AvaLAN Wireless AW900mTR-10 - Manual (Page 3)

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AW900MTR User’s Manual
Operational summary
The AW900XTR Radio allows the user to create a long-range, wireless Ethernet net-
work with up to 16 subscriber units per access point. The configuration may include
any combination of AW900MTR, 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 AW900MTR/XTR/XTP units because link encryption protocols
have changed.)
Configuring a wireless link with the AW900MTR 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.
AW900MTR radios may be configured by two different methods. They may be con-
nected to a computer that will run a web browser, setting parameters via their
built-in browser interfaces. They may also be programmed via the older “easy key”
method using the DIP switches and LEDs on the module. If you wish to use the
older method, go to our website and download the user manual for the AW900IT or
AW900XT and follow the procedures there.
The access point (AP) automatically scans for the best of the 12 available radio fre-
quency 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 or
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 AW900MTR
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 continuous Ethernet cable.