Interepoch Technology IWE3302 Users Manual

IEEE 802.11 b/g

Integrated High Powered

Access Point

User Guide

Version: 1.0

Last Updated: 06/23/2006

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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......................................................................................................... 4

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

2.1. Selecting a Power Supply Method............................................................................ 4

2.2. Mounting the IEEE 802.11b/g on a Wall................................................................... 4

2.3. Preparing for Configuration....................................................................................... 5

2.3.1. Connecting the Managing Computer and the AP...........................................5

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

2.4.1. Entering the User Name and Password ......................................................... 6

2.4.2. Step 1: Selecting an Operational Mode.......................................................... 8

2.4.3. Step 2: Configuring TCP/IP Settings.............................................................. 9

2.4.4. Step 3: Configuring IEEE 802.11 Settings...................................................... 9

2.4.5. Step 4: Reviewing and Applying Settings..................................................... 10

2.5. Deploying the IEEE 802.11b/g................................................................................ 10

2.6. Setting up Client Computers................................................................................... 11

2.6.1. Configuring IEEE 802.11b-Related Settings ................................................ 11

2.6.2. Configuring TCP/IP-Related Settings...........................................................12

2.7. Confirming the Settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g and Client Computers................... 12

2.7.1. Checking if the IEEE 802.11b-Related Settings Work.................................. 12

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

3. Using Web-Based Network Manager................................................................................ 14

3.1. Overview................................................................................................................. 14

3.1.1. Menu Structure.............................................................................................14

3.1.2. Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel Commands............................................ 15

3.1.3. Home and Refresh Commands....................................................................16

3.2. Viewing Status........................................................................................................ 17

3.2.1. Associated Wireless Clients......................................................................... 17

3.2.2. Current DHCP Mappings.............................................................................. 17

3.2.3. System Log................................................................................................... 17

3.2.4. Link Monitor.................................................................................................. 18

3.3. General Operations ................................................................................................18

3.3.1. Specifying Operational Mode .......................................................................18

3.3.2. Changing Password .....................................................................................19

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

3.3.3.1. Upgrading Firmware by HTTP............................................................ 20

3.3.3.2. Backing up and Restoring Configuration Settings by HTTP............... 20

3.3.3.3. Upgrading Firmware by TFTP............................................................21

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

3.3.3.5. Resetting Configuration to Factory Defaults....................................... 24

3.4. Configuring TCP/IP Related Settings .....................................................................24

3.4.1. Addressing.................................................................................................... 24

3.4.2. DHCP Server................................................................................................ 25

3.4.2.1. Basic................................................................................................... 25

3.4.2.2. Static DHCP Mappings....................................................................... 25

3.5. Configuring IEEE 802.11g-Related Settings........................................................... 26

3.5.1. Communication............................................................................................. 26

3.5.1.1. Basic................................................................................................... 26

3.5.1.2. Multiple SSID...................................................................................... 27

3.5.1.3. Link Integrity....................................................................................... 27

3.5.1.4. Association Control ............................................................................27

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3.5.1.5. IEEE 802.11b/g Load Balancing ........................................................28

3.5.1.6. Wireless Distribution System.............................................................. 28

3.5.2. Security......................................................................................................... 31

3.5.2.1. Basic................................................................................................... 33

3.5.2.2. MAC-Address-Based Access Control ................................................35

3.5.3. IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS...................................................................................36

3.6. Configuring Advanced Settings ..............................................................................38

3.6.1. Packet Filters................................................................................................ 38

3.6.1.1. Ethernet Type Filters..........................................................................38

3.6.1.2. IP Protocol Filters...............................................................................39

3.6.1.3. TCP/UDP Port Filters ......................................................................... 39

3.6.2. Management................................................................................................. 40

3.6.2.1. UPnP.................................................................................................. 40

3.6.2.2. System Log ........................................................................................40

3.6.2.3. SNMP.................................................................................................41

Appendix A: Default Settings................................................................................................ 42

Appendix B: Troubleshooting................................................................................................ 43

B-1: Wireless Settings Problems................................................................................... 43

B-2: TCP/IP Settings Problems .....................................................................................44

B-3: Unknown Problems................................................................................................ 45

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1. Introduction

1.1. Overview

The IEEE 802.11b/g wireless access point (AP) enables 802.11g or IEEE 802.11b client computers to
access the resources on the Ethernet network. With the sleek Web-based user interface, a network
administrator can efficiently manage the IEEE 802.11b/g.

