ProSoft Technology RLX2-IHNF-WC - Manual (Page 47)

RLX2 Industrial Hotspot Series
ProSoft Technology, Inc. Page 47 of 212
June 15, 2015
and install it in the new radio. On power up of the new RLX2 Industrial Hotspot, all
configuration settings from the radio being replaced are automatically used.
Note: The RLX2-IHNF-W or WC radios do not have a Personality Module and must be
configured using the steps described in this manual.
Planning the Network
Before configuring and installing the wireless network, it may help to create a plan. The
following points assume a bridge network of masters and repeaters. Clients can also be
configured to work with devices on existing wireless LANs. For information, see Setup
Client Radio (page 44).
The simplest way to design the physical network of radios, antennas, connectors, cables,
amplifiers and other accessories is to use ProSoft Wireless Designer (page 49). This is a
freely-available software application that determines the hardware needs based on the
user’s answers to a few questions.
The software will generate a Bill of Materials specifying all the components needed for
the installation. ProSoft Wireless Design is included on the optical media supplied with
the RLX2 radio, and is also available for downloading from the ProSoft website.
 To begin, identify the potential radio locations. For example, the master radio may
be installed near a PC in a central plant location (This PC can configure the radios
through the Radio Configuration / Diagnostic Utility). If the plant is an oil refinery,
for example, radios may need to be installed near the oil tanks.
 The next important issue is how to link the radios. Unless the radios are very close
together, make sure that each pair of radio antennas in the network has a line of
sight between them. In other words, visibility is needed from one antenna to
another, either with the naked eye or with binoculars.
 If a line of sight does not exist between antennas, an additional site is needed for
installing a repeater radio. This site will create a bridge between the radio
antennas.
 Choose the appropriate antennas for the network. If an antenna will be connected
to the radio by a long cable, a power amplifier (available from ProSoft Technology)
may be needed. The more distance between an antenna and its radio, the more
signal loss the radio will have.
ProSoft Wireless Designer can suggest suitable antennas for the application based
on frequency band, data rate, distance, power output level, and other factors.