PMP 450 Capacity Planner Guide

Release 13.4

PMP 450 Series introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide a quick description on how to use the PMP 450 Capacity
Planner.
The Cambium Networks PMP 450/PTP450 Series is a wireless access system designed to create a radio
local area network (RLAN) through microwave links in a point-to-multipoint mode or point-to-point
mode operating in the 2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 3.65 GHz, 5.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands. The PMP 450 Capacity
Planner can offer a quick help to determine the expected performances in terms of distances of a PMP
450 Series system operating in line-of-sight (LOS), near line-of-sight (nLOS) or non line-of-sight (NLOS)
propagation condition according to the configuration of several system parameters like transmitted
power and antenna selection.
The PMP 450/PTP 450 System creates a point-to-multipoint or point-to-point wireless broadband
connection transmitting a radio signal with OFDM modulation and MIMO transmission technique.
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division multiplexing) is a multi-carrier radio signal modulation based on
the subdivision of the broadband channel into orthogonally-positioned subcarriers, each of which is
modulated based on a conventional modulation scheme. With the OFDM technique, a very high data
rate can be obtained increasing the systems spectrum efficiency.
The following are the subcarriers modulation schemes which can be used by the PMP 450 System:
QPSK
16-QAM
64-QAM
256-QAM
The OFDM channel bandwidth can be configured with one of three possible values: 5 MHz, 10 MHz and
20 MHz. 20 MHz channel bandwidth configurations allow for greater connection capacity as the signal
occupies a larger portion of the spectrum. Narrower channel bandwidths (10 MHz or 5 MHz) increase
reception sensitivity and allow for more opportunities to operate in spectrum-constrained RF
environments.
The channel bandwidth is configured in the AP. The SM scans all possible channel bandwidth and uses
the one matching the AP transmission.
MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) radio transmission offers the capability of increasing the
capacity of a radio connection by transmitting and receiving parallel signals on separate Tx/Rx chains.
When the benefits of the MIMO techniques are combined with OFDM signaling and high system gain,
operators can achieve a highly robust radio connection in conditions of non-line-of-sight (NLOS)
propagation. The PMP 450 System uses MIMO 2x2 with two radio receivers and two transmitters in
both the AP module and the SM module, transmitting in both directions two radio signals in the same
frequency. One signal is vertically polarized and the other signal is horizontally polarized.
Two modes of operation are supported: MIMO-A and MIMO-B.
With MIMO-A the system transmits the same information on both branches, and a combining gain is
achieved at the receiver. With MIMO-B the system transmits two distinct parallel data flows doubling its
transmission capacity.

PMP 450 Antenna options

Cambium Networks offers two sector antennas to be used with the AP module of the PMP 450 System
to create the RF coverage of service areas in multisector sites. The antennas provided by Cambium
2

Networks are specifically designed to optimize the performance in terms of radio coverage of the PMP
450 System:
60 sector antenna for sites with up to 6 AP modules
90 sector antenna for sites with up to 4 AP modules
Both antennas have dual polarization (Horizontal and Vertical or Slant, depending on the frequency
band) to implement the MIMO functionality of the PMP 450 System and are equipped with two N-type
female connectors to connect them to the AP module. Each antenna is supplied with a mechanical
bracket and can be mounted on a pole with diameter ranging from 50mm to 75mm.
The SM module antenna system gain may be increased by using a passive device:
CLIP: Cassegrain lens that adds 8-9dB to the antenna gain (depending on the frequency band)
Reflector: dish that adds 11-14 dB to the antenna gain (depending on the frequency band)
In both cases, the added gain is obtained by reducing the angle of the main lobe which increases
resilience to noise at the SM site.
Another option for the SM in the 5 GHz band is to use a PMP 450d, which is an SM radio integrated with
a reflector with a 25 dBi gain.

Types of connections

The PMP 450 Series can provide LOS (Line-Of-Sight), nLOS (near Line-Of-Sight) connectivity and NLOS
(Non-Line-Of-Sight) connectivity. A definition of these different propagation conditions are the
following.
LOS: the optical line between the AP and the SM and the first Fresnel zone are clear.
nLOS: the optical line between the AP and the SM is clear, but a portion of the first Fresnel zone is
blocked.
NLOS: the optical line between the AP and the SM and a portion or even much of the first Fresnel zone
are blocked, but subsequent Fresnel zones are open.

Link budget calculation

The link budget is the list of all the gains and losses that contribute to the propagation of the radio
frequency signal that travels from the transmitter to the receiver.
The parameters that are taken into account for the calculation of the link budget are described below:
Transmitter output power: the median power level of the transmitter in the transmission channel
expressed in dBm (relative to milliwatt). This level can be configured for the AP transmitter within the
regulatory limits and is automatically adjusted in the SM transmitter through ATPC (Automatic Transmit
Power Control) functionality in order to get the maximum value.
Cable loss: the loss expressed in dB associated with the coaxial cable used to connect the transmitter
with the antenna. The loss typically depends on the length of the cable and its quality.
Transmitter antenna gain: assuming that the transmitter antenna main axis is oriented in the direction
of the receiver antenna, the maximum gain given in dB declared by the manufacturer is used.
EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power): is the sum of the transmitter output power and transmitter
antenna gain minus the cable loss, expressed in dBm.
Receiver antenna gain: assuming that the receiver antenna main axis is oriented in the direction of the
transmitter antenna, the maximum gain given in dB declared by the manufacturer is used.
Fade margin: the amount of power given in dB that represents the difference between the median
signal level at the receiver input and the receiver sensitivity. When the link fades exceeding the fade
margin an outage occurs. Fade margin must be selected by the user according to the link availability
target that must be met.
Receiver sensitivity: the minimum median signal level needed at the input of the receiver to achieve a
receiver output quality specific to a particular modulation scheme. Higher order modulation schemes
require higher quality receiver output and higher received power signal levels.
System Gain: the difference, expressed in dB, between the EIRP and the lowest order modulation
receiver sensitivity and cable loss. It conventionally refers to the minimum of the uplink and downlink
system gains and represents the maximum FSPL achievable with a particular system configuration.
FSPL (Free Space Path Loss): it represents the radio frequency propagation calculation used in the tool
and is the attenuation between the transmitter antenna and the receiver antenna in free-space given by
the Friis formula:

FSPL [dB] = 32.44 + 20logf + 20logd

Where f is expressed in MHz and d is expressed in kilometers

FSPL [dB] = 36.6 + 20logf + 20logd

Where f is expressed in MHz and d is expressed in miles

This link budget calculation can be considered a valid approximation for LOS propagation in flat fading
conditions where the operating bandwidth is less than the coherence bandwidth of the radio channel,
that is when the same degree of fading affects all frequencies of the signal bandwidth. In case the radio
channel is experiencing frequency-selective fading effect the LOS range results may not be valid.
4

LINK BUDGET
The user interface of the LINK BUDGET tab is divided in three main parts: System Configuration,
Downlink and Uplink Budgets and Coverage and Throughput.
PMP450 CAPACITY PLANNER

Cambium Networks confidential, not commercially binding

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Lower Frequency

5735 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Upper Frequency

5865 [MHz]

