Silex technology BR-400AN User manual

Mesh Network System
BR-400AN
Installation Manual
WA105350XB

INDEX
1Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 1
2Layout....................................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Preparing Floor Plan Image......................................................................................................2
2.2 Determination of Unit Locations................................................................................................3
2.3 Necessary Items.......................................................................................................................4
3Configuration ........................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 Determination of Configuration .................................................................................................5
3.2 Configuration File......................................................................................................................6
3.3 Configuration Write...................................................................................................................9
4Installation.............................................................................................................................. 11
4.1 Product Installation.................................................................................................................11
4.1.1 Installation to Backbone Network.....................................................................................11
4.1.2 Installation of Others........................................................................................................12
4.2 Operation Check.....................................................................................................................13
5Appendix ................................................................................................................................ 14
5.1 Bulk IP Address Configuration (When DHCP is Not Installed) ................................................14
5.2 List of Configuration Items......................................................................................................17
5.3 Wireless Channel Selection....................................................................................................19
5.4 How to Fix BR-400AN.............................................................................................................20
5.5 Layout Sample........................................................................................................................22
5.6 Basic Use of Mesh Monitor.....................................................................................................24

1
1 INTRODUCTION
This document describes the initial configuration and installation methods for BR-400AN.
BR-400AN can configure the Mesh type wireless network (hereinafter, “Mesh network”). Wired and
wireless network devices can join the Mesh network and they can communicate with each other.
In this document, configuration and installation methods are explained in the following order.
Please see each chapter for details.
Chapter2
Layout
•Preparing floor plan image
•Determining of unit location
•Necessary items
Chapter3
Configuration
•Determination of
configuration
•Configuration file
•Configuration write
Chapter4
Installation
•Product installation
•Operating check

2
2 LAYOUT
2.1 Preparing Floor Plan Image
Please prepare the floor plan image of the floor where BR-400AN units are to be installed, which
meets the following conditions.
(1) The scale is clearly indicated, or approximate distance / area can be confirmed.
(2) The spot of connection to the backbone network is specifically located.
(3) The location of electrical outlet can be identified.
* If you can create an image file of the floor plan using a scanner or camera, you can open it on
Windows and use it as the background image. By using the floor plan image on Mesh Monitor,
accurate management of each unit location is possible. For how to use the floor plan image as the
background image on Mesh Monitor, refer to 👉Appendix 5.6.
36m
40.5m

3
2.2 Determination of Unit Locations
First of all, allocate the BR-400AN unit that connects to the backbone network, and then allocate other
units by keeping 15-20m interval starting from the first unit. Make sure that each unit is allocated within a
distance of 15-20m from the other one so that radio signals can reach.
* When multiple BR-400AN units are connected to the backbone network via wired LAN, they have to be
connected to the same subnetwork to configure the Mesh network.
* When you connect a part of BR-400AN units to a different subnetwork via wired LAN, please separate
them as a different Mesh network group.
* If there is a wall between the BR-400AN units, the radio signals may be blocked. In such a case, install
another BR-400AN unit to use as a relay terminal to give an alternative path for the radio signals.
Remember that the relay terminal also needs to be located within 15m distance from the units.
☞For the layout and configuration sample, see Appendix 5.5 and Appendix 5.2.
☞For the radio characteristics and how to fix BR-400AN unit, refer to Appendix 5.4.
15m
（1）
①
（2）
（3）
（4）
（5）

4
2.3 Necessary Items
Prepare the necessary quantity of BR-400AN units by reading the instructions on the previous chapter.
It is recommended to have some extra units in case of emergency or unexpected trouble.
<Package contents >
・AC adapter (length of DC cable is 1.75m)
・Wall-mounting Bracket (Type VI), Wall-mounting screw (4), Board anchor(4)
・Network cable (1.5m)
For the configuration, a Windows PC is required. The requirement is as follows.
Notebook PC and
LAN Cable
Laptop with a LAN port
Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
Necessary Utility
Configuration utility “AMC Manager®” and the plugin utility “Mesh Monitor”
Note
To use AMC Manager®, a license key needs to be purchased.
For details, please contact out customer support center.
For details on how to install and use AMC Manager® or Mesh Monitor,
please refer to the user’s manuals of these utilities.
* This installation manual is prepared for the users who are in need of efficient installation and
configuration to use several BR-400AN units. For this purpose, this document assumes that user have
AMC Manager® and Mesh Monitor for unified management of the products. When you do not have
these utilities, please refer to the setup guide and user's manual of BR-400AN.

