Page 1: User Guide
3Com® AirProtect Planner User Guide 3CWXPGS Wireless LAN Planning for Security, Coverage and Performance Version 5.0 www.3Com.com Part number: 10016914 June 2008...
Page 2 Copyright © 2003 – 2008 3Com Corporation and its Licensors. All Rights Reserved. 3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notification of such revision or change.
Page 3 Software or Documentation. Subject to the restrictions set forth herein, the Software is licensed to be used on one (1) 3Com product owned by or leased to you, for your internal use. You may reproduce one (1) copy of the Software and Documentation for backup or archive purposes in support of your use of the Software as permitted hereunder.
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Page 5 Documentation, and may be amended only in a writing signed by both parties. Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement or if you want to contact 3Com for any reason, please contact the 3Com subsidiary serving your country, or write: 3Com Corporation, 350 Campus Drive, Marlborough, MA 01752.
Page 6: Table Of Contents
Menu Items ................................24 File Menu......................................24 Edit Menu ......................................25 View Menu ......................................26 Draw Menu ......................................27 Drawing a Polygon ..................................... 28 Drawing a Curved Polygon................................. 28 Tools Menu ......................................29 Help Menu ......................................30 5.1.2 Updating the License............................30 v 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 7 EVICE LACEMENT 7.1.1 RF View Area................................66 7.1.2 Status and Control Pane............................67 ............67 LANNING EVICE LACEMENT IEWS FOR NDOOR AND UTDOOR AYOUT 7.2.1 AP Coverage View..............................67 7.2.2 AP Channel View..............................69 7.2.3 AP Link Speed View..............................71 7.2.4 AP Interference View ............................72 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 8 ............................104 LANNING EPORT APPENDIX A: PLANNING SENSORS..........................107 ..............................107 LACEMENT OF ENSORS APPENDIX B: INTEGRATION OF 3COM ® AIRPROTECT PLANNER AND 3COM ® AIRPROTECT ENTERPRISE..................................108 ..........................108 XPORTING THE ROJECT FROM LANNER APPENDIX C: FILE LEVEL AND APPLICATION LEVEL PARAMETERS............... 110 APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................... 111 ...
Page 9: Chapter 1 Getting Started
Getting Started Chapter 1 Getting Started Before You Begin Thank you for purchasing 3Com ® AirProtect Planner (Planner), a state of the art Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) security and network planning tool developed by 3Com Corporation. How to get more information To receive important news on product updates, please visit our website at www.3com.com. Contact Information 3Com Corporation 350 Campus Drive, Marlborough, MA 01752 508‐323‐5000 (Tel) 508‐323‐1111 (Fax) For technical support, send an email to: esupport@3com.com 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 10: Chapter 2 Introduction To Wlan Planning And Planner
High Operational Expenses (OPEX): Network administrators have to spend a lot of time and effort in troubleshooting issues, quality of service, and security exposure after the deployment of networks. This leads to higher operational expenses. • Lower Return on Investment (RoI): A poorly planned network results in a lower RoI as the productivity gains are not as high as predicted. The current state‐of‐the‐art is to carry out a site survey (also called radio survey), use best practices for AP placement, or even perform deployment on ad hoc basis. These methods have the following limitations: • Site surveys are time consuming, expensive, and prone to errors. • Ad hoc deployments pose difficulty in visualizing network coverage, lead to security exposure, and cause channel interference. • ‘What‐If’ scenarios are not possible in site survey or ad hoc deployment methods. There is no established practice for planning WLAN security networks, an essential part of IT security in today’s network environment. Pre‐deployment enables successful WLAN deployments by: • Maximizing network coverage and throughput • Minimizing channel interference • Minimizing security exposure by ensuring minimum signal spillage outside the designated area of WLAN operation • Providing ‘What‐If’ scenarios for trade‐off between security exposure due to signal spillage and network coverage • Maximizing the detection and prevention range of WLAN security Sensors • Planning Sensors to ensure reliable location tracking of unauthorized devices • Ensuring that even the weakest transmitter is detected and prevented by the Sensors • Planning to enable live 24x7 RF monitoring • Troubleshooting remotely • Restructuring the whole plan especially while extending the existing office space or deploying new equipments 2 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 11: Planner : A Complete Wlan Planning Solution
Planner provides the following: • Advanced prediction model for Sensor and AP placement • Device database with preset options for common AP models, Sensors models. • Ability to add new AP models and antennae • Building material database • Cross Floor coverage • Live AP calibration Once you model the layout of the facility, you can place APs (Refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms) using a simple drag and drop operation to generate RF maps and a comprehensive set of deliverables as described in the following section. Deliverables from Planner • Site Model for future RF planning • Bill of Material (BoM) for 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise Sensors (Sensors) • BoM for APs and antennae Number and location of Sensors Number, location, and configuration of APs Antenna types and location • RF Maps Security View: Coverage inside the Perimeter, Coverage beyond the Perimeter, Redundancy Access Points: Coverage, Spillage, Channel Allocation, Interference, and Redundancy • Consolidated planning report BoM for Sensors and APs RF maps for security (Sensors) coverage RF maps for network (AP) coverage With/out Customer Input WLAN basics • Files .spm ...
Page 12: Working Of Planner
Introduction to WLAN Planning and Planner Auto Device Placement Auto Channel Allocation • Capacity Estimation • Support of AutoCAD files for site modeling. Working of Planner Perform the following steps for WLAN Planning using Planner: Installing Launching Designing a Layout Planning WLAN for security, coverage, and speed Setting various protocols, filters, and advanced parameters for accurate RF views Generating a BoM and reports Planner: Workflow Planner helps you plan the entire WLAN with minimal input from the customer. The input to Planner is a layout image in any graphical format or a valid AutoCAD file. You can create a model of the deployment space by placing objects such as walls, windows, doors, furniture, and open spaces onto the layout as depicted below. Figure 1. Planner Workflow 4 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 13: Chapter 3 Launching Planner
Click <Reset to Installation Defaults> to restore to default installation values. • Click <Yes> to accept the action in the dialog box. • Click <No> to deny or decline the action in the dialog box. 3.1.2 Messages The following functions apply to all message boxes in Planner. • Click <OK> for Yes. • Click <Cancel> for No. • If you exceed the allowed range for any parameter, Planner pops up an alert mentioning the value/data is invalid, and that you have to be within the permitted range. 3.1.3 Trees The following functions apply to all trees in Planner. In any tree, you can perform the following: • Click to expand the sub nodes. • Click to collapse the sub nodes. • Double‐click the node text to either expand or collapse sub nodes. 3.1.4 Other Functions The following functions apply to all the repositories and message boxes in Planner: • Click in the relevant section to view more information about the respective section. • On the various repository screens, click the column header of the tables to sort the list of items in the table. Opening Planner When you launch Planner, the Open Wi‐Fi Project dialog box appears. You can do one of the following: Create a new Wi‐Fi Project Select from one of the recently used Wi‐Fi Projects Open an existing Wi‐Fi Project 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 14: New Project File
Launching Planner Figure 2. New Project • Click <Create New> to start a New Project File to create a new Wi‐Fi project. • Select a file from the Recent Files section to view a recently used project. • Click <Browse> to select an existing project (.spm, .prj or .zip). • Click <Open> to invoke the selected Wi‐Fi project. 3.2.1 New Project File You can start a new project in Planner by doing one of the following: • From the File menu, select New Project. • Click <Create New> on the Open Wi‐Fi Project dialog box. • Click from the Toolbar. This opens the New Project File dialog box. Figure 3. New Project File Enter the following details in the New Project File dialog box. • Name: Enter the desired name of the project. • Location: Enter the desired location for the project or click <Browse> to navigate to the location. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, select a location from the folder tree or click <Make New Folder> to add a new location to the folder tree. 6 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 15 Launching Planner Figure 4. Browsing for Folder • Directory Name: Displays the path and the project file directory name. • Location Map: Enter the location of the desired location map image or click <Browse> to navigate to the folder containing the desired image. If you enter invalid data or select an invalid file, Planner displays an alert. The Planner outputs are: • Project file created and saved as an XML file with an extension ‘.prj’. • Planner file created and saved as an XML file with an extension ‘.spm’. If at a later point, you modify and save this XML output file, by editing it in a text pad, the file becomes corrupt. After that, you will not be able to open this file in Planner. A .spm file is bound to a .prj file. You cannot create a .spm file only. When you try to open a .spm file separately and not through the Project, Planner creates a default project, creates a node for that .spm file under the ‘Root’ location folder, and displays the .spm file. The project layout appears as follows. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 16: Support For Auto Cad
Launching Planner Figure 5. Project Layout The new Planner project layout screen is divided into three panes as follows: Menu and Toolbars at the top: The Menu bar provides Planner operations. The Toolbar provides buttons for quick operations. The operations enable you to design and view the layout. Refer to the section Menu Items for more details. Left pane consists of the Locations tree at the top and the Devices list below: The Locations tree contains location folders and location nodes. On launching a new project, Planner creates the Locations tree with the <Project Name> as the root location. The Devices list contains a list of devices placed on the floor map. You can see this device list only if the Location Node is loaded. The Locations tree and the Devices list are discussed further in the section Working with Location Tree and Devices List. Right pane consists of the Planner Layout Model for the location. The Planner Layout Model is the viewable layout area for the location selected in the Locations tree. Support for AutoCAD Planner supports AutoCAD files. An AutoCAD file contains the dimensions of the layout and also a list of layers in the layout. When imported into Planner, Planner automatically populates the Dimensions field. You can edit the dimensions. Once these dimensions are accepted, the Manage Layers screen appears where you can select the required layers. Planner selects the layers that are turned on in the AutoCAD file, by default, and based on that, imports and models all the objects from these layers. You do not have to re‐model these objects. Refer to the section Managing Layers to know more about managing layers of an AutoCAD file. Planner supports the following versions of AutoCAD files: • Autodesk DXF Release 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 2000, 2002, 2004/2005/2006 • Autodesk DWG Release 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 2000, 2002, 2004/2005/2006 8 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 17 Launching Planner Planner allows importing of the following information from an AutoCAD file. • Layout Dimensions • Layer Information Planner supports the following shapes of objects. All these shapes must be 2D. • Lines • Rectangles • Polygons • Circles • Arcs However, Planner does not support the following shapes: • Doughnut • Hollow Arcs • Curved Polygons • Spline • 3D objects 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 18: Chapter 4 Working With The Locations Tree And The Devices List
Planner enables you to model the enterprise across locations. It also enables you to place devices on a location to ensure optimum coverage. The Locations tree and the Devices list features appear on the left pane of the project layout screen. Locations Tree The Locations tree enables you to organize the network into a list of locations and view live 802.11 RF coverage maps for each location node. The tree also helps you easily navigate through the locations and switch between different floors. The Locations tree comprises of location folders and location nodes. • Location folders represent organizational components such as buildings, cities, or countries. Root Location: This is the root location. Planner assigns the Project Name you select, as the name for the Root Location. You can rename this location. However, you cannot delete or move this location. • Location nodes represent component details such as a floor in a building. For example, Hawaii Conference Room, Bldg 15–Cubicle G2, or Executive Area. You can perform various functions like adding, deleting, renaming, moving a location, and so on from the Locations tree. 4.1.1 Adding a new Location Folder In the Locations tree, right‐click the location folder under which you wish to add a new location, and select Add Location Folder. The New Location Folder dialog box appears. Figure 6. Adding a New Location Folder • Name: Enter the desired name for the new location folder. • Location Map: Specify the location of the Location Map. Alternately, click <Browse> to navigate to the graphical location map that you wish to import into the location folder. • Consider Cross Floor Spillage: Select this checkbox to enable cross floor spillage. Planner pops up an alert to warn you that this action is irreversible once Cross Floor folder is created. You cannot de‐select or change this option at a later point. 4.1.2 Adding a new Location Node In the Locations tree, right‐click the location folder under which you wish to add a new location node, and select Add Location Node. The New Location Node dialog box appears. 