RADWIN Professional Services

Last update: January 22

nd
2012

RADWIN Ltd. 27 Habarzel St. Tel-Aviv 69710. Tel: +972 3 7662900 Fax: +972 3 7662918 www.radwin.com


R-Planner Frequently Asked Questions | revision 2.3



Dear R-Planner User,

RADWIN Professional Services has gathered the following questions and answers to allow a more practical
and efficient workflow.

The information enclosed in the following paper can reduce the time and efforts invested when planning
or troubleshooting link planning errors.

Reviewing the list of questions & answers before contacting RADWIN Support may help narrowing down
the list of probable causes for a certain query.

RADWIN Professional Services continuously updates this paper. Please make sure you are using the latest
revision number.

Should you require further assistance, please contact your local RADWIN support representative.

Thank You,
RADWIN Professional Services.




In this paper:

1. Installation
2. Administration
3. Planning
4. Report Generation
5. Documentation & Support















RADWIN Professional Services
Last update: January 22
nd
2012

RADWIN Ltd. 27 Habarzel St. Tel-Aviv 69710. Tel: +972 3 7662900 Fax: +972 3 7662918 www.radwin.com

Installation

Q. Is there a standalone version that does not require internet connection?
A. Currently the R-Planner is only available via online connection. A standalone version is not available at
the moment.

Q. What is the recommended bandwidth for using the tool?
A. We strongly recommend a broadband connection (DSL / E1 / T1). To avoid losing important data due to
unstable internet connection we also recommend that you save your project frequently.

Q. What are the hardware requirements of my PC/Mac/Tablet?
A. PC with Windows XP/WIN7/ Office 2007 or higher, Internet Explorer 8 or higher. Mac notebooks with
Windows emulation are supported as well. Tablets users are advised to install MS Office emulation to
allow report generation and editing.

Q. Working with the R-Planners seems to be slow
A. Check your internet connection with your ISP; small offices or similar (residential users) are subject to
higher network service policies which may slow down the actual speed. We strongly recommend
testing the speed and availability of your connection when slowness is experienced.

Q. What Port does the R-planner use?
A. The R-Planner uses TCP port 80, common to all HTTP traffic. If you suspect your current LAN blocks that
port, check your firewall settings or connect via alternative LAN (3G, Wi-Fi etc.)





Administration

Q. I forgot my password, how do I retrieve it?
A. Contact support@radwin.com or click the Forgot my password button. Please be advised that the
2nd action will result in generating a new password.

Q. Who can access my projects and planning information?
A. None. Projects are associated with the user who generated them. Your plans cannot be viewed or
accessed by others.

Q. How can I share project information with peers?
A. Each plan/project can be exported in a proprietary format and then sent via email to other R-planner
users.

Q. How many projects can I store/create?
A. Every user enjoys an unlimited storage space for unlimited number of plans.

Q. Who can use this tool?
A. Any user with an internet access and basic experience with RF Planning knowledge. The user friendly
GUI and intuitive planning process allows all types of users a fast learning curve. The R-Planner tool
can be used for understanding Radwins unique portfolio, solutions and performance criteria by a
simple trial & error practice.

RADWIN Professional Services
Last update: January 22
nd
2012

RADWIN Ltd. 27 Habarzel St. Tel-Aviv 69710. Tel: +972 3 7662900 Fax: +972 3 7662918 www.radwin.com

Q. What are the criteria/previous experience needed?
A. Users are advised to maintain a previous experience in RF Planning. Planning processes and required
actions utilize an intuitive and user friendly GUI which guide the user through the very beginning step
of selecting the required product and completing the service evaluation of the entire network.

Q. What is the size of a basic plan?
A. The size of a plan of a few links to thousand of links only weighs a few KB. Hence, sharing projects via
emails is fast and easy, there is no need to share FTP links or maintain large storage folders on your
working station.

Q. I cannot see my previous plans that I created.
A. Click on the Browse button located in the Plans tab to view your complete list of plans.

Q. After typing my username and password, installation starts but suddenly I get an error message
Installation Error:Check your User has efficient Permissions
A. This error is common to WIN7 users with User Access Control (UAC) permission conflict. WIN7 users
may encounter such problem even after working successfully for quite some time which implies a WIN7
Update has been installed. To resolve this problem, users are advised to re-configure the UAC function
of WIN7. Minimum security level may be needed to allow online downloads such as the R-Planner
installation files.


Planning

Q. What kinds of features are taken into consideration when calculating RF links?
A. The R-Planner examines the selected frequency, channel bandwidth and received signal level of
adjacent channels, collocated channels and alternate channels. In addition, the configured climate
factor is applied and the line of sight is examined (Fresnel) according to the clearance level the user
has pre-configured.

