3Com 3CWXPGS - AirProtect RF Planning Tool User Manual Download

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3Com® AirProtect Planner

User Guide

3CWXPGS

Wireless LAN Planning for Security,

Coverage and Performance

Version 5.0

www.3Com.com

Part number:

10016914

June 2008

Summary of Contents for 3CWXPGS - AirProtect RF Planning Tool

Page 1: ...3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 3CWXPGS Wireless LAN Planning for Security Coverage and Performance Version 5 0 www 3Com com Part number 10016914 June 2008 ...

Page 2: ...ll be provided to you UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGENDS If you are a United States government agency then this documentation and the software described herein re provided to you subject to the following United States Government Legend All technical data and computer software is commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense Software is delivered as Commercial Computer Software as defi...

Page 3: ...unauthorized manner nor permit any other party to do any of the foregoing Further no license is granted to you in the human readable code of the Software source code Except as provided below this Agreement does not grant you any rights to patents copyrights trade secrets trademarks or any other rights with respect to the Software or Documentation Subject to the restrictions set forth herein the So...

Page 4: ...in nuclear chemical biological weapons or missile proliferation activities unless authorized by U S and local as required law or regulations TRADE SECRETS TITLE You acknowledge and agree that the structure sequence and organization of the Software are the valuable trade secrets of 3Com and its licensors You agree to hold such trade secrets in confidence You further acknowledge and agree that the S...

Page 5: ...und to be invalid illegal or unenforceable the validity legality and enforceability of any of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired and a valid legal and enforceable provision of similar intent and economic impact shall be substituted therefor ENTIRE AGREEMENT This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between you and 3Com and supersedes all pr...

Page 6: ...ING WITH THE LOCATIONS TREE AND THE DEVICES LIST 10 4 1 LOCATIONS TREE 10 4 1 1 Adding a new Location Folder 10 4 1 2 Adding a new Location Node 10 Cross Floor Location folder 14 Non Cross Floor Location folder 14 4 1 3 Managing Layers 14 4 1 4 Viewing Loading a Location 15 4 1 5 Closing a Location Node 16 4 1 6 Importing a Location 16 4 1 7 Cut Copy Paste a Location 17 4 1 8 Moving a Location 18 ...

Page 7: ...5 Adding an Application Environment 46 Modifying an Application Environment 46 Deleting an Application Environment 47 5 5 6 Waterfall Curve Repository 47 Adding a Waterfall Curve 47 Modifying a Waterfall Curve 49 Deleting a Waterfall Curve 50 5 5 7 Import Planner Settings 50 5 5 8 Export Planner Settings 51 5 5 9 Location Properties 52 Location Properties Dimensions Tab 52 Location Properties Calc...

Page 8: ...87 7 5 DEVICE LIBRARY 88 7 6 DEVICE PROPERTIES 89 7 6 1 Access Point Properties 89 7 6 2 Sensor Properties 91 7 7 VIEWING SIGNAL STRENGTH 92 7 8 STATISTICS 92 7 9 SAVING THE FILE 95 7 10 SAVING THE PROJECT FILE 95 CHAPTER 8 SETTINGS 97 8 1 SETTINGS INVOKING FROM TOOLS MENU 97 8 2 SETTINGS PREFERENCES 97 8 2 1 Preferences Layout Designer 97 8 2 2 Preferences AP Views 98 8 2 3 Preferences Sensor Vie...

Page 9: ...less Local Area Network WLAN security and network planning tool developed by 3Com Corporation 1 2 How to get more information To receive important news on product updates please visit our website at www 3com com 1 3 Contact Information 3Com Corporation 350 Campus Drive Marlborough MA 01752 508 323 5000 Tel 508 323 1111 Fax For technical support send an email to esupport 3com com ...

Page 10: ...ty Risk RF signals spill due to the very nature of the wireless network environment For example hackers could tap into the WLAN from the parking lot or the street This can lead to serious security breaches Bad User Experience Low performance throughput or coverage lead to bad user experience High Operational Expenses OPEX Network administrators have to spend a lot of time and effort in troubleshoo...

Page 11: ...meter Coverage beyond the Perimeter Redundancy Access Points Coverage Spillage Channel Allocation Interference and Redundancy Consolidated planning report BoM for Sensors and APs RF maps for security Sensors coverage RF maps for network AP coverage With out Customer Input WLAN basics Files spm prj project zip compressed project file in zip format 2 5 Planner Benefits Planner provides visibility in...

Page 12: ...lanning WLAN for security coverage and speed 5 Setting various protocols filters and advanced parameters for accurate RF views 6 Generating a BoM and reports 2 7 Planner Workflow Planner helps you plan the entire WLAN with minimal input from the customer The input to Planner is a layout image in any graphical format or a valid AutoCAD file You can create a model of the deployment space by placing ...