Frequency Spacing

2500 [kHz]

PMP

Mode
AP antenna system

Cambium 90

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

n Channel Carriers

53

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Non-overlapping Channels

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Yes
AP EIRP limit
Max AP Tx Output Power
SM EIRP limit
Max SM Tx Output Power

22.0
22.0

Connectorized SM antenna gain

Connectorized SM cable loss
AP Transmitter Output Power
Fade Margin
Downlink Data
Range unit
Max range
Contention slots
Adjacent Frequency Support
Environment
Interference measured?
SM antenna for measuring interf
Downlink interference level
Uplink interference level
% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A)
PTP Slave Tx Output Power
PTP MIMO mode
Frame length

23 [dBi]
1 [dB]
22.0 [dBm]
0 [dB]
75%
miles
5 [mi]
4
Yes
LOS
No
Integrated
0 [dBm]
0 [dBm]
10%
22 [dBm]
MIMO-B
2.5 [ms]

SM antenna option for displaying data

[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]

40.0 [mi]

Max range limit

CapacityPlanner@cambiumnetworks.com

INTEGRATED

LINK BUDGET FOR INTEGRATED ANTENNA

DOWNLINK BUDGET (AP to SM)
UPLINK BUDGET (SM to AP)

AP Tx Power per chain

AP Cable Loss
AP Antenna Gain
Combined AP EIRP
SM Rx Sensitivity
(Conservative assumption for MIMO-A:
large difference between RSSI of two
branches)

SM Antenna Gain (including cable loss

for Connectorized)
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total

DL
DL
DL
DL
DL
DL
DL
DL

Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain

(8X
(4X
(6X
(3X
(4X
(2X
(2X
(1X

Modulation
8X MIMO-B
4X MIMO-A
6X MIMO-B
3X MIMO-A
4X MIMO-B
2X MIMO-A
2X MIMO-B
1X MIMO-A

19
1
17
38
-61
-61
-72
-72
-78
-78
-84
-84
9
0

MIMO-B) =
105
MIMO-A) =
105
MIMO-B) =
116
MIMO-A) =
116
MIMO-B) =
122
MIMO-A) =
122
MIMO-B) =
128
MIMO-A) =
131
The link is uplink

[dBm]
[dB]
[dBi]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBi]
[dBi]

0.079 [Watts]
0.001 [Watts]
Cambium 90
6.310 [Watts]
8X MIMO-B
256QAM
4X MIMO-A
256QAM
6X MIMO-B
64QAM
3X MIMO-A
64QAM
4X MIMO-B
16QAM
2X MIMO-A
16QAM
2X MIMO-B
QPSK
1X MIMO-A
QPSK
Internal SM antenna
-

[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
limited by

2 dB

AP Cable Loss
AP Antenna Gain

19
9
0
31
-60
-60
-69
-69
-75
-75
-82
-82
1
17

[dBm]
[dBi]
[dBi]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dB]
[dBi]

(8X
(4X
(6X
(3X
(4X
(2X
(2X
(1X

104
104
113
113
119
119
126
129

[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]

SM Tx Power per chain

SM Antenna Gain (including
cable loss for Connectorized)
Combined SM EIRP

AP Rx Sensitivity
(Conservative assumption for
MIMO-A: large difference between
RSSI of two branches)

Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total

UL
UL
UL
UL
UL
UL
UL
UL

Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain

MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)
MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)
MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)
MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

8X
4X
6X
3X
4X
2X
2X
1X

0.079 [Watts]
Internal SM antenna
1.3 [Watts]
MIMO-B
256QAM
MIMO-A
256QAM
MIMO-B
64QAM
MIMO-A
64QAM
MIMO-B
16QAM
MIMO-A
16QAM
MIMO-B
QPSK
MIMO-A
QPSK
0.001 [Watts]
Cambium 90

COVERAGE AND THROUGHPUT

DL Range
0.4 mi
0.4 mi
1.5 mi
1.5 mi
3.0 mi
3.0 mi
6.4 mi
9.0 mi

UL Range
0.4 mi
0.4 mi
1.1 mi
1.1 mi
2.3 mi
2.3 mi
5.0 mi
7.0 mi

Max DL/UL/Total Throughput

Capacity (Mbps)
96.7/32.8/129.5 Mbps
DL
23.4
48.3/16.4/64.7 Mbps
UL
7.1
72.5/24.6/97.1 Mbps
Total
30.5
36.2/12.3/48.5 Mbps
48.3/16.4/64.7 Mbps
24.2/8.2/32.4 Mbps
24.2/8.2/32.4 Mbps
12.1/4.1/16.2 Mbps

MIMO-B DL coverage and DL/UL/Aggregate throughput

1X not used
2X 24.2/8.2/32.4 Mbps
4X 48.3/16.4/64.7 Mbps
6X 72.5/24.6/97.1 Mbps
8X 96.7/32.8/129.5 Mbps

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
In the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION menu the fields in green represent the parameters that can be set by
the user according to the system configuration that is applied to the PMP 450 system. The fields in white
are output values to be used as references for the input parameters setting.
SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Lower Frequency

5735 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Upper Frequency

5865 [MHz]

Frequency Spacing

2500 [kHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
Cambium 90

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

n Channel Carriers

53

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Non-overlapping Channels

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Yes
AP EIRP limit
Max AP Tx Output Power
SM EIRP limit
Max SM Tx Output Power

22.0
22.0

Connectorized SM antenna gain

Connectorized SM cable loss
AP Transmitter Output Power
Fade Margin
Downlink Data
Range unit
Max range
Contention slots
Adjacent Frequency Support
Environment
Interference measured?
SM antenna for measuring interf
Downlink interference level
Uplink interference level
% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A)
PTP Slave Tx Output Power
PTP MIMO mode
Frame length

23 [dBi]
1 [dB]
22.0 [dBm]
0 [dB]
75%
miles
5 [mi]
4
Yes
LOS
No
Integrated
0 [dBm]
0 [dBm]
10%
22 [dBm]
MIMO-B
2.5 [ms]

[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]

40.0 [mi]

Max range limit

CapacityPlanner@cambiumnetworks.com

The reference values are the following:

Lower frequency: lower edge of the selected frequency band
Upper frequency: upper edge of the selected frequency band
Frequency spacing: frequency interval for center carrier configuration
n of channel carriers: number of center carriers available in the selected band
n of non-overlapping channels: number of non-overlapping channels available for frequency reuse
AP EIRP limit: limit of the combined power emitted by the AP antenna system, as defined by the
regulatory region selected
Max AP Tx Power: upper limit of the combined power that can be applied to the AP antenna system, in
order to be compliant to the EIRP limit
SM EIRP limit: limit of the combined power emitted by the SM antenna system, as defined by the
regulatory region selected
Max SM Tx Power: upper limit of the combined power that can be applied to the SM antenna system, in
order to be compliant to the EIRP limit
Max range limit: Distance (in miles or km) between the AP and the farther SM that can be supported
with the selected configuration
The input parameters are the following:
Frequency band: selection of the frequency band (2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 3.65 GHz, 5.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz)

Region: selection of the regulatory set of rules to be applied according to the country of operation.

