celona AP-12 Indoor Access Point Installation Guide

June 5, 2024
celona

Celona Indoor Access Point
AP-12
Installation Guide

Introduction

This document provides the necessary guidance to help the user enable services on the Celona Indoor Access Point AP-12 capable of private LTE connectivity.
About the AP
Celona AP-12 is a 3GPP Release 12 compliant LTE Access Point (AP) with an internal antenna that supports the 3550 – 3700 MHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)  spectrum band. It includes two internal radios that support 2×2 MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output), 256-QAM modulation, and carrier aggregation (CA). It can be ceiling or wall mounted.
Package Contents
Verify that you have received the items below. If any item is missing or damaged, contact your Celona partner or reseller for instructions.

  • The Access Point
  • Mounting bracket and screws
  • AC power adapter

Ethernet ports
The Celona AP-12 has one 10/100/1000 Ethernet port.
Power input
In addition to AC power, the Celona AP-12 supports IEEE 802.11at (POE+) connectivity to drive internal circuitry. POE+ can be provided by a POE+ injector or a POE+  capable switch. The drawn power is ≤ 30 W.
GPS
A Subminiature Version A (SMA) coaxial RF connector port is available for GPS. If obtaining GPS lock is difficult, connecting a GPS puck to the Celona AP-12 may help achieve a lock. The GPS puck is typically placed closer to a window where there is a line of sight visibility to the sky and a cable is extended from the GPS puck to the SMA connector port for GPS on the Celona AP-12.
Status LEDs and Interfaces
The Celona AP-12 has 4 LEDs providing the following visual statuses for Power, Cellular status (1 and 2), and Alarm.

LED Color Status Description
PWR Green Steady on Power is on
OFF No power supply
CELL1 Green Radios are up and transmitting
CELL2 Green Radios are up and transmitting
ALM N/A Alarm LED is not used
Interface Name Description
--- ---
PWR 12 VDC, 2 A power supply interface
GPS Port for the optional external GPS antenna, SMA female connector
WAN/PoE+ Gigabit Ethernet and PoE+ interface, used for debugging and power

supply.
OPT| Optical fiber interface, connect to the external transmission network, used for data backhaul

Mounting

Installation Overview
The Celona AP-12 can be wall or ceiling mounted and has two Omnidirectional internal antennas per channel, for a total of 4 antennas. Internal antennas are down-tilt toward the front of the AP.
Before you mount and deploy your access point, we recommend that you perform a wireless design to determine the best location to install your access point.
The AP requires an operational Celona Edge for discovery and network service. Celona recommends installation and deployment of the Celona Edge prior to installation of access points. Have the following information about your wireless network design available:

  • Locations for access point installation
  • Mounting requirements for each location: suspended from a drop-ceiling, surface mount on a hard ceiling, or on a flat horizontal surface

Installing the access point involves the following steps:

  1. Mounting and Powering the Access Point
  2. Access Point Discovery and Provisioning
  3. Configuring the Access Point

Mounting and Powering the Access Point
The Celona mount kit supports several mounting methods, including from a suspended drop ceiling, hard surface ceiling, and on a flat horizontal surface such as a wall. The standard mounting hardware included with the AP supports these mounting methods.
For drop-ceiling mounting, position the rear clips on the mounting bracket to the ceiling grid and twist counterclockwise until the springs lock into place. The rear clip on the mounting bracket support both 24mm and 15mm T-grid rails.celona AP 12 Indoor Access Point - fig

Slide the AP onto the bracket arms and secure the AP to the bracket using the screw on the side of the mounting bracket.
For hard-surface mounting, attach the bracket to the hard surface using the included screws with the bracket arms for the AP extending vertically upward.
Slide the AP onto the bracket arms and secure the AP to the bracket using the screw(s) on the side of the mounting bracket.
The Celona AP-12 can be powered by IEEE 802.11at (POE+) on the WAN Ethernet port or connected to an AC electrical outlet using the optional AC power adapter.

Access Point Discovery and Provisioning
The AP will connect to the Celona Orchestrator for provisioning and discover the Celona Edge within the network on-premises or in the private/public cloud based on the site assignment. The AP will then connect directly to the Celona Edge and establish control and data plane connections. Once this is completed, the LTE LED on the AP will turn blue, signifying the private LTE network is operational. This will take approximately 2-3 minutes.