5
3 CONFIGURATION
3.1 Determination of Configuration
Points:
(1) Network Loop Avoidance should be set to ENABLE on the BR-400AN unit which connects to the
backbone network. For other units, set it to DISABLE.
(2) When several Mesh groups are configured, use a different Mesh group and channel for each.
(3) The wireless setting (SSID, authentication setting) can be the same even for above case.
Determine the product setting according to the installation plans of previous chapter. The below table
shows the setting items that the users need to determine.
Setting
Sample Setting
Description
Password
root
1-15 character string
Mesh Group Name
SampleMeshID01
1-32 character string
If the Mesh network is established across the floors,
set a different group name for each.
Mesh Encryption
Key
Eeq27182818
1-32 character string
Channel
Ch 44
Determine the channel according to your environment.
(👉Appendix 5.3 Wireless Channel Selection)
When several Mesh networks are established, it is
recommended to set a different channel for each.
Access Point
Function
Enable
When this setting is enabled, BR-400AN can be used
as Access Point.
SSID
SampleUserWLAN
1-32 character string
Network
Authentication
WPA2-PSK, AES
It is recommended to use the default setting.
(WPA2-PSK AES)
Pre-Shared Key
PIeq3141593
Set a unique password.
Hereinafter, this document uses the sample configuration above to explain the configuration method.

6
3.2 Configuration File
Use AMC Manager® to create the configuration file to write.
*When the login password is not set to BR-400AN, please include that setting to the configuration file. If
the login password is not set, the bulk configuration does not perform correctly.
* To configure multiple Mesh groups, repeat 1-5 as many times as the number of groups.
1. From the menu of AMC Manager®, click Settings - Create Configuration File - Create from
Template. Select a template file for BR-400AN and click OK.
2. Check the check boxes of the settings to configure and edit the settings. (See the table in the next
page for reference.) When the edit is finished, click Save.
* Only the setting whose check box is checked will be saved.

7
Settings of configuration file
Sample Setting
Description
Category
Name
System
Configuration
Password
root
Password for BR-400AN
Wireless LAN
I/F 1
Mesh Group Name
SampleMeshID01
Mesh group name
Mesh Encryption
Key
Eeq27182818
Mesh group password
Traffic Loop
Avoidance
Disable (when not
connected to backbone
network)
Enable this when BR-400AN is
connected to the backbone
network.
Access Point
Function
Enable
This is disabled by default. When
the AP function is used, enable it
in the configuration file.
Wireless LAN
I/F 2
SSID
SampleUserWLAN
SSID for Wi-Fi
Network
Authentication
WPA2-PSK
Authentication method for Wi-Fi
Encryption Mode
AES
Encryption mode (WPA,WPA2)
Pre-Shared Key
PIeq3141593
* For other settings of BR-400AN, refer to Appendix 5.2.
3. When the Save Configuration File dialog is displayed, specify the file name and click Save.
This time, the file name is set to “SampleMesh01-STD” as example.

8
4. Based on the configuration file saved at 3, create the configuration file for the BR-400AN unit that
connects to the backbone network.
From the menu, click Setting - Create Configuration File - Edit Existing File and open the
configuration file “SampleMesh01-STD.cfg” that you have created.
5. Enable the traffic loop avoidance setting for the BR-400AN that connects to the backbone network,
and click Save As. This time, the file name is set to “SampleMesh01-BC” as example. The
configuration file has been created.
Settings of configuration file
Sample Setting
Description
Category
Name
Wireless
LAN I/F 1
Traffic Loop
Avoidance
Enable (when connected
to the backbone network)
When the BR-400AN unit is
connected to the backbone
network, enable this setting.
* Please keep the created configuration file safe. The file is a record of configuration.

9
3.3 Configuration Write
The following explains the method of bulk configuration using the configuration file.
1. Put all BR-400AN units on one place and connect a PC to one of them using a network cable. Turn
on all units.
* When there are many BR-400AN units to configure, prepare the power strip. Or divide them into small
groups (8 units or so) and then configure by each group.
2. Check that the BR-400AN units are displayed on the device list of AMC Manager® and select all of
them. From the menu, click Settings - Bulk Configuration.
3. Select the units to configure in bulk and click Select Config. File to select the configuration file to
write.

10
4. Check the check boxes of BR-400AN units to configure in bulk and click Start. When the password
entry dialog is displayed, enter the default password (root).
👉For configuration under the environment where DHCP is not installed, refer to Appendix 5.1
Bulk IP Address Configuration.
* Do not check the check box of Restart the device after this configuration.
* Make sure to keep the record of which configuration file is used for each unit by pasting the post-it,
etc. to each unit.

