POE troubles

[dusty1300]

We had a switch go bad on an access point yesterday, so while we were up there ( 8 degrees, windy, brrrrr!!!) we thought we would swap out a Canopy backhaul link with an NS5. We already had the NS5 configured, tested, and everything was working fine. We put in our new switch and all was well, so we went after the backhaul swap. After we got the canopy swapped out for the ns5, we switched out poes, plugged in the ns5, and no switch light. We tested using a different poe injector and different ethernet cables to the switch and nothing. There were lights on the ns5, so we wondered if maybe it wouldn't light up the switch till there was traffic, so we went to another location with the other side of the backhaul, and it connected up, but no lan access. We finally had to swap it back to the canopy. We aren't sure what to try next. The poe cat5 cable has been powering the canopy for years with no problems. We left the ns5 up there on the tower as it was too cold to try to take it off off of where we had installed it.

I have said we above, but it was really the guy who works for me. Brave soul, it was about 3 hours before we put the canopy back in and he was able to come down. I know he must have been freezing, but he never complains.

Anyway, anyone have any ideas before "we" venture up the tower again?

Tom

[WHT]

The NS seems to have problems when using the stock 12 volt power supplies past 100 or 200 feet as there is too much voltage drop on CAT5 cable. While you may have a mere hundred foot length, combine that with the cold and you might see a problem.

Try an 18 volt adapter

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049695

[dusty1300]

oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that the cable is only about 12 feet from poe to radio.

Tom

[WHT]

So as I understand it, you have a Canopy up on the tower (I'll assume the "brave soul" would place the height over 100 ft. :) ), since the cable from PoE to radio is only 12 feet, does that mean you have the UBNT NS's PoE injector up in the tower?

[dusty1300]

Yes, we have a box at the top of a 130' tower with a UPS, heater, a waverider ccu, 3 pac wireless POE injectors feeding 3 3650 ap's, a 8 port switch and the canopy injector. The switch had quit working yesterday, that is what got us up there on a cold Sunday Morning. We figured that since customers were already down, we would upgrade our link at the same time. We were just going to replace the canopy with a ns5 and replace the injector, simple right? Wrong.

Tom

[WHT]

Simplicity is inversely proportional to tower height.

[UBNT-Mike.Ford]

Hello Dusty,

Did you plug the 48V Canopy injector into the NanoStation?

Thanks,

Mike

[WHT]

Why do I suspect "brave soul" used the 48 volt Canopy injector?

[kijoma]

heh fizzzzzz pop

[skycom]

WHT - Why would you want to use a ac - ac adapter to replace the 12vdc supply?

[WHT]

heh fizzzzzz pop
No..no...no...its WHOOSH. Remember its AirOS

[WHT]

skycom...

Refresh my memory...what was I talking about. Can't recall off the top of my head.

[dusty1300]

I called and talked to my "brave soul" about this and he said he was very careful not to use the canopy injector. It was snowing a little, so he said he didn't want to take any chances of having the cat5 exposed with any moisture when it was live, so he unplugged the canopy before switching out the radio. I can verify this as I was on the ground and could see him going back and forth from box to radio as he was swapping it out and I had received text messages that the link was down before he took down the canopy.

We did try using one of the existing 24v POE injectors from my Mikrotik/Ubiquiti 3650 units to power the ns5, but it didn't work either.

I guess when we get back up there, I'll bring a new radio and string a new cable. We just can't figure it out.

Tom

[skycom]

skycom...

Refresh my memory...what was I talking about. Can't recall off the top of my head.
You said use an 18 Volt adapter and then you referenced a Radio Shack AC -AC adapter (just being funny I guess) Jees' I wish now I hadn't said anything. ---- George

[kijoma]

hmm sounds like a cat5 problem, you sure it is wired correctly?

[dusty1300]

If it wasn't wired correctly, it wouldn't have run the canopy for over 5 years I wouldn't think, but who knows. We'll probably run new wire just in case.

Tom

[UBNT-Mike.Ford]

Hey Tom,

Any updates?

Thanks,

Mike

[dusty1300]

We are in the midst of a Winter Storm, my installer "Brave Soul" couldn't even get to town today, it will have to wait.

Tom

[WHT]

Don't ya just hate it when ya get a quarter inch of snow on the roads.

[dusty1300]

:D In Texas, isn't a quarter inch the cause of massive closings, terrible accidents and bad backs from all the snow scooping with a spoon ( why would you buy a shovel in Texas).

Tom

[WHT]

BINGO!

I have never seen more than a quarter inch of snow...and that was a snow drift under my truck once.

[UBNT-Mike.Ford]

Whats snow? (California here)

:)

Mike

[dusty1300]

Sure, sure, rub it in. :(