1

Ruckus Outdoor Pt-Pt Bridge Best Practices

Introduction
Developed for broadband operators looking to deliver reliable wireless broadband services,
the ZoneFlex 7731 is the first smart Wi-Fi point-to-point backhaul system that delivers con-
sistent performance at ranges up to 15 kilometers. Based on the 802.11n standard com-
bined with a Ruckus smart directional antenna, the ZoneFlex 7731 supports up to 190 Mbps
at 1.5 kilometers, and offers performance up to 50 Mbps at 10 km Line of Sight (LoS). Op-
erating in the 5GHz band, the ZoneFlex 7731 integrates a state-of-the-art, dual-polarized
smart antenna that offers blazingly fast and highly reliability connectivity across long dis-
tances.
The ZoneFlex 7731 point-to-point bridge is perfect for a variety of carrier applications such
as offering Wi-Fi broadband services, backhauling 3G traffic and offloading data traffic
from 3G networks. It is also ideal for hotels, multi-dwelling units, schools, warehouses and
other enterprises looking to extend broadband connection to remote buildings where fixed
line broadband connections arent feasible or cost effective. Ultra simple to use, the light-
weight ZoneFlex 7731 provides for easy aiming and is centrally managed through the
Ruckus FlexMaster remote Wi-Fi management system.
In this best practice guide, we will go over some dos and donts that will ensure smooth
and reliable operation of the Pt-Pt link. For installation, configuration, and operation de-
tails, please refer to the 7731 Getting Started Guide, and the 7731 User Guide, available on
the Ruckus web site, or Ruckus partner portal.
Line of Sight Considerations
The success of an RF link depends on a clear line of sight. An unobstructed line of sight is
called a free space path. Obstructions that can interfere with visual line of sight can also
interfere with radio line of sight. Some obstructions that can impair a visual link are:
Topographic features, such as mountains
The curvature of the Earth
Buildings and other man-made objects
Trees
But one must also consider the Fresnel effect. If a hard object, such as a mountain ridge or
building, is too close to the signal path, it can damage the radio signal or reduce its
strength. This happens even though the obstacle does not obscure the direct, visual line of
sight.
The Fresnel zone for a radio beam is an elliptical area immediately surrounding the visual
path. It varies in thickness depending on the length of the signal path and the frequency of
the signal. The necessary clearance for the Fresnel zone can be calculated, and it must be
taken into account when designing a wireless links.

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
2
An acceptable line-of-sight for an RF signal is defined as at least 60% clearance in the first
Fresnel zone. This means that for successful RF transmission, at least 60 percent of the
area between the center lobe and the bottom of the first Fresnel zone must be a free-
space path.














The formula for the first Fresnel zone radius is:
In Meters = 17.3 x sqrt((Obstacle Distance x (Total link Obstacle Distance))/(Freq in
GHz x Total Link))
In Feet = 72.6 x sqrt((Obstacle Distance x (Total link Obstacle Distance))/(Freq in GHz
x Total Link))
In addition to accounting for fresnel zone clearance, one must also consider the curvature
of the earth, to ensure that the units are mounted high enough to account for both factors.







The curvature of the earth at the deployed distance is:
In Meters = 0.0147 x (Total Link)2
In Feet = 0.125 x (Total Link)2

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
3

A simpler representation is a graph accounting for Fresnel clearance and the earths curva-
ture this can be read off by the operator for a given distance between the two 7731 units:


So, reading off the graph for example, for a 10km link, it must be ensured that a cone of
60% fresnel clearance of at least 8m must be maintained from end to end, and this entire
cone must be free of any obstruction. This then also indicates the minimum height of any
pole or tower or structure that the 7731 is mounted on.
A large obstruction can reduce or totally block the signal. The bending of signals as they
pass around obstructions or are deflected by them is known as diffraction. A reduction of
the strength of a signal is known as attenuation.
Signals passing through the side of a wooden building or a forest are attenuated. Wet
leaves can affect a signal substantially. Also, there are seasonal variations to attenuations
with regard to foliage during seasons of heavy leaf cover, there will be more signal at-
tenuation if trees/brush are in the path of the RF cone. If possible, it is best to keep all
such obstructions out of the signal path.
When a totally clear and direct line of sight is not feasible, position the antennas as far
away from obstructions and as high as possible, and keep the loss of free path space as low
as possible.
Space that is free enough for visual sight may not be free enough for RF line of sight. But
on the other hand, a workable RF signal path may not allow for visual sight. For short con-
nections, it is possible to make a satisfactory link where the signal is visually blocked, so
long as the RF signal cone between the antennas is only partially blocked.

