Firetide FWB-100 User manual

Firetide
2010-08-27 Preliminary Version 1.1
The contents of this User Guide are subject to change without notice.
Please refer to the Firetide partners web site, partners.retide.com, for current versions.
User Guide
FWB-100
Wireless Bridge

2 Firetide FWB-100 Wireless Bridge User Guide August 2010
Chapter 1. Setting Up Your Equipment
Introduction The Firetide FWB-100 wireless bridge provides wireless point-to-point connectivity for Ethernet
trafc, indoors or out. The FWB-100 is sold in pairs, which have been programmed at the factory to
work with each other. Installation of the devices should only be done by qualied and experienced
personnel. Outdoor installation involves many safety hazards, including electrocution, lightning
strikes, and falls. Please be careful.
Unpacking and Setup A basic FWB-100 is shown in Figure 1. In addition, the FWB is offered as the FWB-102, a pair of
units designed to use the integrated 2.4 GHz antenna built into the bridge. The FWB-105 is a pair
of units including two external antennas designed for 5 GHz. (Note: If you are using a 5 GHz an-
tenna, you must set “Select Active Antenna” to “Antenna 2 (external)”.)
Note that an Ethernet cable is NOT included. You should obtain a weatherproof 4-pair cat-5 cable
long enough to reach from the unit to the location where you will connect with other equipment.
The cable must be a 4-pair cable; smaller cables will not seal in the waterproof connector. The
cable can be pre-terminated; the waterproof connector will pass an RJ-45 plug.
Figure 1. FWB-100 Package Contents; Power Injector & Connectors
Assembling the Ethernet Cable Test the unit before mounting it on the pole or mast. Begin by making the cable.
1. Remove the weatherproof Ethernet connector cover - the black plug - from the unit.
2. Dismantle it. You will have a housing, a housing insert, a cap, and a gasket.
3. Place the cap over one end of your Ethernet cable.
4. Place the housing insert over the cable.
5. Thread the cable through the housing.
6. Plug the cable into the RJ-45 port visible inside the unit.
7. Thread the housing back into the unit. Make sure the gasket is still in place.
8. Tighten the cap so that it compresses the housing insert to the housing.
Now you can connect the Ethernet cable to the power feed unit, via the OUT port on the power
feed unit. The CONNECT light should turn green. If the FAULT light comes on, contact Firetide. The
Firetide device needs about two minutes to boot itself. When it completes this process, the Status
will turn green.

Firetide. Reliable Connectivity Anywhere 3 Preliminary Version 1.1
Using the Mounting Bracket The bracket allows easy tilting and aiming of the device. It also allows the unit to be mounted with
its internal antenna oriented for either vertical or horizontal polarization and allows mounting on
either a horizontal or vertical pole. Note that the internal antenna polarization is vertical when the
connectors are pointed down. A 2.4 GHz antenna is built in to the unit. There is also an external
antenna connector. Keep the plastic cover on this connected to prevent water from getting into
the unit.
Figure 2. FWB-100 Mounting Bracket
In order to avoid climbing up and down the pole twice, power up the unit before proceeding with
the installation. The only connection you need is the Ethernet; it provides power as well.
Attach the bracket to the back of the unit, using the two slotted holes shown on the right side of
the bracket, as shown in Figure 2. Select two holes on the unit according to the desired orientation
of the pole and the antenna.
The bracket is attached to the pole using the U-bolt and one or two of the supplied jaw-clamps
(Figure 3). One jaw-clamp is used between the bracket and the pole; the second clamp may be used
on smaller-diameter poles by placing it over the U-bolt before putting the U-bolt around the pole.
After placing the U-bolt around the pole, place the bracket over the legs of the U-bolt such that
one leg passes through the round hole and the other leg passes through the curved slot. Snug the
bracket slightly with the supplied nuts and lockwashers, but do not tighten until you have aligned
the unit. The result should resemble Figure 3.
Figure 3. U-bolt Mounting Assembly; Tilting the Unit for Signal Alignment
Aligning the FWB The Alignment LED provides a visual indication of signal strength. Point the FWB in the direction
of its signal source, then carefully adjust it, both horizontally and vertically, using the Alignment
LED as a guide. The LED will blink more rapidly as the signal strength increases. When you receive
the strongest signal, tighten the nuts. Figure 3 shows how the bracket can be used to tilt the unit.
The LED alignment feature is enabled by default. To insure maximum performance, you should dis-
able the feature via the web interface after installation is complete. If you are re-aligning anten-
nas, be sure to re-enable the alignment feature.

