aruba ekahau joint design and implementation guide 020309[2] · the ekahau rtls solution leverages...

Design and Implementation Guide |

Enterprise Aruba and EkahauJoint Design and Implementation

Revision 1.0

Aruba and Ekahau Design and Implementation Guide | [Version 1.0]

[Aruba & Ekahau Design & Implementation Guide] | [January 22, 2009] 1

Scope

• ThisdocumentisajointdesignandimplementationreferenceguideforArubaandEkahauRTLSdeployments

• Thisdocumentspecifieshigh‐levelrequirementsanddesignconsiderationsforsuccessfuldeploymentofthejointsolution

• ForanonlineintroductiontoEkahaudeploymentsforRTLS,seethislink1

• ThisdocumentcoversthemorecommonTagAssociationModeaswellastheuniqueArubaBlinkModeimplementations

• ThisdocumentcoversEkahauActivatorusage

• ThisdocumentassumesabaselevelofArubaWLANproductanddesignknowledge.FordetailsinvolvingconfigurationofArubaOS,pleaseseetheArubaOSUserGuidefortheversionofsoftwareinyourenvironment,locatedontheArubaSupportsiteathttp://support.arubanetworks.com

Solution Overview

Enterpriseslosemillionsofdollarsayearbecausecriticalequipmentismisplaced,stolenornotmaintainedproperly.AssettrackingwithRealTimeLocationSystems(RTLS)overWi‐FiallowscontinuoustrackingofvaluableequipmentorpeopleovertheWLAN.Theabilitytoinstantlylocateacriticaldevicecanreducenotonlyreplacementcostsforlostequipment,butalsoenablefarmoreefficientuseofexistinginventory.Theresultisreducedcostsaswellasimprovementsinworkflow,securityandcustomerservice.

TheEkahauRTLSsolutionleveragesexisting802.11networkstoprovideaccurate,real‐timelocationtrackingof‘tagged’assets.AnEkahauassettagisasmallWi‐Fienableddevicethatcanbeattachedtoacriticalasset,orwornasapersonnelbadge.ThetagthenusestheexistingwirelessLANtocommunicatewithanEkahauPositioningEngineserver.TheEPEusessignalstrengthvalues,receivedeitherfromthetagortheArubainfrastructuretocalculateandcontinuouslytrackthetag’slocation.SoftwareversionsoftagsalsoexistforWi‐Fienableddevicessuchaslaptopsorhandhelds.SolutioncomponentsincludeEkahau’sPositioningEngineserver,theEkahauSiteSurvey,andtheEkahauapplicationlayer,consistingofEkahauTrackerorEkahauVision.

TheArubaUser–CentricNetworkprovidesEkahauRTLSuserswithtwomajoradvantagesoverotherWLANinfrastructurevendors:superiorsecurityandtighterintegration.

• SuperiorSecurity:Arubacontroller’ssecuritymodelallowsauserroletobespecificallyassignedtoEkahautraffic.Thisenablesappropriateisolationandprioritizationoftag‐to‐servercommunicationsfromothernetworktraffic,offeringoptimizedcommunication,andmaximizingsecurityofevenolderWEP‐onlytags.

• TighterIntegration:Aruba’sintegrationwithEkahauRTLSenablesassettagstooperatein“ArubaBlinkMode.”ArubaBlinkModereducestheamountoftimeanassettagspendstransmittingradio

1http://www.ekahau.com/partner/training/

username:training

password:sp3d3

2 [Aruba & Ekahau Design & Implementation Guide] | 01.22.09

signalsandresultsina5xextensionoftagbatterylife.Inahospitalenvironmenttrackingthousandsofdevices,thereductioninoverheadofmanagingtagsissubstantial.

About the Ekahau RTLS Solution

TheEkahauRTLSsolutionconsistsprimarilyoftheEkahauPositioningEngine(EPE)server,batterypoweredWi‐Fitagsandalaptopbasedplanningandcalibrationtool,EkahauSiteSurvey(ESS).TherearealsosupportingapplicationsandanopenAPIforHTTPandXMLaccesstothepositioningenginedata.TheEkahauRTLSinstallerfileincludesallthecomponentsofEkahauRTLS,outofwhichtheusercanselecttheappropriatecomponents.TheEkahauApplicationLayer,EkahauVision,isinstalledseparately.

Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE)

EPEisthecenterpieceofEkahauRTLS.ItrunsonWindowsXPorWindows2003Server.TheEPEmanagesandconfiguresassettagsthroughthewirelessnetwork,calculateslocationsfromWi‐Fisignalstrengthmeasurements,andprovideseventhandlingandtwowaytagcommunication.

Ekahau Site Survey (ESS)

EkahauSiteSurveyisaplanning/sitesurvey/troubleshootingtoolforWi‐Fi.ItrunsonaWindowslaptop,andusesanAtheros‐based802.11a/b/g/nWi‐Fiadapterforsitesurveymeasurements.

ESSisalsoatoolforcreatingandcalibratingaPositioningModel(oraProject)toenableaccuratelocationtracking.ApositioningmodelisasoftwarerepresentationofabuildinganditsRFenvironment.ESSisusedtoimportsitemaps,performsitesurveys,andperformRTLSrelatedoperationssuchasdrawingtrackingrailsandzones.

Fordetails,seewww.ekahau.com/ess.

Ekahau Wi-Fi Asset Tags

ThereareseveralmodelsofbatterypoweredWi‐FitagsavailableforEkahauRTLS.ThetwomostcommonaretheT301aandtheT301b.

TheT301aassettaghasamulti‐yearbatteryandamotionsensorandistypicallyusedfordevicessuchasIVpumps,crashcarts,etc.

TheT301bisarechargeablecreditcardsizedbadgeforpersonneltracking.Ithasapullswitchthatservesasanemergencyalarm,callbuttons,andanoptionforsendingandreceivingtextmessages.

Therearealsospecializedtags,suchasatemperaturesensorequippedmodel,Excertifiedintrinsicallysafetag,industrialtag,andsoftwarebased“tags”forWi‐Fienableddevicessuchaslaptops,PDAs,barcodesscanners,etc.

Ekahau Vision and Third-Party Software Integration

WhereastheEkahauPositioningEngineisusedtomanagethesystemandtagconfigurations,aseparateapplicationisusefulforprovidingvalue‐addedservicesleveragingthelocationinformationprovided.

EkahauVisionisanenterpriseasset‐andpeople‐trackingapplicationthatallowstheusertosearchandfindassets,raiseandacknowledgealarms,monitortemperaturelevels,andsendandreceivemessagesfromT301Btags.

EkahaualsoprovidesanopenAPIforthird‐partyapplicationdevelopment.ThecompleteAPIwithdescriptionsisincludedintheEkahauRTLSinstallerpackage.

[Aruba & Ekahau Design & Implementation Guide] | 01.22.09 3

Ekahau Tag Activator

EkahauActivatorisusedforactivatingEkahauT301seriestags.Activatinggivestheinitialconfiguration(SSID,encryption,etc.)forthetags,sothatthetagscanconnecttothenetworkandthustotheEkahauPositioningEngine,wherethetagscanbeconfiguredforproductionuse.

Aruba and Ekahau RTLS Design Considerations

Security

TheArubauser‐centricnetworkestablishesthehighest‐possiblesecurityforanEkahauRTLSdeploymentaspartofitsnormaloperation.

EkahauT301seriestagssupportWPA2‐PSKAESencryption(TKIP/AESmixedmodeisnotsupported)andWEPencryption.OlderEkahauT201tagssupport64‐and128‐bitWEP.