Channel Bandwidth: selection of the width of the operating channel (5MHz, 10MHz or 20MHz).
In the 3.5 and 3.65 GHz bands, a channel bandwitdh of 7 MHz is also available.

Carrier Frequency: selection of the center carrier frequency of the operating channel within the
frequencies allowed by the regulatory applied.
Mode: selection of point-to-multipoint (PMP) or point-to-point (PTP) mode

AP antenna system: selection of the antenna used for the AP module.

If Mode is selected as PMP, the options for the AP antenna system are: Cambium Networks 60 sector
antenna, Cambium Networks 90 sector antenna or 3rd party antenna commercially available.
If Mode is selected as PTP, the options for the AP antenna system are: Integrated, Integrated + Clip
(offered in the 5 GHz band only), Integrated + Reflector or 3rd party antenna commercially available.

3rd party Antenna gain: definition of the gain of the 3rd party antenna, valid only in case the AP antenna
system parameter is set to 3rd party antenna.
3rd party Antenna cable loss: definition of the cable loss of the 3rd party antenna, valid only in case the
AP antenna system parameter is set to 3rd party antenna.

Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
3rd party antenna

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Connectorized SMs in sector?: Select Yes if any SM in the sector uses a connectorized antenna.
Otherwise select No.

Connectorized SM antenna gain: definition of the gain of the SM antenna, valid only in case there are
Connectorized SMs in the sector.
Connectorized SM cable loss: definition of the cable loss of the SM antenna, valid only in case there are
Connectorized SMs in the sector.
Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
3rd party antenna

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Yes

Connectorized SM antenna gain

Connectorized SM cable loss

23 [dBi]
1 [dB]

AP Transmitter Output Power: setting of the combined power transmitted by the AP module to its
antenna system. The value MUST be lower than the specified Max AP Tx Power resulting from the EIRP
limit and AP antenna gain.
Note: If the AP EIRP limit or the SM EIRP limit are indicated as -, then the selected regulatory does not
impose any limit on the corresponding EIRP.
AP EIRP limit
Max AP Tx Power

36 [dBm]
19.0 [dBm]

A configuration error message appears in case the value is set outside the allowed range or it is invalid
(for example, if it is not an integer number).

In addition the EIRP of the AP module is shown in red if it is exceeding the limit defined by the
regulatory setting.
Fade Margin: setting of the margin on signal fading that the user wants to introduce in order to obtain
the desired link availability.
The following table summarizes the estimated fade margin for a certain link availability.
Fade Margin
Fade Margin
Link availability Fade margin Fade Margin
in LOS
in nLOS
in NLOS (suburban) in NLOS (urban)
90%

0 dB

2.5 dB

4 dB

7.5 dB

99%

2 dB

4.5 dB

9 dB

17 dB

99.9%

5 dB

6.5 dB

16 dB

27 dB

99.99%

8 dB

9 dB

24 dB

37 dB

Downlink Data: Percentage of frame time dedicated to downlink (AP to SM) transmission. Valid inputs
are any value between 15% and 85% with a 1% granularity.
Range unit: Unit of distance (miles or kilometers) to be used in the calculations.

Max range: distance (in miles or km, depending on the selection in Range unit) between the AP and the
location of the farther SM the user wants to serve with the AP. With a smaller cell size, a larger
percentage of users can communicate with higher order modulation, and the sector capacity is higher.
On the other hand, with smaller cells network planning becomes very important, in order to limit
interference between sectors using the same frequency.
In PTP mode, this is the distance between the Master and the Slave.
If the value input in this field is larger than the maximum distance calculated using the other parameters
selected in the green cells (shown in the Max range limit field), an error message appears.
10

Also, the maximum value for this field is 40 miles (64 km).

Contention slots: Number of uplink symbols reserved for random access (network entry and bandwitdh
requests). A larger number of contention slots reduces the probability of collision when two or more
SMs attempt to send a request, but it also reduces the number of symbols dedicated to data
transmission, and therefore reduces the maximum throughput.
The number of contention slots has to be selected according to the specific deployment parameters in
each sector. If the number of contention slots is too small, then latency increases in high traffic periods.
If the number of contention slots is too high, then the maximum capacity is unnecessarily reduced.The
two main contributing factors to the selection of the number of contention slots are the number of VCs
in a sector, and the type of traffic in the sector.
-

If the number of VCs in a sector is large, it is recommended to increase the number of

contention slots, in order to reduce the probability of two or more requests colliding. The
suggested contention slot settings as a function of the number of active VCs in the sector are
shown in the following Table.
Number of VCs Suggested number of Contention slots
1 to 10
11 to 50
51 to 150
>150

3
4
6
8

11

Note that each SM uses one or two VCs. All SMs have a Low Priority Channel that uses one VC; if
the High Priority Channel is also enabled for the SM, then the SM uses a second VC. Therefore
the number of active VCs in a sector is greater than or equal to the number of SMs registered to
the AP in the sector. For example, a network including 20 SMs with High Priority Channel
disabled and 20 SMs with High Priority Channel enabled has 60 active VCs and may be
configured with 6 contention slots.
-

Besides the number of VCs, the other main factor in contention slots selection is the type of
traffic. If the sector experiences a lot of uplink traffic composed of small packets, for example in
a sector that serves several VoIP streams, the average number of bandwidth requests
transmitted by each SM is high. Another scenario with constant uplink traffic is video
surveillance, which also generate a large number of uplink bandwidth requests.
In these cases the probability of two or more SMs transmitting a request in the same symbol is
high. When this happens, the latency of the system increases, and it is recommended to
increase the number of contention slots from the number in the previous Table. If an AP is
experiencing latency or SM-servicing issues, increasing the number of contention slots may
increase system performance, depending on traffic mix over time.

Recommendation on Contention Slots number selection

1- Calculate the number of active VCs in the sector (one VC per SM for SMs with Low Priority VC
enabled only; two VCs per SM for SMs with High Priority VC enabled)
2- Evaluate the traffic mix that is expected in the sector, more specifically the expected percentage
of real-time traffic (ex. VoIP, gaming, video conferencing, and video surveillance).
3- If the expected amount of real-time traffic is small, select the number of contention slots
according to the previous Table.
4- If the expected amount of real-time traffic is large, select a number of contention slots larger
than the number in the previous Table.
5- Monitor latency in your system. If the percentage of real-time traffic (or any uplink traffic)
increases and the sector experiences increasing latency and SM-servicing issues, increase the
number of contention slots from the current setting.
This is the reason why the maximum number of contention slots is 15, even if the previous Table
shows 8 contention slots for more than 150 VCs. If the number of VCs is more than 150 and a
significant portion of the traffic is real-time, the frequency with which bandwidth request
messages are transmitted requires a higher number of contention slots, potentially as high as
15. A sector with a high number of video surveillance cameras would also require a larger
number of contention slots to reduce the probability of collision between requests.
Adjacent Frequency Support: This feature is available only in the 3.5 and 3.65 GHz bands, because in all
other bands adjacent frequencies can be used in adjacent sectors without guard bands and without
limiting the transmit power.
Select Yes to limit the SM Tx power to 23 dBm (2 dB lower than the 25 dBm maximum the radio can
support) in the 3.5 GHz or 3.65 GHz bands. This feature allows operating with adjacent channels in
adjacent sectors. If No is selected, the SM Tx power is set at the maximum value of 25 dBm, but
adjacent channels need to have a guard band if used in adjacent sectors.