4 Firetide FWB-100 Wireless Bridge User Guide August 2010
Chapter 2. Conguring the FWB-100
Initial Setup & login
Firetide FWB units are shipped in pairs, and must be congured prior to deployment in the eld.
Set the two units up on the bench and apply power. Wait about 1-2 minutes for the units to boot
up and establish a radio connection.
Each unit has a label, as shown below, which identies the unit and its partner (see highlighted
area). Connect your computer to the power insertion unit which feeds the lower-numbered member
of the pair.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) This device must accept
any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Input Power: 48 VDC POE, 0.25 A
Made in China
Warranty Void if Opened
Firetide Wireless Bridge
(FWB)
FCC ID: REP-4200
IC ID: 4988A-4200
0980
V
H
Antenna
Polarity
S/N
Paired
with
MO 3 2 4 0 8 0 6 0 0 0 1 6 7
MO 3 2 4 0 8 0 6 0 0 0 3 9 1
192.168.224.161
192.168.224.162
FWB nodes are paired, or “married”, at the factory. Within each pair, the unit with the lower serial
number is assigned IP address 192.168.224.161, and the unit with the higher serial number is as-
signed IP address 192.168.224.162. You can change these addresses if desired.
Congure the computer to have an IP address on the subnet 192.168.224.0/24. When you power
up the two units on the bench, they will usually connect. If they do, connect to the unit labeled
with the 192.168.224.161 IP address. Point the browser at https://192.168.224.161. You will be
asked for a login and password; the defaults are admin and retide. You should change these when
you congure the FWB units. Proceed to set the country code.
If the two nodes did not connect with each other, you must point your browser at the second node,
at https://192.168.224.162. Log in as above, and set its country code.
Operating Country
Firetide FWB-100 nodes require that you enter the country of operation to ensure compliance
with the channel limitations, indoor/outdoor restrictions, and license requirements of your region.
Selecting a country other than where you are using the device may result in illegal operation and
may cause harmful interference to other systems. The node will reboot after clicking Apply to set
the country code.

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Link Conguration
Link Radio Settings
Link Status is displayed here. Conguration options include: Wireless Mode, Channel, Auto Selec-
tion of Channel and Extended Range. Wireless Mode settings include: 11b, 11bg, 11g, 108g static,
11a, and 11a static turbo. Extended Range can be set from 0 to 9 miles (0 to 14.5 km). Click Apply
to save settings.
Link Basic Settings
Link Basic Settings include Multicast Data Rate, Fragmentation Threshold, and Management VLAN
Settings. The data rate can be set from 1 Mbps up to 54 Mbps. Fragmentation threshold is gener-
ally left at the default setting of 2346. Management VLAN status can be enabled or disabled. When
enabled, select the appropriate management VLAN number. Click Apply to save settings.
Link Security Settings
Link Security Settings provide support for encryption. The default is Enabled, WPA2-PSK.

6 Firetide FWB-100 Wireless Bridge User Guide August 2010
Node Conguration
IP Address Settings
Congure node IP address settings here. Enter the node IP address, IP Net Mask, and Gateway IP
address. Click Apply to save settings.
Basic Radio Settings
Radio settings used by the node are displayed on this page. Node settings for Modulation Data Rate
and Transmission Power can be selected. Click Apply to save settings.
Advanced Radio Settings
Advanced radio settings allow you to select the active antenna. If you are using an external 5
GHz antenna (e.g. you purchased the FWB-105 package), you must set “Select Active Antenna” to
“External Antenna”.
Click Apply to save settings.