Page 13: ... the action in the dialog box Click No to deny or decline the action in the dialog box 3 1 2 Messages The following functions apply to all message boxes in Planner Click OK for Yes Click Cancel for No If you exceed the allowed range for any parameter Planner pops up an alert mentioning the value data is invalid and that you have to be within the permitted range 3 1 3 Trees The following functions ...

Page 14: ... project in Planner by doing one of the following From the File menu select New Project Click Create New on the Open Wi Fi Project dialog box Click from the Toolbar This opens the New Project File dialog box Figure 3 New Project File Enter the following details in the New Project File dialog box Name Enter the desired name of the project Location Enter the desired location for the project or click...

Page 15: ...ile created and saved as an XML file with an extension prj Planner file created and saved as an XML file with an extension spm If at a later point you modify and save this XML output file by editing it in a text pad the file becomes corrupt After that you will not be able to open this file in Planner A spm file is bound to a prj file You cannot create a spm file only When you try to open a spm fil...

Page 16: ...on Working with Location Tree and Devices List 3 Right pane consists of the Planner Layout Model for the location The Planner Layout Model is the viewable layout area for the location selected in the Locations tree 3 3 Support for AutoCAD Planner supports AutoCAD files An AutoCAD file contains the dimensions of the layout and also a list of layers in the layout When imported into Planner Planner a...

Page 17: ...ng information from an AutoCAD file Layout Dimensions Layer Information Planner supports the following shapes of objects All these shapes must be 2D Lines Rectangles Polygons Circles Arcs However Planner does not support the following shapes Doughnut Hollow Arcs Curved Polygons Spline 3D objects ...

Page 18: ...his location Location nodes represent component details such as a floor in a building For example Hawaii Conference Room Bldg 15 Cubicle G2 or Executive Area You can perform various functions like adding deleting renaming moving a location and so on from the Locations tree 4 1 1 Adding a new Location Folder In the Locations tree right click the location folder under which you wish to add a new loc...

Page 19: ...Specify the following details of the Location Node Name Enter the desired name for the new location node Plan Type Specify if the plan type is an Indoor or Outdoor layout Location Map Specify if the Location Map is a jpg or gif Image or an AutoCAD file Click Browse to navigate to the graphical location map that you wish to import into the location node Once you select and import an AutoCAD file fo...

Page 20: ...or Specifies the minimum attenuation factors for 802 11a n and 802 11b g n protocols depending on the application environment selected Max Attenuation Factor Specifies the maximum attenuation factors for 802 11a n and 802 11b g n protocols depending on the application environment selected Dimensions Unit Select the unit of measurement you want to use for the layout from the drop down list a Specif...

Page 21: ...curate Otherwise there will be drastic difference in the actual dimensions and the dimensions calculated by Planner If you import an AutoCAD file Planner extracts the dimensions from the AutoCAD file It is sometimes observed that the dimensions derived from the AutoCAD file are not correct as it shows the complete canvas size Hence ensure that you enter the exact dimensions of the layout Copying o...

Page 22: ...e of an AutoCAD file these extracted dimensions must match the dimensions of the first node that was created Otherwise Planner does not allow the import of the AutoCAD file Additionally when you create the second node under the Cross Floor location folder you cannot change the regulatory domain Note To modify the dimensions of a node under a Cross Floor Location folder right click a node and selec...

Page 23: ...ayout model CHECKSUM When you load a node with an AutoCAD file Planner validates the attached AutoCAD file Planner checks the CHECKSUM value of that AutoCAD file and verifies it with the CHECKSUM value stored in the spm file for that AutoCAD file This is the value stored when the AutoCAD file was first imported If there is any mismatch in this value Planner still loads the node but does not allow ...

Page 24: ...n Node You can close a location node in Planner Planner unloads the location node leaving only the layout on the layout model pane To close a location node that you have loaded right click a location node from the Locations tree and select Close Node Additionally if you click any other node from the locations tree Planner closes the current node 4 1 6 Importing a Location Planner enables import of...

Page 25: ...elected folder On importing a spm file Planner creates a node under which the spm file is imported On importing a zip file Planner unzips the file at a temporary location and then imports the prj file The Import Project dialog box appears where Planner asks you if you would also like to import the project preferences options Figure 14 Import Options 4 1 7 Cut Copy Paste a Location You can cut copy...

Page 26: ...ot under the same parent location folder Use the following steps to move a location 1 Right click a location folder or node from the Locations tree 2 Select Move Up or Move Down 3 Repeat the above steps until you reach the destination folder under which you want to move the selected location Figure 16 Moving a location 4 1 9 Placing Locations on a Location Folder with an attached image Planner ena...

Page 27: ...also remove a location placed by right clicking a green colored bullet representing the location and selecting Delete 4 1 10 Renaming a Location You can rename a location Renaming a Location Folder Use the following steps to rename a location folder 1 Select a location folder from the Locations tree 2 Do one of the following Click the location Right click and select Rename The field now becomes ed...