11
4 INSTALLATION
4.1 Product Installation
Allocate the BR-400AN units according to the location you have determined. First, allocate the
BR-400AN unit which connects to the backbone network (1), and then allocate the other units
(2)(3)(4)(5). Each time when you allocate the unit, check the radio signal status (refer to 4.1.2).
4.1.1 Installation to Backbone Network
Connect BR-400AN to the backbone network using a network cable and turn on it. If the sample
configuration of previous chapter is used, install the unit of “SampleMesh01-BC”.
* When two or more BR-400AN units are connected to the backbone network, install one of them
first to use it as the start point.
（1）
②
③
（2）
（3）
（4）
（5）

12
4.1.2 Installation of Others
Install the BR-400AN units starting from the one closer to the unit that connects to the backbone
network. If the sample configuration of previous chapter is used, install the unit of
“SampleMesh01-STD”. Before you drill the wall to mount the unit, check the radio signal status by
looking at the LED on top of the unit. Repeat (1)-(3) below as many times as the number of units.
Check 1 Allocate BR-400AN to the determined position and turn on it.
Check 2 Check the LED status on top of the unit in 1-2 mins. Check that WLAN LED turns on
and STATUS LED blinks green.
Check 3 Turn off the unit, fix it to the location and then turn on it again.
* When BR-400AN configures the multiple routes, the LED light pattern will differ depending on the
average quality of radio signal status on each route.
* If the WLAN LED blinks, it means that the BR-400AN unit has failed to join the existing Mesh network.
Adjust the location or direction of installation or otherwise install another unit to use it as a relay
device to expand the wireless distance.
* For notes on installation location, refer to 👉Appendix 5.4.
* To check the radio signal status using the LED, the firmware must be version 1.1.0 or later.
If the firmware version is older than it, the LED blinks green regardless of the radio signal quality.
LED
Status
Description
POWER LED
Turns green
Powered on
WLAN LED
Turn green or
orange
ON: Has joined to Mesh network
Orange: Operates in MAP mode (AP enabled)
Green: Operates in MP mode (AP disabled)
STATUS LED
Blinks green /
orange / red
ON: Has joined to Mesh network
Blink: Blinks when communication is in process
Green: Radio quality is good
Orange: Radio quality is ok
Red: Radio quality is poor

13
4.2 Operation Check
Use Mesh Monitor to see if the information can be retrieved from the installed BR-400AN units.
Route status check using Mesh Monitor
The Mesh route of the installed units can be checked using Mesh Monitor.
Check that the installed units are turned on and the Mesh route is established for each unit.
* For how to use Mesh Monitor, refer to Appendix 5.6 Basic Use of Mesh Monitor.

14
5 APPENDIX
5.1 Bulk IP Address Configuration (When DHCP is Not Installed)
When BR-400AN does not have a fixed IP address and is turned on in the environment where DHCP is
not installed, BR-400AN starts with a LinkLocal Address. It is possible to use BR-400AN with the
LinkLocal Address, but usually, the fixed IP address is used in many cases.
The following explains the bulk configuration of IP address using the below setting.
Name
Sample Setting
IP Address
192.168.1.101-
192.168.1.124
Prepare the valid IP address. Assign the sequential addresses as
many as the number of BR-400AN units.
Netmask
255.255.255.0
Contact your network administrator.
Default Gateway
192.168.1.254
Contact your network administrator.
(1) Connection
The bulk configuration of IP address is used for initial configuration. Connect a laptop to one of the
BR-400AN units to configure.
*For bulk configuration of IP address, a password needs to be registered to BR-400AN in advance.
* IP address of the laptop needs to be changed beforehand. Change the IP address of the laptop to the
one that can be communicated with BR-400AN units after the bulk configuration.
Sample IP address setting
for bulk configuration
Sample IP address setting
for PC
192.168.0.10 - 192.168.0.30
192.168.0.100
172.25.10.10 - 172.25.10.25
172.25.10.100
* LinkLocal Address is the address that is defined as “169.254.x.x”. The IP address of the PC can easily
be identified by executing the IPCONFIG command at the command prompt.
(2) Search
Start AMC Manager® and search for the BR-400AN units.

15
When the BR-400AN units are displayed in the list, select the units to change the IP address and click
Settings - Bulk Configuration.
(3) Bulk Configuration
In the Bulk Configuration window, click IP Configuration. When the IP address configuration dialog is
displayed, enter the setting. For details on each setting, refer to the list of configuration items in the
appendix.
After OK is clicked in the IP address configuration window, IP address is pre-assigned and displayed
under New IP Address in the list. Click Start when they are correct. The progress bar is displayed when
the IP address configuration is in progress and the result of configuration is displayed when it is
completed. Click Close then.

