Firetide 7100-1 Hotport Model 7100 Mesh Node User Manual Manual

HotPort

Manual Revision 1.01-DRAFT 2010-01-07

The contents of this Installation Guide are subject to change without notice.

Please refer to the Firetide partners web site, partners.retide.com, for current versions.

Hardware Installation Guide

HotPort Series 7000

Indoor and Outdoor Wireless Mesh Nodes

HotPort 7200 - Outdoor NodeHotPort 7100 - Indoor Node

mesh radio 1

does not warrant that the Products will meet any requirements or speci-

cations of any End User Customer. This warranty applies to the entire

Firetide product, including the AC power adapter.

Pursuant to all provisions described herein, Firetide software products

are warranted for ninety (90) days from the date of purchase against de-

fects in the build materials and workmanship. Firetide also warrants that

the Software will materially conform to the documentation supplied by

Firetide with the Software. In the event that the Software fails to materi-

ally conform to the documentation and an authorized Firetide reseller is

notied in writing of such failure within the warranty period, Firetide or

if the product has been installed, used, or maintained in a manner not

described in the product user manual; or if the product has been altered

in any way; or if product serialization has been altered. Any attempt to

disassemble or repair the product by anyone other than Firetide immedi-

ately voids this warranty.

This warranty applies only to the original End User purchaser of the prod-

uct and may not be transferred to any other individual or entity.

THE FOREGOING ARE THE EXCLUSIVE WARRANTIES APPLICABLE TO THE

PRODUCT INCLUDING THE SOFTWARE, AND THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR

DEFECTS IN THE PRODUCT. FIRETIDE DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES,

tion, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use or inability to use

the product or the performance, interruption or failure of the product,

irrespective of the cause of action, even if Firetide has been advised

of the possibility of such damages. Firetide’s cumulative liability for all

claims arising out of or in connection with this warranty will not ex-

ceed the amount paid by the original End User purchaser to purchase the

product. The amounts payable for the product are based in part on these

In the event that a product fails to meet this warranty and Firetide’s

authorized reseller is notied in writing of such failure within the war-

ranty period, Firetide shall, at its own discretion, either repair the prod-

uct or replace it with the same or a functionally-equivalent product free

of charge. Replacement products may contain refurbished materials in

whole or in part. Firetide will honor this warranty provided the product is

returned through an authorized Firetide reseller or dealer with shipping

charges prepaid, along with a proof of purchase describing the original

purchase date and product serial numbers if applicable. The authorized

reseller must acquire a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number from

Firetide prior to returning any product. Firetide does not accept ship-

ments of defective products without shipping charges prepaid.

Copyright Notice: ©2003-2010 Firetide, Inc. All rights reserved.

Trademarks: Firetide, the Firetide logo, Instant Mesh Networks, HotPort, and HotPoint are trademarks of Firetide, Inc. All other trademarks are the

property of their respective owners.

The HotPort outdoor wireless mesh node must be installed by a quali-

ed professional such as a licensed electrician. Failure to install this

HotPort Node Installation ........................................................................ 5

Indoor Node Installation ........................................................................ 6

Outdoor Node Installation ....................................................................... 7

Appendix A - Contacting Firetide ...................................................................11

Appendix B - Connector Wiring ....................................................................12

Appendix C - Specications .......................................................................13

POWER LINES CAN BE LETHAL

Do not install the HotPort outdoor mesh node where possible con-

ASSUME ALL OVERHEAD LINES ARE POWER LINES

The horizontal distance from a tower, pole or antenna to the near-

est power line should be at least twice the total length of the

pole/antenna combination. This will ensure that the pole will not

contact power if it falls either during or after installation.

SURVEYING THE SITE

Look over the entire site before beginning any installation and an-

ticipate possible hazards. Never assume anything without check-

ing it out for yourself! Don’t take shortcuts!

TO AVOID FALLING, USE SAFE PROCEDURES WHEN WORKING AT

you be more careless, but your primary diagnostic tool -

deductive reasoning - will not be operating at full capacity.

equipment. Make sure all equipment is in good repair.

• If a tower or pole begins falling, don’t attempt to catch it.

Stand back and let it fall.

• Don’t attempt to erect antennas or towers on windy days.