Page 28: ... node Right click the location node and select Properties The Location Node Properties dialog box appears which allows you to edit the name of the location node Figure 19 Renaming a Location Node 4 1 11 Deleting a Location You can delete a location folder or node by right clicking the location and selecting Delete Figure 20 Deleting a location 4 1 12 Modifying Location Properties You can modify th...

Page 29: ...se of a location node you will first have to Load the node Otherwise the Properties option is disabled Figure 21 Viewing Location Properties 2 The Location Folder Properties or Location Node Properties dialog box appears Edit the desired location properties Figure 22 Viewing Location Folder Properties ...

Page 30: ... Devices list enables you to view all the devices that are placed on a particular location node This list is populated only when the node is loaded The devices are divided based on their type You can modify the device properties by right clicking or double clicking the device Note Refer to the section Device Library to perform devices related operations ...

Page 31: ...Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 23 Figure 24 Devices List ...

Page 32: ...nd Toolbar options in Planner to enable you to create a complete layout model You can design the layout using various objects available in Planner 5 1 1 Menu Items This section gives a complete description of the available menu options Note Advanced users can skip the menus section and directly refer to Layout Icons File Menu Figure 25 File Menu ...

Page 33: ... to save the current project with a new name Save Project File Saves the current project Save Project File As Invokes a dialog box to save the current project with a new name Save All Saves both the node and project Export Project Bundles the project into a zip file so that you can later import the whole project into a different system at a different location Ctrl E Generate Report Generates a rep...

Page 34: ...rl X Copy Creates a copy of the selected object from the layout selected objects remain on the layout Ctrl C Paste Pastes the last cut or copied object at the designated location on the layout Ctrl V Delete Removes the selected object from the layout permanently Del Select All Selects all the objects on the layout map Ctrl A Delete All Deletes all the objects on the layout map Rotate Rotates an ob...

Page 35: ...al size 100 Ctrl 0 Apply Pan Functions as a snap tool to move around in the layout Shift F2 Reset Pan Resets the snap tool Ctrl P Show Grid Shows the grid in the layout F7 View Layout Model Shows all the objects in the layout model F8 Show RF Signal Shows the RF signal on the layout F9 View Signal Strength Shows the signal strength of all the APs placed on the layout at a particular location on th...

Page 36: ...n Draws a hollow curved polygon Solid Curved Polygon Draws a solid curved polygon Drawing a Polygon Figure 29 Drawing a Polygon 1 Left click the starting point 1 2 Left click the next point through all points until you are at the last point 6 3 Left click the last point 6 4 Right click to complete the polygon Drawing a Curved Polygon Figure 30 Drawing a Curved Polygon 1 Left click the starting poi...

Page 37: ...Menu and Toolbar Options 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 29 Tools Menu Figure 31 Tools Menu ...

Page 38: ...odify Delete water fall curves Statistics Provides statistical data on the RF maps such as coverage for network Sensor ranges and redundancy Shift F11 Import Planner Settings Imports the preferences and settings from a specific file Export Planner Settings Exports the preferences and settings to 3Com AirProtect Enterprise or any other system running the Planner application Settings Sets the Prefer...

Page 39: ...Name Last Name and Email Id 2 Click Browse to navigate to location of the license key provided by 3Com Corporation 3 Click Confirm Key to confirm the license key Alternately click Cancel to discard the confirmation of the license key and close the dialog box 5 2 Layout Icons The following icons available to you from the Planner Toolbar Some of these are not covered in the Menu List ...

Page 40: ...Building Tree Hill Outdoor Water Body After selecting the layout type use the following steps to draw objects on the layout 1 Select an Object Type and material type from the drop down list from the Toolbar 2 The cursor changes to the cross hair icon Now click the location where you want to draw the object and without releasing the button drag the mouse on the layout to where you want the object p...

Page 41: ...g Objects To select an object click on the Toolbar To select more than one object do one of the following Use the Control key Drag the mouse over the target area to enclose the objects within a dotted outline This selects all the objects within or touching the dotted outline 5 3 2 Moving an Object To move an object select and drag it to the desired position 5 3 3 Changing the Properties of an Obje...

Page 42: ...tored in two types of repositories Global Material Repository and Local Material Repository Planner also allows you to import or export material types from one repository to the other Note All the user defined materials are available in the indoor layout only While modeling the layout you can also select the material type from the drop down list on the Toolbar The icon of the material in use appea...

Page 43: ...ose Click to close this dialog box 5 4 2 Local Material Repository The Local Material Repository is a material object library of Planner which gives a list of Available Materials in the Local Repository of that spm file All the local materials are stored in the spm file and visible only in that spm file The Local Material Repository feature is available only for an Indoor layout and not for an out...

Page 44: ...l Import from Global Repository Click to import materials from the Global Material Repository Click OK to save and close the dialog box Alternately click Cancel this will close the dialog box without applying changes made 5 4 3 Adding a Material You can add a new material to the existing list of materials in the Local and Global Material Repositories Click Add on the respective repository dialog b...

