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:
- Have a 6 GHz temporary enable license configured on the SM.
- Bench upgrade the SM to 24.1 BETA-3 or later prior to deployment.
- 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:
|
| 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. |