This document provides an overview of key considerations for setting up a wireless ISP (WISP). It discusses Tranzeo Wireless as a vendor, emphasizing their support, reliable products, and helping customers design cost-effective solutions. Several technical aspects are covered, such as choosing the right equipment, conducting site surveys, managing bandwidth, and ensuring reliable connections. The document stresses that every location has unique needs, and finding the right vendor is important to receiving proper guidance on planning and optimizing a WISP network.

1. A Wireless ISP Primer
Tranzeo Wireless
BC3/FNTC Regional Workshop

2. Who is Tranzeo?
• Tranzeo Wireless Technologies Inc.
(TSX:TZT) has emerged as an industry
leader in designing, manufacturing and
distributing high-speed wireless
broadband communication systems
globally.

3. Tranzeo’s Competitive Advantage
• Ease of doing business with us
• Quality & Reliability of our products
• Our very qualified Tech Support Group
• Sales Support – help design the most
efficient & cost effective solutions
• Cost effective solutions/low risk solutions

4. Key Wireless Elements
• Proper preparation through site surveys,
marketing and business plan
• The right equipment chosen for your
unique location
• Great support staff to service all your
wireless needs
• Professional Installers
• A strong working relationship between
client and vendor

5. There is no WISP in a box
• Every location has unique needs
• There is no “Swiss Army Knife” of radios
• A good vendor will help you plan out the
system based on your plans and your
locations

6. Bandwidth Feed
• Make sure your feed meets your needs for
the short term, and can be scaled up for a
reasonable cost in the future
• The supplier of your bandwidth holds your
business in their hands, choose wisely

7. Bandwidth Control
• Wireless requires bandwidth control
• Bandwidth should be controlled on two
levels, intranet and internet
• Kazaa, games, virus of the hour, are not
the only issue.
• Speeding up some classes of service at
the expense of others makes for happier
customers, i.e. high speed for Mail,VoiP,
Video; low speed for Kazaa

8. User Control
• Get paid for your bandwidth
• WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy
• MAC AUTHENTICATION
• WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access
• Radius Server - provides remote
user authentication
• PPPOE - Pt.toPt. Protocol
over Ethernet
• QOS - Quality of Service

9. Site Survey
• Not a option in more crowded environments
• Calculations must be tested in the real world
• Put it up and see what happens is a recipe for
disaster

10. Site Survey
• A site survey will:
– Suggest the quantity and position of access
points
– What antenna type to use
– What channels are available and work best

11. Access Point Location Selection
• Generally, cost determines the location,
not RF, in the real world
• Where can you get tower space?
• Where can you get bandwidth?
• How much is it going to cost?

12. 802.11b
• (DSSS) Direct Sequence Spread
Spectrum
• Cost effective solution for Point to
Multipoint
• Uses 2.4 GHz bandwidth.
• Bandwidth is becoming crowded in many
areas

13. 802.11a
• OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing)
• Cost effective solution for Point to Point
feeds- up to 40 miles plus.
• Point to Multi-Point solutions for high
throughput requirements
• Low cost client units now available
• Uses 5.2 to 5.8 GHz

14. Channels – 2.4GHz
• 802.11b operates in an unlicensed area of
the 2.4GHz ISM (Industry, Scientific Medical)
frequency band.
• Each channel is 22MHz wide
• To minimize interference each radio needs
to be spaced 25MHz apart

15. Channels – 2.4GHz
• Since the spectrum is only 80 MHz wide,
that means that in any area, you can have
at most three non-interfering access
points.
• Studies have shown that a 20 MHz spread
has minimal effect

16. 802.11a – 5.8 GHz
• 5 non-overlapping channels in upper band
• 4 non-overlapping channels in middle
band
• Lower band is illegal in North America
• Channels are 20 MHz apart

17. Line of sight is more than being
able to see the tower

18. Fresnel Zones
• The Fresnel zone is a elliptical area which
can not contain obstacles

19. Polarization
• Horizontal vs. Vertical
• Horizontal Benefits
– +20 db from most sources of ISM (Industry,
Scientific and Medical Band) noise
– Better multipath results
• Vertical Benefits
– Less Expensive
– In the past it was easier to find Vertical
Equipment

20. Weather
– As a general rule, wireless frequencies are
not impacted by rains, snow, or thick fog
– At 2.4 GHz, attenuation is 0.01 dB/Km for
150mm/hr of rain

21. Signal Propagation/Free Space
Loss
• Radio Waves lose power over distance,
according to a fixed formula, called the
Free Space loss. The greater the
distance, the more will be lost.

22. TX Power
• TX power is the amount of power a radio
transmits. Generally, the longer the
distance you want to go, the more power
you need.
• Power is not the most important element
of a link, receive is!

23. RX Power
• Rx Power is the lowest level at which a Radio
can detect signal from noise.
• The Lower the level, the better the radio.
• As opposed to:
RX Sensitivity – which is a measurement of the
weakest signal a receiver can receive and still
correctly translate it into data (-75dB is better
than -90dB in actual performance)

24. EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power)
• A measurement of the total output of the
system, including the antenna
• Legal limits exist on the amount of power
you can emit.

25. DB vs DBi vs DBm
• A dB is unit of measure that allows for
easy calculations. Every 3 db increase
means a doubling of power. 20 db = 100
mW, 23 db = 200 mW
• A d(Bm is means a db at a certain level of
resistance. In RF, its 50 ohms. Therefore,
0 dbm = 1 mW at 50 ohms
• A DBi is a measurement of how much an
antenna focuses a signal (gain).

