Linksys WAP11v1.07 Router Manual PDF (Setup & Configuration Guide)

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Wireless Network Access Point

Troubleshooting

This chapter provides solutions to problems usually encountered during the

installation and operation of the Wireless Network Access Point. Read the

description below to solve your problems. If you can’t find an answer here,

check the Linksys website at www.linksys.com.

What is the purpose of antenna diversity and when should it be used?

When used, how should it be set-up?

The dual antennae on the Access Point are probably best explained using this

example. Take television, if you have ever had the old “rabbit ear type of

antenna” and saw reflections on TV (called “ghosts”), then you moved the

antenna and the reflections “went away.” (Using two antennae allows us to

“MOVE AWAY” from reflections that cause us to lose or have to retransmit

data.) They should be used indoors as outdoor reflections are rare. As long as

both antennae cover roughly the same area, this is fine.

Can the Wireless Network Access Point act as my DHCP Server?

No.

The Access Point is nothing more than a wireless hub, and as such, cannot

be configured to handle DHCP capabilities.

Can I run an application from a remote computer over the wireless net-

work?

This will depend on whether or not the application is designed to be used over

a network. Consult the application’s user guide to determine if it supports oper-

ation over a network.

Can I play multiplayer games with other users of the wireless network?

Yes, as long as the game supports multiple players over a LAN (local area net-

work). Refer to the game’s user guide for more information.

What is the IEEE 802.11b standard?

The IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN standards subcommittee is formulating a

standard for the industry. The objective is to enable wireless LAN hardware

from different manufacturers to communicate.

Common Problems and Solutions

Frequently Asked Questions

Instant Wireless

Series

THE INFO TAB

The Info tab displays general information about Linksys and the Access Point

SNMP Manager. The SNMP Configuration Utility’s copyright date and version

number are listed as well as the Utility’s firmware version. At the bottom of the

screen, you will find a button that will access Linksys’ web page (once your

Internet connection is properly set up), the email address for technical support,

and the phone number to call for technical support.

•

Stations

. This shows the MAC addresses of those machines making wireless

connections to the Access Point.

•

Statistics

. This displays the connection statistics for your wireless and

Ethernet connections.

•

TrapLog

. This displays the information on any SNMP messages read by

your

Access Point.

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Wireless Network Access Point

As the user moves on, the end node’s RF transmitter regularly checks the sys-

tem to determine whether it is in touch with the original Wireless Network

Access Point or whether it should seek a new one. When a node no longer

receives acknowledgment from its original Wireless Network Access Point, it

undertakes a new search. Upon finding a new Wireless Network Access Point,

it then re-registers, and the communication process continues.

What is BSS ID?

A specific Ad-hoc LAN is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Computers in a

BSS must be configured with the same BSS ID.

What is ESSID?

An Infrastructure configuration could also support roaming capability for

mobile workers. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service

Set (ESS). Users within an ESS could roam freely between BSSs while main-

taining a continuous connection to the wireless network stations and Wireless

Network Access Points.

What is ISM band?

The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside bandwidth

for unlicensed use in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band.

Spectrum in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz, in particular, is being made available

worldwide. This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place convenient

high speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe.

What is Spread Spectrum?

Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency technique devel-

oped by the military for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communica-

tions systems. It is designed to trade off bandwidth efficiency for reliability,

integrity, and security. In other words, more bandwidth is consumed than in the

case of narrowband transmission, but the trade-off produces a signal that is, in

effect, louder and thus easier to detect, provided that the receiver knows the

parameters of the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not

tuned to the right frequency, a spread-spectrum signal looks like background

noise. There are two main alternatives, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

(DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).

Instant Wireless™ Series

What IEEE 802.11 features are supported?

The product supports the following IEEE 802.11 functions:

•

CSMA/CA plus Acknowledge protocol

•

Multi-Channel Roaming

•

Automatic Rate Selection

•

RTS/CTS feature

•

Fragmentation

•

Power Management

What is Ad-hoc?

An Ad-hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with a WLAN adapter,

connected as an independent wireless LAN. An Ad-hoc wireless LAN is appli-

cable at a departmental scale for a branch or SOHO operation.

What is Infrastructure?

An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configura-

tion. Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access to a cen-

tral database, or wireless application for mobile workers.

What is Roaming?

Roaming is the ability of a portable computer user to communicate continu-

ously while moving freely throughout an area greater than that covered by a

single Wireless Network Access Point. Before using the roaming function, the

workstation must make sure that it is the same channel number as the Wireless

Network Access Point of the dedicated coverage area.

