BGAN Multiplexing

1/1/2016: This article has been superseded by this manual:

Using Avenir Mini over a Satellite IP Connection

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19110468/Documentation/Using%20Streambox%20Avenir%20Mini%20over%20a%20Satellite%20IP%20Connection.pdf


BGAN Multiplexing with Avenir Mini

Avenir and other encoders can be used with two BGAN Satellite Internet terminals to increase available bandwidth for stream transmission.

NOTE: This list of instructions refers to using the Hughes HNS9201 BGAN Terminal, but other units will be similar. The HNS9201 allows the encoder user to connect through either LAN or Wi-Fi, and to multiplex the stream through two units, it will be necessary to connect to one unit with LAN and to the other with Wi-Fi. Additionally, the HNS9201 is the only BGAN terminal that can be controlled (to create a network connection) by the Avenir itself.

Connect to the first BGAN Terminal

BGAN connections have higher latency ranging from 256Kbps or higher. The Streambox Avenir has some configuration options that allow it to connect directly to the BGAN terminal. To connect and use BGAN on the Avenir use the following steps.
  1. Set the Avenir to the ALL Network mode.
  2. Connect the Avenir to the HNS9201 terminal with an Ethernet cable. Be sure the terminal is powered on, then power on or restart the Avenir unit
  3. From the Avenir full user interface select Settings > System > HNS9201
  4. Select Term IP and verify that the IP is the correct IP for the HNS9201 terminal (192.168.128.100)
  5. Select Open Term, the unit should display the terminal information and prompt for registration.
  6. Select the desired connection and the terminal will start the connection. If registration or connection fails then you may need to use a laptop to connect to the terminal and establish a connection using BGAN Launchpad.
  7. After the connection is created you need to use a custom preset to stream live with BGAN optimal settings. While video source is connected select Presets > BGAN-Streaming 256K or an appropriate preset for your connection and choose "CustomP". This will set the custom preset button on your home screen to the selected preset for easy access. For streaming live video with BGAN, minimum 256K Streaming class connection is recommended.

Connect to the second terminal

To connect to the second BGAN terminal, a WiFi connection from Avenir is needed. You may have to connect to the BGAN terminal using another device to enable Wifi and to set up the stream. Since both BGAN units are capable of WiFi, be sure to disable wifi on the unit being used for LAN connection.
  1. Under the ?Terminal? menu select ?WLAN interface? and enable wireless access.
  2. Set the Network Name to ?BGAN?.
  3. Set Region to ?Rest of World?.
  4. Set channel to ?11?.
  5. Select 128-bit encryption and use a network password with at least 13 characters. We used: Avenir1234567.
  6. Click ?Apply? and ?OK?. The WLAN LED on the terminal will now be GREEN. A WiFi capable computer will now see ?BGAN? as one of the available wireless networks. NOTE: The WLAN LED blinks if the terminal is on battery power and turns RED if no devices are accessing the HNS-9201 using the WLAN.
  7. Connect the Avenir Mini to the HNS-9201 via Wi-Fi: In your Avenir go to ?Settings > Network > Wi-Fi?. If Scan for available networks and select "BGAN"

Use the HNS-9201 web interface to start an internet session:

  1. Connect to the BGAN web interface by entering 192.168.128.100 -- you may need to do this from another machine, such as a laptop or Smartphone that has also joined the BGAN wifi point, Remember the password you created above, Avenir1234567 in my example.
  2. Initially you are on the ?Properties? page of the web interface. On the mobile version of the HNS-9201 web interface, you will find a green bar at the bottom of the page under which are the various pages that are available.
  3. On the Properties page, if you are not already registered, you can click the ?Register with Network? button. After it registers you will see ?Registration Status: Registered with Home network?.
  4. On the ?PDP Contexts? page, select a unique CID value between 1 and 11 for each device that will be using the BGAN.
  5. Make sure the APN is set correctly, e.g. XANTIC.BGAN.INMARSAT.COM for Stratos SIMs or VIZADA-USA.BGAN.INMARSAT.COM for Vizada SIMs.
  6. Requested QoS should be set to STREAMING for the Avenir stream. No username or password are needed for the APN.
  7. Press the ?Create Context? button. The page will refresh.
  8. Press the ?Activate? button. The page will refresh and show the Local IP address, Global IP address, and DNS server addresses. There may or may not be error messages displayed in red above this, but if you hit the ?Update? button the error messages will clear off.
  9. Switch Avenir to Streaming Mode. Remove SIMs from Avenir's embedded WWAN modems if necessary so they are not used. You could also terminate their connections using the Avenir remote configuration UI (Web UI).
NOTE: When you are finished using the internet, remember to disconnect: When using a BGAN, you need to be mindful of the cost and be careful to avoid unexpected usage, e.g. automatically downloading emails coming in on your iPhone. It is a good practice to power down the BGAN when not using it.

RECOMMENDED LDMP SETTINGS:

Enable LDMP: Checked (Software Encoder only)
Manual LDMP: Checked/Enabled
CWND: 150 (normally 75 for a single BGAN)
CWND_MIN: 75 (same for dual as single)
CWND_MAX: 75 (same for dual as single)
ACK_TO:1200
SND_TO:2000
RTT Multiplier: 0
JITTER2: 0