Equipment

Duxtel is delighted to extend their community discount offer to members of the Air-Stream Wireless.

All financial members of Air-Stream qualify for a 10% discount on per-unit list prices for products listed in the online catalogue.

So what does any hardcore Air-Stream member do when they get their hands on some hardware?

They look for ways to mod it of course!

The RB/SXT was Mikrotik's first outdoor, integrated CPE solution.

It is a 5ghz, Dual Polarity, 802.11n, MIMO radio device. It is capable of 200mbit throughput (100mbit in each way simultaneously) while maintaining a neat small package which is weather proof and coax free!

It has a 16dBi dual polarity panel antenna inside the case with POE Ethernet socket and a USB socket for 3G modems.

We have interesting plans for this device, in true Air-Stream style, but that is reserved for the next post on the SXT, for now the pictures!

Client install

$115.00 2.4 GHz Parabolic Grid Antenna, 24 dBi
$70.00 2.4GHz 8dBi Omni-directional Antenna
$19.00 MMCX to N-Female Bulkhead (high perf)
$15.00 U.FL to N-Female bulkhead (high performance)
$166.00 Ubiquiti XtremeRange2 802.11b/g 600 mW miniPCI card
$85.00 MikroTik R52H 802.11 a/b/g 320mW MiniPCI card
$205.00 RB433AH 3xMiniPCI/680MHz/128MB/RouterOS L5

Lengths of LMR400 coax
N-Type crimp connectors x4
24v switchmode power supply
POE injector
Cat5/6 + RJ45 connectors
3M - 6M pole for mast
Pole clamps x2
Guy-wires if required
Pole mount brackets
Amalg tape

Total cost ~$750

This antenna is made by a Canadian antenna manufacturer and has been found to be very rugged and a solid performer for Air-Stream access points offering access to a 360 degree area. A simple but effective antenna design for basic 802.11b/g coverage.

The Box

One of the most commonly boxes used by Air-Stream members a basis for an enclosure is the Jaycar "HB5050" Sealed Aluminium Die-Cast Enclosure. It measure 222 x 146 x 55mm and is rated to IP65. These boxes provide effective weatherproofing and EMI/EMC/RFI shielding. They conveniently fit at least one Mikrotik RB433/RB433AH with MiniPCI cards. With careful planning, two RB433 sized boards can be squeezed into one enclosure.

The Modification Process

Converting the basic box into a outdoor pole mount enclosure for a typical outdoor installation requires some work. The basic steps are:

1. Drill one or more ~15.5mm holes for N-Type connector bulkheads
2. Drill one 20mm hole for the Ethernet cable feedthrough (to suit Jaycar cat no. HP0732)

The Mikrotik R5H is a 320mW 802.11a miniPCI card operating in the 5GHz band. Air-Stream real world comparisons against the venerable XR5 shows that the R5H performs consistently better over long distance links in Mikrotik Routerboards. As a dedicated 5GHz card (as opposed to a dual-band card) it has excellent receive sensitivity all the way up to 54 Mbps and the output power does not drop off dramatically in the higehr bit rates as is typical of dual-band cards.

Often referred to as Client Premesis Equipment (CPE) there are a number of vendors who provide integrated solutions for connecting to existing wide area wireless networks such as the Air-Stream wireless network. This equipment integrates the job of host, wireless radio, antenna and accessories into one product. The main advantage of this is the cost saving and simplicity associated with buying a single product. The main disadvantage is the lack of options in customisation, software and upgradeability.

Mounting and powering electronics in harsh environments such as outdoors or in roof cavities requires special consideration.

Antennas are the most visible part of wireless communication and play the most important role in guiding the radio frequency signals through the air. Antennas are where the 'wireless' part of wireless networking come in to play.