In Chapter 2, we describe the steps to install and configure the IEEE 802.11b/g. The detailed steps
show how to setup the AP. In Chapter 2, detailed explanation of each Web management page is given
so the user may fine-tune the settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g to meet their specific requirements.

1.2. Features

z IEEE 802.11b/g 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 vendors.

 RF type selection.

IEEE 802.11b only, IEEE 802.11g only, or mixed mode (802.11g and 802.11b simultane­ously).

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

encryption.

 Enabling/disabling SSID broadcasts.

mode, the administrator can enable or disable the SSID broadcasts functionality for secu­rity reasons. When the SSID broadcasts functionality is disabled, a client computer cannot
connect to the IEEE 802.11b/g with an “any” network name (SSID, Service Set ID); the
correct SSID has to be specified on client computers.

 MAC-address-based access control.

mode, it can be configured to block unauthorized wireless client computers based on MAC
(Media Access Control) addresses. The 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 IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge

When the IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge

 IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS.

figured 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).

proposed 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 se-

When the IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge mode, it can be con-

The IEEE 802.11b/g supports the WPA standard

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

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curity.

 Repeater.

When the IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge mode, it can communicate with

other APs or wireless bridges via WDS (Wireless Distribution System). Therefore, a IEEE

802.11b/g can wirelessly forward packets from wireless clients to another IEEE 802.11b/g.
Then the second IEEE 802.11b/g forwards the packets to the Ethernet network.

 Wireless client isolation.

When the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g’s can form a load-balancing group. Within

a group, wireless client associations and traffic load can be shared among the IEEE

802.11b/g’s. This function is available when the IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge mode.

 Transmit power control.

Transmit power of the IEEE 802.11b/g’s RF module can be

adjusted to change RF coverage of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

 Link integrity.

When the IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge mode and its Ethernet LAN

interface is detected to be disconnected from the wired network, all currently associated
wireless clients are disassociated by the IEEE 802.11b/g and no wireless client can associ­ate with it.

 Association control.

When the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP/Bridge mode,

it can show the status of all wireless clients that are associated with the IEEE 802.11b/g.

 Detachable antennas.

The factory-mounted antennas can be replaced with high-gain

antennas for different purposes.

z DHCP client. The IEEE 802.11b/g can automatically obtain an IP address from a DHCP

server.

z DHCP server. The IEEE 802.11b/g 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 the specified IP addresses are always assigned to the hosts with the
specified MAC addresses.

 Showing current DHCP mappings.

Showing which IP address is assigned to which

host identified by an MAC address.

z Packet Filtering. The IEEE 802.11b/g provides Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 filtering capa-

bilities.

z Firmware Management Tools

 Firmware upgrade.

lowing methods:

The firmware of the IEEE 802.11b/g can be upgraded in the fol-

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 Xmodem-based. Upgrading firmware over RS232.
 TFTP-based. Upgrading firmware by TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol).
 HTTP-based. Upgrading firmware by HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

 Configuration backup.

up to a file via TFTP

or HTTP for later restoring.

 Configuration reset.

z Management

 Web-based Network Manager

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

 SNMP.

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

IEEE 802.1x, and Private Enterprise MIB are supported.

 UPnP.

The IEEE 802.11b/g responds to UPnP discovery messages so that a Windows XP

user can locate the IEEE 802.11b/g in My Network Places and use a Web browser to con­figure it.

 Telnet.
 System log.

 Local log. System events are logged to the on-board RAM of the IEEE 802.11b/g

The user is enabled to manage the IEEE 802.11b/g by Telnet.

For system operational status monitoring.

and can be viewed using a Web browser.

The configuration settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g can be backed

Resetting the configuration settings to factory-default values.

for configuring and monitoring the IEEE 802.11b/g via

 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. 48VDC power is supplied to a IEEE 802.11b/g over an Ethernet cable

using an 802.11af compliant power injector. This feature facilitates large-scale wireless LAN
deployment.

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

watchdog timer will detect this situation and restart the IEEE 802.11b/g. This way, the IEEE

802.11b/g can provide continuous services.

