Russian-made equipment. Part 2. LANtastika

    In the first part I talked about M-Links - Russian E1-Ethernet converters, which were in my hands. Now we will talk about the products of the St. Petersburg company Optical TeleSystems .
    Lantastika-2Speed ​​- the so-called "adaptive broadband wireless optical communication system." The name conceals a secret meaning: the function of the device is to convert ordinary Ethernet to infrared waves.
    LANtastIKa


    Iron

    From the technical passport it becomes clear that there are three products of this series of LANTASTIC BOX 100M-AC1, BOX 100M-AC3, BOX 100M-AC3 (BOX = Wireless Optical Communication Channels). They differ in their characteristics. In fact, this is reflected at a distance at which devices can operate. So AC3 can be located at a maximum distance of 480 km from each other, according to those. passport. Frankly, outer space and automatic alignment systems appear immediately - only in ideal conditions is work at such distances achievable.
    The device consists of a receiving module (a large lens in the middle), two transmitting ones (on the sides of the main one), a protective casing and mounting legs. Mounting is possible to a vertical or horizontal surface. At the end of the leg is a ball, to which a casing is attracted by a ring with four bolts. This mount provides coarse adjustment to the remote side (the same device is located on the other side). There are two horizontal alignment bolts on the casing, one vertical and one fixation bolt.

    Fix

    On the back wall of the central lens there are 4 signal strength indicators, a power indicator, indicators of local and remote synchronization, an Ethernet link indicator, cable leads and a hole for mounting the sight. The local synchronization indicator means that the device sees the signal from the other side. If it is red, the connection speed is 10 Mb / s, green - 100 Mb / s. A lit indicator of remote synchronization indicates that the opposite side sees the beam and sent a signal about it to the local one.

    Back

    A power cable and shielded twisted pair cable are suitable for the device. The kit includes a 220V power supply (direct connection to a 48V power supply is also possible), a preliminary pointing device (sight), adjusting screws, a junction box with a plinth, grounding bus and connectors for power, as well as a box with two ports: for data transmission ( green and orange pairs) and for control (RS232, blue pair and screen). In the photo this is the box.

    image

    Difficulties

    We figured out the first port quickly, but using the screen as an extra pair was something new (maybe again the cost of a little experience). The most interesting thing was to use a brown pair. It is needed to update LANtastIKi firmware and for nothing else. For correct operation, the pair should not be closed. I did not know this, and so that the couple did not hang out, I hammered it into the plinth. From the plinth, the steam went into a box where it was not clogged, respectively, and was not closed anywhere, so even if the condition unknown at that time was satisfied. For a long time we puzzled over this, nothing worked. And it did not work until the pairs in the junction box were removed from the base. Suppliers could not comment on the situation. Just some kind of Lantastic.
    The device is designed to work in harsh Siberian conditions: from -50 to +50 at any humidity. Tests at -30 passed successfully. But the snow safely lays on the lens. So far there have been no problems, but it may turn out that you have to clean it periodically.
    Another issue is synchronization. Perhaps, precisely because this is the first experience, my colleagues and I spent several days on the adjustment. The algorithm was as follows: first, with the help of an optical sight, we point the LantastIC to the opposite point, fix the coarse adjustment bolts, then move the fine-tuning bolts along the S-shaped (snake-shaped will be more accurate) trajectory until the person on the other side sees a red spot with his own eyes . The devices were located at a distance of approximately 500 meters. At such a distance, the spot diameter is about 70 cm. This can be seen if you move from place to place: at a certain moment, a clear red spot disappears. Next, we informed the person on the other side how and where to move by telephone.

    Incidents

    The adjustment process (the roof of a 12-story building, -5-7 with the wind) was interrupted once by children's cries. Such a picture appeared to me:

    Child

    In the photo you can see people in black with a camera. What could it be?

    Software

    Now let's touch on the command line interface. Unfortunately, it is in Russian, which I consider unacceptable in professional technology. Accordingly, there are problems with the encoding, which, however, are easily solved.

    Decoding

    On the first page, basic information on configuration commands. As I said above, there are two modes of operation 10 and 100 Mb / s, which are configured by commands SA (automatic mode), S10 and S100 . If different modes are configured on opposite devices, synchronization will not work (on personal bitter experience).

    Main

    Team mAllows you to view current indicators, such as synchronization mode, Ethernet link, lens temperature, transmission loss, signal strength and others. If there is synchronization between devices, then the data is displayed for both sides.

    m

    A port on a computer rises only if a device is also connected on the other side.
    Unfortunately, remote control of the device is impossible, as well as monitoring - a site visit is necessary.
    During the short testing period (two weeks), the connection between the devices was already lost twice. After the first time, everything recovered on its own, the second time I had to leave and adjust the direction a bit. But I think this is due to mechanical impact on the installation surface or design subsidence - testing continues. According to the manufacturer, rain and snow should not interfere with work, fog can degrade quality. Lantastika passed the test with snow. Otherwise, there are no complaints yet. LANtASTICa almost fulfills its 100 Mb / s ( iperf test showed 80-90 Mb / s). This Russian joy is worth around 300,000 rubles per couple.

    Manufacturer's words

    LANTASTICA-3Speed ​​already promises an Ethernet 1000 Base-TX connection, its own IP address, telnet access and even a web interface.
    The manufacturer declares the absolute safety of the devices (although somewhere in the documentation it is said that accidental contact with the eyes should be avoided) and there is no need to license the use of devices.
    The documentation is wonderful. Everything is described in detail and clearly, up to the characteristics of the necessary tools. Such remarks as: “without dropping, completely unscrew the fixing screw together with the spherical washer on all modules” are separately noted. For minor flaws and spelling errors, you can still close your eyes.

    A little moving away from the topic

    <What did I want to say with this post? What we have our own development. Maybe it’s sometimes worth paying attention to them?>

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