Equaline N305213A Users Manual

802.11n Modular WLAN
Access Point

User Guide

i

Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pur­suant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiated ra­dio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or tel­evision reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encour­aged to try to correct the interference by one of the following measures:

z Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

z Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

z Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is

connected.

z Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

FCC Caution: To assure continued compliance, (example – use only shielded interface cables when
connecting to computer or peripheral devices). Any changes or modifications not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or trans­mitter.

FCC Radiation Exposure Statement

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environ­ment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 20 cm between the ra­diator & your body.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two condi­tions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any inter­ference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

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R&TTE Compliance Statement

This equipment complies with all the requirements of DIRECTIVE 1999/5/CE OF THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunication
terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (R&TTE).

The R&TTE Directive repeals and replaces in the directive 98/13/EEC (Telecommunications Termi­nal Equipment and Satellite Earth Station Equipment) as of April 8,2000.

Safety

This equipment is designed with the utmost care for the safety of those who install and use it. How­ever, special attention must be paid to the dangers of electric shock and static electricity when work­ing with electrical equipment. All guidelines of this and of the computer manufacture must therefore
be allowed at all times to ensure the safe use of the equipment.

EU Countries Intended for Use

The ETSI version of this device is intended for home and office use in Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Finland, France (with Frequency channel restrictions), Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom.

The ETSI version of this device is also authorized for use in EFTA member states Norway and Swit­zerland.

EU Countries Not Intended for Use

None.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................1

1.1. Overview...................................................................................................................1

1.2. Features.................................................................................................................... 1

1.3. LED Definitions......................................................................................................... 3

2. First-Time Installation and Configuration............................................................................ 4

2.1. Power........................................................................................................................ 4

2.2. Installing the Access Point........................................................................................ 4

2.3. Connecting a Managing Computer...........................................................................5

2.4. Configuring the AP.................................................................................................... 6

2.4.1. Login............................................................................................................... 6

2.4.2. Selecting Mode............................................................................................... 7

2.4.3. Configuring TCP/IP Settings........................................................................... 8

2.4.4. Configure IEEE 802.11 Settings..................................................................... 9

2.4.5. Review and Apply Settings........................................................................... 10

2.5. Setting up Client Computers................................................................................... 11

2.5.1. Configure IEEE 802.11 Settings................................................................... 11

2.5.2. Configure TCP/IP-Related Settings.............................................................. 11

2.6. Confirm Settings of the Access Point and Client Computers.................................. 12

2.6.1. Checking if the IEEE 802.11n-Related Settings Work.................................. 12

2.6.2. Checking if the TCP/IP-Related Settings Work............................................ 12

3. Advanced Network Management...................................................................................... 12

3.1. Overview................................................................................................................. 13

3.1.1. Menu Structure.............................................................................................13

3.1.2. Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel Commands............................................ 14

3.1.3. Home and Refresh Commands....................................................................15

3.2. Viewing Status........................................................................................................ 15

3.2.1. Associated Wireless Clients......................................................................... 15

3.2.2. Current DHCP Mappings.............................................................................. 16

3.2.3. System Log................................................................................................... 16

3.2.4. Link Monitor.................................................................................................. 17

3.3. General Operations ................................................................................................17

3.3.1. Specifying Operational Mode .......................................................................17

3.3.2. Changing Password .....................................................................................18

3.3.3. Managing Firmware...................................................................................... 19

3.3.3.1. Upgrading Firmware by HTTP............................................................ 19

3.3.3.2. Backing up and Restoring Configuration Settings by HTTP............... 19

3.3.3.3. Upgrading Firmware by TFTP............................................................20

3.3.3.4. Backing up and Restoring Configuration Settings by TFTP...............22

3.3.3.5. Resetting Configuration to Factory Defaults....................................... 23

3.4. Configuring TCP/IP Related Settings .....................................................................23

3.4.1. Addressing.................................................................................................... 23

3.4.2. DHCP Server................................................................................................ 24

3.4.2.1. Basic................................................................................................... 24

3.4.2.2. Static DHCP Mappings....................................................................... 24

3.5. Configuring IEEE 802.11 Related Settings............................................................. 25

3.5.1. Communication............................................................................................. 25

3.5.1.1. Basic................................................................................................... 25

3.5.1.2. Link Integrity....................................................................................... 26

3.5.1.3. Association Control ............................................................................26

3.5.1.4. Load Balancing................................................................................... 26

3.5.1.5. Wireless Distribution System.............................................................. 26

3.5.2. Security......................................................................................................... 29

3.5.2.1. Selecting Wireless Security Mode...................................................... 30

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3.5.2.2. MAC-Address-Based Access Control ................................................31

3.5.3. IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS...................................................................................33

3.6. Advanced Settings.................................................................................................. 35

3.6.1. Packet Filters................................................................................................ 35

3.6.1.1. Ethernet Type Filters..........................................................................35

3.6.1.2. IP Protocol Filters...............................................................................35

3.6.1.3. TCP/UDP Port Filters ......................................................................... 36

3.6.2. Management................................................................................................. 36

3.6.2.1. UPnP.................................................................................................. 36

3.6.2.2. System Log ........................................................................................37

3.6.2.3. SNMP.................................................................................................37

Appendix A: Default Settings................................................................................................ 39

Appendix B: Troubleshooting................................................................................................ 40

B-1: Wireless Settings Problems................................................................................... 40

B-2: TCP/IP Settings Problems .....................................................................................41

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1. Introduction

1.1. Overview

The Access Point modular WLAN access point (AP) enables 802.11n or 802.11g client computers to
access the resources on an Ethernet network wirelessly or wired. It conveniently fits into standard
wall outlets and only takes a few minutes to install and configure for use. The Access Poi nt has a
built-in browser-based management application offering an easy to follow setup-wizard for novice
wireless users as well as comprehensive settings for more advanced users and/or network administra­tors.

1.2. Features

z Access Point Firmware Features

 Operational Modes

 AP/Bridge. This mode provides both Access Point and Static LAN-to-LAN Bridg-

ing functionality. The static LAN-to-LAN bridging function is supported through
Wireless Distribution System (WDS).

 AP Client. This mode is for Dynamic LAN-to-LAN Bridging. The AP Client auto-

matically establishes bridge links with APs from any vendor.

 RF Type Selection.

IEEE 802.11n only, IEEE 802.11g only, IEEE 802.11g only, or mixed mode (802.11n,

802.11g and 802.11b simultaneously).

 64-bit and 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy).

encryption.

 Enabling/Disabling SSID Broadcasts.

the administrator can enable or disable the SSID broadcasts functionality for security rea­sons. When the SSID broadcast functionality is disabled, a client computer cannot connect
to the Access Point with “blank” network name (SSID, Service Set ID); the correct SSID
has to be specified on client computers.

 MAC-address-based Access Control.

it can be configured to block unauthorized wireless client computers based on MAC (Me­dia Access Control) addresses. Additionally, an ACL (Access Control List) can be down­loaded from a TFTP server.

The RF type of the WLAN interface can be configured to work in

For authentication and data

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode,

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode,

 IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS.

ured to authenticate wireless users and distribute encryption keys dynamically by IEEE

802.1x Port-Based Network Access Control and RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In
User Service).

 WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access).

posed by the Wi-Fi Alliance (http://www.wi-fi.org
mode and full WPA mode are supported. WPA is composed of TKIP (Temporal Key In­tegrity Protocol) and IEEE 802.1x and serves as a successor to WEP for better WLAN se­curity.

