1071

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

There is the danger of explosion if the battery is replaced incorrectly. Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Do not operate the unit near unshielded blasting caps or in an explosive environment unless the device has been modified to be especially qualified for such use.

Statement 364

Statement 1015

Warning

This equipment must be externally grounded using a customer-supplied ground wire before power is applied. Contact the appropriate electrical inspection authority or an electrician if you are uncertain that suitable grounding is available.

Statement 366

Read the installation instructions before connecting the system to the power source.

Statement 1004

Only trained and qualified personnel should be allowed to install, replace, or service this equipment.

Ultimate disposal of this product should be handled according to all national laws and regulations.

Statement 1030

Statement 1040

2 Introduction to the Access Point

The Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point (hereafter called the access point) is a modularized outdoor access point designed for service in mesh networks. The access point can be configured for one or two radio operation. Its 802.11b/g radio is used primarily for local access and its 802.11a radio is used to provide wireless backhaul in the mesh. The access point is LWAPP compliant based on Cisco’s Internetwork Operating System (IOS).

With two radios installed, the access point provides client access on its 802.11b/g radio, point-to-point bridging, point-to-multipoint bridging and mesh networking on its 802.11a radio. With one radio installed, the access point provides client access and wireless backhaul over its 802.11b/g radio.

The 5-GHz radio incorporates an Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) radio transceiver that can operate in either the Upper ISM 5.8-GHz frequency band or the 4.9-GHz Public Safety Band. The 5-GHz radio on the access point is used for backhaul operations to the controller.

Note The 4.9-GHz Public Safety band requires a license and may be used only by qualified Public

Safety operators as defined in section 90.20 of the FCC rules.

The access point is a standalone unit that can be cable strand or tower mounted. The access point can also operate as a relay node for other access points not directly connected to a wired network. Intelligent wireless routing is provided by the patent-pending Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol (AWPP). This enables each access point to identify its neighbors and intelligently choose the optimal path to the wired network by calculating the cost of each path in terms of signal strength and the number of hops required to get to a controller. The access point is configured, monitored, and operated through a Cisco wireless LAN controller (hereafter called a controller) as described in the appropriate

Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Configuration Guide. The Cisco Mesh Networking Solution Deployment Guide describes how to plan and initially configure the Cisco mesh network, which

supports wireless point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and mesh deployments. The controllers use a browser-based management system, a command-line interface (CLI), or the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) network management system to manage the controller and the associated access points. The access point is compliant with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) and employs hardware-based Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption between wireless nodes to provide end-to-end security.

3 Unpacking the Access Point

Note When you are unpacking the access point, do not remove the foam blocks attached to the

antenna connectors. The foam protects the antenna connectors during installation.

Follow these steps to unpack the access point:

Step 1 Open the shipping container and carefully remove the contents.

Step 2 Return all packing materials to the shipping container and save it.

Step 3 Ensure that all items listed in the “Package Contents” section are included in the shipment.

Check each item for damage. If any item is damaged or missing, notify your authorized Cisco sales representative.

Package Contents

Each access point package contains the following items:

• One 1520 series access point

• Installed mounting plate (attached to the back of the access point)

• Ground lug with screw and washer

• Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point Mounting Instructions

• Translated Safety Warnings for Cisco Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Points

• This guide

Optional Equipment

Depending on what you ordered, the following optional equipment may be part of your shipment:

• Cable modem (AIR-1520-CM-D2=)

• Battery, 6 amp hour (AIR-1520-BATT-6AH=)

• 100BASE-BX10-U rugged SFP (GLC-FE-100BX-URGD=)

• Take-up reel for fiber cable (AIR-1520-FIB-REEL=)

• Pole mount kit (AIR-ACCMK1520=)

• Strand mount kit (AIR-ACCSMK1520=)

• Cable power module and supply (AIR-1520-CAB-PWR=)

• Band installation tool for pole mount kit (AIR-BAND-INS-TL=)

• Street light power tap (AIR-PWR-ST-LT-R3P=)

• AC power cord, 40 ft. (12.2 m) with North American plug (AIR-CORD-R3P-50NA=)

• Power injector (AIR-PWRINJ1500-2=)

• FIPS kit (AIRLAP-FIPSKIT=)

• Third-party lightning arrestors as required by local authorities

4 Becoming Familiar With the Access Point

The following illustrations show identify the access point connections. Before you begin the installation process, use these illustrations to familiarize yourself with the access point.

Note The illustrations show all available connections for the configuration ordered. Unused

connections are capped to ensure the access point’s watertight integrity. Liquid tight connectors are provided for all ports, which can be installed prior to or after deploying the access point.

