Fluidmesh Networks VOLO WiFi AP User Manual User Guide

Fluidmesh Networks LLC WiFi AP User Guide

User Guide

Fluidmesh 1100/1200VOLO/3100 MITO seriesUser manualFirmware Version 6.0.×Fluidmesh 1100/1200VOLO/3100 MITO SeriesCopyright © 2005-2013 Fluidmesh Networks LLC.
WARNINGONLY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL SHOULD INSTALL THIS UNIT. THE IN-STALLATION SHOULD CONFORM TO ALL LOCAL CODES. IN SOMECOUNTRIES, A CERTIFIED ELECTRICIAN MAY BE REQUIRED.CAUTIONWhen open, the apparatus should not be dripping or splashing. No objectfilled with liquid shall be placed on the apparatus.NOTICE TO USERSCopyright © Fluidmesh Networks LLC. All rights reserved. This manual or the software described herein, in whole or in part, shall not be reproduced, translated or reduced to any machine-readable form without prior written approval from Fluidmesh Networks LLC.FLUIDMESH NETWORKS LLC, PROVIDES NO WARRANTY WITH RE-GARD TO THIS MANUAL, THE SOFTWARE OR OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY IM-PLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH REGARD TO THIS MANUAL, THE SOFT-WARE OR SUCH OTHER INFORMATION. IN NO EVENT SHALL FLU-IDMESH NETWORKS, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, CON-SEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER BASED ON TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS MANUAL, THE SOFTWARE OR OTHER INFORMATION CON-TAINED HEREIN OR THE USE THEREOF.Fluidmesh Networks LLC, reserves the right to make any modification to this manual or the information contained herein at any time without notice. The software described herein may also be governed by the terms of a separate user license agreement.Fluidmesh is a registered trademark of Fluidmesh Networks LLC, Mesh-Wizard, EasyMesh, FMQuadro, FluidThrottle, Endo, MITO are trademarks of Fluidmesh Networks, Inc.Microsoft, Windows, Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Mi-crosoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.1
Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation.All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trade-marks of their respective owners.2
Contents1 Manual Overview 62 Precautions 73 Installation and System Set-up 83.1 Fluidmesh 1100 MITO Series ................. . 83.1.1 Proper Installation Procedures . ........... . 93.1.2 Powering on an FM1100 . . . ............. . 93.1.3 Status and Link LEDs . . . ............... 103.1.4 Factory Default Hardware Reset .......... . . 103.1.5 Integrated Panel Antenna . . .............. 113.2 Fluidmesh 3100 MITO Series . . . . ............. . 123.2.1 Proper Installation Procedures . ........... . 133.2.2 Powering on an FM3100 . . . ............. . 133.2.3 Status and Link LEDs . . . ............... 143.2.4 Factory Default Hardware Reset .......... . . 143.2.5 Integrated Panel Antenna . . .............. 154 Fluidmesh Architecture Overview 204.1 Point-to-Point Wireless Bridge .................. 204.2 Mesh Network Architecture ................. . . 214.3 Point-to-Multipoint Architecture: FluidMAX™ . . . . ..... 2233.3 Fluidmesh 1200VOLO .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.1 Proper Installation Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17163.3.2 Powering on an 1200 VOLO. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 173.3.3 Status and Link LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.3.4 Factory Default Hardware Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.3.5 Integrated Panel Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5 Fluidmesh Network Addressing 245.1 Bridge IP Addressing . . . .... . . .............. 245.1.1 Connecting and Configuring IP Devices and Cameras 255.2 Mesh Addressing . . . ...................... 255.2.1 Network Addressing . . . .......... . . . . . . 266 Software Plug-ins 296.1 Plug-in Activation/Deactivation Procedure . .... . . . . . . 307 Web-based Interface and Configuration 337.1 Software and Hardware Requirements........... . . 337.2 Logging-in to the Web-based Interface ....... . . . . . . 347.3 End-user License Agreement and Region of Operation . . . . 357.4 MeshWizard™ . . . ....................... 377.5 Web-based Interface Menus................. . . 377.6 General Mode .......................... 387.7 Wireless Settings ................. . . . . . . . . 387.8 Advanced Wireless Settings . .................. 427.9 Antenna Alignment Tools and Physical Statistics ....... 437.10 Frequency Scan Tool .................. . . . . . 457.11 FMQuadro™ (Mesh End only) .............. . . . 477.11.1 VLAN Tagging Configuration (Software Plug-inRe-quired)........................... 537.12 Firmware Upgrade . . ... . ............... . . . 547.13 Plug-in Management . . ..................... 567.14 Advanced Tools . . . . . ..... . . . . ........... . 577.15 Multicast . . ............ . ... . ........... 587.16 PoE Passthrough (FM1100 and FM1200 only) . . . . . . . . . 597.17 Change Password ... . .... . . ............. . 597.18 Status............................. . . 597.19 Reboot and Reset to Factory Default . . . . .......... 607.20 On-line Help ................ . .......... 604
8 Troubleshooting 618.1 I am unable to get the log-in screen . . ....... . . . . . 618.2 I am unable to log-in into the Web-based interface .... . . 618.3 I forgot the administrator password ............. . . 628.4 In Bridge Mode I get no Link or the Link LED is always red orI am getting a weak Wireless link (below 60% signal strength) 625
1 Manual OverviewThis manual describes how to install and operate the Fluidmesh VOLO and MITO series products. More specifically, this manual contains a general overview of the Fluidmesh 1100 MITO, Fluidmesh 1200 VOLO and the Fluidmesh 3100 MITO in Section 3.1, Section 3.2 and Section 3.3 respectively. Please refer to Fig. 1.1(a), Fig. 1.1(b) and Fig.1.1(c) for a representation of each product. This user’s manual also includes a complete overview of the network architectures that can be created using Fluidmesh technology, and is discussed in Section 4. The Fluidmesh net-work addressing is described in Section 5. The use of Fluidmesh software plug-ins, their features, and their installation procedures in a network fol-lows in Section 6. The Web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) is then described in Section 7. Please note that, unless otherwise explicitly speci-fied, the Web GUI presentation refers to the Fluidmesh 1100, Fluidemesh 1200 and the Fluidmesh 3100. Screenshots shown in this manual are explanatory examples and may be different from the ones that appear when you run the Web-based configuration software.(a) Fluidmesh 1100 MITO (b) Fluidmesh 3100 MITO (c) Fluidmesh 1200 VOLOFigure 1.1: Fluidmesh 1100 MITO, Fluidmesh 1200 VOLO and Fluidmesh 3100 MITO front view.6
2 PrecautionsFluidmesh Networks products are for professional use only.Fluidmesh Networks products have been designed with safety in mind. However, if not used properly, they can cause fires which may lead to serious bodily injuries. To avoid such accidents, make sure that you are properly qualified to install these products.In Case of BreakdownIn case of system breakdown, discontinue use and immediately contact your authorized Fluidmesh Networks dealer or Fluidmesh Networks LLC. directly.In Case of Abnormal OperationsIf the unit emits smoke or an unusual smell, if water or other foreign mat-ter enters the enclosure, or if your drop the unit or damage the enclosure, power off the unit immediately and contact your authorized Fluidmesh Net-works dealer or Fluidmesh Networks LLC directly.7
3 Installation and SystemSet-upThis section describes how to install and set up Fluidmesh products. Specif-ically, the Fluidmesh 1100 MITO, Fluidmesh 1200 VOLO and Fluidmesh3100 MITO series are described in Section 3.1, Section 3.2 and Section 3.3respectively.3.1 Fluidmesh 1100 MITO SeriesThe Fluidmesh 1100 MITO (part number FM1100M-HW, for simplicity re-ferred to as FM1100) is designed for wireless operations .The hardware is multi-band panel an-tenna which can be mounted andoriented using the supplied pole-mounting adapter as depicted in Fig.3.1 and Fig. 3.2Figure 3.1: Fluidmesh 1100 enclosure (back).The FM1100 can operate both as a point-to-point wireless bridge or asa single radio mesh unit. The former operating mode is described in Sec-tion 4.1 whereas the latter is discussed in Section 4.2.8
