Motorola Canopy PMP 100 and PMP 200 Review

Motorola Canopy PMP 100 & PMP 200
Review
Author: Benjamin Luck – Synworks Development Group

Synworks DG Website http://www.synworks.info/
Email: contact@synworks.info
Contents
1.0 Introduction
2.0 The Equipment

2.1 The Base Station Unit
2.2 The Subscriber Unit
3.0 Setting up the Units for Deployment and Testing

3.1 Getting Connected to the Unit
3.2 Configuration of the Radio
4.0 Configuring the Subscriber Unit

4.1 Getting Connected to the Subscriber Unit
5.0 Mounting and Aligning
6.0 Product Support
7.0 The Bandwidth and Latency Test
8.0 The Conclusion
8.0 Product Review Rating

1.0 Introduction
Over the past month, I have been testing and reviewing the Motorola Canopy PMP 100 and PMP
200 series access point and subscriber modules. Mainly looking at the AP and SM hardware,
working in the 900Mhz and 5.8Ghz unlicensed radio spectrum.
The Motorola canopy system comes in various flavours of frequency and data throughput. The
frequencies available range from 900Mhz, 2.4Ghz, 5.4Ghz, 5.8Ghz and 5.9Ghz, using TDD and
FSK, which each coming in PMP 100 models (Except the 900Mhz unit) or PMP 200 advantage
models. The data rates of the PMP 200 advantage models are about twice as fast as the PMP 100
units.
The base station units has the ability to be synchronised by GPS via a special timing unit called a
CMM, to help reduce self interference.
I am testing two different Motorola Canopy systems in the field. For the data sheets on the products
reviewed, click on the link below to download the PDF from the Motorola website. Or visit the
main Motorola Canopy equipment selection list.
Canopy PMP 200 900Mhz Datasheet

Canopy PMP 100 5.8Mhz Datasheet
2.0 The Equipment

2.1 The Base Station Unit
The Canopy AP comes in a single plastic cased ODU, with POE injector and power supply. We
have ordered connectorised Canopy AP units, which allows us to use a variety of antennas for
installations. This unit is very easy to install.
2.2 The Subscriber Unit

The Canopy subscriber units are very similar with the same plastic case, POE injector and power
supply. Very easy to install and connect up.
3.0 Setting up the Access Point Unit for Deployment and Testing
3.1 Getting Connected to the Unit
To access the Motorola Canopy base station interface and subscriber unit interface are the same
method. Configuration is best done by the web interface, but a telnet interface does exist.
To get the unit ready for configuration, I hooked it up to our laptop, with the IP address set to
169.254.1.10 and the netmask set to 255.255.0.0.
Then I powered up the unit and after a few seconds, a link on the ethernet status appeared. To
connect to the web interface, enter the IP 169.254.1.1 into the address bar of your web browser.
Click the Login link in the side menu to access the main web interface. The default username and
password will be the word "admin".
3.2 Configuration of the Radio

Once logged in, I are displayed the general information page of the unit, with more menu options to
select from. To start the set-up, I clicked on the Configuration option in the left menu.
First I click on the General tab in the top menu. This gives us access to basic parameters of the unit.
Under Device Setting, I select the unit as an AP. Then in the Link Speed section, I manually set the
duplex and speed. Configuration source will be set to SM at the moment, as I are not using the
canopy BAM product.
Sync Input should be set to Generate Sync Signal, unless you are using a CMM unit for you GPS
timing.
Also, I set the region code the the specific region that I am located in.
Then I set the 2X Rate to enable (2X Rate is for PMP 200 versions only) and the Prioritize TCP
ACK to enabled. Also, I select the LLDP Multicast option the the Multicast Destination Address
section. Then I clicked Save Changes to commit the changes to flash.
Now I select the IP tab in the top menu. This allows us to configure the NMS part of the access
point. Filling out the IP address, netmask, default gateway and selecting Disable for the DHCP State
is all that needs to be done. Then, I click the Save Changes button.
Now I configure the radio unit. First, I start by selecting the correct frequency for the relevant unit
in the Radio Frequency Carrier selection. ( for 900Mhz SM users, please check your regional
frequency planning regulations for the correct channels).
Then I set the Color Code to a unique ID for this access point and set the Sector ID to a unique
sector ID for that tower.
I set the Max Range to our designed coverage area and the Downlink Data is set at 75%, which is
best for a WISP type service. For the test I have set Schedule Whitening to disabled, but is required
for some DFS type features.
Then I set the Control Slots to 0, since I are only testing less than 10 clients. (Set the unit control
slots to 1 for for 10 clients and 2 for 50 clients).
Since there is no adaptive power control, the Transmitter Output Power has to be set manual. I am
starting at maximum TX power, which is generally best for the access point side of things.
Now I just click the Save Changes button and Reboot the unit for the configuration changes to
occur.
4.0 Configuring the Subscriber Unit

