Quickly and easily design networks for optimal deployment, cost-effectiveness using LINKPlanner

Wireless network operators are constantly looking at how to reduce the total cost of ownership of the network to increase their return on investment. Keeping costs down starts with selecting the right equipment with the correct configuration for the desired performance and reliability. Cambium Networks has developed the LINKPlanner tool to simplify the design of these networks whether they are PTP or PMP. By designing the network with predictable performance upfront, the cost of procurement, installation, configuration and ongoing support can be minimised. 

Designed for use with Cambium’s PTP and PMP solutions, LINKPlanner allows users to easily and quickly design networks for optimal deployment and cost-effectiveness. With versions for Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Mac systems, LINKPlanner is a free, easy-to-use link design tool that can be downloaded from the Cambium Networks website.

“LINKPlanner allows users to model ‘what if’ scenarios – based on geography, distance, antenna height, transmit power and other factors – to optimise system performance before purchase. It lets you quickly and easily design networks for optimal deployment and cost-effectiveness. It leads the industry as the most trusted and intuitive RF link planning tool, with tens of thousands of links deployed successfully worldwide,” says Teresa Huysamen, Wireless Business Unit Executive at Duxbury Networking, local distributor of Cambium technology.

LINKPlanner’s performance reports give users the confidence that their chosen system will meet their needs and it provides installers with configuration guidelines that enable them to quickly deploy the network.

“The first step in link design is to enter information about the sites you want to connect. The recommended method to insert sites into a project is to import the latitude and longitude information from sources such as Google Earth mapping service. LINKPlanner then automatically imports a path profile to which you can add additional obstructions to accurately model the environment,” says Huysamen.

By modifying system characteristics, such as antenna type and height, users can obtain the optimal configuration to achieve the performance they need to meet their throughput and availability requirements. In addition to throughput and availability, they will also see projected system gain margin and path loss for the link.

“While LINKPlanner projections have proven to be extraordinarily accurate, such precision depends on obtaining accurate and complete path data. Based on the path data provided, LINKPlanner reports can predict after-deployment performance and provide installers with the information they need to successfully install the links in their network,” says Huysamen.

LINKPlanner features

• Plan and optimise a single link or multiple links simultaneously;
• Display a comprehensive overview of your entire wireless network via Google Earth mapping service;
• Generate reports that validate projected performance and serve as time-saving deployment guidelines;
• Create a bill of materials for PMP and PTP networks, including accessories;
• Plan multi-sector towers and multi-tower networks assigning SMs (subscriber modules) to the best access point (AP); and
• Export list of SMs and associated modulation modes to the Cambium Capacity Planning tool. 

For more information, contact Duxbury Networking, (+27) 011 351 9800, info@duxnet.co.za, www.duxbury.co.za.