encor e!n etworks
•
TM
Version A.2, January 2013
© 2013 Encore Networks, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Wireless Cards for BANDIT Products
W
ireless connections use radiofrequencies through airwaves instead of electrical signals
through cables. A cellular wireless connection allows free physical movement within
the broadcast radius of a cell’s wireless access point (AP)—for example, a cell tower.
Each wireless AP provides a direct or indirect cabled connection to the core of the wireless
network. Some BANDIT™ products can use a wireless card to connect to a wireless network.
The BANDIT products have been certified by major carriers as compatible with and acceptable to
commercial cellular networks.
A wireless network card provides a wireless connection to a wireless access point, supporting the
BANDIT device as a wireless terminal. (The BANDIT device does not act as a gateway or AP for
other wireless devices. That is, it does not provide a connection through which other terminal
wireless devices, such as a cellphone or a wireless laptop computer, can reach a wireless network.)
You can set the BANDIT products up to provide a connection between a cabled network and a
wireless network. All features of a BANDIT device are available for wireless and wired
connections.
The BANDIT device can send a transmission through a wireless carrier or through a wired
network. Figure 1-1 illustrates typical wireless and wired connections for a BANDIT device.
A remote terminal can be set up to manage a BANDIT device from any location over any network.
For example, a wireless laptop can manage the BANDIT remotely if you configure the BANDIT’s
firewall to accept the connection. As in any other remote connection, the wireless laptop’s packets
go through the wireless carrier’s network to be routed to the BANDIT (as shown in Figure 1-1 on
page 2).
Warning: It is extremely important to set up security measures, including firewall
protection, for each wireless device. Use the BANDIT’s firewall to protect the BANDIT and
its connection to the wireless network. See The BANDIT Device as Firewall.
A local BANDIT device uses spoofing to handle legacy protocols that are sensitive to delay. It
receives packets from the sender and replies with acknowledgment packets as if it were the
remote terminal (at the other end of the connection). At the same time, the local BANDIT device
sends the received data across the wireless network to the real remote BANDIT device, connected
to the remote terminal. The remote BANDIT device, acting as if it were the original sender (the
local BANDIT device), spoofs its transmissions to the remote terminal.
The same process occurs in reverse when the remote terminal sends reply packets.
For information on trademarks, safety, limitations
of liability, and similar topics, see Notices.
Home Module: Wireless Set-Up
Document 1
Page 2
Wireless Set-Up Module, Document 1
Figure 1-1. BANDIT Connections to External Wireless Carrier,
to Internal Wired LAN, and to External Wired IP Network
Table 1-1 lists the BANDIT products that can connect to a wireless network. It also shows the
options for placement of a wireless card in each chassis.
Table 1-1. BANDIT Chassis Options for Wireless Cards
Chassis Model
Wireless Card
in Expansion Port
Internal Wireless Card
C2C
•
BANDIT II C2C
•
BANDIT
•
BANDIT II
BANDIT III
•
a
BANDIT IP
•
•
BANDIT Mini
BANDIT Plus
•
•
ILR-100
VSR-30
•
•
•
a. The BANDIT III can hold two wireless cards—one in the external expansion port and one enclosed
inside the chassis.
Wireless Cards for BANDIT Products
Page 3
Each wireless card can connect to a wireless network that uses one of the following
technologies:1
• Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
• CDMA, using Evolution of Data Optimized (EVDO)
• Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), using General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS)
• GSM, using Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE).2
• GSM, using High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA)—especially for download, in HighSpeed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA).
Note: EVDO, EDGE, and HSPA are available only for the C2C, BANDIT II C2C,
BANDIT II, BANDIT III, and BANDIT Plus chassis.
The card installed depends on the wireless carrier and network you wish to use; you order a
CDMA card or a GSM card (using GPRS or EDGE) according to the technology the carrier
uses.
Note: When you order a CDMA wireless card for a BANDIT device, the carrier-specific
software is loaded on the wireless card before shipment. A GSM carrier provides a
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) to insert into the GSM wireless card.
Figure 1-2 shows a wireless card, with an antenna attached, installed in the original
BANDIT™ chassis. Figure 1-3 shows an antenna attached to the wireless card via cable. (A
cable permits optimal placement of the antenna.) Figure 1-4 shows a BANDIT III chassis
with antennas for two wireless modules.
Note: The standard antenna for a wireless card ships with a 12 ft. (3.7 m) cable, and has
0 dB (no gain). The cable permits optimal placement of the antenna. Contact your Encore
Networks sales representative if you would like an optional antenna that has a +3 dB gain.
An antenna on a magnetic mount (or mounting pad) does not have to be attached to
ferromagnetic metal. It can be placed on any flat, dry surface—for example, metal, wood,
or plastic. However, an antenna on a magnetic mount receives signals best when it is on a
metal plate (even a non-magnetic metal plate) of minimum diameter 8 inches (about 20 cm).
Figure 1-2. BANDIT with Antenna Connected to Wireless Module
1. The BANDIT III can use two wireless cards. The cards can use the same technology or different
technologies.
2. EDGE technology is sometimes described as Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution, Enhanced-Data GSM
Environment, or Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS).
Page 4
Wireless Set-Up Module, Document 1
Figure 1-3. BANDIT with Cable Connecting Antenna to Wireless Module
Figure 1-4. BANDIT III with Antennas for Two Wireless Modules
To install and activate a wireless card, see the following:
• Changing the Card in a BANDIT Product’s Expansion Slot
• Changing the SIM in a BANDIT Product’s GSM Card
• Activating a Wireless Card in a Cellular Carrier Network
Also review the Basic Safety Guidelines.
Note: A cellular wireless card will not connect to the wireless carrier until the card’s
initialization has completed. In the C2C, BANDIT II C2C, and BANDIT II, cellular card
initialization takes about 30 seconds. In the BANDIT III, cellular card initialization takes
about 90 seconds.
For specifications of the wireless cards used in BANDIT™ devices, see the following
sections:
• CDMA Wireless Cards
• GSM Wireless Cards