Page 45: ...erial will then be available in the Material drop down list on the Toolbar If you add a new material from the Local Material Repository dialog box select the Add this material to global material repository checkbox to include this material in the Global Material Repository Note If you add a material into the Local Material Repository and you later create a new spm file this material does not appea...

Page 46: ...e a radio Antenna Select the antenna type from the drop down list More Click to select or add a new antenna For details refer to the Antenna Repository section Antenna Detachable Select the checkbox depending upon the type of antenna required Protocols Select any or all the protocols 802 11a 802 11b 802 11g 802 11a n 802 11b g n Waterfall Curve Select the waterfall curve for the protocols from the...

Page 47: ...down list Frame Aggregation Select either AMSDU or AMPDU or both checkboxes for frame aggregation For more details on the advance parameters refer to Appendix D Glossary of Terms Modify AP Click Modify on the Access Point Repository dialog box to modify an existing AP The Modify Access Point dialog box appears Figure 44 AP Repository Modifying an AP The Modify Access Point dialog box is similar to...

Page 48: ... The Sensor Repository dialog box displays a list of available Sensors their manufacturer model and number of radios You can do the following Add a Sensor Modify a Sensor Delete a Sensor Add Sensor Click Add to add a Sensor and specify the Sensor properties Figure 46 Sensor Repository Adding a Sensor ...

Page 49: ...the waterfall curve for the protocols from the drop down list For details refer to the Waterfall Curve Repository section Power Specify the desired power range for each protocol Enter a comma separated list with values in the range 1 to 100 mW Advanced Parameters Click to define advanced 802 11n parameters Refer to the IEEE 802 11n Advance Parameters for more details Modify Sensor Model Click Modi...

Page 50: ...nd specify the antenna properties Figure 49 Antenna Repository Adding an Antenna Add Antenna Properties Description Manufacturer Enter the name of the manufacturer Model No Enter the antenna model Radiation Pattern Select the radiation pattern from the drop down list Add New Click to add a new radiation pattern For details please refer to the Radiation Pattern Repository section Gain Enter the Gai...

Page 51: ...gle starting from 0 to 359 Select Radiation Pattern Repository from the Tools menu Figure 51 Tools Menu Radiation Pattern Repository The Radiation Pattern Repository dialog box displays a list of available radiation patterns their type max gain and type of definition You can do the following In case of a Custom Radiation Patterns Add a Radiation Pattern Modify View a Radiation Pattern Delete a Rad...

Page 52: ... in the Define Radiation Pattern dialog box shows gain values at each angle ranging from 0 to 359 These values in the table change depending on the antenna type selected in Start With To create custom radiation patterns you can modify the gain values to get the required radiation pattern The gain value should be between 99 and 99 dBi For example to modify a standard dipole pattern start with dipol...

Page 53: ...es a list of application environments which lists environment settings You can use these environments to design the layout You can also create custom defined application environments Select Application Environment Repository from the Tools menu Figure 54 Tools Menu Application Environment Repository The Application Environment Repository dialog box displays a list of application environments the p...

Page 54: ...s Adding an Application Environment Click Add to add an application environment and specify the environment properties The Add Application Environment dialog box appears Figure 55 Application Environment Repository Adding an Application Environment Add Application Environment Description Environment Name Enter the name of the application environment Plan Type Select between indoor and outdoor plan...

Page 55: ...ll Curve Repository from the Tools menu Figure 57 Tools Menu Waterfall Curve Repository The Waterfall Curve Repository dialog box displays a list of Waterfall Curves You can do the following In case of a Default Waterfall Curve Add a Waterfall Curve View a Waterfall Curve Note The Modify and Delete options are disabled for Default Waterfall Curve In case of a system or user defined waterfall curve...

Page 56: ...tocol in the Waterfall Curve Select the checkbox to select and enable edit access to values in the list for the 802 11a 802 11b or 802 11g protocols from the respective tabs in the Waterfall Curve The dialog box lists the link speed mapped to the signal strength for 802 11a 802 11b or 802 11g protocols in the ascending order based on which tab you are Link Speed Lists the link speed of the AP for ...

Page 57: ...s are 20 MHz or 20 40 MHz The dialog box lists the link speed mapped to the signal strength for 802 11a n or 802 11b g n protocols in the ascending order based on selected channel width MCS Specifies the data rate supported by 802 11n Link Speed Guard Interval 800 Lists the link speed of the AP for the respective protocol at a guard interval of 800 Link Speed Guard Interval 400 Lists the link spee...

Page 58: ...rfall Curve Click Delete and confirm the deletion of the waterfall curve 5 5 7 Import Planner Settings The Import option allows you to import settings and preferences so that all workstations have the same set of environments and all the planning team members can work in synchronization You can choose to import any of the parameters Select Import Planner Settings from the Tools menu The Import Pla...

