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Cisco Aironet Series 1850 Access Point Deployment Guide

Channel Rail Adapters

Cisco Part Number AIR-CHNL-ADAPTER

5

Physical Hardware and Mounting Options of an AP

7

Wall Mounting the AP

11

Above the Ceiling Tiles

12

Stadium / Harsh Environments

14

Ethernet Cable Recommendation

15

Antenna Cable Recommendation

16

Access Point Spacing Recommendations

17

Installations in IDF Closets (Telecommunications or Other Electrical Equipment)

18

Installations Inside and Around Elevators

19

Understanding AP 1850 Powering Options

20

PoE Negotiation

21

Approved antennas and Radiation Patterns

23

Antennas for Outdoor Deployments

25

General Considerations

WLAN Best Practice Guidelines

35

802.11ac Wave-2 primer and the AP 1850

37

Clients Supporting 3 and 4 Spatial Streams

37

Understanding Channel Plans and Bonded Channels

38

Understanding Channels and How They Relate to the Client

40

Summary of Contents for Aironet 1850 Series

Page 1: ...ommendations 17 Installations in IDF Closets Telecommunications or Other Electrical Equipment 18 Installations Inside and Around Elevators 19 Understanding AP 1850 Powering Options 20 PoE Negotiation 21 Approved antennas and Radiation Patterns 23 Antennas for Outdoor Deployments 25 General Considerations WLAN Best Practice Guidelines 35 802 11ac Wave 2 primer and the AP 1850 37 Clients Supporting ...

Page 2: ... Variables Impacting Performance 46 A Quick Look at a Few Non Optimal Installations 49 New features 55 Auxiliary Ethernet Port 55 USB Port 57 Understanding Multi User MIMO 58 Checking the Access Point LEDs 61 Access Point Status LEDs 61 Ethernet Port LEDs 62 Q A 63 References 64 2 ...

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Page 4: ...Revised January 25 2017 4 ...

Page 5: ...tional channel adapter AIR CHNL ADAPTER is used The channel adapter comes in a two pack and is attached to the ceiling grid clip Figure 1 Example of Channel Rails Figure 2 AIR CHNL ADAPTER left Slides Onto the Rails Figure 3 AIR CHNL ADAPTER Mounted to Rail Clip left and Finished Installation right 5 ...

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Page 7: ...850 Model port view Ports are easily accessible Mode button is recessed and requires a tool such as a paperclip to engage Note the vent holes below the ports avoid using chemicals or solvents around the AP as the ingress of such materials have the potential to cause damage to the device ...

Page 8: ...arance most of which are cosmetic changes to distinguish the different models The mounting options and bracket configurations are identical and interchangeable between Cisco 1140 1600 1700 1850 2600 2700 and 3700 series APs Figure 5 Mechanical Dimensions AP 1850 Figure 6 Mechanical Dimensions AP 1850 8 ...

Page 9: ...ess the customer may choose one of two brackets but not both Each bracket is a zero dollar 0 option at the time of configuration If the customer does not choose a bracket the selection default is AIR AP BRACKET 1 which is the most popular for ceiling installations The other choice is a universal bracket that carries part number AIR AP BRACKET 2 Figure 7 Access Point Bracket Choices 9 ...

Page 10: ... or wall mounted then AIR AP BRACKET 2 is a better choice The extra space in the bracket allows for wiring and the extra holes line up with many popular electrical boxes When mounting the bracket to the ceiling grid work some ceiling tiles are recessed For this reason two different styles of ceiling clips such as recessed and flush rails are available Figure 8 Different Clips are Available for Att...

Page 11: ...non ceiling orientation the signal may penetrate the floor above and below causing unintended coverage This results in additional and needless roaming access when a mobility client for example a user with Wi Fi phone walks by on an adjacent floor Instead use the AP 1850e with dipoles or patch antennas or use an optional wall mount that puts the AP 1850i or AP 1850e into a ceiling type orientation ...

Page 12: ... areas such as classrooms or in areas where policy dictates that nothing can be visible on the ceiling To meet this hard requirement optional T Bar hangar accessories such as Erico and Cooper can be used Figure 10 Example of How to Hang an AP Above the Ceiling Tiles on page 12 These accessories are manufactured by third party companies The Erico Caddy 512a the Cooper B Line BA50a or similar T Bar ...

