New Feature: Custom Channel Definitions

[N7CVR]

Ability to define your own set of channels in both the 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz spectrum. (only via a property setting in the AirView.properties file)
Can you please explain step-by-step and in detail exactly how to "define your own set of channels"? My interest is in the 900MHz band.

Thanks,
Chuck
N7CVR

[UBNT-Ramin]

Yes, I meant to get to this sooner, but now that you've asked here it is...

Whereas the 2.4 GHz spectrum already has an industry standardized set of channels already defined by IEEE 802.11, there are none defined (per se) for the 900 MHz range. For this reason I decided to allow users to define their own in AirView, but instead of delaying this feature for another month or two so that a pretty UI can be built to allow them to do that, I decided to implement a quick-n-dirty solution by putting the setting in the AirView.properties file.

If you open your AirView.properties file (under your user's home dir, ubiquiti-networks/AirView.properties - user home dir is platform dependent)

You should see this line as one of the lines in there:


airview9.channelDefs=900/3,902/3,904/3,906/3,908/3,910/3,912/3,914/3,916/3,918/3,920/3,922/3,924/3,926/3,928/3,930/3


The meta-data for the above line is rather simple and as follows: Center-freq/spread values are paired by a forward-slash "/" and these pairs are delimited by a comma ",".


<center-freq1>/<spread1>,<center-freq2>/<spread2>,<center-freq3>/<spread3>, ... <center-freqn>/<spreadn><CR>


<center-freq>: A value of the channel's center frequency in MHz.
<spread>: A value of the total effective coverage of the channel on the spectrum in MHz, in other words, its spread. This value is split equally on either side of the center-freq value. So a center-freq of 902.5, with a spread of .6 MHz (600 KHz), will show a coverage from 902.2 to 902.8.
<CR>: A simple Carriage Return


So, as you can see above, our default channel definitions for the 900 MHz range is a set of 16 channels, starting with 900 MHz, ending with 930 MHz, in 2 MHz steps, and each with a 3 MHz span.

But for example, if you wanted to define 26 channels, starting with 902.5 MHz, in 1 MHz steps, with a spread of 600 KHz (.6 MHz), you would fill in the string like this:

airview9.channelDefs = 902.5/.6,903.5/.6,904.5/.6,905.5/.6,906.5/.6,907.5/.6,908.5/.6,909.5/.6,910.5/.6,911.5/.6,912.5/.6,913.5/.6,914.5/.6,915.5/.6,916.5/.6,917.5/.6,918.5/.6,919.5/.6,920.5/.6,921.5/.6,922.5/.6,923.5/.6,924.5/.6,925.5/.6,926.5/.6,927.5/.6


In any case, modify that string however you like, but keep the format. If the app finds anything wrong with that string it will alert you next time you start the app. If you happen to mess it up royally, just delete that line from the properties file and upon next start of the app it'll replace it with the default one. Shut down the app, and restart it again and the channel usage chart should take on the new values.

BTW, the very same customized channel definitions can be made for the 2.4 GHz range as well by adding a airview2.channelDefs string in there, but if I were you I'd leave that alone and let the app default to the standard 802.11 channel definitions. But if you're an advanced user and the standard IEEE 802.11 channel defs don't do it for you, feel free to define your own.

Let me know if you have any questions on the string, its format, or how to configure it.

Cheers,

[N7CVR]

Thanks. I have changed the airview.properties file but no change in the spectrum analyzer display. The file looks the same as I edited it after starting the SA program so it seems like the SA program is not finding the edited file. Exactly where is the edited airview.properties file supposed to be located in a Win XP Pro environment for it to be accessed for the SA tool?

Thanks,
N7CVR

[WHT]

So when will we get different skins for AirView?

OK, I'll go back into my little corner.

