User's Manual

UtiliNet® Endpoint User Guide 11-1-2006

Page 27 of 30

sites. Most UtiliNet surveys are accomplished by temporarily installing a UtiliNet radio at the master site

or at a repeater site and testing connectivity from the master or repeater to the remote sites in the predicted

coverage area of the master or repeater. One of the advantages to spread spectrum technology is the

license-free operation that allows installation anytime and anywhere. A second UtiliNet radio is carried to

each remote site in the predicted coverage area and powered to check connectivity. In most cases, the

UtiliNet radio’s antenna is mounted on a telescoping pole (preferably constructed from nonconductive

material) that would place the antenna as near to the final mounting height as possible. Using RadioShop

software, data is gathered from the remote radio and the master or repeater radio, assuming the two radios

connect. Use the following procedure to collect data that should be recorded for each site:

1 Make a rough sketch of the site indicating the antenna location relative to some reference structure.

2 Note any additional antennas that may be at the site and include the antenna locations on the sketch.

3 If the site is a repeater or master, ensure the master or repeater radio will communicate to the remote

radio before leaving for a remote site.

4 At the remote site, temporarily mount the antenna, power the radio and use RadioShop software to verify

RF connection to the master or repeater

5 When the radios acquire, use RadioShop to gather the site data by generating a report on each radio’s

WAN connectivity data. The WAN Nodes connectivity report provides the received signal strength

indication (RSSI), tickle success percentage, and data success percentage. Be sure to request at least 3 or 4

WAN connectivity packets from each radio before moving to the next remote site.

6 Perform a quick evaluation of the RSSI, tickle success percentage, and data success percentage numbers

to get an indication of the RF connectivity for the site. RSSI values should generally be greater than 100

units for Series I radios and greater than 130 units for radios. Tickle success percentage should exceed 40

percent and data success percentage should exceed 80 percent. In all cases the higher the numbers, the

better the connectivity.

Table 3.4 Connectivity Table

7 Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 for each remote site in the predicted coverage area. If all of the remote sites

connect to the master or repeater, then the survey is complete and the path predictions are valid. If you

discover that one or more paths fail to establish connectivity to the master or repeater, then alternate sites

must be identified in order to secure the necessary connectivity paths.

Design Considerations

The following concepts pertaining to 900 MHz radio and UtiliNet packet radio should be kept in mind

when designing a UtiliNet network:

• Antenna height provides the best investment in terms of radiated coverage at 900 MHz.

• 900 MHz RF energy is absorbed by foliage, especially if the path is directly through an area of

concentrated foliage. Paths that angle down through the foliage instead of horizontally through the foliage

provide the best penetration.

• UtiliNet radios move packets in a forward direction in an effort to close the distance to the final

destination.

• UtiliNet radios operate in a simplex fashion. They may receive packets or transmit packets at any point in

time, but they can’t receive and transmit at the same time. This implies that multiple paths should exist into

and out of data collection/delivery points if possible.