Page 59: ...ry Sensor Repository Antenna Repository Radiation Pattern Repository Waterfall Curve Repository Application Environment Repository Click Import to import selected options Note Importing a section overrides the existing settings You cannot undo this action 5 5 8 Export Planner Settings The Export option allows you to export all the application level configurations in a file This exported file can b...

Page 60: ...AP Views Sensor Views and Color Palettes AP Defaults Sensor Defaults AP Repository Sensor Repository Antenna Repository Radiation Pattern Repository Waterfall Curve Repository Application Environment Repository Click Export to export selected options 5 5 9 Location Properties You can change the Location Properties from the Tools menu Location Properties Dimensions Tab The Dimensions tab allows you...

Page 61: ...dimensions entered Ceiling Loss Specify the loss occurring for the cross floor radiation due to the ceiling The range is 50 to 0 Region Select the region from the drop down list Note Changing the length and width of the plan resizes the entire set of objects in the layout model Planner resizes the objects in the same proportion in which the size of the plan is changed Changing these units will aff...

Page 62: ... so on antenna feeder losses RF properties of Client cards and layout inaccuracies Planner applies the Calibration factor symmetrically to all the cells The range for RSSI Calibration is 40 dB to 40 dB The default for RSSI calibration factor is 10 dB Path Loss Model Settings Application Environment Select the application environment from the drop down list Min Attenuation Factor Displays the minim...

Page 63: ...er Devices from the Tools menu Figure 66 Tools Menu Renumber Devices You can do the following Select Prefix to rename objects with a prefix as defined in the SettingsÆAP Defaults section Select Layout Name or select User Defined to enter a user defined name in the User Defined field to rename devices accordingly Click Renumber to renumber the devices For example if you choose the option Building N...

Page 64: ...rom the layout If you select No Planner does not delete the devices However the WLAN Planning Wizard does not consider these devices for any calculation It also prompts you to define area polygons before continuing with the wizard This is not a mandatory step Planner also displays an information pop up about the significance of defining area polygons The pop up asks if you wish to draw the area po...

Page 65: ...zard screens Click to view more information about the current step of the wizard Click Restore To Defaults to restore the wizard parameters to factory defaults Click Cancel to cancel the action and close the wizard Click Back to revert to the previous step in the wizard Click Next to go to the next step in the wizard Click Finish to finalize and save information entered in the wizard and enable Pl...

Page 66: ... to select another radio or device The AP Properties table displays pre defined AP details like Radio s Active Protocol Transmit Power mW and Antenna Gain dBi Enter the following details Radio Select the desired active protocol s of the AP you want to use on the current floor 802 11n Properties Click View Edit The IEEE 802 11n Advance Parameters dialog box appears You could either view or change t...

Page 67: ...AN Planning Planning Objective Planner allows you to choose the focus of WLAN planning Based on the focus Planner considers different factors for populating the number of APs required and their placement Select one of the following options Coverage Planning Select to plan the WLAN to enable users at most locations on the floor to connect with a specified minimum data rate Capacity Planning Select ...

Page 68: ...s available and applicable data rates for the active protocol set for each radio in the Device Selection step Note If you have selected the same active protocol for more than one radio in the Device Selection screen Planner displays only one common row in the table in the above screen Planner derives the data rate for 802 11n devices from the channel width and guard interval values The WLAN Planni...

Page 69: ...l expected throughput per user Specify the bandwidth typically required per user The total expected WLAN capacity is a product of the number of active users and bandwidth required per user Click Help Me to view the typical per user throughput for various application types Percentage uplink traffic Specify the percentage flow of uplink traffic Uplink traffic refers to the flow of traffic to an AP i...

Page 70: ...tors to plan the WLAN Conservative Uses the worst case per AP capacity to estimate the number of APs required This option usually estimates more number of APs Optimistic Might overestimate per AP capacity than observed in practice This usually requires less number of APs compared to the Conservative estimate Average Moderately estimates per AP capacity and is a balance between the Conservative and...

Page 71: ...d Green it implies that the planned capacity is achieved Figure 78 Capacity Planning Summary Passed Green If the Capacity Feasibility Check is Passed Orange it implies that the planned capacity is achieved However there are some extra APs which Planner cannot place using Auto AP placement on the layout This screen also displays a link for Estimated max capacity with Wi Fi interference in the What ...

Page 72: ...reason for failure Conditions for failure If the expected capacity you specified is greater than the estimated capacity without Wi Fi interference the planned capacity is not feasible If the expected capacity you specified is greater than the estimated capacity with Wi Fi interference the planned capacity is not feasible Once you click Finish in either of the above summary screens Planner starts A...

Page 73: ...ilable channels Channels are assigned to minimize interference If you had placed some devices manually or had selected cross floor devices using the Filter option Planner considers interference from these devices during Auto Channel allocation to determine the best available channel for a device Select either of the options for channel allocation strategy Planner enables you to automatically alloc...

