Installation Instructions

Data Sheet
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New FCC Guidelines for Installation and Operation of Outdoor
Wireless LAN devices (“U-NII devices”) Operating in the 5470-5725-
MHz Band.
The following Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines required for operation of WLAN
systems were created to help mitigate interference to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Terminal
Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) from Wireless LAN systems operating outdoors in the 5470-5725-MHz
band. The FAA has reported interference to many of their radar systems from WLANs operating
specifically in the 5600-5650-MHz TDWR band, as well as from operation of WLANs on adjacent
channels.
The FCC, FAA, and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have been investigating the
issues, and have reported to industry that the cases of interference stem from many different causes. In addition to
temporarily stopping new equipment certification for outdoor devices, the FCC has asked the industry to help address
the issue by applying these guidelines to customer installations and ensuring customers are aware of the guidelines
and how to comply.
Note: These installation and operation guidelines apply to new systems being installed outdoors as well as current
systems already installed and operating.
Requirements
The following requirements for installation and operation of outdoor systems must be addressed:
1. Operation in the 5600-5650-MHz band is not authorized for 5-GHz WLAN systems, whether operating indoor or
outdoors. This does not pose a problem for Cisco
®
WLAN since this band is not accessible for Cisco products.
Use of indoor-only equipment outdoors can lead to FCC enforcement action, such as fines or requirements to
disable the system. This includes installations where the access point is placed indoors and the antenna is
placed outdoors, as well as installations involving retractable roofs (for example, football stadiums).
2. For WLAN systems being installed outdoors, the following requirements must be met.
a) Systems must be professionally installed by a qualified engineer familiar with WLAN, including Cisco
trained partners and resellers.
b) Operation in the 5600-5650-MHz band is prohibited.
c) It is recommended that the installer register the installation of their system in the Wireless Internet Service
Providers Association (WISPA database). This is especially important for systems that are installed within 35 km
of the FAA TDWR. (Please see the links later in this document to WISPA database with TDWR locations.)
d) When within 35 km distance of a TDWR, the center frequency of the WLAN must be separated from the
TDWR center frequency by 30 MHz.
a. If the radar is operating from 5600-5610 MHz, disable the use of channel 116 (5580 MHz).
b. If the radar is operating from 5630-5650 MHz, disable the use of channel 132 (5660 MHz).
Note: Cisco will be disabling channels 116 and 132 for outdoor systems in the future, the instructions in
(d) only applies to systems that currently have the channels enabled.