Figure 1 shows the access point bottom connectors.

Figure 1 Access Point Bottom Connectors

AC power connector

Reserved for future use

Antenna port 6

Fiber optic connector

Note Antenna port 5 is not shown in this illustration. The port is reserved for future use and will

be located midway between antenna ports 4 and 6.

Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Out Ethernet connector

LEDs

Antenna port 4

PoE-In Ethernet connector

Figure 2 shows the access point left side and top connectors.

Figure 2 Access Point Left Side and Top Connectors

Fiber connector

Cable Power over Cable (PoC) connector

Antenna port 1

Antenna port 2

Antenna port 3

Figure 3 shows the access point right side connections.

Figure 3 Access Point Right Side Connections

Ground screw holes

DC power connector

Radio Operation

The 2.4-GHz radio supports three antennas for multi-input, single output (MISO) operation. The radio uses three receivers to support maximum ratio combining (MRC) to enhance receiver performance. MRC is a technique that combines the signals from multiple receivers in a manner to optimize the signals. MRC can provide up to 3 dB of increased receive signal strength.

The access point does not support both radios configured for backhaul support.

External Antennas

Warning

The access point is equipped with three N-type radio frequency (RF) connectors (antenna ports 1, 2, and 3) on the top of the unit for external antennas to support multiple input single output (MISO) operation as shown in Figure 1. The access point also has three N-type RF connectors (antenna ports 4, 5, and 6) on the bottom of the unit for external antennas as shown in Figure 2. When using the optional Cisco compact omnidirectional antennas, the 2.4- and 5-GHz antennas connect directly to the access point. The Cisco omnidirectional antennas use vertical polarization.

The access point can also be equipped with specific third-party external antennas (see Table 1), subject to local regulatory requirements. If you install third-party antennas, be sure to install them with all waterproofing steps recommended by the third-party manufacturer. For additional information, see the documentation shipped with the antenna.

In order to comply with radio frequency (RF) exposure limits, the antennas for this product should be positioned no less than 6.56 ft (2 m) from your body or nearby persons.

Statement 339

Do not locate the antenna near overhead power lines or other electric light or power circuits, or where it can come into contact with such circuits. When installing the antenna, take extreme care not to come into contact with such circuits, because they may cause serious injury or death. For proper installation and grounding of the antenna, please refer to national and local codes (for example, U.S.:NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, Article 810, Canada: Canadian Electrical Code, Section 54).

Only trained and qualified personnel should be allowed to install, replace, or service this equipment.

Statement 1030

Statement 1052

Note The FCC limits the amount of power this device can transmit. Power transmitted is a

combination of the amplification of the signal and the antenna gain. The access point has been designed to operate with the antennas listed below having a maximum gain of 8 dBi for

2.5-GHz and 17 dBi for 5-GHz antennas. Antennas not included in this list or having a higher gain are strictly prohibited for use with the access point. The required antenna impedance is 50 ohms.

Note To reduce potential radio interference to other users, the antenna type and its gain should be

chosen so that the equivalent subtropical radiated power (EIRP) is not more than required for successful communication.

Table 1 lists the supported external 2.4- and 5-GHz antennas.

Table 1 External 2.4- and 5-GHz Antennas

Part Number Model Gain (dBi)

AIR-ANT2450V-N 2.4-GHz compact omnidirectional

5.5

AIR-ANT2480V-N 2.4-GHz omnidirectional 8.0

AIR-ANT5180V-N 5-GHz compact omnidirectional

4.9-GHz compact omnidirectional

8.0

7.0

AIR-ANT58G10SSA-N 5-GHz sector 9.5

AIR-ANT5114P-N 4.9- to 5-GHz patch

AIR-ANT5117S-N 4.9- to 5-GHz 90-degree sector

1. The compact omnidirectional antennas mount directly on the access point.

2. The compact omnidirectional antennas mount directly on the access point.

3. Use of the 4.9-GHz band requires a license and may be used only by qualified Public Safety operators as defined in section 90.20 of the FCC rules.

14.0

17.0

Antenna Configurations

Two antenna configurations are available, based on how the access point is mounted. The cable strand mounting configuration uses three antennas and the tower mount configuration uses four antennas. Table 2 identifies the antenna ports used and explains the configurations.

Table 2 Antenna Ports and Configurations

Antenna Port

1 2.4-GHz receive only 5-GHz receive and transmit

2 5-GHz transmit and receive No connection

3 2.4-GHz transmit and receive 2.4-GHz receive only

Product Configuration

Cable Strand Mount (Two Antenna Receive MRC Access and One Backhaul)

Pole Mount (Three Antenna Receive MRC Access and One Backhaul)

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