10 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 19 Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 7. Adding a New Location Node The New Location Node dialog box constitutes details of the Location Node and two sections: Dimensions and Copying of Objects. Specify the following details of the Location Node: • Name: Enter the desired name for the new location node. • Plan Type: Specify if the plan type is an Indoor or Outdoor layout. • Location Map: Specify if the Location Map is a .jpg or .gif Image, or an AutoCAD file. Click <Browse> to navigate to the graphical location map that you wish to import into the location node. Once you select and import an AutoCAD file for a location node, the Manage Layers dialog box appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 20 Managing Layers of an AutoCAD file • Ceiling Height: Enter the desired ceiling height for the layout. • Ceiling Material: Select the desired ceiling material for the layout from the drop‐down list. Note: Location Map – AutoCAD option, Ceiling Height, and Ceiling Material are available only if you select Indoor Layout as the Plan Type. They are not available for an Outdoor Layout. • Regulatory Domain: Different countries have regulatory agencies permitting a select number of channels for protocols. Select the relevant country from the drop‐down list for which you are doing WLAN planning. • Application Environment: Select the desired application environment from the drop‐down list. • Min Attenuation Factor: Specifies the minimum attenuation factors for 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n protocols, depending on the application environment selected. • Max Attenuation Factor: Specifies the maximum attenuation factors for 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n protocols, depending on the application environment selected. Dimensions • Unit: Select the unit of measurement you want to use for the layout from the drop‐down list. • a: Specify the length of the layout. • b: Specify the width of the layout. • Lock Aspect Ratio: Allows you to maintain the ratio of the length and width of the layout to that of the Layout image selected earlier. To achieve this: Select Lock Aspect Ratio before entering the dimensions of the layout. Enter any one of the two dimensions of the layout. The value of the other dimension is automatically entered as per the default aspect ratio. • Layout Dimensions: Displays a preview of the layout map. Incase you do not know the dimensions of the layout, click <Help Me>. The Find Layout Dimensions screen appears. 12 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 21 Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 9. Finding Layout Dimensions Click one point, then drag the mouse and click another point. The Dimension dialog box appears. Figure 10. Dimensions • Distance: Specify the distance between the two selected points on this map. The unit of measurement is the one mentioned in the New Location Node dialog box. Planner uses this information to scale the dimensions of the layout, and displays the same in the corresponding fields in the New Location Node dialog box. Note: Ensure that the distance you specify in the Dimension dialog box is accurate. Otherwise, there will be drastic difference in the actual dimensions and the dimensions calculated by Planner. If you import an AutoCAD file, Planner extracts the dimensions from the AutoCAD file. It is sometimes observed that the dimensions derived from the AutoCAD file are not correct as it shows the complete canvas size. Hence, ensure that you enter the exact dimensions of the layout. Copying of Objects: • Copy Objects From: Allows you to copy all objects from the previously created layouts. Select the layout from which you want to copy objects from the drop‐down list. • Copy Options: Select the items you wish to copy: Layout Objects, Devices, and Calibration Points. Note: Planner enables Copying of Objects only if there is more than one node under a location folder and that folder has Consider Cross Floor Spillage activated. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 22: Cross Floor Location Folder
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Once you are done and click <OK>, a Confirm dialog box to open the created location appears. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard action. Cross Floor Location folder When you create a location folder with the Consider Cross Floor Spillage checkbox enabled, then information of all the nodes is bundled and stored in one single .spm file. By default, the name of the .spm file is the name of the first node that you create. It is possible to add a location node under a Cross Floor location folder. However, you cannot add a location folder under a Cross Floor location folder. The dimensions of all the nodes in a Cross Floor folder are the same. For example, while defining Node‐1, you specify a = 500 and b = 600. Then, Planner uses the same dimensions for all the nodes created thereafter in that folder. Since Planner extracts the dimensions automatically in case of an AutoCAD file, these extracted dimensions must match the dimensions of the first node that was created. Otherwise, Planner does not allow the import of the AutoCAD file. Additionally, when you create the second node under the Cross Floor location folder, you cannot change the regulatory domain. Note: To modify the dimensions of a node under a Cross Floor Location folder, right‐click a node and select Load Location Node. Planner automatically applies these dimensions to rest of the nodes under this folder. The Cross Floor location folder is represented by the icon. Non‐Cross Floor Location folder When you create a location folder without the Consider Cross Floor Spillage checkbox enabled, information of each node is stored in separate .spm files. You can add a Cross Floor location folder under a Non‐Cross Floor location folder. The Non‐Cross Floor location folder is represented by the icon. 4.1.3 Managing Layers The Manage Layers dialog box displays details of layers in an AutoCAD file. When you select and import an AutoCAD file for a location node, the Manage Layers dialog box appears. Figure 11. Managing Layers of an AutoCAD file 14 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 23: Viewing/Loading A Location
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List In the Manage Layers dialog box, some or all the layers are selected by default. This is because every AutoCAD file stores the status of the layers that are turned on or off based on the selected checkboxes of layers. • Layer Name: Select the checkbox against the layers you want. You can override the existing status of each layer by manually selecting them based on your requirement. • Material Type: Select the material type from the drop‐down list, as populated from the material repository. Planner uses all this information to model the objects on the floor map. • Preview: Reflects the changes with the selection of layers. • Enlarge this view: Click to view the enlarged view. • Restore to normal View: Click to restore the enlarged view to normal view. Click <Apply> to execute the changes made. On the Manage Layers screen, if you click <Cancel>, the AutoCAD file is not imported and you will see a blank image on the layout model. CHECKSUM: When you load a node with an AutoCAD file, Planner validates the attached AutoCAD file. Planner checks the CHECKSUM value of that AutoCAD file and verifies it with the CHECKSUM value stored in the .spm file for that AutoCAD file. This is the value stored when the AutoCAD file was first imported. If there is any mismatch in this value, Planner still loads the node but does not allow you to use the Manage Layers option. Planner pops up an alert to inform you about this. 4.1.4 Viewing/Loading a Location Loading the location node means opening the .spm file associated with the node. You can open only one node at a time. You cannot view a location layout unless you load it. To view/load a location, right‐click a location node from the Locations tree and select Load Location Node. Planner launches the layout on the layout model pane. The title bar of the screen reflects the path of the selected location. Note: A .spm file created with the previous versions of Planner does not have any application environment assigned to that file. When you import that file and try to load the node, then Planner pops up an alert asking if you want to assign the default application environment. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 24: Closing A Location Node
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 12. Loading a Location Node When you load a location attached to an AutoCAD file, the background has a blank image and you can draw all the objects on that, unlike in case of an image where the layout has the .jpg or .gif as the background image. When you click a location node attached to an image, Planner displays the image on the layout model pane. 4.1.5 Closing a Location Node You can close a location node in Planner. Planner unloads the location node leaving only the layout on the layout model pane. To close a location node that you have loaded, right‐click a location node from the Locations tree and select Close Node. Additionally, if you click any other node from the locations tree, Planner closes the current node. 4.1.6 Importing a Location Planner enables import of Planner Project files (.prj), Planner files (.spm), and compressed Planner Project files (.zip) into a location. Use either of the following steps to import a file: • Go to File Open. • Right‐click a location folder from the Locations tree and select Import. The Open dialog box appears. 16 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 25: Cut/Copy/Paste A Location
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 13. Importing a Location Specify the path of the file or navigate to the file you wish to import into the location folder. Select the file type from the Files of type drop‐down list. • On importing a .prj file, the entire location hierarchy of that project is imported under the selected folder. • On importing a .spm file, Planner creates a node under which the .spm file is imported. • On importing a .zip file, Planner unzips the file at a temporary location and then imports the .prj file. The Import Project dialog box appears where Planner asks you if you would also like to import the project preferences options. Figure 14. Import Options 4.1.7 Cut/Copy/Paste a Location You can cut/copy location folders and nodes, and paste them onto other locations. Right‐click a location folder or node that you want to cut/copy, from the Locations tree. Select Cut or Copy. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 26: Moving A Location
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 15. Copying a location Right‐click the destination location folder onto which you want to paste the location selected in the above step. Select Paste. If the location where you are pasting the location folder or node already has a folder or node with the same name, Planner renames the copied objects incrementally with a suffix ‘01’, ‘02’, and so on. Note: If a node belongs to a Cross Floor location folder, you cannot Cut/Copy and Paste that node into another folder. If you want to copy that node, you must copy the entire Cross Floor location folder. 4.1.8 Moving a Location You can move location folders and nodes within a location folder. This changes the location hierarchy of that folder in the project. Note: You cannot move a location if the location is not under the same parent location folder. Use the following steps to move a location: Right‐click a location folder or node from the Locations tree. Select Move Up or Move Down. Repeat the above steps until you reach the destination folder under which you want to move the selected location. Figure 16. Moving a location 4.1.9 Placing Locations on a Location Folder with an attached image Planner enables you to place locations on a location folder that has an attached image. This helps you identify the physical position of each of the locations. The locations placed on the attached image are indicated by green colored circles. Use the following steps to place locations on the attached image and view their details: In the Locations tree, select a location folder. The bottom left pane called Locations shows all the nodes and folders available under the selected location folder. Drag and drop the required locations on the attached image, in the right pane. To view details about the location, hold the mouse cursor over the green colored bullets. 18 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 27: Renaming A Location
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List To go to a particular location placed on the image, do one of the following: • Click the green colored bullet representing the location. • Right‐click a green colored bullet representing the location, and select Locate Location. • Double‐click the green colored bullet. Figure 17. Placing Locations on a Location Folder You can also remove a location placed by right‐clicking a green colored bullet representing the location and selecting Delete. 4.1.10 Renaming a Location You can rename a location. Renaming a Location Folder Use the following steps to rename a location folder: Select a location folder from the Locations tree. Do one of the following: • Click the location. • Right‐click and select Rename. The field now becomes editable. Enter the new name of the location folder. • Right‐click the location folder and select Properties. The Location Folder Properties dialog box appears which allows you to edit the name of the location folder. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 28: Renaming A Location Node
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 18. Renaming a Location Folder Renaming a Location Node Use the following steps to rename a location node: Select a location node from the Locations tree. Do one of the following: • Click the location. The field becomes editable. Enter the new name of the location node. • Right‐click the location node and select Properties. The Location Node Properties dialog box appears which allows you to edit the name of the location node. Figure 19. Renaming a Location Node 4.1.11 Deleting a Location You can delete a location folder or node by right‐clicking the location and selecting Delete. Figure 20. Deleting a location 4.1.12 Modifying Location Properties You can modify the properties of a location folder or node. Use the following steps to do so: Right‐click a location folder or node from the Locations tree and select Properties. 20 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 29 Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Note: In case of a location node, you will first have to Load the node. Otherwise, the Properties option is disabled. Figure 21. Viewing Location Properties The Location Folder Properties or Location Node Properties dialog box appears. Edit the desired location properties. Figure 22. Viewing Location Folder Properties 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 30: Devices List
Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 23. Viewing Location Node Properties Devices List The Devices list enables you to view all the devices that are placed on a particular location node. This list is populated only when the node is loaded. The devices are divided based on their type. You can modify the device properties by right‐clicking or double‐clicking the device. Note: Refer to the section Device Library to perform devices related operations. 22 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 31 Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List Figure 24. Devices List 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 32: Chapter 5 5.1.1 Menu Items
Menu and Toolbar Options Chapter 5 Menu and Toolbar Options This section describes in detail various menus and Toolbar options in Planner, to enable you to create a complete layout model. You can design the layout using various objects available in Planner. 5.1.1 Menu Items This section gives a complete description of the available menu options. Note: Advanced users can skip the menus section and directly refer to Layout Icons. File Menu Figure 25. File Menu 24 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 33: Edit Menu
If the node is part of a Cross Floor Generate Report Ctrl+G location folder, you can generate a report for all the floors. Recent Files Lists the last four opened projects Exit Closes the Planner application Edit Menu Figure 26. Edit Menu 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 34: View Menu
Selects all the objects on the layout map Ctrl+A Delete All Deletes all the objects on the layout map Rotates an object using the mouse by Rotate selecting any of the control points of the Ctrl+R object View Menu Figure 27. View Menu 26 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 35: Draw Menu
Strength on the layout Toolbars Select to view the Toolbar Location Tree Select to view the Location Tree Control Pane Select to view the Control Pane Draw Menu Figure 28. Draw Menu 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 36: Drawing A Polygon
