Preparing for Installation
Tropos Mobile Router Installation Guide
4
Selecting Router Locations
Tropos routers are radio devices, and as such, they are susceptible to common causes of
interference that can reduce throughput and range. Follow these general guidelines when
selecting an installation location:
Install the router away from other possible sources of WLAN interference, such as 2.4 GHz
or 4.9 GHz cordless phones, spy cameras, frequency hopping (FHSS) and DSSS LAN
transceivers (non-802.11g), electronic news gathering video links, radars, amateur radios,
land mobile radio services, local government sites (such as law enforcement), fixed
microwave services, local TV transmission and private fixed point transmitters).
Install only in protected interior locations, as the router is not weather-proofed.
Choose a mounting surface that is at least 13.25 inches by 8 inches to provide sufficient
space to screw the router into the surface (
Figure 1
). It is not necessary to level the router.
Note
The mobile Tropos router contains integral ESD protection and vehicle power conditioning, so external
protection is not required.
Antenna Options
You can purchase any of the Tropos-approved, cable-attached antennas that are listed in
“Ordering Information”
on page 25 (see
Figure 2
and
Figure 3
). Omni-directional antennas are
best for systems requiring a signal distribution in more than one direction.
Caution
To comply with regulatory RF exposure limits, locate antennas a minimum distance of
7.9 inches (20cm) from people.
Note
It is possible to use a single antenna; however,
two antennas are strongly recommended for
enhanced performance and range
.
Note
Only use antennas that are approved by Tropos. Operating the unit with non-qualified antennas is a
violation of U.S. FCC Rules Part 15.203(c), Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47.
