PMP450x System Release 24.1 is now available

PMP450x System Release 24.1 is now available at https://support.cambiumnetworks.com/files/pmp450 and it will be available on cnMaestro cloud within 24 hours.

Updates

24.1 radio code formal release in September 2024 already had code support for FCC for 450b6 in 6Ghz, but the AFC protocol was disabled in the AFC server for this hardware type. Effective 10/9/24, AFC support is approved and fully enabled for FCC regions for 6GHz operations.**

Updated release notes are available on the Cambium Products page. This latest release notes version also makes mention of Cambium’s “Airtime Fairness” scheduling feature. Although this feature was released with 24.0.1 software, Cambium missed mentioning this in our 24.0.1 release notes and configuration guide. Configuration guide updates will be available soon for this feature.

New hardware: PMP 450v 2x2 Subscriber Module

Enhance performance for both business and residential locations with the PMP 450v 2x2 SM. This module is designed to deliver high performance and increased bandwidth, helping to reduce customer churn and maintain a competitive edge.

Key features

  • Frequency range: Operates from 5.15 GHz to 7.125 GHz
  • MIMO technology: 2x2 MIMO subscriber module
  • Ultra-Wide-Band support: Up to 2 x 40 MHz channels for increased total capacity
  • Frequency flexibility: Supports 5 GHz and 6 GHz frequency bands for versatile spectrum usage
  • Single SKU support: The hardware supports 5 GHz to 7 GHz bands, simplifying inventory and maintenance; however, the software currently supports only the 5.8 GHz band.

New Features in 24.1

AFC support for PMP 450v 4x4 platform in FCC region

The next generation of Cambium PMP products supports operation in the 6 GHz band. In the United States, this operation requires communication with an Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) server.

For more details, please refer AFC Operation for Cambium PMP Products document on the Cambium support site:

https://support.cambiumnetworks.com/files/pmp450/.

AFC support for PMP 450b6 platform in Canada and FCC regions

The next generation of Cambium PMP products supports operation in the 6 GHz band. In Canada and FCC regions, this operation requires communication with an Automatic Frequency Coordination (AFC) server.

The 24.1 release, made in September 2024, includes FCC support for 450b6 in the 6 GHz band, but the AFC protocol was disabled on the AFC server for this hardware type. As of October 9, 2024, AFC support is approved and fully enabled for 6 GHz operations in FCC regions. Canada region is also fully supported in AFC with Release 24.1 for 450b6 SMs.

For more details, please refer to the AFC Operation for Cambium PMP Products document on the Cambium support site:

https://support.cambiumnetworks.com/files/pmp450/

Support for Airtime Fairness Scheduler

Users configure this option on the Configuration > Radio page of the AP. All APs except the 450v support this feature.

Airtime Fairness is a new scheduling option in addition to the existing options of legacy and Proportional.

Airtime Fairness scheduling aims to have the timeslot resource allocation to each and every SM the same, independent of the operating modulation on those SMs. Operation is the same as selecting the proportional scheduler, setting the same plans for each and every SM, setting all proportional scheduler weights to the same value, setting User Lock Modulation to Enable, and setting Locked Modulation to 8X.

This feature was originally released with the 24.0.1 software, but Cambium did not mention it
in the 24.0.1 documentation. It is included in these notes to announce the availability of the
feature for APs running 24.0.1 or later.

PMP 450b6 radios shipped through the week of September 9th have been factory programmed with 24.1 BETA-2 or earlier software. None of these builds have AFC enabled or support viewing and selecting 6 GHz center frequencies on the Configuration > Radio page of the SM. To enable 6 GHz on a 450b6 shipped with older software, operators must either:

  1. Have a 6 GHz temporary enable license configured on the SM.
  2. Bench upgrade the SM to 24.1 BETA-3 or later prior to deployment.
  3. Deploy the SM on a sector with a 5.7 GHz carrier. This allows the SM to connect at 5 GHz, after which a software upgrade to BETA-3 or later can be performed.

Some PMP 450v units may experience a slight reduction in receive performance when the operating channel bandwidth includes 5734 MHz.

Enhancements in Release 24.1

Products Tracking Description
450v CPY-19147 and CPY-19149 Improvements to AFC warning banners.
450b6 CPY-19144 AFC support for PMP 450b6 platform in Canada region.
450v CPYV-794 AFC support for PMP 450v platform in US/FCC region.
450v AP CPYV-69 SFP+ support for PMP 450v AP.