Page 74: ...divided into RF View Area Status and Control Pane 7 1 1 RF View Area The RF View Area helps plan device placement for better network and coverage for the layout Planner allows you to view the RF View Area in the Full Screen mode To do so click Ctrl F11 In the Full screen mode the Toolbar Status and Control Pane and the Locations tree are rendered invisible thus allowing you to use the complete scr...

Page 75: ... by right clicking and selecting Enable AP An enabled AP is represented as while a disabled AP is represented as Likewise you can enable disable a Sensor too An enabled Sensor is represented as while a disabled Sensor is represented as This is just a viewing option for What If scenarios You can also view the coverage of a device on different floors using the Filter option in all the views except t...

Page 76: ...Device Placement on the Layout Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 68 Figure 83 AP Coverage View Indoor Layout Figure 84 AP Coverage View Outdoor Layout ...

Page 77: ...ation decides the channel value at that location This view helps you decide the channel that should be used at a location for the best performance This view displays the color coded channel of the AP showing the maximum downlink data rate at each point on the layout Planner helps predict the AP to which a Client should associate for better signal strength and link speed Visual display of channel d...

Page 78: ...Device Placement on the Layout Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 70 Figure 86 AP Channel View Indoor Layout Figure 87 AP Channel View Outdoor Layout ...

Page 79: ... wireless Clients that should be used at various locations on the layout It displays the maximum downlink data rate that a wireless Client can expect from a connection It shows the 802 11 downlink connection speed available at each point on the layout This view also helps you plan for minimum link speed at all locations on the current layout Figure 88 AP Link Speed View Indoor Layout ...

Page 80: ... Low Low Moderate High and Very High The Network Utilization drop down list at the bottom right corner of the screen allows you to choose Low Medium or High level of network utilization with which channel interference is to be computed Network Utilization is a measure of the amount of 802 11 activity that is the traffic generated due to communication between 802 11 devices in the network It also d...

Page 81: ...Device Placement on the Layout Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 73 Figure 90 Interference View Selecting Channels Figure 91 AP Interference View Indoor Layout ...

Page 82: ... view displays the area on the layout covered by a set of AP radios It is useful in planning for improved network availability in case of device breakdown AP malfunction capacity planning and planned outages Each AP Redundancy value is mapped to a color code You can set the values using the color palette given at the bottom of the AP Redundancy View ...

Page 83: ...Device Placement on the Layout Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 75 Figure 93 AP Redundancy View Indoor Layout Figure 94 AP Redundancy View Outdoor Layout ...

Page 84: ...he amount of interference and ambient noise at a given location on the layout SINR determines the maximum date rate or the link speed feasible at a given point on the layout If SINR is poor see the AP Interference View to determine if the amount of interference is the limiting factor The SINR levels are color coded The color palette shows five levels of SINR values Very Poor Poor Moderate Good and...

Page 85: ... Transmit Power dBm slider to control the data rate for which you want to see detection Sensors can detect all the devices with transmit power set greater than that in the slider bar located within its detection range For further specific results select certain protocols and then specify the data rates for each Note If you disable a protocol the view will change accordingly and show prevention and...

Page 86: ...Device Placement on the Layout Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 78 Figure 97 Sensor Coverage View Indoor Layout Figure 98 Sensor Coverage View Outdoor Layout ...

Page 87: ...ats and attacks This view enables you to identify the type of threat depending on the type of device AP Sensor and Client The risk safety levels are color coded It helps you identify the number of Sensors needed to adequately cover the layout against threats Planner supports the following types of threats Rogue AP Honeypot AP Ad hoc connection DoS Attack MAC Spoofing Client Misassociation Misconfi...

Page 88: ...d security cover in case of Sensor breakdown malfunction planned outages and for location tracking by 3Com AirProtect Enterprise You can set the Redundancy value using the slider bar at the bottom of the screen Recommended Use a Sensor redundancy of three for location tracking All the locations on the layout should appear to be colored any region which is white indicates that the region is not sec...

Page 89: ...Device Placement on the Layout Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 81 Figure 101 Sensor Redundancy View Indoor Layout Figure 102 Sensor Redundancy View Outdoor Layout ...

Page 90: ... type and so on This view helps you fine tune the current predictions closer to real life values For this Planner needs to collect signal strength values at various places Note Calibration View is not available for outdoor planning Figure 103 Calibration View Indoor Layout To take readings move to a location on the floor and double click the location point Planner will automatically collect the si...

Page 91: ...tions like drawing rotate cut copy paste and so on Spillage View Generate Report Statistics 7 3 Planning Device Placement Status and Control Planner provides several options for setting the status and controls and generating RF views You can define settings from the Toolbar at the top of the screen and the lower pane at the bottom of the screen displaying the color palette Figure 105 Status and Co...

Page 92: ...ations of the devices placed on the layout along with the original gif or jpg image 7 3 6 Show RF Signal Click from the Toolbar to view the RF signals of the layout This helps you view the color coded signal coverage of the devices on the layout across different views 7 3 7 Show Spillage View Click from the Toolbar to invoke the Spillage View This view displays color coded RSSI distribution over a...

