Aruba AirMesh MST200 User manual

Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router
Installation Guide
0511195-01 | September 2012 1
The Aruba AirMesh MST200 is a resilient, environmentally hardened, outdoor rated, single-radio IEEE
802.11 a/n wireless mesh access router. This router is part of Aruba’s comprehensive wireless network
solution.The MST200 delivers high-performance outdoor wireless mesh connectivity for remote locations
and devices such as IP video surveillance cameras, remote sensors, and digital signage. The MST200 is also
ideal for point-to-point outdoor mesh links between buildings and remote sites.
There are two versions of the MST200, which mainly differ in the way they receive power.
MST2HP: Power over Ethernet+ (PoE+) powered (802.3at)
MST2HAC: AC powered (100 - 240 VAC)
Guide Overview
"MST200 Hardware Overview" on page3 provides a detailed hardware overview of the two MST200
models.
"Outdoor Planning and Deployment Considerations" on page9 provides key questions to ask and items
to consider when deploying an outdoor wireless network.
"Weatherproofing Connections" on page12 provides instructions on weatherproofing the connectors on
the router.
"Installing the MST200" on page12 describes the multi-step process for a successful installation and
deployment of a MST200.
"Safety and Regulatory Compliance" on page21 provides an overview of safety and regulatory
compliance information.
MST200 Operations
Wireless mesh router for backhaul (IEEE 802.11 a/n)
MST2HP: IEEE 802.3at PoE+ compatible
MST2HAC: IEEE 802.3at Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) device
MST200 requires the Aruba MeshOS operating system.
The MST2HAC can function as a Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) device by providing power through its Ethernet
port in compliance with the IEEE 802.3at standard.

2Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide
Package Contents
Aruba MST200 AirMesh Router
MST200 Mounting Bracket
MST200 Positioning Bracket
Pole Anchors x 2
M6 x 12 bolts, flat washers, and spring washers x5
M8 x 16 bolts, flat washers, and spring washers x2
M4 x 12 bolt, external-tooth washer, and OT copper lug x1
M8 x 110 bolt, flat washers, spring washers, and nuts x4
RJ-45 Connector Kit
USB Console Cable
Installation Guide
Quick Start Guide
The MST200 does not ship with any power cables; these are available as accessories and should be ordered
separately.
Inform your supplier if there are any incorrect, missing, or damaged parts. If possible, retain the carton, including
the original packing materials. Use these materials to repack and return the unit to the supplier if needed.

Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide 3
MST200 Hardware Overview
The following section describes the hardware features of the MST2HP and MST2HAC.
Figure 1 MST2HP Overview (protective caps removed)
1 LED Status Indicators 3 USB Console Interface
2 Ethernet Interface (PoE) 4 Grounding Point
2
1
3
4

4Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide
Figure 2 MST2HAC Overview (protective caps removed)
1 Ethernet Interface (PoE Out) 4 Power Interface
2 LED Status Indicators 5 Pressure Equalization Port
3 USB Console Interface 6 Grounding Point
2
1
3
4
5
6

Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide 5
USB Console Interface
A USB serial console port is provided for connection to a terminal, allowing direct local management. Use
the included USB console cable to connect to the router. You can download the necessary driver for USB-
UART adapter from support.arubanetworks.com under the Tools & Resources tab.
Use the following settings to access the terminal:
The baud rate setting depends on the manufacture date of the MST200 (before or after March 2012) and the
Serial Number (14 characters or 9 characters). The table above lists all the SKUs for MST200 along with the
corresponding baud rate.
Power Interface
The type of power interface on the MST200 depends on the model that you have purchased.
MST2HP: This version does not include a power interface since it is only powered by PoE+ (802.3at).
MST2HAC: One AC power connector.
Ethernet Interface
The MST200 is equipped with a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port for wired network connectivity. On
the MST2HP, this port also supports IEEE 802.3at Power over Ethernet (PoE), accepting 48 VDC as a
standards-defined powered device (PD) from a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device, such as a PoE
midspan injector. Inversely, the MST2HAC can act as a PSE device to provide IEEE802.3at PoE power to
devices such as a video camera, connected to the Ethernet port.
Table 1 Console Settings
Product SKUs Serial Number Baud Rate Data Bits Parity Stop Bits Flow
Control
MST2H13N0
MST2H13N0-JP
MST2H13N0-US
14 characters
(For example:
26A02110500467)
115200 8 None 1 None
MST2HP
MST2HP-JP
MST2HP-US
MST2HAC
MST2HAC-JP
MST2HAC-US
9 characters
(For example:
AZ1234567)
9600 8 None 1 None

6Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide
Figure 3 Connecting a Video Camera to the Ethernet Interface on MST2HAC
Pressure Equalization Port
The Pressure Equalization port allows air exchange between the MST200 and environment in a controlled
way that doesn’t allow water to get into the MST200. This balances the pressure and humidity inside and
outside the MST200.
Grounding Point
Always remember to protect your MST200 by installing grounding lines. The ground connection must be
completed before connecting power to the MST200 enclosure. Ensure that the resistance is less than 5 ohm
between the ground termination point and the grounding tier and the cross section of the grounding cable
should be no less than 6 square mm.
MST2HP LED Status Indicators
The MST2HP includes visual indicators for power, link, and radio status. Additionally, each radio has a four-
LED array that indicates received signal strength (RSSI).
Figure 4 MST2HP LED Layout
Video Camera
The RSSI LED indicators represent varying degrees in the RSSI level. The absence of a signal is indicated by no
LED response. All four LEDs are active and lit is an indication of full signal strength.
RSSI for Radio 0

Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide 7
Table 2 lists the meanings of the LEDs on the MST2HP outdoor access point.
MST2HAC LED Status Indicators
The MST2HAC includes visual indicators for power, link, heat, and radio status.
Figure 5 MST2HAC LED Layout
Table 3 lists the meanings of the LEDs on the MST2HAC outdoor access points.
Table 2 MST2HP LED Status Indicators
LED Function Indicator Status
P/S Router Power/
Ready Status
Off No power to the router
Orange Device booting, not ready
Green Device ready
POE N/A N/A Not currently used
ENT LAN/Network Link
Status
Off Ethernet link unavailable
On (Yellow) 10/100 Mbps Ethernet link
negotiated
On (Green) 1000 Mbps Ethernet link
negotiated
Blinking Traffic on Ethernet link
RF Radio 0 Status Off Radio 0 disabled
On (Blue) Radio 0 enabled
RSSI RSSI Level for
Radio 0
Off RSSI disabled/no signal
4 Step Progressive
Bars (Blue)
25/50/75/100%
Each bar represents a progressive
increase in signal strength, with 4
bars representing maximum signal
strength (100%).
Minimum data rate: One lit LEDs
Maximum data rate: Four lit LEDs
Table 3 MST2HAC LED Status Indicators
LED Function Indicator Status
P/S/H Router Power/
Ready Status/
Displays the
heating status of
low temperature
Off No power to the router
On (Red) Device alarm
On (Green) Device ready
Blinking Device booting, not ready
On (Blue) Device is pre-heating

8Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide
POE Displays PSE
power output
status
Off Device is not sourcing PoE power
On (Green) Device is sourcing PoE power to a
powered device in 802.3at mode
On (Amber) In 802.3at mode
ENT LAN/Network Link
Status
Off Ethernet link unavailable
On (Amber) 10/100 Mbps Ethernet link
negotiated
On (Green) 1000 Mbps Ethernet link
negotiated
Blinking Traffic on Ethernet link
RF 5GHz Radio Status Off No active BSS (for access) and
WDS neighbor with uptime < 5s
On (Amber) At least one active BSS (for
access) or at least one WDS
neighbor with uptime >= 5s
Table 3 MST2HAC LED Status Indicators (Continued)
LED Function Indicator Status
Starting with MeshOS 4.5, you can turn off the LEDs in the MST200 devices using the WMI and CLI. The LEDs are
enabled by default. This option may be used to disable the LED lights in a MST200 device that is mounted in an
elevated place on the city streets or residential areas, to avoid unwanted attention or disturbance. This feature turns
off only the LED lights that indicate the software status, for example the RF. The LEDs that indicate the hardware
status, for example Power, P/S, POE, and ETH, cannot be turned off using this feature. For additional details, refer
to the Aruba MeshOS User Guide and the Aruba MeshOS Command Reference Guide.

Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide 9
Outdoor Planning and Deployment Considerations
Prior to deploying an outdoor wireless network, the environment must be evaluated to plan for a successful
Aruba WLAN deployment. Successfully evaluating the environment enables the proper selection of Aruba
routers and antennas and assists in the determination of their placement for optimal RF coverage. This
process is considered WLAN or RF planning and Aruba’s system engineers can assist in the outdoor
planning process.
Scale Requirements
The potentially immense scale of outdoor deployments requires consideration of factors that may not be as
important in a typical indoor deployment:
Range (distance): Range or distance between routers must be taken into account during the planning
phase. Available mounting locations are often far less flexible in an outdoor environment. Regardless of
these outdoor restrictions, the desired goal is to achieve results similar to an indoor deployment: a
“dense” RF deployment that supports advanced Aruba features, such as ARM, efficient client roaming,
and failover.
Elevation: Proper consideration and planning for elevation differences between routers (router to
router) and router to Client can be critical to success. To plan for these differences in elevation, it is
important to understand the 3D coverage pattern provided by the antennas that will be deployed in the
environment.
Non-Fixed Considerations: The RF environment might change on a day to day basis. Keep non-fixed
items, such as shipping containers, vehicles, and future building construction, in mind when planning for
an outdoor deployment.
Identifying Known RF Absorbers/Reflectors/Interferences Sources
Identifying known RF absorbers/reflectors/interference sources while out in the field during the installation
phase is critical. Even though outdoor environments consist of fewer RF absorbers/reflectors/interference
sources compared to indoor environments, ensure that these sources are identified and taken into
consideration when installing and mounting a router to its fixed outdoor location.
RF Absorbers
Cement/Concrete
Natural Items: Trees/vegetation
Brick
RF Reflectors
Metal Objects: Roof-installed air-conditioning equipment, chain link fences (depending on aperture
size), other wire fences, or water pipes.
RF Interference Sources
Other 802.11a/b/g/n or broadband access equipment operating nearby
Industrial RF welding equipment or other Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) equipment that utilizes
RF to heat or alter the physical properties of materials
Military, Commercial Aviation or Weather Radar Systems

10 Aruba MST200 Wireless Mesh Router | Installation Guide
Line of Sight (Radio Path Planning)
A wireless bridge or mesh link requires a “radio line of sight” between the two antennas for optimum
performance. The concept of radio line of sight involves the area along a link through which the bulk of the
radio signal power travels. This area is known as the first Fresnel Zone of the radio link. For a radio link, no
object (including the ground) must intrude within 60% of the first Fresnel Zone.
Figure 6 illustrates the concept of a good radio line of sight.
Figure 6 Line of Sight
If there are obstacles in the radio path, there may still be a radio link but the quality and strength of the
signal will be affected. Calculating the maximum clearance from objects on a path is important as it directly
affects the decision on antenna placement and height. It is especially critical for long-distance links, where
the radio signal could easily be lost.
When planning the radio path for a wireless bridge or mesh link, consider these factors:
Avoid any partial line of sight between the antennas
Be cautious of trees or other foliage that may be near the path, or may grow and obstruct the path.
Be sure there is enough clearance from buildings and that no building construction may eventually block
the path.
For very long distance links, the curvature of the earth (20 cm per km) may need to be considered in the
calculation of relative heights.
Check the topology of the land between the antennas using topographical maps, aerial photos, or even
satellite image data (software packages are available that may include this information for your area)
Avoid a path that may incur temporary blockage due to the movement of cars, trains, or aircraft.
!
Never construct a radio mast, pole, or tower near overhead power lines.
Local regulations may limit or prevent construction of a high radio mast or tower. If your wireless bridge or mesh link
requires a high radio mast or tower, consult a professional contractor for advice.