Draws a solid oval Polygon Draws a hollow curved polygon Solid Curved Polygon Draws a solid curved polygon Drawing a Polygon Figure 29. Drawing a Polygon Left‐click the starting point (#1) Left‐click the next point through all points until you are at the last point (#6) Left‐click the last point (# 6) Right‐click to complete the polygon Drawing a Curved Polygon Figure 30. Drawing a Curved Polygon Left‐click the starting point (#1) Left‐click the next point through all points until you are at a point where you need to draw the curve (#5a) To draw a curve (between #4 and #5a) in the curved polygon, press <Ctrl+U> to enter the ‘curve’ mode (#5b). Move the mouse to get the desired curve (#6) Left‐click the last point (#7) Right‐click to complete the curved polygon 28 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 37: Tools Menu
Menu and Toolbar Options Tools Menu Figure 31. Tools Menu 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 38: Help Menu
Import Planner Imports the preferences and settings from a Settings specific file Exports the preferences and settings to 3Com Export Planner ® AirProtect Enterprise or any other system Settings running the Planner application. Sets the Preferences, AP defaults, and Sensor...
Page 39: Layout : Icons
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 33. Planner: Activating/Updating License Use the following steps to activate/update the license: Enter your First Name, Last Name, and Email Id. Click <Browse> to navigate to location of the license key provided by 3Com Corporation. Click <Confirm Key> to confirm the license key. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the confirmation of the license key and close the dialog box. Layout: Icons The following icons available to you from the Planner Toolbar. Some of these are not covered in the Menu List. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 40 Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 34. Indoor Objects The following list describes the layout type and materials available. Layout Type Materials Brick Concrete Marble Indoor Sheet Rock Concrete Column Wooden Glass Metal Building Tree Outdoor Hill Water Body After selecting the layout type, use the following steps to draw objects on the layout: Select an Object Type and material type from the drop‐down list from the Toolbar. The cursor changes to the cross hair icon . Now, click the location where you want to draw the object and without releasing the button, drag the mouse on the layout to where you want the object placed. You will see the outline of the object you are drawing. 32 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 41: Managing Objects Within The Layout
Menu and Toolbar Options Repeat the above two steps to place any number of objects on the layout. Recommended: Place the objects in such a way that the physical layout is well represented in the Layout with minimum number of objects. Managing Objects within the Layout You can manage objects and their properties on the layout in Planner. 5.3.1 Selecting Objects To select an object, click on the Toolbar. To select more than one object, do one of the following: • Use the Control key. • Drag the mouse over the target area to enclose the objects within a dotted outline. This selects all the objects within or touching the dotted outline. 5.3.2 Moving an Object To move an object, select and drag it to the desired position. 5.3.3 Changing the Properties of an Object Planner provides objects of different shapes and thickness. Figure 35. Layout Object Properties To change the properties of an object, double‐click or right‐click the object and select Properties. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 42: Managing Material Repositories
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 36. Viewing Layout object properties You can change the following parameters: • Material: Select the material type from the drop‐down list. • a: Specify the length of the object. • b: Specify the width of the object. • Angle: Specify the angle at which you want the object to be inclined. • Apply Rotation: Specify the rotation of the object. Click <Apply> to apply the rotation incrementally to the object. Managing Material Repositories Planner provides a set of materials in the repository using which you model the layout. You can perform several functions like viewing properties of a default material, adding a new material, modifying, and deleting the user‐defined materials. These are stored in two types of repositories: Global Material Repository and Local Material Repository. Planner also allows you to import or export material types from one repository to the other. Note: All the user‐defined materials are available in the indoor layout only. While modeling the layout, you can also select the material type from the drop‐down list on the Toolbar. The icon of the material in use appears adjacent to this drop‐down list, represented by the color and pattern assigned to the material. 5.4.1 Global Material Repository Global Material Repository is a material object library of Planner which lists and provides material objects globally, across all Planner projects. It is a globally available file saved as Objectproperties.xml. To view the Global Material Repository, go to Tools Global Material Repository. Figure 37. Global Material Repository You can perform the following functions from the Global Material Repository dialog box: 34 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 43: Local Material Repository
• Modify: Click to modify material properties of a material that you have defined. The Material Properties dialog box appears where you can make the desired changes. Note: <View> is replaced by <Modify> when you select a user‐defined material. • Delete: Click to delete a user‐defined material. A confirmation message appears asking if you want to delete the material. • Restore To Default: Click to restore the list to factory defaults. This action removes all the user‐defined materials and retains only the default materials. • Import from Local Repository: Click to import materials from the Local Material Repository. • Close: Click to close this dialog box. 5.4.2 Local Material Repository The Local Material Repository is a material object library of Planner, which gives a list of Available Materials in the Local Repository of that .spm file. All the local materials are stored in the .spm file and visible only in that .spm file. The Local Material Repository feature is available only for an Indoor layout and not for an outdoor layout. To view the Local Material Repository, go to Tools Location Properties Local Material Repository. Figure 38. Local Material Repository Tab You can perform the following functions from the Local Material Repository dialog box: • Add: Click to add a new material to the list of materials in the Local Repository. The Material Properties dialog box appears. Refer to section Adding a Material for more information. • View: Click to view material properties of a material in the factory default list. The Material Properties dialog box appears. However, the fields in this dialog box are disabled, and read‐only. • Modify: Click to modify material properties of a material that you have defined. The Material Properties dialog box appears where you can make the desired changes. Note: <View> is replaced by <Modify> when you select a user‐defined material. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 44: Adding A Material
Menu and Toolbar Options • Delete: Click to delete a user‐defined material. Planner checks if you have used the material on the current layout. If you have used the material, Planner prompts you to delete those objects from the layout and then continue with the deletion of the material from the repository. A confirmation message appears asking if you want to delete the material. • Import from Global Repository: Click to import materials from the Global Material Repository. Click <OK> to save and close the dialog box. Alternately click <Cancel>; this will close the dialog box without applying changes made. 5.4.3 Adding a Material You can add a new material to the existing list of materials in the Local and Global Material Repositories. Click <Add> on the respective repository dialog boxes. The Material Properties dialog box appears. Figure 39. Global Material Repository: Adding a New Material Figure 40. Local Material Repository: Adding a New Material Common Properties: • Name: Name of the new material. 36 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 45: Layout : Using The Tools Options
Border Style: Select the pattern for the border from the drop‐down list. • The preview window on the right reflects the properties you select for the material. Attenuation Properties (Through Coefficient): • 802.11a/n: Specify the attenuation factor for the 802.11a/n protocol. This value is applicable to both 802.11a and 802.11a/n. • 802.11b/g/n: Specify the attenuation factor for the 802.11b/g/n protocol. This value is applicable to both 802.11b/g and 802.11b/g/n. • Add the new Material to the other repository: If you add a new material from the Global Material Repository dialog box, select the Add this material to local material repository checkbox to include this material in the Local Material Repository. This material will then be available in the Material drop‐down list on the Toolbar. If you add a new material from the Local Material Repository dialog box, select the Add this material to global material repository checkbox to include this material in the Global Material Repository. Note: If you add a material into the Local Material Repository and you later create a new .spm file, this material does not appear in the material list. This is because the material was added locally and not to the Global Material Repository. Similarly, if you add a material only to the Global Material Repository but do not copy it to the Local Repository, you will not find the material in the list of the currently loaded .spm file. However, when you create a new .spm file, you will see the new material in the material list. Click <Save> to save and add the new material to the repository. Click <Close> to close the window. Note: Planner displays an alert message and does not allow you to save the material unless you fill all the fields in the Material Properties dialog box. Layout: Using the Tools options The following operations can be performed using the Tools menu. 5.5.1 AP Repository Select AP Repository from the Tools menu. Figure 41. Tool Menu – AP Repository The Access Point Repository dialog box displays a list of available APs, their manufacturer, model, and number of radios. You can do the following: 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 46: Add Ap
Specify the desired power range for each protocol. Enter a comma-separated Power list with values in the range (1 to 100 mW). Click to define advanced 802.11n parameters. The IEEE 802.11n advance Advanced Parameters parameters dialog box appears. IEEE 802.11n Advance Parameters You can describe advance parameters for 802.11n. 38 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 47: Modify Ap
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 43. Adding an AP – 802.11n Advance Parameters Define the desired 802.11n advance parameters. • MIMO configuration: Select the MIMO configuration from the drop‐down list • Channel width (MHz): Select the Channel width from the drop‐down list • Guard interval (ns): Select the Guard interval from the drop‐down list • Frame Aggregation: Select either AMSDU or AMPDU, or both checkboxes for frame aggregation. For more details on the advance parameters, refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms. Modify AP Click <Modify> on the Access Point Repository dialog box to modify an existing AP. The Modify Access Point dialog box appears. Figure 44. AP Repository – Modifying an AP The Modify Access Point dialog box is similar to the Add Access Point dialog box. Delete AP Click <Delete> and confirm the deletion of an AP. 5.5.2 Sensor Repository Select Sensor Repository from the Tools menu. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 48: Add Sensor
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 45. Tool Menu – Sensor Repository The Sensor Repository dialog box displays a list of available Sensors, their manufacturer, model, and number of radios. You can do the following: • Add a Sensor • Modify a Sensor • Delete a Sensor Add Sensor Click <Add> to add a Sensor and specify the Sensor properties. Figure 46. Sensor Repository – Adding a Sensor 40 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 49: Modify Sensor Model
(1 to 100 mW). Click to define advanced 802.11n parameters. Refer to the IEEE 802.11n Advanced Parameters Advance Parameters for more details. Modify Sensor Model Click <Modify> on the Sensor Repository dialog box to modify an existing Sensor model. The Modify Sensor Model dialog box appears. Figure 47. Sensor Repository – Modifying a Sensor The Modify Sensor Model dialog box is similar to the Add Sensor Model dialog box. Delete Sensor Click <Delete> and confirm the deletion of a Sensor. 5.5.3 Antenna Repository Antenna Repository contains a list of predefined antennae. You can add a new antenna, delete an antenna, or define new radiation patterns for an antenna. Select Antenna Repository from the Tools menu. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 50: Add Antenna
Select the radiation pattern from the drop-down list. Click to add a new radiation pattern. For details, please refer to the Radiation Add New Pattern Repository section. Gain Enter the Gain (1 to 99 dBi). Modify Antenna Click <Modify> on the Antenna Repository dialog box to modify an existing antenna. The Modify Antenna dialog box appears. 42 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 51: Delete Antenna
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 50. Antenna Repository – Modifying an Antenna The Modify Antenna dialog box is similar to the Add Antenna dialog box. Delete Antenna Click <Delete> and confirm the deletion of the antenna. 5.5.4 Radiation Pattern Repository You can create custom defined radiation patterns where you can define the gain at each angle starting from 0° to 359°. Select Radiation Pattern Repository from the Tools menu. Figure 51. Tools Menu – Radiation Pattern Repository The Radiation Pattern Repository dialog box displays a list of available radiation patterns, their type, max gain, and type of definition. You can do the following: • In case of a Custom Radiation Patterns: Add a Radiation Pattern Modify/View a Radiation Pattern Delete a Radiation Pattern • In case of a Standard Radiation Pattern: Add a Radiation Pattern View a Radiation Pattern Note: The Delete option is disabled in case of Standard Radiation Patterns. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 52: Add Radiation Pattern
Gain value will be the maximum value of the gain values at Max Gain each angle or higher. Positive gain adds power to the transmitting power while negative gain reduces the transmitting power. The table in the Define Radiation Pattern dialog box shows gain values at each angle ranging from 0° to 359°. These values in the table change depending on the antenna type selected in Start With. To create custom radiation patterns, you can modify the gain values to get the required radiation pattern. The gain value should be between ‐99 and 99 dBi. For example, to modify a standard dipole pattern, start with dipole and modify the gain values for the angles where you want customization. Click <Interpolate> if you have defined the gain at two different angles, and want Planner to automatically interpolate the gain for the intermediate angles. For effective interpolation, ensure that the gain value for all the angles between the two angles is 0°. Modify Radiation Pattern Click <Modify> on the Radiation Pattern Repository dialog box to modify a custom radiation pattern. The Modify Radiation Pattern dialog box appears. 44 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 53: Delete Radiation Pattern
