Rajant BreadCrumb ME3-09 User manual

BreadCrumb® ME3
ME3-09 / ME3-24
USER GUIDE
User Guide Version: 2.01
Software Version: 10.25
Date: August 31, 2011
Corporate Headquarters
Rajant Corporation
400 East King Street
Malvern, PA 19355
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
http://www.rajant.com
Document Part Number: 03-100116-001

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FCC and IC Statements
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the device is operated in a commercial environment. This device
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance
with this instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of
this device in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at their own expense.
This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 and RSS-210 rules.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conforme à la norme NMB-003 et CNR-210 du Canada.
WARNING: To satisfy FCC RF exposure requirements a minimum safe distance of 20 cm must be
maintained between this device and all persons while the device is operating.
CAUTION: To reduce potential radio interference to other users, the antenna type and its gain
should be chosen so that the equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) is not more than that
permitted for successful communication.
CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Rajant Corp. could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
Copyright Statement
You may use the software provided with the products only on personal computers owned by the
purchasing individual or entity, and may not use, load, or run any such software on any network or in
any type of service bureau, time-sharing operation, or non-purchasing individual or entity's
equipment.
BCAdmin and BCAPI are trademarks; Rajant, the Rajant logo, BreadCrumb, Instamesh, BC|
Commander, and Bring Your Network with You! are registered trademarks of Rajant Corp. in the
United States and certain other countries.
BreadCrumb
®
ME3 User Guide
Copyright © 2009–2011 Rajant Corp. All rights reserved.
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Rajant Corporation BreadCrumb
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ME3 User Guide
03-100116-001 Version: 2.01
Table of Contents
FCC and IC Statements..................................................................................................ii
Copyright Statement.......................................................................................................ii
Preface....................................................................................................................................v
Purpose and Scope.............................................................................................................v
User Information..................................................................................................................v
Related Documentation.......................................................................................................v
1 Introduction to BreadCrumbs..........................................................................................1
1.1 What is a BreadCrumb?...............................................................................................1
1.2 Mobility through Meshing.............................................................................................2
1.2.1 Mesh – A Definition...............................................................................................2
1.2.2 BreadCrumb Mesh Connections..........................................................................2
2 Description of a BreadCrumb ME3..................................................................................5
2.1 Radio............................................................................................................................5
2.2 Enclosure.....................................................................................................................6
2.3 18-Pin Amphenol Connector........................................................................................7
2.3.1 Power....................................................................................................................7
2.3.2 Ethernet................................................................................................................8
2.3.3 USB.......................................................................................................................8
2.4 Antenna Connector......................................................................................................8
2.5 Status LED...................................................................................................................8
2.6 LED Configuration / Zeroize Keys and Restore Factory Defaults Switch...................9
2.6.1 LED Configuration..............................................................................................10
2.6.2 Zeroize Keys and Restore Factory Defaults.......................................................10
2.7 Internal Battery...........................................................................................................11
2.7.1 Protection Circuit................................................................................................12
2.7.2 Charging Circuit..................................................................................................12
2.7.3 Gas Gauge Circuit..............................................................................................12
2.7.4 Battery Monitoring...............................................................................................13
3 Using BC|Commander....................................................................................................15
4 Deploying the BreadCrumb Wireless Network............................................................17
4.1 Addressing.................................................................................................................17
4.1.1 BreadCrumb Device Addresses.........................................................................17
4.1.2 DHCP..................................................................................................................17
