12

Chapter 5: Setting Up the Wireless-G Range Expander

Wireless-G Range Expander

7.

The Security Settings screen will appear next, if you have not entered this information already. From this

screen, you can set the level of encryption on your network, along with entering the appropriate passphrases

and/or encryption keys.

If your network’s WEP encryption uses a passphrase, enter it here. The passphrase can consist of no more

than 16 alphanumeric characters.

When entering the WEP key directly, it should be no more than 10 hexadecimal characters in length for 64-bit

encryption or 26 hexadecimal characters in length for 128-bit encryption. Hexadecimal characters are the

letters "A" through "F" and the numbers "0" through "9". All points in your wireless network must use the

same WEP key to utilize WEP encryption.

Click the

Next

button to continue or

Exit

to exit the Setup Wizard.

8.

The Configure Network Address Settings screen will appear next.

Enter an IP Address, Subnet Mask, the IP

Address of your network Gateway, and an Expander Name. Then, click the

Next

button to continue or

Back

to

return to the previous page.

•

IP Address. This IP address must be unique to your network. (The default IP address is 192.168.1.240.)

•

Subnet Mask. The Range Expander's Subnet Mask must be the same as your network.

•

Gateway. This IP address should be the IP address of the gateway device that allows for contact between

the Internet and the local network.

•

Expander Name. You can assign the Range Expander any name up to 32 characters in length, such as its

location (garage, downstairs, living room, etc.).

Figure 5-9: The Security Settings screen

Figure 5-10: The Configure Network Address

Settings screen

bit

-

a binary digit.

gateway

- a device that interconnects networks with different,

incompatible communications protocols.

13

Chapter 5: Setting Up the Wireless-G Range Expander

Wireless-G Range Expander

9.

You should now review the settings you've chosen.

If these settings are correct, click the

Yes

button to save

these settings. If you wish to change any of the settings, click the

No

button. You will exit the Setup Wizard

and can start it again to revise your settings.

10. At this point, the configuration performed with the Setup Wizard is complete. To configure any other Range

Expanders in your network, you can run this Setup Wizard again. Click the

Exit

button to exit the Setup

Wizard.

Figure 5-11: The Confirm New Settings screen

Figure 5-12: The Congratulations screen

14

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-G Range Expander

Overview

Wireless-G Range Expander

Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G Range Expander

Overview

The Range Expander has been designed to be functional right out of the box, setting it up with the Auto

configuration button or with the Setup Wizard. However, if you'd like to change these settings, the Range

Expander can be configured through your web browser with the Web-Based Utility. This chapter explains how to

configure the Range Expander in this manner.

Open your web browser and type the IP Address you entered in the Setup Wizard. (If you used the Auto

configuration button, the default IP address is 192.168.1.240.) Press the

Enter

key and the Password Screen will

appear. Leave the User Name field blank. The first time you open the Web-Based Utility, use the default password

admin

. You can set a new password from the Password tab.

Have You:

Enabled TCP/IP on your PCs? PCs

communicate over the network with this protocol.

Refer to Appendix D: Windows Help for more

information on TCP/IP.

Note:

The Range Expander is designed to function

properly after using the Auto configuration button or

Setup Wizard. This chapter is provided solely for those

who wish to perform more advanced configuration or

monitoring.

Figure 6-1: Password Screen

browser:

an application program that provides a way to look

at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web.

ip address:

the address used to identify a

computer or device on a network.

15

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-G Range Expander

The Setup Tab

Wireless-G Range Expander

The Setup Tab

Basic Setup

The first screen that appears displays the

Basic Setup

screen. This allows you to change the Range Expander's

general settings. Change these settings as described here and click

Save Settings

to apply your changes or

Cancel Changes

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

Help

.

•

Firmware

. This will display the Range Expander's current firmware version. Firmware can be upgraded from

the Help tab.

•

Name

. You may assign any name to the Range Expander.

