HP ProCurve Wireless 170wl Radio Card External Antenna User’s Guide
© Copyright 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. This document contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into another language without the prior written consent of Hewlett-Packard.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card HP provides a variety of external antenna options for extending the radio range and shaping the coverge area of your access point by connecting antennas to your HP ProCurve 802.11g 170wl radio card . These antennas offer a number of different mounting locations, including indoor or outdoor, wall, ceiling, or radio mast. This guide shows you how to install an external antenna for your 170wl radio card.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card External Antenna Options External Antenna Options The 170wl radio card external antenna options are outlined in the following table: Table 1.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Pre-Installation Considerations Pre-Installation Considerations Planning the Installation To determine the best location of your wireless access points and antennas, we recommend conducting a site survey before placing the devices in their final locations. For information on how to conduct a site survey, contact your local reseller. WARNING Never install an antenna or construct a radio mast near overhead powerlines.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Pre-Installation Considerations ■ ■ 4 • For optimum coverage, mount the antenna at the center of the area with a line-of-sight path to all points within the area. • Avoid mounting next to or near building support columns or other obstructions that may cause reduced signal or null zones in parts of the coverage area. • When mounting outdoors using a mast, make sure the antenna extends beyond the top of the mast.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure Installation Procedure 1. Mount the Antenna Install the antenna in its planned location using the mounting hardware included with the antenna. Refer to documentation included with the antenna for specific information and installation instructions. 2. Connect to the Radio Card 1. Disable the access point radio using the web browser interface, CLI, or SNMP. 2. Remove power to the access point. 3.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure Extension Cable (Variable Length) Access Point 520wl Radio Card Adapter Cable Antenna Pigtail Note 6 4. Remove the rubber tab from the end of the radio card. 5. Connect the adapter cable to the radio card. 6. Reconnect power to the access point. Before enabling the radio with an external antenna attached, be sure to first configure the access point’s antenna mode and transmit power settings.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure 3. Configure the Radio Transmit Power Control Levels The access point must be configured for the type of radio card and transmit (TX) power must be limited to conform to local regulations. Use the regional settings for each antenna as provided in the TX Power Control table below.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure TX Power Control Limits Note TX Power Control is only supported on the HP ProCurve Wireless 802.11g AP Card 170wl. Do not use the 12.5% and 25% options. Although you can select them, they are not valid for the 170wl. The TX Power Control feature lets the user configure the transmit power level of the radio card in the access point at one of four levels: ■ 100% of the maximum transmit power level of the radio card.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure 5. Click the Configure button located on the left side of the screen. 6. Click the tab that corresponds to the parameter you want to configure. For this procedure, click Interfaces.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure 7. Note Select Operational Mode. In Operational Mode, it does not matter how you configure the 170wl radio card (11b, 11bg, or 11g), the antennas will still work. 8. Select Enable Transmit Power Control. 9. Select the transmit power level for interface A from the Wireless-A: Transmit Power Level drop-down menu. Select the transmit power level for interface B from the Wireless-B: Transmit Power Level drop-down menu.
Using an External Antenna with the 170wl Radio Card Installation Procedure 11. Reboot the Access Point for the changes to take effect. Configuring TX Power Limits Using the CLI Use the Show and Set commands in the CLI to configure the AP. Refer to "Configuring the AP using CLI Commands" section, of Appendix C, of the "HP ProCurve Wireless Access Point 520wl User’s Guide," for complete descriptions of these commands.
Technical information in this document is subject to change without notice. Copyright Hewlett-Packard Company, 2004. All rights reserved. Reproduction, adaptation, or translation without prior written permission is prohibited except as allowed under the copyright laws.
