User's Manual

MDS 05-2873A01, Rev. A MDS i Net 900 Installation and Operation Guide 7
DRAFT 6—8/29/01
margin” to account for variations in signal strength which may occur
from time-to-time. RSSI can be measured with a terminal connected to
the
COM1
Port or with a HTTP browser to the
LAN (Ethernet) connector.
(See Section 4.6 on page 18 for details.)
Conducting a Site Survey
If you are in doubt about the suitability of the radio sites in your system,
it is best to evaluate them before a permanent installation is begun. This
can be done with an on-the-air test (preferred method); or indirectly,
using path-study software.
An on-the-air test is preferred because it allows you to see firsthand the
factors involved at an installation site and to directly observe the quality
of system operation. Even if a computer path study was conducted ear-
lier, this test should be done to verify the predicted results.
The test can be performed by first installing a radio and antenna at the
proposed Access Point station site and then visiting each Station
Adapter site with a transceiver and a hand-held antenna. (A PC with a
network adapter can be connected to each radio in the network to simu-
late data during this test using the PING command.)
With the hand-held antenna positioned near the proposed mounting
spot, a technician can check for synchronization with the Access Point
station (shown by a lit
LINK LED on the front panel) and measure the
reported RSSI value. (See Section 4.6 on page 18 for details.) If ade-
quate signal strength cannot be obtained, it may be necessary to mount
the station antennas higher, use higher gain antennas, select a different
site or consider installing a repeater station. To prepare the equipment
for an on-the-air test, follow the general installation procedures given in
this guide and become familiar with the operating instructions found in
Section 4.0 on page 13.
If time is short, and a site survey is impractical, a computer path study
is a good alternative. Factors such as terrain, distance, transmitter
power, receiver sensitivity, and other conditions are taken into account
to predict the performance of a proposed system. Contact MDS for more
information on path study services.
Table 2.iNet Front Panel LED Functions
LED Label Activity Indication
LAN ON Link integrity OK
Blinking Data TX/RX
OFF LAN not detected
COM1
(Console)
ON Not Defined
Blinking Data TX/RX
OFF No data detected