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Node Management
User Settings
Congure users with conguration privileges here by adding User Name and Password.
Save/Restore Conguration
You can save the current link conguration as a le by selecting Save. Nodes can be restored by
using the Restore function to apply a previously-saved le.
System Commands
System Commands let you reboot the Appliance or perform a factory reset. Note that a factory reset
will re-enable the antenna alignment tool, and require you to re-specify the country code.
Antenna Alignment
Antenna alignment settings are available here. Alignment is on by default. To insure maximum
performance, turn off the alignment feature after alignment is complete.

8 Firetide FWB-100 Wireless Bridge User Guide August 2010
Status
Link Status
Link Status is displayed here. Click Refresh to see the current status. Link status includes current
radio operating mode, RF channel, node MAC addresses, and IP addresses. The Manage Remote but-
ton lets you connect to and manage the remote node, as long as the RF link is up.
Node Status
Node Status is displayed here. Click Refresh to see the current status.

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Upgrade
Firmware Upgrade
In order to upgrade rmware, you must have Java installed on your PC. When you begin this pro-
cess, the Java applet will take a moment to load.
Browse to select upgrade image. Click Start Upgrade to begin. Once started the upgrade can be
cancelled by clicking Cancel Upgrade.
Logout
Select the Logout tab to securely exit from the session.

10 Firetide FWB-100 Wireless Bridge User Guide August 2010
Appendix A. Specications
Common Specications
These tables describes the technical limits of the nodes. Various country restrictions may further
limit available choices.
Model Use
FWB-102 Indoor/Outdoor, Worldwide, 2.4/4.9/5 GHz
FWB-105 Indoor/Outdoor, Worldwide, 2.4/4.9/5 GHz, with external high-gain antenna
For all models:
Bands (GHz) Frequency (GHz) Restrictions
802.11a/b/g 2.412-2.484
4.94-4.99 (US Public Safety)
5.15-5.825
Available frequencies subject to specic country regulations.
Bands (GHz) Max TX Power
802.11a, 5.15-5.25 (indoor only)
802.11a, 5.25-5.35
802.11a, 5.725-5.825
17dBm/6-24Mbps; 17dBm/36Mbps; 16dBm/48Mbps; 15dBm/54Mbps
24dBm/6-24Mbps; 24dBm/36Mbps; 23dBm/48Mbps; 22dBm/54Mbps
26dBm/6-24Mbps; 26dBm/36Mbps; 25dBm/48Mbps; 24dBm/54Mbps
802.11b 24 dBm/all rates
802.11g 26dBm/6-24Mbps; 26dBm/36Mbps; 25dBm/48Mbps; 24dBm/54Mbps
Supported Rates & Standards The FWB-102 and FWB-105 support the following data rates and standards.
• 802.11a 6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54Mbps.
• 802.11b 1/2/5.5/11Mbps.
• 802.11g 6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54Mbps.
• Network Standards: IEEE 802.11a/b/d/g/e/f/h/i .
• Transmit Power Control (TPC) capable in conjunction with Firetide Software application.
Security & Encryption WPA—64/128/256 w/TKIP, AES, IEEE 802.1x (LEAP).
Regulatory Certications Contact your Firetide dealer for product availability and certications for your country.
Specication FWB-102, FWB-105
Network Port One 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port with weatherproof connector
IEEE 802.3, 802.3u compliant
CSMA/CD 10/100 autosense
PoE-compliant per 802.3af
Enclosure Cast aluminum NEMA-4X/IP66 enclosure
Weight: 2 lbs (0.9 Kg) without bracket
7.8” x 8.3” x 2.4” (195 x 210 x 60 mm)
Bracket for pole and wall mounting
Connectors one N-type connector for external antenna (included with FWB-105)
One weatherproof Ethernet connector with watertight RJ-45 coupling
Antenna(s) Built-in 12 dBi directional panel antenna for 2.4 GHz
System Indicator LEDs power, status, antenna alignment
Power Unit power via 802.3af Power-over-Ethernet
PoE PSE module: AC Input 90-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, 0.15A
Unit power dissipation < 9W
Environmental Operating temperature: -40º C to +60ºC; Humidity (non-condensing): 10% to 90%
Storage temperature: -40º C to +70º C; Storage humidity (non-condensing): 5% to 95%
Maximum altitude 15,000 feet (4600 meters)