Meru Networks AP150 User manual

Meru Access Point and
Radio Switch
Installation Guide
Copyright © Meru Networks, Inc., 2003–2007. All rights reserved.
Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Document Number: 882-70034 Rev. A

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Contents iii
Contents
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
In This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Other Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Meru Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Typographic Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Contacting Meru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Customer Services and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Chapter 1 Meru Access Points and Radio Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introducing the Radio Switch RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
RS4000 Hardware Features and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Meru Access Point Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Introducing the Meru Access Point AP200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Introducing the Meru Access Point AP150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 2 Installing the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Unpacking the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
About an Hoffman/NEMA Enclosure Installation . . . . . . . . . . 12
Optimum Antenna Positioning and Placement . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installing the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Mounting the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Placing and Positioning the Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Hoffman/NEMA Enclosure RS4000 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Checking LED Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
RS4000 Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Chapter 3 Installing the AP200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Unpacking the AP200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Installation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

iv Meru Access Point and Radio Switch Installation Guide © 2007 Meru Networks, Inc.
Installing the Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Selecting a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Attaching the AP200 Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Mounting the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Checking LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Ethernet Connector LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
AP200 Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Chapter 4 Installing the AP150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Unpacking the AP150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Installation Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Installing the Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Selecting a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Attaching the AP150 Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Mounting the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Checking LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
AP150 Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Appendix A Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Wireless Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Ethernet Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Appendix B Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Underwriters Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
FCC Radiation Exposure Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Radio Frequency Interference Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Canada. Industry Canada (IC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Europe—EU Declaration of Conformity and Restrictions . . . . . . . . 67
IEEE 802.11a Restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
EEE 802.11b/g Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Japan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Manufacturing Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Appendix C Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
IEEE 802.11a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
IEEE 802.11b/g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Appendix D Mounting Bracket Stencils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
AP150 Mounting Bracket Stencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. List of Figures v
List of Figures
Figure 1 Radio Switch RS4000 .............................................................. 2
Figure 2 Access Point AP200 ............................................................... 6
Figure 3 Access Point AP150 ............................................................... 7
Figure 4 RS4000 Package Contents ........................................................ 10
Figure 5 Open NEMA Box Showing Mounting Holes ...................................... 13
Figure 6 Bracket Attached to RS4000 ..................................................... 15
Figure 7 RS4000 Bracket Mounting ........................................................ 16
Figure 8 RS4000 with Antenna Attached ................................................. 17
Figure 9 Mounting the RS4000 Below a Suspended Ceiling Rail ....................... 18
Figure 10 RS4000 with Antenna Attached ................................................ 19
Figure 11 Mounting the RS4000 Above a Suspended Ceiling ........................... 20
Figure 12 Box Hanger Mounting Bracket Holes .......................................... 21
Figure 13 Attaching the Mounting Bracket to the Box Hanger ........................ 21
Figure 14 RS4000 with Antenna Attached ................................................ 22
Figure 15 RS4000 180oDirectional Antenna ............................................. 23
Figure 16 Antenna Mounting Arm with Wall Bracket (shown attached) ............. 24
Figure 17 Antenna Ceiling Tile Rail Base ................................................. 24
Figure 18 RS4000 and Antenna Installed in NEMA Enclosure .......................... 26
Figure 19 RS4000 Status LEDs .............................................................. 28
Figure 20 AP200 Mounting Bracket ........................................................ 32
Figure 21 AP200 Antenna Connection ..................................................... 36
Figure 22 AP200 Connector Panel ......................................................... 36
Figure 23 AP200 Bracket .................................................................... 37
Figure 24 Aligning the AP200 with the Bracket ......................................... 38
Figure 25 Sliding the AP200 into the Bracket ............................................ 38
Figure 26 Mounting the AP200 to a Suspended Ceiling Rail ........................... 39
Figure 27 Mounting the AP200 Above a Suspended Ceiling ............................ 41
Figure 28 Box Hanger Mounting Bracket Holes .......................................... 41
Figure 29 Attaching the Mounting Bracket to the Box Hanger ........................ 42
Figure 30 RJ-45 LEDs ........................................................................ 43
Figure 31 AP200 Status LEDs ............................................................... 44
Figure 32 AP150 with Mounting Bracket .................................................. 48
Figure 33 AP150 Antenna Connection ..................................................... 52
Figure 34 AP150 Connector Panel ......................................................... 52
Figure 35 AP150 Bracket .................................................................... 54
Figure 36 Aligning the AP150 with the Bracket ......................................... 55
Figure 37 Mounting the AP150 to a Suspended Ceiling Rail ........................... 56
Figure 38 AP150 Status LEDs ............................................................... 58

vi Meru Access Point and Radio Switch Installation Guide © 2007 Meru Networks, Inc.

