1. Installation Instructions
1.1 Some Basic Rules
Preliminaries: Laying of power & ethernet cables to the installation location must be carried out and planned prior to IoT gateway installation. Location of gateways plays a very important role for the connectivity of the network. An IoT gateway must be placed in a location[1] & manner where it can meet or exceed the following;
The maximum distance from one or more nodes on a mesh of nodes should not exceed 5 meters.[2]
If multiple gateways need to be installed, they should not be co-located such that all node would have similar path to all gateways. Avoid installing 2 gateways in the same room or closed space
Care must be taken as IoT gateway support ethernet connection of CAT5e or higher and there is limit on allowable length of cables that can be run from a network switch. Consult relevant standards for this length allowance.
The types of connections required should be taken into consideration when planning a new installation. In order to function, the gateway needs both a power and Internet connection. For power, the options are PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) or AC wall power. Power consumed by PoE is as below;
Description | Minimum | Typical | Maximum | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Power consumption referenced at PoE input | 1.8 | 2.5 | 5.6 | Watts |
Please avoid connecting the gateway to both PoE and AC wall power. Remove the AC Wall power if the gateway is already connected to PoE.
The installed gateways must be accessible and marked on floor plans in order to ensure future troubleshooting.
The gateway ID must be noted as installed and then added to the portal with correct credentials. Refer to portal commissioning guide for adding a gateway ID to the portal.
The gateway ID includes the (6-bytes) MAC address which comprises the nonzero hex numbers followed by “0” zeros towards the end of gateway ID i.e. last 6 bytes.
Estimated data usage (During normal operations).
Typical data usage for a gateway with 150 nodes is anticipated to be within the range of 1.8 - 2.1 GB in a nominally occupied space. A space that is only occupied during day / for typical work hours with little to no occupancy during weekends. The bandwidth estimated here includes default status reporting for sensor nodes and their attached devices. The figures above are only meant as a guide that may increase due to the following factors;
If the space is occupied more than what we indicated above
If a gateway has more nodes than indicated above as the network is dynamically formed and allows free allocation of nodes depending upon the environment.
If there are gateway software updates and OTAP carried out on projects because the updates can have spikes of hundreds of MB if there are updates carried out for gateway software which are hard to quantify.
1.2 Gateway Placement & Coverage
Each IoT gateway can support at maximum 150 nodes. Any device that carries its own unique address in Wirepas (e.g., Response SN3, Response Radios, Fujitsu sensor or (Sensor Node 2 with backpacks)) will be considered a node and must be included in the total of 150.
A gateway in an open floor plan will have a larger coverage area than a closed floor plan with many walls. Building construction materials also affect coverage: drywall and glass permit more coverage than brick and concrete.
Coverage planning should give consideration to brick or concrete walls, as you should not expect to get much penetration through those materials. If you require coverage on both sides of a brick or concrete wall, plan for a gateway on each side.
Correct placement of gateways is important for getting the desired coverage. Generally, mounting gateways up high and out of reach is recommended, as this improves line of sight while making the units more difficult to tamper with. Special consideration should be given to any metal near the mounting area, such as in support beams or HVAC ducts.
We recommend against mounting the gateway directly to any large metal surface.
Gateways do not need to be visible for operation. It is common to mount gateways above drop ceilings, to either the wall or a drop from the ceiling. When mounting above drop ceilings or in open office style spaces, it is recommended to mount the gateway below the level of any ceiling HVAC ducts to avoid dead spots.
Although it is common to mount gateway above drop ceilings in some cases where the ceiling include large quantities of metal such as full metal ceiling grid & ceiling plates. Try alternate installation such as wall mounting or the gateway could be mounted below the ceiling tile (visible to the room, not in the space between the tile and the ceiling of the room where it can’t be seen) with minimal signal loss. In general when mounting the gateways consider location that can maximize their line of sight while avoiding metal bodies.
1.3 Some Visual Examples
To help with choosing ideal location against spread of nodes for best coverage and mounting location see some examples below,
[1] If you are unsure of the location of IoT gateways consult OR Technologies before confirming the installation.
[2] The bear minimum is one node; however, it is a good practice to install an IoT gateway amidst several nodes such that it can be found by multiple nodes.