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 53. Radiation Pattern Repository – Modifying a Radiation Pattern The Modify Radiation Pattern dialog box is similar to the Add Radiation Pattern dialog box. Delete Radiation Pattern Click <Delete> and confirm the deletion of a Radiation Pattern. 5.5.5 Application Environment Repository Planner provides a list of application environments, which lists environment settings. You can use these environments to design the layout. You can also create custom defined application environments. Select Application Environment Repository from the Tools menu. Figure 54. Tools Menu – Application Environment Repository The Application Environment Repository dialog box displays a list of application environments, the plan type, their protocols, minimum and maximum attenuation factors. You can do the following: • In case of a Default Application Environment: Add an Application Environment 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 54: Adding An Application Environment
802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n. Max Attenuation Factor Refers to the maximum loss of signal when passing through a material, depending on object type and density in the layout. Enter the maximum attenuation values for 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n. Attenuation values for 802.11a/n are greater than 802.11b/g/n. Modifying an Application Environment Click <Modify> on the Application Environment Repository dialog box to modify an existing application environment. The Modify Application Environment dialog box appears. 46 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 55: Deleting An Application Environment
Application Environment Repository – Modifying an Application Environment The Modify Application Environment dialog box is similar to the Add Application Environment dialog box. Deleting an Application Environment Click <Delete> and confirm the deletion of the application environment. 5.5.6 Waterfall Curve Repository Planner provides a list of waterfall curves. You can use them to design the layout. You can also create custom defined waterfall curves. Select Waterfall Curve Repository from the Tools menu. Figure 57. Tools Menu – Waterfall Curve Repository The Waterfall Curve Repository dialog box displays a list of Waterfall Curves. You can do the following: • In case of a Default Waterfall Curve: Add a Waterfall Curve View a Waterfall Curve Note: The Modify and Delete options are disabled for Default Waterfall Curve. • In case of a system or user‐defined waterfall curve: Add a Waterfall Curve Modify a Waterfall Curve Delete a Waterfall Curve Adding a Waterfall Curve Click <Add> to add a waterfall curve and specify the waterfall curve settings. The Add Waterfall Curve dialog box appears. The dialog box provides a list of the link speed of an AP mapped to the signal strength in the ascending order.The Add 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 56 Menu and Toolbar Options Waterfall Curve dialog box for 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g protocols is different from the 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n protocols. 802.11 (a, b, g): Figure 58. Waterfall Curve Repository – Adding a Waterfall Curve: 802.11 (a, b, g) • Name: Enter the name of the waterfall curve. • Select 802.11a protocol in the Waterfall Curve: Select the checkbox to select and enable edit access to values in the list for the 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g protocols (from the respective tabs) in the Waterfall Curve. The dialog box lists the link speed mapped to the signal strength for 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g protocols in the ascending order based on which tab you are. • Link Speed: Lists the link speed of the AP for the respective protocol. • Signal Strength: Lists the signal strength corresponding to the link speed. Select a value and click to edit the value. 48 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 57: Modifying A Waterfall Curve
Menu and Toolbar Options 802.11 (a/n, b/g/n): Waterfall Curve Repository – Adding a Waterfall Curve: 802.11 (a/n, b/g/n) Figure 59. • Name: Enter the name of the waterfall curve. • Select 802.11a/n protocol in the Waterfall Curve: Select the checkbox to select and enable edit access to values in the list for the 802.11a/n or 802.11b/g/n protocols (from the respective tabs) in the Waterfall Curve. • Channel Width (MHz): Select the channel width from the drop‐down list. The link speed values depend on the channel width. The possible values are 20 MHz or 20/40 MHz. The dialog box lists the link speed mapped to the signal strength for 802.11a/n or 802.11b/g/n protocols in the ascending order based on selected channel width. • MCS: Specifies the data rate supported by 802.11n. • Link Speed (Guard Interval=800): Lists the link speed of the AP for the respective protocol at a guard interval of 800. • Link Speed (Guard Interval=400): Lists the link speed of the AP for the respective protocol at a guard interval of 400. • Signal Strength: Lists the signal strength corresponding to the link speed. Select a value and click to edit the value. Modifying a Waterfall Curve Click <Modify> on the Waterfall Curve Repository dialog box to modify an existing waterfall curve. The Modify Waterfall Curve dialog box appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 58: Deleting A Waterfall Curve
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 60. Waterfall Curve Repository – Modifying a Waterfall Curve The Modify Waterfall Curve dialog box is similar to the Add Waterfall Curve dialog box. Deleting a Waterfall Curve Click <Delete> and confirm the deletion of the waterfall curve. 5.5.7 Import Planner Settings The Import option allows you to import settings and preferences so that all workstations have the same set of environments and all the planning team members can work in synchronization. You can choose to import any of the parameters. Select Import Planner Settings from the Tools menu. The Import Planner Settings dialog box appears. 50 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 59: Export Planner Settings
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 61. Tools Menu – Import Planner Settings You can do the following on the Import Planner Settings screen: • Click <Browse> to navigate to the file you want to import. Following is the basic list of parameters that you can import. Select the appropriate fields. Settings Preferences: Layout Designer, AP Views, Sensor Views, and Color Palettes AP Defaults Sensor Defaults AP Repository Sensor Repository Antenna Repository Radiation Pattern Repository Waterfall Curve Repository Application Environment Repository Click <Import> to import selected options. Note: Importing a section overrides the existing settings. You cannot undo this action. 5.5.8 Export Planner Settings The Export option allows you to export all the application level configurations in a file. This exported file can be imported by Planner running on a different computer. This way all the team members can work in synchronization with all the configurations. Select Export Planner Settings from the Tools menu. The Export Planner Settings dialog box appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 60: Location Properties
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 62. Tools Menu – Export Planner Settings Following is the basic list of parameters that you can export. Select the appropriate fields. • Settings Preferences: Layout Designer, AP Views, Sensor Views, and Color Palettes AP Defaults Sensor Defaults • AP Repository • Sensor Repository • Antenna Repository • Radiation Pattern Repository • Waterfall Curve Repository • Application Environment Repository Click <Export> to export selected options. 5.5.9 Location Properties You can change the Location Properties from the Tools menu. Location Properties: Dimensions Tab The Dimensions tab allows you to change the dimensions of the layout. 52 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 61: Location Properties: Calculations Tab
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 63. Changing Location Properties – Dimensions Tab Specify the following dimensions and properties: • Unit: Select the unit of measurement from the drop‐down list. • Length in ‘a’ direction: Specify the length to be used for all layouts in the plan. • Length in ‘b’ direction: Specify the width to be used for all layouts in the plan. • Lock Aspect Ratio: Select the Lock Aspect Ratio checkbox, if you want to maintain the ratio of the dimensions of the layout to that of the layout image. • RF Calculation Cell Size: Specify the RF calculation cell size to determine the size of the smallest unit on the layout. Planner performs calculations for each cell on the layout. • Reset Cell Size: Click to get optimal cell size number for the layout dimensions entered. • Ceiling Loss: Specify the loss occurring for the cross floor radiation due to the ceiling. The range is ‐50 to 0. • Region: Select the region from the drop‐down list. Note: Changing the length and width of the plan resizes the entire set of objects in the layout model. Planner resizes the objects in the same proportion in which the size of the plan is changed. Changing these units will affect the dimension values and coverage. During resize, if there are any objects like Polygons or Area Polygons placed on the floor map, Planner deletes these objects, as it cannot resize them. These changes affect all the layouts in the plan. In case you want to plan multiple floors with different dimensions, enter the largest floor dimensions and then plan for smaller areas for each floor. Location Properties: Calculations Tab The Calculations tab allows you can specify the calculations’ settings and path loss model settings. You can also invoke this screen by clicking from the Toolbar. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 62: Location Properties: Local Material Repository Tab
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 64. Changing Location Properties – Calculations Tab Calculation Settings: • Spillage Factor: Specifies the size of the area as a multiplier of the actual layout area over which Planner will assess the WLAN signal spillage. For example, if you set the spillage factor to 2, the system will assess the signal strength over 2 times along each dimension of the layout. The system maintains the center of the layout so that you can observe the spillage symmetrically in all directions. • RSSI Calibration: Planner calculates the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) at each cell in the layout based on ideal conditions. It applies this RSSI calibration factor to account for un‐modeled objects like furniture, humans and so on, antenna/feeder losses, RF properties of Client cards, and layout inaccuracies. Planner applies the Calibration factor symmetrically to all the cells. The range for RSSI Calibration is ‐40 dB to 40 dB. The default for RSSI calibration factor is ‐10 dB. Path Loss Model Settings: • Application Environment: Select the application environment from the drop‐down list. • Min Attenuation Factor: Displays the minimum attenuation factors for 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n depending on the application environment selected. • Max Attenuation Factor: Displays the maximum attenuation factors for 802.11a/n and 802.11b/g/n depending on the application environment selected. • ALPHA and BETA: Displays the advanced calculation parameters. Location Properties: Local Material Repository Tab The Local Material Repository tab gives a list of available materials in the Local Repository of that .spm file. Refer to the Local Material Repository section to see the various functions you can perform from this tab. 54 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 63: Renumber Devices
Menu and Toolbar Options Figure 65. Changing Location Properties – Local Material Repository Tab 5.5.10 Renumber Devices Planner creates a default numbering label, namely 01, 02 …for the devices. For example, APs as AP01, AP02 …, while Sensors as Sensor01, Sensor02 …. If you delete a particular AP or Sensor, it can create a discontinuity. You can restore sequential numbering using the Renumber Devices option. Select Renumber Devices from the Tools menu. Figure 66. Tools Menu – Renumber Devices You can do the following: • Select Prefix to rename objects with a prefix as defined in the Settings AP Defaults section. • Select Layout Name, or select User Defined to enter a user‐defined name in the User Defined field to rename devices accordingly. • Click <Renumber> to renumber the devices. For example, if you choose the option Building Name, and the building name is ‘MyBuilding’, then Planner will number the APs as MyBuildingA01, MyBuildingA02, and Sensors will be numbered as MyBuildingS01, MyBuildingS02, and so on. The system will behave similarly with Layout Name and User defined names. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 64: Chapter 6 Wlan Planning Wizard
WLAN Planning Wizard Chapter 6 WLAN Planning Wizard WLAN Planning Wizard is a feature in Planner that helps you plan the layout as per your requirements. The wizard helps you define objectives by seeking your inputs on Wi‐Fi network parameters. Planner uses these given parameters to make available number of APs required on a floor, assigning channels to them, and placing the same on the floor map. Go to Tools WLAN Planning, or click on the Toolbar to open the wizard. Planner verifies and validates details like devices on the floor map and defined area polygons before launching the wizard. If the layout has manually placed devices, then Planner asks if you wish to delete the devices from the layout. If you select <No>, Planner does not delete the devices. However, the WLAN Planning Wizard does not consider these devices for any calculation. It also prompts you to define area polygons before continuing with the wizard. This is not a mandatory step. Planner also displays an information pop‐up about the significance of defining area polygons. The pop‐up asks if you wish to draw the area polygon. Figure 67. Defining Area Polygon: I-Pop-up Defining the area polygon helps confirm that you place all the devices within the area polygon and not outside it. Click <Yes> to draw the area polygon. Alternately, click <No> to discard the action. Recommended: Define area polygons if you have an irregularly shaped layout, as AP placements in such layouts might not be as expected. Then, the welcome screen appears. Steps in WLAN Planning The Welcome to WLAN Planning Workflow screen shows the steps in the WLAN Planning workflow. 56 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 65 WLAN Planning Wizard Figure 68. WLAN Planning – Welcome Screen Click each step in the workflow to view the information pop‐up for that step. For example, if you click Select AP Model and configuration, an information pop‐up for selecting AP models and their configuration appears. Figure 69. Select AP Model and Configuration – I-Pop-up On the WLAN Planning Wizard screens: • Click to view more information about the current step of the wizard. • Click <Restore To Defaults> to restore the wizard parameters to factory defaults. • Click <Cancel> to cancel the action and close the wizard. • Click <Back> to revert to the previous step in the wizard. • Click <Next> to go to the next step in the wizard. • Click <Finish> to finalize and save information entered in the wizard, and enable Planner to execute Planning as per your specifications. The WLAN Planning Wizard: Device Selection screen helps you select the desired AP model and set AP properties vital to WLAN performance. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 66 WLAN Planning Wizard Figure 70. WLAN Planning – Device Selection • Choose AP Model: Select the AP model from the drop‐down list. If the desired AP model does not exist in the device repository, click <Cancel> to exit the wizard and add the custom AP to the device repository by following steps in the Add AP section. Recommended: Choose a device with omni directional antenna, in order to get results that are more accurate for capacity calculations. Capacity calculation results may be incorrect when you use directional antennae. If the power values for the radios are invalid in the region for which you are planning, the planning wizard prompts you to select another radio or device. • The AP Properties table displays pre‐defined AP details like Radio(s), Active Protocol, Transmit Power (mW) and Antenna Gain (dBi). Enter the following details: Radio: Select the desired active protocol(s) of the AP you want to use on the current floor. 802.11n Properties: Click <View/Edit>. The IEEE 802.11n Advance Parameters dialog box appears. You could either view or change the advanced 802.11n parameters for that radio. Note: If you do not select the 802.11n protocol in the Radio field, the 802.11n Properties field is not applicable. Figure 71. 802.11n Advance Parameters Set the IEEE 802.11n Advance parameters: MIMO configuration: Displays the MIMO configuration you specified while adding an AP. This field is disabled and cannot be modified. You must go to the AP properties screen to modify the same. Channel Width (MHz): Specify the desired channel width. 58 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 67: Coverage Planning