12

Environment: type of propagation environment. The options for this field are: LOS, near LOS, NLOS
(suburban) or NLOS (urban).
The following table summarizes the excess path loss used in the range calculation formula for each
selection of the Environment parameter.
Environment

Excess Path Loss

LOS

0 dB

nLOS

5 dB

NLOS (suburban)

15 dB

NLOS (urban)

25 dB

13

Interference measured?: Select Yes if the system experiences interference. Otherwise select No.

SM antenna for measuring interf: Antenna type used at the SM while performing interference
measurement. The list of options depends on the frequency band selected (for example, the CLIP is
available in the 5.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands only) and the presence of Connectorized SMs in the system.
14

Downlink interference level: Value (in dBm) of the downlink interference measured in the channel
currently used (co-channel).
Uplink interference level: Value (in dBm) of the uplink interference measured in the channel currently
used (co-channel).

15

Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
3rd party antenna

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Yes

Connectorized SM antenna gain

Connectorized SM cable loss
AP Transmitter Output Power
Fade Margin
Downlink Data
Range unit
Max range
Contention slots
Adjacent Frequency Support
Environment
Interference measured?
SM antenna for measuring interf
Downlink interference level
Uplink interference level

23 [dBi]
1 [dB]
22 [dBm]
0 [dB]
50%
miles
5 [mi]
4
No
LOS
Yes
REFLECTOR
-94 [dBm]
-94 [dBm]

% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A): Percentage of SMs that are in a location experiencing a
different RSSI on the two Rx branches (for example, in NLOS conditions). For these SMs the rate adapt
algorithm will select a MIMO-A modulation mode if the throughput of the MIMO-A mode is higher than
the MIMO-B throughput that can be sustained in the same channel condition.
This field is valid only if Mode is selected as PMP.
Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
Cambium 90

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Connectorized SM antenna gain
Connectorized SM cable loss
AP Transmitter Output Power
Fade Margin
Downlink Data
Range unit
Max range
Contention slots
Adjacent Frequency Support
Environment
Interference measured?
SM antenna for measuring interf
Downlink interference level
Uplink interference level
% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A)

Yes
23 [dBi]
1 [dB]
22 [dBm]
0 [dB]
50%
miles
5 [mi]
4
No
LOS
Yes
Integrated
-94 [dBm]
-94 [dBm]
10%

16

PTP Slave Tx Output Power: Combined output power of the Slave. This field is valid only if Mode is
selected as PTP. Note that in PMP mode there is no corresponding input because the transmit power
of the SM is controlled by the AP through the power control algorithm.
PTP MIMO mode: Transmission mode used in the PTP link. Options are MIMO-A or MIMO-B.

17

Frame length: Length of the TDD frame. Options are 2.5 ms and 5 ms.

18

LINK BUDGET
In the LINK BUDGET part of the user interface results are shown for the selected SM antenna
configuration.

The settings of all the parameters included in the link budget calculation are listed in two columns: one
for the downlink direction (from AP to SM) and one for the uplink direction (from SM to AP).
SM antenna option for displaying data

INTEGRATED

LINK BUDGET FOR INTEGRATED ANTENNA

DOWNLINK BUDGET (AP to SM)
UPLINK BUDGET (SM to AP)

AP Tx Power per chain

AP Cable Loss
AP Antenna Gain
Combined AP EIRP
SM Rx Sensitivity
(Conservative assumption for MIMOA: large difference between RSSI of
two branches)

SM Antenna Gain (including cable loss

for Connectorized)
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total

DL
DL
DL
DL
DL
DL
DL
DL

Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain

(8X
(4X
(6X
(3X
(4X
(2X
(2X
(1X

19
1
17
38
-61
-61
-72
-72
-78
-78
-84
-84
9
0

105
MIMO-B) =
105
MIMO-A) =
MIMO-B) =
116
116
MIMO-A) =
122
MIMO-B) =
MIMO-A) =
122
MIMO-B) =
128
131
MIMO-A) =
The link is uplink

0.079 [Watts]
0.001 [Watts]
Cambium 90
6.310 [Watts]
256QAM
8X MIMO-B
256QAM
4X MIMO-A
64QAM
6X MIMO-B
64QAM
3X MIMO-A
16QAM
4X MIMO-B
16QAM
2X MIMO-A
QPSK
2X MIMO-B
QPSK
1X MIMO-A
Internal SM antenna
-

[dBm]
[dB]
[dBi]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBi]
[dBi]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
limited by

2 dB

AP Cable Loss
AP Antenna Gain

19
9
0
31
-60
-60
-69
-69
-75
-75
-82
-82
1
17

[dBm]
[dBi]
[dBi]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dBm]
[dB]
[dBi]

(8X
(4X
(6X
(3X
(4X
(2X
(2X
(1X

104
104
113
113
119
119
126
129

[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]
[dB]

SM Tx Power per chain

SM Antenna Gain (including
cable loss for Connectorized)
Combined SM EIRP

AP Rx Sensitivity
(Conservative assumption for
MIMO-A: large difference between
RSSI of two branches)

Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total

UL
UL
UL
UL
UL
UL
UL
UL

Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain
Gain

MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)
MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)
MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)
MIMO-B)
MIMO-A)

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

0.079 [Watts]
Internal SM antenna
1.3 [Watts]
8X MIMO-B 256QAM
4X MIMO-A 256QAM
6X MIMO-B
64QAM
3X MIMO-A
64QAM
16QAM
4X MIMO-B
16QAM
2X MIMO-A
QPSK
2X MIMO-B
QPSK
1X MIMO-A
0.001 [Watts]
Cambium 90

Note that the calculations are performed with sensitivity values with one decimal point precision, but
both the sensitivity values and the gain values are shown as integer numbers.

COVERAGE AND THROUGHPUT

In the COVERAGE AND THROUGHPUT section the results of the link budget calculation are shown again
for the selected SM antenna configuration.