Figure 3.2: Fluidmesh 1100 pole mounting adapter, Ethernet ports andreset button.3.1.1 Proper Installation ProceduresThe FM1100 comes with a pole-mounting adapter, shown in Fig. 3.2, thatallows the installer to change the alignment of the antenna along the hor-izontal axis. Plastic or metal tie wraps can be used to install the unit on apole.3.1.2 Powering on an FM1100The unit can be powered only with the Power-over-Ethernet injector pro-vided with the FM1100 (Fig. 3.3). The PoE injector does not comply withthe 802.3af standard and therefore it cannot be substituted with a differentinjector.Figure 3.3: Fluidmesh 1100 Power-over-Ethernet injector.The PoE injector must be powered 100-240V 50-60Hz AC using the AC9
LED # (Color) Boot Status Link Quality1 (Red) Booting core system poor/link absent2 (Orange) Booting wireless system fair3 (Green) Booting routing engine good4 (Green) Booting unit configuration very goodTable 3.1: FM1100 Boot/Link Status LEDs Color Schemeadapter included.3.1.3 Status and Link LEDsA panel on the back of the FM1100, shown in Fig. 3.4, provides seven(7) LEDs which can be used to check the unit and the link quality status.From the left-hand side, the first 3 green LEDs indicate the unit power, theEthernet port #1 activity and the Ethernet port #2 activity, respectively. Theremaining 4 colored LEDs indicate the level of the link signal and can beused for antenna alignment purposes. During the unit boot-up process,the 4 colored LEDs indicate the boot status and can be used for problemdetection. In fact, the LEDs light up in sequence from the leftmost one (red)to rightmost one (bright green). If the LEDs lighting up sequence doesnot complete, then an error has been detected during the booting process.Please refer to Table 3.1 for details.Figure 3.4: From left to right status LEDs, link/boot LEDs.3.1.4 Factory Default Hardware ResetThe FM1100 can be reset to factory default using the RESET button placednearby the Ethernet ports as shown in Fig. 3.2. To reset the FM1100 tofactory default settings, power up the unit and wait approximately 40 sec-onds for the unit to boot up. Once the unit is up and running, press thereset button for 5 seconds. The FM1100 will restore the factory default set-tings and automatically reboot. After the reset, the default IP address of192.168.0.10/255.255.255.0 is restored and the administrator password isset to admin.The RESET button can also be used to reboot the unit when pressed for 1second.10
3.1.5 Integrated Panel AntennaThe FM1100 has an integrated panel antenna that can operate at 4.9-6.0GHz. A separate or external antenna cannot be installed or mounted. Thegain of the antenna is 15 dBi at 4.9-6.0 GHz. The specifications of theintegrated panel antenna are reported Table 3.2.Gain at 4.9-6.0 GHz 14.6-16.1 dBiFrequency Range 4940-6075 MHzPolarization Dual Linear3 dB Beam Angle @ 5470 MHz 43 degreesFront to Back Ratio 22 dBTable 3.2: Antenna Specifications11
3.2 Fluidmesh 3100 MITO SeriesThe Fluidmesh 3100 MITO (part number FM3100M-HW, for simplicity re-ferred to as FM3100) is designed forwirelessoperations.The hardware is multi-band sector antenna which can be mounted andoriented using the supplied pole-mounting adapter as depicted in Fig.3.5 and Fig. 3.6.Figure 3.5: Fluidmesh 3100 enclosure.The FM3100 can operate both as a point-to-point wireless bridge or asa single radio mesh unit . The former operating mode is described in Sec-tion 4.1 whereas the latter is discussed in Section 4.2.12
Figure 3.6: Fluidmesh 3100 pole mounting adapter.3.2.1 Proper Installation ProceduresThe FM3100 comes with a pole-mounting adapter, shown in Fig. 3.6, thatallows the installer to change the alignment of the antenna along both thevertical and the horizontal axis.3.2.2 Powering on an FM3100The unit can be powered only with the Power-over-Ethernet injector pro-vided with the FM3100 (Fig. 3.7). The PoE injector does not comply withthe 802.3af standard and therefore it cannot be substituted with a differentinjector.Figure 3.7: Fluidmesh 3100 Power-over-Ethernet injector.The PoE injector must be powered 100-240V 50-60Hz AC using the ACadapter included.13
LED # (Color) Boot Status Link Quality1 (Red) Booting core system poor/link absent2 (Orange) Booting wireless system fair3 (Green) Booting routing engine good4 (Green) Booting unit configuration very goodTable 3.3: FM3100 Boot/Link Status LEDs Color Scheme3.2.3 Status and Link LEDsA panel on the back of the FM3100, shown in Fig. 3.8, provides six (6) LEDswhich can be used to check the unit and the link quality status. From theleft-hand side, the first 2 green LEDs indicate the unit power, the Ethernetport activity, respectively. The remaining 4 colored LEDs indicate the levelof the link signal and can be used for antenna alignment purposes. Duringthe unit boot-up process, the LEDs indicate the boot status and can be usedfor problem detection. Specifically, the 4 colored LEDs light up in sequencefrom the leftmost one (red) to rightmost one (bright green). If the LEDslighting up sequence does not complete, then an error has been detectedduring the booting process. Please refer to Table 3.3 for details.Figure 3.8: From left to right status LEDs, link/boot LEDs.3.2.4 Factory Default Hardware ResetThe FM3100 can be reset to factory default using the proper RESET buttonpresent on the PoE injector provided with the unit as shown in Fig. 3.7.To reset the FM3100 to factory default settings, power up the unit and waitapproximately 40 seconds for the unit to boot up. Once the unit is up andrunning, press the reset button for 5 seconds. The FM3100 will restorethe factory default settings and automatically reboot. The LEDs will blinkwhen the unit receives the reset to factory default signal. After the reset,the default IP address of 192.168.0.10/255.255.255.0 is restored and theadministrator password is set to admin.The RESET button can also be used to reboot the unit when pressed for 1second.14
3.2.5 Integrated Panel AntennaThe FM3100 has an integrated 93 degrees sector antenna that can oper-ate at 4.9-6.0 GHz. A separate or external antenna cannot be installed ormounted. The gain of the antenna is 15 dBi at 4.9-6.0 GHz. The specifica-tions of the integrated panel antenna are reported Table 3.4.Gain at 4.9-6.0 GHz 15 dBiFrequency Range 4940-6075 MHzPolarization Dual Linear3 dB Beam Angle @ 5470 MHz 93 degreesFront to Back Ratio 22 dBTable 3.4: Antenna Specifications15
3.3 Fluidmesh 1200 VOLOThe Fluidmesh 1200 VOLO(part number FM1200V-HW, for simplicity re-ferred to as FM1200) is designed for wireless operations.The hardware is multi-band sector antenna which can be mounted andoriented using the supplied pole-mounting adapter as depicted in Fig.3.9and Fig. 3.10.Figure 3.9: Fluidmesh 1200 enclosure.The FM1200 can operate both as a point-to-point wireless bridge or as asingle radio mesh unit. The former operating mode is described in Sec-tion4.1 whereas the latter is discussed in Section 4.2.16
