Meru Networks PSM3X Users Manual

AP1000 Beta Test

Safety Precautions

Chapter 2

Installing AP300

This chapter describes how to install and configure an AP300. It contains the following sections:

 Safety Precautions  Unpack the AP300  Determine Power Requirements  Installation Requirements  Install the AP300  Check AP300 LED Activity  Check AP300 LED Activity  Where to Go From Here

Safety Precautions

IMPORTANT—Read and follow the regulatory instructions in Appendix B before installing and operating this product.

If an optional power supply is used, it must be one supplied by Meru Networks. The AP300 is intended only for installation in Environment A as defined in IEEE 802.3af. All intercon-

nected equipment must be contained within the same building, including the interconnected equipment's associated LAN connection.

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Best Practices for an AP300/AP1000 Network

Read this section if you have both AP1000 and AP320i active simultaneously on the same network. The following best practices should be followed to get optimal performance from such a mixed network.

 AP320i and AP300 are interchangeable and fully compatible to share a virtual cell. It's like having

two AP300s with different antennas. The only difference is that AP320i is detected as a such in the UI of the controller.

 If pos sibl e , do no t d e p loy A P 1 000 a n d AP3 00/AP320i a t t h e s a m e p h y sica l l ocat i o n ; we re c o mme n d

that there be no overlapping coverage between AP1000 and AP300.

 If AP1000 and AP300/AP320i do have overlapping coverage, you have two options. Deploy them on

seperate channels or make sure the ESS profiles on both AP types are unique. The chart below shows two ESS scenarios, one supported, one not supported.

Supported ESS Scenario AP1000 Configuration AP320i Configuration

Two Unique ESS profiles

AP1000 and AP320i SSID string over the air

Unsupported ESS Scenario AP1000 Configuration AP320i Configuration

Same ESS profiles

AP1000 and AP320i SSID string over the air

Assumptions for the above best practices include:

 AP1000 is using Virtual Port with BSSID Virtual Cell.  AP320i is using Virtual Port with BSSID Virtual Cell.  AP1000s and AP300s are on the same channel. (AP1000 and AP320i could also be on different

channels.)

 AP1000s and AP320i is are on the same controller. (AP1000 and AP320i could also be on different

controllers as long as each controller has a unique controller index.)

ESS Profile name in controller is UniqueName1

Meru Meru

ESS Profile name in controller is same name

Meru Meru

ESS Profile name in controller is UniqueName2

ESS Profile name in controller is same name

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Unpack the AP300

The AP300 series has five models as shown below.

Model Radios

PSM3x One a/b/g/n, one spectrum

AP320 Two a/ b/g/n

AP311 One a/b/g/n, one a/b/g

AP310 One a/b/g/n

Unpack the AP300

AP302 One a/b/g

Confirm that the AP300 shipping package contains these items:

 AP300 with attached mounting bracket  Six antennas (four for PSM3x)  Screws for the mounting bracket

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Determine Power Requirements

Power requirements vary, depending on which AP300 radios are deployed and what MIMO mode is used. See the chart below for supported power sources for different radio configurations.

Radio 1 MIMO Radio 2 MIMO 802.3af PoE 802.3at PoE DC Power

2x2 2x2

2x2 3x3 

3x3 2x2 

3x3 3x3



Do not

recommend





limitation

below



802.af PoE Usage

When using System Director 3.6/4.0/4.1 and 802.3af PoE, Meru supports radios set to any MIMO settings except 3x3 on dual radios. This is because two radios set to 3x3 MIMO using an 802.3af switch may not have enough power if the cable is too long. Shorter cables frequently work, however. Meru supports:

 Single 3x3 radio  Dual 2 x 2 radios  Dual radio with one set to 2x2 and the other one set to 3x3

When using System Director 4.0 and 802.3af, the AP300 MIMO configuration is limited to the following:

 3x3 for the 5 GHz radio  2x2 for the 2.4 GHz radio

802.3at PoE Usage

When using System Director 3.6/4.0/4.1 and 802.3at, the following radio combinations are recommended:

 Single 3x3 radio  Dual 2 x 2 radios  Dual radio with one set to 2x2 and the other one set to 3x3

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Installation Requirements

 Dual 3x3 radios are recommended with a limitation. Use 802.3at power for two 3x3 MIMO radios

when the switch has a high enough power output to support all devices on the PoE. Calculate the amount of power needed by each AP300/AP300i in 3x3 mode (13 watts), add that to power required by other PoE devices on the switch and compare that value to the total power output from the switch.

The calculation for 802.3at PoE use looks something like this:

(Number of AP300s * 13watts) + (sum of all other PoE devices power requirements) <= switch

power provided

For a list of supported PoEs, see the appendix Supported Power Over Ethernet Devices for Meru APs

Installation Requirements

An array of holes on the mounting bracket allows the AP300 to be mounted on the wall and over junction boxes or molly bolts. There are holes for passing the PoE Ethernet or external power supply cable through the bracket if the bracket is mounted on a junction box. A template of this bracket is included in Appendix E of this guide.

The AP300 has a security cable slot so you can lock the AP300 with a standard security cable, suc h as those used to secure laptop computers.

Purchase optional mounting kits to mount the AP300 either from the ceiling or inside an enclosure:

 Suspended Ceiling Rail Mounting Kit: ACC-MNT-SCRMKIT  Above Suspended Ceiling Mounting Kit (T-Bar Hanger): ACC-MNT-ASCMKIT  Inside a Hoffman Enclosure using Hoffman compatible mounting bracket: ACC-AP300-BHE (enclosure

not provided)

 Above hanging ceiling tiles. Suitable for use in environmental air space in accordance with the

Section 300-22(c) of the National Electric Code and Sections 2- 128.12 - 010 (3) and 12 - 100 of the Canadian Electrical Code. Part 1. C22. 1.

