Wi-Fi
Higher-tier MOTOTRBO radio models support Wi-Fi®. Depending on the model, 802.11 b/g/n (2,4 GHz) and 802.11 b/g/n/ac (5 GHz) are supported. Ad-hoc (peer to peer) mode is not supported so the radio can only connect to an Access Point.
Wi-Fi is primarily used to deliver configuration and software updates using MOTOTRBO Radio Management or Radio Central.[1] However, a few models have a built-in WAVE client which means they can be used on the WAVE PTX service.
Wi-Fi Support by Model
| Model (EMEA) | 802.11 | 2,4GHz | 5GHz | WEP | WPA2 | WPA3 | No. of SSIDs | WAVE client |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DP4401e | ||||||||
| DP4601e | ||||||||
| DP4801e | ||||||||
| DM4401e | ||||||||
| DM4601e | ||||||||
| R7 | ||||||||
| ION |
If a model is not listed here then it does not support Wi-Fi. Also, check the model equivalent table since only EMEA models are shown here.
In EMEA, all MOTOTRBO radios shipped after 18 November 2019 will have Wi-Fi enabled by default. -e series radios shipped before this date may require a software licence to enable this.[1]
Operation
SSID
The Service Set Identifier (SSID) or network name, is a string transmitted by an Access Point which allows users and devices to connect to it. In order for a MOTOTRBO radio to connect to a Wi-Fi network, the SSID needs to be provisioned in the radio. The SSID is case sensitive and supports internationalization per the IEEE 802.11-2012 standard.[2]
Hidden networks do not broadcast their SSID over Wi-Fi. Hidden networks are supported in MOTOTRBO, but this is not recommended since it increases the connection time and (despite popular belief) does not improve security.
Default SSID and passkey[3]
Wi-Fi-enabled MOTOTRBO radios leave the factory with a default SSID and passphrase so using a Wi-Fi Access Point connected to a PC running Radio Management or the Device Programmer, it is possible to load the configuration into out of the box radios without plugging in a programming cable. So in practice, it would be a case of taking the radio out of the box; switching it on; turning on Wi-Fi and putting it straight into service, fully configured.
All that is needed, is to turn on Wi-Fi via the radio's menu and have both the serial number and configuration ready in Radio Management. As soon as the radio connects to the Access Point, it will download the configuration.
The factory-default SSID and Passphrase is:
- SSID = MOTOTRBO
- Key = Radio Management
One would need to set up a Wi-Fi Access Point with the above configured. The Access Point would need to be connected to a PC with Device Programmer via ethernet or Wi-Fi. There are two ways to get the serial number into Radio Management: either one can enter them in advance or one can configure Radio Management to automatically add new radios. The radio uses DNS-SD feature to inform the Device Programmer that it is present on the data network (this is not related to ARS).
It is strongly reccomended to remove the above Wi-Fi profile from the working configuration to prevent the radio going onto a rogue Access Point.
Security
The radio security setting should match the type of authentication and encryption used by the Wi-Fi network. The security setting controls the access to the Wi-Fi and the level of privacy between the radio and the Access Point. WPA2 with AES encryption provides sifficient security and is therefore recommended.[2]
It is strongly reccomended to remove the default (SSID:MOTOTRBO) profile from the working configuration to prevent the radio connecting to a rogue Access Point.
Enterprise Wi-Fi[4][2]
WPA/WPA2-Enterprise/802.1x Certificate based Wi-Fi access was added in R2.9.0. This allows MOTOTRBO radios to be deployed on Wi-Fi networks that require WPA-Enterprise based access. A WPA-Enterprise network uses a certificate for authentication, unlike a WPA-PSK network, which uses a password or pre-shared key. It supports the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) for Certificate Management and covers enrollment; renewal and rollover.
New radios will however need to be added via an enrollment Access Point that has been configured with WPA/WPA2 Personal. Once enrollled, the enrollment Access Point is no longer needed.
The following protocols are supported:
- EAP TLS
- PEAP with Phase 2 authentication as TLS, MSCHAPV2
- EAP TTLS with Phase 2 authentication as PAP, CHAP, MSCHAP, MSCHAPV2
- SCEP also supports X.509 v3 certificates; RSA key size of 1024, 2048 and 4096 bits as well as MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 Signature Hash Algorithms.
NTP is also supported but requires an NTP server or connectivity to one of the public time servers such as pool.ntp.org.
Additional Features
Opportunistic Key Caching was added in M2020.01 This feature allows a Wi-Fi enabled radio easily roam across multiple Access Points.[4]
R2.10.0 added the ability to enable or disable Wi-Fi via an over the air radio command. This could be used to turn on Wi-Fi only when the radio is at a depot (or some central location) for a firmware and/or configuration update. Since the Wi-Fi trasciever consumes a small amount of current, turning it off when not needed will improve battery discharge time slightly.
References.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Some notes on OTAP over Wi-Fi. Retrieved 21.07.23
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 68007024085-PA MOTOTRBO System Planner Release M2023.01
- ↑ MOTOTRBO: Zero touch configuration (almost) retrieved 21.07.23
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Enterprise Wi-Fi support on MOTOTRBO retrieved 21.07.2023