Please follow the Installer P2P Installation and Troubleshooting checklist step-by-step and report back to our installation support hotline with your findings. We encourage you to take notes and provide as much detail as possible when you contact our support team.
If you are unsure about any of the steps or need guidance, please call Field Service for further assistance
Field Service Call/Text line: (404) 905-1191
Installer P2P Installation and Troubleshooting Guide
2. Troubleshooting - Offline
3. Troubleshooting - Fried/Dead Antenna
4. Troubleshooting - Slow/Intermittent Connection
1. Setup and Installation
To troubleshoot issues with the P2P system, we must understand what exactly the system is and how everything is connected. We will need to verify that the P2P is installed correctly.
A. What is a Point to Point?
In short, you can think of the P2P system as a 'wireless ethernet connection.' The P2P system is a wireless bridge connection from one device to another remote device. We use this system to directly transmit a connection from a school building to a field with no available hardline internet connection.
Below is an illustrated diagram of the typical setup:
General Installation Notes:
The max distance recommended is 1/2 mile
The minimum distance recommended is 100-200ft
Maximum ethernet cable length is 250ft
Antennas should be the same height vertically and tilted towards each other for optimal throughput
B. PoE (Power over Ethernet) Injectors:
The antennas are powered over ethernet. The purpose of the PoE injector is to safely transmit power from a power source to the antenna using ethernet. The port labeled "POE" on the injector will connect to the antenna. The "LAN" port connects to a non-PoE device, in this case a router, switch, or VPU to transmit data.
That being said, THE ANTENNAS SHOULD ALWAYS BE CONNECTED TO A POE INJECTOR AND NEVER TO A POE ENABLED SWITCH. Doing so can damage the antenna and void the warranty.
If the switch is PoE enabled, the specific port must have PoE disabled.
PoE Injectors (2 types, same function):
1. PoE Injector Ports:
"POE" - To antenna.
"LAN" - If on "A" side, to router/switch.
If on the "B" side, to VPU.
*Do NOT hot-swap cables! Unplug the PoE injector first before unplugging any of the cables.*
Doing so can damage the PoE injector or the antenna.
A solid blue or green light on the PoE injectors means there is power.
C. Antennas
There are 2 antennas, one that will be "transmitting the connection" and another that will be "receiving the connection." The transmitting side is called the "A" side, and the receiving side is called the "B" side. The "A" side antenna is usually mounted on the outside of a building at the school side while the "B" side will be installed at the VPU location, usually outside the press box at the field.
The antennas are labeled either "A" or "B" on the back and need to be installed at the correct location.
To access the ports and LEDs, the bottom cover will need to be removed. There are two tabs on each side that need to be pushed in to remove the cover.
Light indicators and ports:
Once the cover is removed, you will see all the ports and light indicators. The only ethernet port that should be used is the one furthest away from the LED indicators.
There are a total of 6 LED light indicators on the antenna. From left to right:
A. Power - Solid green when connected to a power source.
B. Ethernet - Flashing green when locally connected to another device (LAN on injector).
1. Poor Signal Strength
2. Okay Signal Strength
3. Good Signal Strength
4. Excellent Signal Strength
Indicators 1 - 4 act as signal strength. The number of lights turned on determines how well the signal strength is between the antennas. We ideally want the signal strength to be at 3 or 4.
AUX - Auxiliary power, we do not typically use this port.
RESET - Button used to reset/restart antenna based on how long it is held for:
1 second - Restart antenna/refreshes DHCP.
15 seconds - Factory Reset (When doing this start with the "B" side).
40 seconds - Wipes all installed firmware (do not do this).
Once the setup has been verified, we can move on to the appropriate troubleshooting.
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2. Troubleshooting - Offline
When troubleshooting the P2P system, disconnect the power from the PoE injector before unplugging any other cables. Power to the PoE injector should be the last component to be plugged in.
You have confirmed that everything is installed correctly but the VPU is still offline.
Here are the next steps that should be taken to troubleshoot the issue:
0. Restart VPU - Hard restart the VPU if this has not been done already. If there is a monitor attached, confirm it is offline by checking the network status. In some cases the fix could be as simple as right-clicking the network icon > troubleshoot problems > select the appropriate adapter (usually "Ethernet").
1. Power Cycle - Starting with the "A" side, unplug the power from the PoE injector, wait at least 10 seconds, then plug it back in. If close enough, you will hear beeps from the antenna on startup.
- 1st beep, there is power.
- Double beep, antenna fully booted.
2. Check PoE Injectors - There is a single LED indicator on the PoE injectors. Take pictures for Send Field Service pictures to confirm PoE injectors .