LED # (Color) Boot Status Link Quality1 (Red) Booting core system poor/link absent2 (Orange) Booting wireless system fair3 (Green) Booting routing engine good4 (Green) Booting unit conguration very goodTable 3.5: FM1200 Boot/Link Status LEDs Color Scheme3.3.3 Status and Link LEDsA panel on the side of the FM1200, shown in Fig. 3.12, provides six (6) LEDs which can be used to check the unit and the link quality status. From the buttom up, the first 2 green LEDs indicate the unit power, the Ethernet port activity, respectively. The remaining 4 colored LEDs indicate the level of the link signal and can be used for antenna alignment purposes. During the unit boot-up process, the LEDs indicate the boot status and can be used for problem detection. Specifically, the 4 colored LEDs light up in sequence from the leftmost one (red) to rightmost one (bright green). If the LEDs lighting up sequence does not complete, then an error has been detected during the booting process. Please refer to Table 3.5 for details.Figure 3.12: From buttom up status LEDs, link/boot LEDs.3.3.4 Factory Default Hardware ResetThe FM1200 can be reset to factory default using the proper RESET button present on the PoE injector provided with the unit as shown in Fig. 3.11. To reset the FM1200 to factory default settings, power up the unit and wait approximately 40 seconds for the unit to boot up. Once the unit is up and running, press the reset button for 5 seconds. The FM1200 will restore the factory default settings and automatically reboot. The LEDs will blink when the unit receives the reset to factory default signal. After the reset, the default IP address of 192.168.0.10/255.255.255.0 is restored and the administrator password is set to admin.The RESET button can also be used to reboot the unit when pressed for 1 second.18
3.3.5 Integrated Panel AntennaThe FM1200 has an integrated 93 degrees sector antenna that can oper-ate at 4.9-6.0 GHz. A separate or external antenna cannot be installed or mounted. The gain of the antenna is 15 dBi at 4.9-6.0 GHz. The specifica-tions of the integrated panel antenna are reported Table 3.4.Gain at 4.9-6.0 GHz 15 dBiFrequency Range 4940-6075 MHzPolarization Dual Linear3 dB Beam Angle@5470 MHz 93 degreesFront to Back Ratio 22 dBTable 3.6: Antenna Specifications19
4 Fluidmesh ArchitectureOverviewThe FM1100, FM1200 and the FM3100 series can be used to create anykind of network architecture such as point-to-point links and mesh networks.More-over, thanks to the innovative FluidMAX™ patent pendingtechnology, point-to-multipoint links can be created. This also gives to theuser the ability to create mixed networks architectures leading to higherperformance and flexibility in the deployment. In the following sectionwe describe how to build point-to-point, point-to- multipoint, andmesh networks with the Fluidmesh products.4.1 Point-to-Point Wireless BridgeA wireless bridge enables two local networks (i.e., network segments) tocommunicate with each other . The wireless bridge20
is defined as “transparent” because its activity is transparent to the networkhosts. Inother words, the wireless bridge forwards packets from onenet-work segment to the other according to a “forwarding table” which is builtby learning the network topology from the analysis of the incoming traffic.Inthis configuration,no explicitinteractionbetweenthe wireless bridge andthe network hosts takes place. The two network segments, connected toboth sides of the wireless bridge, will share the same IP addressing class.Thus, each network host must use a unique IP address, i.e., it is not allowedto have two devices sharing the same IP address.4.2 Mesh Network ArchitectureThis section describes the Fluidmesh mesh networking architecture and thebasic functionalities of the FM1100/FM1200/FM3100 series. For the sake ofclarity, we will refer to a generic FM unit whenever the discussion applies tothe FM1100, FM1200 and the FM3100 series.Fluidmesh Networks develops wireless networkingsolutions based ontheinnovative mesh networking architecture which presentsunmatched advan-tages interms of reliability andflexibility compared to any traditionalwire-less solution.Using Fluidmesh technology for your network allows you totake advantage of this powerful architecture. Anexample of wireless meshnetwork is showninFig. 4.3. Ina wireless mesh network, every FM unittransmits the data packets coming from the devices directly attached to itand also acts as an “intelligent router” able to forward packets coming fromother FM units through the optimalpath.21
In a redundant and reliable mesh network, every stream of data packetshas multiple available paths to reach the base station, and the networkforwards the packets through the optimal path at any point in time. Theabsence of any single point of failure increases its reliability compared toany other transmission technology, either wireless or wired.4.3 Point-to-Multipoint Architecture: FluidMAX™Developing FluidMAX1, Fluidmesh embraced the Point-to-Multipoint archi-tecture improving its features and capabilities to meet the needs ofsystem integrators in the security and industrial automation indus-try.The FluidMAX technology is based on a centralized Medium AccessControl (MAC) protocol and allows Fluidmesh customers to create point-to-multipoint networks using the FM units.With the FluidMAX technology, an FM unit can thus be used at the centerof the star topology in a point-to-multipoint fashion using sector antennasor antenna splitters with multiple directional antennas. The unit operatingat the center of the star topology plays the role of Master and is in chargeof coordinating communications to and from the other units which thus actas Slaves. As a result, the hidden and exposed terminal problems areeliminated by the centralized FluidMAX MAC protocol which supports up1Patent pending.22
to 100 Mb/s maximum throughput.2By reducing the number of slaves, thesupported rate per slave can be increased provided that the sum of thethroughput requirements of the slaves is lower than or equal to 100 Mb/s.FluidMAX is fully automatic and integrated within the mesh architecture. Bycontinuously monitoring the network topology, FM units are able to auto-matically select whether to operate the FluidMAX MAC protocol or remainin the initial mesh operating mode. Consequently, no additional configura-tion is needed to enable the FluidMAX features because the communica-tion protocol is automatically chosen by the FluidMAX protocol based onthe detected network topology.2We assume the default channel width of 40 MHz.23
5 Fluidmesh NetworkAddressing5.1 Bridge IP AddressingThe FM unit can be operated in bridge mode to create a single point-to-point connection between two network segments as described in Sec-tion 4.1.Each FM unit is provided with a default IP address for its wired Ethernetport(s), which is:192.168.0.10No IP address is associated to the wireless interface.When you set up a wireless bridge using two FM units for the first time,both units will have the same default IP address equal to 192.168.0.10. It isrecommended to change the IP address of one of the two units in order tounambiguously address and configure the system with no confusion (seeFig. 5.1).Figure 5.1: Wireless network architecture and initial bridge configuration.24
5.1.1 Connecting and Configuring IP Devices and CamerasThe FM3100 mounts one Ethernet port and the FM1100 andFM1200 isequipped with 2 Ethernet ports that can be used to connect a camera orother Ethernet-compatible device. You should directly connect anydevice using an Ethernet cable to the PoE injector. Use a patchEthernet cable to connect the PoE injector to the FM unit.FM1100 the second Ethernet port can be used to power any 12-18Vpassive PoE device. Therefore, multiple FM unit can be connectedtogether in a daisy chain fashion ifrequired.The camera or the device attached to the FM unit should use an IP addressbelonging to the same class of the devices on the other network segmentof the wireless bridge.The default IP address class is 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0.5.2 Mesh AddressingThe FM units have two modes of operation which are used to develop meshnetwork architectures:•Mesh Point Mode•Mesh End ModeMesh Point Mode: it is the default mode for the FM unit. Each unit in thefield that is not connected to the wired LAN backbone must be set in MeshPoint Mode.Mesh End Mode: in the Fluidmesh network, an FM unit that is connectedto the main wired LAN must be set in Mesh End Mode. The Mesh End unitis the junction point between the wireless network and any IP-based wirednetwork.Regardless of its configuration, any FM unit comes from the factory with aunique unit ID with the following format:5.a.b.cwhere the triplet (a,b,c) unambiguously identifies the unit and cannot bechanged. The unit ID is used to identify the units throughout the Web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI).25
