Meru Networks AP320 User manual

Internal Use Only—Beta Draft
Meru Access Point and
Radio Switch
Installation Guide
Copyright © Meru Networks, Inc., 2003–2008. All rights reserved.
Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Document Number: 3.6_ap_install_revA2

Internal Use Only—Beta Draft

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Contents iii
Internal Use Only—Beta Draft
Contents
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
In This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Other Sources of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Meru Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Typographic Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Contacting Meru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Customer Services and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Chapter 1 Meru Access Points and Radio Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Meru Access Point AP300 Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Meru Access Point AP200 Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Meru Access Point AP150 Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Meru Access Point OAP180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Radio Switch RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
RS4000 Hardware Features and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2 Installing the AP300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Unpack the AP300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Determine Power Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Additional Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Install the AP300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Select a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Attach the Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Install the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Check AP300 LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 3 Installing the AP200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Unpacking the AP200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Installation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Installing the Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Selecting a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Attaching the AP200 Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Mounting the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

iv Meru Access Point and Radio Switch Installation Guide © 2008 Meru Networks, Inc.
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Checking LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ethernet Connector LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
AP200 Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Chapter 4 Installing the OAP180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Unpacking the OAP180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Installation Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Installing the Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Selecting a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Test Basic Link Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Mounting the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Connect Antennas and Ground Wire to OAP180 . . . . . . . . . . 51
Align Antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Checking LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Antenna Gain Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 5 Installing the AP150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Unpacking the AP150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Installation Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Installing the Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Selecting a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Attaching the AP150 Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Mounting the Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Checking LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
AP150 Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Chapter 6 Installing the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Unpacking the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Installation Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
About an Hoffman/NEMA Enclosure Installation . . . . . . . . . . 76
Optimum Antenna Positioning and Placement . . . . . . . . . . 77
Installing the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Mounting the RS4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Placing and Positioning the Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Hoffman/NEMA Enclosure RS4000 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . 89
Where to Go From Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Checking LED Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
RS4000 Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Contents v
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Appendix A Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Wireless Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Ethernet Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Physical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Appendix B AP Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
AP300 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
AP300 PoE Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
AP300 Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
AP300 Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
AP300 Mounting Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
AP200 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
OAP1800 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
AP150 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Appendix C Mounting Bracket Stencils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
AP150 and AP300 Rev A Mounting Bracket Stencil . . . . . . . . . . 103
AP300 Rev B Mounting Bracket Stencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Appendix D Cautions and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Appendix E Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
For OAP180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
EMC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Underwriters Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
FCC Radiation Exposure Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Radio Frequency Interference Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 117
Canada. Industry Canada (IC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Europe—EU Declaration of Conformity and Restrictions . . . . . . . . 121
IEEE 802.11a Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
EEE 802.11b/g Restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Singapore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Manufacturing Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
AP300 Plenum Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

vi Meru Access Point and Radio Switch Installation Guide © 2008 Meru Networks, Inc.