For more details on the advance parameters, refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms. • Channel Allocation Strategy: Due to limited available frequency spectrum for 802.11 WLANs, dense AP deployment often requires spatial reuse of frequencies. The strategy you chose determines the set of available channels. Planner assigns channels to minimize interference. During on‐site planning, interference from the existing APs is considered. Select either of the options for channel allocation strategy. Only non overlapping channels: These are channels that do not interfere with each other. For example, in the US, 2.4 GHz band offers three non‐overlapping channels – 1, 6, and 11. All available channels: All channels are considered. For example, in the US 2.4 GHz band offers 11 channels. Using partially overlapping channels (say 1, 4, 7, 11) can improve overall WLAN capacity. The WLAN Planning Wizard: Planning Objective screen helps you specify the planning objective for the 802.11 WLAN, while also guiding you in planning. Figure 72. WLAN Planning – Planning Objective Planner allows you to choose the focus of WLAN planning. Based on the focus, Planner considers different factors for populating the number of APs required and their placement. Select one of the following options: • Coverage Planning: Select to plan the WLAN to enable users at most locations on the floor to connect with a specified minimum data rate. • Capacity Planning: Select to plan the WLAN to ensure connectivity with focus on user and application requirements. Depending on the planning focus that you chose in the previous step, Planner displays the Coverage Planning or Capacity Planning screen of the wizard. Once you are done with the WLAN planning, the WLAN Planning Wizard: Summary screen appears depending on the type of focus. If you wish to change the settings, click <Back>. Click <Finish> to exit the wizard. Planner will auto‐place the APs on the floor map, and assign channels to them. Coverage Planning If you have selected Coverage Planning in the previous step of the wizard, the WLAN Planning Wizard: Coverage Planning screen appears. The maximum data rate supported by an AP depends on the quality of the signal received from that AP. Due to RF path loss, the signal quality degrades as you move away from an AP, in turn leading to connectivity at lower data rates. In a coverage‐focused plan, you define a minimum data rate for the floor. You plan a WLAN such that users at most locations 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 68 WLAN Planning Wizard on the floor can connect with atleast the specified data rate. Figure 73. WLAN Planning – Coverage Planning • AP Model: Displays the AP Model. • The AP Properties table displays the Active Protocol. Enter the following details: Minimum Data Rate (Mbps): Select the minimum data rate for the current active protocols from the drop‐down list. The list contains available and applicable data rates for the active protocol set for each radio in the Device Selection step. Note: If you have selected the same active protocol for more than one radio in the Device Selection screen, Planner displays only one common row in the table in the above screen. Planner derives the data rate for 802.11n devices from the channel width and guard interval values. The WLAN Planning Wizard: Coverage Planning Summary screen appears. Figure 74. Coverage Planning Summary The Coverage Planning Summary screen gives you a summary of the coverage‐focused plan as per your requirements and 60 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 69: Capacity Planning
WLAN Planning Wizard specifications. It also gives you the number of APs, as estimated by Planner to suit your requirements of coverage. Capacity Planning If you have selected Capacity Planning in the previous step of the wizard, the WLAN Planning Wizard: Capacity Planning – Parameters screen appears. Capacity of an AP refers to the maximum achievable throughput of that AP. Several factors such as number of active users, type of applications, RF interference and so on affect the capacity of an AP. To provide enough bandwidth per user, you must plan a WLAN by considering these factors in addition to coverage. Figure 75. WLAN Planning – Capacity Planning Specify the parameters for Capacity Planning: • Number of active users on the layout: The expected number of users simultaneously accessing the WLAN on the current floor. • Typical expected throughput per user: Specify the bandwidth typically required per user. The total expected WLAN capacity is a product of the number of active users and bandwidth required per user. Click <Help Me> to view the typical per user throughput for various application types. • Percentage uplink traffic: Specify the percentage flow of uplink traffic. Uplink traffic refers to the flow of traffic to an AP in a WLAN. The amount of uplink traffic indicates the conflict among users for medium access. Note: A high percentage of uplink traffic with a large number of active users will degrade an AP’s bandwidth due to high contention. • Provision for VoIP: Select to enable Planner to provide for VoIP. VoIP has a major impact on capacity planning and is determined by: Voice codec type: Select the voice codec type from the drop‐down list. Voice traffic: Specify the percentage voice traffic. Number of voice calls per AP: Specify the maximum number of VoIP calls that an AP can simultaneously support. The WLAN Planning Wizard: Capacity Planning – Advance Parameters screen appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 70 WLAN Planning Wizard Figure 76. Capacity Planning – Advance Parameters Specify the factors you would like to consider for WLAN capacity planning. These are ‘What‐If’ scenarios. • Select the effects on AP capacity: 802.11 medium access anomaly: Select to consider the proportion of active users at various data rates. 802.11 medium access contention: Select to consider bandwidth contention determined by the total number of active users per AP and the amount of uplink traffic. 802.11 bandwidth efficiency: Select to consider the impact of overhead on bandwidth efficiency. • Select either of the type of per AP capacity estimate (based on the selected factors) to plan the WLAN: Conservative: Uses the worst case per AP capacity to estimate the number of APs required. This option usually estimates more number of APs. Optimistic: Might overestimate per AP capacity than observed in practice. This usually requires less number of APs compared to the Conservative estimate. Average: Moderately estimates per AP capacity and is a balance between the Conservative and Optimistic options. This is the default selected. • Accounting for the effect of Wi‐Fi interference gives a more accurate estimate of capacity. For instance, in a scenario with densely packed APs, the inter‐AP interference may considerably degrade the capacity. In some cases, the capacity requirement may not be feasible due to high interference. Specify if you want to consider the effect of Wi‐Fi Interference. Yes No The WLAN Planning Wizard: Capacity Planning Summary screen appears. 62 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 71 WLAN Planning Wizard Figure 77. Capacity Planning Summary The Capacity Planning Summary screen gives you a summary of the capacity‐focused plan as per your requirements and specifications, results of the ‘What‐If Scenario Analysis’, and the number of APs, as estimated by Planner to suit the user and application requirements of capacity. Planner also gives you its analysis of feasibility of capacity planning as ‘Passed!’ or ‘Failed!’, with the given settings. It estimates if the planned capacity is achievable with the current configuration; and if it is not, then it gives the potential reason for failure. • If the Capacity Feasibility Check is ‘Passed!’ (Green), it implies that the planned capacity is achieved. Figure 78. Capacity Planning Summary – Passed! (Green) • If the Capacity Feasibility Check is ‘Passed?’ (Orange), it implies that the planned capacity is achieved. However, there are some extra APs, which Planner cannot place using Auto AP placement on the layout. This screen also displays a ‘?’ link for Estimated max capacity (with Wi‐Fi interference) in the ‘What‐If Scenario Analysis’ section. This implies that Planner is unable to calculate the estimated maximum capacity with Wi‐Fi interference as all the estimated devices are not placed on the layout. Clicking <Passed?> or <?> tells you that the auto AP placement is not able to place all the APs for the selected layout. Hence, you must manually place the remaining APs at the desired locations after you exit the wizard. It also asks you to use Auto Channel Allocation to minimize interference. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 72: Auto Device Placement
WLAN Planning Wizard Figure 79. Capacity Planning Summary – Passed? (Orange) • If the Capacity Feasibility Check is ‘Failed!’, Planner also gives the potential reason for the failure. Figure 80. Capacity Planning Summary – Failed! Click <Failed> to view the reason for failure. The ‘What‐If Scenario Analysis’ is useful to understand the reason for failure. Conditions for failure: If the expected capacity you specified is greater than the estimated capacity without Wi‐Fi interference, the planned capacity is not feasible. If the expected capacity you specified is greater than the estimated capacity with Wi‐Fi interference, the planned capacity is not feasible. Once you click <Finish> in either of the above summary screens, Planner starts Auto Device Placement explained in detail in the next section. Auto Device Placement Planner considers the following factors during Auto Device Placement. 64 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 73: Auto Channel Allocation
WLAN Planning Wizard • Whether there are any Area Polygons defined. If an Area Polygon is defined, Planner tries to place the calculated number of devices within the Area Polygon. If there are no Area Polygons defined, Planner places the devices on the layout at the calculated locations. After either of the above steps, if still more devices are left, then Planner displays a message that the remaining devices cannot be placed automatically and hence you can manually place the same at any desired location on the floor map. Planner shows a list of these devices in the Devices Library dialog box under Auto AP section. You can drag and drop these devices on the floor map. The device is of the same type as was selected during Device Selection in the WLAN planning wizard. Auto Channel Allocation Due to limited available frequency spectrum for 802.11 WLANs, dense AP deployment often requires spatial reuse of frequencies. The strategy you chose determines the set of available channels. Channels are assigned to minimize interference. If you had placed some devices manually, or had selected cross floor devices using the Filter option; Planner considers interference from these devices during Auto Channel allocation to determine the best available channel for a device. Select either of the options for channel allocation strategy. Planner enables you to automatically allocate channels once the APs are placed on the floor map. Click from the Toolbar to invoke channel allocation strategy. The Channel Allocation Strategy dialog box appears. Figure 81. Channel Allocation Strategy Specify the channels you want to assign to the devices. • Non overlapping channels: These are channels that do not interfere with each other. For example, in the US, 2.4 GHz band offers three non‐overlapping channels – 1, 6, and 11. • All available channels: All channels are considered. For example, in the US 2.4 GHz band offers 11 channels. Using partially overlapping channels (for example, 1, 4, 7, 11) can improve overall WLAN capacity. Estimating the Capacity At any given point, if you want to estimate the capacity, click on the Toolbar. Planner displays a dialog box mentioning the estimated capacity for the layout. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 74: Chapter 7 Device Placement On The Layout Model
Device Placement on the Layout Model Chapter 7 Device Placement on the Layout Model Device placement enables you to: • Plan the location of Sensors and APs on the layout model • Create ‘What‐If’ scenarios • Generate RF views to get visibility into the security exposure and RF coverage • Use various filters to get most relevant views Planning Device Placement Planning Device Placement is divided into: • RF View Area • Status and Control Pane 7.1.1 RF View Area The RF View Area helps plan device placement for better network and coverage for the layout. Planner allows you to view the RF View Area in the ‘Full Screen’ mode. To do so, click Ctrl+F11. In the Full screen mode, the Toolbar, Status and Control Pane, and the Locations tree are rendered invisible, thus allowing you to use the complete screen to view the RF maps. Use the same command to return to the normal mode again. Figure 82. Planning Device Placement: RF View Area RF views (also called RF maps) are classified into three groups as shown in the following table. 66 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 75: Status And Control Pane
SINR View Coverage View Sensor Views Threat View Redundancy View Calibration View Calibration Note: Whenever you shift from one tab of the RF view to another, Planner displays an Information message describing that tab. 7.1.2 Status and Control Pane The Status and Control pane is divided into two. One part appears one the Toolbar at the top of the screen, while the second part appears on the lower pane at the bottom of the screen. These are described in detail in the section Planning Device Placement: Status and Control. Planning Device Placement: Views for Indoor and Outdoor Layout Placement of devices like APs and Sensors result in Indoor and Outdoor views. You can disable an AP by right‐clicking the AP and selecting Disable AP. Similarly, you can enable an AP by right‐clicking and selecting Enable AP. An enabled AP is represented as while a disabled AP is represented as . Likewise, you can enable/disable a Sensor too. An enabled Sensor is represented as while a disabled Sensor is represented as . This is just a viewing option for ‘What‐If’ scenarios. You can also view the coverage of a device on different floors using the Filter option in all the views except the Calibration View. In case of cross‐floor, if an AP or Sensor is visible on a layout but belongs to a floor above or below, then that AP or Sensor is represented with an UP arrow or DOWN arrow . 7.2.1 AP Coverage View This view displays color‐coded RSSI distribution over the current layout. It helps you plan for available signal strength at a specific location and check the availability of RF signal at different locations on the plan. This helps you ensure that all the regions in the plan have coverage from at least one AP. In case there is more than one AP covering an area on the layout, you can see the strongest signal strength in this view. Clicking at a point on the layout displays the predicted RSSI at that point in the Status bar. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 76 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 83. AP Coverage View: Indoor Layout Figure 84. AP Coverage View: Outdoor Layout 68 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 77: Ap Channel View
