Cambium PTP and cnMaestro Field Deployment Runbook
A point-to-point radio showing Ethernet and RF link lights does not prove that the path meets capacity or availability goals. TechRunz reconciles the LINKPlanner design, exact radio and antenna, regulatory settings, structure and grounding, alignment, spectrum, Ethernet path and cnMaestro visibility before acceptance.
Make each dispatch repeatable and recoverable
Define prerequisites, remote ownership, method of procedure, acceptance evidence and rollback before technicians arrive onsite.
Design reconciliation and pre-configuration
Verify both endpoint coordinates, mounting heights, path profile, Fresnel clearance, distance, structure and planned antenna against the approved LINKPlanner design. Re-run the design when field conditions, heights, frequency availability or equipment differ; small substitutions can change link margin and capacity.
Confirm regulatory domain, licensed or unlicensed frequency requirements, channel plan, polarization, synchronization, management addressing, VLANs, security, software and cnMaestro ownership. Pre-configure paired identifiers and protected management access without embedding credentials in the public work package.
The remote team should supply the site identifier, approved design, equipment list, configuration status, contacts, access window and success criteria. The field technician verifies serials, labels, damage, accessories and prerequisites before changing production service.
- Current coordinates and heights
- Exact radio and antenna model
- Regulatory and frequency plan
- Management and cnMaestro readiness
Mounting, cabling and radio alignment
Inspect the structure, mount, wind considerations, line of sight, grounding, surge protection, power, outdoor-rated cable, drip loops and weather sealing. Label radios, power injectors, switch ports and cable ends at both sites. Follow site safety and qualified climbing or lift requirements.
Use the manufacturer alignment procedure and the design target, not visual aiming alone. Coordinate both ends, refine azimuth and elevation, verify polarization and record signal and modulation after the link stabilizes. Do not finalize mounts while the link remains on a side lobe or unexplained low modulation.
Use a written method of procedure with hold points for configuration-sensitive actions. Photograph and label the before state, preserve known-good cabling or configuration, and keep a practical rollback path. Record deviations as they occur instead of reconstructing them after the visit.
- Structure and mount inspection
- Grounding and surge protection
- Coordinated alignment at both ends
- Recorded signal and modulation
| Domain | Acceptance check | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Path, height, model and regulatory plan | Current LINKPlanner record |
| Physical | Mount, alignment, cable and protection | Photos and worksheet |
| RF and Ethernet | Signal, modulation, errors and service | Radio and traffic tests |
| Operations | cnMaestro, alarms, backup and ownership | Management closeout |
RF, Ethernet and service acceptance
Review spectrum and interference using the radio tools and the approved frequency process. Compare measured signal, quality, modulation, throughput estimate and link margin with the plan. Record Ethernet negotiation, errors, VLANs, addressing, latency, loss and representative application traffic.
When redundancy or alternate paths are present, test the approved failure and restoration scenario. Observe routing or switching convergence as well as radio recovery. Investigate asymmetry between directions because antenna alignment, interference, cabling or transmit settings can affect each side differently.
Validation must cover physical status, management visibility, addressing, uplinks, power, policies and representative user traffic. When redundancy is expected, test the approved failure and restoration scenarios. Escalations should include timestamps, identifiers and reproducible evidence.
- Spectrum and interference review
- RF margin and directional symmetry
- Ethernet, VLAN and application tests
- Approved resilience scenarios
cnMaestro closeout and lifecycle handoff
Onboard the radios to the authorized cnMaestro account and correct site, then verify alarms, statistics, software policy, backups and named ownership. Reconcile radio serials, MAC addresses, coordinates, mount heights, frequencies, channel widths, cable and switch ports.
Deliver final LINKPlanner file or report, alignment and spectrum evidence, photographs, RF and Ethernet tests, exceptions and support references in the client repository. Operations should own regulatory records, monitoring, configuration backup and planned software maintenance.
Closeout combines annotated photographs, serials, port and cable records, software versions, test output, exceptions and ownership. Credentials and private configurations belong in the client-controlled repository, while public pages should point only to official manufacturer support resources.
- cnMaestro site and alarms
- Serial, coordinate and frequency record
- LINKPlanner and test package
- Regulatory and software ownership
How we plan and deliver the work
The final design depends on site conditions, existing systems, client policies and the selected manufacturer or platform.
Prepare
Confirm access, equipment, remote readiness and rollback.
Execute
Install through the approved method and document deviations.
Test
Validate management, service, resilience and user workflows.
Close
Deliver evidence, inventory, exceptions and support ownership.
Information to gather before design
Good decisions are easier when the project team starts with complete operational and technical information. The following items help reduce assumptions, change orders and avoidable return visits.
- Site access and remote contacts
- Staging, inventory and prerequisites
- Method, maintenance window and rollback
- Acceptance tests and escalation
- Evidence and operational ownership
Frequently asked questions
These are common planning questions. A site-specific answer should be confirmed during discovery and design.
Can a PTP link be accepted from link lights alone?
No. Compare alignment, signal, modulation, capacity, errors and application performance with the approved design.
When should LINKPlanner be updated?
Update it when coordinates, height, path conditions, frequency, antenna or radio model differ from the approved inputs.
Why measure both directions?
Interference, alignment, cabling and radio settings can create asymmetric performance that one directional observation misses.
What should cnMaestro closeout include?
Correct account and site, inventory, alarms, software policy, backup responsibility and named operational ownership.
Manufacturer software, firmware and technical files remain on the manufacturer’s official website. We do not mirror firmware files locally.
Build a repeatable field-deployment plan
Provide the site list, target schedule, equipment responsibility, change-window constraints and acceptance criteria. We will help turn them into a practical rollout and closeout workflow.