Problems and limitations corrected in Release 24.1

Products Affected Tracking Description
450v AP CPY-19203 Fixed stuck session issue with SMs registered to AP.
450v AP CPY-19183 Fixed management lock-up with AP.
3 GHz CBRS AP and SMs CPY-19161 Many operator SMs struggled to re-register after a brief CBRS SAS outage on August 23, 2024.
450v CPY-19156 Fixed an issue where uplink data traffic did not pass through when the Upstream Interface was set to the SFP interface.
450v CPY-19148 SM dropped the session continuously if AP’s component carrier2 of carrier1 channel was not available in AFC SA response.
450v CPY-19140 4x4 AFC capable SM’s registration request was transmitted at too weak of power when the AFC server allowed value was weak.
450v CPY-19139 Radio did not retry AFC Spectrum Inquiry upon receiving an invalid SI response.
450v CPY-19134 Used the radio’s current SKU for AFC registration instead of reading from the saved AFC FPM.
450v AP CPY-19082 AP crashed in session task due to "Data Abort exception, return PC:064ef9f8 DFSR:(0000080d) - WnR, FS:5 DFAR:00000000".
450v CPY-19064 Could not trigger spectrum analysis on PMP 450v AP when frequency was set to None.
450v CPY-19059 SM did not transmit at full power if carrier 0 was 5 GHz and carrier 1 was 6 GHz.
450v AP CPY-18960 Hardware Watchdog Reset was noticed in AP.
450V AP CPY-18958 AP does not transmit on 5GHz if AFC was not successful on the 6GHz carrier.
450v AP CPY-18720 Frame utilization statistics for 2 component carrier operation were optimized. Previously, these statistics fluctuated with traffic load and provided operators with a rough idea of frame utilization, but they were not reliable for precise measurements of utilization.
450v CPYV-834 Fixed hardware watchdog resets on PMP 450v radios.

Known issues and Limitations in Release 24.1

Products Affected Tracking Description
450v AP CPY-19180 WFQ and SM prioritization features are not currently optimized for 2-component carrier sectors.
450v CPY-19172 The cnMaestro dashboard per device has a field for AP EIRP or SM EIRP. For 450v, this field often displays N/A or an initial value such as -15. This issue is more common on 450v APs but can also occur on SMs. The workaround for version 24.1 is to click the refresh button in the upper right corner of the GUI. This action forces a fetch of the up-to-date value from the device. The same issue can appear if a periodic AFC update changes the operating EIRP of the device. Again, refreshing the cnMaestro dashboard fetches the proper value. For Release 24.1, Cambium suggests that operators refresh the dashboard whenever they wish to view the current AP EIRP or SM EIRP from cnMaestro for a 450v device.
450v AP CPY-19132 The second component carrier uplink modulation is incorrectly reported as 1X on the frame utilization page when it is actually 8X. For Release 24.1, the suggested workaround is to use the Statistics > Data Channels page to assess utilization and throughput per QoS level in a 2-component carrier configuration.
450v CPY-19126 Release 24.1 code reports performance statistics to cnMaestro for 450v radios for the first component carrier. However, an SM’s understanding of what is component carrier 0 versus component carrier 1 may differ from the AP’s mapping of these carriers. As a result, performance graphs per SM on cnMaestro might display, for example, the uplink modulation of what the AP tracks as component carrier 1, but the downlink modulation of what the AP tracks as component carrier 0. The SM’s understanding of component carrier 0 can be seen per SM on cnMaestro’s dashboard for that device. Note that the SM’s understanding of component carrier 0 can change from reboot to reboot.
450v CPY-19126 Release 24.1 code does not fully support cnMaestro statistics for both component carriers. A few exceptions include statistics where both component carriers are reported as a single string. For example, AP EIRP shows both component carrier stats/KPIs reported and displayed together.
450m APs CPY-19079 Some slight degradation in MUMIMO grouping occurs with 24.1 SM code for SMs operating under 450m sectors.

Workaround: To avoid the possibility of some slight performance degradation until this issue is addressed:
  1. 5 GHz 450m operators who do not require features introduced in Release 22.2 can continue using Release 22.1.2 for both AP and SM software. Release 22.2 introduces 5 GHz interference cancellation and other smaller features. Several bugs found in Release 22.2 have been fixed, and Cambium advises operators to avoid Release 22.2. Operators needing features from Release 22.2 can use Release 24.0.1 or 24.1 on their AP, while keeping their SMs on 24.0.1.
  2. 3 GHz 450m operators should upgrade their APs to 24.1 for the major CBRS bug fix (CPY-19161). See the Problems and limitations corrected in Release 24.1 table. 3GHz operators can leave their SMs on 24.0.1 to avoid encountering the CPY-19070 performance concern.
450v AP CPY-18987 The link test shows lower throughput in the uplink when there is user data traffic in the uplink.
450v AP CPY-18799 In some instances, link test efficiencies might be too low even when the missed fragment percentage is very low.
450v AP CPYV-787 Auto-contention, Multicast traffic, and Proportional Scheduler (Rate Plan) features have not yet been optimized for 2 carrier configurations and are not supported on 450v APs for Release 24.1.
1 Like

We upgraded from 22.1.2 to 24.1 on the ap and 24.0.1 on the SM as suggested. One AP went offline twice inside 24 hours. Reloaded 22.1.2 and good behavior so far. This was an AP with 5 SMs. Other APs with a single SM did not behave the same.

Was this a 450i AP? If yes, then you may be experiencing a known bug.

Bug Fixes

  • CPY-19237 - Ethernet stuck and reboots on 450i and 450b in 24.1

https://community.cambiumnetworks.com/t/pmp450x-release-24-1-1-beta-2-is-now-available/102167

No it is a 450M AP with 450B SMs

You might want to see if that R24.1.1 beta resolves the issue, if it doesn’t, then time to file a ticket.

Thanks for the suggestion. We will pass as this is a production environment.