Install and Survey Services - see also Portable Building.

Installation needs however careful planning, thorough site preparation, and accurate installation. Here we listed the works that are essential for a successful system set up.

1. Site survey

2. System design

3. Site preparation

4. System installation

5. Alignment procedure

6. System test

We deem necessary to emphasize the importance of site survey. It is fundamental to make sure if the laser link is a viable solution at all. Most customers usually are not experts in this field, so they cannot realize the sources of possible difficulties.

It is also very important to clarify the position, size and outlook of the support frame with the customer in advance.

Key factors of operation

There are four key issues that the site survey has to shed light on. The proper system operation cannot be guaranteed without satisfying all the four requirements. 

a. Clear line of sight - first of all optical path between the two ends must be free of any obstacles. It not only means that one has to see the other side, but other possible sources of disturbance should also be taken into consideration. For example there might be turbulence above the roofs and other constructions, and this can cause fraction or scattering of the beam or snow accumulation on roofs too close to the beam can influence or even interrupt the communication. 

b. Solid mount surface - is the key for long-term operation. Since the diameter of the beam is limited, it is extremely important to mount the unit on a stable structure with the possible smallest movement. This way the receiver of the remote unit cannot get out of the beam due to the movement of the opposite head.

c. Exact distance measurement - because the beam divergence is pre-set in the factory and it is always based on the reported distance, the badly measured distance can cause malfunction. The beam will be either too narrow or too wide. The first one makes the alignment harder and requires installation spot with almost no movement. The second one results reduced signal power at the receiver thus reduced dynamic range of the system.

d. East-West orientation - although the receiver optics is equipped with optical filters to protect the receiver diode from the effect of undesired light sources, the direct sunshine can cause saturation of the diode. This prevents the system from working properly for several minutes a day in a certain time of the year. There are some methods to reduce the effect of the sun, but the best way is to avoid the East-West orientation wherever it is possible.

Site survey

In order to comply with the requirements of the successful installation - including the discussed four key factors and other criteria - the following matters should be taken into consideration

Link path

If the clear line of sight is available, further examination of the sites and optical path is necessary after possible sources of temporary or periodic malfunction. No chimneys, steam or other smoke sources may be present under or near to the beam path. They can weaken the strength of the signal or can cause wandering of the beam. Heater vents and air conditioners have similar effect as they can cause air turbulence. Scintillation from rooftops or glass surfaces due to direct sunshine also may interrupt the beam. The closer the source to the transmitter the greater it's effect. Because both sides have transmitter and receiver, the source of such symptoms in the middle has the less effect on the overall system. If there are trees near the transmission path, consider of their growing and the wind load on them that can move the leaves into the path. Areas under construction can have moving obstacles like construction cranes that can disturb the communication.

Installation sites

All buildings and constructions have a certain movement of their own. It's determined by the structure and material of the building. Metal structures can shift or twist due to temperature changes. Wooden construction can expand or shrink with the changing of humidity. Give preference to concrete or brick buildings. On the other hand high structures like towers, skyscrapers or poles always subject to great movement. Mount the support frame to basic holders of the building or near corners, as they are the most stable spots. Use appropriate consoles for wall mounting. If stand is used on the top of building, secure it directly to the ceiling or to the concrete cornice wherever is possible. 
Do not fix stands to insulating materials as they can slowly sink under the weight of the unit and with temperature changing. Big chimneys and smokestacks may look stable, but as their inner temperature varies they can also move. Vibration caused by heavy traffic, trains, elevators, etc. may slowly move the system out of its specified direction. Another important consideration is to provide enough space for alignment and to have the potential for future maintenance. Consider that the support frame is usually heavy, so the selected spot should be easily accessible. It is not only the building that has to be solid, but the support structure too. Antenna poles, security camera holders are not suitable for the Laser units. A catalogue of more than 80 mounting frames can be ordered from the manufacturer (both available in printed and CD ROM format .

Distance determination

Try to get as accurate information about the connection distance as you can in order to get the maximum performance out of the system. The easiest way is to obtain a proportional map and calculate the distance. In some cases the distance between sites can be measured directly with distance recorders. There are infrared and laser distance meters that can display the distance between the viewer and the defined point.

Direct sunshine

To prevent the sun shining directly into the receiver optics, first one has to determine the orientation of the link. Try to avoid East-West orientation wherever it is possible. Examine both sides of the link at sunset and sunrise and find a position where the sun cannot shine directly into the receiver. Be aware that the path of the sun is changing throughout the year

Eye safety

There are no two installation spot of the same kind, the buildings or structures, the available space and the accessibility of the place will be different in each case. Nevertheless, as a general rule it is very important to select the installation site so, that nobody can look directly into the transmitter. For this reason place the head either so high (on the side wall of the building) or so close to the edge of the building (on a parapet on the rooftop) that no person can approach it accidentally and can get into the beam path. Set up barriers if necessary and put warning signs at prominent places.

The laser heads are provided with all labels and hazard warnings required by the standard. There are warning labels on both the left and right side of the protective cover next to the optical window and there is a warning and an informative label on the rear side of the laser head.

Device connections

The examination of the cabling path, connecting devices and their interfaces also belong to the procedure of site survey. How to get out from the building with cables, where to put the Indoor Unit, where to get the mains from, how much wall cable, fly lead and other material is required are important questions that have to be clarified prior to installation.

Links for Portable buildings and Semi- Mobile offices.

Looking to connect your current portable or mobile offices or looking to connect a new building?

We can help - we will connect your computer network and telephone systems to your main office in a day, this can be achieved without digging trenches, licenses or planning permission. We will connect your systems though the air over a few meters or miles within just a day, network access will be transparent and reliable.

We use Laser for High bandwidth and RF solutions for long non line of sight links. You own the technology and we can redeploy your system as each project comes to an end and new one starts.

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