Q. What is the supported format for adding sites/links?
A. The user can add sites and points by typing their coordinates in a DMS format (i.e. 18 48' 40.764")
and/or Decimal Degree (i.e. -79.948862) format. Importing a predefined list of sites and/or links is also
possible using CSV, KMZ & KML formats (templates are displayed when hovering the Import buttons).

Q. How is the level of interference calculated?
A. The R-Planner examines the Carrier to Interference level (C/I) of collocated channels, adjacent channels
and alternate channels. It then applies a specific threshold level per channel to determine whether the
radio link qualifies as operational or not (Down). For example, a certain receiver can tolerate a higher
level of interference when received on an alternate channel and lower interference level when
received on collocated channel.

Q. Which of Radwins products are supported in the tool?
A. The R-Planner is constantly updated according to the current GA release. The available products are
aligned with the latest GA release. In addition, a single platform can manage all types of products,
including PtP and PtMP radios.

Q. My link shows a red Profile alert and No Image generated: Distance over 200km error
A. Check names of sites - special characters are not supported and may lead to such problems. In general,
we recommend using standard English alphabet characters, keep site names as short as possible, do
not use : or similar symbols.

RADWIN Professional Services
Last update: January 22
nd
2012

RADWIN Ltd. 27 Habarzel St. Tel-Aviv 69710. Tel: +972 3 7662900 Fax: +972 3 7662918 www.radwin.com


Q. What do the different colors of a radio link stand for?
A. Red color represents a Link-down status. A Green color represents an operational status. When
hovering above a radio link with the mouse cursor, the link changes to yellow. In addition, a thick line
represents a PtMP radio link whereas a thin line represents a PtP radio link.

Q. Get Products fails
A. Make sure you type the correct Part Number in capital letters.

Q. Import Sites does not work, the tool shows no data.
A. Check your template; it should be exactly as shown when hovering above the Import buttons with
the mouse cursor. Make sure you include the appropriate label per column.

Q. How can export sites and links?
A. Users to generate a KMZ file which includes all the plan data. In addition, users can export a CSV file of
sites, links and points

Q. What is the difference between Import Sites and Import Links?
A. Import Sites positions all the coordinates in the CSV file as sites in the R-planner plan. Import Links
positions the sites and creates links automatically assuming two consecutive lines represent a link. By
default, RADWIN recommends importing sites and creating the links manually this approach allows
better flexibility and versatility in terms of planning topologies.

Q. My link is down (red), what can be the reason(s)?
A. Fade margin is below threshold (by default 6dB), RSSI is too low, there is no line of sight, distance is
beyond supported level, actual service is lower than required level, collocated radios that share the
same tower space require 3-5 meters separation, interference level is too high.

Q. How do I reduce interference level?
Q. Reduce TX power of interferer, increase TX power of interfered radio, create 3-5 meters vertical or
horizontal separation between collocated radios that share the same tower space, utilize alternate
channels when possible, avoid using collocated channels when possible.

Q. My RSSI is lower than the interference, why the link is still green and not red?
A. Interferer may exist in alternate channel where link is more tolerable to high level of interferences.

Q. Frequency Assignment shows None in the frequency column
A. Click the Assign Frequencies button to start the process of assigning a frequency to each link. The FA
process scans each channel of the list the user has configured (ACS window) and selects the best
channel available (according to C/I). The tool assumes all channels are available when user chooses to
ignore configuring the ACS. Assigning frequencies may take up to a few moments depending plan
complexity and number of links.

Q. Frequency Assignment fails (some parameters are shown in red)
A. Check the FA analysis report (FA dialog window) and reduce interference on every link that displays a
red alert.

Q. Frequency Assignment succeeds but when I return to Link Configuration window I cannot see the
assigned channel
A. Make sure you click the Apply Selected button when you complete the Frequency Assignment
process (FA window)


RADWIN Professional Services
Last update: January 22
nd
2012

RADWIN Ltd. 27 Habarzel St. Tel-Aviv 69710. Tel: +972 3 7662900 Fax: +972 3 7662918 www.radwin.com


Q. Service Evaluation shows red indications, why?
A. Check interference level using the Details button located in the Link Configuration window. The
reason could be one of the following
Remote interfering site(s) transmit level is more than needed to maintain the link (reduce it)
Interfered site is transmitting low signal (increase it)
Actual capacity is lower than planned due to reduced modulation order (due to interference)

Q. Service Evaluation shows a red indications but the link is up and greenwhy?
A. The reason is degradation of modulation order due to high interference level. Compare the modulation
order before and after the SE process to confirm this suspicion and eliminate interferences to achieve
the desired capacity.

