VeEX LX100 Guide

LX100 e-Manual
Please direct all questions to your local VeEX Sales Office, Representative or Distributor or contact VeEX technical support at
www.veexinc.com © Copyright 2010 VeEX Incorporated. All rights reserved.
No part of this user manual may be reproduced, translated into a foreign language or be transmitted electronically without prior
agreement and written consent of VeEX Incorporated as governed by International copyright laws. Information contained in this
manual is provided "as is" and is subject to change without notice. ™Trademarks of VeEX Incorporated have been identified
where applicable, however the absence of such identification does not affect the legal status of any trademark.
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Table of Contents
1.0 Product Introduction
2.0 About this User Manual
3.0 Safety Information
4.0 Basic Operation
4.1 Keypad
4.2 Touch-Screen Display
4.3 Battery
4.4 Connectors and Panels
4.5 LEDs
5.0 Home Menu
5.1 IP Connection
5.2 Advanced IP
5.2.1 Ping Test
5.2.2 Trace Route
5.2.3 FTP Test
5.2.4 Web Test
5.2.5 ARP Wiz
5.3 Net Wiz
5.4 WiFi Wiz
5.5 VoIP
5.5.1 VoIP Expert
5.5.2 VoIP Call Expert
5.6 IPTV
5.7 Optical Power Meter
6.0 Common Functions
6.1 Help
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6.2 Settings
6.3 Files (Test Results)
6.4 ReVeal Software
7.0 Warranty and Software
8.0 Product Specification
9.0 Certification and Declarations
10.0 About VeEX
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1.0 Product Introduction
The VePAL LX100 instrument is a next generation test solution to install and maintain IP and Optical networks delivering triple play
services. The LX100 is lightweight, rugged and weather resistant featuring an optical power meter (option) and advanced IP test
and verification capabilities.
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2.0 About this User Manual
Every effort was made to ensure that the information contained in this user manual is accurate. Information is subject to change
without notice and we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions. In case of discrepancy, the web version takes
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precedence over any printed literature.
(c) Copyright 2006-2010 VeEX Inc. All rights reserved. VeEX, VePAL are registered trademarks of VeEX Inc and/or its affiliates in
the the USA and certain other countries. All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted electronically or otherwise without written permission from VeEX Inc.
This device uses software either developed by VeEX Inc or licensed by VeEX Inc from third parties. The software is confidential
and proprietary of VeEX Inc. The software is protected by copyright and contains trade secrets of VeEX Inc or VeEX's licensors.
The purchaser of this device agrees that it has received a license solely to use the software as embedded in the device, and the
purchaser is prohibited from copying, reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling the software.
This user manual is suitable for novice, intermediate, and experienced users and is intended to help you successfully use the
features and capabilities of the VePAL LX100 test set. It is assumed that you have basic computer experience and skills, and are
familiar with IP and telecommunication concepts, terminology,
For more technical www.veexinc.com.
If you need assistance or have questions related to the use of this product, call or e-mail our customer care department for
customer support. Before contacting our customer care department, you must have your product serial number and software
version ready. Please go to Basic Operations section for details on locating your unit serial number in the menus or locate the
serial number on the back of the chassis. Please provide this number when contacting VeEX customer service.
Customer Care:
Phone: + 1 408 970 9090
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.veexinc.com
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3.0 Safety Information
Safety precautions should be observed during all phases of operation of this instrument. The instrument has been designed to
ensure safe operation however please observe all safety markings and instructions. Do not operate the instrument in the presence
of flammable gases or fumes or any other combustible environment. VeEX Inc. assumes no liability for the customer's failure to
comply with safety precautions and requirements.
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4.0 Basic operation
4.1 Keypad
The unit is powered on and off from the red key on the keypad area. In order to turn off the unit, press the power key for at least 2
seconds. If the unit is not responding, holding the power key down by more than 10 seconds will
The keypad includes the following keys:
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Home key. Bring the unit to its home menu regardless of its location on the user interface.
Print key. Performs a print of the current result or selected stored result. The print function requires a USB printer. For a list
of supported printer please contact VeEX customer service.
Store key. Performs the storage in the memory of the test set of the current results. If the result is running, it will provide a
snap shot at the moment the key is pressed. The store function provides an automatic storage with automatic naming and
time stamping function. To manipulate a stored file, please go to Files.
History key. The history key resets any blinking LED due to a history condition. For more details on the LED, please go to
LEDs.
Help key. The help key brings the user to the online help, regardless of the current user interface location of the unit.
Arrow key. The arrow key moves the cursor in any of the four supported directions (left, right, up, down). The arrow key
works in conjunction with the Enter and Escape keys.
