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Airaya
– Fast and affordable outdoor wireless bridges
Appendix A – Bench Test Procedure
This WirelessGRID bench test guide is designed to provide a new AIRAYA installer with
insight and understanding of how to setup, test and verify the functionality of a
WirelessGRID link before performing a field installation. Utilities for testing network
communication, configuring bridges, aligning antennas, and measuring throughput are
discussed. Answers to common questions and troubleshooting tips are noted throughout
the document for your convenience.
While performing a bench test, antenna alignment is not critical as antennas are close
together and the signal strength (RSSi) utilities will always show a strong signal. As in all
field installations, bench tests should be performed with antennas correctly polarized,
either vertically or horizontally, and pointing at each other, at a distance of no less than
15 feet apart. Each integrated radio or outdoor antenna has a polarity arrow sticker on it.
An Up or Down arrow = vertical polarization. A Left and Right pointing arrow =
horizontal polarization. Both arrows should be pointing in the same direction.
To obtain optimal throughput and link reliability, signal strength readings should be above
18 for all bench tests. Very high signal strength values (RSSi above 50) are common in
bench tests and will not damage radios; however, measured TCP/IP throughput results
may be lower.
Bench test Procedure
Step 1. Setup a wired Ethernet network between test
stations
1. Configure 2 test stations so that their network IP addresses are in the same range
and can communicate with each other via Ethernet. If you are not familiar with IP
addresses, please contact AIRAYA for the name of a qualified network installer in
your area.
2.
Verify your test network setup by using an Ethernet crossover cable directly
connected between the two test stations, or by connecting the 2 stations using a
switch, hub or router using straight-through Ethernet cables.
To verify your wired network setup is
working properly, run a continuous ping
between test stations A and B. To do
this, open a DOS or CMD window on
test station A, then type the following at
the command prompt:
ping
192.168.1.72 –t
and
on station B,
type
ping 192.168.1.73 -t
Note:
-t
runs a continuous ping.