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode, it can be config-

The Access Point supports the WPA standard pro-

). Both WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key)

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 Repeater. When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode, it can communicate with other

APs or wireless bridges via WDS (Wireless Distribution System). Therefore, a Access
Point can wirelessly forward packets from wireless clients to another Access Point. Then
the second Access Point forwards the packets to the Ethernet network.

 Wireless Client Isolation.

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode, wire­less-to-wireless traffic can be blocked so that the wireless clients cannot see each other.
This capability can be used in hotspots applications to prevent wireless hackers from at­tacking other wireless users’ computers.

 AP Load Balancing.

Several Access Point’s can form a load-balancing group. Within a
group, wireless client associations and traffic load can be shared among the devices. This
function is available when the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode.

 Transmit Power Control.

Transmit power of the Access Point’s RF module can be ad-

justed to desired RF coverage.

 Link Integrity.

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode and its Ethernet LAN inter-

face is detected to be disconnected from the wired network, all currently associated wire­less clients are disassociated by the Access Point and no wireless client can associate with
it.

 Association Control.

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode, it can be config­ured to deny association requests when it has served too many wireless clients or traffic
load is too heavy.

 Associated Wireless Clients Status.

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode, it

can show the status of all wireless clients that are currently associated or ‘connected’.

 Auto Channel Selection.

The auto channel selection feature allows the device to auto-

matically select the channel that will provide optimum performance on powering up the
Access Point.

z DHCP client. The Access Point can automatically obtain an IP address from a DHCP server.
z DHCP server. The Access Point can automatically assign IP addresses to computers or other

devices by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).

 Static DHCP Mappings.

The administrator can specify static IP address to MAC ad-

dress mappings so that IP addresses are always assigned to the hosts with the specified
MAC addresses.

 Showing Current DHCP Mappings.

Displays which IP address is assigned to which

host identified by an MAC address.

z Packet Filtering. The Access Point provides Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 filtering capabili-

ties.

z Firmware Management Tools

 Firmware Upgrade.

The firmware of the Access Point can be upgraded in the following

methods:

 TFTP-based. Upgrading firmware by TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol).

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 HTTP-based. Upgrading firmware by HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

 Configuration Backup.

to a file via TFTP

 Configuration Reset.

tory-default values.

z Management

 Browser-based Network Manager

via a Web browser. The management protocol is HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Proto­col)-based.

 SNMP.

IEEE 802.1x, and Private Enterprise MIB are supported.

 UPnP.

user can locate the Access Point in My Network Places and use a Web browser to config­ure it.

 System Log.

 Local log. System events are logged to the on-board RAM of the Access Point and

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) MIB I, MIB II, IEEE 802.1d,

The Access Point responds to UPnP discovery messages so that a Windows XP

can be viewed using a Web browser.

or HTTP for later restoring.

For system operational status monitoring.

The configuration settings of the Access Point can be backed up

Clears current configuration settings and restores to fac-

for configuring and monitoring the Access Point

 Remote log by SNMP trap. Systems events are sent in the form of SNMP traps to

a remote SNMP management server.

z Power over Ethernet. Power is supplied to the Access Point via an Ethernet cable using an

802.3af compliant power injector.

z Hardware Watchdog Timer. If the firmware “hangs” in an invalid state, the hardware

watchdog timer will detect this situation and restart the Access Point. This way, the Access Point
can provide continuous services.

1.3. LED Definitions

There are several LED indicators on the front of the Access Point. Please refer to the definitions be­low:

C

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A. WAN: Green, solid when connected, flashing when data activity
B. Wireless: Green, solid when on, flashing when wireless data activity
C. RJ-45 LAN port

 Amber, solid when LAN connection
 Green, solid when LAN connection, flashing when activity

2. First-Time Installation and Configuration

2.1. Power

The Access Point is powered using PoE (Power over Ethernet). The Access Point automatically se­lects the suitable power supply.

To power the AP by PoE:

1. Plug one connector of an Ethernet cable to an available port of a PoE injector or switch.

2. Plug the other connector of the Ethernet cable to the WAN port on the rear of the Access Point.

NOTE: The Access Point is 802.3af compatible.

2.2. Installing the Access Point

The Access Point has two options for installation: desktop/flat surface or into a standard Ethernet wall
jack.

Desktop or flat surface:

1. Remove the Access Point from the box and snap apart the two pieces of the screw less faceplate

that are affixed to the Access Point.

2. Place the Access Point in desired location upon the desk or flat surface.

3. Using the single-port PoE Injector, connect one end of an Ethernet LAN cable from a LAN port

on the network router or switch and the opposite end to the port marked “Data In”. Use another
Ethernet LAN cable to connect the port marked “Data Out” to the WAN port (on rear) of the
Access Point.

4. Plug the single-port PoE power cord into an electrical outlet.

5. Check the LED indication lights. Two LEDs (WAN, Wireless) should be properly lit.

Ethernet Wall Jack:

1. Remove the Ethernet wall jack faceplate.

2. Plug the wall jack LAN cable to the WAN port, the rear port, of the main housing of Access Point.

All two green LEDs on the Access Point should be lit if properly connected to a router/switch and
PoE power supply. If “yes”, proceed to step 3.

3. Slowly insert the Access Point into the wall box until the main housing of Access Point is flush to

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the wall.

4. Fasten the Access Point main housing to the wall box with screws provided.

5. Line-up and push the faceplate cover onto the main housing until it snaps securely into place.

2.3. Connecting a Managing Computer

To configure the Access Point using the Advanced option, a managing computer with a Web browser
is needed.

NOTE: If you are using the browser, Opera, to configure the Access Point, click the menu item File,

click Preferences..., click File types, and edit the MIME type, text/html, to add a file extension
“.sht” so that Opera can work properly with the Web management pages of the AP.

Since the configuration/management protocol is HTTP-based, make sure that the IP address of the
managing computer and the IP address of the managed AP are in the same IP subnet (the default
IP address of the Access Point is Obtain from DHCP Server).

NOTE: When the AP failed to obtain IP from DHCP Server, after 3 attempts, the AP will set the de-

fault IP to 192.168.100.1.

To connect the Ethernet managing computer and the managed Access Point for first-time configura­tion, you have two choices as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Connecting a managing computer and the Access Point via Ethernet

You can use either a standard Ethernet cable (included in the package) or a switch/hub with two nor­mal Ethernet cables.

NOTE: One connector of the Ethernet cable must be plugged into the Access Point WAN port for

configuration.

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2.4. Configuring the AP

After the IP addressing issue is resolved, launch a Web browser on the managing computer. Then, go
to “http://AP IP to access the Web-based Network Manager login page.

TIP: The Access Point can be reached by its host name using a Web browser. For example, if the Ac-

cess Point is named “AP”, you can use the URL “http://AP” to access.

2.4.1. Login

Before the Home page is shown, you will be prompted to enter the user name and password to gain
the right to access the Web-based Network Manager. For first-time configuration, use the default user
name “admin” and default password “admin”, respectively.

Fig. 2. The Login page

NOTE: It is strongly recommended that the password be changed for security reasons. On the start

page, click the General, Password link to change the value of the password (see Section 3.3.1 for
more information).