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
4
RF signals can bend around minor obstructions. They can even penetrate through some ob-
structions that would block a visual path. But for good signal quality, you should keep the
RF line of sight as free as possible from all obstructions.
There are several options to improve the Line of Sight conditions for your RF link:
Raise the antenna mounting point on the existing structure
Build a new structure, i.e. radio tower, which is tall enough to mount the antenna
Increase the height of an existing tower
Locate a different mounting point, i.e. building or tower, for the antenna
Cut down problem trees

Link and Path Loss Calculations
In designing Pt-Pt links, you may need to make path loss and link budget calculations. A
quick tutorial on the terminology and methodology is below. A link budget is the account-
ing of all of the gains and losses from the transmitter, through the medium (free space, ca-
ble, waveguide, fiber, etc.) to the receiver in a telecommunication system. Using the dia-
gram below as a guide, we can develop a link budget for the RF link:








Generally speaking,
Received Power (dBm) = Transmitted Power (dBm) + Gains (dB) Losses (dB)

More specifically, separating the Tx power from the antenna gains, we get:
Rx Pwr (dBm) = Tx Pwr (dBm) + Tx Antena Gain (dB) + Rx Antenna Gain Path Loss (dB)


Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
5

Provided we have a clear LOS situation, the path loss is computed as:
Free Space Path Loss (dB) = 20*log[frequency(MHz)] + 20*log[distance(km)] + 32.45

And finally, once we have the Rx Pwr, and we know the Receiver Sensitivity (at some bit
rate), we have:
Fade Margin = Rx Pwr - Receiver Sensitivity
Fade Margin is a measure of the excess margin, or safety margin built into our link to en-
sure that particular data rate. It is important to have a good measure of Fade Margin built
into the design, to ensure a reliable design under all conditions. A design that is on the
margin, so to speak, will no doubt degrade due to changes in weather, foliage, interfer-
ence, noise, etc.

Pointing Considerations and Path Profiling Tools
There are a number of ways to point the 7731 units to establish a well-pointed link. For
links less than 5 km (3 miles), binoculars may be used to sight the other end of the link,
and them using the Fresnel calculator to determine the mounting height. Other techniques
include using a mirror on a sunny day to flash a reflection to the other end and have the far
party visually spot the mirror side.
With the advent of iPhones, compasses, and GPS, it is recommended to plot the Line of
Sight on a Google map ahead of time, and use that to aim the units the right number of de-
grees. It is very important to have cell phones or walkie-talkies while doing this so both
sides can communicate, and provide feedback to each other.
Once the coarse pointing is done, the 7731 QSG and User Manual detail how to more finely
adjust the pointing with the tools LEDs, throughput meters, etc. provided in the product.
One problem for links beyond 5 km is that they are hard to sight with binoculars or any
other visual means. One of the more common problems that arises, as a result, is that LOS
or at least partial LOS is assumed, and yet the reality is that there is some major impedi-
ment (e.g. ridge line) in the path.
To address this issue, there are path profilers that can plot the path between any two
points, clearly exposing the profile of the path. This allows for the right decision to either
relocate the link, or raise the radio units a sufficient height so as to clear the obstacle.
Let us take the following example to illustrate the utility of one such web based tool that is
found at http://www.heywhatsthat.com/profiler.html . Shown below is the profile be-
tween 2 points, whose coordinates are entered into the tool.





Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
6





















As is seen, there is a ridge between the 2 locations of at least 100 feet. Add the Fresnel
zone and earths curvature, and as additional 34 feet are needed. Therefore it is quickly
determined that the units must be placed at a significant height off the ground (134 feet)
for proper LOS operation. By determining this up-front, cost and headache are reduced,
and a decision can be made whether to proceed with tower or building acquisition, or
whether the link could be re-located.
Ridge is approx. 100 ft above
LOS. Add that to Fresnel zone
clearance that is required (34 ft)

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
7

Power, Channel, and Channel Width Best Practice
With regard to power setting, the unit will automatically select the right power setting for
the country it is set to. For the channel, Ruckus recommends leaving that to SmartSelect.
The two units will check all available channels and select the best one based on interfer-
ence and performance potential of the link at that channel.
With regard to channel width, the 7731 supports 40 MHz, 20 MHz, and in some software
builds, it also supports 10 MHz. We recommend using the widest channel width possible for
maximum performance. Even if the higher performance is not needed per se, it is better
from an interference perspective for the radios to get on and off the air as fast as possible,
and thereby minimize their exposure to interference that is typically bursty. However, the
lower channel widths are fine to use, should the operator decide.

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
8
Mounting and Orientation of Pt-Pt Bridges
It is important that the Bridges are mounted with the correct orientation. There is only one
valid orientation dome pointing horizontally towards the other 7731 unit.



Below are some locations to mount the Ruckus 7731 Pt-Pt Bridge on roof-tops, cell tow-
ers, or light poles.