• MAKE SURE ALL TOWERS AND POLES ARE SECURELY GROUND-

ED, AND ELECTRICAL CABLES CONNECTED TO ANTENNAS HAVE

LIGHTNING ARRESTORS. This will help prevent re damage or

human injury in case of lightning, static build-up, or short cir-

cuit within equipment connected to the antenna. The HotPort

outdoor node has built-in lightning protection. Be sure that

any other equipment connected to the HotPort node also has

the same level of protection.

dio parallel and in the same plane as the node itself.

Depending on performance, you may wish to try other orienta-

tions.

Figure 1. Staging Antennas

Figure 2. HotPort Series 7100 Mesh Node - Front View

pole directly to the building’s ground or to one or more ap-

proved grounding rods using 10 AWG ground wire and corro-

sion-resistant connectors.

rain gutter is connected to earth ground.

Preparing the Unit

a metal pole and antenna and then relocate and attach it to a

HotPort node. Take care when locating the HotPort node far

away from the antenna; a short antenna cable gives better

performance than a longer one. Firetide recommends that you

use antenna cables less than 3 meters.

to weatherproof connectors and antennas. All Ethernet cables

must be waterproofed; standard RJ-45 connectors do not last

outdoors.

nodes and access points are for temporary use only.

They MUST be replaced with outdoor-rated antennas

as soon as the mesh is staged and operational.

The staging antennas are NOT waterproof or moisture resistant. If

used outdoors or in humid environments, the antennas may fail.

Your CD has a copy of Firetide’s Accessory Guide. Contact your

Firetide Reseller for assistance in selecting and ordering outdoor

antennas suitable for your application(s).

For HotPort 7200 outdoor nodes, you will need:

lift truck, or other means to access the actual installation loca-

tions.

Preparing Earth Ground

• Install all grounding components in straight lines. If bends are

unavoidable, do not make sharp turns.

• Earth-to-ground should not be more than 10 ohms.

• Understanding the soil is very important in order to create a

proper earth ground. If your soil is rocky or sandy, drive your

ground rods and then pull them back out and dump an ap-

proved ground enhancement material into the holes where the

equipment. Make sure that all equipment is in good repair.

• If mounting to a pole or tower, make sure all poles and towers

are securely grounded.

• Make sure antennas are DC grounded; if not, cables must have

lightning arrestors.

• Large or heavy antennas must be mounted to a pole or other

secure structure.

• The antennas should not be within 1 meter (~3 ft.) of any metal

• If a longer coax cable is required, the system requires a high-

quality, low-loss 50 ohm cable. Contact your local distributor

to obtain a 50 ohm cable with the correct connectors. Firetide

recommends LMR400 cable or better.

• Minimize use of connectors and adapters.

• Once you’ve veried that everything is working, waterproof all

connections!

• Do not mount the antenna pole near power lines.

• When mounting next to an access point, mount the access

point lower on the pole and at least 1 meter (~3 ft.) from the

specic high-gain antennas from Firetide or another supplier.

Many installers prefer to mount the HotPort node and its associ-

ated antennas to a short bar, typically about 2 meters long. This

entire bar assembly is them mounted horizontally to the vertical

mast of the main antenna structure.

attach the pole to the roof. In many cases, connecting the de-

vices to a pole already attached to the roof top can be difcult

and dangerous.

Your HotPort node shipped with a two-piece mounting bracket.

This bracket is of the same design as the HotPort 6202 outdoor

bracket, so you can install a 7200 in place of a 6201 or 6202.

The assembly is shown below. To mount the node, remove the

outer piece, by loosening the thumb screws.

The inner bracket can be left attached to the node, as shown

below.

The Universal Mounting Bracket contains holes and slots to allow

mounting bracket. Use appropriate anchors when attaching to ma-

sonry or other materials.

Smaller pole diameters usually require a second nut as a spac-

er to hold the bracket away from the U-bolt clamp. Finger-

tighten the nuts. There should be about 12-15 mm (1/2-5/8”)

of U-bolt sticking past the second nut.

Mount the second U-bolt. Use the mounting bracket as a guide to

correctly space the two U-bolts, then tighten the nuts. A horizon-

tal pole-mount is also shown for reference.

Use lock washers and nuts to secure the bracket to the U-bolts.