RuggedCom Inc. I 30 Whitmore Road, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada L4L 7Z4
Tel: (905) 856-5288 I Fax: (905) 856-1995 I Toll Free: (888) 264-0006
Federal Communications Commission
Radio Frequency Interference Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which
case the user will be required to correct the interference at his expense.
Caution
This product contains a laser system and is classified as a “CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT”.
Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those specified herein
may result in hazardous radiation exposure. This product contains no user serviceable parts.
Attempted service by unauthorized personnel shall render all warranties null and void.
Should this device require service see the “Warranty” section of this installation guide.
Important
This unit should be installed in a restricted access location where access can only be gained by
service personnel or users who have been instructed about the reasons for the restrictions
applied to the location and about any precautions that shall be taken; and access is through the
use of a tool or lock and key, or other means of security, and is controlled by the authority
responsible for the location.
Trademarks:
Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corporation
RuggedSwitch, RuggedRated, ROS and eRSTP are trademarks of RuggedCom® Inc.
The RuggedWireless RS900W family of products are industrially hardened, fully managed, IEEE
802.11g Access Points with integrated Ethernet switching, specifically designed to operate reliably
in electrically harsh and climatically demanding industrial environments. The RS900W’s superior
ruggedized design coupled with the RS900W’s RuggedWireless Operating System (ROS)
provides improved system reliability and advanced networking features making it ideally suited for
creating 802.11g Wireless Ethernet networks for mission-critical, real-time, control applications.
The RS900W can be equipped with dual 100Mbps fiber optical Ethernet ports for creating a fiber
optical backbone with high noise immunity and long haul connectivity. The RS900W also provides
dual power inputs for backup power and is packaged in a rugged steel enclosure that can be DIN
rail or panel mounted.
1.2 Feature Highlights
Complies with the IEEE 802.11g 2.4GHz specification (Wireless LAN) including “fallback”
(backward) compatibility with IEEE802.11b station-client devices.
High wireless data rates: 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 5.5, 2 and 1Mbps network speed.
The RW80 Access Point functionality will seamlessly integrate wireless and wired Ethernet
LAN networks.
Auto rate fallback in case of obstacles or interferences.
Basic security is provided with 64/128-bit WEP Data Encryption function to protect the wireless
data transmissions.
Enhanced security is provided by WPA and TKIP data-encryption method.
Robust security is provided by 802.11i/WPA2 (backward compatible with WPA stations) and
AES (with CCMP) data-encryption method.
Both WPA and WPA2 modes both feature Enterprise and Personal configurations for key
management. Enterprise mode will offer IEEE 802.1x security (EAP with RADIUS) while
Personal offers Pre-Shared Key (PSK) “passphrase” to generate keys for authentication.
Integrated ROS™ configuration methods.
Exceeds IEC 61000-6-2 standards for industrial environments and NEMA TS-2 standards for
traffic control equipment.
Operating temperature: -40° to 85°C (no fan)
Power supply options: 12, 24 or 48VDC, and universal HI (88-300VDC or 84-264VAC)
Dual, independent inputs for 24 and 48VDC power supplies for redundancy
Failsafe output relay for critical failure or error alarming
Advanced layer-2 switching functions: Rapid Spanning Tree, Message Prioritization and Virtual
LANs
Full-duplex operation (no collisions) with flow-control
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1.3 RS900W Family Front Panel View
Fail-Safe Relay
Power Port
Port 9:
Port 9:
Ports 1
–
6:
Ports 7
–
8:
Power and
Alarm LEDs
Reset LED
10/100 BaseTx
or
100 BaseFx
Antenna #1
10/100 BaseTx
Figure 1 - Front Panel Description
ITEM Activity Comments
Power LED Solid Power On
Alarm LED Solid Alarm condition exists
Table 1 - Status LEDs
Antenna #2
Solid Link Established LINK LED (Yellow)
Blinking – Once per second Tx/Rx Activity
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1.4 RS900W Family Bottom Panel View
Chassis ground
Power Supply
Optional DIN Rail
Fail-Safe Relay
RS232 Console
Port
Connection
Connection
Figure 2 - Bottom Panel Description
Mounting Bracket
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2 Installation
Optional
Release
2.1 DIN Rail Mounting
An optional DIN rail mounting bracket is available for the RS900W. Figure 2.1.1 details mounting
instructions for the standard 1” DIN Rail.
Din Rail
mounting
bracket
direction
Figure 3 - DIN Rail Mounting
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2.2 Power Supply Wiring and Grounding
2.2.1 AC Power Supply Wiring and Grounding
Figure 4 - Power Supply Inputs
The AC power supply inputs should be connected as follows:
1. +/L should be connected to AC Line/Hot.
2. -/N should be connected to AC Neutral.
3. Surge Ground should be connected to the Chassis Ground via a braided cable or other
appropriate grounding wire. Surge Ground is used as the ground conductor for all surge
and transient suppression circuitry internal to the unit.
4. Chassis Ground must be connected to the AC ground terminal.
NOTES:
1. Equipment must be installed according to the applicable country wiring codes.
2. All line-to-ground transient energy is shunted to the Surge Ground terminal. In cases
where users require the inputs to be isolated from ground, remove the ground braid
between Surge and Chassis Ground. Note that all line-to-ground transient protection
circuitry will be disabled.
