User's Manual

Rajant Corporation BreadCrumb
®
LX User Guide
Version 1.06 June 25, 2008
- 20 -
4.4 PHYSICAL PLACEMENT AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS (continued)
4.4.3 WEATHER
Precipitation and fog also act as obstructions blocking the propagation of the wireless network’s radio waves.
Light fog or precipitation may result in noticeable degradation of wireless network performance. Heavy
precipitation or fog may result in severe performance degradation and possible loss of network connectivity.
If the performance of a well functioning network is degraded by increasing weather conditions, it may be
advisable to add BreadCrumb devices into the network to act as short haul repeaters to counter act the effects of
the weather. An alternative is to move the devices closer together.
4.4.4 INTERFERENCE
• RF interference can degrade network performance and can come from many different sources.
• Interference can come from other BreadCrumb devices that are placed too closely together.
• Interference can come from many other RF devices such as microwave devices, cordless phone base
stations, radio transmitters, other wireless networks, jamming devices, etc.
• Metal surfaces such as fences and building can cause radio waves to be reflected, causing multipath
interference.
• Plan the BreadCrumb wireless network to minimize the effects of RF interference.
4.4.5 PLACEMENT OF BCWN COMPONENTS
The placement of BreadCrumb devices has a major impact on maximum effective range, and therefore network
performance. The components must be elevated above the surrounding terrain to allow for adequate wave
propagation. A device placed directly on the ground has a significantly reduced effective range. Elevating a
device above the ground dramatically increased the maximum effective range. Rajant recommends elevating the
components a minimum of 6 ft. above the surrounding surface.
4.5 DEPLOYMENT CONFIGURATIONS
Deployment configurations can provide reach back connectivity to the Internet or other network by utilizing a
Gateway BreadCrumb and available communication link (such as DSL, cable, or satellite modem).
4.6 DEPLOYMENT GUIDELINES AND METHODOLOGY
This section addresses the actual onsite deployment of the BCWN. While no means an exhaustive treatise, it is
intended as a good source of guidelines and methodology for the successful deployment of the BCWN in the
field.
4.6.1 DEPLOYMENT GUIDELINES
Referring back to Section 4.2 (Deployment Considerations):
1. Placement of BCWN components
a. Elevate the BCWN components whenever possible.
i. Directly on the ground, the maximum distance between any two BCWN components is
approximately 300 ft. Also, the maximum distance between a wireless client and the
nearest BCWN component is approximately 300 ft.