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. List of Figures vii
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List of Figures
Figure 1 Meru AP 300 ........................................................................ 2
Figure 2 Access Point AP200 ............................................................... 3
Figure 3 Access Point AP150 ............................................................... 5
Figure 4 Rugged OAP180 Access Point .................................................... 6
Figure 5 Radio Switch RS4000 .............................................................. 7
Figure 6 AP320, AP311 or AP302 Antennas 1-6 .......................................... 16
Figure 7 AP310 Antennas 1-3 ............................................................... 17
Figure 8 AP300 Antenna Connection ...................................................... 17
Figure 9 Remote Antenna Mount .......................................................... 18
Figure 10 Mounting the AP300 to a Suspended Ceiling Rail ........................... 21
Figure 11 AP300 Mounted Above a Suspended Ceiling ................................. 22
Figure 12 Attaching the Mounting Bracket to the Box Hanger ........................ 23
Figure 13 AP300 Status LEDs ............................................................... 24
Figure 14 AP200 Mounting Bracket ........................................................ 28
Figure 15 AP200 Antenna Connection ..................................................... 32
Figure 16 AP200 Connector Panel ......................................................... 33
Figure 17 AP200 Bracket .................................................................... 33
Figure 18 Aligning the AP200 with the Bracket ......................................... 34
Figure 19 Sliding the AP200 into the Bracket ............................................ 35
Figure 20 Mounting the AP200 to a Suspended Ceiling Rail ........................... 36
Figure 21 Mounting the AP200 Above a Suspended Ceiling ............................ 38
Figure 22 Box Hanger Mounting Bracket Holes .......................................... 38
Figure 23 Attaching the Mounting Bracket to the Box Hanger ........................ 39
Figure 24 RJ-45 LEDs ........................................................................ 41
Figure 25 AP200 Status LEDs ............................................................... 42
Figure 26 OAP180 Outdoor Access Point ................................................. 46
Figure 27 Sample Physical Layout ......................................................... 47
Figure 28 Square Mounting Bracket Attaches to Bottom of OAP180 ................. 49
Figure 29 Brackets Attached to a Pole ................................................... 50
Figure 30 Connect the Antenna Cables ................................................... 52
Figure 31 OAP180 LEDs ...................................................................... 56
Figure 32 AP150 with Mounting Bracket .................................................. 60
Figure 33 AP150 Antenna Connection ..................................................... 64
Figure 34 AP150 Connector Panel ......................................................... 64
Figure 35 AP150 Bracket .................................................................... 66
Figure 36 Aligning the AP150 with the Bracket ......................................... 67
Figure 37 Mounting the AP150 to a Suspended Ceiling Rail ........................... 68
Figure 38 AP150 Status LEDs ............................................................... 70
Figure 39 RS4000 Package Contents ...................................................... 74
Figure 40 Open NEMA Box Showing Mounting Holes .................................... 77
Figure 41 Bracket Attached to RS4000 ................................................... 79
Figure 42 RS4000 Bracket Mounting ....................................................... 80
Figure 43 RS4000 with Antenna Attached ................................................ 81
Figure 44 Mounting the RS4000 Below a Suspended Ceiling Rail ..................... 82

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Figure 45 RS4000 with Antenna Attached ................................................ 83
Figure 46 Mounting the RS4000 Above a Suspended Ceiling ........................... 84
Figure 47 Box Hanger Mounting Bracket Holes .......................................... 85
Figure 48 Attaching the Mounting Bracket to the Box Hanger ........................ 85
Figure 49 RS4000 with Antenna Attached ................................................ 86
Figure 50 RS4000 180oDirectional Antenna ............................................. 87
Figure 51 Antenna Mounting Arm with Wall Bracket (shown attached) ............. 88
Figure 52 Antenna Ceiling Tile Rail Base ................................................. 88
Figure 53 RS4000 and Antenna Installed in NEMA Enclosure .......................... 90
Figure 54 RS4000 Status LEDs .............................................................. 92

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. List of Tables ix
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List of Tables
Table 1 RS4000 Hardware Features .............................................. 8
Table 2 Meru AP300 Radios and Antennas ...................................... 12
Table 3 AP300 Power Options ..................................................... 13
Table 4 AP300 Installation Items ................................................. 14
Table 5 Antenna Use for AP320, AP311, and AP302 (Dual Radio Units) ..... 16
Table 6 Antenna Use for AP310 (Single Radio Unit)............................ 17
Table 7 AP300 LED Descriptions .................................................. 25
Table 8 AP200 Installation Items ................................................. 29
Table 9 AP200 Installation Tools ................................................. 30
Table 10 AP200 LED Descriptions ................................................. 43
Table 11 AP200 Controller Status Information ................................. 43
Table 12 Antenna Gain............................................................. 57
Table 13 AP150 Installation Items ................................................ 61
Table 14 AP150 Installation Tools ................................................ 62
Table 15 AP150 LED Descriptions ................................................. 71
Table 16 RS4000 Installation Tools ............................................... 76
Table 17 RS4000 LED Descriptions................................................ 93
Table 18 Wireless Interface Specifications ..................................... 95

