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C H A P T E R
6
Antenna Selection and Installation
This chapter contains information about installing antennas with the IR8340 router using cellular modules.
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Antenna Selection and Installation, on page 53
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Antenna Installation Best Practices , on page 53
•
Supported Antennas for the IR8340, on page 55
•
Supported RF Cables for the IR8340, on page 57
Antenna Selection and Installation
Before you install the Cisco IR8340 router in a rack, install the antennas on the Pluggable Modules first. It is
difficult to install the antennas after the router is mounted.
Note
The P-LTE-xx or P-LTEA-xx cellular modules have three SMA(f) connectors on the pluggable module. Two
connectors, Main and Div (Diversity), are used to connect to the 4G/LTE modem. The third connector is used
for GPS. The Diversity port is also referred to as an Aux connector.
The P-LTEAP18-GL module has four SMA(f) connectors. Two connectors are Primary (Main) supporting
Uplink and Downlink, and two connectors are secondary supporting downlink MIMO.
The P-5GS6-GL module has five SMA(f) connectors, of which four support 4G LTE / 5G FR1 and one
supports GPS.
Antenna Installation Best Practices
The optimal site location for antennas for 4G enabled routers and cellular modules plays a significant role in
determining overall cellular link performance. Routers located at the farthest coverage points might have 10
to 50 percent of the bandwidth available compared to routers located closer to the cellular base station tower,
away from obstructions, and with an unobstructed view of the cellular tower.
Because antennas transmit and receive radio signals over the air, the signal propagation and antenna performance
may be adversely affected by the surrounding environment, including physical obstructions. Radio frequency
(RF) interference may also occur between wireless systems located close to each other, especially if the
antennas of these systems are located close to each other. Interference may also occur when the antenna is in
close proximity to cable clutter or other sources of radio interference.
Cisco Catalyst IR8340 Rugged Series Router Hardware Installation Guide
53