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1.3. LED Definitions

There are several LED indicators on the housing of the AP. They are defined as follows:

z DDC: Alive. Blinks when the IEEE 802.11b/g is working normally.
z RF: IEEE 802.11b/g interface activity
z LAN0: Ethernet LAN0 port interface activity
z LAN1: Ethernet LAN1 interface activity
z PWR: Power

2. First-Time Installation and Configuration

2.1. Selecting a Power Supply Method

The IEEE 802.11b/g can be powered by the supplied power adapter or optionally via PoE (Power over
Ethernet). The IEEE 802.11b/g automatically selects the suitable power supply.

To power the IEEE 802.11b/g by the supplied power adapter:

1. Plug the power adapter to an AC socket.

2. Plug the connector of the power adapter to the power jack of the AP.

NOTE: This product is intended to be power-supplied by a Listed Power Unit, marked “Class 2” or

“LPS” and output rated “5V DC, 1 A minimum” or equivalent statement.

To power the AP by PoE:

1. Plug one connector of an Ethernet cable to an available port of a PoE hub.

2. Plug the other connector of the Ethernet cable to the LAN0 port of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

NOTE: The PoE capability of the bridge is 802.3af compatible.

2.2. Mounting the IEEE 802.11b/g on a Wall

The IEEE 802.11b/g is wall-mountable.

1. Stick the supplied drilling template on the wall.

2. Use a

3. Insert the supplied plastic conical anchors into each hole.

4. Screw the supplied screw in each plastic conical anchor to the proper depth so that the IEEE

5. Hang the wireless IEEE 802.11b/g on the screws.

φ7.0mm driller to drill a 25mm-deep hole at each of the cross marks.

802.11b/g can hang on the screws.

4

Fig. 1: Mounting the IEEE 802.11b/g on a wall

2.3. Preparing for Configuration

For you to configure a IEEE 802.11b/g, a managing computer with a Web browser is needed. For
first-time configuration of an AP, an Ethernet network interface card (NIC) should have been installed
in the managing computer. For maintenance-configuration of a deployed AP, either a wireless com­puter or a wired computer can be employed as the managing computer.

NOTE: If you are using the browser, Opera, to configure a IEEE 802.11b/g, 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 an IEEE 802.11b/g is 192.168.0.1 and the default subnet mask is 255.255.255.0.)

2.3.1. Connecting the Managing Computer and the AP

To connect the Ethernet managing computer and the managed IEEE 802.11b/g for first-time configu­ration, you have two choices as illustrated in Fig. 2.

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Ethernet

cable

Ethernet

cable

Managed

AP

Managing
Computer

Ethernet

cable

Ethernet

Hub/Switch

Fig. 2: Connecting a managing computer and the IEEE 802.11b/g via Ethernet

You can use either a cross-over 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 LAN0 IEEE 802.11b/g port for

configuration.

2.4. Configuring the AP

After the IP addressing issue is resolved, launch a Web browser on the managing computer. Then, go
to “http://192.168.0.1” to access the Web-based Network Manager home page.

TIP: The IEEE 802.11b/g can be reached by its host name using a Web browser. For example, if the

IEEE 802.11b/g is named “AP”, you can use the URL “http://AP” to access the Web-based Network
Manager of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

2.4.1. Entering the User Name and Password

Before the start 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 “root” and default password “root”, respectively.

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Fig. 3: Entering the user name and password

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).

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

within the Web browser for future reference.

Fig. 4: The Start page

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2.4.2. Step 1: Selecting an Operational Mode

Fig. 5: Operational mode settings

Go to the General, Operational Mode section, select an operational mode and click Save at the bot­tom of this page, and then you are brought back to the start page.

The IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

In either mode, the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 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 IEEE

802.11b/g’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

WDS STA-AP

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 3.5.1.6 for more information). To
establish a dynamic bridge link between a IEEE 802.11b/g and an AP Client, both devices have to be
configured with the same SSID and WEP settings. The AP Client automatically scans for any IEEE

802.11b/g that is using the matched SSID and establishes a bridge link with the scanned IEEE

802.11b/g.

STA-AP

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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 IEEE 802.11b/g is configured to be in AP Client, it can be used as an

Ethernet-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.

2.4.3. Step 2: Configuring TCP/IP Settings

Fig. 6: TCP/IP settings

Go to the TCP/IP, Addressing section to configure IP address 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 appropriately, so that they comply
with your LAN environment. In addition, you can specify the Host name and Domain (DNS suffix)
of the AP.