Physical Separation of Co-located Units
For 7731 units that must be mounted in close proximity, there are some physical separation best prac-
tice guidelines that should be followed in order to minimize interference between the two or more
units that are installed close to each other.
The amount of separation desired depends on which direction the co-located units are pointing. Since
most of the RF energy is towards the front (dome-side), and very little towards the back-plate, if the
units are pointing in opposite directions, 180 degrees apart, the recommended horizontal axis separa-
tion is desired to be 1 meter or more. Below are shown the recommended distances for a few different
orientations, from directly opposite (180 degrees), to right angles from each other (90 degrees).



Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
9















It is ideal to follow the above recommendations for horizontal separation. If this is not possible, and
the two units must be mounted on the same pole, for example, then there should be some separation
in the vertical direction, ideally 2 meters, as shown below.
It should be noted that these are guidelines. While these recommended separation distances are a good
idea, they are not essential to making the application work satisfactorily. There are real-world, physi-
cal and building constraints, that can preclude the separation of units by any significant distance. The
main thing to keep in mind is that as much separation as is easily possible is a good thing in a co-
located environment.
Link 1 Link 2
Link 1
L
in
k
2
Link 1
L
i
n
k

2
1 meter
1.5 meter
2 meter
180
0
120
0
90
0
Top View
7731
pole
Horizontal Separation
Link 1 Link 2
Link 1
L
in
k
2
L
in
k
2
Link 1
L
i
n
k

2
1 meter
1.5 meter
2 meter
180
0
120
0
90
0
Top View
7731
pole
Horizontal Separation
Vertical Separation
Side View
2 meter
Vertical Separation
Side View
2 meter

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
10
Additional Outdoor Best Practices
For outdoor deployments, it is important to consider some additional best practices around
surge suppression, and power sources, including solar.
Surge Suppressors
When deploying Bridges outdoors, it is advisable to use surge suppressors on the POE
Ethernet cable that is carrying power and data to the Bridge. These should be installed in-
line into the cabling, and are typically grounded. Please follow the manufacturers recom-
mendations for installation and operation. A well-known supplier of such parts is Transtec-
tor.



More details can be found at http://www.transtector.com/ProductData?class=Ethernet

Power Sources

Street Light Power Options
If the Bridges are to be mounted on street light poles, and power needs to be sourced from
the poles, there is typically AC available at the top of the pole (light unit), where there is
normally a photo-electric control unit plugged in. There are products in the market that
plug into this AC receptacle and provide 802.3af output that can be used to power the
Bridge. The photo-electric unit is plugged back into this unit, as shown in the picture.

Make sure the voltages in the country you are operating meet the specifications of the POE
street light power module AC voltage could vary from 100V to 480V. The basic steps are
as follows - provided as a general guideline. Make sure to follow the manufacturers steps
for this.

1. Turn off power
2. Unscrew existing photo-electric control
3. Replace with Streetlight POE injector device
4. Put back the photo-electric control
5. Run outdoor Ethernet cable to Access Point

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
11
6. Cover the photo-electric control to verify lamp is able to arc





Two vendors that make such devices are www.sbwireless.com and www.fpolc.com.

Solar Power Best Practice
There are many instances where it may be required to power the Bridge off alternate en-
ergy sources like wind or solar.











There are a number of good options for solar panels and associated equipment. With some
care in the planning and design of a solar system, there is no reason this cannot be a reli-
able source of power for an outdoor AP.
Some of the key issues for a reliable design are:
Desired service level?
Budget for project

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
12
Average peak sun hours for location?
How many possible days of no sun?
How much current is needed?
Base line
Headroom for future products
Total current of system
High Temp of the year
Low temp of the year
Highest Humidity of the year

Let us use an example to design a system. Let us assume the following requirements for
this example design:

1. 24 by 7 by 365 up time
2. Longest June 21-14H, Shortest Dec 21-10H
a. Refer to average peak sun hours for location, 8H
3. Built to withstand 3 days of no sun
4. Maximum current draw for system
a. 3A
b. How much headroom for future, 1A
c. Total 4A
5. High temp of 50C
6. Low temp of 0C
7. Max Humidity 90%

Average Peak Sun Hours Per Day
The simple chart below can be used to estimate the daily charging time in hours. Shown in
the chart are conservative numbers. Actual charging time is more due to more daylight
hours in a day.



Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
13


With the design requirements and information above, and assuming units run-time is 24
hours per day (unit in service for 24 out of 24 hours per day), the table below will help us
size the batteries and solar panels.













