User's Manual

3 Access Point Installation
The Access Point is installed at a point on the cable system plant where it can reach
a number of customers.
3.1 Site Survey
Paper records of what is at a specific site are notoriously poor, so it is always best to
preview the installation by visiting the site.
3.1.1 Physical plant
A decision has to be made about mounting the Access Point Transceiver. It can be
mounted on a utility pole or on a wire strand.
Another factor to plan is the powering – will it be powered from the coaxial cable tap,
or from the local utility AC.
The tap has to be found that will serve the Access Point. Some coaxial cable may
be needed to extend the tap a few feet to reach the Access Point’s planned location.
The Access Point should be located so it has the best line-of-sight coverage of the
desired customer area.
Grounding the Access Point must be planned to minimize damage from lightning
surges and accidental power crosses to the coaxial cable plant.
3.1.2 5 GHz Usage
The RF must also be planned. Usually the 5 GHz band is lightly used, since
microwave ovens, cordless phones, etc. do not generally use this band. If, however,
the band is already heavily used, then a survey with a spectrum analyzer is the best
way to determine which channel to use to reach the customers.
3.2 Antenna Patterns
Each Access Point Transceiver has a built-in antenna, with the strongest power
straight out from the antenna’s axis. The antenna’s axis is perpendicular to the
radome covering it.
Elevations above straight out from the front of the antenna (up into the sky) receive
less power, as do elevations below straight out. Therefore, the antenna is normally
pointed at the furthest subscriber to be served, with the lower elevations providing
appropriately less power to closer subscribers. This pointing is usually referred to as
“downtilt”. Most installations do not require a downtilt.
The Access Points are available in two basic models, one designed for vertical
mounting and the other for horizontal mounting. They differ in antenna polarization
and mounting hardware. The descriptive model name is Strand Mount and Pole
Mount. In both mounts, the resulting transmitted signal is vertically polarized when it
leaves the Access Point.
ARCXtend manual, August 2003 3-1