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Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.
Chapter 3: AirOS™
AirRouter User Guide
•
Station
This is a client mode, which connects
the AirRouter to an Access Point. In
Station
mode,
the AirRouter acts as the subscriber Station while
connecting to the Access Point. The SSID of the
Access Point is used and all the traffic to/from the
network devices connected to the Ethernet interface is
forwarded.
Subscriber Station is using the arpnat technique which
may result in a lack of transparency while passing-
through broadcast packets in bridge mode.
•
Station WDS
WDS stands for Wireless Distribution
System. Station WDS should be used while connecting
to an Access Point that is operating in WDS mode. This
mode is compatible with WPA/WPA2 encryption.
Station WDS mode enables packet forwarding at the
layer 2 level.
The benefit of Station WDS is improved performance
and faster throughput. Station WDS - Bridge mode is
fully transparent for all Layer 2 protocols.
•
Access Point
This is an 802.11 Access Point.
•
Access Point WDS
This is an 802.11 Access Point which
allows for layer 2 bridging with Station WDS devices
using the WDS protocol. Access Point WDS is not fully
compatible with WPA/WPA2 encryption.
WDS allows you to bridge wireless traffic between
devices which are operating in Access Point mode.
Access Point is usually connected to a wired network
(Ethernet LAN) allowing wireless connection to the
wired network. By connecting Access Points to one
another in an extended service set using the WDS,
distant Ethernet connections can be bridged into a
single LAN.
It is very important that network loops should not be
created with either WDS bridges or combinations of
wired (Ethernet) connections and WDS bridges. Tree
or Star shape network topology should be used in all
WDS use-cases (i.e. if AP2 and AP3 are specified as the
WDS peers of AP1, AP2 should not be specified as the
WDS peer of AP3 and AP3 should not be specified as the
WDS peer of AP2 in any case). Mesh and Ring network
topologies are not supported by WDS and should be
avoided in all the use cases.
Note:
Station
WDS and
Access Point
WDS mode
use the WDS protocol which is not defined as
the standard thus compatibility issues between
equipment from different vendors may arise.
Note:
When connecting devices in AP-WDS-
to-AP-WDS mode, the WPA/WPA2 security
methods will not function. When connecting
AP-WDS devices to another AP-WDS device use
none or the WEP security method. However,
this may compromise the security of your
network. When connecting STA-WDS clients
to an AP-WDS device, all security methods are
available and work properly.
WDS Peers
(Only applicable in
Access Point WDS
mode.)
WDS Stations and/or WDS Access Points connected to
the AirRouter should be specified in this list to create a
wireless network infrastructure - Wireless Distribution
System.
Enter the MAC address of the paired WDS device in
the WDS Peer entry field. One MAC address should be
specified for Point-to-Point connection use case, up to
six WDS Peers can be specified for Point-to-Multi-Point
connection use case.
Auto
(Only applicable in
Access Point WDS
mode.) Option
should be enabled in order to establish WDS connections
between Access Points if WDS Peers are not specified. If
the
Auto
option is enabled, the AirRouter will choose WDS
Peers (Access Points) according to the SSID setting. Access
Point operating in WDS mode should have the same SSID
as the WDS Peer in order to establish the connection
automatically while the
Auto
option is enabled. This
configuration is also known as repeater mode. AP WDS
Auto option can not be selected if any type of WPA or
WPA2 security is used as WPA requires different roles on
AP configuration (authenticator or supplicant).
Note:
Access Point operating in WDS mode
and all the WDS Peers must operate on the
same frequency channel, use the same channel
spectrum width and the same security settings.
SSID
The wireless network name or SSID (Service Set
Identifier) used to identify your 802.11 wireless LAN
should be specified while operating in Access Point or
Access Point WDS mode. All the client devices within
range will receive broadcast messages from the access
point advertising this SSID.
While operating in Station or Station WDS mode, you
should specify the SSID of the Access Point the AirRouter
is associated with. There can be several Access Points with
an identical SSID. If the SSID is set to “Any” the station will
connect to any available AP.
Select
(Only applicable in
Station
and
Station WDS
mode.)
The list of the available Access Points can be retrieved
using the
Select
button. This control activates
Site Survey
tool which is used for the AP selection. Site Survey will
search for the available wireless networks in range on
all supported channels and allows you to select one for
association. In case the selected network uses encryption,
you’ll need to set security parameters in the
Wireless
Security
section. Select the Access Point from the list and
click
Select
button for association.