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FREEDOMFI OUTDOOR METRO CELL

Setup FreedomFi Outdoor Metro Cell

Plug-and-Play Setup Guide

Prerequisites: This guide assumes that your FreedomFi gateway is already set up and is running. FreedomFi gateway software is updated to 1.11.4 or later.

Initial Connectivity Setup
To start, we will be placing the Outdoor metro cell inside near a window and next to your network gear to confirm a set of preliminary checks. This validates that things are working before the outdoor metro cell is deployed to its permanent location where it may be difficult to access.
Step 1 – Connect Power Terminal
Connect the power terminal to the positive and negative leads coming from your power supply. The colors may differ depending on your shipment, look at the label on the power supply to determine + and – wires. Connect per the guide image below.
Step 2 – Open the weather door to expose power and ethernet ports
Open the weather sealed door using an allen wrench to expose the power and ethernet connections for the radio.
Step 3 – Connect Power and Ethernet cables to the Radio
Connect an outdoor rated ethernet cable to the port labeled “DATA/MGMT ETH”. Connect the Power Terminal to the power port. Screws on the power terminal should be facing the inside of the compartment. Depending on the location of your nearest power outlet, you may need to extend the power cables. The length of this cable should be long enough to reach the permanent location where you want to deploy the metro cell. Ethernet cables may be up to 100m/330ft.
Here is an example: Outdoor Rated Cable

WARNING! If your outlet for your radio is outdoors, ensure the power adaptor for the radio is placed inside of a waterproof enclosure. If your outlet is indoors, ensure that no water is able to travel along the wires and make its way inside. Water damage due to improper installation is not covered under warranty.

Step 4 – Connect the Ethernet cable to the Gateway
Connect the other end of the ethernet cable to the port labeled eNB1 the FreedomFi Gateway. Two additional CBRS small cells are supported on the eNB2 and eNB3 ports.
For now, don’t worry about the location of the outdoor metro cell. We will be moving the outdoor metro cell to a permanent location at a later point, but we want to connect the cable inside to make sure things are working.
Step 5 – Verify Connectivity status
Visit the metro cell dashboard using:http://freedomfi-gateway.local If all goes well, you should see the following in the metro cell dashboard. Spectrum Status will be “trying” and On Air will be OFF until the metro cell registration is submitted and approved.
Outdoor Metro Cell Install and Registration
Location Selection
To start, make sure you select a good place for the Outdoor metro cell. Obstructions will decrease coverage. CBRS signals have less range than LoRa. Similar to Wi-Fi they can be weakened or blocked by obstacles like walls, trees, and buildings. To capture the most data you can, you want your metro cell to point towards a populated area, a place with a lot of people and phones e.g. a park, a playground, an outdoor cafe/coffee shop.
For purpose of improved coverage area, it is recommended to mount your outdoor small metro as high up as reasonably possible. This often means on a roof, or near the roof line of a building. Roof mounting examples for a home or metro business:

Requirements: The outdoor metro cell will require installation CPI approval before it can go on air and allow users to connect. The CPI process requires the following:

  • The Baicells 436H will support only a single 4-port CBRS antenna (carrier aggregation mode)
  • Installation parameters must be shared with FreedomFi to get CPI approval
  • Height with 2 to 4 photos to document accuracy
  • Azimuth angle with 1 photo to document accuracy
  • Elevation angle with 1 photo to document accuracy
  • Antenna model plate photo
  • Antenna installation photo
  • Disclaimer: Installing an outdoor metro cell requires working at heights of at least 20ft off the ground. If you are not comfortable with such work or are not able to perform this work safely, please consult a professional.

NOTE: How to get and submit this information along with sample photos will be covered in the metro cell registration section below.

