Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point

Introduction

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August 2003

ME103 Wireless Access Point Rear Panel

Figure 2-2: ME103 rear panel

Left Side Primary and Right Side Secondary Detachable Antenna

The ME103 provides two detachable antenna. The one on the left is the primary, and the one on

the right is the secondary. See

“Understanding Advanced Wireless Settings” on page 5-8

and

“Antenna Installation” on page 5-13

for important information about configuring and

positioning the antenna to best take advantage of diversity and range capabilities of the ME103.

Restore to Factory Defaults Button

The restore to default button located between the Ethernet RJ-45 connector and the power

socket restores the ME103 to the factory default settings.

RJ-45 Ethernet Port

Use the ME103 Ethernet RJ-45 port to connect to an Ethernet LAN through a device such as a

hub, switch, or router.

Power Socket

This socket connects to the ME103 power adapter.

Basic Installation and Configuration

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August 2003

Chapter 3

Basic Installation and Configuration

This chapter describes how to set up your ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point for

wireless connectivity to your LAN. This basic configuration will enable computers with 802.11b

or 802.11g wireless adapters to do such things as connect to the Internet, or access printers and

files on your LAN.

You need to prepare these three things before you can establish a connection through your wireless

access point:

•

A location for the ME103 that conforms to the

Observing Placement and Range Guidelines

below.

•

The wireless access point connected to your LAN through a device such as a hub, switch,

router, or Cable/DSL gateway.

•

One or more computers with properly configured 802.11b or 802.11g wireless adapters.

Observing Placement and Range Guidelines

The operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the

physical placement of the wireless access point. The latency, data throughput performance, and

notebook power consumption of wireless adapters also vary depending on your configuration

choices.

Note:

Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11b wireless networks at ranges

of several hundred feet or more.

This distance can allow for others outside your area

to access your network. It is important to take appropriate steps to secure your network

from unauthorized access. The ME103 Access Point provides highly effective security

features which are covered in detail in

Chapter 3, “Configuring Your Wireless Network

.

Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.

Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point

Basic Installation and Configuration

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August 2003

For best results, place your wireless access point:

•

Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate.

•

In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected PCs have

line-of-sight access (even if through walls).

•

Away from sources of interference, such as PCs, microwaves, and 2.4 GHz cordless phones.

•

Away from large metal surfaces.

•

If using multiple access points, it is better if adjacent access points use different

radio frequency

Channels to reduce interference. The recommended Channel spacing between adjacent access

points is 5 Channels (for example, use Channels 1 and 6, or 6 and 11).

The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending on both your security

settings and placement. WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP

encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook PC.

Cabling Requirements

The ME103 Access Point connects to your LAN via twisted-pair Category 5 Ethernet cable with

RJ-45 connectors.

Note:

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance

degradation or inability to wirelessly connect to the ME103. For complete performance

specifications, see

Appendix A, “Specifications”

.

Note:

The power adapter and cord shipped with the ME103 limits the distance from an

AC outlet. To overcome this, consider using NETGEAR’s POE101 Power Over

Ethernet Adapter with a Cat 5 Ethernet cable like the one included with your ME103.

This adapter sends DC power through an Ethernet cable to enable you to power an

access point in a remote location up to 328 feet away.

Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point

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Basic Installation and Configuration

August 2003

Default Factory Settings

When you first receive your ME103, the default factory settings will be set as shown below. You

can restore these defaults with the Factory Default Restore switch on the rear panel — see

“ME103

Wireless Access Point Rear Panel” on page 2-7

.

FEATURE

FACTORY DEFAULT SETTINGS

User Name (case sensitive)

admin

Password (case sensitive)

password

Operating Mode

Access Point

Access Point Name

NETGEARxxxxxx where xxxxxx are the last six digits of the

wireless access point's MAC address

DHCP

DHCP client

IP Configuration

(if DHCP server is unavailable)

IP Address: 192.168.0.224

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Gateway: 0.0.0.0

Primary DNS Server:

blank

Secondary DNS Server:

blank

Network Name (SSID)

NETGEAR

Broadcast Network Name (SSID

Enabled

802.11b

Radio Frequency Channel

11

WEP

Disabled

Restricting connectivity based

on MAC Access Control List

Disabled

WEP

Disabled

802.1x

Disabled

SNMP

Disabled

Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point

Basic Installation and Configuration

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August 2003

Understanding ME103 Wireless Security Options

Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can be received well beyond your

walls by anyone with a compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security features of your

wireless equipment. The ME103 Access Point provides highly effective security features which

are covered in detail in this chapter. Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.

Figure 3-1: ME103 wireless data security options

There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:

•

Restrict Access Based on MAC address.

You can restrict access to only trusted PCs so that

unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the ME103. MAC address filtering adds an

obstacle against unwanted access to your network, but the data broadcast over the wireless link

is fully exposed.

•

Turn Off the Broadcast of the Wireless Network Name (SSID).

If you disable broadcast of

the SSID, only devices that have the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the wireless

network ‘discovery’ feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data is still fully

exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless sniffers.

•

Use WEP.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP

Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption will block all but the most determined

eavesdropper.

•

Implement 802.1x.

IEEE 802.1x provides very strong security. Although it can use the same

data encryption scheme as WEP, it enables stronger authentication as well as the ability to

dynamically vary the encryption keys.

1) Open System: Easy but no security

2) MAC Access List: No data security

3) WEP:

Security but some vulnerabilities

4) 802.1x:

Secure

Wireless Data

Security Options

Range: Up to 500 Feet

PWR

LAN

ME103

Wirele s LAN