26. Radios
• Integrated Panel - combining both a radio and
an antenna - some have fixed dBm output and
the are some with controllable high gain output –
can be used for outside or inside environments
• N-Connector Panel – radio only with an N-
Connector – LMR cable is used to connect the
unit to a separate antenna
• Indoor radios – radio with connector to allow a
separate antenna to be connector inside or
outside

27. Antenna Types
• Omni
• Directional (Parabolic Grids & Dishes)
• Sectorized Panel
• Panel

28. Omni
• Put out a flat, circular pattern
• Best used where AP and clients
are at the same heights
• Patterns change as power changes
• Generally have vertical polarity

29. Sector
• Highly Directional
• Cover a wide range both
horizontally and vertically
• Common degrees of beamwidth are 60, 90
& 120
• Allow for use of a greater
number of channels and
higher radio densities

30. Parabolic Grids
• Highly focused beamwidth
• Excellent for dealing with trees
• Low cost
• Highly recommended for
backhaul use

31. Interference Countermeasures
1. Try to keep links short, as Fresnel
increases over distance
2. Avoid the noise by using tight Beam
Antennas
3. Use a different Frequency or polarization
4. Try a different Antenna
5. Move the Antenna to a different location

32. Customer Premise Equipment
• Key to your success
• Proper device selection means no “truck
rolls” (on site service)
• Improper solutions cost you customers
and waste your time

33. Why not use a cheap SOHO device
• SOHO (small office, home office) devices are made
to go hundreds of yards, proper CPE
equipment is designed to go miles
• Generally vertically polarized
• Not FCC certified if modified.
• Warranty usually voided if modified
• Not tested for outdoor use
• Often use Omni or vertical Antennas

34. Power Over Ethernet
• Makes installation simpler and cheaper
• No cable loss
• Must follow manufacturer instructions

35. Cost of Equipment
• Lowest cost is not always the best for
bottom line
• Neither is high cost a guarantee of
success
• Tranzeo Solutions
start at as low
as $157 CDN

36. Support Costs
• Like any ISP operation, there will be
support costs.
• If the head end is set
up right, and the installer
follows the basic rules,
the install should work
without an issue

37. Other items
• Plan for a 1% equipment fallout rate per
year.
• Weather should not increase support calls,
unless it is freezing rain

38. Optimizing ROI
• Standardize on two or three models.
• Use gear that can be repurposed.
• (Our products are backward compatible)
• Avoid proprietary standards if possible
• Plan to recover CPE costs as soon as
possible
• Investigate leasing the equipment

39. What should a vendor Provide
• Support
– How long is the support period? Ours is life of
product.
– How can I get in contact with support – toll
free line
• Warranty
– 1 Year from purchase

40. Vendors
• Are they familiar with operating a WISP?
• Tranzeo is – Whistler, Port Coquitlam
• Do they offer training?
• Are they FCC certified/certifiable?
• What do other ISP’s think of them
• Do they upgrade their technology in new
units or firmware (internal software)

41. BC3/FNTC - Specific Topics
• Implementation
• Support
• Range
• Cost
• Appropriate Conditions
• Problems with product

42. Implementation
• How do we do this?
- Business Plan – needs established? Budget?
- How many clients – throughput
expectations
- what is the topography like? – line of
sight issues? Maps/Photographs/Sketches
- location of equipment – distances
• Time
- when do you need to start/finish? Seasonal
issues?
- discuss with vendor equipment options &
prices

43. Support
• Tranzeo Tech Support Group – 5 staff
7:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Training – at Tranzeo or on site – there is
a cost!
• Your Regional Manager – provides
information for the most efficient and
cost effective solutions

44. Range
• 2.4 GHz
• Point to Multipoint – depending on radios and
antennas used/line of sight – up to15 miles+
• Point to Point – up to 10 miles
• 5.8GHz
• Point to Multipoint – up to 10 miles
• Point to Point – up to 40 miles+

45. Cost
2.4GHz Radios/Integrated Antennas
- CPE’s – from $157 to $240
- Access Points & PtxPt - from $263 to $499
5.8GHz Radios/Integrated Antennas & Systems
- Access Points & PtxPt - from $274 to $1,243
Separate Antennas – both frequencies
- depending on type – from $72 to $343

46. Appropriate Conditions
• Site Survey – are there seasonal
considerations? – leaves on trees!
• Your own qualified Tech support staff will
know
• Equipment can be installed in most
weather conditions
• Most radios certified from -65 C to +60 C

47. Problems with Products
• Tranzeo Tech Support
• Less than 1% failure rate
• Always have a spare unit available
• Usually not the radio/antenna unit – install
related
• Firmware Upgrades

48. Questions:
• Dieter Kloepper
• Regional Manager, Western Canada & Middle East
• Tranzeo Wireless Technologies Inc.
• 20155 Stewart Crescent (Moving soon to Pitt Meadows)
• Maple Ridge BC, Canada V2X 0T6
• Ph: 604-460-6002 local 111; Fax: 604-460-6005
• Toll free: 1-866-872-6936
• Tech Support direct: 1-888-460-6366
• dkloepper@tranzeo.com
• www.tranzeo.com
• Product Feedback - feedback@tranzeo.com
• Product wishlist - wishlist@tranzeo.com
• Rob Campbell – Tranzeo Wireless Network Services – Whistler
• rcampbell@tranzeo.com (1-604-935-4696)