Page 93: ...view of the selected WLAN devices The view changes according to the selected protocol If you select more than one protocol Planner shows all those protocols simultaneously Selecting more than one protocol can sometimes lead to missing details for a specific protocol because of overlap Using the Filter dialog box you can view the coverage of a device above and below the current floor The dialog box...

Page 94: ...ed on the layout below the current layout 7 3 9 Calculate Calibrate Button RF computation is required whenever you Add move or change the properties of an AP or a Sensor Change a layout or its properties Change the spillage factor attenuation factor or the accuracy level Click Calculate to perform RF computations If RF computation is pending a comment in red Recalculation Needed appears below the ...

Page 95: ...nd Control Pane Cursor Location 7 4 2 RSSI Display Planner predicts the signal strength at the point where the cursor points Figure 112 Status and Control Pane RSSI Display 7 4 3 Layout Dimensions The status bar displays the dimensions of the layout Figure 113 Status and Control Pane Layout Dimensions 7 4 4 Current Mode The status bar displays the name of the icon on which the cursor points Figure...

Page 96: ...hat AP To change the default AP properties right click the AP and select Properties The Default AP Properties dialog box appears as explained in the Settings AP Defaults section Visible APs Lists all the visible APs seen by the Client in the air These devices are pre configured with the properties that the Client sees in the air The Sensors tree on the Sensors tab consists of New Sensor Displays t...

Page 97: ... You can change the location of a device by dragging the device to the new location 7 6 Device Properties You can change the device properties of APs and Sensors used to plan the layout 7 6 1 Access Point Properties To modify the properties of an AP placed on the layout do either of the following Right click the AP and select Properties Right click or double click the AP in the Device List and sel...

Page 98: ...List of SSIDs List of SSIDs Displays the list of SSIDs of the AP s radio Click Delete to delete an SSID selected from the List of SSIDs Antenna Select an antenna from the drop down list Click More to view additional details of the antenna The Select Antenna dialog box appears which helps you add or select the antenna in a better manner from the list of available antennae Orientation Select a direc...

Page 99: ...11b and 802 11g protocols Advanced Parameters is available only for the 802 11n protocol Click Save to save the changes Alternately click Cancel to discard the changes 7 6 2 Sensor Properties To modify the properties of a Sensor placed on the layout do either of the following Right click the Sensor and select Properties Right click or double click the Sensor in the Device List and select Propertie...

Page 100: ...aterfall Curve Select a waterfall curve from the drop down list of available waterfall curves for the selected protocol Advanced Parameters Click to set the advance 802 11n parameters This is available only if you have selected the 802 11n protocol Click Save to save the changes Alternately click Cancel to discard the changes 7 7 Viewing Signal Strength Planner enables you to view the signal stren...

Page 101: ...oose a specific area with the Area Polygon option you can view statistics for different regions such as All Defined Area Only Selected Area Area Not Covered By Defined Area Complete Layout Figure 122 Statistics Area Signal Distribution Figure 123 Statistics Area Link Speed Distribution ...

Page 102: ...ner User Guide 94 Figure 124 Statistics Area Channel Interference Distribution Figure 125 Statistics Area Sensor Detection Note To view the Statistics for Sensor Prevention ensure that you have selected the Show Prevention checkbox in the Sensor Coverage View ...

Page 103: ... must save the file If you have not saved the file Planner prompts you to save the file under the following circumstances Open another file Create a new file Save as a different file Generate a Report Exit Planner 7 10 Saving the Project File After you have planned all the layouts under a project you must save the project If you have not saved the project Planner prompts you to save the project un...

Page 104: ... Model 3Com AirProtect Planner User Guide 96 Open another project Create a new project Save as a different project Export the whole project for import into 3Com AirProtect Enterprise or any other system running Planner Exit Planner ...

Page 105: ...he Settings window contains the following Preferences AP Defaults Sensor Defaults 8 2 Settings Preferences Go to SettingsÆPreferences the Preferences screen opens in the Layout Designer tab Figure 129 Preferences Layout Designer 8 2 1 Preferences Layout Designer The Layout Designer allows you to perform the following functions on the Layout Designer ...

Page 106: ...ut Recommended Do not change the Ambient Noise values unless you are very sure of the environment properties Coverage Estimation Thresholds Specify the threshold for the coverage outlines shown for APs while dragging those on the layout Enter the values in the range 100 to 10 dBm Planner shows the areas covered in the form of concentric spheres depending upon the values specified for the regions Y...

Page 107: ...conservative Sensor placement specify a higher cut off value Prevention Threshold Specify the values for Low Reliability Med Reliability and High Reliability The Reliability slider takes from these values in the Prevention View for the respective protocol For example if you set the Reliability slider to Low Planner uses the low reliability threshold value Minimum 90 dBm Maximum 0 dBm Default 85 dB...

