There are many use cases for a PTMP (Point to Multi Point) Bridge.
Scenarios we often come across here at Go Wireless are for solutions to bridge security cameras back to a central Access Point Radio, (often due to lack of cabling infrastructure on the site), bridge back WiFi Access Points to a central Access Point and for a WISP to offer internet connections to end customers.
This blog has been made to run you through the process of configuring:
1x Access Point Radio
2x Client/Station Radios.
The equipment used is the Cambium EPMP3000L for the Access Point Radio and the Cambium Force 300-16 for the Client Radios, there are a wide range of models but this example is focused on a cost effective solution, that can offer decent throughput for a reasonable price, this solution is suitable for up to 5km with clear line of sight.
You can add a lot more client radios than shown here, however you will learn the required process.
With Cambium EPMP radios, the default management IP addresses are 192.168.0.1 for Accesss Point Radios and 192.168.0.2 for Client/CPE Radios.
If you are configuring the device from a stand alone PC you will need to set a static IP address in the correct range, ie.
If you need help with setting a static IP Address, please see https://blog.gowifi.co.nz/2015/08/configuring-static-ip-address.html
The next step is to login to the radio via your web browser using the address 192.168.0.1 (If you connect the device to the live network, it will obtain a DHCP address, in which case you will login with the DHCP address.
The default username and password is admin/admin, enter this in and click login.
You will then be presented with the main status page.
Before proceeding with the setup, we recommend to always upgrade to the latest firmware on any new device you are installing.
You will be able to download the latest firmware file from support.cambiumnetworks.com
Once you have downloaded the firmware file, navigate to Tools and Software Upgrade, Select the File.
Once the file is selected, click Upgrade.
Once the firmware upgrade is complete, please reboot the radio.
Now that the EPMP3000L radio has the latest firmware we can proceed with configuration.
To determine which channel to use, there is a spectrum analyzer built into the radio.
On this screenshot you can see an option to enable the spectrum analyzer, there is a lot of RF noise in my testing scenario, but I have decided to select 5840MHZ and a 20MHZ Channel Width for this blog example.
Navigate to Configuration - Radio
You will see I have selected Access Point, entered my own SSID, Max range 5km, 16DBI Antenna Gain for my chosen antenna. -60DBM target signal strength for Client Radios. 50/50 Download/Upload Ratio, however you have the option to change this to favor one direction for the traffic, ie, a 30/70 Downlink/Uplink Ratio would allow more bandwidth in one direction for streaming camera feeds.
Next up is the system tab:
Here you can set a device name among other things such as time zone.
Further down on this page there is options to connect the Radio to CNMaestro (Cloud Management Platform) and 4 User accounts.
It is important to change the default password and you can disable the other user accounts that you don't require.
Now navigate to the Network Tab and set your preferred settings such as a static IP Address, for this Blog the Access Point is going to be 192.168.1.200:
You will want to change Management Access to be both Ethernet and Wireless:
The last tab we need to configure is the Security Settings, ie WPA2 Password:
Once you have chosen your WPA2 Password, it is time to save the settings and reboot the Radio.
The radio will now be available on the IP address you selected under the network tab.
Its now time to disconnect this radio from your PC and leave it powered up off the POE Injector.
Now its time to connect up the first client Radio.
The process is very similar, however the default IP is 192.168.0.2 for the Force 300-16 Client Radio.
Once again, visit support.cambiumnetworks.com to obtain the latest firmware file.
Login to the radio and install the latest firmware image.
Like before, you will need to reboot the radio once the firmware file uploads.
Navigate to Configuration - Radio, radio is set to Subscriber Module by default, which is the setting we want.
Choose Add new AP and add the SSID, Security type WPA2 and WPA2 Pre-Shared Key as shown here.
The System Tab settings are the same as the AP Radio.
However you can choose a unique Device Name here.
Network Tab: Your desired IP Address for your Client Radio.
Bridge mode is selected in this example, as we are not doing any Nat or Routing.
Save the Settings and Reboot the Radio.
Once the radio reboots it should connect to the previously configured Cambium EPMP3000L Access Point Radio.
From your Force 300-16 radio you should see these details under the status tab.
Now that we have a connection to the AP radio we can log back into the AP Radio on 192.168.1.200 and see the Status from this radio too.
You can now configure the next Station Radio, with your choice of IP Address and Device name and the rest of the process is identical.
You can add a lot more station radios if you require, this radio would typically be used for 10 Client Radios or less.
If you require a lot more than 10 client radios, consider using the EPMP3000 rather than this EPMP3000L Radio, as it can offer around 2x the data throughput of the entry level unit.
Further Information:
* 20mhz Channel width allows plenty of throughput for most applications without using up too much spectrum.
* As these radios have the AC Chipset you get around 2x the data throughput of the older generation radios at the same channel width.
* There are many other models of client radio in this range along with 3 AP options and Antenna options for the AP too.
* If you need advice on which products would suit your application, please contact us sales@gowifi.co.nz