User's Manual

Outdoor Fixed Subscriber Devices:
Outdoor Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) must usually be professionally installed on a
house, building, pole, or other elevated location. They are used for fixed communications and
usually integrate a set of high-gain directional antennas. A typical outdoor CPE is shown in
Figure 8.
Figure 8: Typical Outdoor CPE
Indoor Fixed Subscriber Devices:
Indoor CPE, also referred to as Indoor Access Devices (IADs) are rated for indoor use only and
may have omni-directional antennas, directional antennas, or both. Either way, their antenna
gain is normally significantly less than that of an outdoor unit. Although used for fixed
communications, it has the advantage that its location may be easily adjusted for better
reception. However, it is also subject to very significant building penetration loss which is
avoided by an outdoor installation. Indoor subscriber devices are popular with operators since
they can be shipped to (or purchased by) and installed by a customer, avoiding the need for
professional installation. A typical indoor CPE is shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9: Typical Indoor CPE
USB and Integrated Laptop Portable Subscriber Devices:
A USB-based subscriber device or a device built-into a laptop computer offers all the flexibility
that users enjoy today with WiFi, but with the data rates and ranges offered by WiMAX. Due to
their very low antenna gain, such a device will offer a lower range than fixed devices,
particularly when used indoors, but they offer the advantage of portability. Some such devices
even have integrated WiFi access points, creating a portable “Hot Spot”. A typical USB
subscriber device is shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10: Typical USB Subscriber Device