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Re: [Karlnet] KN50 Problem with 8.x firmware

To: Karlnet Mailing List <karlnet@WISPNotes.com>
Subject: Re: [Karlnet] KN50 Problem with 8.x firmware
From: Bryan <blsutton@airnetwifi.net>
Reply-to: Karlnet Mailing List <karlnet@WISPNotes.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 17:32:58 -0600
List-post: <mailto:karlnet@WISPNotes.com>
If these 2 attachments make it thru - here are the only 2 I have...

bls

Mark McKibbin wrote:

I can't find them on the Agere site or the Dell one

Regards

Mark McKibbin
DCS Internet
64 Queen St
Warragul
Victoria    3820
Australia
www.dcsi.net.au
mark@team.dcsi.net.au
Ph. 1300 665 575 (Help Desk)
Ph. +61 356 241 120 (Direct)
Fx. 1300 556 595
Fx. +61 356 220 617


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Metcalf [mailto:dan.metcalf@wbsysnet.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 10:16 AM
To: 'Karlnet Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [Karlnet] KN50 Problem with 8.x firmware


Were can I download the "firmware & flash" for the Orinoco radios?



-----Original Message-----
From: karlnet-bounces@WISPNotes.com


[mailto:karlnet-bounces@WISPNotes.com]


On Behalf Of Kevin Knuth
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 6:04 PM
To: 'Karlnet Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [Karlnet] KN50 Problem with 8.x firmware

Yes I do!

I will forward this to engineering RIGHT AWAY!

Kevin

**************************************
Kevin R. Knuth
Business Development Manager
North America
260-424-9690 Regional Office
614-822-5275 Corporate Office
kknuth@karlnet.com
www.karlnet.com
**************************************



-----Original Message-----
From: karlnet-bounces@WISPNotes.com
[mailto:karlnet-bounces@WISPNotes.com] On Behalf Of Bob Hrbek
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 3:23 PM
To: Karlnet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Karlnet] KN50 Problem with 8.x firmware


I've seen the same exact think on my first 3 KN-50 installs. I replaced the Dell cards all three times with older silvers and the links went from marginally working to working perfectly.

Karlnet....you got your ears on?


-bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Timothy J. Steele" <tsteele@e-isco.com> To: <karlnet@wispnotes.com> Cc: <support@karlnet.com> Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 2:10 PM Subject: [Karlnet] KN50 Problem with 8.x firmware




Last month there was a post to a thread from Mark McKibbin (see



http://lists.wispnotes.com/pipermail/karlnet/2003-October/003153.html


<http://lists.wispnotes.com/pipermail/karlnet/2003-October/003146.html


) in regards to the KN50 "Blackbird" units. His questions were in
regards to the poor link quality of the Orinoco Gold cards and other
cards that have been included with the units. We have been


experiencing


similar problems (our units were purchased with Dell TrueMobile


Radios


(Agere chipset Firmware rev. 8.10.1)). I have been running tests on


a


number of different cards with the KN50. The following are the


results:


NOTE: These tests were conducted on live point-to-multipoint
connections. We used all the same hardware for our testing; the


only


change was the radio card for each test. The KN50 board was
classified as a SOHO CPE with product v1.00-00-073017. Our average
connection speed with a 1024k key is around 700-900k. The Base


units


we used for testing are using software versions 4.43 and 4.44.  They
have a varied number of subscribers, from 4 (a new site) up to 50+
(our oldest site). On all these tests, the SNR was between 12dB and
18dB upstream to Base and 21dB to 30dB downstream from Base.

Dell Radio:
Chipset: Agere
Firmware ver.: 8.10.1
PING test (a standard IP tools PING test from a PC through the Base


to


the CPE (100 packets)):  73% of the packets lost Throughput test (5
bandwidth tests from 2wire.com and dslreports.com): 278, 112, 245,
237, 298 (speed measured in kilobits)
NOTE:  The packets lost in the PING test are RARELY noted on the
client side (i.e. surfing the Internet, Web Page comes up
unavailable).  They just notice a significant slowdown.

Orinoco Gold:
Chipset:  Agere
FW ver:  8.72.1
PING test:  64% lost
Throughput:  451, 368, 519, 259, 311

Orinoco Silver:
Chipset:  Agere
FW ver:  6.6.1
PING test:  0% lost
Throughput:  676, 574, 481, 625, 616

Avaya Radio:
Chipset:  Agere
FW ver:  6.8.1
PING test:  0% lost
Throughput:  550, 447, 380, 571, 561

Wave Wireless Radio:
Chipset:  Agere
FW ver:  6.8.1
PING test:  1% lost
Throughput:  515, 660, 674, 553, 622

Demarctech Prism Radio:
Chipset:  Intersil (800C)
FW ver:  1.3.6
PING test:  3%
Throughput 591, 745, 652, 733, 725

At the location where we were doing the final throughput tests, an
NDIS install in a local server has the following results: PING test:
1% lost
Throughput:  725, 989, 867, 967, 802

I realize that the PING test is hardly conclusive, but it definitely
coincides with the lower bandwidth connections. Does anyone else


have


similar findings? One other point of note is that the PING test on


a


unit connected to a highly utilized Base has significantly more
dropped packets on the Dell and Orinoco Gold cards (i.e. The cards
are noted with a 73% and 64% loss on a Base with 40+ subscribers,
these numbers drop to 35% and 23% on a Base with 20 or less


clients).


This would indicate Base unit over saturation, but we can connect a
standard NDIS
(radio) client or a KN100 board and the PING tests and throughput


tests


are excellent (0% loss, avg. 880k throughput).

It appears that cards running older versions of firmware (6.x.x) do
not have the problems that newer firmware (8.x.x) have; at least in
regards to the KN50.  I have upgraded the Orinoco Silver card to
v8.7.5 firmware and it exhibits the same problems.  I downgraded the
firmware and the problem goes away.  Our only option, at this point,
is to downgrade the firmware on the newer cards or try to find older
silver cards with the external antenna attachment (seeing as how the
new silvers do not have them anymore).

I tested the Orinoco Gold and the Dell Radio in a KN100 board with


the


following results:

OG:
PING test: 0% lost
Throughput:  714, 784, 987, 966, 908

Dell:
PING Test:  1% lost
Throughput:  837, 664, 843, 767, 813

This looks like a problem with the KN50's and newer Agere firmware.
Anytime you install 8.x firmware on any radio in the KN50,


performance


is significantly reduced and there is a high amount of IP packet
failure. Our research team would like to know if anyone else


concurs


with these findings and is there a solution in the works. If not,


is


there anymore testing you would like from our end to get this issue
resolved?


Tim Steele & Marcus Rudd Wireless Networking Engineers e-ISCO Internet www.e-isco.com <http://www.e-isco.com/>

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