Modulation
8X MIMO-B
4X MIMO-A
6X MIMO-B
3X MIMO-A
4X MIMO-B
2X MIMO-A
2X MIMO-B
1X MIMO-A

COVERAGE AND THROUGHPUT

DL Range
0.4 mi
0.4 mi
1.5 mi
1.5 mi
3.0 mi
3.0 mi
6.4 mi
9.0 mi

UL Range
0.4 mi
0.4 mi
1.1 mi
1.1 mi
2.3 mi
2.3 mi
5.0 mi
7.0 mi

Max DL/UL/Total Throughput Capacity (Mbps)

63.9/65.5/129.4 Mbps
DL
15.5
32/32.8/64.8 Mbps
UL
14.2
47.9/49.1/97 Mbps
Total
29.7
24/24.6/48.6 Mbps
32/32.8/64.8 Mbps
16/16.4/32.4 Mbps
16/16.4/32.4 Mbps
8/8.2/16.2 Mbps

DL Range and UL range: represent for each modulation mode the maximum distance at which the radio
link can operate with the selected configuration and fade margin. Values of range in red indicate that
the potential range is larger than the maximum range set in the Max range field in the SYSTEM
CONFIGURATION section. Also, the range is limited to 40 miles, because that is the configuration limit
supported by the radio.
Max DL/UL/Total Throughput: the Downlink/Uplink/Total capacity of the sector assuming all the
registered SMs are operating at that modulation
19

DL/UL/Total Capacity: Downlink/Uplink/Total capacity of the sector, taking into account the percentage
of users using each modulation, under the assumption that the users are evenly distributed in the
covered area and that they all generate the same amount of traffic. The capacity of the sector is
calculated as a proportion of the peak capacity taking into account the AP antenna pattern and the fact
that the users are evenly distributed in the covered area.
If the Mode is selected as PTP, this is simply the DL/UL/Total throughput at the modulation that the
link can support at the given distance.
The covered area is limited by the Max range field set in the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section.
Appendix A shows an example of capacity calculations.
Note that, in PMP mode, the DL/UL/Total Capacity values will be displayed in red as a warning if the
Max range field in the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section is larger than the coverage that can be
achieved with the most robust modulation and coding rate (QPSK MIMO-A). In this case, the capacity
calculation is carried out within the covered area only. Numbers is red mean that the calculation does
not cover all the area indicated by the Max range field.
In PTP mode, if the Max range field in the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section, which in this case indicates
the distance between the BHM and the BHS, is larger than the coverage that can be achieved with the
most robust modulation and coding rate (QPSK MIMO-A), the DL/UL/Total Capacity values show an Out
of range message.
The plot in the COVERAGE AND THROUGHPUT section shows the range of communication that can be
achieved in the downlink with each MIMO-B modulation level, up to the maximum range set in the Max
range field in the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section. MIMO-A modulation mode is also used because
this mode is used not only when the RSSI in the two branches is different, but also for extending the
range when the RSSI in the two branches is comparable but too low (and a 3 dB combining gain is
necessary to maintain the link).
If some modulation levels cover an area outside the Max range field, these modulation levels are not
used. The legend in the plot indicates which modulation levels are not used, together with the peak
DL/UL/Total throughput for each used modulation level.
This plot is visible only if Mode is selected as PMP.

MIMO-B DL coverage and DL/UL/Aggregate throughput

1X not used
2X 16/16.4/32.4 Mbps
4X 32/32.8/64.8 Mbps
6X 47.9/49.1/97 Mbps
8X 63.9/65.5/129.4 Mbps

20

NETWORK PLANNING
The NETWORK PLANNING tab calculates the total number of enterprise and/or residential customers
that can be supported in a sector, given a selected distribution of plans.
This tab is visible only if Mode in the LINK BUDGET tab is selected as PMP.

Downlink Data
Max range
Integrated %
Clip %
Connectorized %
Reflector Dish %
PMP 450d %
Ent. Oversubscription rate
Res. Oversubscription rate
SMs with HP VC %

75%
5
5%
10%
25%
25%
35%
5
15
0%

PMP450 NETWORK PLANNER

Cambium Networks confidential, not commercially binding
NETWORK CONFIGURATION

SM antenna type distribution

Max %
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%

REFLECTOR
and/or PMP450d
Connectorized

% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A)

Avg DL capacity
Avg UL capacity
Avg Tot capacity

10%

59.4 Mbps
19.9 Mbps
79.3 Mbps

CLIP
Integrated
Enterprise Monthly Service Plan A

Downlink
3.0 Mbps
5.0 Mbps
10.0 Mbps
20.0 Mbps

Uplink
3.0 Mbps
5.0 Mbps
10.0 Mbps
20.0 Mbps

Average
Distribution
25%
50%
20%
5%

Average DL
Throughput/user

Uplink
1.0 Mbps
5.0 Mbps
10.0 Mbps
15.0 Mbps

Average
Distribution
10%
20%
50%
20%

Average DL
Throughput/user

6.25 Mbps

Average UL
Throughput/user
6.25 Mbps

DL
Users/sector

UL
Total
Users/sector Users/sector

47

15

15

Residential Monthly Service Plan B

Downlink
4.0 Mbps
15.0 Mbps
20.0 Mbps
30.0 Mbps

19.40 Mbps

Average UL
Throughput/user
9.10 Mbps

DL
Users/sector

UL
Total
Users/sector Users/sector

45

32

32

Blended Monthly Service Plan C

Enterprise
Residential

50%
50%

Average DL
Throughput/user
12.83 Mbps

Average UL
Throughput/user
7.68 Mbps

DL
Users/sector

UL
Total
Users/sector Users/sector

46

21

21

In the NETWORK CONFIGURATION section the fields in white cannot be changed, and they are a
summary of the selections and the results in the LINK BUDGET tab. The fields in green in the NETWORK
CONFIGURATION section are populated by the user.
Downlink Data: percentage of frame time allocated to the downlink (AP to SM). This field corresponds
to the Downlink Data field in the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section of the LINK BUDGET tab.
Max range: distance between the AP and the location of the farther SM the user wants to serve with the
AP. This field corresponds to the Max range field in the SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section of the LINK
BUDGET tab.
Integrated %, Clip %, Connectorized %, Reflector Dish %, PMP 450d %: percentages of SMs using each
of the possible SM antenna systems. The last four percentages are input by the user, while the
Integrated SMs percentage is calculated based on the other inputs.
These fields cannot exceed the corresponding Max % white fields that are calculated using the
parameters selected in the LINK BUDGET tab.
Ent. Oversubscription rate: oversubscription rate selected for the enterprise customers
Res. Oversubscription rate: oversubscription rate selected for the residential customers
SMs with HP VC %: Percentage of SMs that have the high priority (HP) VC enabled.
If an SM has the HP VC enabled, in addition to the low priority (LP) VC, it uses two VCs out of the
maximum 238 VCs available. This limit is taken into account in the Total Users/sector calculation.
% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A): percentage of SMs using MIMO-A modulation modes. This field
corresponds to the % of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A) in the LINK BUDGET tab.
21

Avg DL/UL Capacity: downlink/uplink capacity of the sector, taking into account the percentage of users
using each modulation and each SM antenna system, and also the percentage of users using MIMO-A
and MIMO-B modulations.
The assumption is that SMs with antenna types with higher gain are deployed farthest from the AP,
while SMs with antenna types with lower gain are deployed closets to the AP. Considering four
concentric rings centered at the AP (where each ring can have area equal to zero if the corresponding
percentage is zero), the innermost circle includes the locations of all SMs using an integrated antenna.
The outer three rings include the locations of all SMs using a CLIP antenna, a reflector dish and/or
PMP450d, or a connectorized SM, with order depending on the gain of the connectorized antenna. For
example, if the connectorized antenna gain is higher than the CLIP gain but lower than the reflector
dish, the order of the rings (starting from the AP) is: integrated, CLIP, connectorized, reflector dish
and/or PMP 450d. Note that the reflector dish and the PMP 450d are grouped in the same ring as their
antenna gain is the same.
The CLIP and PMP450d are only available in the 5 GHz band.
The distribution of the SM antenna types in the sector is shown by the plot.
Avg Tot Capacity: total (downlink + uplink) sector capacity of the sector, taking into account the
percentage of users using each modulation and each SM antenna system. This is the sum of the Avg DL
Capacity and the Avg UL Capacity fields.