To achieve true seamless connectivity, the wireless LAN must incorporate a

number of different functions. Each node and Wireless Network Access Point,

for example, must always acknowledge receipt of each message. Each node

must maintain contact with the wireless network even when not actually trans-

mitting data. Achieving these functions simultaneously requires a dynamic RF

networking technology that links Wireless Network Access Points and nodes.

In such a system, the user’s end node undertakes a search for the best possible

access to the system. First, it evaluates such factors as signal strength and qual-

ity, as well as the message load currently being carried by each Wireless

Network Access Point and the distance of each Wireless Network Access Point

to the wired backbone. Based on that information, the node next selects the

right Wireless Network Access Point and registers its address. Communications

between end node and host computer can then be transmitted up and down the

backbone.

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Instant Wireless™ Series

What is DSSS? What is FHSS? And what are their differences?

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) uses a narrowband carrier that

changes frequency in a pattern that is known to both transmitter and receiver.

Properly synchronized, the net effect is to maintain a single logical channel. To

an unintended receiver, FHSS appears to be short-duration impulse noise.

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) generates a redundant bit pattern for

each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code).

The longer the chip, the greater the probability that the original data can be

recovered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmis-

sion, statistical techniques embedded in the radio can recover the original data

without the need for retransmission. To an unintended receiver, DSSS appears

as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband

receivers.

Would the information be intercepted while transmitting on air?

WLAN features two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as with

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security fea-

ture of scrambling. On the software side, the WLAN series offers the encryp-

tion function (WEP) to enhance security and access control. Users can set it up

depending upon their needs.

Can Instant Wireless

products support file and printer sharing?

Instant Wireless

products perform the same function as LAN products.

Therefore, Instant Wireless

products can work with Netware, Windows

NT/2000, or other LAN operating systems to support printer or file sharing.

What is WEP?

WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 40 bit

shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

What is a MAC Address?

The Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique number assigned by the

manufacturer to any Ethernet networking device, such as a network adapter,

that allows the network to identify it at the hardware level.

For all practical pur-

poses, this number is usually permanent.

Unlike IP addresses, which can

change every time a computer logs on to the network, the MAC address of a

device stays the same, making it a valuable identifier for the network.

Glossary

Ad-hoc Network

- An ad-hoc network is a wireless network or other small net-

work in which some of the network devices are part of the network only for the

duration of a communications session, while others stay in close proximity to

the rest of the network.

Default Gateway

- The router used to forward all traffic that is not addressed

to a station within the local subnet.

DHCP

(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A protocol that lets network

administrators centrally manage and automate the assignment of Internet

Protocol (IP) addresses in an organization's network. Using the Internet's set of

protocol (TCP/IP), each machine that can connect to the Internet needs a

unique IP address. When an organization sets up its computer users with a con-

nection to the Internet, an IP address must be assigned to each machine.

Without DHCP, the IP address must be entered manually at each computer and,

if computers move to another location in another part of the network, a new IP

address must be entered. DHCP lets a network administrator supervise and dis-

tribute IP addresses from a central point and automatically sends a new IP

address when a computer is plugged into a different place in the network.

DHCP uses the concept of a “lease” or amount of time that a given IP address

will be valid for a computer. The lease time can vary depending on how long a

user is likely to require the Internet connection at a particular location. It’s espe-

cially useful in education and other environments where users change fre-

quently. Using very short leases, DHCP can dynamically reconfigure networks

in which there are more computers than there are available IP addresses.

DHCP supports static addresses for computers containing Web servers that

need a permanent IP address.

DNS

- The Domain Name System (DNS) is the way that Internet domain

names are located and translated into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. A

domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember “handle” for an Internet

address.

Wireless Network Access Point

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IP Address

- In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol

(Internet Protocol) today, an IP address is a 32-binary digit number that identi-

fies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the

Internet. When you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet

Protocol part of TCP/IP includes your IP address in the message (actually, in

each of the packets if more than one is required) and sends it to the IP address

that is obtained by looking up the domain name in the Uniform Resource

Locator you requested or in the e-mail address you're sending a note to. At the

other end, the recipient can see the IP address of the Web page requester or the

e-mail sender and can respond by sending another message using the IP address

it received.

IPCONFIG

- A utility that provides for querying, defining and managing IP

addresses within a network.

A commonly used utility, under Windows NT and

2000, for configuring networks with static IP addresses.

ISP

- An ISP (Internet service provider) is a company that provides individuals

and companies access to the Internet and other related services such as website

building and virtual hosting.

LAN

- A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated

devices that share a common communications line and typically share the

resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for

example, within an office building).

MAC Address

- The MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique num-

ber assigned by the manufacturer to any Ethernet networking device, such as a

network adapter, that allows the network to identify it at the hardware level.

mIRC

- mIRC runs under Windows and provides a graphical interface for log-

ging onto IRC servers and listing, joining, and leaving channels.