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. List of Tables vii
List of Tables
Table 1 RS4000 Hardware Features .............................................. 3
Table 2 RS4000 Installation Tools ................................................ 12
Table 3 RS4000 LED Descriptions ................................................. 29
Table 4 AP200 Installation Items ................................................. 33
Table 5 AP200 Installation Tools ................................................. 34
Table 6 AP200 LED Descriptions .................................................. 45
Table 7 AP200 Controller Status Information ................................... 45
Table 8 AP150 Installation Items ................................................. 49
Table 9 AP150 Installation Tools ................................................. 50
Table 10 AP150 LED Descriptions ................................................. 59
Table 11 Wireless Interface Specifications ..................................... 61
Table 12 IEEE 802.11a Channels .................................................. 71
Table 13 IEEE 802.11b/g Channels ............................................... 73

viii Meru Access Point and Radio Switch Installation Guide © 2007 Meru Networks, Inc.

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide ix
About This Guide
This guide describes the features and provides installation instructions for the Meru
Access Points, which includes the AP200 and AP150 models, and the Radio Switch
RS4000. The term access point is used interchangeably throughout this document to
apply to any model when there are no differences among the models.
Audience
This guide is intended for persons installing the Meru Wireless LAN System Access
Point (AP) and Radio Switches.
In This Guide
This guide includes the following chapters:
zChapter 1, “Meru Access Points and Radio Switch”
zChapter 2, “Installing the RS4000”
zChapter 3, “Installing the AP200”
zChapter 4, “Installing the AP150”
zAppendix A, “Specifications”
zAppendix B, “Regulatory Information”
zAppendix C, “Channels”
zAppendix D, “Mounting Bracket Stencils”

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide x
Other Sources of Information
Additional information is available in the following Meru publications, Web site, and
external references.
Meru Publications
zMeru System Director Release Notes
zMeru System Director Getting Started Guide
zMeru Controller Installation Guide
zMeru System Director Command Reference
zMeru System Director Configuration Guide
External References
zStevens, W. R. 1994. TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1, The Protocols. Addison-Wesley,
Reading, Mass.
zGast, M.S. 2002. 802.11 Wireless Networks, The Definitive Guide. O’Reilly and
Associates, Sebastopol, Calif.
Typographic Conventions
This document uses the following typographic conventions to help you locate and
identify information:
Note:
Provides extra information, tips, and hints regarding the topic.
Caution!
Identifies important information about actions that could result in
damage to or loss of data, or could cause the application to behave in
unexpected ways.
Warning!
Identifies critical information about actions that could result in
equipment failure or bodily harm.

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide xi
Contacting Meru
You can visit Meru Networks, Inc. on the Internet at this URL:
http://www.merunetworks.com
Customer Services and Support
For assistance, contact Meru Customer Services and Support 24 hours a day at
[phone] (+1-888-Meru-WLA(N)) or [phone]. Email can be sent to
[email protected].
Meru Networks, Inc. Customer Services and Support provide end users and channel
partners with the following:
zTelephone technical support
zSoftware update support
zSpare parts and repair service
RMA Procedures
Contact Meru Customer Services and Support for a Return Material Authorization
(RMA) for any Meru equipment.
Please have the following available when making a call:
zCompany and contact information
zEquipment model and serial numbers
zMeru software release and revision numbers (for example, 3.0.0-35)
zA description of the symptoms the problem is manifesting
zNetwork configuration

