Cisco Systems AIRPWRINJ15002, AIRCAP1552EAK9RF Avoiding Damage to Radios in a Testing Environment

Chapter 2 Installing the Access Point

Avoiding Damage to Radios in a Testing Environment

Caution Before connecting or disconnecting a power cord, you must remove AC power from the power cord using a suitable service disconnect.

For additional important safety instructions for AC power cords, refer to the AC Power Cords for Cisco Aironet 1550 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Points document that shipped with your AC power cords.

For safety and to achieve a good installation, please read and follow these safety precautions:

•Select your installation site with safety, as well as performance in mind. Remember: electric power lines and phone lines look alike. For safety, assume that any overhead line can kill.

•Call your electric power company. Tell them your plans, and ask them to come look at your proposed installation.

•Plan your installation carefully and completely before you begin. Successful raising of a mast or tower is largely a matter of coordination. Each person should be assigned to a specific task and should know what to do and when to do it. One person should be in charge of the operation to issue instructions and watch for signs of trouble.

•When installing the access point and antennas, remember:

–Do not use a metal ladder.

–Do not work on a wet or windy day.

–Do dress properly—shoes with rubber soles and heels, rubber gloves, long sleeved shirt or jacket.

•Use a rope to lift the access point. If the assembly starts to drop, get away from it and let it fall.

•If any part of the antenna system should come in contact with a power line, do not touch it or try to remove it yourself. Call your local power company. They will remove it safely.

If an accident should occur, call for qualified emergency help immediately.

Avoiding Damage to Radios in a Testing Environment

The radios on outdoor units (bridges) have higher transmit power levels than radios on indoor units (access points). When you test high-power radios in a link, you must avoid exceeding the maximum receive input level for the receiver. At levels above the normal operating range, packet error rate (PER) performance is degraded. At even higher levels, the receiver can be permanently damaged. To avoid receiver damage and PER degradation, you can use one of the following techniques:

•Separate the omnidirectional antennas by at least 2 ft (0.6 m) to avoid receiver damage or by at least 25 ft (7.6 m) to avoid PER degradation.

Note These distances assume free space path loss and are conservative estimates. Required separation distances for damage and performance degradation levels in actual deployments are less if conditions are not non-line-of-sight.

•Reduce the configured transmit power to the minimum level.

•Use directional antennas, and keep them away from each other.

•Cable the radios together using a combination of attenuators, combiners, or splitters to achieve a total attenuation of at least 60 dB.

Cisco Aironet 1550 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point Hardware Installation Guide

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