Configuring the Access Point
The Celona AP-12 supports zero-touch provisioning. The AP is preconfigured with details necessary to discover the Celona Orchestrator and the Celona Edge automatically. After the AP discovers the Celona Orchestrator and the Celona Edge, the AP gets provisioned with operational parameters and is authorized to transmit. The Celona Edge alone controls the radio frequency transmission of the Celona AP-12.
Once the AP has gone operational, it is able to provide services to mobile stations. The mobile stations can interact with the enterprise network via the Celona Edge. The user data and control signals are encrypted. The Celona AP-12 performance is periodically monitored by the Celona Edge and operational parameters are continually optimized if necessary. Refer to the Celona Orchestrator configuration guide for detailed instructions on configuring Celona access points.

Solution Architecture

The high-level architecture that enables the Celona AP-12 is shown below. celona AP 12 Indoor Access Point - fig 1

The system consists of the essential functions detailed in Figure 1: System Architecture. The Celona Orchestrator performs AP authentication, validates the AP’s serial number, determines the network the AP needs to connect to, and finally directs the Celona AP-12 to the serving Celona Edge.
Each Celona AP-12 obtains service via its serving Celona Edge. The Celona Edge registers the Celona AP-12, arbitrates spectrum with an FCC-approved Spectrum Access Service (SAS) system in the United States, and algorithmically determines the most optimal radio parameters for the AP.
The Celona Edge becomes automatically aware of the Celona AP-12’s location and its existing surrounding radio environment. Once the AP is admitted by the Celona Edge, the AP is able to commence radio transmissions and service the mobile stations.

Celona AP-12 capabilities
The following sections give the reader the capabilities of the Celona Indoor Access Point (AP), which is based on the Qualcomm platform. The AP hosts functions to provide  the following services:

  • Resource management with admission and flow control
  • Encryption of user data and control streams
  • Registering mobile stations with Celona Edge for connectivity service
  • Paging the mobile stations that are in power save mode
  • Fairness in the allocation of resources across multiple stations in uplink & downlink directions
  • Measurement configurations and handling of mobility of mobile stations

Operations and Maintenance

The Celona AP-12 is operationally maintained by the Celona Orchestrator and Celona Edge using the Broadband Forum standard TR-069. For the AP, the radio parameter provisioning, performance monitoring, and fault monitoring occur over the TR-069 interface. The AP supports the following technical reports from the Broadband Forum.

AP Management data model Technical Report (TR) identifiers
Configuration management TR-196 Issue 2

TR-181 Issue 2 Amendment 5
Performance management| TR-262
Fault management| TR-157 Amendment 5

Celona AP-12’s performance is monitored between every 5 minutes and 15 minutes based on the periodicity determined by the Celona Edge. If a fault surfaces on the AP, the fault is automatically propagated by the AP to the Celona Edge and the Celona Orchestrator.
Security
The certificates that are required to establish HTTPS connections with the Celona Orchestrator and the IPSEC channel with the Celona Edge are installed to the Indoor AP at the factory. If the certificates need to be updated or replaced, the process is automatically triggered and managed by the Celona Edge. The certificates conform to the industry-compliant X.509 standard. The IPSEC gateway is provisioned at the Celona AP-12 through the Celona Orchestrator. IKEv2 is used to establish the IPSEC tunnel between the Celona AP-12 and the Celona Edge.
Phase and time synchronization
Celona AP-12 supports Time Division Duplex (TDD) which has strict requirements for maintaining time and phase synchronization so that it does not interfere with neighboring APs. The Celona AP-12s have a built-in, high-fidelity GPS chip that can establish the location as well as maintain clock synchronization.
The AP’s carrier frequency accuracy, time, and phase drifts are disciplined by the onboard GPS clock. If the AP cannot obtain a GPS lock for any reason, Celona AP-12 synchronizes with a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) server to maintain time, phase, and frequency synchronization.
Data and voice connectivity
Mobile stations can access data, video, and voice applications over the enterprise IP network via the Celona Edge after the Celona AP-12 has its radio enabled.
Note that the elona AP-12 can provide voice, video, and data sessions simultaneously to mobile stations. Celona AP-12 automatically determines the capability of mobile stations before determining whether requested services can be accommodated.
Celona AP-12 and Celona Edge perform admission control for mobile stations and Celona Edge enforces authentication of the mobile station before accepting service requests and keeps all control signals and user data encrypted.
Celona AP-12 employs sophisticated adaptive modulation and code rate control for adapting mobile station links according to the dynamic channel conditions seen on the air interface. It also employs effective power control to keep transmit powers from the mobile stations as low as practicable.

