3COM 9550, 9150 User Manual

www.3com.com

Part number: 10016853 USER
GUIDE,AIRCONNECT 9550/9150
11N 2.4/5GHZ AP
M/N: WL-605 / WL-604
Published June 2008

3Com® AirConnect®
9550 11n 2.4+5GHz PoE
Access Point

3Com® AirConnect®
9150 11n 2.4GHz PoE
Access Point

User Guide

3Com Corporation 350 Campus Drive Marlborough, MA 01752-3064

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INTRODUCTION

Key Product Features......................................................................... 7

Security ....................................................................................... 7

Performance and Reliability.......................................................... 8

Manageability.............................................................................. 8

Wireless Network Standards ........................................................ 9

802.11a................................................................................. 9

802.11b/g............................................................................ 10

IEEE 802.3af ........................................................................ 11

Installing Your 3com Wireless Access Point................................. 12

CONFIGURING THE WIRELESS ACCESS POINT

Networks with a DHCP Server.......................................................... 13

Networks without a DHCP Server .................................................... 14

Launch the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager (Widman)

utility ......................................................................................... 15

Launching the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager 15

First Time Only ..................................................................... 19

System Status.................................................................................. 19

System Summary ....................................................................... 19

Wireless Station List................................................................... 21

Event Log List............................................................................. 22

System Configuration ...................................................................... 23

Setup Wizard ............................................................................. 23

System Properties....................................................................... 26

Access Point mode ............................................................... 27

Wireless Bridge Mode........................................................... 27

IP Settings.................................................................................. 28

Wireless Network....................................................................... 29

Wireless Mode ..................................................................... 30

Standard Channel ................................................................ 30

Current Profiles .................................................................... 30

SSID ..................................................................................... 32

BSSID ................................................................................... 32

Suppressed SSID................................................................... 32

VLAN ID ............................................................................... 32

Station Separation................................................................ 32

Security................................................................................ 33

WEP..................................................................................... 33

WPA Only............................................................................. 34

WPA2-Only .......................................................................... 35

WPA2-Mixed ........................................................................ 36

Profile (SSID) Isolation .......................................................... 36

WDS Link Settings ..................................................................... 36

WDS Security Settings................................................................ 38

Wireless Advanced Settings ....................................................... 39

Transmit Power .................................................................... 39

Beacon Interval .................................................................... 40

Data Beacon Rate ................................................................ 40

Association Timeout............................................................. 40

Fragment Length ................................................................. 40

RTS/CTS Threshold ............................................................... 40

802.11d support.................................................................. 41

Distance............................................................................... 41

Antenna Type....................................................................... 41

Aggregation Support ........................................................... 41

QoS ..................................................................................... 42

Service............................................................................................. 43

Management VLAN ................................................................... 43

IAPP........................................................................................... 44

802.11F (IAPP) Support ........................................................ 44

Ack-Policy ............................................................................ 46

SNTP.......................................................................................... 48

Syslog Function................................................................................ 50

System Log ................................................................................ 50

Syslog Server.............................................................................. 51

Syslog Port................................................................................. 51

Syslog Level................................................................................ 51

Management................................................................................... 52

Administration ........................................................................... 52

SNMP ........................................................................................ 53

MAC Filtering............................................................................. 54

Rogue AP Detection ................................................................... 55

Backup/ Restore Settings............................................................ 56

Firmware Auto Upgrade............................................................. 57

Firmware Manual Upgrade......................................................... 58

Rebooting.................................................................................. 60

Connecting Through the Com Port .................................................. 61

Restoring Factory Settings................................................................ 62

TROUBLESHOOTING

Diagnosing Problems ....................................................................... 63

OBTAINING SUPPORT FOR YOUR 3COM PRODUCT

Telephone Technical Support and Repair .......................................... 68

END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

APPENDIX

Antennas Used per Mode................................................................ 72

Console Cable Pin-out..................................................................... 74

INDEX

1

INTRODUCTION

The 3Com AirConnect 9550 11n 2.4+5GHz PoE Access Point
and the 3Com AirConnect 9150 11n 2.4GHz PoE Access Point
are high performance access points that allow you to join
isolated wired Ethernet networks into a unified wireless local
area network (WLAN). The Access Point (AP) supports Wi-Fi
Protected Access security standards to provide a higher level of
security for network data and communications. The AP is also
fully compatible with IEEE 802.11a (the 9550 AP only), 802.11b,

802.11g, and 802.11n.