EkahaurecommendsforadditionalsecuritythatafirewallbeusedbetweentheRTLSSSID/VLANandtherestofthenetwork.TheArubaController’sPolicyEnforcementFirewallandICSAcertifiedstatefulfirewallresidentonthecontrollerisidealforthispurpose.

AuserroleshouldbecreatedspecificallyfortheEkahautagsallowingonlyEkahautrafficbetweenthetagsandtheEkahauPositioningEngineserver.Noothertrafficshouldbeallowedfromthetagstotherestofthenetwork.

Tag Operation Modes: Aruba Blink Mode and Association Mode

TheEkahauRTLSsystemcanbebasedonsignalstrengthmeasurementstakenatthetags(AssociationMode)or,whenusingArubainfrastructure,themeasurementscanbetakenattheAPs(ArubaBlinkMode).

Tag Association Mode

Inassociationmode,thetagsimplyactsasaWi‐Ficlientonthenetwork.ItassociatestoanAPforallcommunicationswiththePositioningEngineserver.Thetag,asaclient,measuresthesignalstrengthsfromthenearbyAPsandreportstheresultstothePositioningEngineserverovertheWLAN.

Figure 1 Location Tracking in Association Mode


TheadvantageofthismodeisitworkswithanyWLAN.ThedisadvantageisthattheaccuracymayslightlysufferfromdramaticchangestotheAPinfrastructure,suchasseveralAPsmakingdrasticchangestothetransmissionpower(1mWto50mWforexample).However,basedonlivetesting,2‐4xTxpowerchangesonanAPhavenonoticeableimpacttotheEkahauRTLSlocationaccuracy,andARMpowerchangescanbelimitedtoapredefinedminimumandmaximumrange.

WhenusingAssociationModetotrackEkahauT301tags,therecommendedpracticeistocalibrate(survey)thenetworkwithEkahauSiteSurveyandaT301tagoperatinginSurveyMode.Priortocalibrating,thetagneedstobeactivatedtoSiteSurveyModeusingEkahauActivator.AnAtheros‐basednetworkadapter,suchastheEkahauNIC‐300,isrequiredforthis,seewww.ekahau.com/devices.


Figure 2 Site Surveys in Tag Association Mode

Aruba Blink Mode

InArubaBlinkmode,thetagsendsbeaconsignalsatsetintervalstoapredefinedsetofchannels.ArubaAPsmeasureandreportthesignalstrengthofthebeaconingtagsandthesignalstrengthinformationgetsforwardedtotheEkahauPositioningEngine.

Figure 3 Location Tracking in Aruba Blink Mode

Thisapproachhasseveraladvantages:

• ARMadjustmentshavenoimpactonlocationaccuracy–tagsbeaconatasetpowerandonsetchannels,sochangesinAPbehaviordonotaffectRTLSaccuracy.ARMmaximizestheefficiencyoftheWLAN,sotheusergetsbestofbothworlds–anadaptiveandresponsiveRFenvironmentandaccurateRTLS.

• BatterylifeandTCO–inbeaconmode,tagsextendtheirbatterylifebyafactorof5x.Inahospitaltrackingthousandsofdevices,thereductioninoverheadtoupdateorreplaceorrechargetagscould


betremendous.Notethatthelongevityofatag’sbatterydependsonconfigurablefactors–howoftentobeacon,etc.–butinbeaconmodesitwouldbetypicalforatagbatterytolastforyears.

WhencalibratingtheRTLSforoperationinArubaBlinkMode,therecommendedpracticeistoutilizeEkahauSiteSurveywithaT301atagoperatinginArubaBlinkMode.Inthismode,theAPswillmeasurethetagsignalstrengthduringthesurvey,andthedatawillbeforwardedfromtheArubacontrollertotheEkahauPositioningEngine,andthenbacktoEkahauSiteSurveyviatheArubaWLAN.

Figure 4 Site Surveys in Aruba Blink Mode

PleasenotethatforEkahautagsoperatinginArubaBlinkMode,thereisnoneedtoassociatetothenetworktoperformlocationupdates.Tagscanstill,however,beconfiguredtoperformmaintenancesessionsinassociationmodeinordertocommunicatetotheEPEserverforfirmwareupdates,configurationchanges,andtoreceivecustomcommands.Location‐updateintervalsareconfiguredindependentlyofmaintenanceintervals(two‐waysessions)intheEkahauPositioningEngine.

Design Recommendations

ThereareanumberofimportantplanningdecisionsthatshouldbeconsideredforaproperRTLSdeployment.ThisdocumentisconcernedwiththedetailsoftheArubaWLANportionofafullEkahaudeployment.ItisrecommendedthatEkahaudocumentationandresourcesalsobereferencedandutilizedforoptimumresults.Inparticular,thedocument“EkahauRTLSGuide”fromEkahauProfessionalServicesishighlyrecommendedforthispurpose.

Aruba & Ekahau RTLS Deployment Steps

1. DeployanOptimizedArubaWLANInfrastructure:EnsureWLANqualityissufficientforaccurateRTLS,‘Voicecapable’ifpossible,andensuringsmoothroamingthroughoutthetrackingareaforthetag


2. CreatetheWLANforRTLS:ProvidesufficientIPspaceinasinglesubnetforalltags,dedicateanSSIDthatsupports802.11bclientswith1Mbpsand2Mbpsrates,andconfigurethefirewallrulesanduserprofilesfortags

3. DeployEkahauPositioningEngine(EPE):InstalltheEPEonthenetwork,ifinArubaBlinkMode,configureArubacontroller(s)tofeeddatatotheEkahauserverandconfiguretheEPEtoacceptthisdatastreamfromtheArubacontroller(s)

4. ActivateSurveyTagsandPerformEkahauSiteSurvey:Onetagmustbeconfiguredforrapidblinkingtoperformquicksitesurveys2

Thesitesurveyprocessisdoneusingalaptopcomputerandawirelessnetworkadapter.Thesurveyorwalksthroughoutthetrackingareawiththelaptop,frequentlyclickingonthecurrentlocationonthemap.

WhetherinArubaBlinkModeorTagAssociationMode,anEkahauT301atagmustbeproperlyconfiguredandcarriedbythesurveyorwhenperformingthesitesurvey.

• InArubaBlinkMode,thereadingswillcomeintoEkahauSiteSurveyfromPositioningEngine(aWi‐Ficonnectionmustbemaintained)

• InTagAssociationMode,thetagwillsendthereadingstothelocalnetworkadapter(needstobeAtherosbased,seewww.ekahau.com/devices),andtheadapterwillforwardthereadingstoEkahauSiteSurvey

Afterthesitesurvey,RailsandOpenSpacesaredrawntoindicatetypicalpathsofmovement,andoptionallydefineZonesforadvancedapplicationlayerfunctionality.

5. DrawTrackingRails,OpenSpaces,andZones

6. UploadPositioningModelfromEkahauSiteSurveytoEkahauPositioningEngine

7. DeployTrackingTags:UsetheEkahauActivatortoconnectthetagstothenetworkandtotheEPE,alsousetheEPEWebUItoconfigurethedesiredtagparameterssuchaswakeupinterval,motionon/off,ArubaBlinkModevs.AssociationMode,etc.

Step 1: Deploy an Optimized Aruba WLAN Infrastructure

ForthosewithexperiencedeployingArubaproducts,Ekahau’ssimplestrecommendationforWLANdesignbestpracticesforRTLSisthattheWLANshouldbe“voice‐capable”.Accuratelocationrequirementsaremorestringentthanforbasicdatacoverage.RFsignalstrength(RSSI),numberofaudibleaccesspointsperlocation,andaccess‐pointproximityarefactorsthatwillaffecttheaccuracyoftheRTLSsystem.

