I was excited to get my hands on the 3k micropop omni and received one a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I didn't notice in the marketing material this note:
NOTE: the MP 3000 does not support GPS synchronization and does not have an integrated real-time spectrum analyzer
I knew about the lack of GPS and that doesn't matter for my use case, but the lack of even an offline spectrum analyzer makes this thing completely useless. Is it expected that we just put one of these up in a RF crowded area and blindly choose frequencies until we find something that works?
So now, it goes back in the box to sit on the shelf until maybe someday it at least can do a simple site survey (nudge, nudge).
I'm thinking "integrated real-time" SA just means it doesn't have a 2nd radio like the other AC stuff with the sole purpose of being an SA ? Surely it has the software spectrum analyzer. Or do you have this in hand and it actually doesn't have SA as an option at all ?
I imagine that when you open a window at ePMP HQ smoke just rolls out like rolling down the window on Cheech and Chong's van if Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson was in the van with them...
Really need to add some imagery to help everyone get the context. All joking aside, this is not intentional and we are working quickly to add spectrum analyzer to the micropop. The thing to keep in mind is tha tthe upop is a re-use of our exisitng hardware and in all honesty we don't see a huge base for the micropop especially with an omni configuration to build hardware from the ground up. Therefore, the spectrum analyzer function needs to be ported from our e1K/2K series which we are working on feverishly.
good to know! kinda reminds me of the 1000hotspot, which I reflashed into 1000CSMs when they had too many problems that we were forced to replace them.
If Cambium wanted to 'reuse hardware' then why not simply allow an AP mode (non GPS of course) in the AC SM's like they always did in the 1000 and 2000 N lineup of SMs? So that we could have simply used a Force3000CSM in AP mode, for a small MicroPop with whatever antenna we choose - if WISPs needed a small solution and could forego GPS.
Just like we always could choose to use an ePMP1000 connectorized, or a Force180 if we want to... set it to AP mode and those SM's can all be very functional as small AP's in the right micro-location and micro-situation.
The web switch is removed, but the mode is still in the command line. whether it works I dont know as I have not tried it, but its definately not a hardware limitation. That being said, unless its a micro pop that is isolated, why wouldn't you use GPS? Plus letting us repurpose hardware doesnt drive sales very well.
I can see using a f300-25 in a PTP-MP link for an event where you have several stations in a narrow path at distance, but that is usually a one off situation thats extremely narrow pathed! For most event type layouts, an omni or a set of sectors is usually a better setup. And at that point GPS is a good thing.