Page 13: ...uch installations will degrade advanced RF features such as voice and location so verify coverage and performance Always try to mount the AP as close to the inside middle of the tile as possible and avoid areas with obstructions Note Figure 11 Installing AP above ceiling tiles Pick an area Clear of Obstructions and Avoid Ceiling Clutter 13 ...

Page 14: ...ard to weather radar compliance UNII 1 compliance and so on Check with your Cisco account team or the communications regulatory agency that has jurisdiction in your area Note Figure 12 Example of NEMA 16x14x8 Enclosure with Pressure Vent on Bottom Third party sources for NEMA type enclosures include www oberonwireless com www sparcotech com www terra wave com When using a NEMA type enclosure ensur...

Page 15: ...net Cable Recommendation While the AP 1600 1700 1850 2600 and 3600 work fine with CAT 5e cable for newer cable installations it is recommended that the customers use CAT6a Because CAT6a is the cabling required by the 10GE standard ...

Page 16: ...teristics as Times Microwave LMR 400 and LMR 600 Cisco cables carry the part number AIR CAB Aironet Cable and its length parameter For example a 20 Ft length of LL cable with RP TNC connector is Cisco AIR CAB 020LL R These heavy black cables are not Plenum rated and are primarily for outdoor use or manufacturing areas Figure 13 When Drilling Holes for Cable Allow for Size of Connector Typically 5 ...

Page 17: ...her devices that transmit especially if they operate in the same frequency ranges for example frequency hopping legacy APs or other devices that operate close in frequency to those of the AP think below or above the 2 4 and 5 GHz band you should consider moving or separating the devices as far as you can After you have done this check for interference by testing both devices at the same time under...

Page 18: ...ain from installing the AP in the electrical closet because the best place for the AP is as close to users as possible practical If you have remote antenna cables from such a closet you may be required to use Plenum rated cable see local fire safety regulations for more on this Below are a few URLs for understanding interference http www cisco com en US prod collateral wireless ps9391 ps9393 ps939...

Page 19: ...are more challenging because roaming issues are problematic the client is cycling through a large number of APs quickly Some companies that do in elevator advertising put a patch antenna on the floor inside the shaft and a patch antenna on the bottom of the elevator car while other companies use leaky coaxial cable running on the side of the shaft When installing any Wi Fi equipment inside the ele...

Page 20: ...Revised January 25 2017 Understanding AP 1850 Powering Options Figure 14 Local 48 Volt DC Power Supply 20 ...

Page 21: ...pment such as PoE switch mid span or injector lacks the ability to properly negotiate high power go to ANY mode and take whatever power the device can provide which would likely be 15 4 W 802 3af If the power source is limited to 15 4 W 802 3af then the AP negotiates and reserves 15 4 W The AP functions with the available power sourcing If the power is not enough to be fully functional then the AP...

Page 22: ...ll radio function 1852e 2 4 GHz radio will shift to 2x3 AUX and USB port disabled for both 1852i e 12 95 W 802 3af Cisco Power Injector AIR PWRINJ5 1 This is the CDP LLDP value that we ask in software switch pads another 2 3 W for cable loss at 100 m 22 ...

Page 23: ...Revised January 25 2017 Approved antennas and Radiation Patterns Figure 16 Picture of the internal antennas within the AP 1850 ...

Page 24: ...The internal antennas are rated at 3 dBi at 2 4 GHz and 5 dBi at 5 GHz Figure 17 Radiation pattern at 2 4 GHz Figure 18 Radiation pattern at 5 GHz 24 ...

Page 25: ...ts on the controller or AP software While it is not recommended to use less antennas the product in a pinch supports 802 11a b g clients or single spatial stream 11n clients using only one or two antennas However there is a significant performance hit and you will also lose ClientLink functionality If you do this you will also have to configure the AP in the software to not use the other antenna F...

Page 26: ... Accessories Reference Guide The antenna reference guide has details of all Cisco antennas You can also find individual data sheets at http www cisco com en US products hw wireless ps469 index html Always use Cisco antennas whenever possible See http www cisco com en US prod collateral wireless ps5678 ps10981 white_paper_c11 671769 pdf Note 26 ...