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2.2.2 DC Power Supply Wiring and Grounding
Figure 5 - DC Power supply wiring and grounding diagram
The low voltage DC power supply features reverse polarity protection and dual independent inputs.
The latter feature allows the connection of two DC sources with the same nominal voltage to
provide redundant power supply inputs.
The DC power supply inputs should be connected as follows:
1. Connect to the DC inputs according to the polarity markings on the unit.
2. Surge Ground should be connected to the Chassis Ground via a braided cable or other
appropriate grounding wire. Surge Ground is used as the ground conductor for all surge
and transient suppression circuitry internal to the unit.
3. Chassis Ground must be connected to the protective earth.
NOTES:
1. Equipment must be installed according to the applicable country wiring codes.
2. All line-to-ground transient energy is shunted to the Surge Ground terminal. In cases
where users require the inputs to be isolated from ground, remove the ground braid
between Surge and Chassis Ground. Note that all line-to-ground transient protection
circuitry will be disabled.
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2.3 Dielectric Strength (HIPOT) Testing
Units which are to have dielectric strength testing (HIPOT testing) done in the field must have the
braided ground cable disconnected during the test. This is required in order to prevent the surge
suppression circuitry, which is connected to surge ground, from being activated.
Figure 6 - Dielectric Strength Testing
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2.4 Failsafe Output Wiring and Specifications
The Failsafe output relay is provided to signal critical error conditions that may occur on the unit.
The contacts are energized upon power up of the unit and remain energized until an alarm
condition or power loss occurs.
Figure 7 - Failsafe Output Relay
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2.5 RS232 Port Wiring
The RS232 port is used for configuring the unit. A straight-through serial cable with a DB-9
connector is required. There is no need to crossover the Transmit and Receive signals from the PC
side since this has been done internally as is shown below.
Figure 8 - RS232 Female DCE pin-out
Pin
1 No Connection
2 Transmit Data
3 Receive Data
4 No Connection
5 Ground
6 No Connection
7 No Connection
8 No Connection
9 No Connection
Signal
Table 2 - RS232 Female DCE pin-out
NOTE: This port is not intended to be a permanent connection and the cable shall be less than 2m
(6.5 ft) in length.
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2.6 RJ45 Ports – Signal Description
Units with 10/100Base-TX ports allow connection to standard Category 5 (CAT-5) unshielded
twisted-pair (UTP) cable with RJ45 male connectors. The RJ45 receptacles are directly connected
to the chassis ground on the unit and can accept CAT-5 shielded twisted-pair (STP) cables. If
shielded cables are used, care must be taken to ensure the shielded cables do not form a ground
loop via the shield wire and the RJ45 receptacles at either end. The figure below shows the shows
the RJ45 port pin-out and LEDs.
Figure 9 - RJ45 port pin-out and LEDs
Pin Signal
1 +Rx
2 -Rx
3 +Tx
4 No Connection
5 No Connection
6 -Tx
7 No Connection
8 No Connection
Case Shield (Chassis Ground)
Table 3 - RJ45 port pin-out
NOTE: RuggedCom does not recommend the use of copper cabling of any length for critical real-
time substation automation applications. However, transient suppression circuitry is present on all
copper ports to protect against damage from electrical transients and to ensure IEC 61850-3 and
IEEE 1613 Class 1 conformance. This means that during the transient event communications
errors or interruptions may occur but recovery is automatic.
RuggedCom also does not recommended to use these ports to interface to field devices across
distances which could produce high levels of ground potential rise, (i.e. greater than 2500V) during
line to ground fault conditions.
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3 Technical Specifications
3.1 Operating Environment
Parameter Range Comments
Ambient Operating Temperature
Ambient Storage Temperature
Ambient Relative Humidity 5% to 95% Non-condensing
3. For continued protection against risk of fire, replace only with same type and rating of fuse.
3.3 Failsafe Relay Specifications
Parameter Value
Max Switching Voltage 30VAC, 80VDC
Rated Switching Current 0.3A @ 30VAC
1A @ 30VDC, 0.3A @ 80VDC
Table 6 - Failsafe Relay Specification
NOTES:
