cnWave V5000 and V1000 - a new look at 60GHz

Wireless solutions dedicated to ISPs and other businesses is a constantly evolving branch of equipment in many network equipment companies. Cambium Networks also creates efficient devices in this field such as cnWave cnWave V5000, cnWave V3000 and cnWave V1000 operating at 60 GHz. Today we will look at network devices from Cambium Networks cnWave V5000 and cnWave V1000 , examine thier configuration capabilities and performance. The cnWave 60GHz V5000 product is described by Cambium Networks as a distribution node, whereas the cnWave 60GHz V1000 and V3000 as subscriber terminals. At the very beginning of this article it is worth to mention that V3000 terminal is two-part - we buy the radio part and the antenna separately! If any of our readers decides to buy this particular model, please pay attention to it.

Networks created with the use of the above mentioned devices provide high efficiency in handling implementations even of high density in cities and within suburban areas. Cambium Networks company shows that efficient radio link on 60 GHz is possible to implement.

The 60 GHz cnWave network topology is intended to replace fiber connections where warranted, for edge customers, as backhaul links for small LTE/5G cells or WiFi points. Connections can be PMP, PTP and Mesh. The idea is to provide a stable link, with high gigabit throughput and low latency, which is much cheaper than building fiber infrastructure. What are the specifications of the cnWave V1000 terminal and cnWave V5000 distribution node from Cambium Networks? Can they be used to create an efficient and stable connection?

A physical comparison of the cnWave V5000 on the left and the cnWave V1000 on the right is shown in the photograph below:

Small, compact, easy to install and connect - that's what the 60 GHz cnWave V1000 from Cambium Networks looks like. It weighs just 250 grams, has dimensions of 140 mm x 85 mm x 40 mm, has high wind resistance of up to 200 km/h and IP66/67 rating for outdoor conditions, and can operate in a wide temperature range of -40ºC to 60ºC

The cnWave V1000 client terminal is intended to support speeds up to 2 Gbps with channel bonding, i.e. 1 Gbps uplink / 1 Gbps downlink. It supports bandwidth from 57 to 66 GHz. Allows 80º horizontal and 40º vertical beam scanning. Provides TDMA/TDD channel access and network synchronization capability. Importantly for individuals and companies already using Cambium solutions, the cnWave 60 GHz device is compatible with the cnMaestro management system at all levels of the network, allowing for a consistent solution that is centrally monitored and configured, both locally and in the cloud. Cambium cnWave V1000 supports IEEE 802.11ay technology with Terragraph by Facebook certification. It allows to build flexible and reliable mesh network in various conditions.

The client terminal is powered in 802.3af PoE standard through a single 1 x 100/1000 BaseT Gigabit port, which allows for convenient installation outdoors, not necessarily in close proximity to the power source. Power consumption is at 10 W. Ethernet provides support for VLAN and QoS. Supports modulation and coding schemes from MCS-0 (BPSK) to MCS-12 (16-QAM). The built-in 22.5 dBi gain antenna has a 12º beamwidth. The maximum EIRP for the V1000 is 38 dBm.

The cnWave 60 GHz cnWave V5000 is already a bit larger, but still quite compact network equipment. It has dimensions of 280 mm x 185 mm x 102 mm and weighs less than 4 kilograms. Similarly to client terminals, it is resistant to wind speeds up to 200 km/h, and its dust and humidity resistance class is IP66/67. The operating temperature range is very wide, from -40ºC to 60ºC. The fault tolerance specified by the manufacturer also stands at a high level.

The throughput of the cnWave V5000 node is specified at up to 15.2 Gbps with channel bonding - 7.6 Gbps uplink and 7.6 Gbps downlink. It supports a bandwidth range of 57 GHz to 66 GHz, with a channel width of 2.16 GHz and 4.32 GHz in the future. The node is dual-sector with up to 280º coverage and beamforming. It provides TDMA/TDD channel access and provides default network synchronization capability. It can support up to four other distribution nodes or up to 30 client terminals. The cnWave V5000 device is compatible with the cnMaestro management system at all levels of the network. This is an opportunity to create a cohesive solution that is centrally monitored and configured, with on-premise and cloud options. This makes integration with other existing solutions from Cambium Networks fast and seamless, and the network becomes well scalable. Cambium Networks Node cnWave V5000 supports IEEE 802.11ay technology with Terragraph by Facebook certification. It is the ability to build a flexible and reliable mesh network under various conditions, including high density.