When you are finished, click Save at the bottom of this page, and then you are brought back to the
start page.

2.4.4. Step 3: Configuring IEEE 802.11 Settings

Fig. 7: IEEE 802.11b communication settings

Go to the IEEE 802.11, Communication section to configure IEEE 802.11b-related communication
settings, including Regulatory domain, Channel number, and Network name (SSID).

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 com-

puter and the SSID of the IEEE 802.11b/g must be identical for them to communicate with each
other.

When you are finished, click Save at the bottom of this page, and then you are brought back to the
start page.

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2.4.5. Step 4: Reviewing and Applying Settings

Fig. 8: Settings changes are highlighted in red

On the start page, you can review all the settings you have made. Changes are highlighted in red. If
they are OK, click Restart to restart the IEEE 802.11b/g for the new settings to take effect.

NOTE: About 7 seconds are needed for the IEEE 802.11b/g to complete its restart process.

2.5. Deploying the IEEE 802.11b/g

After the settings have been configured, deploy the IEEE 802.11b/g to the field application environ­ment. Connect the IEEE 802.11b/g to an Ethernet LAN through an Ethernet switch/hub.

If you are configuring a pair of the IEEE 802.11b/g’s for a dynamic or static bridging application and
external high-gain directional antennas are used, it’s difficult to adjust alignments of the antennas
when the pair of devices is distance away.

To adjust the alignments of a pair of bridges’ directional antennas:

1. Connect each bridge to a computer via Ethernet.

2. Configure the date rate of each bridge to the lowest value, 1Mbps.

3. Fix the alignment of the antenna on one side.

4. Adjust the alignment of the antenna on other side by using response time information obtained

from PINGing (run PING.exe) the “fixed-side” computer.

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5. Fine-tune the alignment of the antenna until you get a best response time.

6. Increase the data rate of each bridge simultaneously until a maximal workable data rate is

reached. You may not be able to use the highest data rate, 11Mbps, because of the distance and
the gain of the antennas.

Fig. 9 illustrates the idea.

Computer 1 Computer 2

Adjust antenna alignment

Bridge 1

WDS Link

Bridge 2

PING (ICMP Echo Request)

ICMP Echo Reply

Fig. 9: Adjusting alignments of external directional antennas

TIP: When doing dynamic bridging, configure Bridge 1 to be in AP Client mode and configure

Bridge 2 to be in AP/Bridge mode.

2.6. Setting up Client Computers

The TCP/IP and IEEE 802.11b-related settings of wireless client computers must match those of the
IEEE 802.11b/g.

2.6.1. Configuring IEEE 802.11b-Related 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 this wireless computer and an IEEE

802.11b/g.

To establish a wireless link to an AP:

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

2. Use the utility to make appropriate Operating Mode, SSID and WEP settings.

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 IEEE 802.11b/g must be iden-

tical. Or, in case the SSID broadcasts capability of the IEEE 802.11b/g is enabled (by default), the
SSID of the wireless client computer could be set to “any”.

NOTE: Both the wireless client computer and the IEEE 802.11b/g must have the same WEP settings

for them to communicate with each other.

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NOTE: For better wireless security, IEEE 802.1x capability of the IEEE 802.11b/g must be enabled

so that only authenticated wireless users can access the wireless network. 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.

2.6.2. Configuring 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

2.7. Confirming the Settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g
and Client Computers

After the deploying the IEEE 802.11b/g and setting up client computers, confirm that the settings are
correct.

2.7.1. Checking if the IEEE 802.11b-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 IEEE

802.11b/g.

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

2.7.2. 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

12

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.

13

3. Using Web-Based Network Manager

This chapter details the features of the Web management page of the Web-based Network Manager.

3.1. Overview

Fig. 10: The Start page

3.1.1. Menu Structure

The left side of the start page contains a menu for you to carry out commands. Here is a brief descrip­tion of the hyperlinks on the menu:

14

z Home. For going back to the start page.
z Status. Status information.

 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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. Global operations.

 Operational Mode. Operational mode of the IEEE 802.11b/g —AP/Bridge or AP Client.
 Password. For gaining rights to change the settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g.
 Firmware Tools. For upgrading the firmware of the IEEE 802.11b/g, backing up and re-

storing configuration, and configuration reset settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

z TCP/IP. TCP/IP-related settings.

