030-300613 Rev A
45
August 2009
User Guide
VersaLink Wireless Gateway (Model 7500)
Network Name (SSID)
Displays your Gateway’s primary network SSID. This value is a unique name that
identifies your Gateway in a wireless environment. The default SSID value displayed
in this field is the serial number of the Gateway. To change the SSID, type in a unique
name of choice. The unique name must be 32 characters or fewer in length. This name
will display in a list of available networks on your station’s wireless utility program.
To connect to the Gateway, the SSID on a station must match the SSID on the
Gateway.
Channel
Click this drop-down menu to select the channel number to be used by the Gateway to
transmit and receive data. The Gateway can be set to any of the channels on the pre-
programmed list (1-11). Station cards do not have to be set to the same channel as the
Gateway; the stations scan all channels and automatically detect the operating channel.
By default, the channel is set to 6.
Mode
Click this drop-down menu to select the mode of communication your Gateway will
use to communicate to the wireless adapters within the network.
•
Mixed: Station using any of the 802.11b and 802.11g rates can communicate
with the Gateway.
•
11b only: Communication with Gateway is limited to 802.11b.
•
11g only: Communication with Gateway is limited to 802.11g.
Hide SSID
Click this drop-down menu to set whether or not you want your Gateway’s SSID
visible to all wireless devices in the Gateway’s range.
Hide SSID
offers some security
benefits by reducing this visibility. When the SSID is hidden, each wireless station
(PC or other networking device) will need to be manually configured to match the
Gateway’s SSID in order to connect to the network. To enable this feature, click the
drop-down menu, and select
Enabled
. By default,
Hide SSID
is set to disabled.
Hint: An easy way to configure wireless stations for use with a hidden SSID is as
follows: (1) Disable Hide SSID to allow the SSID to be broadcast, (2) Establish the
wireless connection with new wireless stations being added to the network, and (3)
Enable the Hide SSID feature; your wireless stations will remember the SSID of the
Gateway, even if the Gateway reboots.
12.2
Wireless Simple Config
The following screen will appear if you select
Wireless
>
Simple Config
from the main menu. Devices that support
Wi-Fi protected setup can quickly connect to your Gateway using the Gateway’s
Simple Config
button, without
first requesting long keywords or passphrases. By default, this feature is disabled in the Gateway.
During the developmental period for an easy push-button method for securely connecting wireless devices,
manufacturers were eager to deliver their own push-button methods, and the common name used was “Simple
Config.” When the procedure finally became standardized, it was renamed to Wi-Fi Protected Setup—or WPS—by
the standards organization.
WPS simplifies establishing wireless connections among stations and your Gateway (wireless access point).
Although some stations (clients) do not support WPS, for those that do, you can use WPS to quickly connect to your
Gateway without first having to input long security keywords. The stations using WPS will automatically acquire the
security settings of the Gateway once connected.
If wireless security is disabled in your Gateway, WPS will still function; however, it is recommended that you select
some level of security in the Gateway. The type of security that is used must be the same for all stations connecting
to the wireless network. For example, if you have a device in your network that can only support WEP, then you
must use WEP security in the Gateway and in all wireless stations connected to your network. Refer to section 12.3,
“Wireless Security,” for additional information.
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