SignalStrengthandNumberofAPs

Forreliabledatatransmission,thetagneedstohearatleastoneAPat‐70dBmtobeabletocommunicatewiththenetworkreliably.Forhighreliabilitywerecommend“VoiceGrade”coverageat‐65dBmminimum.

Coveragerequirementsforgoodlocationaccuracycontendthatthetagwillalwaysbecapableofdetectingatleastthreeaccesspoints.AtleastoneofthoseAPsshouldbeheardat‐62dBmorhigher.TheadditionalAPsshouldbeheardat‐75dBm.Locationaccuracyisexpectedtobebetterincloseproximitytoastrongaccesspoint.IfatleastoneAPisaudibleat‐50dBmorhigher,thenhighlocationaccuracyisstillexpected.

ARMDynamicPowerAllocation

2If in Aruba Blink Mode, activate the tag and configureforrapidblinkingviaEngine.If in Association Mode, use Ekahau Activator to configure the tag to Site Survey mode.


EkahautagsoperatinginArubaBlinkModearefullycompatiblewithdynamicpoweradjustment.Tagpowerremainsconsistent,sothetransmissionpowerofAPsdoesnotimpactlocationaccuracyinanyway.ARMalsominimizesinterferenceandautomaticallyprovidesthemoststableenvironmentfortagcommunication.

InAssociationMode,ARMchangescanhaveasmallimpactonlocationaccuracy,whichcanbefurthermitigatedbysettingminimumandmaximumthresholdsforARMpoweradjustments.

Inmulti‐vendorenvironmentsinvolvingothernon‐ArubaWLANinfrastructurevendors,AssociationModeshouldbeusedsinceArubaBlinkModeisnotsupportedandthuswillnotworkattheentiresite.Theothervendor’sautomaticchannelandpoweradjustmentalgorithms(ifapplicable)canalsoimpactthelocationaccuracyinthesameway.

IneithercasewheretagAssociationModeisused,theEkahaulocationalgorithmsaredesignedtoneutralizetheARMimpactasmuchaspossible.

Step 2: Create the WLAN for RTLS

IPAddressing

TagsrequireuniqueIPaddressesonasinglesubnet.Two‐waycommunicationwilltakeplacewiththeserver,allowingtagstoreceiveprogrammingchangesovertheair,andenablingmessagingwiththeT301BDtag.AsufficientnumberofstaticorDHCPIPaddressesmustbeallocatedforthenumberoftrackeddevices.TagsshouldnotrequireanewIPaddressordefaultgatewayuntiltheDHCPleasetimehasexpired.

WLANSSID

AdedicatedRTLSSSIDisrecommendedtosupportcommunicationsbetweenRTLSTrackingTagsandtheLocationEngine.TheSSIDassignedtotheRTLSsystemmustcovertheentiretrackingprojectarea.

DataRates

T301datatransmissionislimitedto802.11brates.1Mband2Mbdataratesshouldbeconfiguredas“required.”Otherdatarates(5.5,11,etc.)includingthosefor802.11gand802.11nmaybeconfiguredassupported.

802.11Security

EkahauT201tagscurrentlysupport128bitWEPencryption.EkahauT301tagssupportWEPandWPA2‐PSK.ForWPA2‐PSK,encryptionshouldbeAESonly(TKIP/AESmixedmodeisnotsupported).

TagUserRoles

TagtrafficshouldbeisolatedfromtherestofthenetworkbytheArubaPolicyEnforcementFirewall.Auserroleshouldbecreatedforthetags.ThisruleshouldallowthetagstocommunicateonlywiththeEkahauPositioningEngine,andonlyoverthecorrectprotocols.

Clientdevicesandapplicationsinitiateasessiontothepositioningengineviastandardcommunicationports(seeConfigurationsectioninthisdocumentforthislistinTable1).

Figure 5 Common WLAN Deployment Architecture


Step 3: Deploy Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE)

Atthispoint,theWLANandnetworkwouldbepreparedfortheEkahaudeployment.

InstallEkahauPositioningEngine

ConsultEkahaudocumentationorEkahau,Inc.fordetailedrecommendations.TheEPErunsonWindowsServer2000,WindowsServer2003orunderVMWare.HardwarerecommendationsdependonthenumberofTagclientstobeserviced.

ConfigureArubaController(s)forEPEcommunication

IfusingArubaBlinkMode,assignanRTLSserverinanAPconfigurationprofileintheArubaController:

Configuration>Wireless>APconfiguration><APgroup>>AP>APsystemProfile>RTLSServerConfiguration

IfArubaBlinkModeisnotused,youwillnotneedtoadjustRTLSserverconfigurationintheArubasystem.

ConfigureEPEtoAcceptArubaData

IfusingArubaBlinkMode,youwillhavetoaddasharedkeytoafileinatexteditorandrestarttheEPEservice.

IfArubaBlinkModeisnotused,youwillnotneedtoadjustEPEserverasthedatawillbecomingindirectlyfromthetags,nottheArubasystem.

Step 4: Activate Survey Tags and Perform Ekahau Site Survey

PriortodeployinganAruba/EkahauRTLSsystemasitesurveyoftheentireprojectareamustbeperformed.

Priortoperformingsitesurveys,youwillneedtoactivatethetagforarapidblinkrate.PleaseseelaterinthisdocumentfordetailsonactivatingtagsforeitherArubaBlinkModeorSurveymodetooperateAssociationMode.

InAssociationModeSiteSurvey,theRSSIvaluesofAPsaretakenbythetagsanddirectlysenttothesitesurveylaptopinrelevantlocations.

InArubaBlinkModeSiteSurvey,thesignaldatasentbythetagoperatinginArubaBlinkMode(withfrequentscanning,seeEkahauSiteSurveydocumentationforset‐upinstructions)willbemeasuredbytheAPsandsentviaPositioningEnginetoSiteSurvey.


Step 5: Draw Tracking Rails, Open Spaces, and Zones

Afterthesitesurvey,railswillbedrawnalongthesurveypathsusingESStoindicatethecommonpathsofmovementofthetrackeddevicesinagivenenvironment.Openspacesrepresentareaswheredeviceswillnotfollowpre‐definedpathwaysofmovement.Leveragingrailsandopenspacesaccuratelyincreasesthelocationaccuracy.

Finally,dependingonthelocation‐basedapplication,ZonesmaybedrawnwithEkahauSiteSurvey.Zonesareareasonthemapwhichhaveadefinedpurpose.Forexample,insomeapplicationsitmaybemoreintuitivetosay“thedoctorisinthecafeteria”thandisplayingadotonthemap.

Step 6: Upload Positioning Model from Ekahau Site Survey to Ekahau Positioning Engine

AftertheworkwithEkahauSiteSurveyiscompleted,savetheProject(PositioningModel).Itisrecommendedtosavetheprojectduringthesurveyworkalso,underdifferentnames,topreventaccidentallossofdata.

Tostarttracking,theprojectthenneedstobeuploadedtoEkahauPositioningEngineandactivated.Ekahaurecommendsmanuallycopyingthe.esxProjectfilefromtheSiteSurveylaptoptoEngineserver,andthenuploadingthe.esxProjectfile(PositioningModel)manuallytoEkahauPositioningEngineusingEkahauPositioningEngineWebGUI.WhenuploadingtheModel,activateittostarttracking.

YoucanalsosavethePositioningModeldirectlyfromESStoEPE(inESS,selectFile>SavetoEngine),butforthis,awiredEthernetconnectionisrecommended.

