Configuring URWB Radio Mode

Configure URWB radio mode

The wireless interfaces are configured to operate in a specific mode, or you can disable it. Once you configure the Radio mode, the device starts working as a Fluidity or Fixed infrastructure.

Table 1. Radio mode configuration

Radio Role

Radio Mode

Description

Fixed Infrastructure

Fixed

Fluidmax primary

Fluidmax secondary

P2P mode (point to point)

P2MP (point to multipoint) mode (Fluidmax) and P2MP

P2MP mode (Fluidmax) and P2MP

Mobility AP

Fluidity

Mobility mode

Mobility Client

Fluidity

Mobility mode
Table 2. Operating mode of radio interface

Radio 1 / Radio 2

Fixed Infrastructure

Fluidity

Fixed Infrastructure

Fluidity disabled

Fluidity enabled

Fluidity

Fluidity enabled

Fluidity enabled
Table 3. Configuration of multiple radio interfaces

Radio 1 / Radio 2

Fixed Infrastructure / Mesh

Mobility AP

Mobility client

Fixed Infrastructure / Mesh

ME/MP relay, P2MP (mesh)

Yes, trailer use case (Mining trailer)

Supported but no specific use case

Mobility AP

Yes, trailer use case (Mining trailer)

Standard Fluidity (multiple clients on each radio)

Not supported, use V2V or Fixed + AP

Mobility client

Supported but no specific use case

Not supported, use V2V or Fixed + AP

Standard Fluidity (multiple clients on each radio)

Configure radio-off mode from CLI

This task allows you to configure radio-off mode to disable all wireless interfaces on the device when both Fluidity and fixed radios need to be turned off.

Radio-off mode is used when you need to disable wireless functionality on mesh devices. When you specify radio-off, the device disables all the wireless interfaces. This configuration is performed through CLI commands that set the device's operating mode and radio settings.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure radio-off mode from CLI:

Procedure

Step 1

Set the device's current operating mode.

Mode could be mesh end, mesh point or global gateway (L3).

Example:

Device# configure modeconfig mode {meshpoint | meshend | gateway}

Step 2

Set the device's selected Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) OSI layer.

The possible value of layer is 2 (OSI Layer-2) or 3 (OSI Layer-3).

Example:

Device# configure modeconfig mode {meshpoint | meshend | gateway} [layer {2|3}]

Step 3

Set the radio-off mode.

Example:

Device# configure modeconfig mode { meshpoint | meshend | gateway } [layer {2|3}] [ radio-off {fluidity | fixed}]

Step 4

End the current configuration and save it.

Example:

Device# (configure modeconfig mode { meshpoint | meshend | gateway } [layer {2|3}] [ radio-off {fluidity | fixed}])# end
Device# write

Example:

Configure modeconfig mode meshend radio-off fluidity
Configure modeconfig mode meshend radio-off fixed

Configure radio mode for URWB from CLI

Configure the radio mode for URWB to set the operating function of wireless interfaces and enable mixed Fluidity and fixed infrastructure combinations for different interfaces.

The device allows mixed Fluidity and fixed infrastructure combinations for different interfaces. When at least one interface is set to Fluidity mode, the device operates globally in Fluidity mode. If all interfaces are set to fixed, Fluidity is disabled.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure radio mode for URWB from CLI:

Procedure

Step 1

Configure the wireless with radio interface number <1 or 2>.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio <interface>

Step 2

Configure an operating mode for the specified interface.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio <interface> mode {fixed|fluidity|fluidmax}

Fluidity - This interface operates the device in Fluidity, either as a mobility infrastructure or as a vehice mode.

Fixed - This interface operates in fixed infrastructure mode (no Fluidity).

Fluidmax - This interface operates in Fluidmax P2MP mode. More parameters can be specified to configure the Fluidmax operating features, for example: Primary/Secondary role and cluster ID.

Step 3

Set Fluidmax role for Fluidmax interface mode.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio <interface>mode {fixed|fluidity|fluidmax} {primary | secondary}

Primary - set Fluidmax role to primary

Secondary - set Fluidmax role to secondary

Step 4

To end the current configuration, use the following CLI command:

Example:

Device# end

Note

 
When at least one interface is set to Fluidity mode, the device operates globally in Fluidity mode. If all interfaces are set to fixed, Fluidity is disabled.

Configure AMPDU using CLI

This task allows you to configure AMPDU length and priority settings to optimize wireless network performance and transmission efficiency.