Figure 5.2: Fluidmesh network addressing.5.2.1 Network AddressingThe Fluidmesh layer 2 addressing allows configuring each FM unit and each device connected to the FM units according to the IP address class used within the private LAN to which the Mesh End unit is connected. A sample network configuration is shown in Fig. 5.2.The Fluidmesh network logically becomes part of the private LAN where (usually) the control room resides. Therefore, both the FM units and any other edge device should be provided with a private LAN IP address and will be accessed through that specified IP address.Consider the example depicted in Fig. 5.2 where the private LAN IP ad-dress class is 192.168.150.0 with netmask 255.255.255.0. Each device is configured with an IP address belonging to this class. Please note that each IP address must be univocal within the entire network to avoid ad-dress conflicts. The default IP address of each FM unit is 192.168.0.10 with netmask 255.255.255.0. Finally, please note that the default factory-set 5.a.b.c unit IDs are still valid and used to unambiguously identify each FM unit.Multiple FM units can be connected together through a network switch to form clusters of radios if needed. The Fluidmesh proprietary routing proto-col will be run automatically on the cabled segment of the network. Please note that the units must be operated in Mesh Point mode only to activate the cluster feature.26
Connecting and Configuring an Ethernet Edge-deviceThe FM unit Ethernet ports can be used to connect all kinds of Ethernetedge devices (e.g. IP Cameras, Video-Servers, Wi-Fi Access Points, etc.).Any Ethernet device can be configured either manually or automaticallythrough a DHCP server.A manual IP setting is recommended in any video-surveillance system wherethe cameras need to have a fixed custom IP address to be accessed by thevideo-recording software.Figure 5.3: Network configuration with two port-based VLANs.VLAN Tagging (Software Plug-in Required)Virtual LAN (VLAN) tagging (or IEEE 802.1q) is a networking standard al-lowing multiple switched networks to transparently share the same physicalhardware without the leakage of information between networks. For exam-ple, consider a company with several departments. With VLAN tagging,a separate private logical network is made available for each departmentwhile using only one physical corporate network. Each VLAN is identifiedby a specific number called VLAN ID (VID) which is also used for taggingpackets belonging to the same VLAN. Because VLANs are based on logi-cal instead of physical connections, several types of VLANs exist based onthe criteria adopted to logically separate networks. The traditional VLANscheme is port-based where each physical Ethernet port is configuredspecifying membership in a VLAN. However, if there are requirements that27
individuals or devices must be segregated regardless of their physical lo-cation, the MAC-based VLANs can be used. In this case, the network isconfigured with an access list mapping individual MAC addresses to VLANmembership. Other, less common, types of VLANs exist like the protocol-based VLANs, where the protocol type is used to separate networks.VLAN tagging is usually supported by network switches with advancedcapabilities. The wireless networks can be viewed as a large distributedswitch with VLAN support. Two different types of VLAN tagging mecha-nisms are supported: port-based and mac-based VLANs. Fig 5.3 reportsa network configuration example where two VLANs are set up, i.e. usingVID #2 and VID #3. Each VLAN uses a separate IP address class and thedevices belonging to the VLANs must be configured accordingly.The Fluidmesh VLAN implementation is compatible with the specificationof the IEEE 802.1q standard and, thus, the Fluidmesh network can interop-erate with other VLAN-aware network devices. VLAN trunking between theFluidmesh network and the Ethernet switches is also supported to enablecarrying VLAN membership information throughout the wireless and wirednetwork segments.The VLAN tagging can be enabled and configured through the Web inter-face as described in Section 7.11.1.Multicast StreamingTo enable multicast video-streams from IP cameras or video-encoders, nomulticast group setting is required. Every multicast packet will be forwardedby the Mesh Point unit towards the closest Mesh End unit. Please refer toSection 7.15 for additional details.28
6 Software Plug-insThe Fluidmesh 1100 MITO (part number FM1100M-HW), Fluidmesh 1200VOLO (part number FM1200V-HW) and the Fluidmesh 3100 MITO (part number FM3100M-HW) feature the innovative FluidThrot-tle™ technology which provides a variable software-upgradable capacity of the Ethernet port based on the user’s needs. On the Fluidmesh 1100 and Fluidemsh1200, the user can purchase software-based Plug-ins to increase the maximum capacity of the Ethernet port from 1 Mb/s to 100 Mb/s depending on the system’s bandwidth requirements. On the Fluidmesh 3100, the user can purchase software-based Plug-ins to increase the maximum capacity of the Ethernet port from 10 Mb/s to 100 Mb/s depending on the system’s band-width requirements. The FluidThrottle technology follows the cost-effective “What You Need Is What You Get” philosophy which provides the user with maximum flexibility in choosing (and paying for) what he/she exactly needs. FM1100M-HW and FM1200V-HW part numbers include the hardware and the default Ethernet Port Capacity of 1 Mb/s. FM3100M-HW part number includes the hardware and the default Ethernet Port Capacity of 10 Mb/s.Part Number Description FM1100 FM3100FM1100M-02 Ethernet Capacity up to 2.5 Mb/sFM1100M-05 Ethernet Capacity up to 5 Mb/sFM1100M-10 Ethernet Capacity up to 10 Mb/sFM1100M-30 Ethernet Capacity up to 30 Mb/sFM1100M-60 Ethernet Capacity up to 60 Mb/sFM1100M-UN Ethernet Capacity up to 100 Mb/sFM3100M-30 Ethernet Capacity up to 30 Mb/sFM3100M-60 Ethernet Capacity up to 60 Mb/sFM3100M-UN Ethernet Capacity up to 100 Mb/sFM-AES 128-bit AES EncryptionFM-49 4.9 GHz BandFM-LF Licensed FrequenciesTable 6.1: Software Plug-in upgrades.29
the Serial Number are accepted) in order to get the Activation Code. Pleaserefer to Section 7.13 to input the Activation Code into the unit Web interface.To provide the maximum flexibility in the Plug-in management, Fluidmeshallows the deactivation of any installed Plug-in in order to transfer it to an-other Fluidmesh unit. Specifically, each Plug-in can be deactivated via theWeb interface of the unit according to the procedure described in Sec-tion 7.13. A Deactivation Code is provided by the unit which can be inputin the Fluidmesh Plug-in Management Web Page on Fluidmesh Extranet togenerate a fresh License Code as depicted in Fig. 6.2(b). The latter canthen be used to generate a new Activation Code to activate the Plug-in fora different unit.31
(a) Plug-in Activation(b) Plug-in DeactivationFigure 6.2: Activation/Deactivation Code Generation Web interface avail-able at www.fluidmesh.com.32
7 Web-based Interface andConfigurationEvery FM unit can be configured and managed using a Web-based Graph-ical User Interface (GUI). By default, each FM unit is configured in BridgeMode with the Bridge IP address 192.168.0.10 and netmask 255.255.255.0.To change the settings on the units, you need to log-in to the Web-basedinterface.7.1 Software and Hardware RequirementsTo log-in to the Web GUI, you need a PC with a Web-browser, an Ethernetport, and an Ethernet cable.Requirements List:• Cat5 Crossover Ethernet cable with RJ45 connectors.• PC with the following characteristics:– Windows XP or Windows 2000. In this manual, we assume useof Windows XP and every instruction or screenshot is based onthis assumption. The device can also be configured using otheroperating systems, such as Linux, MAC OS, or older versions ofWindows.– Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. In this manual, we assume useof Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or newer. A Fluidmesh devicecan also be configured using other browsers such as older ver-sions of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari but the configurationusing these browsers has not been thoroughly tested.– Wired Ethernet Network Card.– Hardware Requirements. Typical PC hardware allowing forproper operations of Windows XP and Microsoft Internet Ex-plorer 6.33