To complete AP300 installation, you need the items listed below.

Installation Type Items Required

Horizontal mounting None

 Two #6 x 2" wood screws for a wood stud; or

Vertical mounting over a wall stud

 Two #6 x 1½” metal screws for a metal stud  Mounting bracket

AP1000 Beta Test

Install the AP300

Installation Type Items Required

 Two #6 x 1" screws

Vertical mounting on sheetrock

Horizontal mounting below a hanging ceiling

Using existing third party

 Two #4-6 x 7/8” ribbed plastic wall anchors  Mounting bracket  Two caddy fasteners  Two plastic spacers  Two keps nuts (with attached lock washer)  Mounting bracket  Use included shoulder screws

brackets

 Two T-rail clips  One T-box hanger

Mounting above a ceiling tile

 One bracket mounting clip  Mounting bracket

Additional Equipment

A power source is needed to power the AP300. See Determine Power Requirements.

Install the AP300

Select a Location Attach the Provided Antennas Install the Remote Antenna Mount (optional) Install External ACC-ANT-MIMO-MNT Antenna with Three Connectors (optional) Install Remote ACC-ANT-6ABGN-24 Antenna with Six Connectors (optional) Install Antennas With One Connector (optional) Install the Access Point

Select a Location

All AP300 interconnected equipment, including the associated LAN connection, must be contained within the same building. In addition, the AP300 location should meet the following conditions:

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ceiling

floor

Install the AP300

 R elatively unobstructed access to the stations the AP serves. Se lect a location with minimal physical

obstructions between the AP and the wireless stations. In an office with cubicles, mounting the APs below a hanging ceiling (plenum is supported) or the wall near the ceiling provides the least obstructed communications path. On a wall, orient the AP300 horizontally so that you can read the Meru logo without tilting your head at 90 degrees - this orientation provides optimum MIMO performance.

 Access to wall outlet or a to a Power over Ethernet (P oE) connection to the network switch servicing

the controller.

 We recommend planning for about 50 clients per radio (or per interference region) if you plan to

use Virtual Port and plan to have phones as clients. For a data-only installatio n, plan up to 128 clients per radio, meaning 256 for AP320 and 128 for other AP300 models. Refer to the Meru Deployment Guides on the support site for more information.

AP300 is designed to provide 360 degree omni-directional coverage as illustrated below. Plan placement with this pattern in mind.

Figure 7: Coverage Pattern for AP300 When Ceiling Mounted

Most installations receive the best coverage using the following guidelines:

 Install APs toward the center of the building.  Place APs about 80 feet apart.  Do not i nstall APs near metal objects, such as heating ducts, metal door s, or electric service panels.  For best coverage, orient antennas as shown in Figure 6.

Attach the Provided Antennas

All AP300s have six external antenna ports, labeled 1 - 6. These units operate with six antennas attached, even though some configurations don’t use all six. Instead of attaching an antenna, you can cap unused antenna connectors with 50 ohm Reverse Polarity SMA terminators. (For a list of approved terminators, see http://www.merunetworks.com/merusupport only for indoor use unless they are mounted in an outdoor enclosure (see Mount AP300 in a Hoffman

Enclosure). To achieve the best performance from your AP300, position antennas at a 90 degree angle

relative to each other as shown in Figure 6. The antennas do not have to be oriented exactly as shown in the figure, but it is important to maintain the relative angles. If for some reason you are unable to maintain those angles, the network still operates, but you may experience up to 20% drop in throughput depending on the antenna orientation.

.) Meru supplied antennas are suitable

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A 2

L A N

R F 1

R F 2

1 (horizontal)

6 (vertical)

2 (horizontal)

4 (horizontal)

3 (vertical)

5 (horizontal)

Install the AP300

Figure 6: AP320, AP311 or AP302 Antennas 1-6 in Ceiling and Wall Mount Configuration

The following antenna connections are used during operation of the AP320, AP311, and AP302. Note that PSM3x APs will only have four antennas, rather than the typical six.

Table 1: AP300 With Two Radios and Corresponding Antennas

Model Radio 1 (Ant4, Ant5, Ant6) Radio 2 (Ant1, Ant2, Ant3)

PSM3x

AP320

AP311

AP302

a/b/g/n with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas (only one radio can be N)

a/b/g/n with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas

a/b/g/n with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas (only one radio can be N)

a/b/g with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas

Spectrum radio with one omni-directional antenna.

a/b/g/n with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas

a/b/g/n with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas (only one radio can be N)

a/b/g with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas

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A 2

L A N

R F 1

R F 2

1 (horizontal)

2 (horizontal)

3 (vertical)

does not matter

Install the AP300

Table 2: AP310 With One Radios and Corresponding Antennas

Model Radio 1 (Ant1, Ant2, Ant3)

AP310 a/b/g/n with 3 dual band omni-directional antennas

The AP310 has six external antenna ports labeled 1 - 6. However, AP310 uses only three of those antennas and the unused antenna connectors are blocked. Figure 7 illustrates the recommended antenna configuration for the AP310.

Figure 7: AP310 Antennas 1-3

The following antenna connections are used during operation of the AP310.

Radio 1 Antenna Connectors for AP310 Radio2 Antenna Connectors for AP310

Ant1, Ant2, Ant3 NA

Do not leave any antenna connectors unterminated. All connectors on the AP must be terminated with antennas or with 50 ohm Reverse Polarity SMA terminators. (For a list of approved terminators, see http://www.merunetworks.com/merusupport

The attached antennas must be the same model; if you replace one antenna, replace them all.

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Meru Networks PSM3X Users Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual