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Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G Access Point

The Status Tab

Wireless-G Access Point

The Status Tab

The

Status

tab displays the Access Point’s current status.

Firmware Version

. This is the version of the Access Point’s current firmware.

AP Name

. This is the Access Point name specified on the Basic Setup screen.

MAC Address

. This is the Access Point’s MAC Address, as seen by your ISP.

Configuration Type

. This displays how the Access Point is assigned an IP address, either

Automatic

Configuration - DHCP

, if assigned by DHCP server, or

Static IP Address

and its IP Address and Subnet Mask, if

assigned by Static IP Address server.

IP Address

. This shows the Access Point’s IP Address, as it appears on your local, Ethernet network.

Subnet Mask

. When the Access Point is using a Subnet Mask, it is shown here.

MAC Address

. The MAC Address of the LAN interface is displayed here.

SSID

. The unique name shared among all points in your wireless network is displayed here.

Mode

. The Access Point’s mode is displayed here.

Channel

. The wireless channel shared by all wireless devices connected to this Access Point is displayed here.

Wireless Security

. The encryption method you chose in the Setup Wizard or changed from the Setup tab of this

Web-based Utility is displayed here.

Send

and

Receive

. The Send and Receive fields display the number of successful or dropped packets that have

been sent or received. Some packet loss is normal in wireless networking.

To update the status information, click the

Refresh

button. If you require online help, click the

Help

button.

Figure 6-13: The Status Screen

mac address:

the unique address that a manufacturer

assigns to each networking device

packet:

a unit of data sent over a network

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Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G Access Point

The Advanced Tab

Wireless-G Access Point

The Advanced Tab

Filters

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

Enable

. If you do not wish to filter users by MAC Address, select

Disable

.

Prevent

. Clicking this button will block wireless access by MAC Address.

Permit Only

. Clicking this button will allow wireless access by MAC Address.

Edit MAC Address Filter List

. Clicking this button will open the MAC Address Filter List. On this screen, you can

list users, by MAC Address, to whom you wish to provide or block access. For easy reference, click the

Wireless

Client MAC List

button to display a list of network users by MAC Address.

Change these settings as described here and click the

Save Settings

button to apply your changes or

Cancel

Changes

to cancel your changes. If you require online help, click the

Help

button.

Figure 6-14: The Filters Screen

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Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G Access Point

The Advanced Tab

Wireless-G Access Point

Advanced Wireless

Before making any changes to the Wireless tab, please check your wireless settings on other systems, as these

changes will alter the effectiveness of the Access Point. In most cases, these settings do not need to be changed.

Authentication Type.

The default is set to

Auto

, where it auto-detects for Shared Key or Open System.

Shared

Key

is when both the sender and the recipient share a WEP key for authentication.

Open Key

is when the sender

and the recipient do not share a WEP key for authentication. All points on your network must use the same

authentication type.

Transmission Rates.

The default setting is

Auto

. The range is from 1 to 54Mbps. 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 keep the default setting, Auto, to have the Access Point automatically use the fastest possible

data rate and enable the Auto-Fallback feature. Auto-Fallback will negotiate the best possible connection speed

between the Access Point and a wireless client.

CTS Protection Mode

. CTS (Clear-To-Send) Protection Mode should remain disabled unless you are having

severe problems with your Wireless-G products not being able to transmit to the Access Point in an environment

with heavy 802.11b traffic. This function boosts the Access Point’s ability to catch all Wireless-G transmissions

but will severely decrease performance.

Basic Rate

. The Basic Rate setting is not actually one rate of transmission but a series of rates, advertising to the

other wireless devices in your network at what rates the Access Point can transmit. At the

Default

setting, the

Access Point will advertise that it will automatically select the best rate for transmission. Other options of rates to

advertise are

1-2Mbps

, for use with older wireless technology, and

All

, when you wish to make all rates

advertised. The Basic Rate is not the rate transmitted; that is the Transmission Rate.

Antenna Selection.

This selection is for choosing which antenna transmits data, left or right. By default, the

Diversity

antenna selection, used to increase reception, is chosen.

Frame Burst

. Enabling this option should provide your network with greater performance, depending on the

manufacturer of your wireless products. If you are not sure how to use this option, keep the default,

Off

.

Beacon Interval.

This value indicates the frequency interval of the beacon. A beacon is a packet broadcast by

the Access Point to keep the network synchronized. A beacon includes the wireless LAN service area, the AP

address, the Broadcast destination addresses, a time stamp, Delivery Traffic Indicator Maps, and the Traffic

Indicator Message (TIM).

RTS Threshold.

This setting determines how large a packet can be before the Access Point coordinates

transmission and reception to ensure efficient communication. This value should remain at its default setting of

2,346

. Should you encounter inconsistent data flow, only minor modifications are recommended.

Figure 6-15: The Advanced Wireless screen

beacon internal:

data transmitted on your wireless

network that keeps the network synchronized

cts:

a signal sent by a wireless device,

signifying that it is ready to receive data.

rts (request to send):

a networking method of coordinating

large packets through the RTS Threshold setting.

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Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G Access Point

The Advanced Tab

Wireless-G Access Point

Fragmentation Length

.

This specifies the maximum size a data packet will be before splitting and creating a

new packet and should remain at its default setting of

2,346

. A smaller setting means smaller packets, which

will create more packets for each transmission. If you have decreased this value and experience high packet

error rates, you can increase it again, but it will likely decrease overall network performance. Only minor

modifications of this value are recommended.

DTIM Interval

. This value indicates how often the Access Point sends out a Delivery Traffic Indication Message.

Lower settings result in more efficient networking, while preventing your PC from dropping into power-saving

sleep mode. Higher settings allow your PC to enter sleep mode, thus saving power, but interferes with wireless

transmissions.

When you've completed making any changes on this tab, click the

Save Settings

button to save those changes

or

Cancel Changes

to exit the Web-based Utility without saving changes. For more information on this tab, you

can click the

Help

button.

dtim:

a message included in data packets

that can increase wireless efficiency

fragmentation:

breaking a packet into smaller

units when transmitting over a network

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Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G Access Point

The Advanced Tab

Wireless-G Access Point

SNMP

The SNMP screen allows you to customize the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) settings. SNMP is a

popular network monitoring and management protocol.

The Identification settings let you designate the Contact, Device Name, and Location information for the Access

Point. The SNMP Community settings allow names to be assigned to any SNMP communities that have been set

up in the network. You can define two different SNMP communities, with the default names being Public and

Private.

SNMP

. To enable the SNMP support feature, select Enable. Otherwise, select Disable.

Identification

. In the Contact field, enter contact information for the Access Point. In the Device Name field, enter

the name of the Access Point. In the Location field, specify the area or location where the Access Point resides.

SNMP Community

. You may change the name from its default, Public. Enter a new name in the Public field.

Then configure the community's access as either Read-Only or Read-Write.You may change the name from its

default, Private. Enter a new name in the Private field. Then configure the community's access as either Read-

Only or Read-Write.

When you’ve completed making any changes on this tab, click the

Save Settings

button to save those changes

or

Cancel Changes

to cancel your changes. For more information on this tab, you can click the

Help

button.

Figure 6-16: The SNMP screen