User's Manual
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 0 - Front Cover
- Chapter 0 - Table of Contents
- Chapter 1 - Introduction
- Chapter 2 - Starting Out
- Chapter 3 - Example Applications
- Chapter 4 - Utilities and Features
- Chapter 5 - Web Configuration Manager
- Chapter 6 - Serial Configuration and Applications
- Chapter 7 - Bridging and Mesh Networking
- Chapter 8 - Antenna Setup
- Apx A - Licensing Information
- Apx B - Interface Ports
- Apx C - Radio Configuration
- Apx D - Security
- Apx E - Troubleshooting
- Apx F - Horizon 2.4 Specifications
- Apx G - Horizon 900 Specifications
- Apx H - Horizon 4.9 Specifications
- Apx I - Horizon 5.8 Specifications
CHAPTER7
BRIDGELINKSANDMESH
Revised: 09 Aug 2016 7-1 ESTeem Horizon Series
To increase the wireles snetwork’s areaof coverage for
bothindoorandoutdoorapplications,theHorizonutilizes
acustommeshingfeaturethatallowsincreasedcoverage
areas without the added expense of hard cabling or
addinganadditionalpointtopointradiolink.
WithaconventionalIEEE802.11(Wi‐Fi)AccessPoint(AP)
network,alloftheAPshavetobeinter
facedtoacommon
networkeitherbyhardwire,seeFigure1,oraseparate,
dedicated RF backbone.The Model Horizon can create this RF backbone, bridge Ethernet networks connected to the wired
Ethernetportandprovidethewirelesscanopyfor802.11 clientss
imultaneously.
WhenprogrammedinanyofthethreeAccessPoint(AP)Modes (Bridge,RouterorMasquerade),theHorizonwillcreateawireless
network with other Horizon units in radio range that are programmed in the Peer table during setup. This feature adds the
increasedfunctionalityofrepeaterstothe typicalEthernetBridgeconfiguration.
ESTeemMeshNetwork
Oneofthemostpowerfulfeatures oftheAPPeerMode
istheabilitytoinputmultiplecommunicationroutesand
designatethepriorityforeachoftheseroutestocreatea
wireless Mesh network.The ESTeem Horizon will
automatically change communication routes in the
networkifaroutehasfailed.Thenew rout
ewillbebased
upon the priority level set during configuration.This
wireless Meshing technology allows the RF network to
“self‐heal”ifanyofthecommunicationpathsfail.
The routing priority is manually set during the
configuration of the Horizon.A manual path
configurationisfarsuperiortostandard“s
elf‐discovery”
networks,becauseyouhavedirectcontroloverthebest
RFpathsandcaneasilyidentifyanyfailedroutesforeasy
troubleshooting.For example, Figure 2 shows a typical
wirelessEthernetsystemusedintheWater/WasteWater
Industry. The problem with a standard “self‐discovery”
Meshnetworkisthese
lectionofroutes.Notice thatthecommunicationbetweentheWaterPlant(SiteA)andPumpSiteDhasa
marginallink,butitisthemostdirectroutebetweentheEthernetdevices.
Thisscenarioposesthequestion,whichpathwillthenetworkselect?TheESTeemMeshNetworktakesouttheguessin
ggames
byallowingtheusertoselectandprioritizeallcommunicationroutesinthesystem.Inourexamplewewouldwanttheprimary
linktogothroughTankB(Repeater)andusethedirectlink onlyifthisprimar y linkfails.Thefollowingsectionswillshowhowthis
completed.
Configuration
Theconfigurationofthewire
lesspathsiscompletedduringsetupoftheAccessPointmodes.AllthreeAccessPointmodessupport
repeatingandMeshingfeatures.TheMeshnetworkconfigurationusingtheESTeemNetworkConfiguration(ENC)Utilityisshown
indetailinChapter3ofthisUser’sManual.
Figure1:Conv
entionalAccessPointDiagram
Figure2:SmallMeshNetworkDiagram