Figure 7.1: Log-in window.7.2 Logging-in to the Web-based InterfacePower up the device after making sure the antennas are properly con-nected. Wait for about one minute for the initialization to be completed.Connect an Ethernet cable with RJ45 connectors between a computer andthe Fluidmesh device that you want to configure.Configure the wired Ethernet port of your computer according to the de-fault class “C” IP address of the device, e.g., IP: 192.168.0.30, Netmask:255.255.255.0.If you do not know how to configure your Windows PC, please refer to Sec-tion 8 where the manual IP configuration process is described. Disablethe Access the Internet using a proxy server function. To disable thisfunction, go to Control Panel >Internet Options >Connections >LANSettings and uncheck the Enable box. Disable the wireless Wi-Fi card ofyour PC if present to avoid routing issues between the two network inter-faces of your computer. Open a Web-browser such as Internet Explorerand type the following URL:http://192.168.0.10Make sure not to omit the initial “http://”. Some browsers might not workwithout the “http://” prefix preceding the numeric address. A log-in formasking for a username and a password should appear as shown in Fig. 7.1.To preserve the security of your system, make sure you change the defaultpassword once the entire installation is completed. In case the log-in formdoes not appear, please refer to Section 8.34
The default username and a password are:Username: adminPassword: adminFigure 7.2: End-user license agreement.7.3 End-user License Agreement and Region of Op-erationThe first time you log-in, you will be asked to accept the terms of the end-user license agreement and select the country where you will be operatingthe unit (Fig. 7.2 is an example for an FM1100 unit). You must accept theterms of the license agreement in order to activate the device. If you do notwish to accept the terms of the license agreement, please turn off the unitand contact Fluidmesh Networks. Choosing a wrong country/regulatory do-main setting may lead to an illegal wireless configuration.Once the license is accepted, the unit can be configured. Two configu-ration methods are available as shown in Fig. 7.3(a): MeshWizard™ andClassic. The former consists of a simple four step wizard to configure thebasic settings of the unit (see Section 7.4), whereas the latter is the classicFluidmesh Web-based GUI for advanced configuration (see Section 7.5).35
(a) Step 1 (b) Step 2(c) Step 3 (d) Step 4Figure 7.3: MeshWizard™ FM unit configuration steps.36
7.4 MeshWizard™MeshWizard is a simple yet effective tool to configure the basic settings ofan FM unit based on the following four steps:1. Step 1, Fig. 7.3(a): click on the “Wizard” button to start configuringthe unit;2. Step 2, Fig. 7.3(b): unit IP configuration;3. Step 3, Fig. 7.3(c): wireless radio frequencies configuration;4. Step 4, Fig. 7.3(d): settings summary and configuration save.7.5 Web-based Interface MenusOnce logged in successfully, the general mode page will appear as shownin Fig. 7.4. Through this page you can change the mode of operation ofthe FM unit. The item list menu on the left can be used to set/modify theconfiguration of the unit.Figure 7.4: FM unit general configuration window.37
7.6 General ModeEvery FM unit has three possible modes of operations:•Bridge Mode•Mesh Point Mode•Mesh End ModeThe FM unit factory default mode is Bridge. The Mesh Point mode must beused for any unit deployed in the field. On the other hand, the FM unit mustbe set in Mesh End whenever it is connected to the main cabled networkwhere the control room (usually) resides. You will need to input the settingsof the wired network (LAN) to which the FM unit unit will be connected. Thedefault IP address of the FM unit is 192.168.0.10 and the default Netmaskis 255.255.255.0. If you do not know the LAN settings, contact the localnetwork administrator before changing the settings of the gateway.Please remember that a Mesh End unit is always necessary for the correctmesh network operations, even for small networks (e.g., 2 FM units).7.7 Wireless SettingsThe wireless settings menu is used to configure the radio present in theFM unit and can be accessed by clicking on wireless radio. The wire-less settings menu is available in either Basic (Fig. 7.5) or Advanced mode(Fig. 7.6). The former provides the basic radio configuration options whereasthe latter can be enabled by expert users for tuning the radio channel widthor using non-standard carriers. The following wireless parameters are avail-able:Shared Passphrase. The shared passphrase is a shared secret that mustbe set in every FM unit forming a wireless network. Any Fluidmesh devicethat does not have the correct passphrase will not be able to be part of thenetwork. Different passphrases can also be used to create separate Flu-idmesh networks in the same area and sharing the same frequencies.Country. You need to specify the country where you will operate the unit.Different countries have different telecommunications regulations. Settingthe country properly allows you to operate in compliance with national reg-ulations. The available frequencies and other settings related to the RF op-eration will vary based on the selected country. Choosing the wrong coun-try/regulatory domain may lead to an illegal operation of the unit. Please38
Figure 7.5: Wireless parameters configuration. Basic modemake sure the country has been properly specified before changing the fre-quency of the system.Frequency Selectors. All Fluidmesh units are equipped with multi-bandradios capable of operating on the 4.9-6 GHz bands.1You can change thefrequency of each radio in order to minimize interference with other wire-less networks operating in the same area. The frequencies listed on theFrequency Selector are the carrier frequencies. In Basic mode, each ra-dio operates using fixed channel carriers with 40 MHz channel widths asspecified by the local country regulations. In Advanced mode, the user isallowed to select any channel carrier in the local country frequency bandwith a 5 MHz granularity. The channel width can be set through the specificselector (see below). Make sure you pick non-overlapping channels if youneed to operate more than one unit in the same area.In Advanced mode, the following selectors are also available:14.9 GHz and 6 GHz are licensed bands which must be enabled through the propersoftware plug-in. Please refer to Section 7.13 for details.39
Figure 7.6: Wireless parameters configuration. Advanced modeWidth Data Rate Throughput20 MHz 150 Mb/s 60 Mb/s40 MHz 300 Mb/s 100 Mb/sTable 7.1: Available radio channel widths.Channel Width. The width of the operating radio channel can be setthrough this selector. The available options are described in Table 7.1where the theoretic data rate and the achievable throughput are also in-dicated for each channel width.Whenever possible, setting the radio to operate on a narrower channel canbe useful to reduce the interference in the network and to increase the num-ber of available channels. Please remember to set the same channel widthon both sides of the wireless link. A channel width mismatch will preventthe FM units from communicating properly. Please note that changing thechannel width may violate the local telecommunication authorities guide-40