Enterprise and Residential Plans

There are three types of plans. Plan A is an enterprise plan; plan B is a residential plan and plan C is a
blended plan, with a mix of enterprise and residential customers. Both the Enterprise and the
Residential plans comprise of a mix of plans with different Downlink/Uplink throughputs. The cells in
green are populated by the user, indicating the Downlink/Uplink throughputs for each plan and the
distribution (in percentage) for each plan.
For plans A and B:
Average DL Throughput/user: average downlink throughput needed by the enterprise or residential
customers with the mix of plans selected by the user. This is the weighted average of the four DL plans
using the Average Distribution values as weights.
Average UL Throughput/user: average uplink throughput needed by the enterprise or residential
customers with the mix of plans selected by the user. This is the weighted average of the four UL plans
using the Average Distribution values as weights.
DL Users/sector: number of users that can be supported in the sector satisfying the downlink
requirements, taking into account the oversubscription rate. This is the Avg DL capacity divided by the
average DL Throughput/user and multiplied by the corresponding oversubcription rate.
UL Users/sector: number of users that can be supported in the sector satisfying the uplink
requirements, taking into account the oversubscription rate. This is the Avg UL capacity divided by the
average UL Throughput/user and multiplied by the corresponding oversubcription rate.
Total Users/sector: lower number among the DL Users/sector, the UL Users/sector and the maximum
number of users per sector. The maximum number of users per sector is a number between 119 and
238 depending on how many SMs have the high priority VC enabled. If parameters are selected so that
the DL Users/sector and the UL Users/sector are close, then the total capacity of the sector is fully
utilized.
22

Plan C is a mix of plans A and B with a certain percentage selected by the user.
In this case, the Average DL Throughput/user is the weighted average of the Average DL
Throughput/user for the enterprise and residential customers, and the Average UL Throughput/user is
the weighted average of the Average UL Throughput/user for the enterprise and residential customers.
The DL Users/sector and the UL Users/sector are again calculated as the Avg DL capacity and the Avg
UL capacity divided by the Average DL Throughput/user and the Average UL Throughput/user
respectively, multiplied by the corresponding oversubscription rate.
DL Users/sector =FLOOR(Avg DL Capacity/(Enterprise % Enterprise Average DL Throughput/user /
Enterprise oversubscription rate + Residential % Residential Average DL Throughput/user / Residential
oversubscription rate)
UL Users/sector =FLOOR(Avg UL Capacity/(Enterprise % Enterprise Average UL Throughput/user /
Enterprise oversubscription rate + Residential % Residential Average UL Throughput/user / Residential
oversubscription rate)
The Total Users/sector is again the lowest number among the DL Users/sector, the UL Users/sector and
the maximum number of users in a sector.
Appendix B shows an example of calculation of number of Enterprise and Residential users.

23

SECTOR THROUGHPUT CALCULATOR

The SECTOR THROUGHPUT CALCULATOR allows the user to either input the exact location of all the
users or to input the percentage of users that communicate at each modulation and coding level.
This tab is visible only if Mode in the LINK BUDGET tab is selected as PMP.
PMP450 SECTOR THROUGHPUT CALCULATOR
Cambium Networks confidential, not commercially binding

SUBSCRIBERS' LOCATIONS

INPUT EACH SM'S LOCATION AND ANTENNA TYPE

SM number SM distance
SM 1
1.3 [mi]
SM 2
3.2 [mi]
SM 3
1.1 [mi]
SM 4
1.2 [mi]
SM 5
1.4 [mi]
SM 6
1.8 [mi]
SM 7
1.6 [mi]
SM 8
1.6 [mi]
SM 9
2.1 [mi]
SM 10
1.3 [mi]
SM 11
2.0 [mi]
SM 12
1.5 [mi]
SM 13
1.7 [mi]
SM 14
1.5 [mi]
SM 15
1.6 [mi]
SM 16
2.0 [mi]
1.3 [mi]
SM 17
1.8 [mi]
SM 18
SM 19
1.7 [mi]
SM 20
0.8 [mi]
SM 21
1.6 [mi]
SM 22
1.3 [mi]
SM 23
1.3 [mi]
SM 24
1.7 [mi]
SM 25
1.3 [mi]
SM 26
1.1 [mi]
SM 27
1.3 [mi]
SM 28
0.6 [mi]
SM 29
1.2 [mi]
SM 30
1.6 [mi]
SM 31
1.7 [mi]
SM 32
1.6 [mi]
SM 33
1.2 [mi]
SM 34
1.3 [mi]
SM 35
1.3 [mi]

SM antenna
system
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
Integrated

Mode
MIMO-A
MIMO-B
MIMO-A
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-A
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B
MIMO-B

DL
Modulation
3X
4X
3X
6X
6X
4X
4X
4X
2X
6X
4X
6X
4X
6X
4X
4X
6X
4X
4X
6X
4X
6X
6X
4X
6X
6X
6X
6X
6X
4X
4X
4X
6X
6X
6X

DL
UL
Total
UL
Throughput Throughput Throughput
Modulation
[Mbps]
[Mbps]
[Mbps]
2X
24.0
16.4
40.4
2X
32.0
16.4
48.4
3X
24.0
24.6
48.6
47.9
49.1
6X
97.0
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
2X
16.0
16.4
32.4
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
6X
47.9
49.1
97.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
80.7
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
47.9
4X
32.8
64.8
32.0
4X
32.8
80.7
4X
47.9
6X
47.9
49.1
97.0
6X
47.9
49.1
97.0
97.0
6X
47.9
49.1
47.9
49.1
97.0
6X
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
4X
32.0
32.8
64.8
6X
47.9
49.1
97.0
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7
4X
47.9
32.8
80.7

SMs per DL modulation

8X
0
0.0%
6X
28
56.0%
4X
19
38.0%
3X
2
4.0%
2X
1
2.0%
1X
0.0%
0

8X
6X
4X
3X
2X
1X

SMs per UL modulation

0
13
33
1
3
0

DL Average Capacity [Mbps]

UL Average Capacity [Mbps]
Total Average Capacity [Mbps]

0.0%
26.0%
66.0%
2.0%
6.0%
0.0%

DL/UL/Total
Throughput per
modulation [Mbps]

DL/UL/Total
Throughput per SM
[Mbps]

0/0/0
17.97/7.39/25.37
12.2/18.77/30.97
1.28/0.57/1.85
0.64/1.71/2.35
0/0/0

0/0/0
0.64/0.57/1.21
0.64/0.57/1.21
0.64/0.57/1.21
0.64/0.57/1.21
0/0/0

DL/UL/Total
Throughput per
modulation [Mbps]