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Once you have successfully logged in, the Home page opens. Click on the main manual on left hand
side for Setup.

Fig. 3. The Home page

2.4.2. Selecting Mode

The Access Point supports two operational modes:

 AP/Bridge. This mode provides both Access Point and Static LAN-to-LAN Bridging

functionality. The static LAN-to-LAN bridging function is supported through Wireless
Distribution System (WDS).

 AP Client. This mode is for Dynamic LAN-to-LAN Bridging. The AP Client automati-

cally establishes bridge links with APs from any vendors.

Fig. 4. Operational mode settings

1. Click on General from the side menu, and then select Operational Mode.

2. Select an operational mode and click Save to apply the setting.

In either mode, the Access Point forwards packets between its Ethernet interface and wireless inter­face for wired hosts on the Ethernet side and wireless host(s) on the wireless side.

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There are two types of wireless links as specified by the IEEE 802.11 standard.

 STA-AP. This type of wireless link is established between an IEEE 802.11 Station (STA)

and an IEEE 802.11 Access Point (AP). An STA is usually a client computer (PC or PDA)
with a WLAN network interface card (NIC). The AP Client mode is actually an STA.

 WDS. This type of wireless link is established between two IEEE 802.11 Access Point’s.

Wireless packets transmitted along the WDS link comply with the IEEE 802.11 WDS
(Wireless Distribution System) format at the link layer.

The relationships among the operational modes and the wireless link types are shown in the following
table:

AP/Bridge AP Client

AP/Bridge

AP Client

Table 1. Operational modes vs. wireless link types.

To establish a static bridge link based on WDS, the AP/bridges at both end of the WDS link must be
manually configured with each other’s MAC addresses (see Section 3.5.1.5 for more information). To
establish a dynamic bridge link between an Access Point and an AP Client, both devices have to be
configured with the same SSID and WEP settings. The AP Client automatically scans for any Access
Point that is using the matched SSID and establishes a bridge link with the scanned Access Point.

NOTE: Although it’s more convenient to use dynamic bridging, it has a limitation—the AP Client

only can forward TCP/IP packets between its wireless interface and Ethernet interface; other type of
traffic (such as IPX and AppleTalk) is not forwarded.

TIP: When the Access Point is configured to be in AP Client, it can be used as an Ether-

net-to-wireless network adapter. For example, a notebook computer equipped with an Ethernet adap­ter can be connected to this device with a crossover Ethernet cable for wireless connectivity to another
access point.

WDS STA-AP

STA-AP

2.4.3. Configuring TCP/IP Settings

The IP address can be manually set or automatically assigned by a DHCP server on the LAN. If you
are manually setting the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway settings, set them appropri-
ately, so that they comply with your LAN environment. In addition, you can specify the Host name
and Domain (DNS suffix) of the AP.

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Fig. 5. TCP/IP settings.

1. Click on TCP/IP from the side menu and select Addressing.

2. When you have finished making changes, click Save or Save & Restart.

2.4.4. Configure IEEE 802.11 Settings

The Network Manager utility allows the user to configure IEEE 802.11n-related communication set­tings, including Regulatory domain, Channel number, and Network name (SSID) of the Access
Point. The number of available RF channels depends on local regulations; therefore you have to
choose an appropriate regulatory domain to comply with local regulations. The SSID of a wireless

client computer and the SSID of the Access Point must be identical for them to communicate
with each other.

NOTE: Put a check in the Auto Channel Selection checkbox to allow the Frequency Channel of

the Access Point to be automatically set.

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Fig. 6. IEEE 802.11n communication settings

1. Click on IEEE 802.11 from the side menu, and then select Communication.

2. When you have finished, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click either Save or Save &

Restart.

2.4.5. Review and Apply Settings

On the Summary page, you can review all the settings you have made. Changes are highlighted in red.
If they are OK, click Restart to restart the Access Point for the new settings to take effect.

Fig. 7. Settings changes are highlighted in red.

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TIP: Since the Home page shows the current settings and status of the AP, it can be saved or printed

within the Web browser for future reference.

NOTE: Allow 7 seconds for the Access Point to complete its restart process.

2.5. Setting up Client Computers

The TCP/IP and IEEE 802.11n-related settings of wireless client computers must match those of the
Access Point in order for a wireless link to be established.

2.5.1. Configure IEEE 802.11 Settings

Before the TCP/IP networking system of a wireless client computer can communicate with other hosts,
the underlying wireless link must be established between a wireless-enabled computer and the Access
Point.

To establish a wireless link:

Launch the configuration/monitoring utility provided by the vendor of the installed wireless adapter

OR

Use the automatic wireless network connection feature in Windows XP.

NOTE: A wireless client computer must be in infrastructure mode, so that it can associate with an

AP.

NOTE: The SSID of the wireless client computer and the SSID of the Access Point must be identical.

Or, in case the SSID broadcasts capability of the Access Point is enabled (by default), the SSID of
the wireless client computer could be set to “any”.

NOTE: Both the wireless client computer and the Access Point must have the same WEP settings for

them to communicate with each other.

NOTE: For better wireless security, IEEE 802.1x capability of the Access Point must be enabled so

that only authenticated wireless users can access the wireless network.

2.5.2. Configure TCP/IP-Related Settings

Use Windows Network Control Panel Applet to change the TCP/IP settings of the client computers,
so that the IP addresses of the client computers and the IP address of the Access Point are in the same
IP subnet.

If a client computer is originally set a static IP address, you can either change its IP address to match
the IP address of the AP, or select an automatically-obtain-an-IP-address option if there is a DHCP
server on the network.

NOTE: For some versions of Windows, the computer needs to be restarted for the changes of TCP/IP

settings to take effect.

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2.6. Confirm Settings of the Access Point and Client
Computers

After configuring the Access Point and setting up client computers, it is recommended that all settings
are checked and confirmed.

2.6.1. Checking if the IEEE 802.11n-Related Settings Work

To check if a wireless client computer can associate with the AP:

1. Launch the configuration/monitoring utility provided by the vendor of the installed WLAN NIC.

2. Check if the client computer is associated to an access point, and the access point is the Access

Point.

If the check fails, see Appendix B-1, “Wireless Settings Problems” for troubleshooting.

2.6.2. Checking if the TCP/IP-Related Settings Work

To check if a client computer can access the Internet:

1. Open a Windows Command Prompt window on the client computer.

2. Type “ping advap”, where advap is a placeholder for the IP address of the AP. Replace it with

your real IP address—for example, 192.168.0.1. Then press Enter.

If the Access Point responds, go to the next step; else, see Appendix B-2, “TCP/IP Settings
Problems” for troubleshooting.

3. Type “ping default_gateway”, where default_gateway is a placeholder for the IP address of the

default gateway of the wireless client computer. Then press Enter.

If the gateway responds, go to the next step; else, see Appendix B-2, “TCP/IP Settings Prob­lems” for troubleshooting.

4. Type “ping 1st_dns_server”, where 1st_dns_server is a placeholder for the IP address of the

primary DNS server of the wireless client computer. Then press Enter.

If this DNS server responds, go to the next step; else, see Appendix B-2, “TCP/IP Settings
Problems” for troubleshooting.

5. Type “ping 2nd_dns_server”, where 2nd_dns_server is a placeholder for the IP address of the

secondary DNS server of the wireless client computer. Then press Enter.