 Addressing. IP address settings for the IEEE 802.11b/g to work with TCP/IP.
 DHCP Server. Settings for the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server on

the IEEE 802.11b/g.

z IEEE 802.11. IEEE 802.11g-related settings.

 Communication. Basic settings for the IEEE 802.11b/g interface of the IEEE 802.11b/g

to work properly with wireless clients.

 Security. Security settings for authenticating wireless users and encrypting wireless data.
 IEEE 802.1x/RADIUS. IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Network Access Control and RADIUS

(Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) settings for better wireless security.

z Advanced. Advanced settings of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

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

tings.

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

3.1.2. Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel Commands

Fig. 11: Save, Save & Restart, and Cancel

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

15

the IEEE 802.11b/g and brings you back to the start page. Clicking Save & Restart stores the settings
changes to the memory of the IEEE 802.11b/g and restarts the IEEE 802.11b/g immediately for the
settings changes to take effect. Clicking Cancel discards any settings changes and brings you back to
the start page.

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 IEEE 802.11b/g for the settings changes
to take effect.

Fig. 12: Settings have been changed

3.1.3. Home and Refresh Commands

Fig. 13: Home and Refresh

At the bottom of each status page that shows read-only information, there are two buttons—Home
and Refresh. Clicking Home brings y ou back to the start page. Clicking Refresh updates the shown
status information.

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3.2. Viewing Status

3.2.1. Associated Wireless Clients

Fig. 14: Status of 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 send, number of
bytes it has received, and the time of its last activity, is shown.

3.2.2. Current DHCP Mappings

Fig. 15: Current DHCP mappings

On this page, 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.

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 allocable IP address and
Allocable IP address count settings on the DHCP Server configuration page.

3.2.3. System Log

Fig. 16: System log

17

System events are recorded in the memory of the IEEE 802.11b/g. The logged information is useful
for troubleshooting purposes. The system events are divided into several categories, and you can se­lect which categories of events to log. See Section 3.6.2.2 for more information.

3.2.4. Link Monitor

Fig. 17: Link monitor

When the IEEE 802.11b/g is in AP Client mode, you can use the Link Monitor status page to monitor
the link quality and signal strength sensed by its RF module. Larger values means better wireless
connectivity to its associated Access Point. This feature is especially useful when you are aligning a
pair of directional antennas for bridging applications.

NOTE: The values are updated every 20 seconds.

3.3. General Operations

3.3.1. Specifying Operational Mode

Fig. 18: Operational modes settings

The IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

In either mode, the IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

18

 WDS. This type of wireless link is established between two IEEE 802.11 IEEE

802.11b/g’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 3.5.1.6 for more information). To
establish a dynamic bridge link between a IEEE 802.11b/g and an AP Client, both devices have to be
configured with the same SSID and WEP settings. The AP Client automatically scans for any IEEE

802.11b/g that is using the matched SSID and establishes a bridge link with the scanned IEEE

802.11b/g.

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 IEEE 802.11b/g is configured to be in AP Client, it can be used as an

Ethernet-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

Fig. 19: Password

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

3.3.3. Managing Firmware

Fig. 20: Firmware management protocol settings

Firmware management operations for the IEEE 802.11b/g include firmware upgrade, configuration

19

backup, configuration restore, and configuration reset. Firmware upgrade, configuration backup, and
configuration restore can be achieved via HTTP or TFTP. 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. 21: Firmware upgrade by HTTP

To upgrade firmware of the IEEE 802.11b/g 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. 22: Firmware backup by HTTP

To back up configuration of the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g’s MAC address. For example, if the

IEEE 802.11b/g’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.

Fig. 23: Configuration restore by HTTP

To restore configuration of the IEEE 802.11b/g by HTTP:

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

20

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 IEEE 802.11b/g.

3.3.3.3. Upgrading Firmware by TFTP

Fig. 24: TFTP server settings

When use TFTP as the firmware management protocol, you can configure settings for the IEEE

802.11b/g’s TFTP client to communicate with a TFTP server. If the TFTP client does not get a re-

sponse 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.

Within the folder “Utilities” on the companion CD-ROM disk, we offered a TFTP server program
(TftpSrvr.exe) for firmware upgrade. Run this program on the computer that is to serve as a TFTP
server.