Figure 6 Saving to the EPE Directly from ESS

Step 7: Deploy Tracking Tags

TodeployEkahautagsfortracking,theymustfirstbeactivatedtoconnecttotheWLANandcontacttheEkahauPositioningEngineserver.ThisisdonewithEkahauActivator.

OncetagshavemadeaconnectiontoEPE,configurethemintheEPEviatheConfigspageanddeploythemtocriticalassetsasappropriate.Pleasenotethatthelessfrequentlythetagsblink,thelongerthebatterylifewillbe.EPEWebGUIincludesabatterylifeestimatortoseehowlongthetagswilllastwiththeconfiguredsettings.

Differentsettingscanbeusedfordifferentusecases.Forexample,stafftrackingmayrequire30secondupdates,whereaswakinguponceevery30minutesmaybeenoughforassettrackingpurposes.


IfusingArubaBlinkMode,theappropriatetagconfigurationmustbeapplied(checktheArubaBlinkModecheckboxintheEPEGUI).

Aruba and Ekahau Configuration for RTLS

Configuring the System

ThisdocumentisconcernedwiththespecificdetailsofintegratingArubaandEkahausystems.Thereisampledocumentationspecifictoeachsystem,andthisdocumentassumesthatmoredetaileddocumentationisavailablefromeachvendor.

Thissectiondelvesintofurtherdetailforeachoftherecommendeddesignbestpracticessteps.

Configuring Step 1: Deploy an Optimized Aruba WLAN Infrastructure

PleaserefertotheArubaConfigurationGuideandrelatedArubadocumentation.TheArubaWLANshouldbebuiltoutwiththefollowingneedsinmind:

Voice Capable

PlantheWLANunderthesameguidelinesasforavoice‐capablesystem

Signal Strength and Number of APs

Areasrequiring“excellent”locationcoverage:

• Tagsshouldbedetectiblebyatleastthreeaccesspoints.

• AtleastoneofthoseAPsshouldhearthetagat‐62dBmorhigher.TheothertwoAPsshouldreceiveatleast‐75dBm.

• YoucanachieveahighaccuracywithjustoneAPbeingaudible,aslongasitisaudibleat‐50dBmorbetter–theaccuracyistypicallygoodclosetoanAP

Areasrequiringminimallocationcoverage

• Aminimumsignalof‐75dBm(isalwaysrequired.‐65dBmminimumcoverageorbetterisrecommendedforhigherreliability.

EkahauSiteSurveyhastheLocationCoveragevisualizationtodisplayhowgoodthelocationcoverageis.Use“LocationCoverageforMyAccessPoints”.


Figure 7 Location Coverage Visualization in ESS

ARM, Channel and Power Assignments

EkahautagsarefullycompatiblewithARMwheninbeaconingmode.ARMisalwaysrecommendedandhasnoimpactonlocationaccuracy.IntagAssociationMode,theremaybesomeimpactonlocationaccuracy.Tolimitthis,setthemaximumpoweradjustmentthresholdinARMtoalowervalue.

Configuring Step 2: Create the WLAN for RTLS

ThefollowingstepsarerequiredinArubaOStocreatetheWLANusedforlocationtracking:

• IPaddressspacesufficientforalltags,inasinglesubnet

• Firewallrulesanduserrolefortags

• DedicatedSSIDforTaguse

• 802.11bwithrequiredratesof1MBand2MB

• Channelassignment(asrequiredforenterpriseWLANcoverage)

IP Addresses

TagsrequireuniqueIPaddressesonasinglesubnet.Two‐waycommunicationwilltakeplacewiththeserver,allowingtagstoreceiveprogrammingchangesovertheair,andenablingmessagingwiththeT301BDtag.AsufficientnumberofstaticorDHCPIPaddressesmustbeallocatedforthenumberoftrackeddevices.TagsshouldnotrequireanewIPaddressordefaultgatewayuntiltheDHCPleasetimehasexpired.

Howthisisstructuredwilldependonthearchitectureofthenetwork.OnepossibilityistohaveadedicatedwirelessVLANforonlytag‐relatedtraffic.ThisVLANcouldthenroutetothelocationoftheEkahauPositioningEngine.ToaddaVLANtothecontrollerforRTLStag,seenextsectiononconfiguringVLANs.


Configuring the VLANs

NavigatetoConfiguration>Network>VLANspageandselecttheVLANlink.ThispagewilldisplayalltheVLANsconfiguredsofar.TocreateanewVLAN,clickontheAddtabandconfiguretheVLAN.Afterenteringtheconfigurationinformation,clicktheApplytabtoapplythesettings.ThiswillcreateanewVLAN.


Figure 8 ArubaOS, Configuring a VLAN

NavigatetoConfiguration>Network>IPpageandselecttheIPlink.ThispagewilldisplayalltheVLANsalongwiththeirIPInterfacesthathavebeenconfiguredsofar.ToconfigureanIPinterfacefortheVLAN,ClickontheEditbuttonalongthenewlycreatedVLANandprovisiontheIPaddressandtheNetMask.

Figure 9 ArubaOS, Configuring an IP Interface for the VLAN

Assigning ports to a VLAN

YouhavetheoptionofassigningaphysicalporttotheRTLSVLAN.However,theVLANdoesnothavetohaveaphysicalportassignment.ThewirelesstrafficcanbecontainedonawirelessonlyVLANandthenroutedtoawiredVLAN.Thefinaldesignwilldependonthenetwork.

IfyouwishtoassignaphysicalporttotheRTLSVLAN:

NavigatetotheConfiguration>Network>Portpage.Selecttheportthatneedstobeconfiguredandsetupasrequired.Inthisexample,theportconnectingtotheL2switchisatrunkportwithotherVLANs(dataandvoiceforexample).Forconfigurationguidelines,refertotheArubaOSUserGuide.

Figure 10 ArubaOS, Assigning a Port to the RTLS VLAN


Firewall Rules and User Role for Ekahau Tags

Ekahautagsmaynotusethesameencryptionasotherdevicesonthenetwork.Ideally,theyshouldberestrictedbytheArubaPolicyEnforcementFirewallformaximumsecurity.ThestandardportsforEkahautrafficarelistedbelow.Notethatmostoftheseportsareconfigurable,andthatyoumaynotusealltagmodelsinyourenvironment.TheEPEserver(forfirewallpurposes)doesnotinitiatecommunicationwiththetags,butrespondstothetag,sothefirewallrulesonlyneedtobeunidirectionaltoaccountforthisflowoftraffic.

Clientdevicesandapplicationinitiateasessiontothepositioningengineviathecommunicationportsasdescribedinthetablebelow.

Table 1 Ekahau Communication Protocols and Ports

Protocol/Port Service

TCP/8550 Ekahau EPS GUI and T201 tag maintenance

TCP/8548 Ekahau T201 tags

UDP/8549 Ekahau T201 tags

UDP/8554 Ekahau T301 tags firmware update



UDP/8545 Ekahau clients (software tags) location update

UDP/8546 Ekahau clients (software tags) location update

TCP/8560 Ekahau Vision Application

Toconfiguretheseaccesspolicies,navigatetotheConfiguration>Security>AccessControl>Policiespage.ClickonAddtoaddanewfirewallpolicyandconfigureitsimilarlytoasshown.

Figure 11 ArubaOS, Configuring Access Control Policies


Thepolicyasconfiguredintheaboveexampleallowsalltagmodels.TheEkahauserverisassignedanaliastosimplifychangesiftheserver’sIPaddresschanges.Likewise,thetagnetworkcouldbeassignedanaliasordefinedmoreprecisely,ratherthanusing‘any’asthesourceintheruledefinition.