Enter key. The enter key provides an enter sequence to the user interface. It is used in non touch screen operation mode to
enter menus and functions.
Escape key. The escape key provides an escape sequence to the user interface. It is used in non touch screen operation
mode to escape menus and functions.
Note: Standby Mode
By pressing Home and Help buttons simultaneously, the tester switches to a sleep mode which helps to
preserve battery life and makes fast boot up time at the measurement site or location possible.
To exit the sleep mode, press Home and Help simultaneously again.
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4.2 Touch-Screen Display
The LCD supports touch-screen operation. To use the touch-screen, open the transparent door protecting and covering the screen
and use the stylus inserted in the top cover to navigate the menus and tabs. Keep the LCD cover closed when using the unit in a
non touch-screen mode - use the arrow, enter, and escape keys to navigate. The location of the cursor on the screen is indicated
by a focus state. The focus state varies depending on the function or section of the test
- Never use excessive pressure on the
- Never use sharp objects such as a
- Clean the surface of the touch
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4.3 Battery
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The VPAL is equipped with an intelligent Lilon rechargeable battery pack which is located in the rear of the unit. The battery will be
partially charged upon delivery, so it is recommended to charge the battery fully before use. Please charge the battery at room
temperature to preserve its life and to obtain maximum charge. The battery is charged during operation provided the unit is
connected to the AC Mains using the supplied AC adapter. Removing the battery, while the unit is powered on is not
recommended - this may result in damage. Remove the rubber cover on the left side to connect the AC Main adapter to the unit.
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4.4 Connectors and Panels
Test Ports:
Optical Power Meter (OPM) test port:
To access the optical test interface, please open the top connector cover.
An universal 2.5mm optical adaptor allows you to connect the test set to the fiber optic network using one of the optical fiber
patchcords or adaptors supplied with the instrument.
RJ45, 10/100Base-T port:
To connect to an Ethernet network - Test applications include;
IP connectivity testing
Net Wiz testing
WiFi Wiz testing
Voice over IP (VoIP) testing
IPTV testing
Transfer measurement results and test profiles between the instrument and a computer using ReVeal LX software
Upload/download channel tables between the instrument and a computer using ReVeal LX software
Upgrade the instrument software using ReVeal LX software
Remote control of the instrument using ReVeal LX software (optional)
USB Utility Ports:
To access the USB ports, remove the protective rubber cover on the right hand side of the unit to expose the connectors;
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USB 2.0 Client port: To connect USB memory drives, WiFi or VoIP adaptors (accessories are shown below)
USB 2.0 Host port: To connect USB printer (future firmware release)
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4.5 LEDs
The LX100 is equipped with three LEDs providing the following functions;
The Power LED indicates the power state of the unit. The LED is off when the unit is powered off. The LED is green
when the unit is powered on. The LED is orange when the unit is connected to the AC Main and powered off.
The IP LED is linked to the IP connection function. The LED is solid red when there is no IP connection or green when a
valid IP connection is established.
The WiFi LED indicates a successful WiFi connection.
Note: The LED history function and LED reset function key on the rubber keyboard (O -> O) serves no function on the LX100.
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5.0 Home Menu
This menu can be reached at anytime during operation by pressing the home key, accessible on the rubber keyboard.
LX100A Home Menu
The upper part of the menu (IP connection, Advanced IP, Net Wiz, WiFi Wiz, VoIP, IPTV and Optical Power Meter) consists of
applications specific to the test set, while the lower part of the menu contains applications (Help, Settings, Files) which are common
to all VeEX VePAL handheld test sets.
Some test capabilities may be specific to a certain product while other features may require the purchase of a software option in
order to be displayed or be enabled.
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5.1 IP Connection
Enter a Static IP address or use DHCP to connect to the network. If DHCP is selected, an IP address will be automatically
assigned to the test set. The user can also turn the DNS server option On of Off.
LX100A DHCP IP setup LX100A Static IP setup
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If a Static connection mode is selected, the user is required to enter a Local IP, Subnet, Gateway, and DNS IP (if the DNS server
option is turned on)
Note: A DNS IP address is required when using URL format as a destination address. The user needs to establish an IP
connection and address prior to Ping, Trace Route, Web/FTP, ARP Wiz, VoIP, and IPTV testing.
LX100A IP connection - Result
Note: IP Connection
Ensure the Status is PASS and the IP icon is green before continuing with any IP tests. If the status fails,
go back to the setup screen to verify that the parameters are entered correctly - also ensure that the
Ethernet cable is connected properly before trying to reconnect. Check the status LED on the Ethernet
connector (on the side of the unit) to look for port and network activity.