1. Resistive Load.
2. For Class-2 circuits only.
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Isolation Comments
1500 V
Table 7 - Failsafe Relay Isolation
Dielectric test voltage (1 minute) between coil & contacts
rms
3.4 RJ45 Ethernet Port Specifications
Data Port Media Distance Connector Type
10/100 Mbps CAT-5 UTP or STP 100m RJ45
Table 8 – RJ45 Ethernet Port Specifications
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3.5 Wireless Standards Supported
Standard Parameter Mode Notes
IEEE 802.11g 54 Mbps (WLAN) Full Access Point 2.4 Ghz ISM
IEEE 802.11b 11 Mbps (WLAN) Client support Backwards compatibility
IEEE 802.11i Strong Encryption WPA2-AES (CCMP)
Enhanced Encryption WPA-TKIP (RC4) Temporal keys
Basic Encryption WEP (RC4) Up to 4 static keys
IEEE 802.1x Wireless Authentication ‘Personal’ or ‘Enterprise’ PSK or RADIUS
Table 9 - Wireless Standards supported
Robust Secure Network
(RSN)
3.6 Radio Characteristics
Standard Parameter
Modulation Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum 802.11b / OFDM 802.11g
Frequency Range 2.4 Ghz – 2.4965 Ghz
6-54 Mbps: OFDM
11 Mbps: CCK
Data Rate
Channels
Output Power
Receiver Sensitivity
Table 10 - Radio Characteristics
5.5 Mbps: CCK
2 Mbps: DQPSK
1 Mbps: DBPSK
11 – US (FCC)
11 - CAN (IC)
14 – Japan (MKK)
13 – Other countries (ETS)
100 mW (20dBm) 802.11b 11Mbps Data Rate
100 mW (20dBm) 802.11g 6-24Mbps Data Rate
79 mW (19dBm) 802.11g 36Mbps Data Rate
63 mW (18dBm) 802.11g 48Mbps Data Rate
40 mW (16dBm) 802.11g 54Mbps Data Rate
At Radio 802.11b 11Mb@-88dBm / With Antenna: 11Mb@-91dBm
At Radio 802.11g 54Mb@-74dBm / With Antenna: 54Mb@-77dBm
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3.7 IEEE 802.11b/g
The channel identifiers, channel center frequencies, and regulatory domains of each IEEE 802.11b/g 22-MHz-wide
channel are shown in Figure 2.7.1
Regulatory Domains
Frequency
Channel Identifier
1 2412 X X X X
2 2417 X X X X
3 2422 X X X X
4 2427 X X X X
5 2432 X X X X
6 2437 X X X X
7 2442 X X X X
8 2447 X X X X
9 2452 X X X X
10 2457 X X X X
11 2462 X X X X
(in MHz)
America (-A) EMEA (-E) Japan (-J)
Rest of World (-W)
12 2467 - X X X
13 2472 - X X X
14 2484 - - X -
Table 11 - Channel allocations for IEEE 802.11b/g
NOTES:
•Mexico is included in the Rest of World regulatory domain; however, channels 1 through 8 are for indoor use
only while channels 9 through 11 can be used indoors and outdoors. Users are responsible for ensuring that
the channel set configuration complies with the regulatory standards of Mexico.
•In Japan, channel 14 is not supported for 802.11g mode.
RuggedCom warrants this product for a period of five (5) years from date of purchase. For warranty
details, visit http://www.ruggedcom.com or contact your customer service representative. Should
this product require warranty or service contact the factory at:
RuggedCom Inc.
30 Whitmore Road,
Woodbridge, Ontario
Canada L4L 7Z4
Phone: (905) 856-5288
Fax: (905) 856-1995
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5 Appendix A - RuggedWireless ™ Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ)
What factors can affect wireless coverage/range?
Range estimates are typical and require line of sight. Basically that means you will need a clear
unobstructed view of the antenna from the remote point in the link. Keep in mind that walls and
obstacles will limit your operating range and could even prevent you from establishing a link.
Signals in the 2.4 Ghz generally will not penetrate metal or concrete walls. Trees and leaves are
also obstructions to 802.11 frequencies so they can partially (or even entirely) block the signal.
Other factors that will reduce range and affect coverage area include metal studs in walls, concrete
fiberboard walls, aluminum siding, foil-backed insulation in the walls or under the siding, pipes and
electrical wiring, furniture and sources of interference. Other sources of interference include the
microwave oven, other wireless equipment, cordless phones, radio transmitters and other electrical
equipment. Due to the increased gain, installing range extender antennas in the presence of
interference could actually yield either no improvement or worse range.
Which WiFi (802.11) Antenna type should I choose? Patch/Directional Antennas
Choose a patch if you want the signal more focused than from an omni-directional antenna . Patch
antennas typically transmit the signal with approximately a 30 degree beam width. This is ideal for
use in office locations, ie placed at one end of room to provide coverage for it's entire length. They
can also be used outdoors to provide short distance point to point links.
When would I choose a Parabolic Grid Antenna?
These antennas have a very narrow beamwidth and are ideal for point-to-point bridge links. Grid
antennas are highly directional and they should only be chosen to aim at one small (i.e.
concentrated) spot.
When would I choose an Omni-Directional Antenna?
Choose an Omni-directional antenna to provide a signal over a full 360 degree radius.
How many clients can associate with an access point?
An Access Point is a shared medium and acts as a wireless hub. The performance of each user
decreases as the number of users increases on an individual AP. Ideally, not more than 24 clients
should associate with the AP because the throughput of the AP is reduced with each client that
associates to the AP.
How do I convert between power expressed in ‘milliwatt’ and power expressed in ‘dBm’
units?
The formula used to convert stated ‘power’ levels to decibels (dBm – milliwatt @ 50 or 600 ohm
impedance) is given as: dBm = 10 * Log (Power in mW / 1 mW)
Conversely, the formula used to convert stated ‘power’ levels to milliwatts when expressed in dBm
is given as: Power (mW) = anti-log (dBm / 10)