A Note on Blacklisting

ArougedatadevicecouldattempttospoofaRTLSclient(tag)inordertogainnetworkaccess.Inordertopreventthis,policyviolatorscanbeblacklisted.Forexample,auserontheEkahautagrolethattriestoaccessthenon‐RTLSserversorinfrastructureorusenon‐Ekahauprotocolsornon‐Ekahauportscanbeblacklistedanddeniedanyaccesstothenetwork.

Toconfigureblacklisting,navigatetothepolicyconfigurationpageConfiguration>FirewallPolicies>EditPolicy(EkahauTags)andaddtherule:‘anyanyanydenyblacklist’.NotethatthismustbethelastruleintheACLlist.

Totakeactionontheblacklistedclientsandpreventthemfromaccessingthenetwork,gotoConfiguration>RFManagement>ProtectionandenableDoSProtection.Thiswillresultintheclientbeingde‐authediftheytrytoaccessthenetwork.

Assign Policies to the Role

Oncethepoliciesarecreatedtheyneedtobeassignedtotheuserrolesthatthedeviceswillbeassignedtouponsuccessfulauthentication.Theroledefinedinthisexampleis‘EkahauTags’.NavigatetoConfiguration>Security>AccessControl>UserRoles,andthenclickAdd.Nametherole,thenaddthefirewallpolicycreatedabove.Oncecomplete,thenApplyandSaveConfiguration.

Figure 12 ArubaOS, Adding User Roles


Dedicated SSID - WLAN Configuration

ConfiguringtheWLANsettingsinvolvesthefollowingsteps

• ConfiguringanAPgroupwhichisthelogicalcollectionofAPswiththesameRFandSecuritysettings

• AssigningthevirtualAPsandauthenticationprofilestotheAPs

• AssigningtherightAPgroupstotheAPsthatconnecttothecontroller

RefertotheArubaOSUserGuideforinitialconfigurationoftheAPs.OncetheAPsareconnected,theywillbootstraptothecontrollerandwillbeassignedthedefaultprofile.Afterthis,theAPscanbeseenonthecontrolleras“ArubaAccessPoints”ontheMonitoring>NetworkSummarypage.

InArubaOS,relatedconfigurationparametersaregroupedintoprofilesthatcanbeappliedasneededtoanAPgrouportoindividualAPs.YoucanapplythefollowingtypesofprofilestoanAPorAPgroup:

WirelessLANProfilesconfigureWLANsintheformofVirtualAPProfiles.AVirtualAPprofilecontainsanSSIDProfilewhichdefinestheWLANandanAAAProfilewhichdefinestheauthenticationfortheWLAN.ThisistheprofileweareconcernedwithforthepurposesofEkahauintegration.

Otherprofilesavailable:

• APProfilesconfigureAPoperationparameters,radiosettings,portoperations,regulatorydomain,andSNMPinformation

• QoSProfilesconfiguretrafficmanagementandVoIPfunctions

• RFManagementProfilesconfigureradiotuningandcalibration,APloadbalancing,coverageholedetection,andRSSImetrics

• IDSProfiles,WirelessMeshProfiles,etc.formoreadvancedconfigurationsforWIPSandmeshdeployments

AP Groups, AAA Profile, Virtual AP Profile, SSID Profile Configurations

EkahauRTLSwillbeincreasinglyaccurateasthedensityofdeployedAPsinthedesiredareaforlocationtrackingincreases.DependingonhowtheAPsaredeployedandmanagedinthenetwork,youmaywanttoaddtheWLANprofilefortheEkahauSSIDtomostorallofyourAPgroups.


NavigatetoConfiguration>Wireless>APConfiguration>APGroup

Figure 13 ArubaOS, Adding AP Groups

ClickontheNewbuttontocreateanewgroup,orclickonEdittoaddtheEkahauWLANprofiletoanexistinggroup.NavigatetoWirelessLANandtoVirtualAP.Thefullpathis:

Configuration>Wireless>APConfiguration>APGroup>[APgroupname]>WirelessLAN>VirtualAP

Fromthedropdown,chooseNew,andthenprovidetheprofileaname(Ex.‘EkahauRTLS’)andclickAdd.NotethatiftheEkahauRTLSWLANprofilehasalreadybeencreated,itcouldbeaddedtoaVirtualAPprofilefromhere.Tofinishtheconfiguration:

• FromtheAAAdropdown,choose“default‐dot1x‐psk”–clickApplyintheresultingscreen.Alternately,chooseNewfromthedropdownandcreateaspecificAAAprofile.

• FromtheSSIDProfiledropdown,chooseNew.Intheresultingscreen:

Give the profile a name – Ex. “EkahauRTLS”

Type an SSID for the profile - Ex. “ekahau”

Choose the radio button for “WPA2-PSK”(thisisassumingT301badges;chooseWEPoropenifotherwiserequiredbasedonbadgecapabilities)

Choose AES encryption (default)

Under “Keys” choose Hex orpassphraseandtypethePSK(PreSharedKey)youhavechosenforthisWLAN

Click Apply

In the resulting screen (the virtual AP list) click Apply and then Save Configuration

• ConfirmSSIDminimumdataratesaresupported

Intheprofiletree,gotothenewprofile,‘SSIDprofile’andthenclickAdvancedintherighthandwindow.Thefullpathis:

Configuration > Wireless> AP Configuration > AP Group >[ AP group name] > Wireless LAN > Virtual AP > [Ekahau SSID profile] > SSID profile > Advanced


Confirm that 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps data rates are supportedontheg(2.4GHz)band

Figure 14 ArubaOS, AP Configuration, SSID Profile (Basic)


Figure 15 ArubaOS, AP Configuration, Virtual AP Profile

Channel Assignment and ARM

Asstatedearlier,EkahautagsoperatinginArubaBlinkModearefullycompatiblewithdynamicpoweradjustment.Tagpowerremainsconsistent,sothetransmissionpowerofAPsdoesnotimpactlocationaccuracyinanyway.ARMalsominimizesinterferenceandautomaticallyprovidesthemoststableenvironmentfortagcommunication.

InAssociationMode,ARMchangescanhaveasmallimpactonlocationaccuracy,whichcanbefurthermitigatedbysettingminimumandmaximumthresholdsforARMpoweradjustments.

OnemustensurethatthechannelsusedforARMarethesameasthosethetagsareconfiguredtouse.Inshort,nomajorchangestoARMarenecessary.

Configuring ArubaOS to Pass Data to the EPE

ThisstepisonlynecessaryforArubaBlinkModeconfiguration,andisdescribedinthenextsection.

Configuring Step 3: Deploy Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE)

Atthispoint,aWLANthatsupportsEkahautagshasbeenconfigured.ItisnownecessarytocompletetheEkahauconfiguration.Asafirststep,anEkahauPositioningEngineservermustbeaddedtothenetwork.PleaseseetheEkahaudocumentationfordetails,particularly:

• EkahauPositioningEngineUserGuide

• EkahauRTLSGuide

Ekahau System Requirements

TosetupinfrastructurebasedpositioningwithAruba,youwillneed,ataminimum:

• EkahauPositioningEnginev.4.5ornewer

• EkahauSiteSurvey4.5ornewer

• EkahauActivator4.5ornewer

• EkahauT301AtagFWversion2.3.43‐3

• EkahauAtherosWi‐FiAdapterdriverwhichisbundledwithEkahauActivatorandESS


Note: ActivatorandmustbeinstalledfromthesameRTLSpackage,otherwisetheremaybeadrivermismatchifrunonthesamelaptop

• EkahauT301tags

• LaptopcomputerrunningWindowsVistaorXP

ThiswillrunEkahauSiteSurveyandEkahauActivator

• Atheros‐based802.11abgadapterforthelaptopcomputer(seewww.ekahau.com/devicesforsupportedadapters)

• DesktopcomputerrunningXPorWindows2003Server

EkahauPositioningEnginewillrunonthiscomputer

Install Ekahau Software

• InstallEkahauPositioningEngineonaWindowsXPorWindowsServersystem

• Deploythatsystemonthenetwork.TheIPaddressoftheEPEshouldmatchthealiasusedintheArubaFirewallPolices.Otherwise,theIPaddressofthefirewallpolicywillhavetobechanged.

