Hewlett Packard Enterprise AP85 Installation Guide

Aruba AP-85 Outdoor

Access Point Series

Installation Guide

Copyright

© 2007 Aruba Networks All rights reserved.

Trademarks

Aruba Networks
Networks, Inc.

All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Legal Notice

The use of Aruba Networks, Inc. switching platforms and software, by all individuals or corporations, to terminate other vendors' VPN
client devices constitutes complete acceptance of liability by that individual or corporation for this action and indemnifies, in full, Aruba
Networks, Inc. from any and all legal actions that might be taken against it with respect to infringement of copyright on behalf of those
vendors.

Warranty

This hardware product is protected by the standard Aruba warranty of one year parts/labor. For more information, refer to the
ARUBACARE SERVICE AND SUPPORT TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Altering this device (such as painting it) voids the warranty.

®

is a registered trademark, and Mobility Management System, RFprotect, and Bluescanner are trademarks of Aruba

www.arubanetworks.com

1322 Crossman Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94089

Phone: [phone]
Fax [phone]

Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide 0510323-03 | September 2007

Contents

Preface Guide Overview 5

Related Documents 5
Contacting Aruba 6

Chapter 1 AP-85 Series Hardware Overview 7

About the AP-85 Series 7

AP-85 Series Operation 7

Minimum Software Requirements 8
Package Checklist 8
Hardware Model Overview 9

AP-85 Series Front View 9
AP-85 Series Rear View 9
AP-85 Series Top View 10
AP-85TX Bottom View 10
AP-85FX/LX Bottom View 11

LED Status Indicators 12

Optional Accessories 13

Chapter 2 Outdoor Planning and Deployment Considerations 15

Planning and Deployment Considerations 15

Scale Requirements 15

Identifying Known RF Absorbers/Reflectors/Interferences Sources 15

RF Absorbers 15
RF Reflectors 15

RF Interference Sources 15
Line of Sight (Radio Path Planning) 16
Antenna Height 17
Antenna Position and Orientation 18
Radio Interference 18
Weather Conditions 19
Ethernet Cabling 19
Grounding 19

Chapter 3 AP-85 Series Installation 21

Pre-Installation Network Setup 21

Pre-Installation Checklist 21

Access Point Setup 21

1. Verifying Pre-Installation Connectivity 22

2. Provisioning the AP 22

3. Installing the AP-85 22

Mounting the AP-85 23

Positioning the AP-85 27

Connecting Required Cables 28

Lightning Arrestor Installation 30

Antenna Installation 30

4. Verifying Post-Installation Connectivity 30

5. Configuring the AP-85 30

AP Configuration 30

Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide Contents | 3

Appendix A Understanding Antennas 31

Aruba Antennas 31

Understanding Wireless Antennas 31

Omni-Directional vs. Directional Coverage 31

Antenna Beamwidth, Pattern, and Gain Considerations 32

Understanding Antenna Pattern Plots and Specifications 34
Detachable Antenna Selection 35

Detachable Outdoor Antenna Types 35

Detachable Antenna Selection Tips 35

Appendix B Product Specifications 41

Mechanical (AP-85TX, AP-85FX, and AP-85LX) 41
Electrical 42

AP-85TX 42

AP-85FX 42

AP-85LX 42

Maximum Power Draw 42
Wireless LAN 43

Safety and Regulatory Compliance 43
Proper Disposal of Aruba Equipment 43

Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment 44
European Union RoHS 44
China RoHS 44

Index 45

4 |Contents Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide

Preface

This preface includes the following information:

z An overview of the contents of this manual

z A list of related documentation for further reading

z Aruba Networks support and service information

Guide Overview

z Chapter 1, “AP-85 Series Hardware Overview” on page 7 provides a detailed hardware overview of

the three AP-85 models: the AP-85TX, the AP-85FX, and the AP-85LX.

z Chapter 2, “Outdoor Planning and Deployment Considerations” on page 15 provides key questions

to ask and items to consider when deploying an outdoor wireless network.

z Chapter 3, “AP-85 Series Installation” on page 21 describes the multi-step process for successful

installation and deployment of an AP-85.

z Appendix A, “Understanding Antennas” on page 31 provides key tools that will help you understand

Aruba antenna specifications.

z Appendix B, “Product Specifications” on page 41 includes product technical specifications and

safety and regulatory compliance information.

Related Documents

The following documents are referred to in this guide and are considered components of the complete
documentation set needed for successful AP deployment and management:

z

ArubaOS Quick Start Guide

z

ArubaOS User Guide

z

Aruba Mobility Management System User Guide

z Aruba Outdoor Antenna Specifications

Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide Preface | 5

Contacting Aruba

Web Site Support

Main Site http://www.arubanetworks.com
Support Site http://www.arubanetworks.com/support
Software Licensing Site https://licensing.arubanetworks.com
Wireless Security Incident

Response Team (WSIRT)
Support Email [e-mail]
WSIRT Email

Please email details of any security
problem found in an Aruba product.

Telephone Support

Aruba Headquarters [phone]
FAX [phone]
Customer Support

http://www.arubanetworks.com/support/wsirt.php

[e-mail]

z United States
z France
z United Kingdom
z Germany
z All Other Countries

800-WI-FI-LAN (800-943-4526)
[phone]
[phone]
[phone]
[phone]

6 | Preface Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide

NOTE

!

CAUTION

WARNING

Chapter 1

AP-85 Series Hardware
Overview

About the AP-85 Series

The AP-85 Series consists of resilient, environmentally hardened, outdoor rated, dual-band IEEE

802.11a/b/g devices, which can be configured for deployment as a wireless access point, air monitor,
mesh point, or mesh portal. This outdoor access point series is part of Aruba’s comprehensive wireless
network solution. The AP-85 Series works only in conjunction with an Aruba Mobility Controller and
each AP can be centrally managed, configured, and upgraded through the controller.

The AP-85 Series consists of the following models:

z AP-85TX (Ethernet)

z AP-85FX (Multi-mode Fiber)

z AP-85LX (Single-mode Fiber)

AP-85 Series Operation

z Wireless access point (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g)

z Wireless air monitor (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g)

z Wireless access point with wireless backhaul support*

z Point-to-point wireless distribution system (WDS) bridge*

z Point-to-multi-point WDS bridge (host or slave)*

z Enterprise mesh point (MP; Mesh license required)*

z Enterprise mesh portal (MPP; Mesh license required)*

z Protocol-independent networking functionality

z IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) compatible (AP-85TX only)

Items noted with a asterisk (*) require a secure enterprise mesh license. Contact your Aruba sales
representative for a complete listing of available software licenses.

Aruba Access Points are required to be installed by a professional installer. The professional installer
is responsible for ensuring that grounding is available and it meets applicable local and national
electrical codes.

Do not work on an AP and do not connect or disconnect cables during periods of lightning activity.

Aruba AP-85 Outdoor Access Point Series | Installation Guide AP-85 Series Hardware Overview | 7