If this DNS server responds the client should have no problem with TCP/IP networking; else,
see Appendix B-2, “TCP/IP Settings Problems” for troubleshooting.

3. Advanced Network Management

This section covers the options and settings available in the ‘Advanced’ mode of the Web-based
Network Manager utility.

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3.1. Overview

To enter, simply click on the “Advanced” option on the Home page after login.

Fig. 8. The Summary page

3.1.1. Menu Structure

The left side of the screen contains a menu for you to carry out commands. Here is a brief description
of the menu options:

z Home. Click this tab to return to the Home page.
z Summary. Click this tab to view a screen with at-a-glance status information.
z Status. Click this tab to access the following settings:

 Wireless Clients. The status of the wireless clients currently associated with the AP.
 DHCP Mappings. Current IP-MAC address mappings of the built-in DHCP server.
 System Log. System events log.
 Link Monitor. When the Access Point is in AP Client mode, this page shows the signal

strength and link quality of the wireless link to its associated access point.

z General. Click this tab to access the following settings:

 Operational Mode. Operational mode of the Access Point —AP/Bridge or AP Client.
 Password. Modify the login settings.
 Firmware Tools. For upgrading the firmware of the Access Point, backing up and re-

storing configuration, and configuration reset settings of the Access Point.

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z TCP/IP. Click this tab to access the following settings:

 Addressing. Modify IP address settings of the Access Point.
 DHCP Server. Modify settings for the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

server.

z IEEE 802.11. Click this tab to access the following settings:

 Communication. Modify basic IEEE 802.11n/b/g settings of the Access Point to work

properly with wireless clients.

 Security. Modify security settings for authenticating wireless users and encrypting wire-

less data.

 IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS. Modify IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Network Access Control and

RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) security settings.

z Advanced. Advanced settings of the Access Point.

 Packet Filters. Ethernet Type Filters, IP Protocol Filters, and TCP/UDP Port Filters set-

tings.

 Management. Modify UPnP, System Log, and SNMP settings.

3.1.2. Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel Commands

At the bottom of each page that contains settings you can configure, there are up to three but­tons—Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel. Clicking Save stores the settings changes to the memory of
the Access Point and brings you back to the Summary page. Clicking Save & Restart stores the set-
tings changes to the memory of the Access Point and restarts the Access Point immediately for the
settings changes to take effect. Clicking Cancel discards any settings changes and brings you back to
the start page.

Fig. 9. Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel.

If you click Save, the start page will reflect the fact that the configuration settings have been changed
by showing two buttons—Restart and Cancel. In addition, changes are highlighted in red. Clicking
Cancel discards all the changes. Clicking Restart restarts the Access Point for the settings changes to
take effect.

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Fig. 10. Settings have been changed.

3.1.3. Home and Refresh Commands

At the bottom of a status page, there are two buttons—Home and Refresh. Clicking Home brings you
back to the Summary page. Clicking Refresh updates the shown status information.

Fig. 11. Home and Refresh buttons

3.2. Viewing Status

3.2.1. Associated Wireless Clients

On this page, the status information of each associated client, including its MAC address, IP address,
user name (if the client has been IEEE 802.1x authenticated), number of bytes it has sent, number of
bytes it has received, and the time of its last activity, is shown.

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Fig. 12. Status of associated wireless clients

3.2.2. Current DHCP Mappings

On this screen, all the current static or dynamic DHCP mappings are shown. A DHCP mapping is a
correspondence relationship between an IP address assigned by the DHCP server and a computer or
device that obtains the IP address. A computer or device that acts as a DHCP client is identified by its
MAC address.

Fig. 13. Current DHCP mappings

A static mapping indicates that the DHCP client always obtains the specified IP address from the
DHCP server. You can set static DHCP mappings in the Static DHCP Mappings section of the
DHCP Server configuration page (see Section 3.4.2). A dynamic mapping indicates that the DHCP
server chooses an IP address from the IP address pool specified by the First allocateable IP address
and Allocateable IP address count settings on the DHCP Server configuration page.

3.2.3. System Log

System events are recorded in the memory of the Access Point. The logged information is useful for
troubleshooting purposes. See Section 3.6.2.2 for more information.

16

Fig. 14. System log

3.2.4. Link Monitor

When the Access Point is in AP Client mode, use the Link Monitor feature to monitor the link quality
and signal strength of the connection. Larger values mean better wireless connectivity to the Access
Point.

Fig. 15. Link monitor

NOTE: The values are updated every 20 seconds.

3.3. General Operations

3.3.1. Specifying Operational Mode

Fig. 16. Operational mode settings

The Access Point supports two operational modes:

 AP/Bridge. This mode provides both Access Point and Static LAN-to-LAN Bridging

functionality. The static LAN-to-LAN bridging function is supported through Wireless
Distribution System (WDS).

 AP Client. This mode is for Dynamic LAN-to-LAN Bridging. The AP Client automati-

cally establishes bridge links with APs from any vendors.

17

In either mode, the Access Point forwards packets between its Ethernet interface and wireless inter­face for wired hosts on the Ethernet side and wireless host(s) on the wireless side.

There are 2 types of wireless links as specified by the IEEE 802.11 standard.

 STA-AP. This type of wireless link is established between an IEEE 802.11 Station (STA)

and an IEEE 802.11 Access Point (AP). An STA is usually a client computer (PC or PDA)
with a WLAN network interface card (NIC). The AP Client mode is actually an STA.

 WDS. This type of wireless link is established between two IEEE 802.11 Access Point’s.

Wireless packets transmitted along the WDS link comply with the IEEE 802.11 WDS
(Wireless Distribution System) format at the link layer.

The relationships among the operational modes and the wireless link types are shown in the following
table:

AP/Bridge AP Client

AP/Bridge

AP Client

Table 2. Operational modes vs. wireless link types

To establish a static bridge link based on WDS, the AP/bridges at both end of the WDS link must be
manually configured with each other’s MAC addresses (see Section 3.5.1.5 for more information). To
establish a dynamic bridge link between a Access Point and an AP Client, both devices have to be
configured with the same SSID and WEP settings. The AP Client automatically scans for any Access
Point that is using the matched SSID and establishes a bridge link with the scanned Access Point.

NOTE: Although it’s more convenient to use dynamic bridging, it has a limitation—the AP Client

only can forward TCP/IP packets between its wireless interface and Ethernet interface; other type of
traffic (such as IPX and AppleTalk) is not forwarded.

TIP: When the Access Point is configured to be in AP Client, it can be used as an Ether-

net-to-wireless network adapter. For example, a notebook computer equipped with an Ethernet adap­ter can be connected to this device with a crossover Ethernet cable for wireless connectivity to another
access point.

WDS STA-AP

STA-AP

3.3.2. Changing Password

On this screen, the user name and password may be changed. The new password must be typed twice
for confirmation.

Fig. 17. Password

.

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3.3.3. Managing Firmware

Firmware management operations for the Access Point include firmware upgrade, configuration
backup, configuration restore, and configuration reset. Firmware upgrade, configuration backup, and

configuration restore can be achieved via HTTP or TFTP.

Fig. 18. Firmware management protocol setting

The HTTP method is suggested since it is more user friendly. However, due to different behavior of
various Web browsers, HTTP-based firmware management operations may not work properly with
some Web browsers. If you cannot successfully perform HTTP-based firmware management opera­tions with your Web browser, try the TFTP-method.