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5.2 Advanced IP
An IP test will verify that the IP network is configured properly and connected to the Internet. Depending on the IP options
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purchased, the following tests are possible;
5.2.1 Ping Test
PING is a popular computer network tool used to test whether a particular host is reachable across an IP network. A Ping is
performed by sending an “echo request” or ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) to the target host and listening for “echo
response” replies.
The destination address can be in IP address or URL format.
LX100A Ping Test address setup LX100A Ping Test setup
The Ping Result indicates the number of Pings Sent and Received. Unreachable and Missing Pings are also recorded. PING also
estimates the round-trip time, in milliseconds.
LX100A Ping address edit LX100A Ping Result
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5.2.2 Trace Route
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Trace Route is a common method used to find the route to the destination IP address or URL. It is often used to identify routing
problems and unreachable destinations. All the remote IP addresses and their response times are displayed indicating possible
network congestion points.
Select Trace Route to proceed with Trace Route test. Enter the desired destination and press ‘Trace’ to start. Trace Route results
provide all the hops with Time To Live (TTL) and addresses up to the destination. If there is no response from a particular hop then
an asterisk will be displayed.
LX100A Trace Route setup LX100A Trace Route result
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5.2.3 FTP Test
The File Transfer Protocol is used to verify the actual throughput of upstream or downstream data rate by sending or receiving files
of known size.
For FTP download or upload, the user needs to enter a valid IP Address, File/Path, User name and Password. For FTP upload, the
user can also set the file size to be transmitted.
Press ‘Start’ to initiate the download or upload process. The FTP download or upload results provide a Pass or Fail status and
detailed information specific to the download or upload.
LX100A FTP upload LX100A FTP download
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5.2.4 Web Test
Web Test is used to verify that the internet is properly provisioned at the service point.
Web Test:
Select Test from Web Mode
Enter or select the desired IP address or URL destination, the repetition time, then press ‘Start.’
The result is a simple Pass Fail indication and basic information pertaining to the throughput and transfer rate.
LX100A Web Test setup LX100A Web Test result
Web Browser:
Select Browser from Web Mode
Enter or select the desired IP address or URL destination, and encoding, and then press ‘Start.’
The screen will turn blank while launching the spider web browser engine.
The web page is divided into quadrants. Use the slide keys to navigate up/down and left/right.
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It is possible to navigate links within the screen.
Click the close button in the Top right hand corner to exit.
LX100A Web Browser setup LX100A Web Browser result
Note: If a DNS server is not detected, an error message will be displayed.
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5.2.5 ARP Wiz
ARP Wiz uses the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) to verify the status of each IP address in a user selectable IP range. ARP is
the standard method for finding a host's hardware address when only its network layer address is known. In other words, ARP is
used primarily to translate IP addresses to Ethernet MAC addresses. ARP is defined in RFC 826
Setup:
Enter a desired IP address range
Enter the Subnet address (if applicable) or use the default value.
Press ‘Start’
Result:
The MAC addresses associated with active IP addresses in the range are displayed.
LX100A ARP Wiz Setup LX100A ARP Wiz Result
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Note: ARP
The ARP protocol by definition can only work within the same subnet as the IP address provided to the test
set in IP Status.
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5.3 Net Wiz
The Net Wiz function allows you to test the Ethernet cable and associated network environment. A typical application is shown
below;
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Typical Net Wiz Application
Test functionality include;
Cable Analysis with distance
to switch with MDI mode (Straight or Crossover)
to fault, type of fault (Open, Short, Impedance Mismatch)
Analyze the network and automatically report
Stations
Routers/Gateway
Printers
Provide MAC and IP addresses of each device
PING each device and verify the device is active
Provide detected networks (NetBiOS, IPX, etc)
Status
Press ‘Start’ to begin the test.
The test set will report the connection type (Straight or Cross Over) if connected to an end point device.
If a fault is detected (Open or Short), the fault will be indicated including the distance to the fault.
Discovery
Before proceeding with the discovery function, please go to IP Tools to establish a connection.
Enter the desired IP address range and press ‘Start’
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LX100A Net Wiz setup LX100A Net Wiz Discovery setup
Discovery Result:
Summary tab reports;
Total transmitted and received frames
Received frames in error
Speed advertised
Duplex mode advertised
Number of devices and networks found
LX100A Net Wiz Discovery Summary LX100A Net Wiz Discovery Devices
Discovery Result:
Devices tab indicates;
Total number of devices found
Number of devices i.e. routers, servers or hosts.
Attribute of each device discovered including Ping test result.
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LX100A Net Wiz Discovery Devices Cont. LX100A Net Wiz Discovery Networks
Discovery Result:
Networks tab indicates;
Number of IP Subnets, Hosts, Domain, and Named Hosts Found.
