25

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Wireless Tab

Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

WEP

•

Encryption. Select the appropriate level of encryption,

40/64-bit (10 hex digits)

or

104/128-bit (26 hex

digits)

. A higher level of encryption is more secure.

•

Passphrase. Instead of manually entering WEP keys, you can enter a Passphrase. It is case-sensitive and

should not be longer than 32 alphanumeric characters. (This Passphrase function is compatible with Linksys

wireless products only and cannot be used with Windows XP Zero Configuration. If you want to communicate

with non-Linksys wireless products or Windows XP Zero Configuration, make a note of the WEP keys

generated, and enter the appropriate one manually in the wireless computer or client.) If you want to use a

Passphrase, then enter it in the

Passphrase

field and click the

Generate

button.

•

Keys 1-4. If you are not using a Passphrase, then manually enter a set of values. (Do not leave a key field

blank, and do not enter all zeroes; they are not valid key values.) If you are using 40/64-bit WEP encryption,

the key must be exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in length. If you are using 104/128-bit WEP encryption,

the key must be exactly 26 hexadecimal characters in length. Valid hexadecimal characters are “0”-“9” and

“A”-“F”.

•

TX Key. To indicate which WEP key to use, select a default Transmit (TX) Key number.

When finished making your changes on this tab, click the

Save Settings

button to save these changes, or click

the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Click

Help

for more information.

Figure 5-19: Wireless Security - WEP

26

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Wireless Tab

Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Wireless MAC Filter Tab

Wireless access can be filtered by using the MAC addresses of the wireless devices transmitting within your

network’s radius.

Wireless MAC Filter

To filter wireless users by MAC Address, either permitting or blocking access, click

Enabled

. If you do not wish to

filter users by MAC Address, select

Disabled

.

Access Restrictions

•

Prevent. Click this button to block wireless access from the devices listed on this screen.

•

Permit. Click this button to allow wireless access by the devices listed on this screen.

MAC Address Filter List

Click the

Wireless Client List

button to display the Wireless Client List. It shows computers and other devices on

the wireless network. The list can be sorted by Client Name, Interface, IP Address, MAC Address, and Status. Click

the

Save to MAC Address Filter List

checkbox for any device you want to add to the MAC Address Filter List.

Then click the

Add

button. To retrieve the most up-to-date information, click the

Refresh

button. To exit this

screen and return to the

Wireless MAC Filter

screen, click the

Close

button.

MAC 01-50

. Enter the MAC addresses of the devices whose wireless access you want to block or allow.

When finished making your changes on this tab, click the

Save Settings

button to save these changes, or click

the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Click

Help

for more information.

Figure 5-20: Wireless MAC Filter

Figure 5-21: Wireless Client List

27

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Wireless Tab

Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Advanced Wireless Settings Tab

This tab is used to set up the Gateway’s advanced wireless functions. These settings should only be adjusted by

an expert administrator as incorrect settings can reduce wireless performance.

Advanced Wireless

•

AP Isolation. This isolates all wireless clients and wireless devices on your network from each other. Wireless

devices will be able to communicate with the Gateway but not with each other. To use this function, click

Enabled

. AP Isolation is disabled by default.

•

Authentication Type. The default is set to

Auto

, which allows either Open System or Shared Key

authentication to be used. Select

Shared Key

if you only want to use Shared Key authentication (the sender

and recipient use a WEP key for authentication).

•

Basic Rate. The Basic Rate setting is not actually one rate of transmission but a series of rates at which the

Gateway can transmit. The Gateway will advertise its Basic Rate to the other wireless devices in your

network, so they know which rates will be used. The Gateway will also advertise that it will automatically

select the best rate for transmission. The default setting is

Default

, when the Gateway can transmit at all

standard wireless rates (1-2Mbps, 5.5Mbps, 11Mbps, 18Mbps, and 24Mbps). Other options are

1-2Mbps

, for

use with older wireless technology, and

All

, when the Gateway can transmit at all wireless rates.

•

Transmission Rate. The rate of data transmission should be set depending on the speed of your wireless

network. You can select from a range of transmission speeds, or you can select

Auto

to have the Gateway

automatically use the fastest possible data rate and enable the Auto-Fallback feature. Auto-Fallback will

negotiate the best possible connection speed between the Gateway and a wireless client. The default setting

is

Auto

.