3.3.3.1. Upgrading Firmware by HTTP

Fig. 19. Firmware upgrade by HTTP

To upgrade firmware of the Access Point by HTTP:

1. Click Browse and then select a correct firmware .bin file. The firmware file path will be shown

in the Firmware file name text box.

2. Click Upgrade to begin the upgrade process.

3.3.3.2. Backing up and Restoring Configuration Settings by HTTP

Fig. 20. Firmware backup by HTTP

To back up configuration of the Access Point by HTTP:

1. Click Back Up.

2. You’ll be prompted to open or save the configuration file. Click Save.

3. The configuration file is named by the Access Point’s MAC address. For example, if the Access

Point’s MAC address is 00-01-02-33-44-55, the configuration backup file should be
“000102334455.hex”. Don’t change the configuration file name in the Save As dialog box. Se­lect a folder in which the configuration file is to be stored. And then, click Save.

NOTE: The procedure may be a little different with different Web browsers.

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Fig. 21. Configuration restore by HTTP

To restore configuration of the Access Point by HTTP:

1. Click Browse and then select a correct configuration .hex file. You have to make sure the file

name is the AP’s MAC address. The firmware file path will be shown in the Firmware file
name text box.

2. Click Restore to upload the configuration file to the Access Point

3.3.3.3. Upgrading Firmware by TFTP

To configure settings for the Access Point’s TFTP client to communicate with a TFTP server, select
TFTP as the firmware management protocol.

Fig. 22. TFTP server settings.

. If the TFTP client does not get a response from the TFTP server within a period specified by the
Timeout setting, it will resend the previous request. The Max number of retries setting specifies the
maximal number of resend before the TFTP client stops communicating with the TFTP server.

Fig. 23. Firmware upgrade by TFTP

To upgrade firmware of the Access Point by TFTP:

1. Get a computer that will be used as a TFTP server and as a managing computer to trigger the

upgrade process.

2. Connect the computer and one of the LAN Ethernet switch port with a normal Ethernet cable.

3. Configure IP address of the computer so that the Access Point and the computer are in the same

IP subnet.

4. On the computer, run the TFTP Server utility. And specify the folder in which the firmware files

reside.

5. On the computer, run a Web browser and click the General, Firmware Tools hyperlink.

6. Choose TFTP as the Firmware management protocol.

7. Specify the IP address of the computer, which acts as a TFTP server. If you don’t know the IP

20

address of the computer, open a Command Prompt, and type IpConfig, then press the Enter key.

8. Trigger the firmware upgrade process by clicking Upgrade.

Fig. 24. TFTP Server.

NOTE: After the dialog box of the TFTP server program appears, be sure to specify the working

folder within which the downloaded firmware files reside.

NOTE: Make sure the Accept read requests check box of TFTP Server is selected.
NOTE: The LAN IP address of the Access Point and the IP address of the TFTP server must be in the

same IP subnet for TFTP to work.

NOTE: Due to the unreliable nature of wireless media, it’s highly recommended that the TFTP server

and the to-be-upgraded wireless Access Point be connected by Ethernet, and on the same LAN, so
that the upgrade process would be smooth.

NOTE: After the firmware is upgraded, be sure to delete the contents of the Web browser cache, so

that the Web management pages can be shown correctly.

NOTE: A failed upgrade may corrupt the firmware and make the Access Point unbootable. When this

occurs, call for technical support.

TIP: If you want to remotely upgrade the firmware of a deployed Access Point from the Internet, ad-

just the Timeout and Max no. of retries settings of TFTP Server for remote TFTP upgrade to suc­ceed.

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3.3.3.4. Backing up and Restoring Configuration Settings by TFTP

Fig. 25. Configuration backup/restore

To back up configuration of the Access Point by TFTP:

1. Get a computer that will be used as a TFTP server and as a managing computer to trigger the

backup process.

2. Connect the computer and one of the LAN Ethernet switch port with a normal Ethernet cable.

3. Configure the IP address of the computer so that the computer and the Access Point are in the

same IP subnet.

4. On the computer, run the TFTP Server utility. Select the Accept write requests check box, and

specify the folder to which the configuration settings of the Access Point will be saved.

5. On the computer, run a Web browser and click the General, Firmware Tools hyperlink.

6. Choose TFTP as the Firmware management protocol.

7. Within the Configuration Backup/Restore section, specify the IP address of the computer,

which acts as a TFTP server. If you don’t know the IP address of the computer, open a Com­mand Prompt, and type IpConfig, then press the Enter key.

8. Trigger the backup process by clicking Back Up. The Access Point’s configuration settings will

be saved as “AaBbCcDdEeFf.hex” by the TFTP server, where “AaBbCcDdEeFf” is the AP’s
MAC address. For example, if the AP’s MAC address is 00-01-02-33-44-55, the configuration
backup file will be “000102334455.hex”.

NOTE: Remember to select the Accept write requests check box of TFTP Server.

To restore configuration of the Access Point by TFTP:

1. Get a computer that will be used as a TFTP server and as a managing computer to trigger the

restoring process.

2. Connect the computer and one of the LAN Ethernet switch port with a normal Ethernet cable.

3. Configure the IP address of the computer so that the computer and the Access Point are in the

same IP subnet.

4. On the computer, run the TFTP Server utility. And specify the folder in which the configuration

backup file resides. A configuration backup file is named by the AP’s MAC address. For exam­ple, if the AP’s MAC address is 00-01-02-33-44-55, the configuration backup file should be
“000102334455.hex”.

5. On the computer, run a Web browser and click the General, Firmware Tools hyperlink.

6. Choose TFTP as the Firmware management protocol.

22

7. Within the Configuration Backup/Restore section, specify the IP address of the computer,

which acts as a TFTP server. If you don’t know the IP address of the computer, open a Com­mand Prompt, and type IpConfig, then press the Enter key.

8. Trigger the restoring process by clicking Restore. The Access Point will then download the

configuration backup file from the TFTP server.

NOTE: Make sure the file is a valid configuration backup file for the Access Point.
TIP: If you want to remotely back up or restore configuration from the Internet, adjust the Timeout

and Max no. of retries settings of TFTP Server for remote TFTP configuration backup/restore to
succeed.

3.3.3.5. Resetting Configuration to Factory Defaults

Clicking the Reset button resets the device configuration to factory defaults.

Fig. 26. Configuration reset

WARNING: Think twice before using the Reset button, as all yo ur current conf igur ation settin gs will

be removed.

3.4. Configuring TCP/IP Related Settings

3.4.1. Addressing

The IP address of the Access Point can be manually set (Set Manually) or automatically assigned by
a DHCP server on the LAN (Obtain from a DHCP Server). If you are manually setting the IP ad-
dress, Subnet mask, and Default gateway settings, set them appropriately, so that they comply with
your LAN environment. In addition, you can specify the Host name and Domain (DNS suffix) of the
Access Point.

Fig. 27. TCP/IP settings

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3.4.2. DHCP Server

3.4.2.1. Basic

The Access Point can automatically assign IP addresses to client computers by DHCP. From this
screen, you can specify the Default gateway, Subnet mask, Primary DNS server, and Secondary
DNS server settings that will be sent to a client at its request. Additionally, you can specify the first
IP address that will be assigned to the clients and the number of IP addresses available for allocation.

Fig. 28. Basic DHCP server settings.

