High Speed Access Point User’s Guide P/N.: 85-506600-00 Rev.X1 May 2000 NDC Communications, Inc. 265 Santa Ana Court Sunnyvale, CA 94086, USA Tel: +1 (408) 730-0888 Fax: +1 (408) 730-0889 Technical Support E-mail: support@ndclan.com (US only) Toll-Free (US only): 800-632-1118 Europe and Asia Pacific E-mail: techsupt@ndc.com.tw NDC World Wide Web www.ndclan.
TRADEMARKS NDC and SOHOware are trademarks of NDC Communications, Inc. All other names mentioned in this document are trademarks/registered trademarks of their respective owners. NDC provides this document "as is," without warranty of any kind, neither expressed nor implied, including, but not limited to, the particular purpose. NDC may make improvements and/or changes in this manual or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.
Table Of Contents PACKING LIST........................................................................................................................................................................VIII INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................................................1 INSTANTWAVE FAMILY................................................................................................
AP COMFig Service...................................................................................................14 Perform AP Self Diagnostic Test.............................................................................21 Update AP Firmware ..................................................................................................21 Manage APMS Host Table .......................................................................................22 AP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (APMS)......................
TROUBLESHOOTING........................................................................................................................................................38 HOW TO REACH OUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT..................................................................................39 NDC LIMITED WARRANTY........................................................................................................................................40 INDEX...........................................................
List of Figures FIGURE 1. SIMPLE W IRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK .......................4 FIGURE 2. AP TO WIRED ETHERNET BRIDGE ................................................5 FIGURE 3. M ULTIPLE AP NETWORK ...............................................................5 FIGURE 4. A CCESS POINT .................................................................................9 FIGURE 5. A CCESS POINT .................................................................................9 FIGURE 6.
FIGURE 27. SAVE AP CONFIGURATION .........................................................36 FIGURE 28. IMPORT HOST TABLE ...................................................................
Packing List The package should contain the following items: • One Access Point • One Antenna • Three InstantWave High Speed Access Point System Manager Diskettes • One AC Power Adapter • This User’ s Guide • One Wall-fixing Template and Screws viii InstantWave High Speed Access Point
Introduction Congratulations on choosing one of NDC s InstantWave High Speed wireless networking product s family. InstantWave High Speed was one of the first IEEE 802.11b wireless standard compliant products in the industry and was designed with a “Maximizing the Convenience of Networking” philosophy in mind. You will find InstantWave High Speed products very easy to setup and use. The User’ s Guide gives comprehensive instructions on installing and using the InstantWave High Speed Access Point (AP).
Glossary Group ID /BSSID A Group ID (the 802.11 standard uses the term BSSID) is the ID of a wireless cell. A wireless cell is usually made up of stations in an area that the radio signal can comfortably cover. In other words, any wireless station in the cell can communicate with any other within reach of the radio signal. Domain Name/ESSID A “Domain” is most commonly used to refer to a group of computers whose hostnames share a common suffix.
How to Use this Guide InstantWave High Speed is extremely versatile in providing varying levels of network management. For Small Office/Home Office users, setup and configuration is a quick, four-step process. For these users the Access Point Hardware Installation Access Point Hardware Installation Access Point Hardware Installation section, on page 9, provides simple instructions to get your network up and running within minutes.
Planning Your Network Infrastructure Network Types An Infrastructure network is formed by several stations and one or more Access Points (APs), with the stations within a set distance from the AP. Figure 1 depicts a typical Infrastructure network topology. There are three infrastructure network setups that are commonly used. It is a good idea to understand the possible network setups and configuration requirements before planning your wireless network. Type 1.
Wireless users have the same access to the network resources as they would have if they were wired. This type of network is usually used to extend an existing network into a difficult to wire or a roaming environment. Server Figure 2. AP to Wired Ethernet Bridge Type 3. The third type of network is composed of multiple APs and multiple Stations (Figure 3). The APs could also be connected to servers on the wired Ethernet network.
Planning an Infrastructure Network This section explains some of the things you need to consider in planning an Infrastructure network. Setting up is a two step process. 1. 2. Install and configure the InstantWave High Speed products Decide the best physical location of the InstantWave High Speed products so as to optimize performance The following sections give quick guidelines for these two steps.