Page 108: ...creates these points around a material when you are in the Calibration View These points are represented by the icon Specify Number of Pairs Specify the number of pairs of calibration points The default value is 4 pairs 8 3 Settings AP Defaults You can invoke the Settings dialog box in two ways Select Settings from the Tools menu Right click the AP in the AP tree in the Device Library window and s...

Page 109: ...the List of SSIDs Antenna Select an antenna from the drop down list Click More to view additional details of the antenna The Select Antenna dialog box appears which helps you add or select the antenna in a better manner from the list of available antennae Orientation Select a direction in which the antenna would radiate its power The preview reflects the antenna radiation based on the antenna sele...

Page 110: ... The Default AP Properties dialog box appears Figure 135 Settings Sensor Defaults Define settings for the following Sensor properties Sensor Prefix Specify the text to prefix to a Sensor when Sensors are numbered Model Select a Sensor model from the drop down list of commercially available Sensor models Planner enables disables or changes the other properties in this dialog box based on the select...

Page 111: ...s in the countries for which you are doing the WLAN planning Example FCC in the United States Refer to Appendix D Glossary of Terms for more details on regulatory domain compliance Waterfall Curve Select a waterfall curve from the drop down list of available waterfall curves for the selected protocol Advanced Parameters Click to set advance 802 11n parameters This is available only if you have sel...

Page 112: ... the customer input to the 3Com Corporation output It also describes the Planning Methodology and Objectives the general assumptions made for modeling a WLAN and the observations that you can make based on the RF plan Compliance Report Contains the configuration details of APs and Sensors placed on the layout You can import this report into a WLAN Controller so that you do not have to reconfigure ...

Page 113: ...Enter the details to generate the report Work Order Number Enter the work order number Customer Name Enter the name of the customer for whom you are generating the report Click Change Report Generation Details to change the report details The Report Details dialog box appears Figure 138 Report Details ...

Page 114: ...port Compliance Report Select to generate a compliance report for devices mentioning devices configuration WLAN Planning Reports Select to include a complete set of RF maps This enables you to select the following WLAN Planning options in the report RF Maps You can select one or more of the available views for the following AP Views Sensor Views Protocols Layout Options Planner generates a report ...

Page 115: ...obtain complete monitoring and protection coverage throughout the corporate network the entire airspace must be covered by Sensors Planner provides the ability to plan the placement of Sensors and import the security plans into 3Com AirProtect Enterprise Placement of Sensors You can place Sensors on the Layout when you are in any of the following views AP Views Coverage View Channel View Link Spee...

Page 116: ...ackage the current project into a zip file You might want to export a project for the following reasons To import the project into 3Com AirProtect Enterprise To import the project into some other system where Planner is running While exporting the project you have an option to export the preferences of your system as well When you open the exported project in another system with Planner installed ...

Page 117: ...sh to export Preferences Select the checkbox to export the project with all the preferences Select either of the export options Export devices in current Project Exports devices in the current Project file Export all devices Exports all the devices AutoCAD Files Select the checkbox to export the AutoCAD files Click Ok to export and save the project Alternately click Cancel to discard the Export ac...

Page 118: ...on Level Parameters Application Level Parameters Data Type Default Value Minimum Maximum Coverage Estimation Thresholds Integer 40 50 55 60 dBm 100 dBm 10 dBm Sensor Detection Threshold Integer 85 dBm 150 dBm 20 dBm Sensor Redundancy Integer 1 1 10 Sensor Prevention Thresholds Integer 65 60 55 dBm low medium high 150 dBm 20 dBm Device Transmit Power Integer 13 0 20 Channel View Threshold Integer 8...

Page 119: ...io frequencies in the 2 4 to 2 497 GHz range and supports overlapping channels of 22 MHz each The frequency ranges and channels vary based on the regulatory standards adopted by a country For instance in the US the FCC standard allows up to 11 channels whereas in Europe the ETSI standard allows up to 13 channels When there are more than one source transmitting on a radio frequency simultaneously t...

Page 120: ...n System and Performance Management Solution 3Com AirProtect Enterprise Sensors Sensors are devices that work with the 3Com AirProtect Enterprise Server to provide 802 11 Intrusion Detection and Prevention Spillage Propagation of signal outside a stipulated area In Planner spillage refers to the propagation of RF signal outside the authorized area of deployment Such spillage exposes the authorized...

Page 121: ...ut Multiple Output MIMO stands for multiple radio chains at the transmitter and receiver often depicted as n x m where n is the number of transmitting radios and m is the number of receiving radios MIMO can be leveraged in many ways for increasing the range of a WLAN using spatial diversity and for increasing the data transmission rate using spatial multiplexing Spatial diversity is achieved by tr...

Page 122: ...A MPDU The maximum size of an A MPDU is 64 KB or 64 subframes whichever limit is reached first The maximum MPDU size carried in each subframe of an A MPDU is limited to 4065 bytes Regulatory Domain Compliance Different countries have regulatory agencies permitting a select number of channels for device protocols Hence the power values of the devices placed on the floor map will operate only on tho...

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