Device Placement on the Layout Model Color Palette Customization: Double‐click the Color Index in the Status bar. This opens the Color dialog box where you can customize the colors. Note: You can customize the Color Palette in all the other views too. Figure 85. Planning Device Placement: Customize Color Dialog Box 7.2.2 AP Channel View This view displays the channel distribution over the current layout. The operating channel of the AP that provides maximum link speed at a location decides the channel value at that location. This view helps you decide the channel that should be used at a location for the best performance. This view displays the color‐coded channel of the AP showing the maximum downlink data rate at each point on the layout. Planner helps predict the AP to which a Client should associate for better signal strength and link speed. Visual display of channel distribution also helps you resolve channel overlap conditions. If you set the AP to a particular channel, you can see the color of the coverage area changed to the corresponding channel color. You can select one or any combination or all three protocols to view the channel coverage for those protocols on the layout. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 78 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 86. AP Channel View: Indoor Layout Figure 87. AP Channel View: Outdoor Layout 70 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 79: Ap Link Speed View
Device Placement on the Layout Model 7.2.3 AP Link Speed View This view helps you plan for available downlink connectivity speeds and the choice of wireless Clients that should be used at various locations on the layout. It displays the maximum downlink data rate that a wireless Client can expect from a connection. It shows the 802.11 downlink connection speed available at each point on the layout. This view also helps you plan for minimum link speed at all locations on the current layout. Figure 88. AP Link Speed View: Indoor Layout 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 80: Ap Interference View
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 89. AP Link Speed View: Outdoor Layout 7.2.4 AP Interference View This view displays the level of 802.11 channel interference at various locations on the plan. The interference is based on the signal strength of different APs, operating on the same channel, at that location. This view helps you plan for minimum interference to provide better network connectivity and better throughput for higher end user satisfaction. There are Interference View checkboxes at the bottom of the AP Interference View screen. • Co Channel: Select to show interference due to channels with the same frequency • Adjacent Channel: Select to show interference due to adjacent channels • Select both the checkboxes to view the total channel interference due to both Co‐Channel and Adjacent Channel channels. The color palette displays six levels of interference: Negligible, Very Low, Low, Moderate, High, and Very High. The Network Utilization drop‐down list at the bottom right corner of the screen allows you to choose Low, Medium, or High level of network utilization with which channel interference is to be computed. Network Utilization is a measure of the amount of 802.11 activity that is the traffic generated due to communication between 802.11 devices in the network. It also depends upon the channel of the communicating devices. Communication on a channel adds load to itself and to adjacent channels (in case of 802.11b and 802.11g) due to overlap in frequency spectrum of adjacent channels. Click <Select Channels> at the bottom right corner to view the panel of channels operating on various protocols. You can select the channels in this panel. All the channels that are not selected, do not contribute to the interference. For example, if you do not select channel 6 and there is a device on the layout operating on channel 6, Planner does not consider this device for calculating interference. You can also view the channel interference for certain channels by going to Tools Settings Preferences AP Views. 72 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 81 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 90. Interference View: Selecting Channels Figure 91. AP Interference View: Indoor Layout 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 82: Ap Redundancy View
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 92. AP Interference View: Outdoor Layout 7.2.5 AP Redundancy View This view displays the area on the layout covered by a set of AP radios. It is useful in planning for improved network availability in case of device breakdown, AP malfunction, capacity planning, and planned outages. Each AP Redundancy value is mapped to a color code. You can set the values using the color palette given at the bottom of the AP Redundancy View. 74 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 83 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 93. AP Redundancy View: Indoor Layout Figure 94. AP Redundancy View: Outdoor Layout 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 84: Ap Sinr View
Device Placement on the Layout Model 7.2.6 AP SINR View This view displays the signal‐to‐interference‐and‐noise ratio (SINR) values at different areas on the layout. SINR is the ratio of the received signal to the amount of interference and ambient noise at a given location on the layout. SINR determines the maximum date rate or the link speed feasible at a given point on the layout. If SINR is poor, see the AP Interference View to determine if the amount of interference is the limiting factor. The SINR levels are color‐coded. The color palette shows five levels of SINR values: Very Poor, Poor, Moderate, Good, and Excellent. Figure 95. AP SINR View: Indoor Layout 76 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 85: Sensor Coverage View
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 96. AP SINR View: Outdoor Layout 7.2.7 Sensor Coverage View This view helps plan the placement of Sensors. It displays the zone of visibility for each Sensor. Sensors can cover 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a/n, and 802.11b/g/n protocols. Sensors are placed on the layout such that they can detect WLAN activity at each point on the layout and its perimeter and can prevent unauthorized activity. Recommended: Plan Sensor placement such that each point on the layout and its perimeter is visible to two or three Sensors. You can do this using the Sensor Redundancy View. There are two ranges for Sensors’ RF visibility: Detection and Prevention. You can view either the Prevention range, or the Detection range, or both using the two checkboxes: Show Prevention and Show Detection provided at the bottom of the screen. • Detection Range: Area from which Sensors can reliably detect any wireless activity. Detection is based on data rate (link speed) of protocols. Specify the data rate or use the Device Transmit Power (dBm) slider to control the data rate for which you want to see detection. Sensors can detect all the devices (with transmit power set greater than that in the slider bar) located within its detection range. For further specific results, select certain protocols and then specify the data rates for each. Note: If you disable a protocol, the view will change accordingly and show prevention and detection only for the active protocols. • Prevention Range: Area over which Sensors can reliably prevent any unauthorized wireless activity and block unwanted WLAN devices. You can also use the Prevention Reliability slider to control the prevention range. As the prevention reliability increases, the prevention range reduces. Low Prevention Reliability indicates the optimistic estimates of the prevention range of Sensors. The actual prevention range is likely to be less than the predicted prevention range. Medium Prevention Reliability indicates the most likely prevention range of Sensors. The actual prevention range is likely to be comparable with the predicted prevention range. High Prevention Reliability indicates conservative estimates of the prevention range of Sensors. The actual prevention range is likely to be greater than the predicted prevention range. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 86 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 97. Sensor Coverage View: Indoor Layout Figure 98. Sensor Coverage View: Outdoor Layout 78 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 87: Sensor Threat View
Device Placement on the Layout Model 7.2.8 Sensor Threat View This view displays the area beyond the detection and prevention ranges of the Sensors. It shows the areas with security lapses, which may be subjected to different kinds of threats and attacks. This view enables you to identify the type of threat depending on the type of device: AP, Sensor, and Client. The risk/safety levels are color‐coded. It helps you identify the number of Sensors needed to adequately cover the layout against threats. Planner supports the following types of threats: • Rogue AP • Honeypot AP • Ad hoc connection • DoS Attack • MAC Spoofing • Client Misassociation • Misconfigured AP • Unauthorized Association Figure 99. Sensor Threat View: Indoor Layout 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 88: Sensor Redundancy View
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 100. Sensor Threat View: Outdoor Layout 7.2.9 Sensor Redundancy View This view displays the area covered by a set of Sensors. It is useful in planning for improved security cover in case of Sensor breakdown, malfunction, planned outages, and for location tracking by 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise. You can set the Redundancy value using the slider bar at the bottom of the screen. Recommended: Use a Sensor redundancy of three for location tracking. All the locations on the layout should appear to be colored; any region which is white indicates that the region is not secured due to absence of signal from a Sensor. 80 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 89 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 101. Sensor Redundancy View: Indoor Layout Figure 102. Sensor Redundancy View: Outdoor Layout 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 90: Calibration View
Device Placement on the Layout Model 7.2.10 Calibration View This view displays a predefined set of points where you need to collect signal strength. These predefined set of points are called system generated points and the placement of these points depends on various factors like location of floor objects, their material type, and so on. This view helps you fine tune the current predictions closer to real life values. For this, Planner needs to collect signal strength values at various places. Note: Calibration View is not available for outdoor planning. Figure 103. Calibration View: Indoor Layout To take readings, move to a location on the floor and double‐click the location point. Planner will automatically collect the signal strength and average it over a period for stable readings. You can also take readings at any location by right‐clicking that point and selecting <Take Reading>. 82 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 91: Planning Device Placement : Status And Control
Select the desired AP’s signal strength and click <OK>. This creates a user‐defined point. After taking readings at all points, click <Calibrate>. Planner will calculate the signal loss due to objects and other factors based on the measured signal strength. This process completes the loop of starting with RF prediction and using the actual measured signal strength to fine tune the RF prediction. The following options are disabled in Calibration View: • Layout edit options like drawing, rotate, cut, copy, paste, and so on • Spillage View • Generate Report • Statistics Planning Device Placement: Status and Control Planner provides several options for setting the status and controls, and generating RF views. You can define settings from the Toolbar at the top of the screen and the lower pane at the bottom of the screen displaying the color palette. Figure 105. Status and Control Pane – Toolbar Figure 106. Status and Control Pane – Lower Pane 7.3.1 Signal Certainty Level The Signal Certainty Level tab on the Toolbar enables you to choose the reliability level of the predicted RF signal values. Choose from Low, Medium, or High signal certainty values from the drop‐down list. Clicking the Signal Certainty Level tab displays an information pop‐up. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 92: Accuracy
Status and Control Pane: Signal Certainty Level I-Pop-up 7.3.2 Accuracy The Accuracy tab on the Toolbar allows you to set four levels of accuracy for RF computations with 1 being the lowest (default) and 4 being the highest. Computation time for creating RF maps increases with the accuracy level. 7.3.3 Opacity The Opacity option helps you view the floor model and coverage together. Select the Opacity value from the drop‐down list. Opacity value of 0% makes the coverage colors transparent while a value of 100% makes the coverage colors opaque. 7.3.4 Show Grid Click from the Toolbar to view the grid on the layout. This helps view the cell distance. 7.3.5 View Layout Model Click from the Toolbar to view the layout model. This helps you verify the locations of the devices placed on the layout along with the original .gif or .jpg image. 7.3.6 Show RF Signal Click . from the Toolbar to view the RF signals of the layout. This helps you view the color‐coded signal coverage of the devices on the layout, across different views. 7.3.7 Show Spillage View Click from the Toolbar to invoke the Spillage View. This view displays color‐coded RSSI distribution over and around the perimeter of the current layout. It helps you analyze the security exposure due to spillage of the signals outside the perimeter of the current layout. You can minimize the security threats from war drivers and eavesdroppers based on the results of the Spillage View. Planner assumes the area outside the layout to be free space for RF prediction. Higher Sensor coverage outside the perimeter of the layout indicates a better coverage for security exposure. With larger coverage, a device that is far away from the layout perimeter can also be detected by the Sensor and the transmission can be prevented, if found malicious. 84 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 93: Selecting Protocols
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 108. Spillage View Note: The Spillage View option is available only in the AP Coverage View, Sensor Coverage View, and Sensor Threat View. 7.3.8 Selecting Protocols Planner allows you to select protocols. You can try various ‘What‐If’ scenarios using combinations of protocols and WLAN devices. You can select the following: • 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a/n, or 802.11b/g/n protocols • An isolated view of the selected WLAN devices The view changes according to the selected protocol. If you select more than one protocol, Planner shows all those protocols simultaneously. Selecting more than one protocol can sometimes lead to missing details for a specific protocol because of overlap. Using the Filter dialog box, you can view the coverage of a device above and below the current floor. The dialog box also displays details like the name of the device, the name of the layout where the device is located, and the level. Use the following steps to select the protocols. Click from the Toolbar. Select the desired protocol and device in the Filters dialog box. Click <Apply>. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 94: Calculate/Calibrate Button