lines and lead to illegal wireless operations.IN NO EVENT SHALL FLUIDMESH NETWORKS, INC. BE LIABLE FORANY INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, WHETHERBASED ON TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF ORIN CONNECTION WITH IMPROPER USE OR OPERATION OF THE CHAN-NEL WIDTH FUNCTIONALITIES.DFS Management. Each device implements a proprietary distributed chan-nel switching algorithm which is used when a radar is detected to com-ply with the Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) international regulations.Upon radar detection, two communicating Fluidmesh units agree to switchto the next radar-free channel so that they can continue to communicate onthat channel. The DFS is automatically enabled in the following frequencyranges: 5.250 GHz – 5.350 GHz and 5.470 GHz – 5.725 GHz. The DFSmanagement can be manually disabled. The number of detected radars isreported as well. Outside these mandatory frequency bands, the DFS isnot required and it is disabled by default. Please note the DFS is requiredby law in many countries and by disabling it you might incur fines and crim-inal charges by the local telecommunication authorities.IN NO EVENT SHALL FLUIDMESH NETWORKS, INC. BE LIABLE FORANY INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, WHETHERBASED ON TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF ORIN CONNECTION WITH IMPROPER USE OR OPERATION OF THE DFSFUNCTIONALITIES.41
Option SpecificationAUTO The FluidMAX engine is enabled and the unit role is setautomatically.MASTER The FluidMAX engine is enabled and the unit role is set toMASTER. This is used to force the FluidMAX role of theFluidmesh unit at the center of the star topology to be aMASTER.SLAVE The FluidMAX engine is enabled and the unit role is set toSLAVE. This is used to force the FluidMAX role of the unitwhich is NOT the center of the star topology to be a SLAVE.OFF The FluidMAX engine is disabled.Table 7.2: FluidMAX Management options.7.8 Advanced Wireless SettingsThe advanced wireless settings menu (Fig. 7.7) can be used to configureadvanced wireless parameters:FluidMAX Management. Although the FluidMAX engine automatically se-lects the most appropriate MAC protocol to be used according to the de-tected network topology, convenient selectors are included in the Web GUIto force the FluidMAX operations and control the FluidMAX role of the unit.Please refer to Table 7.2 for the available options and their specification.Transmission Rate Selection. Each FM unit implements a proprietarydata-rate selection algorithm which is able to adapt to the specific radiochannel conditions. Through this setting, it is possible to force the rate se-lection algorithm to limit the modulation speed at a specific rate. This optionmight be useful with unstable channel conditions.Maximum TX Power. This setting controls the output power of the radio.By decreasing the output power of a radio, you can decrease the overallE.I.R.P. By default, the radio transmission power is controlled automaticallyby the innovative Fluidmesh Transmission Power Control (TPC) algorithm.The Fluidmesh TPC algorithm tries to obtain an optimal link signal strength(about -55 dBm) on both sides of the link while not exceeding the maximumTX power which can be set by the user through the selector. Note that themaximum transmission power may vary depending on the operating fre-quency channel of the radio.42
Figure 7.7: Advanced wireless parameters configuration.Data Packet Encryption (Software Plug-in Required). Advanced En-cryption Standard (AES) 128 bit encryption can be enabled at the link-levelfor wireless data transmission. This feature is available in addition to thedefault Fluidmesh proprietary encoding algorithm for maximum industry-grade network security. A software Plug-in is required to activate this op-tion. Please contact your Fluidmesh Networks’ representative for details.7.9 Antenna Alignment Tools and Physical Statis-ticsThe antenna alignment and stats page provides a powerful tool whichcan be used to check the current link status during the normal unit oper-ation and the physical installation of the antennas. Specifically, the webpage shows the list of links detected by the local unit and the relative signalstrengths (in dBm) on each radio as shown in Fig. 7.8(a).To perform an accurate antenna alignment for a specific link, click on the“Align” button to open the antenna alignment tool as depicted in Fig. 7.8(b).43
(a) Link selection(b) AlignmentFigure 7.8: Antenna Alignment tool.44
Figure 7.9: Frequency Scan Tool results.The user is warned that the proprietary Fluidmesh TPC algorithm (see Sec-tion 7.8) will be disabled during the alignment process so as to avoid un-wanted interactions with the tools. The antenna alignment tool consists ofa real-time graph and a bar which report the average signal strength andthe current signal strength detected at the local unit receiver, respectively.During the physical antenna alignment process, the graph and the bar canbe monitored to obtain optimal link quality.7.10 Frequency Scan ToolThe Scan Tool page provides a powerful tool for analyzing the status ofthe radio interference in the available channels. The channel scan can bestarted on each radio separately by means of the buttons at the top of thepage (see Fig. 7.9). As soon as the scanning is complete, a bar chart willappear indicating the current interference level and the overall quality ofeach channel.45
As shown in Fig. 7.9, each bar in the chart consists of two sections. Theblack section represents the amount of interference detected in the chan-nel, whereas the colored one gives a qualitative idea of the status of thechannel according to the following table:Color Channel QualityGREEN GOODYELLOW FAIRRED BADAdditional information such as number of Fluidmesh units and access pointsdetected is available by bringing the cursor of the mouse over the frequencychannel bars. Please note that in a network with overlapping channels, thenumber of Fluidmesh units detected by the scan tool might be higher thanthe actual number of units deployed.46
Figure 7.10: FMQuadro.7.11 FMQuadro™ (Mesh End only)This feature is available only in FM units configured in Mesh End mode. Theinnovative FMQuadro engine provides an interactive graph representationof the Fluidmesh network where vertices and edges represent FM unitsand wireless links, respectively, as shown in Fig. 7.10. The links which arecurrently in use by every packet generated/relayed by a Fluidmesh deviceto reach a possible destination in the network (i.e., the routing table) aredepicted as a continuous lines.Backup links are depicted as dashed lines, and they are not shown by de-fault. Backup links can be viewed by selecting the appropriate field in thetop panel of the FMQuadro window.This panel also includes other fields which can be selected to display ad-ditional always-on link information such as the link frequency, the link errorrate, and the link quality.47
In the graph, blue is the color of a mesh end whereas mesh points are de-picted in red. The unit color becomes yellow if any anomalous condition isdetected on the unit.Each element displayed in FMQuadro is interactive, and can be draggedand/or clicked to get additional real-time information based on the context.Figure 7.11: FMQuadro. Unit information.For example, by clicking on a specific unit, information about the remoteunit selected is displayed in a callout as shown in Fig. 7.11. This informa-tion includes the Layer 2 IP address, current FluidMAX status of the unit,the radio frequencies currently in use, and the details of the data trafficflows generated by the edge devices connected to the unit.The list of currently active Plug-ins is visible. Furthermore, any Plug-in Ac-tivation Code can be conveniently added to the specific remote unit usingthe form available in the callout. Finally, current throughput and maximumcapacity of the Ethernet port is reported in order to monitor the Ethernetports utilization and detect whether the Ethernet port is over-utilized withrespect to the installed FluidThrottle Plug-in.Similarly, the status of a wireless link connecting any two units can be mon-48