Roaming InstantWave High Speed products are equipped with seamless roaming capabilities. Roaming is necessary to prevent mobile Stations from being disconnected from the network as they move around. InstantWave High Speed is designed to allow wireless Stations to roam freely within an infrastructure domain composed of multiple APs with overlapping signal coverage (as in the Type-3 network configuration described in the previous section).
Access Point Placement Guidelines A characteristic of radio communication is the problem. Radio is receptive to interference. Therefore, the more interference you can avoid, the better performance you will get from wireless products. The following section describes how the InstantWave High Speed AP should be placed to reduce possible interference. A few tips to mention that are particularly significant in a radio wave communications system: 1.
Getting Started Access Point Hardware Installation Access Point Hardware Setup explains how to quickly setup the Access Point for use via a wired Ethernet connection, and using the factory default settings. For installation in networks using other than the default settings, i.e. into existing networks, complete the Hardware Setup and refer to AP COMFig Tool, page 13. To setup a wireless station, refer to the PCI/PC Card User Figure 4. Access Point Step1 .
The Access Point is now ready to communicate with the wireless stations using its factory default settings. Refer to the InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card User Guide for card setup instructions. LED Indicators The Access Point LEDs show the status of the connections. Figure 6 shows the LEDs, and Radio LAN Green Power Status Rx Tx Link Rx Tx Link Orange Figure 6. Access Point LEDs The Access Point LEDs show the status of the connections.
AP Management Software Installation / Uninstallation Installation step1. Insert the first InstantWave High Speed setup disk into drive A: step2. From the Start menu select Run, and type A:\SETUP.EXE step3. Click the OK button to start the setup program. Setup will prepare the InstallShield High Speed Wizard and show the InstantWave High Speed setup screen step4. To install the full program, choose Typical.
12 InstantWave High Speed Access Point
AP COMFig Tool The AP COMFig tool is a Windows 95/98/NT/2000 based utility that is used via a COM port connection between the AP and a PC. It provides the following functions: • Sets necessary AP parameters (e.g., IP address, Domain name, etc.) • Diagnoses the AP hardware and shows the diagnostic results • Updates the AP firmware • Reset AP Configurations • Manages the APMS Host table Click Start/Programs/InstantWave AP/AP COMFig Tool to start the program.
AP COMFig Service Click on the Service tab to open the Service screen. The Service screen provides access to the basic management features. Figure 8. AP COMFig Tool/Service Click the View and Modify AP Configuration button. The Configuration screen will open. General The General card (Figure 9) is the first card on the Configuration Screen. Figure 9.
Here you may: Add an alias name for the AP Assign the AP a unique name Change the Domain Name (Extended Service Set ID) This is more commonly called the Domain Name but is defined in the 802.11 Wireless Standard as ESSID. Stations and APs in the same group must use the same Domain Name Regulatory Domains Identify the country where the AP is used (see Glossary, page 2). Read-only Change the Channel You can change the channel number.
• Channels supported on every carrier set: Channel Center FCC/ Number Frequency Canada (MHz) ETSI Spain France Japan 1 2412 O O O 2 2417 O O O 3 2422 O O O 4 2427 O O O 5 2432 O O O 6 2437 O O O 7 2442 O O O 8 2447 O O O 9 2452 O O O 10 2457 O O O O O 11 2462 O O O O O 12 2467 O O O 13 2472 O O O 14 2484 O Important: In a multiple cell network topology, overlapping and/or adjacent cells using different channels can operate simultan
Click the Encryption tab to view the Adapter WEP Properties (錯誤! 找不到參照 來源。). Figure 10. WEP Security • Use WEP - The WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. WEP is an encryption scheme that provides the secure wireless data communications to the users. WEP uses a 40-bits key to control the network access. In order to decode the data transmission, each wireless client on the network must use the identical 40-bits key. • WEP Key Generation - There are two ways of generating the WEP key.
Another WEP key generation method is by inserting the key values directly from the keyboard. And click on the write to AP NVRAM. Select the Key number and use Key for accessing between Access Point and clients. If the Key is not entered correctly, a client cannot access the resources. As the wireless channel is more prone to the illegal access, WEP provides users safe access. IP: Click the IP tab to open the IP card (Figure 11). All InstantWave Access Points are delivered with a default IP of 192.168.1.