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 109. Filters In the above figure, Show Coverage For Devices has the following options: • On Current Layout Shows devices placed on the current layout Displays coverage only for those devices placed on the current layout • On Layout Above Shows devices placed on the layout above the current layout Displays coverage only for those devices placed on the layout above the current layout • On Layout Below Shows devices placed on the layout below the current layout Displays coverage only for those devices placed on the layout below the current layout 7.3.9 Calculate/Calibrate Button RF computation is required whenever you: • Add, move, or change the properties of an AP or a Sensor • Change a layout or its properties • Change the spillage factor, attenuation factor, or the accuracy level Click <Calculate> to perform RF computations. If RF computation is pending, a comment in red ‘Recalculation Needed’ appears below the Calculate button. The <Calibrate> button replaces the <Calculate> button when you are on the Calibration tab. Click <Calibrate> to take readings and collect signal strengths at various points on the layout. 7.3.10 Color Palette This section shows the color palette used in the planning of Device Placement views. Double‐click the Color Index to open the Color dialog box where you can customize the colors. 86 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 95: Status Bar
Status and Control Pane: RSSI Display 7.4.3 Layout Dimensions The status bar displays the dimensions of the layout. Figure 113. Status and Control Pane: Layout Dimensions 7.4.4 Current Mode The status bar displays the name of the icon on which the cursor points. Figure 114. Status and Control Pane: Current Mode 7.4.5 Interference The status bar displays the channels that experience high interference. Figure 115. Status and Control Pane: Interference 7.4.6 SINR The status bar displays the SINR level at a particular location on the layout. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 96: Device Library
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 116. Status and Control Pane: SINR Device Library Click on the Toolbar to invoke the Device Library dialog box. The Device Library dialog box displays the available APs and Sensors. It has two tabs: Access Points and Sensors. You can directly drag and drop the devices from this list at an appropriate place on the floor map. Figure 117. Device Library The Access Points tree on the Access Points tab consists of: • Auto AP: Lists devices that were calculated during WLAN Planning, but could not be placed on the layout. • New AP: Displays the default AP set in the Planner application. Click the AP, and drag and drop it on the floor map. Planner creates an instance of that AP. To change the default AP properties, right‐click the AP and select Properties. The Default AP Properties dialog box appears as explained in the Settings: AP Defaults section. • Visible APs: Lists all the visible APs seen by the Client in the air. These devices are pre‐configured with the properties that the Client sees in the air. The Sensors tree on the Sensors tab consists of: • New Sensor: Displays the default Sensor set in the Planner application. Click the Sensor, and drag and drop it on the floor map. Planner creates an instance of that Sensor. To change the default Sensor properties, right‐click the Sensor and select Properties. The Default Sensor Properties dialog box appears as explained in the Settings: Sensor Defaults section. Note: Planner shows the free space reach of a device in the form of concentric spheres when you drag a device onto the layout. These spheres serve as useful guidelines while deciding the placement of devices. 88 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 97: Device Properties
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 118. Device Library: Display Coverage Area of the Device Once you place the devices on the layout, they do not appear in the list. These devices appear in the Devices Tree on the left pane of the screen. You can change the location of a device by dragging the device to the new location. Device Properties You can change the device properties of APs and Sensors used to plan the layout. 7.6.1 Access Point Properties To modify the properties of an AP placed on the layout, do either of the following: • Right‐click the AP and select Properties • Right‐click or double‐click the AP in the Device List and select Properties • Double‐click the AP The Access Point Properties dialog box appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 98 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 119. Access Point Properties You can set the following AP parameters. • Name: Enter a unique name by which the AP is identified. • Model: Select an AP Model from the drop‐down list of commercially available AP models. Planner enables, disables, or changes the other properties in this dialog box based on the selected AP model. • Ethernet MAC: Enter the Ethernet MAC Address of the AP. • Select Radio: Select the radio from the drop‐down list. • Radio Properties MAC Address: Enter the MAC Address of the radio. SSID: Enter the SSID of the AP’s radio. Click <Add> to add the SSID to the List of SSIDs. List of SSIDs: Displays the list of SSIDs of the AP’s radio. Click <Delete> to delete an SSID selected from the List of SSIDs. Antenna: Select an antenna from the drop‐down list. Click <More> to view additional details of the antenna. The Select Antenna dialog box appears which helps you add or select the antenna in a better manner, from the list of available antennae. Orientation: Select a direction in which the antenna would radiate its power. The preview reflects the antenna radiation based on the antenna selected. Active Protocol: Select an active protocol from the drop‐down list. Each radio can operate on any one of the protocols. Channel: Select an operating channel for the selected protocol. Select primary and secondary channels from the drop‐down list. The difference between the primary and secondary channel values is four units. 90 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 99: Sensor Properties
Device Placement on the Layout Model Waterfall Curve: Select a waterfall curve from the drop‐down list of available waterfall curves for the selected protocol. Power (mW): Select a power level from the supported power values at which the AP will operate for each selected protocol. You must keep the default values, which are based on the maximum transmit power for the protocol as permitted by the regulatory agencies in the countries for which you are doing the WLAN planning. Refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms for more details on regulatory domain compliance. Click <Advanced Parameters> to set advance 802.11n parameters. Note: There is only one channel in case of 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g protocols. Advanced Parameters is available only for the 802.11n protocol. Click <Save> to save the changes. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the changes. 7.6.2 Sensor Properties To modify the properties of a Sensor placed on the layout, do either of the following: • Right‐click the Sensor and select Properties • Right‐click or double‐click the Sensor in the Device List and select Properties • Double‐click the Sensor The Sensor Properties dialog box appears. Figure 120. Sensor Properties You can set the following: • Name: Enter a unique name by which the Sensor is identified. • Model: Select a Sensor Model from the drop‐down list of commercially available Sensor models. Planner enables, disables, or changes the other properties in this dialog box based on the selected Sensor model. • Ethernet MAC: Enter the Ethernet MAC Address of the Sensor. • Select Radio: Select the radio from the drop‐down list. • Radio Properties 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 100: Viewing Signal Strength
Power (mW): Select a power level from the supported power values at which the Sensor operates for each selected protocol. You must keep the default values, which are based on the maximum transmit power for the protocol as permitted by the regulatory agencies in the countries for which you are doing the WLAN planning. (Example: FCC in the United States). Refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms for more details on regulatory domain compliance. Waterfall Curve: Select a waterfall curve from the drop‐down list of available waterfall curves for the selected protocol. Advanced Parameters: Click to set the advance 802.11n parameters. This is available only if you have selected the 802.11n protocol. Click <Save> to save the changes. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the changes. Viewing Signal Strength Planner enables you to view the signal strength of all the devices placed on the floor map across a layout. Use either of the following to view the signal strength: • Click from the Toolbar • Right‐click anywhere on the floor map and select View signal Strength The View Signal Strength screen appears. Figure 121. Viewing Signal Strength The screen displays the signal strength values and device details such as the Device Name, Radio ID, Active Protocol, SSID, Signal Strength, and Link Speed of the devices on the floor map. The Signal Strength and Link Speed values change as you move the cursor across the floor map. Statistics Statistics gives the percentage (%) area under specific RF coverage as compared to the total layout area. Click on the Toolbar to invoke Statistics. RF coverage for statistical analysis includes: • Access Point Views: Coverage, Link Speed, and Channel Interference • Sensor Views: Sensor Detection Only, Sensor Prevention Only, and Sensor Redundancy Note: To view the Statistics for the Sensor Views, switch to the Sensor View group and click the Statistics icon. 92 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 101 Device Placement on the Layout Model If you choose a specific area with the Area Polygon option, you can view statistics for different regions such as: • All Defined Area • Only Selected Area • Area Not Covered By Defined Area • Complete Layout Figure 122. Statistics: Area – Signal Distribution Figure 123. Statistics: Area - Link Speed Distribution 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 102 Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 124. Statistics: Area – Channel Interference Distribution Figure 125. Statistics: Area - Sensor Detection Note: To view the Statistics for Sensor Prevention, ensure that you have selected the Show Prevention checkbox in the Sensor Coverage View. 94 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 103: Saving The File
Device Placement on the Layout Model Figure 126. Statistics: Area - Sensor Prevention Figure 127. Statistics: Area - Sensor Redundancy Saving the File After you have planned the entire network, you must save the file. If you have not saved the file, Planner prompts you to save the file, under the following circumstances: • Open another file. • Create a new file. • Save as a different file. • Generate a Report. • Exit Planner. 7.10 Saving the Project File After you have planned all the layouts under a project, you must save the project. If you have not saved the project, Planner prompts you to save the project, under the following circumstances: 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 104 Device Placement on the Layout Model • Open another project. • Create a new project. • Save as a different project. • Export the whole project for import into 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise or any other system running Planner. • Exit Planner. 96 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 105: Chapter 8 Settings
Settings Chapter 8 Settings Settings: Invoking from Tools Menu Figure 128. Settings: Invoking from Tools Menu The Settings window contains the following: • Preferences • AP Defaults • Sensor Defaults Settings: Preferences Go to Settings Preferences, the Preferences screen opens in the Layout Designer tab. Figure 129. Preferences – Layout Designer 8.2.1 Preferences: Layout Designer The Layout Designer allows you to perform the following functions on the Layout Designer. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 106: Preferences: Ap Views
• Tolerance: Specify the tolerance in the range of 1 to 20. For example, if you click the mouse 20 pixels away from the declared tolerance value, the cursor will select the device. • Angular Line Settings: Default Width: Specify the desired width to draw all angular lines. • Hollow Object Settings: Default Thickness: Specify the desired thickness to draw all hollow objects. 8.2.2 Preferences: AP Views Go to Settings Preferences AP Views, the AP Views tab appears. Figure 130. Preferences – AP Views The screen allows you to define AP and Channel views settings: • AP View Settings Ambient Noise: Specify a value to calculate the SINR value with respect to the total channel interference across the layout. Recommended: Do not change the Ambient Noise values unless you are very sure of the environment properties. Coverage Estimation Thresholds: Specify the threshold for the coverage outlines shown for APs while dragging those on the layout. Enter the values in the range ‐100 to ‐10 dBm. Planner shows the areas covered in the form of concentric spheres, depending upon the values specified for the regions. You can have a maximum of four separate regions. Planner assumes an Omni‐directional antenna in this case. • Channel View Settings Availability Threshold: Define a threshold value for the Channel View. Planner does not consider a signal below this value, while calculating the channel at a location. The value should be in the range ‐150 to ‐20. See Channel Interference for: Allows you to view channel interference for the selected channels. 8.2.3 Preferences: Sensor Views Go to Settings Preferences Sensor Views, the Sensor Views tab appears. 98 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 107: Preferences: Color Palettes
Figure 131. Preferences – Sensor Views The prevention and detection thresholds are different for different protocols. The above screen enables you to set the prevention and detection threshold values for these protocols. • Sensor View Settings Protocol: Select a protocol from the drop‐down list. The right pane of the screen displays the detection and prevention fields for the selected protocol. Detection Threshold: Specify the lowest signal strength below which the Sensor must not consider any signal for computing the detection range in the 802.11 (a, b/g, a/n, b/g/n) protocol. If you are doing a conservative Sensor placement, specify a higher cut‐off value. Prevention Threshold: Specify the values for Low Reliability, Med Reliability, and High Reliability. The Reliability slider takes from these values in the Prevention View for the respective protocol. For example, if you set the Reliability slider to Low, Planner uses the low reliability threshold value. (Minimum: ‐90 dBm; Maximum: 0 dBm; Default: ‐85 dBm) 8.2.4 Preferences: Color Palettes Go to Settings Preferences Color Palettes, the Color Palettes tab appears. Figure 132. Preferences – Color Palettes • Select Color Palette for: Select an RF view from the drop‐down list, for which you want to set the color palette. • Color Index (dBm): Double‐click the color index to change the color palette settings. 8.2.5 Preferences: Calibration Go to Settings Preferences Calibration, the Calibration tab appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 108: Settings : Ap Defaults