Key Product Features

The product operates using 11a (9550 AP only), 11b, 11g, or 11n
modes. This AP creates an enterprise-class wireless LAN,
supporting up to 64 simultaneous users.

Security

3Com offers one of the most robust suites of standards-based
security on the market today. To protect sensitive data broadcast
over the wireless LAN, 3Com supports Wireless Equivalent
Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2).

8 Key Product Features

3Com strengthens this basic security mechanism with additional
security features, including MAC address access control lists, IEEE

802.1x per-port user authentication with RADIUS server
authentication support, Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP),
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Wireless Protected Access
(WPA) and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) support:
EAP-MD5, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, and PEAP.

Performance and Reliability

3Com wireless access point performance features ensure reliable
and seamless connections for users wherever they roam.
Automatic channel selection automatically finds the least loaded
channel for interference-free communication. Auto network
connect and dynamic rate shifting keep users connected through
a wide variety of conditions by changing to the optimum
connection speed as they move through the network.

Manageability

3Com offers a wide range of standards-based management
support, from SNMP to 3Com Network Supervisor and HP
OpenView for seamless integration with your wired network.

Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager and Wireless LAN Device
Discovery tools let you configure parameters, run diagnostics,
backup and restore configurations, and monitor performance
from anywhere on the network using an embedded web server
browser.

With Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, the same Category 5
cable that connects your access point to the data network also
provides its power. A single cable installation dramatically
improves your choice of mounting configurations because you
no longer need to consider AC power outlet locations. PoE
support makes it easier than ever to overcome installation
problems with difficult-to-wire or hard-to-reach locations.

Wireless Network Standards

Understanding the characteristics of the 802.11a and 802.11g
standards can help you make the best choice for your wireless
implementation plans.

802.11a

Ratified in 2002, 802.11a operates at the 5GHz band and
supports data rates at up to 54Mbps. Because there are fewer
devices in the 5GHz band, there’s less potential for RF
interference. However, because it is at an entirely different radio
spectrum, it is not compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g.

The higher spectrum provides about 50m (164ft) of coverage.
Consider 802.11a when you need high throughput in a confined
space and you are:

■ Running high-bandwidth applications like voice, video, or

multimedia over a wireless network that can benefit from a
five-fold increase in data throughput.

Key Product Features 9

10 Key Product Features

■ Transferring large files like computer-aided design files,

preprint publishing documents or graphics files, such as MRI
scans for medical applications that demand additional
bandwidth.

■ Supporting a dense user base confined to a small coverage

area. Because 802.11a has a greater number of
non-overlapping channels, you can pack more wireless
devices in a tighter space.

802.11b/g

802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n all operate in the 2.4GHz band.

802.11b can support data rate up to 11Mbps. 802.11g can
support data rate up to 54Mbps. 802.11n can support data rate
up to 300Mbps.They all support the widest coverage – up to
100m (328ft). It is however, subject to a greater risk of radio
interference because it operates in the more popular 2.4GHz
band.

Consider 802.11n when you need wider coverage and vendor
compatibility and you are:

■ Maintaining support for existing 802.11b and 802.11g users

and the existing wireless investment while providing for
expansion into 802.11n.

■ Implementing a complete wireless LAN solution, including

Ethernet Adapters, gateways, access points and clients; Wi-Fi
certification guarantees compatibility among vendors.

Key Product Features 11

■ Providing access to hot spots in public spaces such as coffee

shops or university cafeterias.

IEEE 802.3af

The IEEE 802.3af-2003 Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard
defines terminology to describe a port that acts as a power
source (PSE) to a powered device (PD). The IEEE 802.3af standard
states that power may be delivered by an end-point PSE, using
either the active data wires of an Ethernet port or the spare
wires, to a powered device. An end-point PSE, such as a Power
over Ethernet capable Ethernet switch, may implement either
scheme. If a mid-span PSE is used, then the mid-span PSE can
only implement power delivery over the spare pairs of the copper
cabling and cannot be used to deliver PoE over 1000BASE-T
connections. It should be noted that even if a device supports
both methods of providing power, only one mechanism may be
used to deliver power to a powered device.

