Well said. You've covered issues in deploying your FCC certified radio product with various pre-approved antennas.
Now, when it comes to selling a box with a computer and radio in it, the questions are a bit different. If it's a radio integrated onto a computer board, my belief it that it's got to be FCC accepted, certified, and bear the FCC ID, FCC certified label, and of course the "This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules ... blah, blah, blah." If you're having a board manufactured with the 802.11a chips on it, I think you've got to get tested & certified. On the other hand, if you're integrating an SBC with a radio card manufactured by another vendor who has already certified the card (it has the FCC ID, FCC certified logo, the Part 15 compliance) then I'm at a loss as to why this is not completely legal. You're not a manufacturer ... you're an integrator. I can't see why you'd need to re-test and certified a box with a radio that already bears the FCC certification. If you need to re-certify, then BestBuy'd need to certify to sell you a PC with the LAN card installed, CompUSA'd need to certify, etc. But if you integrate a certified radio, and reflash its code in a way that modifies its modulation behavior, then you've become a radio manufacturer ... and you need to actually go through a complete FCC type acceptance testing. However, in my opinion it's got to be modified at layer 1 (physical layer) to require this. Changing the Media Access Control (layer 2) or above is just not grounds to require re-certification IMHO. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor have ever played a lawyer on TV. I am actually not qualified to comment on the topics I have just commented on! :-) They are just my ignorant opinions, and I'd greatly appreciate anyone who could kick some sense into me should I be all wet. Peace, Rich ----- Original Message ----- From: Marlon K. Schafer (509) 982-2181 To: WISPA General List Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 12:03 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] StarOS or Microtik with TRCPQ clients... OK, lets be clear on what the rules are today guys. (Why did I know that THIS thread was gonna turn out to be a ton of fun (said the pot to the kettle)) Here's how it works. If you have a AP out there it can have a MAX output of 4 watts. 36dB. That holds true for 900, 2.4 and 5.8 bands. I forget what the strange 5.7 unii band rules are but I think they are 4 watt also, at the ap. The 5.2 (some call it the 5.3) gig band has a 1 watt limit. As for antenna choices, you can use any antenna of the SAME type as long as it's of equal or lower gain AND the same type. If you are using an ap radio (doesn't matter if it's in a tranzeo box, war board or mt or whatever anymore) certified with a 15 dB vpol omni then you can use any vpol omni of similar in and out of band specs that's 15 dB or less. Want to run a 15 dB hpol omni? Nope, gotta go get it certified with that (I could be wrong on this one but I don't think so). Certainly if you want to put a sector on, so sorry, no can do. Unless that is, it's certified with *A* sector. Here's the really fun part. Under the NEW rules (from a year or two ago) if you want to run an amp it has to be a part of a COMPLETE system. AND the devices have to be keyed to each other. Meaning that the ap and the amp have to have unique connectors or be electronically keyed to each other. Thanks Michael Young formerly of YDI. On the cpe side things get even more fun. I'm only gonna talk about ISM rules as I keep forgetting exactly what the UNII rules are and few mix and match in the UNII band anyway. 900 mhz 4 watts max. You can use any antenna you want as long as it's of the same type (grid, yagi, panel) and similar specs as the LARGEST one certified with the radio. If they certified a 20 dB yagi, you can use almost any yagi that's 20dB or less. If they certified no yagis you can't use one. 2.4 ghz Starts at 4 watts. 30 dB of radio output and 6dB of antenna gain. For ever dB you reduce the radio output you can raise the antenna gain by 3dB. At 24 dB of radio output (250mw) you can put on a 24dB grid. This gives you a total of 60 watts of output. Same rules apply though. If the radio isn't certified with a grid antenna or with one that's less than 24 dB you can't do this. Make sure that your radio manufacturers are certifying everything with the LARGEST antenna of all common types!!!!! If they aren't certified with anything but a consumer grade rubber ducky, we can't legally use the radios. 5.8 ghz Starts with 4 watts. 30dB of radio output and 6 dB of antenna gain. Go as big as you want with the antennas, no need to drop the radio power. Same other rules about certification apply. Is my network perfect? Nope. Is it all within eirp limits? You bet. Well, I've got one sector that used to be an omni and I need to pull our the amp but I'll save that project for better weather. And it's only hurting me (does create a LOT of interference on one of my other systems in town). Do I go around bragging about, or complaining about compliance issues? Nope. That said, I'm working very hard to correct any compliance issues we have. It'll take another year or two, but I'll have everything certified. Things are growing too fast and getting too good to think that we can stay under the radar. Eventually there will have to be a crack down. Or another change in the rules. I'm not sure which will happen, I prefer at least an eirp crackdown. It's hard enough competing in this industry without a bunch of people that don't understand that more is not better most of the time screwing up the airways. (BTW, that's the bad thing about rec. thresholds. They tend to raise the overall noise floor which, in the end, is the same as running more amps out there.) If you hire a consultant that doesn't at least explain all of this to you, go hire a new consultant. The one you have either doesn't know the rules or he's only in it to take your money. And if he'll take your money without worrying about your long term legality, what else will he do to you? Let the Marlon bashing begin! Marlon (509) 982-2181 Equipment sales (408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services 42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp! [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.odessaoffice.com/wireless www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Rogato" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 11:36 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] StarOS or Microtik with TRCPQ clients... > Then you must not be aware that Lonnie is now also selling the complete > package. > The newest product is Star V3, Atheros cm9 and a gateworks customized > board to Lonnies specs. > > It's called the WAR board, or Wireless Advanced Router. They come in 2 > flavors, a 4 port 533MHz proc or a 2 port 266MHz proc, both with 2 > ethernets. Can do 5, 10, 20,,40MHz channel widths. > > I have better than 200 maybe 250 by now WAR boards in place with Pac > Wireless Rootennas both 5 gig and 2 gig. > > Recently I built a new pop using a water tank. My transfer rate from the > tank to my house gave me just under 30megs ftp across that link using a > pair of 266's. > > Most of the links I put in are 5 gig and I use the 2nd port for a 2 gig > wifi ap for the immediate area. > > I can honestly say that I can not remember having to reboot any of my war > boards and 20 megs is not uncommon across my wireless man. > > > > > George > > Patrick Leary wrote: >> Lonnie, you are just doing what I wish I were smart enough to do -- >> write code people are willing to pay for. Software is always better than >> hardware: you avoid FCC hassles, you have no hard shipping or packaging >> costs, you need no production facilities, you don't have to negotiate >> purchase of and stock components, you can live anywhere, it can be >> instantly deployed, etc., etc. >> >> I've nothing but respect for what you've done. For all the same reasons, >> I'd think you were insane if you went into >> hardware in this business. >> >> Patrick Leary >> AVP WISP Markets >> Alvarion, Inc. >> o: 650.314.2628 >> c: 760.580.0080 >> Vonage: 650.641.1243 >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On >> Behalf Of Lonnie Nunweiler >> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 10:32 PM >> To: WISPA General List >> Subject: Re: [WISPA] StarOS or Microtik with TRCPQ clients... >> >> Seemed kind close to my home is all. >> >> All the Best in 2007. >> >> Lonnie >> >> >> >> >> ************************************************************************************ >> This footnote confirms that this email message has been scanned by >> PineApp Mail-SeCure for the presence of malicious code, vandals & >> computer viruses. >> ************************************************************************************ >> >> >> > > -- > George Rogato > > Welcome to WISPA > > www.wispa.org > > http://signup.wispa.org/ > -- > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > -- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
