Motorola Canopy PTP 100

Full & Lite 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

3.0 Setting up the Units for Deployment and Testing

3.1 Getting Connected to the Unit
3.2 Configuration of the Radio
3.3 Setting up the Radio Interface

4.0 Mounting and Aligning

5.0 Product Support

6.0 The Bandwidth and Latency Test

7.0 The Conclusion

8.0 Product Review Rating

1.0 Introduction
Over the past month, I have been testing and reviewing the Motorola Canopy PTP 100 series
backhaul modules. Mainly looking at the BH hardware, working in the 5.8Ghz unlicensed radio
spectrum.
The Motorola canopy PTP 100 system comes in various flavours of frequency and data throughput.
The frequencies available range from 2.4Ghz, 5.4Ghz, 5.8Ghz and 5.9Ghz, using FSK and TDD,
which each coming in PTP 100 full and PTP 100 lite models. The data rates of the PTP 100 full
models are in the range of 14 Mbps and 7 Mbps for the lite models.

The PTP 100 back haul units has the ability to be synchronised by GPS via a special timing unit
called a CMM, to help reduce self interference with other base station and back hauls.
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 PTP 100 Full 5.8 Datasheet
Canopy PTP 100 lite 5.8Mhz Datasheet

2.0 The Equipment

The Motorola Canopy Backhaul Unit
The Canopy P100 full and lite version come with two plastic cased ODUs, with POE injectors and
power supplies.

I have ordered the non-connectorised Motorola Canopy backhaul units, which allows us to use the
standard passive reflector antennas for the installations. If required, connectorised units can be
ordered from Motorola's distributors.

Also, I noticed that these unit look, cable and mount like the other canopy P100, P200 and P400
units.
This unit is very easy to install and light weight, meaning not much antenna pole loading.

3.0 Setting up the Backhaul Unit for Deployment and Testing

3.1 Getting Connected to the Unit

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 Timing Mode as an Master (And slave on the other unit). Then in
the Link Speed section, I manually set the duplex and speed.
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 PTP 100 Full 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.

I set the Max Range to our designed coverage area and the Downlink Data is set at 50%, which is
best for a a backhaul type service. For the test, I have set the Schedule Whitening to disabled, but is
required for some DFS type features.

Since there is no adaptive power control, the Transmitter Output Power has to be set manual. I am
starting at maximum TX power (select High), which is generally best for the backhaul side of thing
Now I just click the Save Changes button and Reboot the unit for the configuration changes to
occur.

4.0 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.

5.0 Product Support

Motorola's support and sales for the PTP100 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.

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

Unit Type Distance Avg Speed(kbps) Avg Latency (ms) Antenna Type

PTP100 Full 5KM 13126.80 2ms Passive Reflector 18dBi

PTP100 Full 10KM 11449.20 3ms Passive Reflector 18dBi

PTP100 Lite 5KM 7397.00 3ms Passive Reflector 18dBi

7.0 The Conclusion

The Motorola Canopy PTP 100 Full and PTP 100 lite 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.
Latency is a bit high on the links, even with a CMM GPS unit being used for the timing. One large
benefit, you can pass the GPS timing down one of these back hauls to another AP, giving you the
saving of a CMM unit.
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.
• Good Web Interface.
Cons:
• Radios are FSK and not OFDM.
• Radios can be damaged by insects due to seal.

8.0 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: