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Page 106 / 193 Scroll up to view Page 101 - 105
106
Configuring the Wireless Distribution System (WDS)
You can bridge the
Conference Room and
West Wing access
points with a
WDS
link to create a single
network for clients in
both areas.
Using WDS to Extend the Network Beyond the Wired Coverage Area
An
ESS
can extend the reach of the network into areas where cabling would be difficult,
costly, or inefficient.
For example, suppose you have an access point which is connected to the network by
Ethernet and serving multiple client stations in one area (“East Wing” in our example)
but cannot reach others which are out of range. Suppose also that it is too difficult
or too costly to wire
the distant area with
Ethernet cabling. You
can solve this problem
by placing a second
access point closer
to second group of
stations (“Poolside”
in our example) and
bridge the two APs
with a WDS link. This
extends
your network
wirelessly by providing an extra hop to get to distant stations.
Using WDS to Bridge Distant Wired LANs
In an
ESS
, a network of multiple access points, each access point serves part of an
area which is too large for a single access point to cover. You can use WDS to bridge
distant Ethernets to create a single
LAN
. For example, suppose you have one access
point which is connected to the network by Ethernet and serving multiple client stations
in the Conference Room (LAN Segment 1), and another Ethernet-wired access point
serving stations in the West Wing offices (LAN Segment 2).
Page 107 / 193
107
Backup Links and Unwanted Loops in WDS Bridges
Another use for WDS bridging, the creation of backup links, is not supported in this
release of the D-Link DWL-2210AP. The topic is included here to emphasize that you
should not try to use WDS in this way; backup links will result in unwanted, endless
loops of data traffic.
If an access point provides
Spanning Tree Protocol
(
STP
), WDS can be used to configure
backup paths between access points across the network. For example, between two
access points you could have both a primary path via Ethernet and a secondary
(backup) wireless path via a WDS link. If the Ethernet connection goes down, STP
would reconfigure its map of the network and effectively fix the down network segment
by activating the backup wireless path.
The D-Link DWL-2210AP does not provide STP for this release. Without STP, it is
possible that both connections (paths) may be active at the same time, and result in
an endless loop of traffic on the LAN.
Therefore, be sure not create loops with either WDS bridges or combinations of Wired
(Ethernet) connections and WDS bridges.
For more information, see the “Do not create loops” note under “Configuring WDS
Settings” in this manual.
Security Considerations Related to WDS Bridges
Static
Wired Equivalent Privacy
(
WEP
) is a data encryption protocol for 802.11
wireless networks. Both access points in a given WDS link must be configured with
the same security settings. For static WEP, either a static 64-bit (40-bit secret key +
24-bit initialization vector (IV)) or 128-bit (104-bit secret key + 24-bit IV) Shared Key is
specified for data encryption.
You can enable Static
WEP
on the WDS link (bridge). When WEP is enabled, all data
exchanged between the two access points in a WDS link is encrypted using a fixed
WEP key that you provide.
Static WEP is the only security mode available for the WDS link, and it does not provide
effective data protection to the level of other security modes available for service to client
stations. If you use WDS on a
LAN
intended for secure wireless traffic you are putting
your network at risk. Therefore, we recommend using WDS to bridge the Guest network
only for this release. Do not use WDS to bridge access points on the Internal network
unless you are not concerned about the security risk for data traffic on that network.
For more information about the effectiveness of different security modes, see “Configuring
Security” in this manual. This topic also covers use of plain text security mode for AP-to-
station traffic on the Guest network, which is intended for less sensitive data traffic.
Configuring the Wireless Distribution System (WDS)
Page 108 / 193
108
Navigating to WDS Settings
To specify the details of traffic exchange from this access point to others, navigate to
the
Advanced > WDS
tab, and update the fields as described below.
The following figure shows the WDS settings page for the two-radio AP. The
Administration Web page for the one-radio AP will look slightly different.
Configuring the Wireless Distribution System (WDS)
Page 109 / 193
109
Configuring WDS Settings
The following notes summarize some critical guidelines regarding
WDS
configuration.
Please read all the notes before proceeding with WDS configuration.
To configure WDS on this access point, describe each AP intended to receive handoffs
and send information to this AP. Each destination AP needs the descriptions shown on
the following page.
Configuring the Wireless Distribution System (WDS)
The only security mode available on the WDS link is Static
WEP
, which is not
particularly secure. Therefore, we recommend using WDS to bridge the Guest
network only for this release. Do not use WDS to bridge access points on the Internal
network unless you are not concerned about the security risk for data traffic on that
network.
When using WDS, be sure to configure WDS settings on
both
access points
participating in the WDS link.
You can have only one WDS link between any pair of access points. That is, a remote
MAC address may appear only once on the WDS page for a particular access
point.
Both access points participating in a WDS link must be on the same Radio channel
and using the same IEEE 802.11 mode. (See “Configuring Radio Settings” in this
manual for information on configuring the Radio mode and channel.)
Do not create loops
with either WDS bridges or combinations of Wired (Ethernet)
connections and WDS bridges.
Spanning Tree Protocol
(
STP
), which manages path
redundancy and prevent unwanted loops, is not enabled for this release. Keep these
rules in mind when working with WDS on this release of the D-Link DWL-2210AP:
Any two access points can be connected by only a single path; either a WDS bridge
(wireless) or an Ethernet connection (wired), but not both.
Do not create “backup” links.
If you can trace more than one path between any pair of APs going through any
combination of Ethernet or WDS links, you have a loop.
You can only extend or bridge either the Internal or Guest network but not both.
•
•
•
•
•
•
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•
Page 110 / 193
110
Local Address
Indicates the Media Access Control (
MAC
) addresses for this
access point.
A MAC address is a permanent, unique hardware
address for any device that represents an interface to the network.
The MAC address is assigned by the manufacturer. You cannot
change the MAC address. It is provided here for informational
purposes as a unique identifier for the access point or interface.
The MAC address for the
Bridge
(
br0
) is shown at the top of the
WDS settings page. This is the address by which the AP is known
externally to other networks.
Remote Address
Specify the MAC address of the destination access point; that is,
the access point to which data will be sent or “handed-off” and
from which data will be received.
Bridge with
The D-Link DWL-2210AP provides the capability of setting up
guest
and internal networks on the same access point. (See “Setting up
Guest Access” in this manual.)
The guest network typically provides internet access but isolates
guest clients from more sensitive areas of your internal network. It
is common to have security disabled on the guest network to
provide open access.
Alternatively, the
internal
network provides full access to protected
information behind a firewall and requires secure logins or
certificates for access.
When using WDS to link up one access point to another, you need
to identify within which of these networks you want the data
exchange to occur.
Specify the network to which you want to bridge this access point:
• Internal Network
• Guest Network
WEP
Specify whether you want
Wired Equivalent Privacy
(
WEP
)
encryption enabled for the WDS link.
• Enabled
• Disabled
Wired Equivalent Privacy
(
WEP
) is a data encryption protocol for
802.11 wireless networks. Both access points on the WDS link
must be configured with the same security settings. For static
WEP, a static 64-bit (40-bit secret key + 24-bit initialization vector
(IV)) or 128-bit (104-bit secret key + 24-bit IV) Shared Key for data
encryption.
Key Length
If WEP is enabled, specify the length of the WEP key:
• 64-bits
• 128-bits
Field Description
Field
Description
Configuring the Wireless Distribution System (WDS)

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