xMeru Access Point and Radio Switch Installation Guide © 2008 Meru Networks, Inc.
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© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide xi
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About This Guide
This guide describes the features and provides installation instructions for the Meru
Access Points, which includes the AP200, OAP180, and AP150 models, and the Radio
Switch RS4000. The term access point is used interchangeably throughout this docu-
ment 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 6, “Installing the RS4000”
zChapter 2, “Installing the AP300”
zChapter 3, “Installing the AP200”
zChapter 4, “Installing the OAP180”
zChapter 5, “Installing the AP150”
zAppendix A, “Specifications”
zAppendix D, “Cautions and Warnings”
zAppendix E, “Regulatory Information”
zAppendix D, “Channels”
zAppendix C, “Mounting Bracket Stencils”
zAppendix B, “AP Accessories”

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide xii
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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.

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide xiii
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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

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. About This Guide xiv
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© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 1
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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.
Meru Access Point AP300 Series
The AP300 Access Point delivers high performance, full-speed, Wi-Fi certified
802.11n based on draft 2.0 connectivity while simultaneously supporting legacy
802.11a/b/g devices. Meru AP300 is available in these configurations:
—AP320: Two dual-band 802.11n radios with 3x3 MIMO
—AP310: Single dual-band 802.11n radio with 3x3 MIMO
Meru AP

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 2
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—AP311: Single dual-band 802.11n radio and single 802.11a/b/g radio (AP320
upgradeable)
—AP302: Two dual-band 802.11a/b/g radios (AP320 upgradeable)
Features for the AP300 include:
z802.11n support with channel bonding in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.
Channel bonding combines two 20Mhz channels into a single-wide 40Mhz channel
for increased throughput.
zDual-band external antenna options optimized for MIMO mode
zPlug and Play deployment using centralized controller platforms
zMulti-layered security including standard WPA2, 802.11i security such as
automatic traffic inspection
zEach of these Access points may be powered by a standard 802.3af PoE device.
zAir Traffic Control technology for 802.11n devices and legacy a/b/g devices
z3x3 MIMO with 3 chains and 3 receive chains, delivering full 300Mbps data rates using 2
spatial streams
zFor AP302 and AP311, the a/b/g radio software upgrades to 802.11n for maximum
investment protection.
zChannel span architecture which requires no channel planning or configuration
zSix standard multiband, omni-directional antennas for AP302, AP320 and AP311.
Three standard multiband, omni-directional antennas for AP310.
zPowered by 5 volt DC input, 802.3af compliant PoE device, or draft 802.3at
compliant PoE device.
Figure 1: Meru AP 300
A
2
A
2
A
L
A
N
R
F
1
R
F
2
2

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 3
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Meru Access Point AP200 Series
The Meru Access Point AP200 series 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 series (referred hereafter as the AP200, unless specif-
ically referring to the AP201 or AP208) is housed in a metal case with a plastic remov-
able cover. As such, it can be used for plenum installations when the plastic cover is
removed.
Figure 2: Access Point AP200
AP200
00109

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 4
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Meru Access Point AP150 Series
The 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 integrated 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 capa-
bilities.
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
Note:
Meru Access Point AP150 models may have different revisions, but function-
ally they are the same, and all are referred to as the AP150 series. Hereafter
in this document, all AP150 series models are referred to as the AP150.

© 2008 Meru Networks, Inc. Meru Access Points and Radio Switch 5
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Figure 3: Access Point AP150
Meru Access Point OAP180
The OAP180 Rugged Access Point with dual 802.11a/bg radios is designed to provide
secure Wi-Fi connectivity to outdoor locations such as campuses, parking lots, and
pole tops, or to harsh indoor locations such as breweries, food processing plants or
warehouses. The OAP180 supports the following features:
zSimultaneous support for 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g clients using dual
802.11a and 802.11b/g radios
zFull support of System Director features
zAutomatic AP discovery and configuration
zNo channel planning required with single channel installations
zIntelligent load balancing of clients
zPoE (Power over Ethernet) support
zRoHS compliant
PWR
LAN
RADIO2
RADIO1
00175

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zLocking mechanism for security when mounted in public areas
Figure 4: Rugged OAP180 Access Point
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
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.