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5.4 WiFi Wiz
The function allows you to test wireless WiFi 802.11b and 802.11g networks. A typical application is shown below.
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Typical WiFi Wiz Application
The WiFi Wiz function supports:
WEP Encryption
Scanning
SSID broadcasting and report
Signal Strength
Mode (AP, IF) and Security
IP Connection and Ping Test
Setup:
Plug the WiFi adaptor into the USB port. Allow at least 30-45 seconds for the unit to detect the wireless adaptor and for the
software driver to load.
VPAL products support Linksys USB wireless adaptors only and have the necessary software driver built into the Linux
operational system. Do not use other wireless adaptors as this may damage the unit.
Tap on the pull down menu to turn the wireless USB adapter on. An information box will display the initiation process of the
USB and this process will take about 90 seconds.
Ensure the USB wireless adapter is connected before turning it on.
WiFi Adaptor LX100A WiFi setup - Activation
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Scan - Tap on the Scan tab once the test set has detected the wireless USB adapter. Press Scan on the bottom to start scanning
the site. When scan is completed, the test set will show the number of SSIDs, Channels, and the number of SSiDs in
Infrastructures mode and Ad-Hoc mode.
SSiD - Tap on the SSiD tab after the scan is completed. Select one of the SSiDs to start a connection. If the SSiD is locked, a
network key is required to complete the connection. The WiFi function supports WEP encryption. The key can either be 10
characters or 26 characters. Note: If the user entered the wrong network key the test set will still connect to the Access Point,
however, it will not be able to connect to the web or to perform the Ping test.
Note: Select the manual selection to enter the parameters manually if the SSiD did not detect the AP that the user is searching
for.
LX100A WiFi Scan LX100A WiFi SSID
Connection
Once connected, the connection screen will display the following information on the connection;
SSiD
BSSiD MAC address
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Channel number
Encryption type - WEP, WPA, Disabled
Type - Adhoc, Infrastructure
Signal strength is constantly updated so the value varies.
Link Quality is constantly updated so the value varies.
Note: Signal versus Link Quality
Link quality - Fundamentally, the best way to measure link quality is to derive the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of
the desired received signal. For that to happen, a demodulator in the receive chain needs to provide information
about the confidence of the detected symbol - also known as soft detection. However, with modern CMOS
transceivers used in WiFi type products, soft detection is not provided. Instead, in a typical application, there are two
measures of the Rx signal quality: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) and integrity check of the demodulated
data by either Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) or PN code correlation strength.
Signal quality - The RSSI can be used as a measure of signal quality when there is no interference. But, in the
case where the receiver experiences interference, the RSSI may falsely indicate sufficient signal strength even if the
desired signal is completely jammed by the interfering signal. This is because the RSSI cannot distinguish the desired
signal from the interfering signal. In this situation, a data integrity check can be used to detect if the demodulated
data is corrupted, and then subsequently adjust the transmit power. Using a CRC check as a measure of link quality
implies that a few bit errors occur in the data or voice transmission before the transmit power can be increased. There
is a lot of controversy about the term signal quality used in WLAN networks but the most likely definition of “signal
quality,” or “PN code correlation strength” is that it is some metric of the correlation between the correct symbol-
stream and the actual symbol-stream received. For example, the PHY might count the average number of “wrong” bit
positions over a window of some number of symbols, where zero “wrong” bit positions equals 100% signal quality and
more “wrong” bit positions results in lower signal quality.
Signal strength and RSSI - In reality, there are four units of measurements used to represent RF Signal Strength
namely mW( milliwatts), dBm (“dB”-milliwatts), RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), and a percentage
measurement. Signal strength defined in the IEEE 802.11 recommendation for WiFi type devices is based on the
Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and is intended to be used as a ‘relative value’ within the WiFi chipset. The
1-byte value can have values ranging from 0 to 255, but vendors prefer to use arbitrary scales from 0 to RSSI_Max
but in fact no vendor actually measures the 256 different signal level values so each adopts and uses their own
specific maximum RSSI value (RSSI_Max). For example on the WiFi adaptor we use, Linksys (Cisco) chooses to
measure 101 separate values for RF energy so their RSSI_Max is 100. Note that the RSSI value is not associated
with any particular power scale (e.g. mW) and it is also not required to be of any particular accuracy. The RSSI value
is used internally by the microcode in the adapter and by the device driver and this is why vendors are not forced to
use a compatible standard. As a result, the signal strength numbers reported by an 802.11 device or adaptor will not
be consistent between two vendors, and should not be assumed to be particularly accurate or precise.
LX100A WiFi Connection LX100A WiFi Ping
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