Hi all, I don’t know if anyone has seen this before. I’m using a Canopy ver 6.1 5.7Ghz SM. When I check the AP Eval Data, i see the following:
AP List
Current entry index: 1
Index: 0 Frequency: 5760.0 MHz ESN: 0a-00-3e-f1-69-2d
Jitter: 9 RSSI: 1741 Power Level: -53 Beacon Count: 37 BRcvW: 1
Type: Multipoint Avail: 1 Age: 0 Lockout: 0 RegFail 0 Range: 0 feet TxBER: 0 EBcast: 0
Session Count: 0 NoLUIDS: 0 OutOfRange: 0 AuthFail: 0 EncryptFail: 0 Rescan Req: 0
FrameNumber: 1961 SectorID: 3 Color Code: 10 BeaconVersion: 1 SectorUserCount: 5
PercentDataDwn: 50 PercentDataUpHi: 0 NumDAckSlots: 3 NumContSlots: 3 NumUAckSlots: 3
Index: 1 Frequency: 5810.0 MHz ESN: 0a-00-3e-f1-69-2d
Jitter: 3 RSSI: 831 Power Level: -78 Beacon Count: 30 BRcvW: 1
Type: Multipoint Avail: 1 Age: 0 Lockout: 0 RegFail 0 Range: 6125 feet TxBER: 0 EBcast: 0
Session Count: 1 NoLUIDS: 0 OutOfRange: 0 AuthFail: 0 EncryptFail: 0 Rescan Req: 0
FrameNumber: 1901 SectorID: 3 Color Code: 10 BeaconVersion: 1 SectorUserCount: 5
PercentDataDwn: 50 PercentDataUpHi: 0 NumDAckSlots: 3 NumContSlots: 3 NumUAckSlots: 3
For starters the frequency on index 1 is incorrect. It has never been set 5760. There are other AP’s on the cluster with that frequency but the MAC addresses are different. This is very confusing and only appears on this particular SM. The SM woks fine with or without NAT, but the results are Does anybody know what “Age”, “RegFail”, “Rescan Req”, Beacon Count" or “BeaconVersion” mean? There seems to be little or no information in the manuals about these terms. Any info will be GREATLY appreciated.
Sorry, I don’t know what those parameters mean specifically, but the SM is definately confused about the APs it sees.
Set the SM’s frequency scan list, on the Configuration page, to scan only the frequency of the AP pointed in the SM’s direction. If the SM is in the overlap of two APs, then set the SM to scan both frequencies, both one at a time and together. Also, use the SM’s Spectrum Analyser to learn what the SM sees.
Are there 6 APs in the cluster? Are they synchronized with a CMM? Are all the APs configured identically? Is the single SM exhibiting the odd behavior further from the cluster than other SMs? Does the SM have the poorest LOS?
Is there a competitor in the area? This is telling you that the SM is seeing the AP with MAC address 0a-00-3e-f1-69-2d at a much stronger power level however the jitter is high. This appears to mean that someone is using a Canopy AP, really close to your SM.
Canopy Support:
Won’t the Color Code in the AP Eval data indicate the presence of a foreign Canopy installation? Unless, of course, they happen to have their Color Code set the same.
Jay_d1:
I resisted the urge in my first reply to suggest setting the SM’s Scan list to every frequency, but only a single frequency at a time. Canopy Support’s response, however, may indicate this would be helpful. Changing your Color Code from 10 to something else may also help, if there’s a foreign install, but this will be time consuming and distruptive.
The thing that indicates the presence of a foreign Canopy installation is that Jay_d1 stated that the MAC address doesnt match any of his AP’s. If the SM sees two AP’s and one has the same MAC as one of his units while the other doesnt then that means that it is a foreign AP.
Hi Guys,
If you look at the MAC address it is the same, this is NOT a case of foreign AP as there is only one AP appearing on 2 frequencies.
Unless Motorola have issued 2 AP with the same MAC address, then we do not have a problem with a foreign AP.
Also we are only seeing this inforamtion from this one SM and not any other.
This cluster is using a CMM-micro and is constructed of 5 AP and 2 BH, using GPS and taking time pulse from power.
We have rebooted the SM on many occasions but we still see the same problem.
What about the different fields, do you know what they are trying to tell us.
Thanks in advance for your help.
What are the frequencies and Color Codes of all the APs and BHs at the site?
AP01 freq = 5760, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-69-2c, color code = 10
AP02 freq = 5785, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-69-89, color code = 10
AP03 freq = 5810, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-69-2d, color code = 10
AP04 freq = 5760, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-67-e9, color code = 10
AP05 freq = 5785, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-69-40, color code = 10
Backhaul Master freq = 5840, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-58-9a, color code = 4
Backhaul Master freq = 5735, mac = 0a-00-3e-f1-54-f5, color code = 5
All devices are receiving sync from the CMM-Micro
When Motorola suspects a foreign AP, they’re not suggesting duplicate MACs. They may be aware of an issue where an SM can get confused, and report an erroneous AP list, when it sees certain combinations or quantities or signal strengths of APs at identical frequencies.
Looks like you have everything at the cluster set properly. Motorola suggests the APs set with identical frequencies be pointed in opposite directions, but I’ve never tested this to learn if it’s critical. Setting the ColorCodes differently on the BHs is unneccesary, but it doesn’t hurt anything either.
The MAC that the SM sees is the next sequential MAC after AP01. The phantom AP, if it actually exists, likely shipped from Motorola at the same time as AP01. It’s possible it shipped from Motorola’s distributor together with AP01. Do you own an AP with the MAC that the SM sees and have it installed somewhere else?
Three different suggestions:
1. Swap the SM out and see if the problem follows the SM or stays with the location.
2. Check the SM’s AP Eval page when the entire cluster is powered off.
3. Change the APs’ ColorCodes.
Number 2, I think, would be the most informative test. If the SM is in use by an accomodating customer, and the two of you don’t mind getting up early, you could try it very quickly and easily at 5 or 6:00AM, and likely not affect your other customers.
If the SM sees no APs when the cluster is off, then you’ve eliminated the foreign AP and likely isolated the problem to the SM – just where you already suspect it is. Swapping the SM should then confirm this.
If the SM sees other APs, then they’re foreign.
I’m sorry. When I first read it I didnt look at the second MAC and assumed it was different. We did see this on older software. What version are you running on the AP & SM?
Hi all, sorry for not responding for a while. I am using version 6.1 all around and version 2.0.8 on the CMM.