DL/UL/Total
Throughput per SM
[Mbps]

32.10
28.44
60.54

INPUT SMs DIRECTLY

SMs per DL modulation
8X
100
50.0%
6X
50
25.0%
4X
30
15.0%
10.0%
2X
20
1X
0
0.0%
1X
0
0.0%
Total
200

SMs per UL modulation

8X
6X
4X
2X
1X
1X
Total

95
45
25
15
10
10
200

DL Average Capacity [Mbps]

UL Average Capacity [Mbps]
Total Average Capacity [Mbps]

47.5% 15.25/13.51/28.75
22.5%
7.22/6.4/13.62
12.5%
4.01/3.55/7.57
7.5%
2.41/2.13/4.54
5.0%
1.6/1.42/3.03
5.0%
1.6/1.42/3.03

0.19/0.15/0.34
0.19/0.15/0.34
0.19/0.15/0.34
0.19/0.15/0.34
0/0.15/0.15
0/0.15/0.15

38.82
30.53
69.35

In the SUBSCRIBERS LOCATIONS section the user inputs the values in the green cells. The white cells
show calculated values.
SM distance: distance between the AP and the SM under consideration. Any number of SMs can be
input up to the current maximum number of VCs available in the PMP450 system (which is 238). The
distance can be input either in miles or kilometers, depending on the selection of the Range unit
parameter in the LINK BUDGET tab. A blank cell indicates the corresponding SM is not used.
SM antenna system: selection of the antenna system used for the SM under consideration. The options
are: integrated, Connectorized, CLIP, REFLECTOR and PMP 450d. Not all options are available in all
bands, and the Connectorized option is shown only if the Connectorized SMs in sector? field in the
SYSTEM CONFIGURATION section in the LINK BUDGET tab is selected as Yes.
Mode: Transmission mode of the SM under consideration. Options are MIMO-A or MIMO-B.
DL Modulation: modulation mode that can be supported by the SM in the downlink direction at the
distance input by the user and with the SM antenna system selected by the user
UL Modulation: modulation mode that can be supported by the SM in the uplink direction at the
distance input by the user and with the SM antenna system selected by the user
DL Throughput: downlink throughput supported by the SM at the modulation mode indicated in the DL
Modulation field
UL Throughput: uplink throughput supported by the SM at the modulation mode indicated in the UL
Modulation field
Total Throughput: sum of DL Throughput and UL Throughput.
24

SMs per DL modulation: number and percentage of SMs that can communicate in the downlink
direction in each of the modulation modes, based on the distances input for each SM and the SM
antenna selection.
SMs per UL modulation: number and percentage of SMs that can communicate in the uplink direction in
each of the modulation modes, based on the distances input for each SM and the SM antenna selection.
DL Average capacity: downlink capacity of the sector, taking into account the percentage of users using
each downlink modulation, under the assumption that the users are distributed in the covered area as
indicated in the SUBSCRIBERS LOCATION section and that they all generate the same amount of traffic.
Calculations for determining this field are done in the same way described in Appendix A.
UL Average capacity: uplink capacity of the sector, taking into account the percentage of users using
each uplink modulation, under the assumption that the users are distributed in the covered area as
indicated in the SUBSCRIBERS LOCATION section and that they all generate the same amount of traffic.
Calculations for determining this field are done in the same way described in Appendix A.
Total Average capacity: sum of DL Average capacity and UL Average capacity.
DL/UL/Total Throughput per modulation: downlink/uplink/total throughput assigned to each
modulation. This is the product of the DL/UL/Total Average capacity and the % of SMs per DL/UL
modulation.
DL/UL/Total Throughput per SM: downlink/uplink/total throughput each SM in each modulation group
will experience, assuming all SMs are active at the same time. Note that for all modulation modes that
are in use in the sector these values are the same for all SMs. The reason is that it is assumed all SMs
generate the same amount of traffic, and therefore they are allocated the same throughput, regardless
of the modulation mode they can use for communication.

INPUT SMs DIRECTLY

If the user does not want to input the distances of the SMs one by one, and the statistics of the SMs
distances are available, the INPUT SMs DIRECTLY section can be used.
INPUT SMs DIRECTLY
SMs per DL modulation
8X
100
50.0%
6X
50
25.0%
4X
30
15.0%
2X
20
10.0%
1X
0
0.0%
200
Total

SMs per UL modulation

8X
6X
4X
2X
1X
Total

95
55
25
15
10
200

DL Average Capacity [Mbps]

UL Average Capacity [Mbps]
Total Average Capacity [Mbps]

47.5%
27.5%
12.5%
7.5%
5.0%

DL/UL/Total
Throughput per
modulation [Mbps]

DL/UL/Total
Throughput per SM
[Mbps]

25.05/6.71/31.76
12.52/3.89/16.41
7.51/1.77/9.28
5.01/1.06/6.07
0/0.71/0.71

0.36/0.11/0.47
0.36/0.11/0.47
0.36/0.11/0.47
0/0.11/0.11
0/0.11/0.11

72.50
21.58
94.08

In this section the user can directly input the number of SMs for each modulation mode (green cells) in
the downlink and in the uplink.
The DL/UL/Total Average Capacity calculations, the DL/UL/Total Throughput per modulation and the
DL/UL/Total Throughput per SM calculations are performed as explained above, but using the numbers
directly input by the user instead of using the SMs distances.
25

References

All the detailed information about Cambium Networks PMP Series 450 can be found in the official
product documentation available for download from Cambium Networks public website:
http://www.cambiumnetworks.com/products/pmp/pmp-450
http://www.cambiumnetworks.com/support/pmp/software/index.php?tag=pmp450

Questions/Comments

CapacityPlanner@cambiumnetworks.com

26

Appendix A
Example of aggregate capacity calculation
In the aggregate capacity calculation two assumptions are made:
-

The SMs are geographically evenly distributed in the covered area

All SMs generate the same amount of traffic

In this example all SMs use an integrated antenna, and the input values selected in the SYSTEM
CONFIGURATION SECTION are the following:
Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
Cambium 90

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Yes

Connectorized SM antenna gain

Connectorized SM cable loss
AP Transmitter Output Power
Fade Margin
Downlink Data
Range unit
Max range
Contention slots
Adjacent Frequency Support
Environment
Interference measured?
SM antenna for measuring interf
Downlink interference level
Uplink interference level
% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A)
PTP Slave Tx Output Power
PTP MIMO mode
Frame length

23 [dBi]
1 [dB]
22.0 [dBm]
0 [dB]
50%
miles
5 [mi]
4
Yes
LOS
No
Integrated
0 [dBm]
0 [dBm]
10%
22 [dBm]
MIMO-B
2.5 [ms]

These are the steps for calculating the aggregate capacity:

-

First, the SMs that are not in a location that requires MIMO-A transmission are considered. The
modulation modes supported by these SMs are 256QAM MIMO-B (8X), 64QAM MIMO-B (6X),
16QAM MIMO-B (4X), QPSK MIMO-B (2X) and QPSK MIMO-A (1X). The QPSK MIMO-A mode is
also considered here because this mode is used not only in propagation conditions when the
received signals strength is very different between the two branches, but also to extend the
range. In this case the diversity gain increases the system gain and extends the range.
The Potential Range for each modulation is limited by the Max range field in the SYSTEM
CONFIGURATION section
Example with Max range set at 5 miles and integrated antenna.
27

Modulation Potential range Actual range

mode

8X

0.4 miles

0.4 miles

6X

1.5 miles

1.5 miles

4X

3.0 miles

3.0 miles

2X

6.4 miles

5 miles

1X

9.0 miles

5 miles

Calculate the area (in square miles) covered with each modulation
The modulation and coding level supported by each SM in LOS conditions depends on the
distance between the AP and the SM. SMs closer to the AP can support higher modulation
modes, while SMs farther from the AP can only support lower modulation modes.
This figure shows the area covered by the AP and the five rings corresponding to one of the
modulation modes supported by the PMP450 system.