The first mechanism is to use the data pairs (pins 1, 2 & 3, 6) to
transmit power, which is sometimes referred to as "phantom"
power. The second power delivery mechanism is to use the
unused, from a 10/100BASE-T perspective, pairs (pins 4, 5 & 7,

8) to deliver power that is supported within mid-span power
delivery.

12 Key Product Features

Installing Your 3com Wireless Access Point

To set up and install your 3Com Wireless Access Point, please refer
to the 3Com
3CRWE955075 / WL-605 3Com
PoE Access Point 3CRWE915075 / WL-604 Quick Start Guide (Part
Number 10016854).

®

AirConnect® 9550 11n 2.4+5GHz PoE Access Point

®

AirConnect® 9150 11n 2.4GHz

Networks with a DHCP Server 13

2

CONFIGURING THE WIRELESS ACCESS POINT

If the default AP configuration does not meet your network
requirements, or if you want to customize the settings for your
own network, you can use these tools to change the
configuration:

■ Launch the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager

(Widman) utility

■ Directly connect to the device through its Ethernet port or

console port

Networks with a DHCP Server

If your network has a DHCP server, an IP address is automatically
assigned to the AP. It takes between one and two minutes for
the Access Point to determine if there is a DHCP server on the
network. Use the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager
(Widman) included on the 3Com Installation CD to locate the
Access Point on the network and view its IP address.

14 Networks without a DHCP Server

After you determine the AP’s IP address, you can enter that IP
address into a web browser on a computer on the same subnet to
view the Access Point’s system status or change its configuration.

Networks without a DHCP Server

If your network does not have a DHCP server, the Access Point
uses a factory assigned IP address (169.254.2.111). You can use
that IP address to configure the Access Point, or you can assign a
new IP address to the Access Point.

To verify that the Access Point is using the default IP address
assigned at the factory:

1 Connect a computer directly to the Access Point using the

supplied standard Category 5 UTP Ethernet cable.

2 Enter the Access Point’s default IP address (169.254.2.111)

into the computer’s web browser. If the Configuration
Management System starts, the Access Point is using the
factory assigned IP address. You can configure the Access
Point with the following login information:

■ Login name: admin

■ Password: password

If the Configuration Management System does not start, the
Access Point is on a different subnet than the computer. Install
and start the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager to
discover the Access Point’s IP address.

Networks without a DHCP Server 15

Launch the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager (Widman) utility

1 Turn on the computer.

2 Insert the 3Com Installation CD into the CD-ROM drive.

The CD will Autorun. If it does not Autorun, you can start the
setup menu from the Windows Start menu. For example: Start >

Run > d\:setup.exe.

3 In the menu click Tools and Utilities.

4 In the next screen, click the software you want to install.

5 Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation.

Reboot the computer if prompted to do so.

Launching the 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager

To be able to configure the Access Point you need to run the
Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager. Go to Start > Programs

> 3Com Wireless > Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager

16 Networks without a DHCP Server

If the device is working correctly the following screen should be
seen.

Figure 1 3Com Wireless Infrastructure Device Manager

Networks without a DHCP Server 17

Click on the Properties button to see the following screen:

Figure 2 Wireless Infrastructure Device Properties

18 Networks without a DHCP Server

Directly connect to the device through its Ethernet port or console
port.

Follow the instructions below to log into the AP Configuration
screen:

1 Load a web browser and enter http://169.254.2.111

2 The Log On screen appears

Figure 3 Logon Screen

To log on to the Web interface:

1 Username, type admin (case sensitive)

2 Password, type password

3 Click Log On.

First Time Only

After you have logged on for the first time you will be asked to
select your country from the drop down menu.

Figure 4 Country Selection

System Status

The Web interface has been designed to enable you to easily
perform advanced configuration tasks and view information
about the AP.

System Summary

After you click Log On from the Log On Screen, you’ll see the
system status page on the screen. The System summary page is
the default page that will pop up once you successfully log on.

System Status 19

20 System Status

The system summary page shows all the configuration
information about your AP, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5 System Summary

Wireless Station List

Through the Wireless Station List page, you can easily identify
the adjacent wireless stations. It will automatically observe the
adjacent wireless station’s ID (if specified), MAC address, SSID
and current status.

Figure 6 Wireless Station List

System Status 21