Cambium Networks cnWave 60 GHz V5000 is powered by passive PoE at 42-57 V, with power consumption of 35 W or 60 W when using AUX PoE OUT. PoE is supported on two Ethernet interfaces - 1 x 100/1000/10 G BaseT with PoE input and 1 x 100/1000 BaseT with PoE 802.3at input. In addition, the equipment has an SFP interface. It supports PoE and QoS. The built-in antennas have a gain of 22.5 dBi, a beamwidth of 12º, and a scanning range per beam /- 140º horizontal, /- 20º vertical. Maximum EIRP 38 dBm.

The idea of the solution and full documentation of the devices are available on on the manufacturer's website. It is worth to become familiar with it before starting topology planning, installation, or configuration. It is good to know during first connection, setting up or updating that cnWave 60 GHz V5000 and V1000 have a default IP address of 169.254.1.1, like most Cambium devices. That means that in order to connect to the device in a local network the directly connected computer has to have an IP address from the subnet 169.254.x.x/255.255.0.0.

The concept of connecting Cambium Networks cnWave 60GHz radio links is different from WiFi type networks. To connect a client to a node, a connection must be configured on the base station side. The base station must have the information entered that it is to approve cooperation with the client station. With this approach, client stations are configured as NODE type CN, while the connection, i.e. link is set to wireless - wireless. All devices in the cnWave network are referred to as nodes. Additionally, when testing the device or entering the configuration in rooms, remember to deactivate the GPS synchronisation. An unsuccessful attempt to synchronise can also result in an ineffective connection. In such a situation, the base should use its internal clock for synchronization.

As a first step, you should make sure that the software installed on the Cambium cnWave 60 GHz V5000 is newer or equal to version 1.1-beta1. Otherwise, there may be problems with stability or operation of some functions that are continuously developed in subsequent versions of the system. If you run the devices indoors, remember to disable the GPS synchronization mode. The next steps leading to the configuration of the connected device are as follows:

1. Select the Nodes option from the Topology menu
2. Add a new cnWave 60GHz network node: Add New button
3. Select the site to which the node is to connect.
4. Select the Node Type for V1000: CN - equivalent to a client in WiFi type networks.
5. Enter the MAC physical address of the particular Cambium cnWave V1000, which can be found on a sticker on the device. Optionally you can fill in the coordinates.
6. Go to the Links tab.
7. Verify the link type for the configured Cambium V1000 in the list. If there is an entry with Type set to Wired , delete it and proceed to the next point. Otherwise the V5000 configuration is already complete.
8. Add new link - Add New.
9. Select Link Type to Wireless.
10. Select the base station as the A-Node, indicating the sector to which it connects.
11. Select Z-Node - V1000 Cambium node and its radio module.
12. Save the configuration.

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With proper physical positioning of the devices, the connection will be established after a while. If it takes too long, you can speed up the connection process by clicking Send Assoc to Z-Node in the menu. If the device is to operate in bridge mode for IPv4, Layer 2 Bridge mode must be enabled in the Configuration options. It is worth noting, however, that in Layer 2 bridging mode the V5000 base station has a bandwidth limit. It is 2.6 Gbps maximum for TCP traffic and 1.5 Gbps maximum for UDP traffic in down-link direction.

The Cambium Networks cnWave 60 GHz V1000 for the basic form of connection to the base requires no additional configuration. However, the client endpoint must have software version 1.1 or later. It is worth noting, however, that there may be a problem with establishing a connection between the V1000 and the V5000 base if the devices are configured in an indoor, "table top" environment. This is due to the cnWave V5000 being out of sync with GPS. Originally according to the documentation the V1000 supports a maximum modulation of MCS10, however during testing we noticed that during maximum throughput the modulation increases to MCS12:

The MCS10 versus MCS12 modulation - L2 throughput of 2673/5346 Mbps versus 3737/7474 Mbps - yields a fundamental difference in throughput, which can be considered a major software enhancement to the device. This indicates continuous work on the capabilities of Cambium Networks' networking equipment even after their release.