AMPDU (Aggregated MAC Protocol Data Unit) configuration enables you to adjust transmission parameters for wireless interfaces to improve network throughput and manage traffic prioritization.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure AMPDU using CLI:

Procedure

Step 1

Configure the AMPDU length using the following command:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> ampdu length <length>

length: <0-255> integer number – microseconds

Step 2

Configure AMPDU priority enable or disable setting:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> ampdu priority {enable | disable}

enable: enable AMPDU tx priority

disable: disble AMPDU tx priority

Step 3

Configure AMPDU priority for specific indexes:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> ampdu priority [enable]

0: AMPDU tx priority for index 0

1: AMPDU tx priority for index 1

2: AMPDU tx priority for index 2

3: AMPDU tx priority for index 3

4: AMPDU tx priority for index 4

5: AMPDU tx priority for index 5

6: AMPDU tx priority for index 6

7: AMPDU tx priority for index 7

all: AMPDU tx priority for all indexes (index 0 to 7)

Configure frequency from CLI

Configure an operating frequency for a dot11radio interface using CLI commands.

Use the CLI to set the operating frequency for wireless radio interfaces.

Procedure

Configure the operating frequency.

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> frequency <frequency>

Valid range for operating frequency is 0-7125 in MHz.

Configure maximum modulation coding scheme index from CLI

Configure the maximum MCS index to optimize wireless performance and data transmission rates.

The maximum MCS index determines the highest modulation and coding scheme that can be used for wireless transmission. You can set this value manually or allow automatic configuration.

Procedure

Configure the maximum MCS index using the following CLI command:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> mcs <maxmcs>

Set maximum MCS index in integer or string AUTO. For AUTO, the background process automatically configures the maxmcs.

Valid values are from 0 to 11 or AUTO.

Note

 

If High Efficiency mode is disabled, set the MCS index value ranging from 0 to 9. If High Efficiency mode is enabled, set the MCS index value as 10 or 11.

Configure maximum number of spatial streams index from CLI

Configure the maximum number of spatial streams (NSS) index to optimize wireless performance based on device capabilities and antenna configuration.

The NSS index determines the maximum number of spatial streams that can be used for wireless communication. This setting can be configured manually with specific values or set to AUTO for automatic configuration.

Procedure

Configure the maximum number of spatial streams index using the following command:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> spatial-stream <maxnss>

Set maximum spatial stream number in integer or string AUTO. For AUTO, the background process automatically configures the maxnss.

Valid values range from 1 to 4 or AUTO.

Note

 

Catalyst IW9165 supports up to two spatial streams and Catalyst IW9167 supports up to four spatial streams. The maximum number of spatial streams configured must be same or less than the number of antennas enabled.

Configure Rx-SOP threshold from CLI

Configure the receiver start of packet (Rx-SOP) threshold to control signal detection sensitivity on the wireless interface.

The Rx-SOP threshold setting determines the minimum signal level required for the receiver to detect the start of a packet.

Procedure

Configure the Rx-SOP threshold using the following CLI command:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> rx-sop-threshold

<0 - 91> Enter rx-SOP- threshold (0: AUTO, VALUE: -VALUE dBi).

Configure RTS mode from CLI

Configure RTS mode to control ready to send protection on wireless interfaces, either by disabling RTS protection or enabling it with a specific threshold value.

RTS mode configuration allows you to manage wireless transmission protection mechanisms on dot11radio interfaces.

Procedure

Step 1

To disable ready to send (RTS) mode, use the following CLI command:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> rts <disable>

Step 2

To enable RTS with threshold value, use the following CLI command:

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> rts enable <threshold>

The threshold range is from 0 to 2346.

Configure WMM mode from CLI

This task allows you to configure wireless multimedia (WMM) mode and manage wireless statistics counters.

WMM mode configuration is essential for managing different types of network traffic through class-of-service (CoS) parameters. This configuration helps prioritize voice, video, best-effort, and background traffic appropriately.

Procedure

Step 1

Configure wireless multimedia (WMM) mode using the appropriate class-of-service parameter.

Example:

Device# configure dot11radio <interface> wmm [bk|be|vi|vo]

[bk|be|vi|vo]: Represents the class-of-service (CoS) parameters.

  • be: Best-effort traffic queue (CS0 and CS3).

  • bk: Background traffic queue (CS1 and CS2).

  • vi: Video traffic queue (CS4 and CS5).

  • vo: Voice traffic queue (CS6 and CS7).

Step 2

Clear wireless statistics counters if needed.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio <interface> wifistats clear

Configure NTP from CLI

Configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) settings to ensure accurate time synchronization on the device.

NTP configuration includes setting up server addresses, authentication methods, timezone settings. Proper NTP configuration ensures time synchronization across network devices.

Procedure

Step 1

Use the configure ntp server string command to configure the NTP server address.

Example:

Device# configure ntp server 192.168.216.201

String - IP address or domain name.

Step 2

Use the configure ntp authentication command to configure NTP authentication.

Example:

Device# configure ntp authentication none
Device# configure ntp authentication md5 <password> <keyid> 
Device# configure ntp authentication sha1 <password> <keyid>

none - disables the NTP authentication md5|sha1 - authentication method.

Note

 

Optional, the md5 password and keyid should match NTP server's md5 password and keyid.

To configure a new password using a GUI or CLI, the password should match the following criteria:

  • The password length range is from 8 to 20 characters.

