Who is this article for?

Users responsible for maintaining hardware.

No special access or permissions are required.

This article walks you through the process of installing an external antenna.

1. Installation

1.1. Antenna

To install the antenna:

1. Mount and install two (2) High-Gain Antennas on the external roof (preferred) or wall of the building.

2. Ensure the antennas are spaced a minimum of 300mm apart from each other, and at least 5 meters away from any existing communications equipment.
   Avoid placing them near metal, brick, or concrete walls, ceilings, poles, or other obstructions.

3. Run a length of coaxial antenna cable from each external antenna's mounting point to the Damstra Terminal inside the building.

Avoid using excess cable length, as this can degrade signal quality.

4. Terminate both ends of the coaxial cable with the appropriate SMA connectors.

1.2. Terminal connection

To connect the antenna:

1. Carefully unscrew the existing standard antennas from both external sides of the Damstra Terminal cabinet (white).

2. Connect each of the new High-Gain Antenna cables to the corresponding ports on each side of the Damstra Terminal (purple).

When installing two High-Gain Antennas per terminal, the left/right orientation is not critical.)

1.3 Modem restart

To restart the modem:

1. Unlock and open the Damstra Terminal cabinet door.

2. Locate the Modem (highlighted in yellow) and verify that all internal and external connections (highlighted in purple) are secure and properly connected.

3. Locate the power adapter for the modem and either switch it off or disconnect it from mains power.

4. Wait 5 minutes, then reconnect the modem power adapter to mains power.

5. Close and lock the Damstra Terminal cabinet door.

6. Allow up to 15 minutes for the modem to automatically detect the available signal strength and establish a cellular connection.

Please store any removed or unused modem and antenna equipment inside the Damstra Terminal cabinet for future reference.)

Damstra Terminals using externally mounted antennas should always be connected to two individual High-Gain Antennas to ensure a reliable and strong cellular connection.

In cases where one High-Gain Antenna is damaged or unavailable, it is possible (though not recommended) to operate the Damstra Terminal with:

• One High-Gain Antenna, and

• One standard antenna, depending on the cellular signal quality available in the area.

2. Fallback installation

To use this fallback configuration:

1. Connect the High-Gain Antenna to the “MAIN” or “CELLULAR” port on the modem.
   This is the primary connection for cellular transmission.

2. Connect the standard (smaller) antenna to the “RxDIV” or “DIVERSITY” port on the modem.
   This serves as the secondary antenna for signal diversity and reception.

To determine the correct modem connector to use in a one-antenna fallback setup, trace the internal coaxial cabling from the SMA Bulkhead Adapter (mounted through the top or sides of the terminal cabinet) back to the modem connectors.

Color reference guide (based on image above):

• Yellow – Modem

• Purple – SMA Connections

• Green – Primary MAIN / CELLULAR Connector

• Blue – Secondary RxDIV / DIVERSITY Connector

3. Modem status indicators

Modem LED indicators (highlighted in orange in the image above) show the current cellular network status:

• No LED lights - No power to the modem, or the modem is rebooting. Please wait.

• STS/NET indicator

  • Solid or flashing green – Connecting to network or successfully connected

  • Flashing orange or red – Poor signal or not connected

• Signal/network indicator

  • Solid or flashing green – Connecting or connected

  • Flashing orange or red – Poor signal or not connected

4. Troubleshooting

If connection issues persist after completing setup:

1. Confirm that strong 4G coverage is available at the installation site.

2. Inspect all cable connections:

   • Ensure all SMA connectors are secure.

   • Verify that cables are undamaged.

3. Verify antenna positioning:

   • Antennas should be at least 300mm apart from each other.

   • Antennas should be at least 5 meters away from other communications equipment.

   • Avoid mounting near metal, brick, concrete walls, poles, or structures.

4. Avoid excess cable length, as too much coaxial cable can cause signal loss.

5. Power off the modem for 5 minutes.

6. Power it back on, then wait up to 15 minutes for reconnection.

If problems persist, please open a ticket with us, including:

• Site name

• Terminal location

• Terminal Serial/ID number

• Any relevant details about the issue or troubleshooting steps already performed