Fig. 25: Firmware upgrade by TFTP

To upgrade firmware of the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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

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

8. Trigger the firmware upgrade process by clicking Upgrade.

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Fig. 26: 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g unbootable. When

this occurs, call for technical support.

TIP: If you want to remotely upgrade the firmware of a deployed IEEE 802.11b/g from the Internet,

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

3.3.3.4. Backing up and Restoring Configuration Settings by TFTP

Fig. 27: Configuration backup/restore

22

To back up configuration of the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g’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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

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 IEEE 802.11b/g will then download the

configuration backup file from the TFTP server.

NOTE: Make sure the file is a valid configuration backup file for the IEEE 802.11b/g.

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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

Fig. 28: Configuration reset

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

WARNING: Think twice before clicking the Reset button. You’ll lose all your current configuration

settings.

3.4. Configuring TCP/IP Related Settings

3.4.1. Addressing

Fig. 29: TCP/IP settings

The IP address of the IEEE 802.11b/g 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
address, 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 IEEE 802.11b/g.

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3.4.2. DHCP Server

3.4.2.1. Basic

Fig. 30: Basic DHCP server settings

The IEEE 802.11b/g can automatically assign IP addresses to client computers by DHCP. In this sec­tion of the management page, 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 allocable IP
addresses.

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
IEEE 802.11b/g.

NOTE: By default the DHCP server function is disabled.

3.4.2.2. Static DHCP Mappings

Fig. 31: 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 as-

25

signed the same IP address.

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 802.11g-Related Settings

3.5.1. Communication

3.5.1.1. Basic

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

Fig. 32: Basic IEEE 802.11g communication settings

For specific needs such as configuring the IEEE 802.11b/g as a wireless LAN-to-LAN bridge, the
IEEE 802.11b/g functionality can be disabled, so that no wireless client can associate with the IEEE

802.11b/g.

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

802.11g only (g Only), or mixed mode (Mixed—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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g can be adjusted so that the RF coverage
of the IEEE 802.11b/g can be changed.

26

3.5.1.2. Multiple SSID

If you want to configure the Guest and Internal networks on Virtual LAN (VLANs), the switch and
DHCP server you are using must support VLANs. As a prerequisite step, configure a port on the
switch for handling VLAN tagged packets as described in the IEEE802.1Q standard.

The MSSID numbers can setup for 1 to 4 sets. When you enable MSSID you can name each SSID. If
you configure enable Guest access and configure Internal and Guest networks on VLANs, this field
will be enabled. Provide a number between 1 and 4095 for the Internal VLAN. This will cause the
access point to send DHCP requests with the VLAN tag. The switch and the DHCP server must sup­port VLAN IEEE802.1Q frames. The access point must be able to reach the DHCP server. Check
with the Administrator regarding the VLAN and DHCP configurations.

Fig. 33: Basic MSSID communication settings

3.5.1.3. Link Integrity

Fig. 34: 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 IEEE 802.11b/g and no wireless client can associ­ate with the IEEE 802.11b/g. The detection mechanism is based on pinging the IP address specified in
Reference host.

3.5.1.4. Association Control

Fig. 35: 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 IEEE 802.11b/g. If traffic load of the
IEEE 802.11b/g exceeds the load specified in the Block clients if traffic load exceeds setting, no
more wireless client can associate with the IEEE 802.11b/g.

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3.5.1.5. IEEE 802.11b/g Load Balancing

Fig. 36: IEEE 802.11b/g load balancing settings

Several IEEE 802.11b/g’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.

If the by-number-of-users policy is selected, a new wireless user can only associate with an IEEE

802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g
that has the less traffic load in the group.

3.5.1.6. Wireless Distribution System

Notebook
Computer

WDS

LAN

AP 2

Fig. 37: 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. 37, 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”.

AP 1

WDS Link

LAN

Segment 1

Bridge 1

Fig. 38: LAN-to-LAN bridging

28

Bridge 2

LAN

Segment 2

By WDS, two or more LAN segments can be connected wirelessly. As illustrated in Fig. 38, a pair of
wireless LAN-to-LAN bridges is used to connect two LAN segments. Since the IEEE 802.11b/g is
WDS-enabled, it can be used as a wireless bridge.

NOTE: A IEEE 802.11b/g can have up to 6 WDS links to other APs or wireless bridges.