itored by clicking on the related line, as reported in Fig. 7.12. Several real-time parameters are displayed including the current signal strength, thepacket error rate, and the link utilization of both link directions (i.e. the linkfrom a unit to the other and vice-versa). Additionally, the current congestionlevel of the link is monitored. A detailed description of the available param-eters is reported in Table 7.3. Visual alarms and warnings are triggeredwhenever anomalous conditions are detected, as described in Table 7.4.Warnings are of two types: link and unit. When unit warnings are trig-gered, the unit color becomes yellow. The warning details are available byclicking on the unit element. The link warnings notification can be disabledby removing the “Warning” flag in the FMQuadro top panel.Metric DescriptionCurrent TX Rate Current link transmission rate in Mb/s.Packet Error Rate Percentage of packet dropped due to excessive trans-mission errors.Link Error Rate Percentage of packet retransmissions due to trans-mission errors.Signal Strength Current received signal level in dBm.Link Utilization Percentage of the current link utilization for datatransmission in a pie chart format.Table 7.3: Link metrics description.Warning Type CauseLow Signal Strength Link Link Signal Strength <60%.High Error Rate Link Packet Error Rate >5%.High Link Congestion Link Link Utilization >80%.Ethernet Capacity Overflow Unit Plug-in capacity exceeded.Hidden Terminal Detected Unit Hidden terminal detected by theFluidMAX engine.Table 7.4: FMQuadro warning description.Through the link status callout, the user can also check the level of interfer-ence of the selected link by clicking on the “Check for Interference” button.The link interference is analyzed on both sides of the link by the FMQuadroengine and the interface suggests, in case of detected problems, a set ofpreferred channel frequencies that the radio link is recommended to be setto.All the link metrics are continuously monitored by the FMQuadro engine49
and statistics are logged and can be displayed by clicking on any link met-ric button, as shown in Fig. 7.13. By default, the last 48 hour’s statisticsare recorded with a metrics’ sampling interval of 5 minutes. The statisticsrecording time can be increased up to 24 days at the cost of increasing themetrics’s sample interval proportionally.Figure 7.12: FMQuadro. Link information.A table, placed at the bottom of the window, reports the network units’ ad-dress summary and can be viewed by clicking on the proper button as re-ported in Fig. 7.14. It is possible to assign a name to each of the Fluidmeshunits. This may be especially convenient with a large mesh network.Furthermore, through the “Network Settings” table, placed at the bottom ofthe window, you can check whether the DFS settings are consistent thenetwork, e.g., the DFS is enabled in the all the units. The Network Settingstable allows for harmonizing the DFS settings in the whole network with asingle mouse click.FMQuadro is an accurate representation of the network, so it can be use-50
Figure 7.13: FMQuadro. Last 48 hours Link information.Figure 7.14: FMQuadro. Addresses Summary table.51
ful to add a map of the area in which the Fluidmesh system is deployed.2Map images can be uploaded to the Mesh End unit using the proper buttonplaced in the FMQuadro top toolbar. Common image formats are supportedincluding png, jpg and bmp. Furthermore, whenever an Internet connectionis available to the user PC used to configure the Fluidmesh network, GoogleMaps map can be used to set the background of FMQuadro.3The top tool-bar provides several intuitive buttons to drag & drop the background mapand control its transparency and scale. Once the map is set up, the FMunits can be dragged to their actual installation places. Finally, the modifiedlayout can be saved and used again in the future.As the FMQuadro engine collects statistics from the entire network throughthe Mesh End unit, it is no longer necessary to directly connect to remoteunits. The overall network status and individual device status can be moni-tored real-time through the FMQuadro interface on Mesh End unit.2Aerial images can be downloaded using Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/).3Please note the you need an Internet connection to use the Google Maps backgroundfeature.52
Figure 7.15: VLAN configuration steps.7.11.1 VLAN Tagging Configuration (Software Plug-in Required)Each VLAN can be configured via FMQuadro with a simple two steps pro-cedure as described below. Please note that VLANs require some networkconfiguration expertise and should be used by advanced users only. Pleaserefer to Section 5.2.1 for further details.1. VLAN ID creation: a new VID can be created using the VLAN man-ager control placed at the bottom-right hand of the FMQuadro windowas shown in Fig. 7.15. You must specify the VID number and, op-tionally, a description of the VLAN. Once the VID is created you canspecify the Ethernet ports and/or the MAC addresses membership.2. Ports and/or MAC membership: FM unit ethernet ports can beadded to the created VLAN by using the specific callout of the unitas shown in Fig. 7.15. On the other hand, MAC addresses member-ship can be specified in the VLAN manager control.53
The Fluidmesh VLAN implementation is compatible with the specificationof the IEEE 802.1q standard and, thus, the Fluidmesh network can inter-operate with other VLAN-aware network devices. VLAN trunking betweenthe Fluidmesh network and Ethernet switches is also supported and canbe enabled by selecting the proper control in the unit’s callout window. En-abling VLAN trunking on a specific port instructs the FM unit to forwardVLAN membership information to the device connected to the port, thusextending VLANs across multiple network devices.To simplify the configuration of the units when trunking is enabled, a specialVID #1 is available. Simply configuring the network switch with a VLAN #1will allow any PC belonging to the VLAN #1 to access the web interface ofthe FM units without the need for additional settings of the FM units.7.12 Firmware UpgradeThrough the firmware upgrade page (Fig. 7.16), it is possible to upgradethe Firmware of the devices to the latest version available. To do so, down-load the latest Firmware upgrade file to your PC from the Fluidmesh Net-works Web site at www.fluidmesh.com.4Select the correct file on your harddisk, and upload it. This operation might take several minutes. The unit willautomatically reboot at the end of the upgrade process.Upgrading a working system is always a delicate and somewhat risky oper-ation. Fluidmesh discourages anybody from upgrading a functional systemexcept if there is an issue to fix.Recommended upgrading procedure for running systems:1. Download the latest firmware release available for your hardware/firmwarefamily;2. Power off the whole network;3. Power on one device at a time;4. Connect directly to the Fluidmesh unit to be upgraded directly throughan Ethernet cable;5. Write down the unit configuration (at least network settings and wire-less settings);4An approved Fluidmesh extranet account is required. Please register for a an on-lineaccount and contact Fluidmesh for approval.54
6. Upgrade the device with the chosen firmware;7. Once the upgrade is completed, wait for the system to reboot;WARNING: DO NOT RESTART OR POWER OFF THE UNIT WHILE UP-GRADING THE FIRMWARE. RESTARTING OR POWERING OFF THEUNIT BEFORE THE UPGRADE IS COMPLETED MIGHT DAMAGE THEUNIT.When the upgrade is completed, check the firmware upgrade page inorder to make sure that the new firmware version has been correctly up-dated. If the firmware version has not been changed, the upgrade processhas failed. Therefore, please repeat the upgrading procedure from the be-ginning.Figure 7.16: Firmware upgrade Web page.55
