RTC M2M User manual

4GMODEM INSTALLATION GUIDE
For more information, contact our team at:
Info@RTC-Traffic.com or call toll free 800.782.8721
RTC Manufacturing, Inc., 1016 Enterprise Place, Arlington, Texas 76001
©2015 RTC Manufacturing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
EXTERNAL ANTENNA MOUNTING INSTRUCTIONS (if required)
NOTE: Limited quantities of the following alternate external antennas are provided with
orders of cell modems from RTC. Additional antennas can be provided, if necessary.
Please call RTC to request [phone].
OMNIDIRECTIONAL, TURRET-STYLE ANTENNA
Install and test the signal strength of this antenna just like the “paddle” antenna. If it
returns signal strength -95dB or better (i.e. -90dB), a .75” hole will need to be drilled in
the top of the cabinet to mount the antenna. Select a location on the cabinet that can be
accessed both from the top of the cabinet and from inside the cabinet, preferably to the
left or right (not centered). The top part of the antenna will be mounted on the outside of
the cabinet and held in place by the screw-on nut attached from inside the cabinet. There
is a rubber gasket surrounding the antenna outside the cabinet that will compress and seal
the opening from moisture. Make sure to have a tight seal when installation is complete.
A fine bead of silicon can be used as well, if desired.
YAGI WIDE-BAND DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA
If neither the “paddle” antenna nor the “turret” antenna can gain proper signal strength,
the Yagi antenna is a more powerful alternate antenna. Before mounting, determine the
direction to point the antenna. Point the directional antenna in several directions and
measure the signal using RTC Connect, as described previously. Be aware that metal,
poles, solar panels, and power lines will all negatively affect signal strength. Generally,
a location that is high and away from other solid masses and electrical currents is best.
Knowing the direction of the closest cell tower will also help. There are several third-party
smart-phone apps that can help find this information. After testing, if a signal strength
-95dB or better (i.e. -90dB) is received, a .375” hole will need to be drilled in the cabinet
for the 506473WL15 cable. Use silicon to seal around the cable. The cable should installed
in a manner that limits cable exposure and exposure of the cabinet to water intrusion. The
Yagi antenna will have an installation guide provided. It will include basic hardware and
instruction for adjusting the antenna for maximum performance.
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M2M
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Verify there is a SIM Chip in the slot labeled
“SIM” on the front of the modem.
Using the supplied connection cable,
connect the time switch to the modem in
two places:
1) Connect the side of the connection cable
labeled “M2M” to the port labeled
“RS232” on the modem
2) Connect the side of the connection cable
labeled “AP22” to the port on the clock.
Next, unscrew the bottom screw on the
faceplate of the time switch and install the
metal modem holder tab to the time switch.
Slide the back of the modem onto the tab
to hold the modem in place in front of the
time switch.
STEP 3 - CONNECT MODEM TO TIME SWITCH
Reconnect the wiring harness to the bottom of the time switch, which will provide power
to the time switch and the modem. Under typical operating conditions, the “POWER” LED
on the modem will be solid. The “LS” LED will flash slowly as the modem searches for a
connection and turn solid when a connection is made.
TIP: Avoid direct sunlight in order to see LED clearly.
The LED abbreviations on the front of the modem have the following meanings:
Power
If ON, the modem has power. If not, the modem does not have power.
TR - Terminal Ready
Flashes when device transmits data, and is OFF when not transmitting.
CD - Carrier Detect
ON when there is a data connection and OFF when there is no connection.
LS - Link Status
Continuous ON indicates device has power and is registered on the cell network.
Slow Flashing LED (5 seconds)
Indicates device is on and is searching for a cell network.
Fast Flashing LED (0.3 seconds)
Indicates device is transmitting or receiving.
STEP 4 – RECONNECT POWER TO TIME SWITCH & MODEM
A three-LED, signal-strength meter on the front of the modem displays the strength
of the signal in the modem’s current location.
The signal strength should be read as follows:
No Bars – The unit is not registered on a network or has an EXTREMELY WEAK signal
One Bar – POSSIBLE WEAK SIGNAL 7 < RSSI < 14 (-101 < dB < -85)
Two Bars – GOOD SIGNAL 15 < RSSI < 23 (-84 < dB < -67)
Three Bars – EXCELLENT SIGNAL 24 < RSSI < 31 (-66 < dB < -51)
If possible, the signal strength should be measured with the cabinet door closed.
NOTE: If signal strength is only reading One Bar, use a laptop computer with RTC Connect
installed to verify signal strength. Open RTC Connect and right click on the current location
from the main location list or on the map. Select “Diagnostics”, and then “Read Status”.
This should take about 35 seconds. This command will report the status of the time clock
and modem including cell signal strength. If the cell strength is -95 dB or better (a smaller
negative is better, i.e. -90 dB), the signal strength using the standard paddle antenna will
work. If it is worse than -95dB (i.e. -100dB), follow the instructions to install an alternate
antenna on the following page of this guide. If you are unable to use a laptop, using
Command 38 on the AP22 will also test modem signal strength (see AP22 booklet for
more information).
STEP 5 - VERIFY SIGNAL STRENGTH
When installing a modem to an existing time switch, disconnect power from the time switch
by removing the wiring harness that is attached to the bottom of the time switch.
When installing a time switch and a modem together, use the time switch installation guide
to install the time switch first. Then, disconnect power by removing the wiring harness to
begin installing the modem.
STEP 1 - DISCONNECT POWER FROM TIME SWITCH
Connect the 50-OHM “paddle” antenna to the female SMA antenna connector (labeled
“CELL” on the modem).
NOTE: RTC provides two alternate antennas with all orders to be used in areas with weak
signal strength. Always install the “paddle” antenna first. Signal strength testing and
alternate antenna installation is covered later in this guide.
STEP 2 - ATTACH ANTENNA TO MODEM
NOTE: SIM chips should not be transferred to a different modem or location without
changing the location address in RTC Connect software.