Page 27: ...is much smaller in size and is a good choice when aesthetics is a primary concern Figure 19 Standard Dipoles and Short Dipoles On Right on page 27 shows an AP 3700 with both types of dipoles Figure 19 Standard Dipoles and Short Dipoles On Right Figure 20 Radiation Pattern for the Short Dipole AIR ANT2535SDW R 27 ...

Page 28: ...s below may also be used with 1600 1850 2600 3600 and 3700 e Series APs Figure 21 Specifications for the AIR ANT2524Dx R Dual Band Dipole Antenna Figure 22 Radiation Pattern for the AIR ANT2524Dx R Dual Band Dipole Antenna 28 ...

Page 29: ...Figure 23 Specifications for the AIR ANT2566P4W R Dual Band Patch Antenna Figure 24 Radiation Pattern for the AIR ANT2566P4W R Dual Band Patch Antenna 29 ...

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Page 31: ...imuth in Red is the signal going forward from the antenna The elevation in Blue is the up down pattern Figure 25 Specifications for the AIR ANT2524V4C R Dual Band Omni Antenna Figure 26 Radiation Pattern for the AIR ANT2524V4C R Dual Band Omni Antenna 31 ...

Page 32: ...Figure 27 Specifications for the AIR ANT2544V4M R Dual Band Omni Antenna 32 ...

Page 33: ...Figure 28 Radiation Patterns for the AIR ANT2544V4M R Dual Band Omni Antenna 33 ...

Page 34: ...For a granular pattern see the individual specification sheet of the respective antennas Note 34 ...

Page 35: ... range as a notebook or tablet Verify coverage using the worst performing clients that you intend to deploy Tip The Cisco AP 1850 series supports standards based transmit beamforming and is positioned for newer Wave 2 MU MIMO and 4 SS clients The Cisco 2700 and 3700 series APs with ClientLink 3 0 will perform better than the AP 1850 when using legacy 11g n and 11ac Wave 1 clients This is because t...

Page 36: ...Gigabit Ethernet or mGig Some clients especially older ones do not support the UNII 2 extended client channels 100 140 So if you have lots of older clients you may need to disable them in the DCA channel list Clients with later chipsets especially later 802 11ac clients should support extended UNII 2 channels Note The following lists the Wi Fi signal strength guidelines 65 to 67 Data Voice Video L...

Page 37: ...S frequencies for more usable channels in the 5 GHz range More clients especially 802 11ac clients will start supporting these newer channels in legacy 802 11n modes as well Currently the most popular 3SS client is the Apple 2011 MacBook Pro because it is based upon the Broadcom BCM4331 chipset and a small USB adapter by Trendnet that is TEW 684UB based on the Ralink chipset Additionally the Intel...

Page 38: ...on and other regulatory bodies realize the need for more unlicensed spectrum and are actively working to free up more spectrum Let us take a look at the frequencies available and how the channel bonding would work Right now in the US there are only four 80 MHz channels but this is likely to improve Figure 30 Current Channel Allocation Plan US Theater Figure 31 Current Channel Allocation Plan ETSI ...

Page 39: ...n for US Theater Not Fully Committed as of this Writing Summary 802 11ac deployments and surveys are not much different than 802 11n deployments 802 11ac supports faster 256 QAM modulation allowing 802 11ac clients the ability to use faster and a wider range of data rates thus permitting clients to maintain higher connectivity rates When deploying 80 MHz bonded channels ensure that you have enough...

Page 40: ...Client Most clients USB that are emerging are 2 spatial stream and by using 80 MHz bonding you can achieve up to 866 Mbps Figure 33 Example of a 2 ss Client Bonded at 80 MHz on page 40 shows the Netgear A6200 client card Figure 33 Example of a 2 ss Client Bonded at 80 MHz 40 ...

Page 41: ...rum analyzer you can see that the actual channels in use are 36 40 44 and 48 Note Figure 34 Example of a Bonded 80 MHz Channel For clients to link at 80 MHz you have to set the channel width to 80 MHz on the AP Note Figure 35 Setting an AP 1850 to an 80 MHz Channel from the Controller 41 ...

Page 42: ...er 8 1 Release Cisco 5500 Series Controller Controller 1131 1142 1242 1252 1850 3500e 3500i 3600 3702 Access Points 802 11ac 802 11a 802 11g 802 11n2 802 11n5 Radio Open WEP PSK WPA and WPA2 802 1X WPA2 AES LEAP PEAP EAP FAST EAP TLS Security ACS 4 2 ACS 5 2 RADIUS Connectivity traffic and roaming between two access points Types of tests Interoperability matrix for APs Clients and security types t...

