The ePMP™ platform has set the standard for high performance, scalability and reliability at a compelling price. ePMP is the only platform in its class offering Multi-User MIMO.
(MU-MIMO) and frequency re-use along with Cambium Networks’ refined bandwidth scheduler & advanced software features.
The ePMP 3000 portfolio brings the combined feature set of ePMP 1000/2000 and adds industry-leading throughput. Featuring a 4X4 access point and MU-MIMO sector antenna with optional beam steering antenna or Dual-Horn MU-MIMO sector. The ePMP 3000 combines self-interference mitigating GPS sync solution with interference mitigation and pools it with Multi-User MIMO. Supporting an auxiliary SFP port, 80 MHz channel bandwidth and 256QAM modulation the ePMP 3000 can provide up to five times the performance when compared to previous generations of products.
A key feature of the ePMP 3000 is Multi-User MIMO. Achieving higher throughput in the downlink is often solved by achieving higher modulation or wider channels. In both cases, the environment and interference prevents achieving higher modulations or operating in wider channel bandwidths. ePMP 3000 employs Multi-User MIMO technology (MU-MIMO) to simultaneously transmit to two subscribers in the downlink and thus doubling the throughput in the downlink.
“Cambium Networks solutions use dynamic filtering with a static filter to block noise from outside of the operating spectrum but also a dynamic filter to block out interference from adjacent channels. As the system changes to another channel, it automatically blocks out noise from adjacent channels to improve signal quality,” says Teresa Huysamen, Wireless Business Unit Executive at Duxbury Networking, local distributors of Cambium technology.
By re-using frequencies when deployed in back-to-back configuration, a network operator can effectively use the same frequency twice to connect users. In large deployments, a network operator can connect thousands of users by re-using the same frequencies across the field service area. The Cambium technology maximises the use of available frequency and can provide access to thousands of users in a small amount of spectrum.
“When networks become denser, self-interference becomes an issue. GPS synchronisation coordinates the entire network, reduces self-interference, and keeps network performance high as more subscribers are added,” Huysamen points out.
“ePMP employs a sophisticated priority-based, air fairness, starvation-avoidance algorithm for allocating RF resources to Subscriber Models (SMs). The allocations are based on airtime instead of throughput and so we avoid the situation where SMs in poor RF conditions take up an excessive amount of time and therefore, available capacity,” she adds.
The ePMP 3000 system boasts high packet per second performance, peak throughput of
1.2 Gbps and supporting subscriber modules with 600 Mbps of peak throughput.
Designed to work in 5 GHz spectrum and 90° coverage, the antenna is an integral part of the ePMP 3000 access point and allows for Multi-User MIMO operation. Designed for ABAB channel re-use (two channels covering four sectors), the sector antenna has a minimum
30 dB front to back ratio over a wide rear facing aperture.
Key benefits of the antenna include:
Channel flexibility: Consistent gain from 4.9 to 6.0 GHz allows the operator to select a channel anywhere in the band and achieve the expected performance.
Consistent coverage: Excellent null fill capabilities of the antenna allow for broad geographical coverage within a sector even near the base of the tower and the edges of the sector.
Designed for the installer: Small, compact design, integrated ePMP radio mount and GPS antenna integration.
Predictable performance: The sector antenna is integrated into Cambium Networks LINKPlanner. The 3D model shows coverage at all elevations and across the azimuth.
Alternatively, the Cambium ePMP 3000 dual-horn MU-MIMO antenna can be utilised. Horn antennas have the key advantage of focusing higher gain in the main bore sight while minimising side lobes in the propagation pattern. These smaller side lobes reduce the generation of and susceptibility to interference.
The sector antenna mechanics and construction have been designed to precisely align the horns while the ePMP 3000 Access Point software has been optimised to match this antenna and maximise MU-MIMO performance. “Now, with the dual-horn MU-MIMO sector, operators can combine the interference mitigation advantages of a horn antenna pattern with the high data rates and performance of 4x4 MU-MIMO,” says Huysamen.
Management is provided by the Cambium Networks cnMaestro™ network management system for easy provisioning, monitoring and upgrades. cnMaestro is a simple, yet sophisticated cloud-first, next-generation network management solution for Cambium Networks wireless and wired solutions. cnMaestro offers elastic scalability and single-pane-of-glass management to deliver secure, end-to-end network and wireless lifecycle management with zero-touch provisioning, monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities. It simplifies operations and ongoing maintenance.
“The Duxbury team offers customers free design, planning and after-sales technical support. The ePMP’s advanced feature set combined with free management through cnMaestro Essentials, delivers a disruptive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for organisations of all sizes,” says Huysamen.