Unique, memorable names are helpful, especially if

you are employing multiple Range Expanders on the same network. Verify this is the name you wish to use

and click

Save Settings

to set it.

Wireless

The selections under this heading allow you to configure the Range Expander’s connection to your wireless

network.

•

IP Address

. The IP address must be unique to your network. We suggest you use the default IP address of

192.168.1.240.

•

Subnet Mask

.

The Subnet Mask must be the same as that set on your wireless network.

•

Gateway

.

If you have assigned a static IP address to the access point, then enter the IP address of your

network’s Gateway, such as a router, in the Gateway field. If your network does not have a Gateway, then

leave this field blank.

•

Mode

.

Select

Mixed

and both Wireless-G and Wireless-B computers will be allowed on the network, but the

speed will be reduced. Select

G-Only

for maximum speed with Wireless-G products only. The final selection,

B-Only

, allows only Wireless-B products on the network.

•

SSID

.

The SSID is the name shared among all points in a wireless network. The SSID must be identical for all

points in the wireless network. It is case-sensitive and must not exceed 32 alphanumeric characters, which

may be any keyboard character. Make sure this setting is the same for all points in your wireless network. For

added security, you should change the SSID from the default name,

linksys

, to a unique name.

•

SSID Broadcast

.

Allows the SSID to be broadcast on your network. You may want to enable this function

while configuring your network, but make sure that you disable it when you are finished. With this enabled,

Figure 6-2: Setup Tab - Basic Setup

firmware:

the programming code that runs a

networking device

static ip address:

a fixed address assigned to a

computer or device that is connected to a network

subnet mask:

an address code that determines

the size of the network.

16

Chapter 5: Configuring the Wireless-G Range Expander

The Setup Tab

Wireless-G Range Expander

someone could easily obtain the SSID information with site survey software and gain unauthorized access to

your network. Click

Enable

to broadcast the SSID to all wireless devices in range. Click

Disable

to increase

network security and prevent the SSID from being seen on networked PCs.

•

Channel

. Select the appropriate channel from the list provided, between 1 and 11, to correspond with your

network settings. All points in your wireless network must use the same channel to function correctly.

•

Wireless Security

. To enable wireless security, through WEP encryption, select the

Enable

radio button. To

disable such security, select the radio button by

Disable

. To change the security settings to match your

network, click the

Edit Security Settings

button. A notification window will ask if you wish to change the

settings. Clicking the

Edit Security Settings

button will open the following options:

Default Transmit Key.

When using WEP keys and not a Passphrase (described below), this selection

corresponds with the Key used.

WEP Encryption

. Select the level of WEP encryption you wish to use, 64-bit 10 hex digits or 128-bit 26 hex

digits. Higher encryption levels offer higher levels of security, but due to the complexity of the encryption,

they may decrease network performance.

Passphrase

. Instead of manually entering WEP keys, you can enter a Passphrase. This Passphrase is used to

generate one or more WEP keys. It is case-sensitive and should not be longer than 16 alphanumeric

characters. (This Passphrase function is compatible with Linksys wireless products only. If you want to

communicate with non-Linksys wireless products, enter the WEP key manually on the non-Linksys wireless

products.) After you enter the Passphrase, click the

Generate

button to create WEP keys.

Keys 1-4.

WEP keys enable you to create an encryption scheme for wireless transmissions. 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. These are not valid key values.)

If you are using 64-bit WEP encryption, then the key must be exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in length. If

you are using 128-bit WEP encryption, then the key must be exactly 26 hexadecimal characters in length.

Valid hexadecimal characters are “0”-“9” and “A”-“F”.

•

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.

•

Access Point MAC Address.

In this field, enter the MAC Address of the access point with which the Range

Expander is communicating.

Figure 6-3: WEP Security screen

encryption:

encoding data transmitted in a network

MAC address:

the unique address that a

manufacturer assigns to each networking device.

passphrase:

used much like a password, a passphrase

simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically

generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products.

software:

instructions for the computer.