TherewillbeanoptiontochangetheconfigurationofTCP/UDPportsusedbytheEkahausystem.Changesherewillmeanchangesormodificationsofthefirewallpolicy.

• InstallEkahauSiteSurveyandEkahauActivatoronthelaptop.AlsoinstallthewirelessnetworkadapterdriversforyourAtheros‐basedwirelessnetworkadapter.Theinstallerrecommendsadriverupdate,andupdatesthedriversifnecessary.

Thisisinanticipationofthenecessarysitesurveyandcreationofapositioningmodel

Configure the Aruba Controller to pass data to the Ekahau Positioning Engine

ThisstepisonlyneededwhenusingArubaBlinkMode.

• LogintotheArubaController

• IntheArubaControllerWebInterface,navigateto:

Configuration > Wireless > AP Configuration > AP > AP System Profile

Scroll down to RTLS Server Configuration

N O T E


Figure 16 ArubaOS, AP System Profile, RTLS Server Configuration

IntheRTLSserverconfiguration,setEkahauPositioningEngineIP,port,andenteranidentificationkey(youwillneedtoenterthistwice).Theidentificationkeyisasharedsecretthatyoucanfreelychoose.EPEusesthekeytoauthorizetheArubasystemtofeedthesignaldataintotheEPE.

Configure Ekahau Positioning Engine to Accept Data from the Aruba System

ThisstepisonlyneededwhenusingArubaBlinkMode.

• GototheEPEserver

• StoptheEPEservice

Start>run>services.msc

Scrollto“EkahauPositioningEngineService”anddoubleclick

Click‘stop’–leavethewindowopen


Figure 17 EPE Configuration, EPE Services

• InthefolderyouinstalledtheEkahausoftware,openthefileconf/system.propertiesinatexteditor

Defaultpath:C:\ProgramFiles\Ekahau\EkahauPositioningEngine\conf\system.properties

Typethefollowinglineinthesystem.propertiesfile:

• apreceiver.aruba.hmac.key=kukka

• where“kukka”isthekeythatyoujusttypedintheArubaControllerWebInterface

Savethefileandclosethetexteditor

• Re‐startEkahauPositioningEngineservice

Start>run>services.msc

Scrollto“EkahauPositioningEngineService”anddoubleclick

ClickStart

Configuring Step 4: Activate Survey Tag and Perform Ekahau Site Survey

EkahauSiteSurveyisalaptop‐basedapplicationforconductingasitesurveyanduploadingapositioningmodeltotheEPE.SeetheappropriateEkahaudocumentationformoredetailsthanareprovidedinthisdocument.

Figure 18 Ekahau Site Survey (ESS) Example


AcompletesitesurveyofthefacilityisrequiredforthePositioningEnginetotrackthetags.Whenhighlocationaccuracyisdesired,EkahaurecommendssurveyingtheareawithanEkahau(T301a)tag.

Beforesurveyingtheareawithatag,thetagmustbesettoSurveyMode.ThisprocedureissignificantlydifferentforArubaBlinkModeandAssociationMode.

Priortositesurveys,youwillneedtoaddmapstoESSandsettheirscale.


Figure 19 ESS, Insert Map and Set Scale

Surveying with Aruba Blink Mode

ShouldtherebeanyquestionsconcerningSiteSurveys,pleaseconsulttheEkahauSiteSurveydocumentation(DeployingRTLSwithEkahauSiteSurvey,includedintheESSinstaller).ThefollowingincludestheprimarydifferencesinperforminganArubainfrastructure‐basedsitesurveyratherthanaclient‐basedsurvey.

WhenperformingsitesurveysusingArubaBlinkMode,youwillneedto:

• ActivatethetagtoconnecttotheEngine(EPE)

• UploadandupdatethetagfirmwareusingEngineGUI(ifnecessary)

• SetthetagtoArubaBlinkSurveyMode

• ConnecttotheTagfromEkahauSiteSurvey(ESS)

• PerformSiteSurveys

TagsneedaWLANthatallowsthemtoreachtheEPEserverinordertobeconfiguredandtohavetheirfirmwareupdated.YoumayusetheWLANwehavealreadydefined,oryoumayuseanalternateWLANforthispurpose.

ThestepsinthissectionareonlyrequiredwhenusingArubaBlinkMode.SeethenextsectionforTagAssociationMode.

Activate Survey Tag to Connect to Engine (EPE)

EkahauActivatorisaprogramthatrunsonWi‐FienabledWindowsXP/2000/VistalaptopinordertowirelesslyassignbasicsettingstoanEkahaulocationtrackingtag.ActivatorwillletyouconfigurethetagwiththeEPEserver’sIPaddress,andwiththeWLANthetagshouldusetoaccesstheEPEserver.Formoredetails,pleasesee:

• T301ActivatorUserGuide

Aftersuccessfulactivation,thetagwillshowupintheEPEGUIandtheadministratorwillthenbeabletofullymanagethetags.

Figure 20 Ekahau Tag Activator, WLAN Settings


Figure 21 Ekahau Tag Activator, EPE Settings


Figure 22 Ekahau Tag Activator, Scan Settings

Upload and Update Tag Firmware

AtagfirmwareupdateistypicallyonlyrequiredifArubaBlinkModeisused.

• GototheEPEWebUI–seeEkahaudocumentation

Defaultsettingis:http://<server‐IP>:8550

Defaultloginis‘admin/admin’

Notethatdefaultlogincanbechangedunder‘users>admin’

• CheckiftheFWis2.3.4ornewer.Ifnot,proceedwithfirmwareupload

• UploadnewfirmwaretotheEPEserver

IntheEPEUI,gotoConfigs>Uploadnewtagfirmware

Browsetothenewfirmware(whichneedstobeonyourmanagementsystemharddrive)

SelecttagFW2.3.4ornewer


Figure 23 EPE UI, Upload New Tag Firmware

• Installfirmwareontags

NavigatetotheTagspage

Select(viacheckbox)thetagsyouwanttoupdatetheArubaFWto(inotherwords,thetagsthatneedtobelocatedusingArubaInfrastructure‐basedpositioning)

Aftercheckingthetags,clickAdvanced

SelectfirmwareversionfromFirmwareUpdate,clickSet

Waituntilthemaintenanceintervalisdueforthetags,andwaituntilthetagFWisupdated

OptionallyclickonthewhitetagbuttontoforceimmediateFWupdate

Put One of the Tags in Aruba Blink Survey Mode

UsersalreadyfamiliarwithAssociationModeshouldnotethatonedoesNOTuseEkahauActivatorforsettingtheSurveymode.Instead,amanualcommandispushedfromtheEnginetoforcetheArubaBlinkSurveyMode:

• AfteractivatingthetagandupdatingtheFW,intheEPEGUI,gotoTagspage,selectthetagyouwanttosettoSurveyMode

• Inthe“manualcommands”checkbox,typethefollowing

wsc1,6,11

I16:wsm1

wcs1012345678901

Note: IMPORTANT:Inthisexample,1,6,11arethechannelsusedintheArubaAPsoperatingat2.4GHz.Adjustifnecessary.UseonlythechannelsthattheAPsareon,nothingmore,andnothingless.