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide xii

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 1
Chapter 1
Meru Access Points and Radio Switch
Meru Access Points and Radio Switches contain radio devices that communicate with
the Meru Controller and form the wireless LAN (WLAN). The Meru Controller, Radio
Switches, and Access Points connect to the site’s wired LAN through wired switches.
Wireless clients associate with the Radio Switches and Access Points as they roam
throughout the WLAN. As such, the Meru Wireless LAN System is an extension of the
wired LAN, providing the wireless benefits of client mobility, enhanced access, and
dynamic network configuration.
Introducing the Radio Switch RS4000
The Radio Switch RS4000 enables high-capacity enterprise-class wireless LAN connec-
tivity with full support of standard 802.11 security and network management
features. Each RS4000 contains four 802.11 radios (two 802.11b/g, two 802.11a) for
high data and voice throughput – an essential requirement for high user-density envi-
ronments with several simultaneous users. Classrooms and convention halls are
typical deployment applications of the Radio Switch. Deploying the Radio Switch is
Meru AP

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 2
easy— as with wireless access points, the Radio Switch can be installed wherever
wireless coverage is needed. For large buildings with multiple rooms and floors, more
than one Radio Switch can be installed to cover the desired area. Wireless users can
seamlessly roam from one Radio Switch to another, getting high-capacity WLAN
access throughout the wireless enterprise enabled with multiple Radio Switches. The
RS4000 also balances radio traffic across its RF channels and resolves contention
within each RF channel such that users receive a switched wireless experience with
dedicated bandwidth to execute a variety of applications ranging from web browsing
and VoIP mobility to multimedia streaming.
The RS4000 ships with either a high-gain omni-directional indoor antenna or a 180-
degree directional indoor antenna that aggregates and layers radio transmissions
from each of the built-in radios. The antenna can broadcast every channel available
to blanket the area around the Radio Switch, yet avoid interference and contention.
This simplifies deployment efforts by eliminating the need for additional antennas
for each radio. More importantly, RF channel planning efforts are greatly simplified.
Using the RS4000, wireless users experience the benefits of switching technology on
Wi-Fi—dedicated bandwidth, traffic separation, and multi-service network support.
The RS4000 can be deployed with up to two 802.11b/g and two 802.11a channels
active on the radio interfaces. The 802.11b/g channels must be separated by a
minimum of 8 channels (for example, channels 1 and 9), so the recommended set is
channels 1 and 11, typically. The 802.11a channels must be separated by a minimum
of 80MHz/16 channels for best performance (for example, channels 36 and 52).
Figure 1: Radio Switch RS4000
POWER
RADIO I
RADIO II
ETHERNET
00178

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 3
RS4000 Hardware Features and Specifications
The RS4000 has four 802.11 radios (two 802.11a and two 802.11bg) that transmit and
receive simultaneously on four different channels to increase the total available
wireless bandwidth at a given area. The RS4000 connects to the LAN using one 10/100
Mbps Ethernet connection for each radio pair. The RS4000 is powered using two IEEE
802.3af POE connections, each with 15W power.
.
The RS4000 works in conjunction with a wideband RF combination omni directional
(WRC/OD) indoor antenna or a 180-degree directional indoor antenna. Only one
antenna is needed for simultaneous operation of all radios of an RS4000 in both the
2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The antenna must be connected to the Radio Switch using
any one of the low-loss antenna cables provided in the antenna packaging.
The following table lists the key hardware features of the RS4000.
Note:
PoE must be provided on the first Ethernet connector (ETH1); the antenna
cannot operate correctly without that power source. Power to the second
Ethernet connector (ETH2 ) is optional; if not connected, two of the
radios will not operate.
Table 1: RS4000 Hardware Features
Feature Description
802.11 Connectivity Two 802.11b/g radios (2.4GHz)
Two 802.11a radios (5 GHz)
Ethernet Connectivity Two auto-sensing 10/100 Mbps ports, one
for each radio pair
Power
Provided by two 802.3af POE connec-
tions, one for each radio pair (15W per
connector)
LEDs Power, Radio Activity, and Ethernet
Activity LEDs per radio
Dimensions 9.5" x 8.5" x 3.875"