Page 43: ... 26 MacBook Pro Broadcom OSX 10 8 5 BCM43xx 1 0 6 30 223 154 45 MacBook Air Table 4 Hand Held Devices Tested for Interoperability Version Handheld Devices iOS 5 0 1 Apple iPad iOS 7 0 3 11B511 Apple iPad2 iOS 7 0 3 11B511 Apple iPad3 Android 4 0 3 Asus Transformer Android 3 2 1 Sony Tablet S Android 3 2 1 Toshiba Thrive Android 3 2 Samsung Galaxy Tab Android 3 1 Motorola Xoom Windows Mobile 6 5 2 ...

Page 44: ... 131 030 132 030 Spectralink 8030 4 1 0 2817 Vocera B1000A 4 0 0 345 Vocera B2000 iOS 7 0 3 11B511 Apple iPhone 4 iOS 7 0 3 11B511 Apple iPhone 4S iOS 7 0 3 11B511 Apple iPhone 5 iOS 7 0 3 11B511 Apple iPhone 5S 2 5 7 Ascom i62 Android 4 2 2 HTC One 11AC Android 4 3 Samsung Galaxy S4 GT 19500 11AC Android 2 3 3 HTC Sensation WLAN version 4 0 RIM Blackberry Pearl 9100 WLAN version 2 7 RIM Blackberr...

Page 45: ...C ONE ZTE Grand Memo USB Clients Shipping LinkSys AE6000 1x1 Asus USB AC53 2x2 NetGear A6200 2x2 Belkin P F9L1106 2x2 D Link DWA 182 2x2 Buffalo ac866 2x2 Edimax EW 7822AC 2x2 Ethernet to 802 11ac Bridges Shipping LinkSys Belkin WUMC710 Buffalo WLI H4 D1300 List for identifying new 802 11ac hardware http wikidevi com wiki List_of_802 11ac_Hardware ...

Page 46: ...that could impact performance Few examples are environment client channel AP placement and client distance from the AP Is the spectrum clean If you are not seeing the results you expect you need to first check the coexistence with other Wi Fi networks Also you need to ensure the entire 80 MHz wide channel or whatever you have bonded together is clear The easiest way to confirm this is to put your ...

Page 47: ...m8 m9 but not consistently Keep in mind m7 is the same for 11n and 11ac the difference being 11ac allows for 80 MHz channels Under ideal conditions you can expect 11ac to have an almost 3x gain over 11n at m9 and a 2x gain at m7 How is the AP mounted AP placement needs to be considered For close in tests less than 10 placement is not so important Just make sure that the AP is not obstructed For ot...

Page 48: ...Revised January 25 2017 48 ...

Page 49: ...llations that are not recommended It is very difficult to provide good Wi Fi service with a poor installation Always try to avoid metal and clutter Figure 36 Example of an AP Installation Near Metal and Clutter Try to Avoid Metal and Clutter Figure 37 Patch Antenna Against a Metal Fence 49 ...

Page 50: ...Figure 38 Example of an AP Installation Near Metal and Clutter Try to Avoid Metal and Clutter Figure 39 Example of a Poor Installation Access Point Needs to be Level and Not Swing or Move About 50 ...

Page 51: ... level and secured so that it does not sway or move Keep the AP away from metal objects and try to place it as close to the users as possible Figure 40 Example of a Poor Installation Access Point is too High and Buried in Conductive Foil 51 ...

Page 52: ... radio waves to become directional and increases nulls dead spots If you must mount the AP in a high ceiling look at directional antennas to direct angle down the signal to the intended target area and always mount dipoles in the correct orientation Figure 41 When Using Dipole Antennas Observe the Correct Orientation Vertical Polarity 52 ...

Page 53: ...bstruct or put weather proofing material over the drain holes Tip Figure 42 Always Mount Antennas Outdoors with Leads DOWN Indoors Does not Matter Figure 43 If Antenna Connectors are Exposed to Weather Coax Seal Should be Used but if Present Do Not Cover Antenna Drain Holes 53 ...

