AvaLAN Wireless AW900iTR - Manual (Page 5)

AW900iTR User’s Manual
PAGE 5 Technical Support (650) 384-0000 www.avalanwireless.com
Operational Summary
The AW900iTR Radio allows the user to create a long-range, wireless Ethernet network with up to
16 subscriber units per access point. The configuration may include any combination of AW900iTR,
AW900xTR and AW900xTP radios. (Please note that older AvaLAN 900 MHz radios can exist on the
same LAN but cannot be used to form wireless links with the AW900iTR units because link encryption
protocols have changed.)
Configuring a wireless link with the AW900iTR requires the establishment of six elements:
• Each radio must know whether it is to be an access point (AP) or subscriber unit (SU).
• Each radio must have an IP address that is unique among all others on the same network.
• The AP must know how many SUs are expecting communication with it.
• The AP and any given SU must agree on which radio frequency channel they are using. This can
be manually set or allowed to change automatically.
• The SU must be assigned a unique subscriber ID to specify which time division slot it will use
when communicating with the AP.
• The AP and any given SU must share a common 128-bit encryption key and 32-bit network name.
The access point (AP) automatically scans for the best of the 12 available radio frequency channels,
encrypts Ethernet data received from the network, and transmits it wirelessly to the correct subscriber
unit (SU). The AP is constantly monitoring the radio link and can automatically change the channel
if performance is degraded due to interference. If two AP units are very close to one another, they
may interfere if operating on adjacent frequency channels. Place them at least 10 feet apart and
manually select non-adjacent channels for their operation. Also, the SU should be placed at least 10
feet from the AP to avoid overloading the radio’s receiver.
Any 10/100 BaseT Ethernet client device (ECD) can be connected to an AW900iTR subscriber unit.
Each SU encrypts Ethernet traffic received from the attached ECD and transmits the data wirelessly
to its AP. Each SU can be plugged directly into an ECD without adding drivers or loading software.
Essentially, once the AP/SU pair is configured and running, it behaves like a transparent Ethernet
cable that encrypts and then passes all traffic including VLANs.
Physical Setup
1. Before placing the radio in its final location, it may be best to perform the digital setup procedure
described in the next section.
2. Connect the AW900iTR’s RP-TNC RF connector to a suitable antenna. A 2 dBI omni-directional
dipole antenna (AW2-900) is included and is suitable for testing and general applications. Application
specific antennas are available if greater range and/or directionality is required. Choose one of our
other antenna models that can be found on our website at www.avalanwireless.com.
3. Power is provided to the unit by means of the 120 VAC to 12 VDC 0.5A wall power supply.