User's Manual

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11. Benchtesting
Before mounting units into their final location, it is often a good idea to
benchtest the system to ensure settings are correct. To ensure a successful
benchtest, be sure to follow these recommended steps:
Setup. The most straightforward approach to benchtesting is to establish a
Point-to-Point link or a Base Station linked with a single Client. Each radio
should be configured per Sections 3 - 5, with a laptop or PC connected to each
radio directly (or through a hub). Be sure that Access Control MAC addresses
are correct and that units share the same frequency, bandwidth, data rate and
encryption settings.
Positioning. It is important to remember that the Skyway 4000 radio and
antenna system generate and transmit a great deal of RF power. During
benchtesting in an average sized room, the antennas should not be pointed
directly at each other. Instead, rotate the unit 90 degrees away from the other.
Fine tune the antenna position so that the Signal Level field in the Detailed
Status Screen is at mid-span.
Testing. If the system has been properly configured, the radios will begin
communicating immediately. The following steps are recommended to verify
operation:
§ Local ping. From each laptop/PC be sure a ping to the local radio is
successful.
§ Link ping. Now ping from one laptop/PC to the other laptop/PC. This
will verify the RF link.
§ Throughput test. Using Qcheck, or equivalent throughput
measurement utility, verify system performance.
Notes:
(a) Keep in mind that the Skyway4000 data rates can easily stress the
performance of a poorly performing TCP/IP/Ethernet stack on a laptop or PC. To
ensure that the test equipment is not the bottleneck, testing with a direct
connection between laptops/PCs is recommended.
(b) Using a single FTP session on a Windows machine is not adequate to
accurately measure throughput.
12. Upgrading the Software
There may be newer software releases from Solectek from time to time. If you
would like to upgrade your unit, first obtain the new file from Solectek. The
current version will be posted on Solectek’s website.
NOTE: You need to install an FTP server program on your computer to
complete the following upgrade procedure. You can use an FTP program of
your choice although Solectek has included FileZilla, an FTP server program, on
the installation CD. For details on the configuration of this application, please
refer to the document called FTP-Guide.pdf included on the CD.
• Click on the Upgrade menu option under the Advanced parent menu
to see the following screen:
Verify that the version available from Solectek is a newer than the one current
installed on your SKYWAY 4000.
Save the new software file in a directory of your computer you can easily access.
For convenience, you may prefer to use the same computer that you use to
access the SKYWAY 4000 user interface, since the computer already has been
configured to be on the same network as the SKYWAY 4000.
Next, enter the appropriate information into the following fields:
• Server IP Address: The address of the computer that stores the upgrade
software file.