Power save mode
Celona AP-12 enables and controls power save options on the mobile stations. When a mobile station has encountered a long lull in data volume, Celona AP-12 monitors traffic volume on each flow enabled at the mobile station.
When the traffic volume is zero for a duration of time, duration determined by the Celona AP-12 based on mobile capability as well as current loading in the system, Celona  AP-12 enables Power Save mode on the mobile station. While in power save mode, the mobile station is able to turn off its receiver and transmitter functions for the most part except for essential functions. This increases the battery standby time on the mobile stations.
When the mobile station is in power save mode and if there is user data destined towards the mobile station, Celona Edge pages the mobile station indicating data arrival via the  Celona AP-12 in order to awaken the station.

Radio access technology
Celona AP-12 implements an extensive set of 3GPP worldwide standards to provide advanced, 4th generation packet radio service to mobile stations.

AP radio access technology Technical specifications

Advanced 4th
generation (4G) Long
Term Evolution (LTEAdvanced)| All relevant Release 12 specifications from 3GPP
36.331 Release 12 – Radio Resource Control
36.321 Release 12 – Media Access Control
36.322 Release 12 – Radio Link Control
36.323 Release 12 – Packet Data Convergence
36.413 Release 12 – S1 Application interface
36.423 Release 12 – X2 Application interface
29.274 Release 12 – GTP control plane
29.281 Release 12 – GTP user plane
36.211 Release 12 – Physical channels and modulation
36.212 Release 12 – Physical channel multiplexing and coding
36.213 Release 12 – Physical layer procedures
36.214 Release 12 – Physical layer measurements

Supported frequency band
Celona AP-12 supports frequency ranges from 3400 MHz to 3800 MHz. The operational frequencies are however limited to a narrower range, from 3550 MHz to 3700 MHz,  which is commonly labeled as the CBRS spectrum in the United States or the LTE Band 48. Any Celona AP-12 within a Celona private LTE network is automatically assigned frequency and power levels by Celona’s unique Self Organizing Network (SON) software function, after the Celona Edge retrieves available frequency channels per AP from SAS, given each AP’s geo- location.
Seamless session mobility
If there are multiple Celona AP-12s in the system all connecting to the same Celona Edge, the Celona AP-12s can enable seamless mobility for mobile stations. The source and target Celona AP-12s handle the transfer of contextual information corresponding to existing flows set up for the mobile station automatically.

Coverage area
The coverage area of each Celona AP-12 depends on a number of factors:

  • Transmit power authorized by the Spectrum Manager
  • Transmit power set on the Celona AP-12 by Celona Edge
  • Number of other APs operating on the same frequency in the geographic area
  • The proximity of other APs operating on a different frequency but in the same band
  • Building type and material types used within the building
  • Expected minimum for data rate at the edge of coverage

As a rule of thumb, at maximum transmit power, the Celona AP-12 should provide coverage between 10,000 and 25,000 square feet.

Transmit power
The Celona AP-12 can transmit at a maximum power of 1 Watt per channel inclusive of internal gain.

Supported system bandwidth
The Celona AP-12 supports two concurrent RF chains. The two RF chains provide two distinct cellular sectors. The following combinations of system bandwidth are possible depending on authorization provided by the Spectrum Manager.

Sector 1| Sector 2| Aggregated bandwidth
(one AP)
---|---|---
20 MHz| 20 MHz| 40 MHz
10 MHz| 10 MHz| 20 MHz

Celona AP-12 aggregates two sectors for any mobile station that has the ability to support carrieraggregation. For the mobile stations that have carrier-aggregation enabled, the maximum data rate is double that is possible in a single sector. Note that the mobile station remains connected to only one sector of the Celona AP-12. However, in real-time, Celona AP-12 selectively determines based on data demand whether to enable carrier aggregation and for which mobile stations.

Troubleshooting

Power LED is not green:

  • Ensure the AP-12 has a POE+ (802.11 at) connection. POE (802.11 af) is not sufficient.
  • Please check for loose connections between the POE+ injector / POE+ switch and the Celona AP-12.

Contacting Support
Celona support is available via support@celona.io
Warranty
As part of an active Celona subscription, Celona AP-12s come with a limited warranty that includes advanced replacement for RMA

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