Network Mask

- also known as the “Subnet Mask.”

PCMCIA

- The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International

Association) is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a

credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer,

usually a notebook or laptop computer.

Ping

(Packet INternet Groper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether

a particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by send-

ing out a packet and waiting for a response.

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Series

DSSS

- Also known as “Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum,” this is a variety of

radio transmission methods that continuously change frequencies or signal pat-

terns. Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), which is used in CDMA,

multiplies the data bits by a very fast, pseudo-random bit pattern (PN sequence)

that “spreads” the data into a large coded stream that takes the full bandwidth

of the channel.

Dynamic IP Address

- An IP address that is automatically assigned to a client

station in a TCP/IP network, typically by a DHCP server. Network devices that

serve multiple users, such as servers and printers, are usually assigned static IP

addresses.

ESS

- More than one BSS in a network.

FHSS

- Also known as “Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum.” Frequency

Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) continuously changes the center frequency

of a conventional carrier several times per second according to a pseudo-ran-

dom set of channels, while chirp spread spectrum changes the carrier frequen-

cy. Because a fixed frequency is not used, illegal monitoring of spread spec-

trum signals is extremely difficult, if not downright impossible depending on

the particular method.

Firmware

- Programming that is inserted into programmable read-only mem-

ory, thus becoming a permanent part of a computing device.

IEEE

- The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE

describes itself as “the world's largest technical professional society—promot-

ing the development and application of electrotechnology and allied sciences

for the benefit of humanity, the advancement of the profession, and the well-

being of our members.”

The IEEE fosters the development of standards that often become national and

international standards. The organization publishes a number of journals, has

many local chapters, and has several large societies in special areas, such as the

IEEE Computer Society.

Infrastructure

- An infrastructure network is a wireless network or other small

network in which the wireless network devices are made a part of the network

through an Access Point that connects them to the rest of the network.

Wireless Network Access Point

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Instant Wireless

Series

UTP

- Unshielded twisted pair is the most common kind of copper telephone

wiring. Twisted pair is the ordinary copper wire that connects home and many

business computers to the telephone company. To reduce crosstalk or electro-

magnetic induction between pairs of wires, two insulated copper wires are

twisted around each other. Each signal on twisted pair requires both wires.

Since some telephone sets or desktop locations require multiple connections,

twisted pair is sometimes installed in two or more pairs, all within a single

cable.

WEP

(Wired Equivalent Privacy) - A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-

bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

WINIPCFG

- Configuration utility based on the Win32 API for querying,

defining, and managing IP addresses within a network.

A commonly used util-

ity, under Windows 95, 98, and Millennium, for configuring networks with

static IP addresses.

RJ-45

- A connector similar to a telephone connector that holds up to eight

wires, used for connecting Ethernet devices.

Roaming

- The ability to use a wireless device and be able to move from one

access point’s range to another without losing the connection.

Static IP Address

- A permanent IP address that is assigned to a node in a

TCP/IP network.

Subnet Mask

- The method used for splitting IP networks into a series of sub-

groups, or subnets. The mask is a binary pattern that is matched up with the IP

address to turn part of the host ID address field into a field for subnets.

TCP

(Transmission Control Protocol) - A method (protocol) used along with

the Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) to send data in the form of message

units between computers over the Internet. While IP takes care of handling the

actual delivery of the data, TCP takes care of keeping track of the individual

units of data (called packets) that a message is divided into for efficient rout-

ing through the Internet.

TCP/IP

- Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the

basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. It can also be used

as a communications protocol in a private network (either an intranet or an

extranet). When you are set up with direct access to the Internet, your comput-

er is provided with a copy of the TCP/IP program just as every other computer

that you may send messages to or get information from also has a copy of

TCP/IP.

UDP

(User Datagram Protocol) - A communications method (protocol) that

offers a limited amount of service when messages are exchanged between com-

puters in a network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP). UDP is an alternative

to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and, together with IP, is sometimes

referred to as UDP/IP. Like the Transmission Control Protocol, UDP uses the

Internet Protocol to actually get a data unit (called a datagram) from one com-

puter to another. Unlike TCP, however, UDP does not provide the service of

dividing a message into packets (datagrams) and reassembling it at the other

end. Specifically, UDP doesn't provide sequencing of the packets that the data

arrives in. This means that the application program that uses UDP must be able

to make sure that the entire message has arrived and is in the right order.

Network applications that want to save processing time because they have very

small data units to exchange (and therefore very little message reassembling to

do) may prefer UDP to TCP.

Wireless Network Access Point

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