4.2 Channel Assignments................................................................................................17
4.3 Physical Placement and other Considerations..........................................................18
4.3.1 Line-of-Sight.......................................................................................................18
4.3.2 Distance..............................................................................................................18
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Version: 2.01 03-100116-001
4.3.3 Weather..............................................................................................................19
4.3.4 Interference.........................................................................................................19
4.3.5 Placement of BCWN Components.....................................................................20
4.4 Deployment Guidelines and Methodology.................................................................20
4.4.1 Deployment Guidelines......................................................................................20
4.4.2 Deployment Methodology...................................................................................21
5 BreadCrumb ME3 Firmware Upgrade...........................................................................23
5.1 Over The Air Firmware Upgrade................................................................................23
5.2 USB Firmware Upgrade.............................................................................................23
6 Troubleshooting..............................................................................................................25
6.1 Sporadic Network Connectivity..................................................................................25
6.2 BreadCrumb Device Cannot Connect to BCWN.......................................................26
6.3 BreadCrumb Power and Start-Up Issues..................................................................26
Appendix A: Error and Warning Codes..........................................................................A-1
List of Figures
Figure 1: All BreadCrumbs use the same ESSID...................................................................3
Figure 2: ESSID of BreadCrumb C changes to "lonely.".........................................................3
Figure 3: BreadCrumb ME3 Enclosure Features...................................................................6
Figure 4: 18-Pin Amphenol Connector...................................................................................7
List of Tables
Table 1: 2.4 GHz Radio Channels and Frequencies..............................................................5
Table 2: 900 MHz Radio Channels and Frequencies............................................................6
Table 3: Status LED Color Codes..........................................................................................9
Table 4: Default and alternate display states of the Status LED..........................................10
Table 5: BreadCrumb ME3-24 battery load versus current consumption and run time......11
Table 6: Default Channel Assignments................................................................................18
Table 7: Sporadic Network Connectivity Issues...................................................................25
Table 8: BreadCrumb to BCWN Connectivity Issues...........................................................26
Table 9: BreadCrumb Power and Start-Up Issues...............................................................26
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Rajant Corporation BreadCrumb
®
ME3 User Guide
03-100116-001 Version: 2.01
Preface
Purpose and Scope
This manual provides information and guidance to all personnel who are involved with and use
Rajant Corporation’s BreadCrumb ME3.
This manual begins with an introduction to the BreadCrumb Wireless Network (BCWN). It then
characterizes the features of the BreadCrumb ME3. Finally, it describes common deployment
scenarios and provides concise step-by-step instructions for each scenario.
Throughout this document, unless otherwise stated, the terms ME3 and
BreadCrumb are used to refer to Rajant BreadCrumb ME3.
User Information
The user of this manual is encouraged to submit comments and recommended changes to improve
this manual. Please send any comments or changes to s[email protected]. Be sure to include the
version number of the manual you are using and please provide the page numbers related to your
comments wherever possible
Related Documentation
For additional information, refer to these documents:
● Rajant BC|Commander® User Guide: This document contains information on the
BC|Commander management application, which is used to configure BreadCrumbs before or
during a deployment. This now includes a BreadCrumb VLAN Guide.
● BreadCrumb® Video Guide
● Rajant Troubleshooting Range User Guide
● RF Component Installation and Verification in BreadCrumb® Networks
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ME3 User Guide
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1 Introduction to BreadCrumbs
Rajant Corporation's (http://www.rajant.com) BreadCrumbs utilize the 802.11 wireless networking
standards to form a wireless mesh network. The network is mobile, self-integrating, self-meshing,
self-healing, and secure. The focus is on flexibility, adaptability, and simplicity.
The BreadCrumb Wireless Network (BCWN) is intended for rapid deployment of a broadband
wireless network into a situation or “hot zone.” The network can be deployed as a stand-alone
wireless network, or bridged to another network (such as the Internet) utilizing available reach-back
communication links (such as a DSL, cable, or satellite modem).
BreadCrumbs provide high bandwidth for applications to stream video, audio as well as data over
large distances. The network traffic can be secured by using different security features offered by
the BCWN. This makes the network optimal for tactical deployments as well as emergency
response situations since it offers robustness, stability and ease of setup in mission critical activities.