NOTE: There should be only one DHCP server on the LAN; otherwise, DHCP would not work prop-

erly. If there is already a DHCP server on the LAN, disable the DHCP server functionality of the Ac­cess Point.

NOTE: By default the DHCP server function is disabled.

3.4.2.2. Static DHCP Mappings

IP addresses of servers are often static so that clients could always locate the servers by the static IP
addresses. By Static DHCP Mappings, you can ensure that a host will get the same IP address when
it requests one from the DHCP server. Therefore, instead of configuring the IP address of an intranet
server manually, you can configure the server to obtain an IP address by DHCP and it is always as­signed the same IP address.

Fig. 29. Static DHCP mappings

24

To always assign a static IP address to a specific DHCP client:

1. Specify the MAC address of the DHCP client and the IP address to be assigned to it. Then, give

a description for this mapping.

2. Select the corresponding Enabled check box.

3.5. Configuring IEEE 802.11 Related Settings

3.5.1. Communication

3.5.1.1. Basic

Basic IEEE 802.11g-related communication settings include Access Point functionality, RF type,
Regulatory domain, Channel number, Multiple Network name (SSID), Data rate, and Transmit
power.

For specific needs such as configuring the Access Point as a wireless LAN-to-LAN bridge, the Acces s
Point functionality can be disabled, so that no wireless client can associate with the Access Point.

Fig. 30. Basic IEEE 802.11g communication settings

The RF type of the WLAN interface can be configured to work in IEEE 802.11n only (n Only), IEEE

802.11g only (g Only), or mixed mode (Mixed—802.11n and 802.11g and 802.11b simultaneously).

The number of available RF channels depends on local regulations; therefore you have to choose an
appropriate regulatory domain to comply with local regulations. The SSID of a wireless client com­puter and the SSID of the Access Point must be identical for them to communicate with each other.

If there is RF interference, you may want to reduce the Data rate for more reliable wireless transmis-
sion. In most cases, leave the setting to Auto.

The transmit power of the RF module of the Access Point can be adjusted so that the RF coverage of
the Access Point can be changed.

25

3.5.1.2. Link Integrity

Fig. 31. Link integrity settings

When the Ethernet LAN interface is detected to be disconnected from the wired network, all currently
associated wireless clients are disassociated by the Access Point and no wireless client can associat e
with the Access Point. The detection mechanism is based on pinging the IP address specified in Ref-
erence host.

3.5.1.3. Association Control

Fig. 32. Association control settings

If the number of currently associated wireless clients exceeds the value specified in the Max number
of clients setting, no more wireless client can associate with the Access Point. If traffic load of the
Access Point exceeds the load specified in the Block clients if traffic load exceeds setting, no more
wireless client can associate with the Access Point.

3.5.1.4. Load Balancing

Several Access Point’s can form a load-balancing group if they are set with the same Group ID. The
load-balancing policy can be by Number of Users or by Traffic Load.

Fig. 33. Access Point load balancing settings

If the by-number-of-users policy is selected, a new wireless user can only associate with an Access
Point that has the smallest number of associated wireless users in the group. On the other hand, if the
by-traffic-load policy is selected, a new wireless user can only associate with an Access Point that has
the less traffic load in the group.

3.5.1.5. Wireless Distribution System

Traditionally, access points are connected by Ethernet. By Wireless Distribution System (WDS), APs
can communicate with one another wirelessly. For example, in Fig. 34, AP 2 acts as an access point
for the notebook computers and it forwards packets sent from the notebook computers to AP 1
through WDS. Then, AP 1 forwards the packets to the Ethernet LAN. Packets destined for the note­book computers follow a reverse path from the Ethernet LAN through the APs to the notebook com­puters. In this way, AP 2 plays a role of “AP repeater”.

26

Fig. 34. Wireless Distribution System

By WDS, two or more LAN segments can be connected wirelessly. As illustrated in Fig. 35, a pair of
wireless LAN-to-LAN bridges is used to connect two LAN segments. Since the Access Point is
WDS-enabled, it can be used as a wireless bridge.

Fig. 35. LAN-to-LAN bridging

NOTE: A Access Point can have up to 6 WDS links to other APs or wireless bridges.

Fig. 36. Wireless Distribution System settings

To enable a WDS link:

1. Specify the MAC address of the Access Point at the other end of the WDS link.

27

2. Select the corresponding Enabled check box.

For example, assume you want two Access Point’s with MAC addresses 00-02-65-01-62-C5 and
00-02-65-01-62-C6 to establish a WDS link between them. On Access Point 00-02-65-01-62-C5, set
the peer MAC address of port 1 to 00-02-65-01-62-C6 and on AP 00-02-65-01-62-C6, set the peer
MAC address of port 1 to 00-02-65-01-C5.

TIP: Plan your wireless network and draw a diagram, so that you know how a Access Point is con-

nected to other peer Access Point s or wireless bridges by WDS.

TIP: Plan your wireless network and draw a diagram, so that you know how a bridge is connected to

other peer bridges by WDS. See the following figure for an example network-planning diagram.

Fig. 37. Sample wireless bridge network topology.

WARNING: Don’t let your network topology consisting of wireless bridges, Ethernet switches,

Ethernet links, and WDS links contain loops. If any loops exist, packets will circle around the loops
and network performance will be seriously degraded.

Fig. 38. Network topology containing a loop

If external high-gain directional antennas are used, it’s difficult to align the antennas when the dis­tance between the bridges is long.

28

3.5.2. Security

IEEE 802.11g security settings include SSID broadcasts, Wireless client isolation, Security mode, ,
MAC-Address-Based Access Control.

TABLE OF SECURITY SETTING DEFINITIONS

SSID The network name

SSID Broadcasts Enable or Disable SSID broadcast.

Enabling this feature broadcasts the SSID across the network.

Wireless Client

Isolation

Security mode The Security options for the primary SSID (SSID1) are up to 9 security modes

When the Access Point is in AP/Bridge mode, wireless-to-wireless traffic can be blocked so
that the wireless clients cannot see each other. This capability can be used in hotspots ap­plications to prevent wireless hackers from attacking other wireless users’ computers.

depending on AP model variations:

Open System. No authentication, no data encryption.

29

3.5.2.1. Selecting Wireless Security Mode

For security reasons, it’s highly recommended that the security mode be set to options other than
Open System. When the security mode is set to Open System, no authentication and data encryption
will be performed. Additionally, you can disable the SSID broadcasts functionality so that a wireless
client computer with an “any” SSID cannot associate with the AP.

Fig. 38. Basic IEEE 802.11g security settings

When the Wireless client isolation setting is set to This AP Only, wireless clients of this Access
Point cannot see each other, and wireless-to-wireless traffic is blocked. This feature is useful for
WLANs deployed in public places. In this way, hackers have no chance to attack other wireless users
in a hotspot.

When the Wireless client isolation setting is set to This AP Only, wireless clients (STAs) of this
Access Point cannot see each other, and wireless-to-wireless traffic between the STAs is blocked.

STA 1

AP 1 AP 2

WCI:

This AP Only

STA 2

Switch

WCI:

This AP Only

STA 3

Wireless Link

Ethernet Link

Fig. 39. Behavior of the “This AP Only” wireless client isolation option

As illustrated in Fig. 39 when AP 1 and AP 2 are using the “This AP Only” option, wireless traffic
between STA 1 and STA 2 is blocked by AP 1, while wireless traffic between STA 2 and STA 3,

30

which are associated with different APs, is still allowed.

