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HotPort 7000 Series Mesh Nodes
September 2010
• The HotPort node and its antenna must both be grounded.
• Large or heavy antennas must be mounted to a pole or other
secure structure.
• The antennas should not be within 1 meter (~3 ft.) of any metal
bar or structure, and ideally not within 1 meter (~3 ft.) of any
concrete or stone structure. In general, try to locate the anten-
nas as far from such objects as practicable.
• Shorter antenna cables give better performance. Plan your in-
stallation to minimize antenna cable length. However, do not
attempt to splice or shorten the antenna cable.
• If a longer coax cable is required, the system requires a high-
quality, low-loss 50 ohm cable. Contact your local distributor
to obtain a 50 ohm cable with the correct connectors. Firetide
recommends LMR400 cable or better.
• Minimize use of connectors and adapters.
• Once you’ve verified that everything is working, waterproof all
connections!
• Do not mount the antenna pole near power lines.
• When mounting next to an access point, mount the access
point lower on the pole and at least 1 meter (~3 ft.) from the
antennas. You can also mount the access point on a horizontal
bar to achieve the required separation.
Antenna Placement
Firetide recommends the use of antennas specifically designed for
MIMO applications. While it is possible to select and mount six
individual antennas, determining correct placement and spacing
is difficult. Use an antenna engineered for best results with MIMO.
If you are not using three antennas on each radio, install anten-
nas in order, from the front of the unit toward the back. Do not
‘skip’ antenna connections.
Mounting Outdoor Antennas
Once you determine which RF band to use, you can order spectrum-
specific high-gain antennas from Firetide or another supplier.
Many installers prefer to mount the HotPort node and its associ-
ated antennas to a short bar, typically about 2 meters long. This
entire bar assembly is them mounted horizontally to the vertical
mast of the main antenna structure.
Mounting Guidelines
•
It is often easier to install all devices onto a pole, and then
attach the pole to the roof. In many cases, connecting the de-
vices to a pole already attached to the roof top can be difficult
and dangerous.
• A lightning surge suppressor must be used. Some antennas
include one. If not, install a lightning surge suppressor.
• Locate the HotPort close to the antenna; a short antenna cable
gives better performance than a longer one. Firetide recom-
mends antenna cables less than 3 meters.
Mounting Bracket
Your HotPort node shipped with a two-piece mounting bracket.
This bracket is of the same design as the HotPort 6202 outdoor
bracket, so you can install a 7020 in place of a 6201 or 6202.
The assembly is shown below. To mount the node, remove the
outer piece, by loosening the thumb screws.
The inner bracket can be left attached to the node, as shown
below.
