AvaLAN AW900xTR-PAIR Installation and operating instructions

Industrial-grade, long-range wireless Ethernet systems
AvaLAN
WIRELESS
USER’S MANUAL ADDENDUM
Matched Pair Bridges
Certain AvaLAN radios are sold as matched pairs, pre-congured as a wireless
Ethernet bridge. The manual supplied with the pair does not include information
about the pair conguration, hence this addendum.
This addendum applies to these products:
AW900xTR-PAIR AW2400xTR-PAIR AW5800xTR-PAIR
AW900iTR-PAIR AW2400iTR-PAIR
AW900xTP-PAIR AW2400xTP-PAIR AW5800xTP-PAIR
The pair conguration as shipped from the factory consists of these features:
1. One unit of the pair is congured as an Access Point and the other is cong-
ured as a Subscriber Unit.
2. The Access Point is given the IP Address 192.168.17.17.
3. The Subscriber Unit is given the IP Address 192.168.17.18.
4. User-specied encryption keys are disabled and the two radios are keyed to
each other using the “Auto-Key” method.
5. RF Channel selection is set to automatic mode.
If these conguration parameters work for you in your system, you need only to
connect antennas, power and LAN and the pair should work transparently, look-
ing just like an Ethernet cable.
If you need to change any of the pair’s parameters, you may use the browser
interface as described in the accompanying manual. You might need to do this if
you need to set the pair to a particular channel, or you wish to provide your own
encryption keys. If the default IP Addresses won’t work in your system, the best
way to change them is by using the ipnder utility described in the manual
In case of difculty, you may nd additional help under the Support tab on our
website or by contacting AvaLAN Technical Support using the information in the
manual.
Revision 08.11.2010

User’s ManUal
Industrial-grade, long-range wireless Ethernet systems
AvaLAN
WIRELESS
900 MHz Outdoor Wireless Ethernet Radio
AW900xTR

AW900xTR
PAGE 2
Technical support
User’s Manual
© by AvaLAN Wireless Systems Inc. All rights reserved.
Revision 04.27.2012
Thank you for your purchase of the AW900xTR Outdoor Wireless Ethernet Radio.
The AW900xTR includes:
• (1) Radio in weatherproof die-cast aluminum package
• (1) AW2-900 Flexible Antenna
• (1) 120 VAC to 12 VDC power adapter
• (1) AW-POE Power Over Ethernet Injector
IfyouhaveanyquestionswhenconguringyourAvaLANsystem, 
Youwillalsondthelatestupdatesthere.
If more assistance is needed,
send email to
(Product shown with optional AW11-900 Antenna)
contact solid signal at
877.312.4547 (EST)
[email protected]
: 877.312.4547 (EST)
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Technical support
User’s Manual AW900xTR
Operational summary
The AW900xTR Radio allows the user to create a long-range, wireless Ethernet net-
workwithupto16subscriberunitsperaccesspoint.Thecongurationmayinclude
any combination of AW900xTR, AW900iTR and AW900xTP radios. (Please note that
older AvaLAN 900 MHz radios can exist on the same LAN but cannot be used to
form wireless links with the AW900xTR units because link encryption protocols have
changed.)
Conguring a wireless link with theAW900xTR requires the establishment of six
elements:
• Each radio must know whether it is to be an access point (AP) or subscriber
unit (SU).
• Each radio must have an IP address that is unique among all others on the
same network.
• The AP must know how many SUs are expecting communication with it.
• The AP and any given SU must agree on which radio frequency channel they
are using. This can be manually set or allowed to change automatically.
• The SU must be assigned a unique subscriber ID to specify which time division
slot it will use when communicating with the AP.
• The AP and any given SU must share a common 128-bit encryption key.
AW900xTRradiosmaybeconguredbytwodifferentmethods.Theymaybecon-
nected to a computer that will run a web browser, setting parameters via their
built-in browser interfaces. They may also be programmed via the older “easy key”
method using the DIP switches and LEDs on the module inside the case. If you wish
to use the older method, go to our website and download the user manual for the
AW900IT or AW900xT and follow the procedures there.
The access point (AP) automatically scans for the best of the 12 available radio fre-
quency channels, encrypts Ethernet data received from the network, and transmits
it wirelessly to the correct subscriber unit (SU). The AP is constantly monitoring the
radio link and can automatically change the channel if performance is degraded due
to interference. If two AP units are very close to one another, they may interfere
if operating on adjacent frequency channels. Place them at least 10 feet apart or
manually select non-adjacent channels for their operation. Also, the SU should be
placed at least 10 feet from the AP to avoid overloading the radio’s receiver.
Any 10/100 BaseT Ethernet client device (ECD) can be connected to an AW900xTR
subscriberunit.EachSUencryptsEthernettrafcreceivedfromtheattachedECD
and transmits the data wirelessly to its AP. Each SU can be plugged directly into an
ECD without adding drivers or loading software. Essentially, once the AP/SU pair is
conguredandrunningitbehaveslikeacontinuousEthernetcable.
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AW900xTR
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User’s Manual
Physical Setup
1. Before mounting the radio in its nal location, you may want to perform the
digital setup procedure described in the next section.
2. Mount the AW900xTR securely. Maximize lightning resistance by providing a
strong DC ground connection to the metal housing. Connect the AW900xTR’s TNC RF
connector to a suitable antenna. A simple omni-directional dipole unit (AW2-900) is
included and may be used for testing and for relatively undemanding applications.
If greater range and/or directionality is required, choose one of our other antenna
models. You may see them on our website at www.avalanwireless.com.
3. Power is provided to the unit by means of the Ethernet cable, allowing the power
supply to be located at a convenient location. The included power-over-Ethernet
injector (POE) provides the means for adding DC power to unused wires in the cable.
Decide where to place the POE based on proximity to AC power at some point along
the desired path of the Ethernet cable. Plug the included power supply into an ap-
propriate electrical outlet and into the POE. Connect an Ethernet cable between
your network and the “DATA IN” port on the POE. Connect a second cable from the
“P + DATA OUT” port on the POE and the AW900xTR. The AW900xTR is provided with
a cable clamping device that allows an RJ45 plug on the cable to pass through it and
can be tightened down around the cable to provide a weatherproof seal.
4. This radio is suitable for use in Class I, Division 2, Groups A,B,C,D or non-hazard-
ous locations only. The radio is Class I, Division 2 when using the POE and power
supply provided with the product and installed using wiring methods in accordance
with the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) for Canada and the National Electric Code
(NEC) for U.S. The POE and power supply should be used only in areas known to be
non-hazardous.
WARNING - EXPLOSION HAZARD - DO NOT DISCONNECT EQUIPMENT UNLESS POWER HAS
BEEN SWITCHED OFF OR THE AREA IS KNOWN TO BE NON-HAZARDOUS;
AVERTISSEMENT - RISQUE D’EXPLOSION -AVANT DE DÉCONNECTER L’EQUIPEMENT, COUPER
LE COURANT OU S’ASSURER QUE L’EMPLACEMENT EST DÉSIGNÉ NON DANGEREUX.
Digital Setup
1. Digital conguration is done by means of theAW900xTR’s built in browser in-
terface. It should be powered on and connected at least temporarily to a network
containing a computer that can run a conventional web browser.
2. Download the AvaLAN IP Discovery Utility from our website and extract
ipnder.exe from the zip archive, placing it on your desktop or in a convenient
folder. Just go to www.avalanwireless.com and choose Support >> Downloads from
the top menu. Note that this utility only runs on MS Windows, not linux or MAC. If
youmust usea non-Windowscomputerforconguration,makesure yoursubnet
877.312.4547 (EST)
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Technical support
User’s Manual AW900xTR
The AW900xTR should appear in the list at the default IP address of 192.168.17.17.
If it does not, click “Search” to regenerate the list. If it still does not appear, you
have a connection issue and need to re-examine the cabling or you may have a
rewallissueonyourcomputer.
4. Double click the list item that refers to theAW900xTR being congured.You
should see a second window that is similar to this:
The information on the left is the current status of the radio, while the boxes on the
right allow you to change it. It is important that the IP address of the AW900xTR is in
the same subnet as your computer. For example, if the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0
(aclassCnetwork),therstthreenumbergroupsoftheIPaddressmustmatch.
Choose your desired parameters and click “Apply.”
5. Make note of the chosen IP address and password, then click “Go to Device Web
Page.” This will cause your default web browser to launch with the device IP ad-
dress in the browser address bar. Or you may launch the browser on your own and
enter the web page address manually: http://[the IP address you just set].
mask allows your computer to see 192.168.17.17. Connect to that default IP address
with your web browser, continuing the setup procedure with step 6.
3.RuntheIPDiscoveryUtility,ipnder.exeandyoushouldseeawindowsimilarto
this:
877.312.4547 (EST)
www.solidsignal.com