Choose from up to 7 security modes:

z Open System. No authentication, no data encryption.
z Static WEP. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) keys must be manually configured.
z Static TKIP (WPA-PSK). Only TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) mechanism of WPA

(Wi-Fi Protected Access) is enabled. In this mode, you have to specify the Pre-shared key,
which will be used by the TKIP engine as a master key to generate keys that actually encrypt
outgoing packets and decrypt incoming packets.

NOTE: The Pre-Shared Key has a minimum of 8 and maximum of 63 characters.

z IEEE 802.1x EAP without Encryption (EAP-MD5). The IEEE 802.1x functionality is en-

abled and the user-name/password-based EAP-MD5 authentication is used. No data encryption.

z IEEE 802.1x EAP with Static WEP (EAP-MD5). The IEEE 802.1x functionality is enabled

and the user-name/password-based EAP-MD5 authentication is used. Data encryption is
achieved by static WEP.

z IEEE 802.1x EAP with Dynamic WEP (EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, PEAP). The IEEE 802.1x

functionality is enabled and dynamic WEP key distribution authentication (EAP-TLS,
EAP-TTLS, or PEAP) is used. Data encryption is achieved by dynamic WEP.

z IEEE 802.1x EAP with Dynamic TKIP (WPA). This is a full WPA mode, in which both the

TKIP and IEEE 802.1x dynamic key exchange mechanisms are enabled. The Access Point is
highly secured in this mode.

In the above security modes, a back-end RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service)
server is needed if IEEE 802.1x functionality is enabled. See Section 3.5.3 for more information about
IEEE 802.1x and RADIUS.

According to the IEEE 802.11 standard, WEP can be used for authentication and data encryption.
Normally, Shared Key authentication is used if WEP data encryption is enabled. In rare cases, Open

System authentication may be used when WEP data encryption is enabled. The Authentication algo-
rithm setting is provided for better compatibility with wireless clients with various WLAN network

adapters. There are three options available, including Open System, Shared Key, and Auto.
When WEP is enabled by a security mode, the Key length can be specified to be 64 Bits or 128 Bits.

The Selected key setting specifies the key to be used as a send-key for encrypting traffic from the
Access Point side to the wireless client side. All 4 WEP keys are used as receive-keys to decrypt traf­fic from the wireless client side to the Access Point side.

NOTE: Each field of a WEP key setting is a hex-decimal number from 00 to FF. For example, when

the security mode is Static WEP and the key length is 64 Bits, you could set Key 1 to
“00012E3ADF”.

3.5.2.2. MAC-Address-Based Access Control

When the MAC-Address-Based Access Control feature, the wireless client computers that are per­mitted or not permitted to associate with the Access Point can specified. When the table type is set to
inclusive, entries in the table are permitted to associate with the Access Point. When the table type is

31

set to exclusive, entries in the table are not permitted to associate with the Access Point.

Fig. 40. MAC-address-based access control settings

To deny wireless clients’ access to the wireless network:

1. Select Enabled from the Functionality drop-down list.

2. Set the Access control type to exclusive.

3. Specify the MAC address of a wireless client to be denied access, and then click Add.

4. Repeat Steps 3 for other wireless clients.

To grant wireless clients’ access to the wireless network:

1. Select Enabled from the Functionality drop-down list.

2. Set the Access control type to inclusive.

3. Specify the MAC address of a wireless client to be denied access, and then click Add.

4. Repeat Steps 3 for other wireless clients.

To delete an entry in the access control table:

z Click Delete next to the entry.

NOTE: The size of the access control table is 64.

Fig. 41. MAC ACL download settings

Instead of manually entering MAC addresses to the access control table one by one, you can prepare a
text file that contains all the MAC addresses and put it on a TFTP server, and then command the Ac­cess Point to download the MAC ACL (Access Control List) file from the TFTP server. Fig. 42 shows
the contents of a sample ACL file.

32

Fig. 42. Sample MAC ACL file

To download a MAC ACL file from a TFTP server:

1. Specify the IP address of the TFTP server in the TFTP server IP address text box.

2. Specify the name of the MAC ACL file on the TFTP server in the MAC ACL file name text

box.

3. Click Download.

3.5.3. IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS

IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Network Access Control is a new standard for solving some security issues
associated with IEEE 802.11, such as lack of user-based authentication and dynamic encryption key
distribution. With IEEE 802.1x and the help of a RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Ser­vice) server and a user account database, an enterprise or ISP (Internet Service Provider) can manage
its mobile users’ access to its wireless LANs. Before granted access to a wireless LAN supporting
IEEE 802.1x, a user has to issue his or her user name and password or digital certificate to the back­end RADIUS server by EAPOL (Extensible Authentication Protocol Over LAN). The RADIUS serv­er can record accounting information such as when a user logs on to the wireless LAN and logs off
from the wireless LAN for monitoring or billing purposes.

The IEEE 802.1x functionality of the access point is controlled by the security mode (see Section 錯
誤! 找不到參照來源。). So far, the wireless access point supports two authentication mecha­nisms—EAP-MD5 (Message Digest version 5), EAP-TLS (Transport Layer Security). If EAP-MD5 is

used, the user has to give his or her user name and password for authentication. If EAP-TLS is used,
the wireless client computer automatically gives the user’s digital certificate that is stored in the
computer hard disk or a smart card for authentication. And after a successful EAP-TLS authentication,
a session key is automatically generated for wireless packets encryption between the wireless client
computer and its associated wireless access point. To sum up, EAP-MD5 supports only user authenti­cation, while EAP-TLS supports user authentication as well as dynamic encryption key distribution.

33

Fig. 43. How IEEE 802.1x and RADIUS works

An access point supporting IEEE 802.1x can be configured to communicate with two RADIUS serv­ers. When the primary RADIUS server fails to respond, the wireless access point will try to commu­nicate with the secondary RADIUS server. You can specify the length of timeout and the number of
retries before communicating with the secondary RADIUS server after failing to communicate with
the primary RADIUS server.

An IEEE 802.1x-capable wireless access point and its RADIUS server(s) share a secret key so that
they can authenticate each other. In addition to its IP address, a wireless access point can identify it­self by an NAS (Network Access Server) identifier. Each IEEE 802.1x-capable wireless access point
must have a unique NAS identifier.

Fig. 44. IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS settings.

TIP: Refer to the IEEE 802.1x-related white papers on the companion CD-ROM for more information

about deploying secure WLANs with IEEE 802.1x support.

34

3.6. Advanced Settings

3.6.1. Packet Filters

The Access Point Web-Based Network Management provides layer 2 (Ethernet Type Filters), layer 3
(IP Protocol Filters), and layer 4 (TCP/UDP Port Filters) filtering capabilities. The configuration
processes for the filters are similar.

Functionality: Sets the filtering as enabled or disabled.
Policy for matched packets: Choose to discard or to pass a matched packet.
To enable a filtering rule: Select the check box to the left of the rule to enable.

3.6.1.1. Ethernet Type Filters

When this feature is enabled, the Ethernet type field of the MAC (Media Access Control) header of a
packet incoming from the WLAN or Ethernet interface is inspected for filtering. To set a rule, specify
the hex-decimal Ethernet type number and give the rule a name.