From the table, we can compute how many amps per day are used, what kind of battery is
appropriate size, and what kind of solar panel can re-charge the battery. So from left to
right, heres how to read the first row, for example:
7731 draws 1A, over 24 hours that is 24 Ah.
For a Group 24 battery, with up to 75% drain allowed (75% of 70-85 Ah), it will be
able to keep the unit powered and running for 2 whole days, even if no sun.
If we used the 65W panel, which can put back 36A over a 10 hour sun period in a
day, we could re-charge up to 1 days battery charge loss, in approx. day.
Below is shown, our sample system design. Also provided are links to vendors who manufac-
ture the different components. The solar charge controller is recommended to prevent
over-charging the battry. The vendor links are repeated here:

Solar panels:
http://www.ecodirect.com/BP-Solar-SX-365J-65-Watt-12-Volt-p/bp-solar-sx-365j.htm

Battery Information
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#AGM,%20or%20Absorbed%20Glass%2
0Mat%20Batteries

http://www.google.com/products?client=safari&rls=en&q=group+27+AGM+battery&oe=UTF
-8&um=1&ie=UTF-
Full sun on
system, it will
recharge in 3/4
a day
10 hours
36A day
10 hours
46A day
3 days of no
sun
@ 125Ah
2 days of
no sun
@105Ah
1 days of
no sun
@ 85Ah
36 24 1.5A 7762
4 days of no
sun
@ 125Ah
Group 31
95-125Ah
$200 avg
Lots of different types
and outputs. Note
products DC voltage
limits, high and low, to
ensure product is not
damaged
10 hours
46A day
80W,
4.6A max
$450
Solar panel size /
number of hours of
charging time
3 days of
no sun
@105Ah
Group 27
85-105Ah
$160 avg
Not good to take deep cycle batts below 75%
discharge, also depends on type of batteries,
see MFG instructions, above is worst case.
Much larger batteries are available, 4-D and
8-D have up to 225Ah
2 days of
no sun
@ 85Ah
Group 24
70-85Ah
$99 avg
Deep cycle Battery types, current per
cell amp hours @24Hours,
Backup power if no sun @ 75% drain
Full sun on
system, it will
recharge in 1/2
a day
10 hours
36A day
24 24 1A 2741/
7731
Take max
current *
the
number of
hours
How many
hours unit
will run a
day,
typical is
24 hours
Based on
back
panel
info, but
might be
less
NOTE:
65W,
3.7A max
$400
Amps per
day usage
Run time
Hours
Unit
current
drain dc
A
Full sun on
system, it will
recharge in 3/4
a day
10 hours
36A day
10 hours
46A day
3 days of no
sun
@ 125Ah
2 days of
no sun
@105Ah
1 days of
no sun
@ 85Ah
36 24 1.5A 7762
4 days of no
sun
@ 125Ah
Group 31
95-125Ah
$200 avg
Lots of different types
and outputs. Note
products DC voltage
limits, high and low, to
ensure product is not
damaged
10 hours
46A day
80W,
4.6A max
$450
Solar panel size /
number of hours of
charging time
3 days of
no sun
@105Ah
Group 27
85-105Ah
$160 avg
Not good to take deep cycle batts below 75%
discharge, also depends on type of batteries,
see MFG instructions, above is worst case.
Much larger batteries are available, 4-D and
8-D have up to 225Ah
2 days of
no sun
@ 85Ah
Group 24
70-85Ah
$99 avg
Deep cycle Battery types, current per
cell amp hours @24Hours,
Backup power if no sun @ 75% drain
Full sun on
system, it will
recharge in 1/2
a day
10 hours
36A day
24 24 1A 2741/
7731
Take max
current *
the
number of
hours
How many
hours unit
will run a
day,
typical is
24 hours
Based on
back
panel
info, but
might be
less
NOTE:
65W,
3.7A max
$400
Amps per
day usage
Run time
Hours
Unit
current
drain dc
A

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
14
8&ei=5x1OS4_6BYvKsAPskNzOBw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=image&resnum=3&ved
=0CB8QzAMwAg

Solar Charge Controller
http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/products














Sample system
http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/products
Solar charge controller <10A, 12Vdc
Used to keep expensive batteries
safe from over charging ~$89
Solar panel
This is a BP 65W 12vdc panel ~$390
http://www.ecodirect.com/BP-Solar-SX-365J-65-Watt-12-Volt-p/bp-solar-sx-365j.htm
http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#AGM,%20or%20Absorbed%20Glass%20Mat%20Batteries
12VDC Group 27 battery
AGM batteries best to use, robust, but $$$
fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30
days of being totally discharged
Sealed, no liquid to spill
~$189
http://www.google.com/products?client=safari&rls=en&q=group
+27+AGM+battery&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-
8&ei=5x1OS4_6BYvKsAPskNzOBw&sa=X&oi=product_result_gro
up&ct=image&resnum=3&ved=0CB8QzAMwAg

Ruckus Wireless: Pt-Pt Best Practices
15
Finally, some additional issues and recommendations:
Our products list max current, general usage is lower
Wide range of performance vs. cost per system, understanding where to spend the
money is critical
Shade can reduce a solar panels output by 50%, so doing a site survey is a must
High quality solar charger will keep voltages under control, keep from damaging
batteries and Ruckus units