[UBNT-Ramin]

Thanks. I have changed the airview.properties file but no change in the spectrum analyzer display. The file looks the same as I edited it after starting the SA program so it seems like the SA program is not finding the edited file. Exactly where is the edited airview.properties file supposed to be located in a Win XP Pro environment for it to be accessed for the SA tool?
For Windows XP it should be under C:\Documents and Settings\<your-user-name>\Ubiquiti-Networks\AirView.properties.

Please make sure you shut down the AirView app first, then make and save your edits to that file, the re-start the app. I've just verified again that the channel definition setting does indeed work. Are you sure you made the correct edits as instructed? Did you by chance get an error dialog box after app restart?

[N7CVR]

I see that it does work. I was configuring the file properly, its just that with the narrow channels I'm looking at it's hard to see those channels in the 902.0-903.0 window since the SA window is designed and scaled for looking at the entire 900MHz band. Not sure if this tool will be useful for us in our application. What we're trying to see is activity on 902.0 - 903.0 in 12.5KHz channel increments, i.e. 902.0/.0125, etc.

[UBNT-Ramin]

I see that it does work. I was configuring the file properly, its just that with the narrow channels I'm looking at it's hard to see those channels in the 902.0-903.0 window since the SA window is designed and scaled for looking at the entire 900MHz band. Not sure if this tool will be useful for us in our application. What we're trying to see is activity on 902.0 - 903.0 in 12.5KHz channel increments, i.e. 902.0/.0125, etc.
Wow, that's quite the narrow spectrum area you're trying to scrutinize. Unfortunately AirView9 is (as of its current firmware) hard-coded to 250 KHz steps (increments) along its capable range (895-935 MHz). So you're right in that this won't satisfy your application's requirements. Sorry.

Cheers,

[jberger]

Would it be possible to show two sets of channel defs at the same time, or toggle between two sets?

I'd like to be able to see WiFi and Zigbee channel markers on the same view, since these channels overlap in the same 2.4 freq. bands.

[marked23]

I just got my AirView2 today. I'm playing around with this feature in 2.4ghz.

Could you post, or describe how to create, the default string for airview2.channelDefs? I'm having trouble guessing what sane values to use for freq steps and spread.

-Mark

[UBNT-Ramin]

Could you post, or describe how to create, the default string for airview2.channelDefs? I'm having trouble guessing what sane values to use for freq steps and spread.
-Mark
Hmmm... I thought post #2 on this same thread explained it quite well. Did you look at that? It's a complete how-to on this feature.

[UBNT-Ramin]

Would it be possible to show two sets of channel defs at the same time, or toggle between two sets?
I'd like to be able to see WiFi and Zigbee channel markers on the same view, since these channels overlap in the same 2.4 freq. bands.
That would involve having to create multiple range (vertical) axis. Although this is a good suggestion for a future release the software as of right now isn't capable of it. Sorry.

[marked23]

Ah, ok. I misinterpreted the purpose of this setting. It's for setting the location and width of those channel bands at the bottom of the real-time view.

I was thinking it was for ignoring various parts of the scan so that I could focus only on particular interesting frequencies.

Thanks,

-Mark

[angelusdsl]

I read your post #2, but I can not say where insert this line "airview2.channelDefs=xxxx"

Other question, I can configure channels from 2300 Mhz to 2700 Mhz?


Many Tks


Angel.

[UBNT-Ramin]

I read your post #2, but I can not say where insert this line "airview2.channelDefs=xxxx"
Yes it does.
If you open your AirView.properties file (under your user's home dir, ubiquiti-networks/AirView.properties - user home dir is platform dependent)

Your user's home directory differs under each platform. I'd assumed anyone wanting to make advance changes like this would know where that is, but here it is again:

Windows 7/Vista:
C:\Users\<user-name>

Windows XP & below:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user-name>\Ubiquiti-Networks\

Mac & any Linux distro:
/home/<user-name>

Other question, I can configure channels from 2300 Mhz to 2700 Mhz?
No sir, the custom channel definition is only a channel definition. It can't be expected to alter the frequency range capability of the device. The device's frequency range is fixed. This feature only allows you to introduce your own freq. bins & widths.