N O T E


I16:wsm1setsthetagtoArubaBlinkMode.I16:wsm0setsthetagbackto“traditional”ELPMode.Thewcs1012345678901commandenablesthesurveymode(tagblinksrapidly(thelightdoesnot,butthetagsends“blinkpackets”morefrequently)

• Press“SendCommands”

• Pushthewhitebuttononthetagtoforcetheupdateorwaitforthemaintenanceinterval

Note: InFWversion2.3.4thetaglightsdonotblinkinArubaSurveymode–youwillneedtocheckcorrectoperationusingESS.Theremaybesomeotherissueswiththelightsalso(withperiodicscanning,forexample).

Note: WhensurveyingwithEkahauT301tags,theSSIDwillnotbedetected.

Surveying with Tag Association Mode

ThestepsinthischapterareonlyrequiredwhenusingTagAssociationMode.SeethepreviouschapterforArubaBlinkMode.

Putoneofthetagsto(TagAssociation)SurveyMode

UseEkahauActivatortosetthetagtoSurveymode:

• SelecttheSurveyActivationtab,andconfiguretheappropriatesettings

IfthelocationSSIDisnon‐broadcasting,ensureyouenterthelocationSSIDcorrectly

YoucanalsoenterasecondarySSIDifsodesired

• Nowthetagwillconstantlyblink,meaningitisconstantlyscanningandisreadyforsurveyuse

• Pushthebluebuttontopausethescanning,andpushitagaintocontinue

• CloseEkahauActivatorApplication

N O T E

N O T E

N O T E


Figure 24 Ekahau Tag Activator, Activate Tag in Tag Association Survey Mode

Start Ekahau Site Survey (ESS)

• GodoDevice>Devices

• SelectConnectT301

• Ifthetagisblinking,ESSshouldfindthetagandstartscanningwithit

• ExittheDevicesdialog

• Clickontheminiaturesignalstrengthview

• Youshouldseesignalstrengthvaluesupdating,anddatacominginfromdeviceT301(ifnot,repeattheproceduretore‐detectthetag)

• Performsitesurveysasyounormallywould(fordetails,seeEkahauSiteSurveyUserGuide)

• Afterperformingthesurveys,testreal‐timetrackingofthetagand/orperformadditionaltestsurveys


Figure 25 ESS, Connecting a T301 Tag with Site Survey Associating Mode

Note: WhensurveyingwithEkahauT301tags,theSSIDwillnotbedetected.

Performing Surveys and Selecting My Access Points

Performingsitesurveysiseasy:Justselectthesurveytoolandclickyourcurrentlocationonthemapasyougo.Notethatthedataisconstantlycollected,notjustwhenyouclickonthemap.

N O T E


Figure 26 ESS, Performing Site Surveys

ESSneedstoknowwhichaccesspointsareinyournetwork,andwhicharenot.OnlytheAPsinyournetworkwillbeusedinpositioning.SelectMyAPsusingtheAPlist.

Tohelpthisprocedureandtoseeaclearernetworkpictureoverall,youcanplacealltheaccesspointsonthemapafterthesurveys.UseSite>AutomaticallyPlaceAccessPointstoautomaticallyplacetheAPsonthemap.Thisplacementmaynotbespot‐on,butitgivesagoodideawherethestrongestaccesspointsare.YoucanmovetheAPstotheircorrectlocationsusingtheedittool.


Figure 27 ESS, Selecting ‘My APs’

Configuring Step 5: Draw Tracking Rails, Open Spaces and Zones

Drawing Tracking Rails

Foraccuratelocationtracking,EPEneedsthemostcommonpathsthataretakenbytheuser.Forthis,EkahauusesTrackingRails.Thetrackingrailsaredrawnonthemap,usingESS,beforeorafterthesurveys.


Figure 28 ESS, Drawing Tracking Rails (Orange and White Lines)

Drawing Open Spaces

Shouldtherebenoknownpathwaysinsomelocation(suchasinlobbyareasorcafeterias).TrackingRailsshouldnotbedrawnintheselocations.Instead,useOpenSpacestodrawarectangleorafree‐formpolygontoindicatetheareawheretheexactpathsofmovementwillnotbeknownapriori.

Note: RailsshouldalwaysconnecttoOpenSpacestoindicatethatthereisawayforthetrackeddevicetotraveltoanOpenSpace.

Note: Therailsshouldcovertheentiretrackingarea,justaswiththesurveys.Whereveryouhaverails,youshouldhavesurveysalso.PleaseusetheCalibrationQualityVisualizationinESStoseeifyouhavesurveyedonalltherails.

N O T E

N O T E


Figure 29 ESS, Drawing Open Spaces and Tracking Rails (And Connecting Them)

Drawing Zones

Ifyouwanttoassociatemeaningfulnamestochosenareasofthefacility(thatareutilizedintheenduserapplication),useZones.Forexample,iftheapplicationneedstodisplaywhetherthedoctorisintheERorcafeteria,youwillneedtodefinethoseareasonthemapsas‘Zones’–inthiscase,drawaZoneonthemaptocovertheER,andanothertocoverthecafeteria.

TodrawZones,usetheZonetoolontheRTLStabinESS.


Figure 30 ESS, Drawing Zones

Ensuring Location Tracking Accuracy (Precursor to Configuring Step 6)

NowthatthePositioningModelisfinished,itisrecommendedthatonecheckthelocationtrackingaccuracy.Therearetwomainmethodsfordoingthis,Ekahaurecommendsimplementingbothmethodsforoptimumtrackingaccuracy:

• LiveAccuracyTesting

• AccuracyTestingUsingTestSurveys

Live Accuracy Testing

Totesttheaccuracyrightafterthesurveys,keeptheSurveytagblinking,andkeeptheEkahauSiteSurveyopen.OntheRTLSTabofESS,clicktheTrackbutton(the“target”iconintheupper‐rightcorner).ThisallowsyoursurveytagtobetrackedbyESS.Youcan,inreal‐time,seethelocationtrackingaccuracywhenwalkingaroundthefacility.


Figure 31 ESS, Testing Location Tracking Accuracy in Real-Time

Accuracy Testing Using Test Surveys

Ekahaualsorecommendsperformingquicktestsurveysaroundthefacility.Performasecondarysetofsurveyssimilarlytotheprevioussurveys.Coveringabout10‐25%oftheoriginalsurveyareaisagoodtarget.

GototheSurveystab(insteadofAccessPointslist),andassignthesurveysyoujustmadeasTestSurveysonly.Youcanhighlightmultiplesurveys,right‐click,andselectDeselectfromCalibrationandSelectasTest.


Figure 32 ESS, Assigning Test Surveys

Nowyoucananalyzethelocationaccuracybasedonthetestsurveysinseveralways:

• Accuracystatistics:GotoPositioning>AccuracyStatisticstodisplayasummarizednumericalanalysisofthefloor,meter/feetandzoneaccuracy

Figure 33 ESS, Analyzing Test Survey Location Accuracy, Accuracy Statistics

• LocationAccuracyHeatmapVisualization:Checkvisually,onamap,whatyourlocationaccuracylookslike.Thiswilldisplaywithin‐flooraccuracyaswellasanyfloorerrors(floorerrorsmarkedwithcirclesorrectangles,greenishighaccuracy)

Figure 34 ESS, Analyzing Test Survey Location Accuracy, Location Accuracy Heatmap

Visualization


• ErrorVectors(View>ErrorVectors):Thiswillshowyoutheactuallocationerrorsonthemap,one‐by‐one.Thebluearrowswillshowwhereyouwereoriginallyplaced(thestartingpointofthearrow)andwheretheEPEwouldhaveplacedyou(theendpointofthearrow).