1.1 What is a BreadCrumb?
ABreadCrumb is an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) and Ethernet compatible networking device which has the
capacity to connect to other BreadCrumbs or networking devices to form a BreadCrumb network. A
BreadCrumb is specifically designed for the following scenarios:
Temporary Wireless Networks
Networks that must be established quickly and with minimal effort for short-term use (e.g., a
network established to provide First Responder support at the site of a disaster).
Mobile Wireless Networks
Networks in which the network infrastructure itself is mobile, in addition to client devices (e.g., a
convoy viewing a video stream from a UAV).
Wireless Network Extension
Networks in which a wireless network must be quickly extended around or through obstacles that
block wireless communications (e.g., urban canyon networks, tunnels/caves, etc.)
Wired Network Extension
Networks in which two or more wired LANs at different locations must be connected wirelessly
(e.g., to securely connect combat service support computers with logistics bases)
Any Combination of the Above
Most BreadCrumb deployments include elements from more than one of the above scenarios.
In many cases, BreadCrumbs will perform all of these tasks as shipped with no configuration
necessary at all, providing an instant TAN (Tactical Area Network). Moreover, because
BreadCrumbs use industry-standard 802.11 communications, client devices such as laptops or
handheld computers require no special hardware, software, or configuration to access a BCWN.
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1.2 Mobility through Meshing
The key component to a BCWN is a technique known as Meshing. While this is generally handled
automatically by BreadCrumbs, complex deployment scenarios require a basic understanding of how
BreadCrumbs establish and maintain a mesh.
1.2.1 Mesh – A Definition
Amesh is a collection of network devices (in our case, BreadCrumbs), each of which is linked to one
or more other BreadCrumbs. Data can move between BreadCrumbs via these links, possibly passing
through several intermediate BreadCrumbs before arriving at its final destination.
The intelligence of a BCWN is in how it adapts rapidly to the creation or destruction of the links in
the mesh as devices are moved, switched OFF or ON, blocked by obstructions, interfered with by
other devices, or otherwise affected. This adaptation takes place automatically and immediately as
needed.
Note
Although all BreadCrumbs can be access points, most access points do not provide
mesh capability. Traditional access points simply allow wireless devices within
range to connect to a wired network; they do not extend range through other access
points.
1.2.2 BreadCrumb Mesh Connections
In order for two BreadCrumbs to establish a mesh link to each other, they must be set to the same
radio channel, and the same ESSID, and have the same InstaMesh key settings. An ESSID is
essentially a name for a wireless network. By default, BreadCrumbs use the ESSID "breadcrumb54-
v10” if programmed with version 10 firmware. InstaMesh key settings include the Network
Authentication Key (NAK) and the Network Encryption Key (NEK).
Assuming that the security settings are the same, the following examples illustrate how the use of
channels and ESSIDs can establish or break mesh links:
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CHANNEL
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Rajant Corporation BreadCrumb
®
ME3 User Guide
03-100116-001 Version: 2.01
Example 1:
Suppose you have three BreadCrumbs, called A, B, and C. Each has two radios. BreadCrumb A’s
radios are on channels 1 and 8, B’s are on 8 and 11, and C’s are on 1 and 11. All three BreadCrumbs
are using the default ESSID of "breadcrumb54-v10." Assuming that all three BreadCrumbs are
within radio range of one another, the network will be connected, as shown below:
BREADCRUMB A
RADIO 1 RADIO 2 CHANNEL1
BREADCRUMB C
RADIO 1 RADIO 2
RADIO 1 RADIO 2
BREADCRUMB B
Example 2: Figure 1: All BreadCrumbs use the same ESSID.
Now suppose that you change the ESSID of BreadCrumb C to "lonely". The network will adjust to
this change, resulting in the following configuration:
BREADCRUMB A
RADIO 1 RADIO 2
BREADCRUMB C
RADIO 1 RADIO 2
RADIO 1 RADIO 2
BREADCRUMB B
Figure 2: ESSID of BreadCrumb C changes to "lonely."
Note that BreadCrumb C can no longer communicate with A or B, and vice versa.
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