Optimizing the performance and capabilities of network devices through subsequent updates shows the continuous work of the hardware manufacturer on its capabilities. As already mentioned, the first step before starting the setup is to verify and possibly upgrade the software to the latest version at least 1.1, including BETA versions. Updates are available for download from the Cambium Networks website. The software upgrade process can take as long as 5-10 minutes so you need to be patient. In order to download the usually latest "beta" version of the software to cnWave, you need to join the "beta program". After the update, it is recommended to reset the device to factory settings.

Connection tests - radiolink between cnWave V5000 and V1000 were conducted in two topologies. The first one uses MikroTik CCR1036 devices, the second one - server, IPerf3 client and switch with 10G SFP port. Connection diagrams for the tests are presented below:

We used the following topology to test IPerf3 :

It is worth noting that these are not tests of a complete topology using PMP connections, only the simplest configuration, a V5000 connection to a V1000 node. This is the most cost-effective solution, but has the weakest performance, which also translates to the tests. Definitely the V1000 device is the solution for the end customer. If a more efficient solution is required, it is worth replacing the client device with the cnWave version V3000 ( antenna). Due to the "factory" bandwidth limit in L2 "Layer 2 bridge" mode to 1.5 Gbps for UDP traffic, this limit can be confirmed in tests:

However, we could not reverse the throughput results, in the direction from V5000 to V1000 the speed obtained was 600-650 Mbps for bidirectional UDP traffic. In the other direction, i.e. sending from V1000 towards V5000, we obtained full throughput of the 1G port, which is equipped with V1000 and is the limit for transfer in these test conditions. For testing traffic in one direction in UDP, we obtained the maximum throughput for the 1G Ethernet port that the V1000 node is equipped with:

In the tests for TCP traffic, speeds were quite a bit lower. In bidirectional traffic, we obtained throughputs that were relatively low compared to UDP traffic for the 1G Ethernet port.

Using iperf3 tests, with 20 TCP streams fixed, Windows 4M test effect can be observed in the following table:

In one-way transmission it was definitely better, the speeds obtained are close to the maximum for the hardware limitation - 1 Gigabit Ethernet port on the cnWave V1000.

The Cambium Networks cnWave V5000, V3000 ( antenna) and V1000 solutions seem to be a good alternative - a simple radiolink proposal with numerous applications. During the tests we observed several issues that should be taken into consideration. It turns out that the 60 W power supply may be insufficient to use the Ethernet PoE out port in the cnWave device. In such a situation the manufacturer recommends a more powerful power supply, even a 100W one. A minor inconvenience is also the depth of the SFP socket . Ordinary plugs may go very deep into the socket, which makes it more difficult not only to remove the plug, but also to unplug the fiber patchcord. Cambium Networks does not provide any mounting elements or brackets in the set, which should be taken into account when planning a network. Mounting brackets are additional options that must be purchased separately. The kit also lacks an extended coupler for installation in the fiber port, it is an optional accessory to be purchased. Bandwidth limitation in "Layer 2 bridge" mode can also be considered an inconvenience. Despite minor drawbacks, the constantly developed Cambium Networks cnWave solution seems to be a good idea for developing ISP or backhaul networks in various areas, and also those with higher density of different types of networks. Minor things such as BGP support and an included adapter allowing to connect ordinary power cable to Ethernet PoE IN 10G port make the implementation of the solution easier. The system from Cambium, which allows to centralise their other devices and manage them, also does much to encourage people to choose this solution.

All devices presented in the tests can be purchased practically right away, and full documentation can be obtained before the purchase from our sales representative or from the Cambium Networks website.

Feel free to contact with our salesman in order to get advice or make an order:

Michał - [email protected]

Cambium Certified Sales Specialist