Figure 35 ESS, Analyzing Test Survey Location Accuracy, Error Vectors

Shouldtherebelocationswherelocationaccuracyproblemsarerepeatedlyencountered,checkthesignalcoverageinthoselocationsusingSignalStrengthandLocationCoverageheatmapvisualizations.Ifthereisinsufficientcoveragethere,Ekahausuggestsfirstperformingmore(calibration)surveysinthearea,andiftheproblempersists,addingmoreAPsisrecommendedforconsideration.Pleaseseetheimagebelowforbasicaccuracyimprovementguidelines.


Figure 36 Evaluating Location Accuracy: Accuracy Improvement Guidelines

Configuring Step 6: Upload Positioning Model from Ekahau Site Survey to Ekahau Positioning Engine

NowthatthePositioningModelhasbeencompletedandtested,it’stimetouploadittotheEkahauPositioningEngine:

• Savethe.esxProjectonaUSBdrive

• Copythe.esxtotheEnginecomputer

• UsingtheEngineGUI,uploadtheModeltoEngine:

GotoModels>UploadaNewModel

ActivatethemodelafteruploadingitbyclickingonthemodelnameandselectingSetActive

YourEkahauPositioningEngineisnowreadytotrackWi‐Fidevices.

Configuring Step 7: Deploy Tracking Tags

YourTags,EPEandArubainfrastructurehavenowbeenconfiguredtouseinfrastructure‐basedsignalmeasurements.YoucannowapplyprogrammingsettingsandchangeT301tagconfigurationsasdescribedintheEkahauPositioningEngineUserGuide

Production Tag Configurations for Aruba Blink Mode

• UseEkahauActivatortoconnectalltheproductiontagstotheEngine(EPE)

• IntheEPEGUI,selectallthetagsortaggroupsyouwanttosettheconfigurationto,andsendtheconfigurationtothetags

DoremembertochecktheArubaBlinkModecheckboxinthetagconfigurationpage

ForimprovingaccuracyinArubablinkmode,Ekahaurecommendsincreasingtheblinkratewiththemulti‐scancommand.


Note: Pushtheproductionconfigurationstothetagsimmediatelyafteractivatingthetags,asthedefaultinitialtagactivationsetsthetagstofrequentwakeupinterval,whichmaydrainthebatteryquickly.

Production Tag Configurations for Tag Association Mode

• UseEkahauActivatortoactivatealltheproductiontagstoconnecttoEngine.

• UsetheEPEWebGUItoconfiguretheproductionsettingstothetags.

• Forimprovingaccuracyinassociationmode,EkahaurecommendsincreasingtheblinkratewiththefollowingAdvancedScansettings:

• InitialScan3

• AftermotionScanCount3–6(dependingonbatterylifeexpectations)incaseswheremotionsensorisenabled.

• ButtonScanCount3ifbuttonisusedinproduction.

Note: Pushtheproductionconfigurationstothetagsimmediatelyafteractivatingthetags,asthedefaultinitialtagactivationsetsthetagstofrequentwakeupinterval,whichmaydrainthebatteryquickly

Tag Battery Life vs. Blink Rate

Themorefrequentlythetagsblink,theshorterthebatterylifewillbe.Inassettrackingscenarios,a30‐minutewakeupinterval,combinedwithmotionoraftermotiontracking,maybeacceptable(resultinginyearsofbatterylifewithT301a).Personneltracking,however,mayrequire30secondwakeup(requiringfrequentrecharge).

TheEPEGUIincludesabatterylifecalculatorbasedonthecurrentwakeupsettings.

See‘ActivateTagstoConnecttoEngine(EPE)’sectionaboveformoredetailsrelatingtotagconfigurationandsetup.

Special and Advanced Considerations

Multiple Simultaneous Surveyors

Inamulti‐floorbuilding,severalsurveyorscansurveydifferentfloorsofthebuildingsimultaneously.UseFile>MergeinESStocombinetheProjectsaftersurveying.

Outdoor Deployments

Whenworkinginoutdoorenvironments,specialconsiderationsmayneedtobetaken.Theaccuracymaynotbeashighasforindoordeploymentsdependingonthemethodofcoverage,APdensity,etc.

ThesurveydatainEPEisassociatedwiththerails,andneedstobecloseenoughtotherails.Thismaynotalwaysbethecaseinlargeoutdoordeployments.GotoSite>SetActiveMapTypetoadjustthemaptypetoOutdoor–thisallowsthesurveydatatobeconnectedtotherailsfromafurtherdistance.UsetheCalibrationQualityVisualizationtoverifythatthesurveydatahasbeenassociatedwiththerails.

N O T E

N O T E


Figure 37 Calibration Quality Visualization and Rail Width

PleaseconsultEkahauSiteSurveyuserdocumentationandEkahauEngineering([email protected])fordetailsonoutdoordeploymentbestpractices.

Improving Accuracy

Iftheaccuracyisnotsatisfactory,firstperformmoresurveysinthearea.Iftheaccuracyisstillnotacceptable,accesspointsmaybeaddedtotheproblematicareas.

Achieving Very High Room Accuracy

Toachieveveryhighroomaccuracy,forexampleinprocessoptimizationapplications,EkahaurecommendsusingadditionalLocationBeacons.Thebattery‐poweredLocationBeaconsaremountedintheroomstoprovideadditionalaccuracyinthoserooms.Inthiscase,EkahauPositioningEngineusesbothWi‐FiAPsandLocationBeaconstocalculatethetaglocations.

UsetheLocationBeacontoolinESStoplacethelocationbeaconsonthemap.Also,eachareawherelocationbeaconisplacedneedsaZone.

PleaseconsultEkahauSiteSurveyuserdocumentationandEkahauEngineering([email protected])fordetailsLocationBeacons.


Contacting Aruba Networks

Web Site Support

Main Site http://www.arubanetworks.com

Support Site http://www.arubanetworks.com/support

Software Licensing Site https://licensing.arubanetworks.com

Wireless Security Incident Response Team (WSIRT) http://www.arubanetworks.com/support/wsirt

Support Email [email protected]

WSIRT Email [email protected]

Telephone Support

Aruba Corporate +1 (408) 227-4500

FAX +1 (408) 227-4550

Support

• United States

• France

• United Kingdom

• Germany

• All Other Countries

800-WI-FI-LAN (800-943-4526)

+33 (0) 1 70 72 55 59

+44 (0) 20 7127 5989

+49 (0) 69 38 09 77 22 8

+1 (408) 754-1200

1344 Crossman Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1113Tel. +1.408.227.4500 | Fax. +1.408.227.4550 | [email protected]

http://www.arubanetworks.com

© 2009 Aruba Networks, Inc. AirWave®, Aruba Networks®, Aruba Mobility Management System®, Bluescanner, For Wireless That Works®, Mobile Edge Architecture®, People Move. Networks Must Follow®, RFProtect, The All Wireless Workplace Is Now Open For Business, Green Island, and The Mobile Edge Company® are trademarks of Aruba Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

aruba ekahau joint design and implementation guide 020309[2] · the ekahau rtls solution leverages...

Documents