4.1 Getting Connected to the Subscriber Unit
To connect to the subscriber unit, you just use the same method as the access point, via connecting
to the IP of 169.254.1.1. Generally, the Subscriber Modules have no password or username set on
initial configuration, so you should be able to connect straight away.
First I click on the General tab in the top menu. This gives us access to basic parameters of the unit.
In the Link Speed section, I select all the the duplex and speed option. This helps, as most low end
client routers are set to auto negotiate on the WAN port.
Also, I set the region code the the specific region that I am located in. (Australia in our case)
Now I set the option Power Up Mode With No 802.3 Link to Power up in Operational Mode. This
allows us to see the SM connected, even if the client has unplugged their router.
2X Rate is set to enable to get the best speed possible (2X rate is only a function of PMP 200 units)
Multicast Destination Address should be set to LLDP Multicast. Now I click the Save Changes
button to save the set-up to flash.
For the last part of the set-up, I have to select the radio frequencies that I want to scan for our access
point. Generally it is best to select all and let the unit auto scan for the right access point.
The Color Code of the subscriber unit, needs to be set to the access point color code that I are
connecting too.
Transmitter Output Power is set to a reasonable value. Preferable something that will suit the power
levels of other units in the area, so as to reduce self interference.
Now I click the Save Changes button and then I Reboot the unit to enable the changes.
5.0 Mounting and Aligning

For alignment, the easiest option is to select the "Power Up Mode With No 802.3 Link" to "Power
up in Aim Mode" in the configuration section of the menu. This produces a set of LEDs that gets
show increased signal strength as you get the alignment better. Remember to turn the "Power up in
Aim Mode " back off after alignment.
6.0 The Bandwidth and Latency Test

For our test, I used an FTP server located at one end of the wireless bridge and a FTP client on a
laptop at the other end. The programs used for the client side test are GNU WPUT and WGET. For
the server side, I am using the open source FTP server, Proftpd. The data being transferred is a large
compressed file.
The Test Result

Avg Downlink Avg Uplink Avg Latency Antenna
Unit Type Distance
(kbps) (kbps) (ms) Type
PMP100
5KM 6742.25 1575.29 14.554 24dBi Grid
(5.8Ghz)
PMP100
10KM 6742.59 1540.04 14.641 24dBi Grid
(5.8Ghz)
PMP100
15KM 4254.00 1048.69 15.433 24dBi Grid
(5.8Ghz)
PMP200
5KM 3146.40 991.59 9.732 13dBi Yagi
(900Mhz)
PMP200
10KM 2763.60 930.50 10.142 13dBi Yagi
(900Mhz)
PMP200
15KM 1984.55 808.19 10.457 16dBi Yagi
(900Mhz)
PMP200
20KM 1534.80 651.60 11.821 16dBi Yagi
(900Mhz)
7.0 Product Support

Motorola's support and sales for the PMP100 product is done by their various regional headquarters
and distribution partners. Their technical and sales staff are helpful and quick to resolve any issues
and handle any requirement requests.
There is also a huge presence of online public forums and blogs about the Motorola Canopy
products.
8.0 The Conclusion

The Motorola Canopy PMP 100 and 200 systems live up to being a reliable and feature rich system.
Set-up is simple and only takes a few minutes to get the Canopy unit going on the bench. The web
interface on the Canopy unit is well designed and feature rich. Installation on the tower is pretty
simple as well, generally only requiring the supplied mounting brackets and since it is only the
ODU, no rack space is required.
DES and AES encryption are available for the Motorola canopy units and offer good over the air
security. But make sure you order the same units. As you cannot mix and match.
The unit's case is plastic and I have found them resistant to hail, wind related damage and resistance
to sea salt. But I have had some units fail from ants nesting in them, due to the radio's poor bottom
seal.
Motorola's product support is good, with competent technicians and sales staff giving worth while
service. There is also a huge online presence of Canopy support forums, both Motorola's and
general public forums.
Pros:
• QOS and account features.
• Small tower footprint.
• Plastic covering is corrosive resistant and strong.
• 900Mhz unit is really good with LOS issues.
• Good Web Interface.
Cons:
• Proprietary client unit.
• Radios are FSK and not OFDM.
• Radios can be damaged by insects due to seal.
9.0 Product Review Rating

This is a rating from my in-house and field testing. With a rating out of 5 stars.
Reliability:
Ease of Setup:
Performance:

Motorola Canopy PMP 100 and PMP 200 Review

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What are the main components of the Motorola Canopy system?

What are the main components of the Motorola Canopy system?

How is the base station unit configured?

How is the base station unit configured?

Motorola Canopy PMP 100 & PMP 200

Author: Benjamin Luck – Synworks Development Group

2.0 The Equipment

3.0 Setting up the Units for Deployment and Testing

4.0 Configuring the Subscriber Unit

5.0 Mounting and Aligning

6.0 Product Support

7.0 The Bandwidth and Latency Test

8.0 The Conclusion

8.0 Product Review Rating

Canopy PMP 200 900Mhz Datasheet

2.0 The Equipment

2.2 The Subscriber Unit

3.2 Configuration of the Radio

4.0 Configuring the Subscriber Unit

5.0 Mounting and Aligning

6.0 The Bandwidth and Latency Test

The Test Result

7.0 Product Support

8.0 The Conclusion

9.0 Product Review Rating

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