Metro Cell Registration
To enable the outdoor metro cell, you’ll need to complete the CPI flow and get approval. The process starts with registering the metro cell location.
To register the outdoor metro cell, you’ll need the following information along with photos to prove it.
  • Height
  • Azimuth Angle
  • Elevation Angle
  • Street Address of installation
Step 6 – Recording Height
You will be required to submit the height of the installation and a photo to verify it. Here are some ideas on how to get the height:
  • Ask a contractor or building manager about the height of your roof.
  • Get the height of the home/building by looking at it in Google Earth Pro.
    Please follow the steps here.
  • Use a tape measure and measure the height directly from the top of your roof
Take a photo that shows the radio and the ground. Sample Verification photo:
Step 7 – Recording Azimuth Angle
Azimuth is a fancy name for the compass direction in which the center of the antenna is pointing. Please utilize the free NOAA Mobile Magnetic Declination calculator for this measurement.
Steps to collect this photo:
  • Navigate to the NOAA website to get a compass up NOAA Mobile Magnetic Declination Calculator
  • Important! Ensure you allow NOAA to utilize your device location to ensure an accurate declination reading.
  • Choose the “Compass” option in the lower-left corner
  • Important! Place the phone on top of the antenna that is connected to your 436H Metro Cell, so the TOP of the phone (the part that goes to your ear on a phone call) is pointing in the same direction as the antenna.
  • Take a picture of the compass direction
The sample picture is showing azimuth angle of 176 degrees.
Caution Notes:
  • CPI submissions utilizing any apps/tools other than the NOAA Mobile Magnetic Declination to calculate the Azimuth or CPI submissions with location services disabled on NOAA will be rejected.
  • CPI submissions measuring their azimuth from their 436H Metro Cell instead of from the connected antenna will be rejected.
Step 8 – Recording Elevation Angle
The elevation angle is a fancy name for “is it pointing up or down from level.” The reference point is the middle of the antenna. To ensure consistency across all applications, we ask that you please utilize the following free app to measure & record your elevation accurately.
Bubble Level
Steps to collect this photo:
  • Open the recommended app above on your device.
  • Place your phone directly on top of the antenna that is currently connected to your 436H Metro Cell.
  • Take a picture of the elevation angle
The sample image is showing 3 degrees of down-tilt angle using the Bubble Level app.
Caution Notes:
  • CPI submissions utilizing any apps/tools other than the NOAA Mobile Magnetic Declination to calculate the Azimuth or CPI submissions with location services disabled on NOAA will be rejected.
  • CPI submissions measuring their azimuth from their 436H Metro Cell instead of from the connected antenna will be rejected.
  • If you are utilizing an Omnidirectional antenna, ensure that your elevation angle is as close to as 0 as possible.
Step 9 – Capture the Antenna Product Badge Photo
To verify the antenna model used, take a picture of the product badge on the unit. This should show the manufacturer and model number. Example photos below.
Step 10 –Capture the overall Antenna photo
To verify the antenna installation, take a picture of the overall antenna in it’s mounted location. Example photos below.
Step 11 –Register Metro Cell
Now that you have the metro cell information and photos, you will need to submit them for CPI approval.Access the metro cell dashboard by pointing your web browser to http://freedomfi-gateway.local from a device on the same network as the FreedomFi Gateway.
  • Click on metro cell Dashboard
  • If you have more than one metro cell connected, make sure the serial number matches the metro cell you are trying to register.
  • Click Register metro cell in the bottom left corner
  • Follow the wizard to fill out the form and add photos
  • Submit the information
  • Wait for Approval
You will be notified by email with the status of your submission within 3 business days.
Step 12 –Verify metro cell is Online
Once you get the CPI approval notification, your metro cell should be ready to go. To check, navigate to the Radio Dashboard and verify that the registration status is approved, and the statuses are all Green.

Stuck? 

CONTACT SUPPORT
Appendix - Troubleshooting Metro Cell Status
To access the local dashboard, point your web browser to http://freedomfi-gateway.local from a device on the same network as the FreedomFi Gateway. Click on Radio Dashboard.
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