Filter: The next tab on the dialog box is Filter ( Figure 12). This is a one-way protocol filtering mechanism that prevents the AP from transmitting certain protocols from the Wired Ethernet LAN into the Wireless zone. If you do not require particular protocols on the wireless part of your network you can save bandwidth by enabling the protocol filter. Figure 12.
Access Control: Access Control is the next tab on the box (Figure 13). The AP’ s access control is managed by a control table on the Access Point (AP). Figure 13. Configuration/Access Control The first time this box is opened the table will be empty. This means that there are no restrictions on who can access and reconfigure the AP and any user may modify s operation. This is like going on vacation and leaving your front door open.
Read Read-only rights. The user may read everything except the Access Control settings, but cannot alter anything Read/Write The user may read and alter all settings When all the settings are made, click OK to return to the Access Control card. On the Access Control card, click the Apply button to make the changes effective immediately, without closing the dialog box, or click OK to accept the changes and close the box.
Reset AP Configurations To restore the factory default configurations. Manage APMS Host Table Click the Manage APMS Host Table button to open the APMS Table dialog box (Figure 16) Figure 16. APMS Table From here you can view/delete all host tables. Click the Details button to change from a simplified to a detailed view. After making any changes click OK to return to the Service card.
AP Management System (APMS) AP Management System (APMS) explains how to setup the Access Point (AP) for use in networks requiring more management control. It also describes the various ways in which the System Administrator can connect to the AP in order to manage it. The Access Point Management System (APMS) is a Windows 95/98/NT, SNMPbased management tool for users to configure and monitor APs through an Ethernet, wireless, or PPP connection.
Configuration Requirements for APMS In order to setup an InstantWave High Speed Access Point Management System (APMS) terminal, you need the following: • • A PC running Windows 95/98/NT/2000 The APMS program An Ethernet card with a UTP Ethernet connection You need to complete the following steps to install the APMS tool to the PC: step1. step2.
Making an Ethernet Connection Choose a PC on the Ethernet LAN to which the AP is connected and carry out the following procedure: TCP/IP Setup The following explains how to setup the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows 95/98 to enable an Ethernet connection of the Access Point Management System (APMS) to an Access Point (AP). For more detailed information on TCP/IP setup refer to the Windows 95/98 help files. step1. step2. step3. step4. step5. step6. step7. step8. step9.
The APMS Tool The InstantWave High Speed Access Point Management System (APMS) tool allows System Administrators to control their wireless network with the minimum of fuss. From the APMS you can assign user rights, perform software upgrades, etc. It is provided to perform initial installation and configuration reliability, and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent functions.
Host ID A host ID identifies a single device within a particular network ID and corresponds to the numbers in the last block of the IP address. To be able to communicate with each other under TCP/IP Network, the AP and the stations must be in the same domain. To put them in the same domain, make the first three blocks of the stations IP address the same as the Access Point IP address and change only the figures in the last block, i.e., 192.168.1.
Adding an AP(s) The APMS window is equivalent to an address book of Access Points (APs). The first time the program starts, the screen will be blank (if you are using the default settings the screen will appear with the defaults as in Figure 18). Only existing AP icons will be shown in the AP icon window. At least one AP must be entered in the table to allow the local adapter to connect to it. The next section explains how to add to/edit the Host Table.
Figure 20. AP Properties Here you may modify the IP address and Community strings in the Host Table. Changes made here will be immediately effective. If the connection attempt was unsuccessful, a message box will appear informing you that the request has no response. Click OK to close the message box and return to the main screen. Go through the procedure again to retry.
The menu offers configuration options that enable you to tailor your network to suit your needs. • AP Setting – sets the AP’ s IP related parameters, sets filters, sets wireless related parameters, sets AP Access Control list • Trap Management – configures the trap server (i.e.
Filter: The second tab on the dialog box is Filter. This is a one-way protocol filtering mechanism that prevents the AP from transmitting certain protocols from the Wired Ethernet LAN into the Wireless zone. If you do not require particular protocols on the wireless part of your network, you can save bandwidth by enabling the protocol filter.
Note: Do not set all the stations in the Access Control table to Read-only. Once this is set and enabled, it will be difficult to modify the AP. Should this situation occur, refer to Troubleshooting, page 38 Two levels of access are available. To set access rights, enter a station and community string (the community string must be the same as the AP Host Table of the APMS manager terminal ), see Create New AP, page 28and choose Read or Read/Write. Read Read-only rights.