16
(4) Restart
To take effect of the new IP address, restart BR-400AN using AMC Manager®.
Select the BR-400AN units from the list and click Settings - Restart from the menu. The device restart
window is displayed.
Check that the device status is ‘Waiting’ and click Restart. When the result of restart is displayed, click
Close.
* When the password entry screen is displayed, enter the password (the default password: root).
The bulk IP address configuration is completed.
Check that the BR-400AN units can be discovered from AMC Manager®. Change the IP address of the
PC if necessary, when the PC does not have the IP address communicable to the BR-400AN units.

17
5.2 List of Configuration Items
AMC Manager® can configure the following settings.
Contents of configuration file
Sample Setting
Note
Category
Name
System
Configuration
Password
root
Set the password for BR-400AN.
This is used when BR-400AN is
configured via Web browser or by
using AMC Manager®.
Host Name
SX-MESH-001
This host name is displayed on AMC
Manager® and Mesh Monitor.
Network
Configuration
IP Address
192.168.1.101
Subnet Mask
255.255.255.0
Default Gateway
192.168.1.254
DHCP Client
Disable
Enable this setting to automatically
configure the IP address using DHCP
server.
DNS Server (Primary)
192.168.33.44
Set the DNS primary server address.
DNS Server (Secondary)
192.168.55.66
Set the DNS secondary server
address.
Local Time Zone
+9:00
Set the local time zone.
NTP Client
Disable
Set whether to enable the NTP
protocol.
NTP Server Address
0.0.0.0
Set the domain name or IP address of
the NTP server to retrieve the time
information from.
Wired LAN
Configuration
Link Mode
AUTO
Set the physical network type.
Wireless LAN
Configuration
Channel Bandwidth
20Mhz
Set the frequency bandwidth. When
the wireless mode is 802.11n/b/g or
802.11n/a, this setting needs to be
configured.
Extended Channel
Lower
Set the selection method for the
extended channel.
DFS Primary Channel (W53)
52
Set the destination channel to switch
into when radar signals are detected
at W53.
DFS Primary Channel (W56)
100
Set the destination channel to switch
into when radar signals are detected
at W56.
Use DFS Band
Disable
When this setting is enabled, DFS
band channels can be used.
Wireless Mode
802.11n/a
Set the type of IEEE 802.11 wireless
standard.
Channel(2.4GHz)
11
Channel(5GHz)
40
TX Power
100%
Set the transmission power of wireless
LAN. If a larger value is set, the
transmission power becomes

18
stronger.
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Traffic Loop Avoidance
Disable
Enable this setting when BR-400AN is
connected to the backbone network.
Disable this for others.
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Access Point Function
Enable
Enable/Disable the Access Point
function.
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Mesh Group Name
SampleMeshID01
Mesh group name
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Mesh Encryption Key
Eeq27182818
Mesh group password
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Route Refresh Mode
Lite Refresh Mode
Refresh method for the Mesh route
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Route Refresh Interval
5
Refresh interval for the Mesh route
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Max Hop Count
5
Set the number of the BR-400AN units
to create the Mesh route for.
Wireless LAN I/F 1
Route Refresh Function
Enable
Enable/Disable the regular
optimization of the Mesh route.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
SSID
SampleUserWLAN
SSID for Wi-Fi
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Network Authentication
WPA2-PSK
Authentication method for Wi-Fi
Wireless LAN I/F 2
WEP
Disable
Enable/Disable the encryption mode
(WEP)
Wireless LAN I/F 2
WEP Key Index
1
Set the WEP key number (1-4) to use.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
WEP Key(1)-WEP Key (4)
Kysyt
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Encryption Mode
AES
Encryption mode (WPA,WPA2)
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Pre-Shared Key
PIeq3141593
Set the pre-shared key to use for
WPA,WPA2-PSK.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Group Key Renew Interval
60
Set the refresh interval for the
encryption key (min).
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Stealth Mode
Disable
Enable/Disable the stealth mode.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Filter Type
Allow
Set the security type of the MAC
address filter.
Allow: Allows communication only
from the registered MAC address.
Deny: Allows any communications
except for communication from the
registered MAC address.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Ethernet Address(1)-(16)
00:11:22:33:44:55
Registers the MAC address to filter.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Server IP
172.11.22.33
Specify the RADIUS server address.
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Authentication Port
1812
Wireless LAN I/F 2
Shard Secret
RADIUSKEY01
Others
Time before turning into
Configuration Mode
6
Set the period of time until the
configuration mode turns on after the
push switch is pressed.
* For details on each configuration item, refer to “BR-400AN User’s Manual”.