User's Guide

Table Of Contents
17 FAQs
265
Is the PTP 500 Series bridge an 802.11a device? No, although similar, the PTP 500 Series
bridge uses different encoding and radio transmission systems from 802.11a. In areas where
802.11a systems are operating, the PTP 500 Series bridge will detect the 802.11a radio
signals and choose a clear channel away from any interference.
How much power does the PTP 500 Series bridge transmit? At all times the PTP 500
Series bridge operates within country / region specific regulations for radio power emissions.
In addition, the PTP 500 Series bridge uses a technique known as Transmit Power Control
(TPC) to ensure that it only transmits sufficient radio power such that the other antenna can
receive a high quality signal.
How does the PTP 500 Series Bridge avoid interference from other devices nearby? At
initialization, the PTP 500 Series bridge monitors the available frequency channels to find a
channel that is clear of interference. In operation PTP 500 Series bridge continuously
monitors the spectrum to ensure it is operating on the cleanest channel.
How does the PTP 500 Series bridge integrate into my data network? The PTP 500
Series bridge acts as a transparent bridge between two segments of your network. In this
sense, it can be treated like a virtual wired connection between the two buildings. The PTP
500 Series bridge forwards 802.3 Ethernet packets destined for the other part of the network
and filters packets it does not need to forward. The system is transparent to higher-level
management systems such as VLANs and Spanning Tree.
How does the PTP 500 Series bridge provide security for data traffic? The PTP 500
Series bridge has a range of security features. At installation time each link must be
programmed with the serial ID of its partner. The two ends of the link will only communicate
with one another, eliminating any chance of "man in the middle" attacks. Over the air security
is achieved through a proprietary scrambling mechanism that cannot be disabled, spoofed or
snooped by commercial tools.