Add an alias name for the AP Assign the AP a unique name Change the Domain Name (Extended Service Set ID) This is more commonly called the Domain Name but is defined in the 802.11 Wireless Standard as ESSID. Stations and APs in the same group must use the same Domain Name Regulatory Domains Identify the country where the AP is used (see Glossary, page 2). Read-only Change the Channel You can change the channel number.
available to other stations. If you try to access it, the APMS program will display a “No response from the AP” message. When the file transfer is complete, click OK to close the window. Reset After changing the AP’ s IP, Access Control, Trap Server, or Wireless options, the AP needs to be reset to enable the new settings. Prior to exiting the APMS program, or selecting a different AP, click the Reset menu item. A Reset confirmation window will be displayed.
More information about the hardware can be obtained by clicking the Debug button. The debug information is a useful diagnostic item for technical support. (see How to reach our technical support) Figure 25. AP Information When finished viewing AP information, click OK to close the window. Wireless Stations Clicking Wireless Stations opens the Connected Wireless Stations window (Figure 26). Figure 26.
Saving and Loading AP Configuration Saving the AP’ s Configuration to File After the targeted AP has connected successfully, the AP s configuration can be saved as an ASCII file. To do this, first click on the File main menu item. From the sub-menu ( Figure 27) click Save AP Configuration. A standard Windows’ Save As dialog box will appear. Enter a file name, choose a location for the file, and click OK.
Password Clicking Password opens a Change Password configuration box. Enter your new password and then enter it again to confirm. Click OK to close the box. Once a password is set you will be asked for it each time the APMS program is opened.
Troubleshooting The Troubleshooting section offers possible solutions to basic problems that may be experienced when attempting to connect to the AP with the Access Point Management System (APMS).
How to Reach Our Technical Support If you are having a problem using an NDC product and cannot resolve it, please note the following information and contact NDC Technical Support: • What you were doing when the error occurred • What error messages you saw • Whether the problem can be reproduced • The serial number of your product • The firmware version number and the debug information NDC Technical Support is available via e-mail at: support@ndclan.com (US only) techsupt@ndc.com.
NDC Limited Warranty Hardware NDC (NDC Communications, Inc.) warrants its products to be free of defects in workmanship and materials, under normal use and service, for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase from NDC or its Authorized Reseller and for the period of time specified in the documentation supplied with each product.
Limited Warranty Service Procedures Any product (1) received in error, (2) in a defective or non-functioning condition, or (3) exhibiting a defect under normal working conditions, can be returned to NDC by following these steps: You must prepare: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ dated proof of purchase product model number & quantity product serial number Ÿ Ÿ precise reason for return your name/address/email address/telephone/fax 1. Inform the distributor or retailer 2.
Limitation of Liability All expressed and implied warranties of a product s merchantability, or of its fitness for a particular purpose, are limited in duration to the applicable period as set forth in this limited warranty, and no warranty will be considered valied after its expiration date. If this product does not function as warranted, your sole remedy shall be repair or replacement as provided for above.
EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY For the following equipment: Product Name: : InstantWave Wireless Access Point Model Number: : NWH660 Produced by: Manufacturer Name : NATIONAL DATACOMM CORPORATION Manufacturer : 2F, NO. 28, INDUSTRY EAST 9TH ROAD Address SCIENCE PARK, HSINCHU, TAIWAN, R.O.C. is hereby confirmed to comply with the requirements set out in the Council Directive on the Approximation of the Laws of the Member States relating to R&TTE Directive(99/ 5/ EC).
Index A Group ID...............................................2 Access Control..............19, 27, 30– 31 Access Point Ethernet Connection to................24 Access Rights. Setting .............19, 30 Aging Timer.......................................32 Alias name ...................................16, 32 AP COMFig Password.....................14 AP COMFig Service.........................15 AP COMFig Tool..............................14 AP Information..................................34 AP Setting ...
Statistics Wireless Station............................35 Subnet Mask Assigning.......................................26 Assigning................................17, 29 System Requirements.........................1 U T View....................................................33 TCP/IP address...........................17, 29 Troubleshooting................................38 W Uninstalling .......................................13 Update AP Firmware........................33 Update Firmware ............