- A solid green or blue light means there is power to the antennas. No light or flashing light means the antenna is probably damaged/dead (see next section).
- If you believe the PoE injector is bad, test this by using the other PoE injector in its place. Send pictures to Field Service
3. Test & Reseat - Check link lights on the switch or the VPUs ethernet port to check for activity. Unplug PoE injectors, reseat cables, and if possible test every ethernet cable connected.
- If there is a faulty cable it will need to be re-terminated or replaced entirely.
4. Check The Antennas - We will need to access the antennas to check the LEDs.
- If there are no signal lights at all (last 4), that antenna is not establishing a connection to the other antenna. This might be caused by the antenna being misaligned, obstructions, or the other antenna might be powered off.
- If there is no Ethernet (2nd) light on, the connection from the LAN port on the PoE injector to the other end is faulty.
- If on the "A" side, it could also mean the switch is refusing a connection.
- If all of the lights are lit up on both sides, but there is still no internet connection, there is something not configured correctly on the school's network side/switch.
- Reset each antenna, starting to factory default by holding the reset button for 15 seconds to confirm.
- If there are NO lights on or lights A and 4 are flashing, the antenna is dead/fried and that antenna will need to be replaced.
Repeat steps 1 - 4 at the "B" side when finished at the "A" side
Call Field Service citing the issue and submitting pictures and video as evidence.
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3. Troubleshooting - Fried/Dead Antenna
The antennas do not have surge protection that protects them from any sort of electrical surges. Because of this, they can easily be damaged if not installed or troubleshooted correctly.
Here are some ways to determine whether the antenna is fried/damaged:
1. Blinking green light on the PoE injector (one that plugs directly into the wall) or no light on the extended corded PoE injector.
2. No lights on the antenna.
3. Blinking A and 4 light on the antenna.
4. No beeps after antenna boot up.
Antenna with blinking A and 4 light, indicating that it is fried.
PoE injector with blinking light, indicating a fried antenna.
Causes:
1. Hot-swapping - When working on the P2P, the power must be disconnected. Plugging cables in and out while the antenna is powered, can damage it.
2. Connection to PoE switch - Some schools may connect the P2P to a PoE-enabled switch. Doing so can damage the antenna. If the antenna is directly plugged into a PoE-enabled switch, it will most certainly fry the antenna.
THE ANTENNAS SHOULD ALWAYS BE CONNECTED TO A POE INJECTOR AND NEVER TO A POE ENABLED SWITCH.
3. Lightning - Since there is no built-in surge protection, a lightning strike nearby can potentially damage an antenna.
If you have determined that one of the antennas is fried/damaged, Take pictures and/or video for Field Service and make sure Call Field Service to request a new antenna citing the issue and submitting pictures and video as evidence . Make sure to let the Support Engineer know in great detail what troubleshooting steps you took and specifically which antenna needs to be replaced.
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4. Troubleshooting - Slow/Intermittent Connection
If the Pixellot system is having issues with the streams buffering/lagging if the connection is slow or intermittent the Tycon P2P system could be having issues with signal strength.
Here are some troubleshooting steps that can be done to determine this:
1. Run a speed test on the VPU.
- If possible, connect a laptop to the same switch port that "A" side is connected to and run a speed test. This will give you an idea if the slow speed is being caused by the P2P.
2. Check signal LEDs on each of the antennas. Have the person on-site keep an eye on them for a few minutes to see if they drop or fluctuate.
3. Check LOS (Line of Sight). Antennas should be aligned and directly facing each other. It is possible for something to hit the antenna and misalign it.
4. Check for obstructions. Anything from trees, buildings, or other antennas can cause issues.
- Take phots from the "A" side antenna facing the "B" side to confirm LOS.
- Call Field Service citing the issue and submitting pictures and video as evidence.
For further troubleshooting Call Field Service
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The 6 Step All In One:
Notes: Steps 1 and 4 require access to the antennas, which may be skipped if not possible. Please go over the main guide first before conducting these troubleshooting steps. Any other information will be in the main part of this guide.
1. Confirm the setup is correct. Take pictures of antenna LED indicators and PoE injectors.
Still offline?
2. Power cycle VPU.
Still offline?
3. Power cycle B side antenna.
Still offline?
4. Power cycle A side antenna.
Still offline?
5. Check and reseat cables. If faulty cables, need them re-terminated or replaced.
Still offline?
6. Factory reset both antennas (starting with B side).
Still offline?
Escalate to Field Service for more advanced troubleshooting.