Figure 7.17: Plug-ins management Web page.7.13 Plug-in ManagementThe manage plug-ins page (Fig. 7.17) shows the installed Plug-ins andallows the user to add Plug-in Activation Codes. Additionally, a Plug-in canbe deactivated to, for example, transfer it from one unit to another. Once thePlug-in has been deactivated, you will be provided with a Deactivation Codedisplayed at the bottom of the page. In order to get a fresh Activation Codeto use it in another device, you must complete the unit deactivation pro-cedure at the Fluidmesh Networks website (www.fluidmesh.com). Pleaserefer to Section 6 for details on the software Plug-in activation/deactivationprocedures.A 8 hour plug-in trial is available by clicking on the “Demo Mode” button atthe bottom of the page. The plug-in demo mode includes the 4.9 GHz5, theAES and the Unlimited plug-in trials all at once. The unit will reboot on the8 hours plug-in trial expiration.5Not available in Brazil.56
7.14 Advanced ToolsThrough the advanced tools page, it is possible to run tests to verify net-work connectivity and the achievable throughput on a network path. Asshown in Fig. 7.18, network connectivity can be tested by issuing a “PingTest” towards a specific destination. Additionally, the “Bandwidth Test” toolgenerates a stream of packets at a specified rate to test the available net-work path throughput.6In order to run a Ping or a Bandwidth Test, write the destination IP in theproper window and click run. The Bandwidth Test allows you to select thethroughput from a value of 4Mb/s to 20 Mb/s. Both tests can be run ontop of a loaded network to test operational performances, or on top of anunloaded network to test installed capacity.Figure 7.18: Advanced Tools Web page.6Please note that the achievable rate computation is cpu-intensive and only indicative.Results may be not accurate. Usually the bandwidth tests tend to underestimate the realthroughput of the link.57
7.15 MulticastBy default, FM units operating in Mesh Point mode forward all the multicasttraffic generated by the cameras to their closest Mesh End unit. However,in some network configurations, it may be convenient to forward the multi-cast traffic from a Mesh Point to others, e.g., to remotely record the videoflow.By default, the unit operating in Mesh End mode does NOT forward anymulticast traffic7to the wireless networks.Figure 7.19: Add/Remove multicast routes towards Mesh Points.To redirect a traffic flow to a Mesh Point, you must specify all the multicastflows redirection information within the Mesh End multicast page as shownin Fig 7.19.7With the exception of UPnP and IGMP traffic.58
7.16 PoE Passthrough (FM1100 and FM1200 only)The second Ethernet port present on the FM1100 and FM1200 can be used to power up other passive 12-18 V PoE devices such as cameras and FM units. This feature can be enabled through the PoE passthrough page as depicted in Fig. 7.20.Figure 7.20: Enable the PoE passthrough feature.7.17 Change PasswordUse this page to change the password to access the unit Web GUI.7.18 StatusThis page reportsasummary of the status of the unit. Additionally, in caseof system malfunctions, the unit’s diagnostic file dump can be downloaded59
through this page and emailed to the Fluidmesh technical support to facili-tate the problem diagnosis.7.19 Reboot and Reset to Factory DefaultUse the Reboot page to restart the unit. Use the Reset to Factory Defaultpage to restore the unit default factory settings.7.20 On-line HelpThe electronic version of this manual is available by accessing the Help webpage. Additionally, specific manual sections can be consulted by clickingon the question mark present at the upper right corner of every page of theWeb GUI.60
8 TroubleshootingThe troubleshooting section will allow you to solve the most common prob-lems encountered when configuring and installing Fludimesh products.8.1 I am unable to get the log-in screenIf you are unable to get the log-in form on your computer screen, you shouldcheck the following:Is your computer set to a valid IP address? You should manually set thecorrect network settings as follows:1. In Windows Explorer, right-click “My Network Places” and select Prop-erties.2. Right-click Local Area Network and select Properties.3. Right-click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and select Properties.4. Set the IP address to 192.168.0.30 (or any other IP address belongingto the subnet 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0), Netmask to 255.255.255.0.5. Click OK, then OK again.Have you disabled the “Access the Internet using a proxy server” function?To disable the Access the Internet using a proxy server function, go toControl Panel >Internet Options >Connections >LAN Settings anduncheck the enable box.8.2 I am unable to log-in into the Web-based inter-faceIf you are unable to log-in into the Web-based interface, check your username and password settings.The user name cannot be changed by the user and corresponds to:61
adminThe password can be changed, so make sure you are using the right pass-word. The default password is:adminIf you forgot the password, check Section 8.3 to fix the problem.8.3 I forgot the administrator passwordIf you forgot the password and need to access the Web-based interface, you must physically access the unit, open the enclosure in a weather-safe situation and reset to the factory default settings. Please refer to the in-structions of Section 3.1.4 for FM1100, Section 3.3.4 for FM1200 and Section 3.2.4 for FM3100 units.8.4 In Bridge Mode I get no Link or the Link LED isalways red or I am getting a weak Wireless link(below 60% signal strength)To improve your link strength, please check the following:•Antenna Alignment: the two antennas must be aligned toward eachother.•Line of Sight: you must have clear line of sight between the twoantennas.•Antenna Polarization: both antennas must have the same polariza-tion. Check antenna polarity.•Power: check if the FM unit is properly powered-on with the providedPoE injector.•Channel: both FM unit units must be operating on the same channel.62
APPENDIX AFCC NoticesThis device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the followingtwo conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this devicemust accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesiredoperation.CAUTION: Change or modification not expressly approved by the party responsiblefor compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class Bdigital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to providereasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. Thisequipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installedand used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radiocommunications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in aparticular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio ortelevision reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, theuser is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the followingmeasures:--Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.--Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.--Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiveris connected.--Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.CAUTION:Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the grantee of this device couldvoid the user's authority to operate the equipment.RF exposure warning:The equipment complies with FCC RF exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolledenvironment. The equipment must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with anyother antenna or transmitter.This device is operation in 5.15 – 5.25GHz frequency range, then restricted inindoor use only, Outdoor operations in the 5150~5250MHz is prohibit.6340
APPENDIX CContact InformationWorldwide HeadquartersFluidmesh Networks, LLC1359 Barclay BoulevardBuffalo Grove, IL 60089U.S.A.Tel. +1 (617) 209 -6080Fax. +1 (866) 458-1522info@fluidmesh.comEMEA Headquarters (Italy)Tel. +39 02 0061 6189UK BranchTel. +44 2078 553 132www.fluidmesh.com65
Worldwide HeadquartersFluidmesh Networks, LLC1359 Barclay BoulevardBuffalo Grove, IL 60089U.S.A.Tel. +1 (617) 209 -6080Fax. +1 (866) 458-1522info@fluidmesh.comEMEA Headquarters (Italy)Tel. +39 02 0061 6189UK BranchTel. +44 2078 553 132www.fluidmesh.com

Navigation menu