Fig. 39: Wireless Distribution System settings

To enable a WDS link:

1. Specify the MAC address of the IEEE 802.11b/g at the other end of the WDS link.

2. Select the corresponding Enabled check box.

For example, assume you want two IEEE 802.11b/g’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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 an IEEE 802.11b/g is

connected to other peer IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

29

Fig. 40. 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. 41: 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.

To adjust the alignments of a pair of bridges’ directional antennas:

7. Connect each bridge to a computer via Ethernet.

8. Configure the date rate of each bridge to the lowest value, 1Mbps.

9. Fix the alignment of the antenna on one side.

10. Adjust the alignment of the antenna on other side by using response time information obtained

from PINGing (run PING.exe) the “fixed-side” computer.

11. Fine-tune the alignment of the antenna until you get a best response time.

30

12. Increase the data rate of each bridge simultaneously until a maximal workable data rate is

reached. You may not be able to use the highest data rate, 11Mbps, because of the distance and
the gain of the antennas.

Fig. 42 illustrates the idea.

Adjust antenna alignment

WDS Link

Bridge 1

PING (ICMP Echo Request)

Computer 1 Computer 2

ICMP Echo Reply

Bridge 2

Fig. 42: Adjusting alignments of external directional antennas

3.5.2. Security

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

31

SSID 1~4

The network names that you name each SSID in the previous page

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

Key length

Selected key

When the IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

Static WEP. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) keys must be manually configured.

Select 64-, 128-bits

Select the 1st through the 4th key to be the active key. Enter the key that you need here.

32

3.5.2.1. Basic

Fig. 43: Basic IEEE 802.11g security settings

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.

When the Wireless client isolation setting is set to This AP Only, wireless clients of this IEEE

802.11b/g cannot see each other, and wireless-to-wireless traffic is blocked. When the setting is set to

All APs in This Subnet, traffic among wireless users of different IEEE 802.11b/g’s in the same IP
subnet 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
IEEE 802.11b/g cannot see each other, and wireless-to-wireless traffic between the STAs is blocked.
When the setting is set to All APs in This Subnet, traffic among wireless users of different IEEE

802.11b/g’s in the same IP subnet is blocked. The behaviors are illustrated in the following figures.

STA 1

AP 1 AP 2

WCI:

This AP Only

STA 2

Switch

WCI:

This AP Only

STA 3

Wireless Link
Ethernet Link

Fig. 44: Behavior of the “This AP Only” wireless client isolation option

33

STA 1

AP 1 AP 2

WCI:

All APs in This

Subnet

STA 2

Switch

WCI:

All APs in This

Subnet

Wireless Link
Ethernet Link

STA 3

Fig. 45: Behavior of the “All APs on This Subnet” wireless client isolation option

As illustrated in Fig. 44 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,
which are associated with different APs, is still allowed. If the “All APs in This Subnet” option is
used as shown in Fig. 45, AP 1 and AP 2 communicates with each other via an inter-AP protocol to
share their STA association information to block wireless traffic among all the STAs.

There are up to 7 security modes depending on AP model variations:

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 number of characters of the Pre-shared key setting must be at least 8 and can be up

to 63.

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 IEEE 802.11b/g is
highly secured in this mode.

34

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
IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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

Fig. 46: MAC-address-based access control settings

With MAC-Address-Based Access Control, you can specify the wireless client computers that are
permitted or not permitted to associate with the IEEE 802.11b/g. When the table type is set to inclu-
sive, entries in the table are permitted to associate with the IEEE 802.11b/g. When the table type is set
to exclusive, entries in the table are not permitted to associate with the IEEE 802.11b/g.

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.

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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. 47: 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 IEEE

802.11b/g to download the MAC ACL (Access Control List) file from the TFTP server. Fig. 48 shows

the contents of a sample ACL file.

Fig. 48: 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

36

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

3.5.2.1). 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.

IEEE 802.1x-Compliant

Wireless Client

Wireless AP

user authentication

Internet

Wireless AP

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.

user authentication

Fig. 49: IEEE 802.1x and RADIUS

RADIUS

Server

User

Database

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Fig. 50: 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.

3.6. Configuring Advanced Settings

3.6.1. Packet Filters

The IEEE 802.11b/g 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: whether this filtering capability is enabled or disabled.
Policy for matched packets: how a matched packet is processed—discard or pass.
To enable a filtering rule: select the check box to the left of the rule.