  • The following special characters are not allowed:

    • ' (apex)

    • " [double apex]

    • ` [backtick]

    • $ [dollar]

    • = [equal]

    • \ [backslash]

    • # [number sign]

    • whitespace

Example:

Device# configure ntp authentication md5 test1234 65535

Step 3

Use the configure ntp {enable | disable} command to enable or disable the NTP service.

Example:

Device# configure ntp enable

Step 4

Use the configure ntp timezone string command to configure the NTP timezone.

Example:

Device# configure ntp timezone Asia/Shanghai

Step 5

Use the show ntp config command to validate the NTP configuration and status.

Example:

Device# show ntp config
NTP status: enabled
NTP server: 192.168.216.201
authentication: MD5
password: test123
keyid: 5
timezone: Asia/Shanghai

Step 6

Use the show ntp command to check if device can sync up time with NTP server.

Example:


Device# #show ntp 
Stratum Version Last Received  Delay    Offset  Jitter    NTP server
1          4      9sec ago    1.840ms -0.845ms 0.124ms 192.168.216.201

Configure NTP using GUI

This topic provides the graphical interface configuration steps for synchronizing device clocks with network time servers.

Figure 1. NTP GUI
The graphical user interface for configuring Network Time Protocol (NTP) settings, illustrating options for synchronizing device clocks with network time servers.

Validate radio mode for URWB

To validate Radio mode, use the show commands described here.

Device# show dot11Radio <interface> config

Example:

Device# show dot11Radio 1 config
Interface : enabled
Mode : fluidity
Frequency : 5785 MHz
Channel : 157
Channel width : 40 MHz
Device# show dot11Radio 2 config
Interface : enabled
Mode : fluidmax secondary
Frequency : 5180 MHz
Channel : 36
Channel width : 40 MHz

To change the Radio mode of vehicle access point (mobility client) to Fixed or Fluidmax, configure Fluidity role as infrastructure using CLI: 

Device# configure fluidity id infrastructure

Configure radio-off mode using GUI

This task configures Radio-off mode to optimize wireless network performance.

Use this procedure when setting up Catalyst IW9167E access points at the head end that will be connected to a wired network such as LAN.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose either Fixed or Fluidity mode for Radio-off configuration.

The GUI displays the configuration options for enabling radio-off mode on Catalyst IW9167E access points, highlighting the selected mode settings for optimizing the wireless network setup.

Step 2

Select mode as mesh end when installing the Catalyst IW9167E access point at the head end and connecting this device to a wired network such as LAN.

Configure Radio mode using GUI

Configure the Radio mode using the GUI to set the operating frequency and enable wireless connections between devices.

To establish a wireless connection the operating frequency should be same between the devices.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure a Radio mode using GUI:

Procedure

Step 1

Set the operating mode for specified Radio (Radio1 and Radio2) interface.

The GUI displays the RADIO mode configuration options, including settings for operating frequency and WIRELESS connection enablement.

Step 2

In the WIRELESS RADIO section, choose Radio 1 Role as Fluidmax Primary with FluidMAX Cluster ID.

In this scenario, the frequency selection for the Primary is enabled and Secondary is disabled. In the ADVANCED RADIO SETTINGS window, go to Max TX Power section, and choose power level as 1 from the Select TX Max Power drop-down list and URWB transmission power control (TPC) automatically selects the optimum transmission power.

The ADVANCED RADIO SETTINGS window shows the configuration options for setting the maximum transmission power level to 1 and enabling URWB transmission power control (TPC) for optimal performance.

Note

 

In Europe TPC is automatically enabled.

Step 3

In the WIRELESS RADIO section, choose Radio 1 Role as Fluidmax Secondary with FluidMAX Cluster ID.

In the ADVANCED RADIO SETTINGS, if you check the FluidMAX Autoscan check box, the secondary devices scan the frequencies to associate with the Primary with the same Cluster ID. In this case the frequency selection on the Secondary is in disable mode. In the Max TX Power section, and choose power level as 1 from the Select TX Max Power drop-down list and URWB TPC automatically selects the optimum transmission power.

The ADVANCED RADIO SETTINGS interface displays options for configuring FluidMAX Autoscan, Max TX Power, and TPC settings for secondary devices in a radio network.

Note

 

In Europe TPC is automatically enabled.

Step 4

In the Fluidity SETTINGS section, choose Unit Role as Infrastructure from the drop-down list.

When the device acts as the entry point of the infrastructure for the mobile vehicles or choose unit role as Infrastructure (WIRELESS relay) only when it used as a wireless relay agent to other infrastructure unit or choose unit role as a Vehicle when it is mobile.

Step 5

Choose network type based on the general network architecture.

  • Choose Flat mode from Network Type drop-down list, if the network belongs to single layer-2 broadcast domain.
  • Choose Multiple subnets if the network belongs to single layer-3 broadcast domain.
The GUI displays the configuration options for RADIO mode, including the operating frequency and WIRELESS connection settings. The RADIO mode configuration interface displays options for setting the operating frequency and WIRELESS connection settings.