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 4
Mounting Options
RS4000 has mounting brackets available
for:
zCeiling Mount
zWall Mount
zInside NEMA Enclosures (Hoffman,
etc.)
Antenna
The RS4000 ships with either of these
antennas:
zWideband RF Combination/Omni-
Directional (WRC/OD) Antenna. 5dBi
gain. Indoor use.
z180-degree directional indoor antenna
Antenna Cables
3’ low-loss cables (default option)
6’ and plenum-rated cables (available
option)
Table 1: RS4000 Hardware Features
Feature Description

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 5
Meru Access Point Features
Meru Access Points provide the following features:
zWi-Fi Certified Tri-mode Access Point Delivers Exceptional Performance
A key component of the Meru Wireless LAN System, Meru Access Points deliver
unsurpassed Wi-Fi performance in conjunction with Meru Controllers.
Representing a shift to the fourth generation WLAN architecture using
coordinated intelligent APs at the edge, the Meru Wireless LAN System delivers
toll quality voice over Wi-Fi, a ten-fold increase in client density, intelligent load
balancing, and lowest total cost of ownership.
zThe Only Solution to Deliver a Large Scale Voice and Data Wireless Access
Embedded Wi-Fi in laptops are almost ubiquitous and other mobile devices aren't
far behind. In addition, with emerging dual mode Wi-Fi/cellular phones the
number of clients in your enterprise is going to increase exponentially in only a
few short years. Deploy a system that is designed to deal with high densities of
voice and data clients, without sacrificing performance and that works with any
standard Wi-Fi certified client.
zTri-mode Access Point Provides Investment Protection
Enterprise applications and user density continue to increase. Tri-mode
802.11a/b/g clients are now commonplace in laptops. Ensure your network
supports the full breadth of wireless LAN clients with Meru Access Points.
—Dual 802.11b/g and 802.11a software programmable radios
—Simultaneously support 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11a clients
Introducing the Meru Access Point AP200
The Meru Access Point AP200 family provides two models that conform to the speci-
fications provided by the IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g protocols and provide backward
compatibility for the 802.11b protocol. An AP200 works with most standard Wi-Fi
clients.
zThe AP201 houses a single 802.11a/b/g radio device
zThe AP208 supports a maximum of two radio devices that can simultaneously run
two protocols (802.11b, g or b/g on interface 1 and 802.11a on interface 2).
Alternately the second radio can be configured to run as an RF monitor to the Meru
Controller, providing real-time status of RF activity to optimize the wireless
network.
The Meru Access Point AP200 (referred hereafter as the AP200, unless specifically
referring to the AP201 or AP208) is housed in a metal case with a plastic removable
cover. As such, it can be used for plenum installations when the plastic cover is
removed.

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 6
Figure 2: Access Point AP200
Introducing the Meru Access Point AP150
The Meru Access Point AP150 has two 802.11 radios for simultaneous 802.11a and
802.11b/g WLAN access. It is an ideal option for enterprise-wide data-only WLAN
implementations and small-sized converged data and voice WLAN implementations.
The AP150 works in conjunction with Meru Controller products and can be easily inte-
grated into existing Layer 2 and Layer 3 wired network environments to provide
enterprise-grade Wi-Fi access with multi-layered security options, basic VoWLAN
support, centralized configuration, troubleshooting tools, remote management and
RF visualization capabilities.
The Meru Access Point AP150 supplies the following features:
zDual 802.11b/g and 802.11a radios
zSimultaneously support for 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a clients
zContention Management for high density of data clients
zBasic VoWLAN QoS support for small density of voice clients
zMultiple ESSIDs with individual security policies to ensure separation of different
user groups or dynamic VLAN assignment per user based on RADIUS credentials
zZero configuration required at the access point; the installation procedure is a
simple plug-n-play
zAutomatic AP discovery, configuration
zIntelligent load balancing of clients
zLayer 2 or 3 connectivity for flexible deployment options
zLocking mechanism secures access point when mounted in public areas
AP200
00109

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 7
Figure 3: Access Point AP150
PWR
LAN
RADIO2
RADIO1
00175

© 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 8