3.6.1.1. Ethernet Type Filters

Fig. 51: Ethernet type filters settings

The Ethernet type filed of the MAC (Media Access Control) header of a packet incoming from the
WLAN or Ethernet interface is inspected for filtering. In a rule, specify the hex-decimal Ethernet type
number and give the rule a name.

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3.6.1.2. IP Protocol Filters

Fig. 52: IP protocol filters settings

The protocol, source address, and destination address fields of a packet incoming from the WLAN or
Ethernet interface is inspected for filtering. In 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).

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

Fig. 53: TCP/UDP port filters settings

The destination port field the TCP or UDP header of a packet incoming from the WLAN or Ethernet
interface is inspected for filtering. In a rule, specify the decimal Destination Port, Protocol type
(TCP/UDP), and the name of the higher-level protocol (Application Name).

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3.6.2. Management

3.6.2.1. UPnP

Fig. 54: UPnP settings

UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) enables a Windows XP user to automatically discover peripheral de­vices by HTTP. When the UPnP functionality is enabled, you can see the IEEE 802.11b/g in My
Network Places of Windows XP. The IEEE 802.11b/g can be given a friend name that will be shown
in My Network Places. Double-clicking the icon in My Network Places that stands for the IEEE

802.11b/g will launch the default Web browser for you to configure the AP.

3.6.2.2. System Log

Fig. 55: System log settings

System events can be logged to the on-board RAM of the IEEE 802.11b/g (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.

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 IEEE 802.11b/g via SNMP and the SNMP MIB II OID, snmpEnableAuthenTraps, is
enabled (disabled by default).

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3.6.2.3. SNMP

Fig. 56: SNMP settings

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.

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 IEEE

802.11b/g 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 11
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 Set manually

IP Address 192.168.0.1
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway 0.0.0.0
DHCP Server Disabled

Management

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

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 Make sure that the power of the IEEE 802.11b/g is on and the Ethernet cables are connected

firmly to the RJ-45 jacks of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

z Make sure that the LED ALV of the IEEE 802.11b/g is blinking to indicate the IEEE 802.11b/g

is working.

z Make sure the types of the 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 an IEEE 802.11b/g.

 Is the wireless client set in infrastructure mode?

 Check the operating mode of the WLAN NIC.

 Is the SSID of the WLAN NIC identical to that of the prospective AP?

 Check the SSID setting of the WLAN NIC and of the IEEE 802.11b/g.

 Is the WEP functionality of the prospective IEEE 802.11b/g enabled?

 Make appropriate WEP settings of the client computer to match those of the IEEE

802.11b/g.

 Is the prospective IEEE 802.11b/g within range of wireless communication?

 Check the signal strength and link quality sensed by the WLAN NIC.

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B-2: TCP/IP Settings Problems

Client

Computer

IEEE 802.11g

Ethernet LAN

Stage A State B

AP

Stage D

Default Gateway

of Client Computer

Correspondent

Host

Internet

DNS Server

of Client Computer

Fig. 57: 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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. 57, 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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.

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

802.11b/g match.

 Are the IP address of the client computer and the IP address of the IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE

802.11b/g 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 IEEE 802.11b/g 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 IEEE

802.11b/g may be really down or there are other communication problems on the network
backbone.

B-3: Unknown Problems

z The IEEE 802.11b/g has been set to obtain an IP address automatically by DHCP.

How can I know its acquired IP address so that I can manage it using a Web
browser?

 Use the utility, Wireless Router/AP Browser (WLBrwsr.exe), in the “Utilities” folder on

the companion CD-ROM disc. This utility can discover nearby APs and show their MAC
addresses and IP addresses. In addition, it can launch the default Web browser on your
computer.

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Fig. 58: Wireless Router/AP Browser

z The IEEE 802.11b/g stops working and does not respond to Web management

requests.

 The firmware of the IEEE 802.11b/g may be stuck in an incorrect state.

 Unplug the power connector from the power jack, and then re-plug the connector to

restart the AP.

 Contact our technical support representatives to report this problem, so that the bugs

can be static in future firmware versions.

 If the IEEE 802.11b/g still does not work after restarting, there may be hardware compo-

nent failures in the AP.

 Contact our technical support representatives for repair.

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