Settings Figure 133. Preferences – Calibration • Create System Defined Calibration Points: Select the checkbox to create system defined calibration points. This enables you to specify the pairs of points for calibration. Planner creates these points around a material when you are in the Calibration View. These points are represented by the icon. • Specify Number of Pairs: Specify the number of pairs of calibration points. The default value is 4 pairs. Settings: AP Defaults You can invoke the Settings dialog box in two ways: • Select Settings from the Tools menu. • Right‐click the AP in the AP tree in the Device Library window and select Properties. The Default AP Properties dialog box appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 109 Settings Figure 134. Settings – AP Defaults Define settings for the following AP parameters. • AP Prefix: Specify the text to prefix to an AP when APs are numbered. • Model: Select an AP model from the drop‐down list of commercially available AP models. Planner enables, disables, or changes the other properties in this dialog box based on the selected AP model. • Select Radio: Select the radio from the drop‐down list. • Radio Properties SSID: Enter the SSID of the AP’s radio. Click <Add> to add an SSID in the List of SSIDs. List of SSIDs: Displays the list of SSIDs of the AP’s radio. Click <Delete> to delete an SSID selected from the List of SSIDs. Antenna: Select an antenna from the drop‐down list. Click <More> to view additional details of the antenna. The Select Antenna dialog box appears which helps you add or select the antenna in a better manner, from the list of available antennae. Orientation: Select a direction in which the antenna would radiate its power. The preview reflects the antenna radiation based on the antenna selected. Active Protocol: Select an active protocol from the drop‐down list. Each radio can operate on any one of the protocols. Channel: Select an operating channel for the selected protocol. Select the primary and secondary channels from the drop‐down list. The difference between the primary and secondary channel values is four units. Waterfall Curve: Select a waterfall curve from the drop‐down list of available waterfall curves for the selected protocol. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 110: Settings : Sensor Defaults
Refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms for more details on regulatory domain compliance. Click <Advanced Parameters> to set advance 802.11n parameters. Note: There is only one channel in case of 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g protocols. Advanced Parameters is available only for the 802.11n protocol. Click <Save> to save the changes. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the changes. Settings: Sensor Defaults You can invoke Settings for Sensor Defaults in two ways: • Select Settings from the Tools menu. • Right‐click the Sensor in the Sensor tree in the Device Library window and select Properties. The Default AP Properties dialog box appears. Figure 135. Settings – Sensor Defaults Define settings for the following Sensor properties: • Sensor Prefix: Specify the text to prefix to a Sensor when Sensors are numbered. • Model: Select a Sensor model from the drop‐down list of commercially available Sensor models. Planner enables, disables, or changes the other properties in this dialog box based on the selected Sensor model. • Select Radio: Select the radio from the drop‐down list. • Radio Properties Antenna: Select an antenna from the drop‐down list. Click <More> to view additional details of the antenna. The Select Antenna dialog box appears which helps you add or select the antenna in a better manner, from the list of available antennae. It is a good practice to keep Sensor antennae to be dipole or omni‐directional, which enables the Sensor to detect and prevent attacks from any direction. Orientation: Select a direction from where the antenna would receive its power. The preview reflects the antenna radiation based on the antenna selected. Active Protocol: Select an active protocol from the drop‐down list. Each radio can operate on any one of the protocols. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 111 Settings Power (mW): Select a power level from the supported power values at which the Sensor operates for each selected protocol. You must keep the default values, which are based on the maximum transmit power for the protocol as permitted by the regulatory agencies in the countries for which you are doing the WLAN planning (Example: FCC in the United States). Refer to Appendix D: Glossary of Terms for more details on regulatory domain compliance. Waterfall Curve: Select a waterfall curve from the drop‐down list of available waterfall curves for the selected protocol. Advanced Parameters: Click to set advance 802.11n parameters. This is available only if you have selected 802.11n protocol. Click <Save> to save the changes. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the changes. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 112: Chapter 9 Generating Output From Planner
Generating Output from Planner Chapter 9 Generating Output from Planner Planner generates a comprehensive report giving the architect’s drawings, BoM for WLAN devices, information about APs’ and Sensors’ configuration, original layouts, and all the security exposure and network coverage RF views generated during planning. It also replays customer input as a ready reference. The report is configurable where by you can select any of the above for inclusion in the report. For example, you may want to restrict the report to only BoM or security analysis (leaving out network details). The report is generated in MS WORD. The compliance report is generated in the XML format. Contents of the generated reports are: • BoM (Bill of Material): Contains a tabulated list of APs and Sensors placed on the layout along with the location on the floor map. This report is useful to understand the equipment requirement and placement. • Introduction Report: Explains the entire process from the customer input to the 3Com Corporation output. It also describes the Planning Methodology and Objectives, the general assumptions made for modeling a WLAN, and the observations that you can make based on the RF plan. • Compliance Report: Contains the configuration details of APs and Sensors placed on the layout. You can import this report into a WLAN Controller, so that you do not have to reconfigure the controllers for APs and Sensors. There is no specific industry format for this kind of report and hence 3Com Corporation has decided this format. • Layout Report: Contains details of the Work Order, WLAN Coverage Map, Security Exposure Map, AP Coverage Redundancy Map, Link Speed Map, Channel Allocation Map, Sensor Coverage Map, Sensor External Map, and Sensor Redundancy Map. Note: You cannot generate any report without completing the calculations for all the RF views. WLAN Planning Report You can generate a WLAN planning report in two ways: Go to File Generate Report. Click on the Toolbar. Figure 136. Generate Report: Invoking from File Menu Note: If you have not saved the project file for which you are to generate a report, Planner prompts you to do so. ...
Page 113 Generating Output from Planner Figure 137. Generating a Report Enter the details to generate the report. • Work Order Number: Enter the work order number. • Customer Name: Enter the name of the customer for whom you are generating the report. • Click <Change Report Generation Details> to change the report details. The Report Details dialog box appears. Figure 138. Report Details 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 114 You cannot edit the Work Order Number and Customer Name fields from this screen. However, you can edit the following details of the report: Location Name: Specify the desired name of the building Address 1, Address 2: Specify the desired address of the layout City: Specify the city where the layout is located State: Specify the state where the layout is located Postal Code: Specify the postal code of the place where the layout is located Country: Specify the country where the layout is located Click <OK> to save the changes. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the changes. • Report Options: Select the options that you want Planner to include in the Report. BoM: Select to include the Bill of Material. Introduction: Select to add an introduction on WLAN to the overall report. Compliance Report: Select to generate a compliance report for devices, mentioning devices’ configuration. WLAN Planning Reports: Select to include a complete set of RF maps. This enables you to select the following WLAN Planning options in the report. RF Maps: You can select one or more of the available views for the following: AP Views Sensor Views Protocols Layout Options: Planner generates a report for one of the below specified layouts: Current Layout All Layouts Selected Layout(s): Select the checkbox of the desired layout. Statistics Option: Select to view the statistics for the following options: All Defined Area Only Selected Area Area not Covered by Defined Area Complete Layout • Choose Report Folder: Specify the path to the folder, or click <Browse> to navigate to the folder where you want to place the report output. The Browse for Folder dialog box appears where you can navigate to the desired folder. Figure 139. Browsing for Folder Click <Generate Report> to generate the report. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the action. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 115: Appendix A: Planning Sensors
Appendix A: Planning Sensors Appendix A: Planning Sensors In addition to Planner, 3Com Corporation also has a complementary product called 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise. 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise monitors and protects the corporate network that includes both wired and wireless devices. 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise consists of two main components—3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise Server and 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise Sensors (Sensors). The 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise Server acts as a database and the coordination center for various Sensors. Sensors are RF sniffing devices connected throughout the corporate network. 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise collects information from multiple Sensors. It has the intelligence to aggregate, correlate, and analyze information from the Sensors before presenting it on a Web browser. In order to obtain complete monitoring and protection coverage throughout the corporate network, the entire airspace must be covered by Sensors. Planner provides the ability to plan the placement of Sensors and import the security plans into 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise. Placement of Sensors You can place Sensors on the Layout when you are in any of the following views: • AP Views: Coverage View, Channel View, Link Speed View, Interference View, Redundancy View, SINR View • Sensor Views: Coverage View, Threat View, Redundancy View • Calibration View Use the following steps to place a Sensor on the layout: Go to Device Library Sensors. Drag a Sensor from the Sensor node and place it on the layout. Recalculate the coverage after you have placed the Sensor on the layout. Note: If you have placed only Sensors on the layout, you can perform the calculations only in the Sensor views and not in the AP views. However if you have placed both APs and Sensors, then you can perform the calculations in any of the views, and view the respective device coverage in the respective view. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 116: Appendix B: Integration Of 3Com ® Airprotect Planner And 3Com ® Airprotect Enterprise
Appendix B: Integration of 3Com ® AirProtect Planner and 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise Appendix B: Integration of 3Com ® AirProtect Planner and 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise monitors and protects the corporate network that includes both wired and wireless devices on a 24x7 basis. Two key features of 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise are: • Live RF Views: Enables you to take live RSSI readings from the Sensors to show live RF coverage maps for any layout. • Location tracking on a layout: Enables you to track the location of any device on a layout. To enhance accuracy of these features in 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise, you can optionally export a layout created in Planner. Exporting the Project from Planner The Export Project feature enables you to package the current project into a .zip file. You might want to export a project for the following reasons: • To import the project into 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise • To import the project into some other system where Planner is running While exporting the project you have an option to export the preferences of your system as well. When you open the exported project in another system with Planner installed, this option helps you to override the preferences in the other system to get the same environment that you used while planning the project. While exporting, the following files: .spm, images, and preferences (if selected) are packaged into a single file. Use the following steps to export the project: Go to the Layout Designer screen of Planner. Go to File Export Project. Note: You can only export the current layout. You cannot export the layout from the AP Spillage, Sensor Spillage, and Calibration Views in the Network Planner. Figure 140. Exporting the Planner Project The Export dialog box appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 117 Appendix B: Integration of 3Com ® AirProtect Planner and 3Com ® AirProtect Enterprise Figure 141. Export Options The Export dialog box contains the Export Options. This enables you to select the files and preferences you wish to export. • Preferences: Select the checkbox to export the project with all the preferences. Select either of the export options: Export devices in current Project: Exports devices in the current Project file Export all devices: Exports all the devices • AutoCAD Files: Select the checkbox to export the AutoCAD files. Click <Ok> to export and save the project. Alternately, click <Cancel> to discard the Export action. The Project Zip Export Summary Viewer screen appears. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 118: Appendix C: File Level And Application Level Parameters
-65, -60, -55 dBm Integer -150 dBm -20 dBm Thresholds (low<medium<high) Device Transmit Power Integer Channel View Threshold Integer -85 dBm -150 dBm -20 dBm AP Redundancy Integer In addition to these parameters, Planner also has the following application level parameters: Region Settings in Tools Settings Preferences AP Views Default Access Point Settings Auto Channel Select ‘Do not show this window again’ messages Color Palettes Report Base Folder Note: The default installation values are selected when you install a new version of Planner. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 119: Appendix D: Glossary Of Terms
RF computations of the RF Calculation Cell Size computations of the WLAN signal strength distribution throughout the WLAN signal strength plan. It divides the plan into small units and then calculates the RF characteristics for each unit. The 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 120 3Com ® AirProtect functions as a comprehensive Wi-Fi Intrusion Enterprise Prevention System and Performance Management Solution. Sensors are devices that work with the 3Com ® 3Com ® AirProtect AirProtect Enterprise Server to provide 802.11 Enterprise Sensors Intrusion Detection and Prevention.
Page 121 2 as the lower secondary channel. The guard interval is the spacing between consecutive symbol transmissions. IEEE 802.11n Guard Interval (GI) draft 2.0 prescribes a mandatory long Guard Interval of 800 ns and an optional short Guard Interval of 400 ns. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...
Page 122 Planner assigns the default device, as defined by you, in the .spm. If this device has power values conflicting with the regulatory domain compliance of the region, then Planner assigns the factory default device, which is regulatory domain complaint for any region. 3Com ® AirProtect Planner User Guide ...

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3Com 3CWXPGS - AirProtect RF Planning Tool User Manual

Chapter 1 Getting Started

Chapter 2 Introduction to Wlan Planning and Planner

Chapter 3 Launching Planner

Chapter 4 Working with the Locations Tree and the Devices List

CHAPTER 5 5.1.1 Menu Items

Menu and Toolbar Options

Chapter 6 Wlan Planning Wizard

Chapter 7 Device Placement on the Layout Model

Chapter 8 Settings

Chapter 9 Generating Output from Planner

Appendix A: Planning Sensors

Appendix B: Integration of 3Com ® Airprotect Planner and 3Com ® Airprotect Enterprise

Appendix C: File Level and Application Level Parameters

Appendix D: Glossary of Terms

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