•

N Transmission Rate. The rate of data transmission should be set depending on the speed of your Wireless-N

networking. You can select from a range of transmission speeds, or you can select

Auto

to have the Gateway

automatically use the fastest possible data rate and enable the Auto-Fallback feature. Auto-Fallback will

negotiate the best possible connection speed between the Gateway and a wireless client. The default setting

is

Auto

.

•

CTS Protection Mode. CTS (Clear-To-Send) Protection Mode’s default setting is

Auto

. The Gateway will

automatically use CTS Protection Mode when your Wireless-N and Wireless-G products are experiencing

severe problems and are not able to transmit to the Gateway in an environment with heavy 802.11b traffic.

This function boosts the Gateway’s ability to catch all Wireless-N and Wireless-G transmissions but will

severely decrease performance.

Figure 5-22: Advanced Wireless Settings

28

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Wireless Tab

Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

•

Beacon Interval. Enter a value between 20-1000 milliseconds. The Beacon Interval value indicates the

frequency interval of the beacon. A beacon is a packet broadcast by the Gateway to synchronize the wireless

network. The default value is

100

.

•

DTIM Interval. This value, between 1 and 255, indicates the interval of the Delivery Traffic Indication Message

(DTIM). A DTIM field is a countdown field informing clients of the next window for listening to broadcast and

multicast messages. When the Gateway has buffered broadcast or multicast messages for associated clients,

it sends the next DTIM with a DTIM Interval value. Its clients hear the beacons and awaken to receive the

broadcast and multicast messages. The default value is

1

.

•

Fragmentation Threshold. This value specifies the maximum size for a packet before data is fragmented into

multiple packets. If you experience a high packet error rate, you may slightly increase the Fragmentation

Threshold. Setting the Fragmentation Threshold too low may result in poor network performance. Only minor

reduction of the default value is recommended. In most cases, it should remain at its default value of

2346

.

•

RTS Threshold. Should you encounter inconsistent data flow, only minor reduction of the default value,

2346

,

is recommended. If a network packet is smaller than the preset RTS threshold size, the RTS/CTS mechanism

will not be enabled. The Gateway sends Request to Send (RTS) frames to a particular receiving station and

negotiates the sending of a data frame. After receiving an RTS, the wireless station responds with a Clear to

Send (CTS) frame to acknowledge the right to begin transmission. In most cases, keep its default value of

2346

.

When finished making your changes on this tab, click the

Save Settings

button to save these changes, or click

the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Click

Help

for more information.

29

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Security Tab

Wireless-N ADSL2+ Gateway

The Security Tab

The Firewall Tab

You can enable or disable the firewall, select filters to block specific Internet data types, and block anonymous

Internet requests. Use these features to enhance the security of your network.

Firewall

•

SPI Firewall Protection. The Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall feature enhances the security of your

network. To use this feature, click

Enable

. If you do not want to use the firewall, click

Disable

.

Additional Filters

•

Filter Proxy. Use of WAN proxy servers may compromise the Gateway's security. Denying Filter Proxy will

disable access to any WAN proxy servers. To enable proxy filtering, click the checkbox.

•

Filter Cookies. A cookie is data stored on your computer and used by Internet sites when you interact with

them. To enable cookie filtering, click the checkbox.

•

Filter Java Applets. Java is a programming language for websites. If you deny Java Applets, you run the risk

of not having access to Internet sites created using this programming language. To enable Java Applet

filtering, click the checkbox.

•

Filter ActiveX. ActiveX is a programming language for websites. If you deny ActiveX, you run the risk of not

having access to Internet sites created using this programming language. To enable ActiveX filtering, click the

checkbox.

Block WAN Requests

•

Block Anonymous Internet Requests. This keeps your network from being “pinged” or detected and

reinforces your network security by hiding your network ports, so it is more difficult for intruders to discover

your network. Select

Block Anonymous Internet Requests

to block anonymous Internet requests or de-

select it

to allow anonymous Internet requests.

When finished making your changes on this tab, click the

Save Settings

button to save these changes, or click

the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Click

Help

for more information.

Figure 5-23: Firewall