Q. How can I investigate the Line of Sight of a radio link?
A. Users can apply a LOS coverage (360deg or per sector) for every site and base station. The LOS
coverage can be configured to show unique color per coverage. Coverage can be configured according
to distance, local and remote radio height (AGL). In addition, users can draw a 3D wall for every radio
link to estimate its height and availability (Intrude/Extrude).


Q. What is the difference between a Point and a Site?
A. Points are general coordinates that users can add to a plan to reflect locations of interest that may be
promoted to Sites when needed. Points cannot be used when establishing a radio link; to do so, users
are obliged to promote a point to a site. There is no limitation to the number of points user can add to a
plan. Points and Sites can be imported / exported with other users in CSV/KML/KMZ/PRJ formats.

Q. There is too much information on my screen, how can I hide the radio link labels and attributes?
A. The tool accommodates Google Earth Layers as well as Radwin Radio Link Layers. Both features can be
configured by the user to show or hide the plan attributes.

Q. High Resolution Settings is grayed outdisabledI cannot configure it.
A. These settings strictly refer to 3.x and 2.5 BRS products. To be able to use them, please make sure
1. These products are available on your plan
2. There are no links configured. You can only use these parameters when creating a link from scratch.
When a certain link(s) is operation, the tool will disable these functions automatically.

Q. Link Profile shows error message No Image generated: Distance over 200KM when link spans less
than 200KM
A. This message indicates a problem with your coordinates:
1. Remove spaces from coordinate syntax
2. Re-type your coordinates in DDMMSS format or decimal format
3. Use an Editor (e.g. - notepad) to examine the syntax of the coordinates before pasting them into
the R-Planner

Q. After typing in the coordinates, the R-Planner installs my sites on different coordinates than required
A. Check the syntax of the coordinates:
1. Use only English letters, for example: 12 3'58.48"s 77 2'2.85"O is using Spanish letters and
therefore not valid (change O to W without typing the parenthesis)
2. Make sure you use capital letters only (S instead of s, W instead of w, N instead of n
and so on. Make sure you remove the parenthesis.


RADWIN Professional Services
Last update: January 22
nd
2012

RADWIN Ltd. 27 Habarzel St. Tel-Aviv 69710. Tel: +972 3 7662900 Fax: +972 3 7662918 www.radwin.com


Q. R-Planner and Link Budget Calculator show slight differences in results
A. Although the R-planner displays a fixed antenna gain, actual gain is calculated according to pattern and
location of remote site within this pattern. On the other hand, the LBC displays and applies one value of
antenna gain, the antenna patterns are not taken into consideration. These two approaches may result
occasionally in slight differences in availability and RSSI.

Q. What value of the K-Factor the R-planner uses?
A. The R-Planner uses K=1 (K= Earth Effective Radius Factor). The Link Budget Calculator also uses the
same K value.
Q. What reference altitude should I use when I set the radio height?
A. The radio height should be set according to AGL above ground level. When you add a site to your
plan, its altitude will be retrieved from the SRTM data and used as "zero level" or "reference altitude".

For example, let us assume a case where we need to install a radio located at 30 meters on the tower.
The site/tower altitude is 435 meters high (e.g. - peak of a mountain). The configured radio height
should be 30m and not 465m.


Report Generation

Q. Can I generate a report? What formats are supported? What information is included in the report?
A. Every user can generate a report which includes all data related to the plan. The report includes plan
images, profile (LOS) analysis, BoM and radio parameters per site. The report is available in Word
format to allow further editing and customization.

Q. Plan images in the report are too small
A. The tool allows editing of all items, including plan images. Simply drag one of the image corners to
extend the size of the image as needed.


Q. I generated a report and it seems like the generation succeeded but I cannot find the report file on my
destination folder
A. Make sure the site names do not contain letters and characters that are not supported in the English
alphabet.


Documentation & Support

Q. What do I need to provide your Support team when contacting for help?
A. We would appreciate as much information as possible; please export your project and send it via email,
please also include a brief description of your plan, BoM and system requirements.

Q. Where can I see the list of supported features? Release Notes? On-line Help?
A. Go to the last tab on the R-Planner menu. There you can find links to Online Help, Release Notes
and Email Support.

Q. Where can I find more information?
A. Training presentations, short simulation clips and more can be found on Radwins Partner Portal and
provided upon request (Training@radwin.com).