Fig. 45. Ethernet type filters settings

3.6.1.2. IP Protocol Filters

When this feature is enabled, the protocol, source address, and destination address fields of a packet
incoming from the WLAN or Ethernet interface is inspected for filtering. To set a rule, specify the
hex-decimal protocol number, source IP address range (Source IP Address AND Source Subnet
Mask), and destination IP address range (Destination IP Address AND Destination Subnet Mask).

35

Fig. 46. IP protocol filters settings

A source (destination) IP address range is determined by performing an AND operation on the source
(destination) IP address field and the source (destination) subnet mask field. For example, if the
source IP address field is 192.168.0.1 and the source subnet mask field is 255.255.255.0, the resultant
source IP address range is 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.0.255.

3.6.1.3. TCP/UDP Port Filters

The destination port field the TCP or UDP header of a packet incoming from the WLAN or Ethernet
interface is inspected for filtering.

Fig. 47. TCP/UDP port filters settings

To set a rule, specify the decimal Destination Port, Protocol type (TCP/UDP), and the name of the
higher-level protocol (Application Name).

3.6.2. Management

3.6.2.1. UPnP

The UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) features enables a Windows XP user to automatically discover
peripheral devices by HTTP.

Fig. 48. UPnP settings

36

When the UPnP functionality is enabled, you can see the Access Point in My Network Places of
Windows XP. The Access Point can be given a friendly name that will be shown in My Network
Places. Double-clicking the Access Point icon in My Network Places will launch the default Web
browser for you to configure the AP.

3.6.2.2. System Log

System events can be logged to the on-board RAM of the Access Point (Local log) or sent to a remote
computer on which an SNMP trap monitor program runs (Remote log by SNMP trap). See the next
subsection for more information about SNMP trap settings.

Fig. 49. System log settings

The system events are divided into the following categories:

 General: System and network connectivity status changes.
 Built-in AP: Wireless client association and WEP authentication status changes.
 MIB II traps: Cold Start, Warm Start, Link Up, Link Down and SNMP Authentication

Failure.

 RADIUS user authentication: RADIUS user authentication status changes.

NOTE: The SNMP Authentication Failure trap is issued when using an incorrect community string to

manage the Access Point via SNMP and the SNMP MIB II OID, snmpEnableAuthenTraps, is en­abled (disabled by default).

3.6.2.3. SNMP

The SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) functionality can be disabled, and you can spec­ify the name (used as a password) of the read-only and read-write community. In addition, up to 5
SNMP trap targets can be set in the SNMP Trap Table.

37

Fig. 50. SNMP settings

To specify a trap target:

1. Type the IP address of the target host.

2. Type the Community for the host.

3. Select the corresponding check box next to the IP address text box.

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Appendix A: Default Settings

TIP: Press the Default (SF-Reset, or Soft-Reset) switch on the housing of a powered-on Access

Point to reset the configuration settings to factory-default values.

Setting Name Default Value

Global

User Name root
Password root

IEEE 802.11g

Regulatory Domain FCC (U.S.)
Channel Number 1
SSID Wireless
SSID Broadcasts Enabled
Transmission Rate Auto
Transmit Power High
MAC Address See the label on the accompanying

Security Mode Open System
Selected WEP Key Key #1
WEP Key #1 00-00-00-00-00
WEP Key #2 00-00-00-00-00
WEP Key #3 00-00-00-00-00
WEP Key #4 00-00-00-00-00
MAC-Address-Based Access

Control
Access Control Table Type Inclusive
Wireless Client Isolation Disabled
AP Load balancing Disabled
Link Integrity Disabled
Association Control
Max Number of Clients 64

Block Clients if Traffic Load

Exceeds

LAN Interface

Method of obtaining an IP Address Obtain from a DHCP Server

IP Address 192.168.100.1 (if can’t get IP)
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway 192.168.100.1
DHCP Server Disabled

Management

UPnP Enabled
System Log Local Log
SNMP Enabled
SNMP read community public
SNMP write community private

PCMCIA card or the label on the housing
of the AP.

Disabled

Disabled

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Appendix B: Troubleshooting

Check the following first:

z Verify that Access Point is powered-on and any Ethernet cables are connected firmly to the

RJ-45 jacks of the Access Point.

z Verify that the LED ALV of the Access Point is blinking to indicate the Access Point is work-

ing.

z Check that the types of Ethernet cables are correct. Recall that there are two types—normal and

crossover.

B-1: Wireless Settings Problems

z The wireless client computer cannot associate with the Access Point.

 Is the wireless client in infrastructure mode?

 Check the operating mode of the wireless adapter.

 Is the SSID identical to that of the Access Point?

 Verify that the SSID setting of the wireless adapter matches that of the Access Point.

 Is the WEP enabled?

 If necessary, ensure that the appropriate WEP settings of the client computer match

the Access Point.

 Is the Access Point within range of wireless communication?

 Check the signal strength and link quality sensed by the wireless adapter.

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B-2: TCP/IP Settings Problems

Fig. 51. Communication stages for a client to reach its correspondent host

For a wireless client computer to communicate with a correspondent host on the Internet by the host’s
domain name (e.g. http://www.wi-fi.com

), it first sends a DNS request to a DNS server on the Internet.
The DNS request travels first to the AP, then the Access Point relays this request to the default gate­way of the client computer. Finally, this request is forwarded by the gateway to the DNS server on the
Internet. The DNS reply issued by the DNS server is transmitted back to the client computer follow­ing a reverse path. When the client computer receives the DNS reply, it knows the IP address of the
correspondent host and sends further packets to this IP address.

As illustrated in Fig. 51, the communication path could be broken at some of the stages. The
OS-provided network diagnostic tool, ping.exe, can be employed to find out TCP/IP-related commu­nication problems.

NOTE: If two or more NICs are installed and operating on a client computer, TCP/IP may not work

properly due to incorrect entries in the routing table. Use the OS-provided command-line network
tool, route.exe, to add or delete entries from the routing table. Or, use Windows-provided Device
Manager to disable unnecessary NICs.

Solve the following problems in order:

z The Access Point does not respond to ping from the client computer.

 Are two or more NICs installed on the client computer?

 Use the OS-provided command-line network tool, route.exe, to modify the contents

of the routing table.

 Use Windows-provided Device Manager to disable unnecessary NICs.

 Is the underlying link (Ethernet or IEEE 802.11g) established?

 Make sure the Ethernet link is OK.

 Make sure the wireless settings of the wireless client computer and of the Access

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Point match.

 Are the IP address of the client computer and the IP address of the Access Point in the

same IP subnet?

 Use WinIPCfg.exe or IPConfig.exe to see the current IP address of the client com-

puter. Make sure the IP address of the client computer and the IP address of the Ac­cess Point are in the same IP subnet.

 TIP: If you forget the current IP address of the AP, use Wireless Router/AP Browser

to get the information (see Appendix B-3).

z The default gateway of the client computer does not respond to ping from the

client computer.

 Solve the preceding problem first.
 Are the IP address of the Access Point and the IP address of the client computer in the

same IP subnet?

 If you cannot find any incorrect settings of the AP, the default gateway may be really down

or there are other communication problems on the network backbone.

z The DNS server(s) of the client computer do not respond to ping from the client

computer.

 Solve the preceding problems first.
 If you cannot find any incorrect settings of the AP, the default gateway of the Access Point

may be really down or there are other communication problems on the network backbone.

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