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Page 55: ...in higher throughput on AP 1850 as it does not support multi gigabit technologies such as NBase T For more on multigigabit technology see the following URL http www cisco com c dam en us solutions collateral enterprise networks catalyst multigigabit switching multigigabit ethernet technology pdf It is expected that future Wave 2 access points may support multigigabit functionality Note Cisco Switc...

Page 56: ...channel group 1 mode active end Step 4 The state of the LAG configuration on the controller and AP can be seen using the following commands on the controller show ap lag mode show ap config general ap name The successful formation of LAG between AP and the switch can be seen using the following commands on the switch show lacp neighbors show lacp internal Downstream Device connection for the AP 18...

Page 57: ...AUX port will not be sent to the WLC and the AP 1850 s built in switch will drop the traffic in the native VLAN This feature will not be implemented on the initial release of the code The initial release will only support LAG Note USB Port The USB port is not enabled in the first release of this software This will be enabled in the later release 57 ...

Page 58: ...s and radio systems to transmit to different clients all at the same time over the same frequency spectrum Figure 44 Example of SU MIMO Figure 45 Example of MU MIMO MU MIMO with the AP 1850 is limited to a maximum of 3 spatial streams simultaneously To send data to user 1 the AP forms a strong beam towards user 1 shown as the top right lobe of the blue curve Figure 46 MU MIMO Using a Combination o...

Page 59: ...all form factor clients often BYOD clients that are limited to a single antenna If the AP transmits to two or three clients the effective speed increase varies from a factor of unity no speed increase up to a factor of two or three times according to wireless channel conditions You cannot configure to use MU MIMO the clients will advertise this capability and the AP will put them into groups Eleme...

Page 60: ...res precise CSI channel state information to maintain deep nulls so that each MU MIMO client can properly decode its data without too much interference from the other clients MU MIMO CSI pre coding group data adds overhead as does their acknowledgments and so on Rate adaptation is slow Wave 2 clients to be integrated into new laptops tablets and phones but this moves slowly MU MIMO is a new techno...

Page 61: ... DRAM memory test in progress Blinking green Boot loader status sequence DRAM memory test OK Board initialization in progress Initializing FLASH file system FLASH memory test OK Initializing Ethernet Ethernet OK Starting operating system Initialization successful Normal operating condition but no wireless client associated Chirping Green Association status Normal operating condition at least one w...

Page 62: ...C address Ethernet failure during image recovery Boot environment failure No Cisco image file Boot failure Software failure try disconnecting and reconnecting unit power Red Cisco IOS errors General warning insufficient inline power Cycling through red green amber and off Ethernet Port LEDs Each Ethernet port has two LEDs for showing Link Green and Activity Amber statuses They are integrated on th...

Page 63: ...er the following Place the APs as reasonably close to the actual users as possible Make sure that you have coverage to a known requirement and compensate for nulls or dead spots regardless of what product you choose to deploy This is called a site survey Installations should be done based on lessons learned from the site survey The better the survey the less likely any connectivity problems will o...

Page 64: ...n US docs solutions Verticals Education SRA_Schools schoolSRA_wlan_sba pdf The Apple Bonjour Apple TV Deployment Guide http www cisco com en US partner products hw wireless ps4570 products_tech_note09186a0080bb1d7c shtml Optimizing Enterprise Video over Wireless LAN http www cisco com en US prod collateral wireless ps6302 ps8322 ps10315 ps10325 white_paper_c11 577721 html Cisco 7925 IP Phone Deplo...

Page 65: ...Generation of Cisco Aironet Access Points http www cisco com en US prod collateral wireless ps5678 ps10981 at_a_glance_c45 636090 pdf 802 11ac Wave 1 Module Datasheet http www cisco com en US prod collateral modules ps12859 ps13128 data_sheet_c78 727794 html 802 11ac The Fifth Generation Wi Fi Technical Whitepaper http www cisco com en US prod collateral wireless ps5678 ps11983 white_paper_c11 713...

Page 66: ... IMPLIED INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING USAGE OR TRADE PRACTICE IN NO EVENT SHALL CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE T...

Page 67: ...coSystemsInternationalBV Amsterdam TheNetherlands CiscoSystems USA Pte Ltd Singapore Cisco Systems Inc San Jose CA 95134 1706 USA Cisco has more than 200 offices worldwide Addresses phone numbers and fax numbers are listed on the Cisco Website at www cisco com go offices ...

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