AW900xTR
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User’s Manual
7. The admin page has sections similar to the login page showing radio statistics
and device information plus it adds several new sections. The Device Settings sec-
tion allows setting the network information and choosing an RF frequency channel.
The default is to allow the radio to choose its own frequency based on minimizing
interference.Ifyousetaxedchannel,makesuretheAPandallSUsusethesame
one. References to DIPs on this and the next web page refer to switches inside the
radiothatareusedinthelegacymethodofcongurationandmaybeignoredwhen
using the browser method.
If you scroll down in the Admin browser page, you will come to three more sections:
• A graphical spectrum analyzer display that may help you to select radio chan-
nels that avoid interference
• AsectiontobeusedifanupdatetotheAW900xTR’srmwareisrequired
• An Advanced Links section with a dire warning about advanced users only.
Despite the warning, you will need to click the “Advanced Admin” button in order
to set the device type, ID and encryption key. You should then see a page similar to
that on the next page.
6.ThebrowserpagethatloadsrstshowsthecurrentdeviceinformationandQoS
statistics and provides a login at the upper right. Log in using the password you just
specied(or“password”ifyoukeptthedefault).Iftheloginsucceeds,youwillsee
an admin page similar to this:
www.solidsignal.com
877.312.4547 (EST)

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User’s Manual AW900xTR
8. On the Advanced Admin page, set the parameters as follows:
• Choose Device Type: Access Point or Subscriber Unit.
• For Subscriber Units, assign unique ID numbers in numeric order from 1 to 63.
• For an Access Point, enter the number of Subscriber Units that will be com-
municating with it.
• Clicktheboxlabeled“EnableUserSpeciedKeys.”
• Choose an 8-digit hex (0-9 and A-F) Network Name that will be common
among the AP and its SUs and enter it. The hyphen is required.
• Choose a 32-digit hex encryption key and enter it. Again, the hyphens are
required. This key must match between the AP and the SU so make a note of
it as well.
After entering the parameters, click the “Apply” button to save them to the radio.
9. When all of the radios are keyed and operating, connect them to your network
and Ethernet devices as desired and cycle the radio’s power to begin normal opera-
tion. Now, browser mamagement of the SUs can be performed over the wireless
network. Note: avoid plugging actively linked radios into the same switch because
this will corrupt its routing table and may cause network problems just as if you had
plugged a CAT5 cable directly between two ports of a switch.
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AW900xTR
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User’s Manual
This product is warranted to the original purchaser for normal use for a period of
360 days from the date of purchase. If a defect covered under this warranty occurs,
AvaLAN will repair or replace the defective part, at its option, at no cost. This war-
rantydoesnotcoverdefectsresultingfrommisuseormodicationoftheproduct.
Limited Warranty
Channel Center Frequency
0Auto Mode
1903.12500 MHz
2905.20833 MHz
3907.29167 MHz
4909.37500 MHz
5911.45833 MHz
6913.54167 MHz
7915.62500 MHz
8917.70833 MHz
9919.79167 MHz
10 921.87500 MHz
11 923.95833 MHz
12 926.04167 MHz
900 MHz Channels
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