When exploring the vast world of IIoT, wireless bridges play a pivotal role as a bridge connecting the physical world and the digital world. They not only surpass the physical limitations of wired networks, but also provide flexible and reliable solutions for data transmission in complex and ever-changing industrial environments. However, faced with a plethora of wireless bridge products and their intricate configuration options on the market, accurately selecting and efficiently configuring them has become a key challenge in ensuring stable and optimized performance of industrial networking. For this reason, we have carefully prepared this "Wireless Bridge Selection and Configuration Guide" to reveal the core elements of wireless bridge selection and the essence of the configuration process for you, helping you find the key to efficient and stable industrial networking in the complex technological ocean. Next, let's embark on this journey of exploration together and uncover the mystery of wireless bridge selection and configuration.

1. Selection of Wireless Bridge

Selection of operating frequency

2.4GHz wireless bridge: This frequency band has strong penetration and wider coverage, which can effectively penetrate multiple walls and is suitable for transmission requirements with obstacles or long distances, such as building monitoring and warehouse network coverage. However, the 2.4GHz band is susceptible to interference from other WiFi devices, and care should be taken when using it in urban or downtown areas.
5.8GHz wireless bridge: This frequency band has less interference and higher transmission rate, suitable for applications that require high bandwidth and low interference, such as remote monitoring and farm data transmission. The 5.8GHz wireless bridge performs better in outdoor or open areas, ensuring the quality of remote transmission.

Transmission rate and transmission distance

Choose the appropriate transmission rate based on actual requirements, such as 150Mbps, 300Mbps, 450Mbps, and so on. For demanding scenarios, it is recommended to choose a wireless bridge with a high transmission rate to ensure more stable and high-definition transmission.
The transmission distance of the wireless bridge is also an important consideration for selection. The maximum transmission distance of the bridge should be determined based on the monitored transmission distance, and sufficient performance margin should be reserved.

Antenna and power supply mode

Antenna is an important accessory of wireless bridge, used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Omnidirectional antennas can be selected for short-range coverage and transmission, while directional antennas should be selected for long-range bridging. The greater the antenna gain, the better the performance of the wireless bridge.
Wireless bridges are widely used in outdoor places, such as oil fields, ports, forest sites, etc. In these environments, it may be difficult to lay wires, so a bridge that supports PoE power supply is generally the best choice.
Outdoor protection level and safety characteristics
Wireless bridges are mostly used in outdoor environments and require outdoor protection standards such as waterproof, dustproof, lightning protection, and high temperature resistance.
Like wireless routers and wireless APs, wireless bridges also need to set passwords or encrypt wireless signals to ensure network security.

2. Configuration Guide for Wireless Bridge

Log in to the management interface

Open the browser and enter the management IP address of the network bridge, which is 192.168.1.254 by default. Log in to the management interface and set a 6-15 digit administrator password.

Set working mode

Select the "Access Point" mode or "Client" mode according to actual needs, and set the corresponding wired network parameters and wireless network parameters.

Optimize wireless network parameters

Set the wireless network name, encryption method, and wireless password for the wireless bridge. If there is less 2.4GHz wireless interference in the environment, you can set the channel bandwidth to automatic to achieve higher throughput; If there is a lot of interference, keep the default 20MHz. The interference of 5GHz is relatively small, and the frequency band bandwidth and channel settings can be set to automatic.

Confirm network parameters

After confirming that the set network parameters are correct, click "Finish" to save the configuration. After the configuration takes effect, you need to use the newly set IP address to enter the management interface.

3. Other precautions

Choose high-performance hardware: Select a wireless bridge with a higher-performance processor, communication module, and memory to ensure efficient processing of large data transfers and multiple device connections.
Avoid electromagnetic interference: In industrial IoT applications, it is recommended to avoid placing other electronic devices near the wireless bridge to reduce electromagnetic interference and improve signal quality.
Regular check and upgrade: Regularly check and upgrade the firmware of the wireless bridge. New versions of firmware usually fix known issues and optimize performance.
Configure QoS settings: Prioritize data traffic for important applications, such as video surveillance and data transmission, to ensure network performance for critical tasks.
The selection and configuration of wireless bridges are crucial to optimizing the performance of industrial networking. By reasonably selecting key parameters such as operating frequency, transmission rate, antenna and power supply methods, and following detailed configuration guidelines, the stability and efficiency of industrial IoT applications can be significantly improved.