Assuming a 90 sector antenna at the AP and considering the percentage of SMs non in MIMO-A
modulation (90%), the areas covered by the AP at each modulation level are shown in the next
table.
28

Modulation Area (square miles) Area (%)

mode
8X

0.15

0.68%

6X

1.72

7.88%

4X

5.39

24.73%

2X

12.37

56.71%

1X

0.00

0.00%

The area calculated for modulation mode 1X is equal to 0, because the sector under
consideration is limited at a range of 5 miles, so the assumption is that there are no users (and
therefore no area covered) beyond 5 miles.
The same table also shows the percentage of the total area (within the 5 mile range) covered
with each modulation. Since all SMs are assumed to be evenly distributed in the covered area,
these percentages also represent the percentages of SMs communicating at each of the
modulation modes.
-

Calculate the DL time and the UL time allocated for each modulation mode
The time in the DL and UL subframes is divided among SMs (and therefore MCS levels)
proportionally to the percentage of users communicating at each modulation mode. The
following table shows the DL and UL times which are calculated as
DL (UL) time for mode X = % area for mode X / DL (UL) throughput for mode X
MCS level DL time (s) UL time (s)

8X

0.000106

0.000086

6X

0.001644

0.000821

4X

0.007729

0.004176

2X

0.035445

0.043478

1X

0.000000

0.000491

Repeat the above calculations for the 10% of SMs using MIMO-A mode. These lead to the
following table:
MCS level DL time (s) UL time (s)
4X

0.000024

0.000019

29

3X

0.000365

0.000183

2X

0.001718

0.000932

1X

0.007877

0.009705

Calculate the DL, UL and total capacity

The DL (UL) peak capacity is the inverse of the sum of the DL (UL) times allocated for each
modulation mode (MIMO-A and MIMO-B). The peak capacity is then multiplied by a factor
(equal to 85%) to take into account the AP antenna pattern and the fact that the users are
evenly distributed in the covered area.
DL (UL) capacity = 1/sum of all DL (UL) times per modulation mode * antenna factor
The total capacity is simply the sum of the DL and UL capacities.
DL Capacity = 15.5 Mbps
UL Capacity = 14.2 Mbps
Total Capacity = 29.7 Mbps

30

Appendix B
Example of calculation of Number of Enterprise and Residential Users
Let us assume the following configuration parameters:
Frequency band
Region
Channel Bandwidth

5.8 [GHz]
Others
20 [MHz]

Carrier frequency

5865 [MHz]

Mode
AP antenna system

PMP
Cambium 90

3rd party Antenna gain

20 [dBi]

3rd party Antenna cable loss

1 [dB]

Connectorized SMs in sector?

Yes

Connectorized SM antenna gain

Connectorized SM cable loss
AP Transmitter Output Power
Fade Margin
Downlink Data
Range unit
Max range
Contention slots
Adjacent Frequency Support
Environment
Interference measured?
SM antenna for measuring interf
Downlink interference level
Uplink interference level
% of SMs with uneven paths (MIMO-A)
PTP Slave Tx Output Power
PTP MIMO mode
Frame length

23 [dBi]
1 [dB]
22.0 [dBm]
0 [dB]
50%
miles
5 [mi]
4
Yes
LOS
No
Integrated
0 [dBm]
0 [dBm]
10%
22 [dBm]
MIMO-B
2.5 [ms]

As shown in the figure, SMs closer to the AP utilize an integrated antenna, while SMs farther from the
AP utilize either augmentation or a connectorized antenna.
With these configuration parameters the resulting capacities are:

31

Avg DL capacity
Avg UL capacity
Avg Tot capacity

36.1 Mbps
32.8 Mbps
68.9 Mbps

The plans offered to enterprise customers are:

Downlink
3.0 Mbps
5.0 Mbps
10.0 Mbps
20.0 Mbps

Uplink
3.0 Mbps
5.0 Mbps
10.0 Mbps
20.0 Mbps

Average
Distribution
25%
50%
20%
5%

The plans offered to residential customers are:

Downlink
4.0 Mbps
15.0 Mbps
20.0 Mbps
30.0 Mbps

Uplink
1.0 Mbps
5.0 Mbps
10.0 Mbps
15.0 Mbps

Average
Distribution
10%
20%
50%
20%

For plans A (Enterprise) and B (Residential):

Average DL Throughput/user
Enterprise Average DL Throughput/user = 3 Mbps 25% + 5 Mbps 50% + 10 Mbps 20% + 20 Mbps
5% = 6.25 Mbps
Residential Average DL Throughput/user = 4 Mbps 10% + 15 Mbps 20% + 20 Mbps 50% + 30 Mbps
20% = 19.40 Mbps
Average UL Throughput/user
Enterprise Average UL Throughput/user = 3 Mbps 25% + 5 Mbps 50% + 10 Mbps 20% + 20 Mbps
5% = 6.25 Mbps
Residential Average UL Throughput/user = 1 Mbps 10% + 5 Mbps 20% + 10 Mbps 50% + 15 Mbps
20% = 9.10 Mbps
DL Users/sector:
Enterprise DL Users/sector = FLOOR(36.1 Mbps/6.25 Mbps 5) = 28
Residential DL Users/sector = FLOOR(36.1 Mbps/19.40 Mbps 15) = 27
UL Users/sector
Enterprise UL Users/sector = FLOOR(32.8 Mbps/6.25 Mbps 5) = 26
Residential UL Users/sector = FLOOR(32.8 Mbps/9.10 Mbps 15) = 54
32

Total Users/sector
Enterprise Total Users/sector = min(28,26) = 26
Residential Total Users/sector = min(27,54) = 27
Parameters are selected efficiently if the number of DL Users/sector is approximately equal to the
number of UL Users/sector, so that no downlink or uplink resources remain unutilized.
Plan C is a mix of plans A and B with a certain percentage selected by the user.
For this example the percentages of plans A and B are both 50%.
DL Users/sector = FLOOR(36.1 Mbps/(50% 6.25 Mbps / 5 + 50% 19.40 Mbps / 15) = 28
UL Users/sector = FLOOR(32.8 Mbps/(50% 6.25 Mbps / 5 + 50% 9.10 Mbps / 15) = 35
Total Users/sector = min(28,35) = 28

33