1-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge User’s Guide Version A1 July 2003
TRADEMARKS All names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The manufacturer provides this document “as is,” without warranty of any kind, neither expressed nor implied, including, but not limited to, warranty of fitness for the particular purpose for which it is intended. The manufacturer 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.
Pa ck ing List Your 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge package should contain the following items: • One 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge • One DC injector with RJ-45 LAN and ODU (outdoor unit) jacks • One power adapter for the DC injector • One mounting kit • One 25-meter Category 5 waterproof cable with RJ-45 plug and ODU connector • WLAN Management System software and wireless outdoor bridge user’s guide in electronic form (one CD-ROM or three floppy disks) Your 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge So
Cont e nt s INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 1 RELATED PRODUCTS........................................................................................ 2 WLAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ........................................................................... 3 AUTOMATIC DISCOVERY OF COMPATIBLE DEVICES ............................................. 3 WLAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ....
ADVANCED MANAGEMENT .......................................................................... 41 BATCH MODE OPERATION ................................................................................... 41 MANAGE WLAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HOST TABLE ..................................... 41 Exporting a Configuration Profile to a File ................................................... 43 Importing a Configuration Profile from a File............................................... 43 FAQS ........................
Figure s FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. FIGURE 6. FIGURE 7. FIGURE 8. FIGURE 9. FIGURE 10. FIGURE 11. FIGURE 12. FIGURE 13. FIGURE 14. FIGURE 15. FIGURE 16. FIGURE 17. FIGURE 18. FIGURE 19. FIGURE 20. FIGURE 21. FIGURE 22. FIGURE 23. FIGURE 24. FIGURE 25. FIGURE 26. FIGURE 27. FIGURE 28. FIGURE 29. FIGURE 30. FIGURE 31. FIGURE 32. FIGURE 33. FIGURE 34. FIGURE 35. FIGURE 36. FIGURE 37. FIGURE 38. FIGURE 39. FIGURE 40. FIGURE 41. FIGURE 42. TYPICAL APPLICATION SCENARIO.....................
FIGURE 43. FIGURE 44. FIGURE 45. FIGURE 46. FIGURE 47. FIGURE 48. NEW/EDIT ADDRESS DIALOG BOX ....................................................... 43 EXPORTING A CONFIGURATION PROFILE TO A FILE ................................ 43 IMPORTING A CONFIGURATION PROFILE FROM A FILE (1) ...................... 44 IMPORTING A CONFIGURATION PROFILE FROM A FILE (2) ...................... 44 ENCRYPTION DIALOG WHEN IMPORTING A CONFIGURATION PROFILE ... 45 IMPORTING A CONFIGURATION PROFILE FROM A FILE (3) ............
Introduction Congratulations on choosing an outstanding wireless product. This guide gives comprehensive instructions on installing and using the 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge, and also explains how to install and use the WLAN Management System software.
Related Products 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge is part of a family of wireless networking products that can provide an integrated solution for your wireless networking needs. • For indoor applications: Access points, wireless workgroup bridges, wireless Ethernet clients, and wireless adapters with various bus interfaces (PCMCIA, USB, and PCI).
WLAN Management System WLAN Management System is a powerful network management system that is fully compatible with the industry-standard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It features: • Automatic discovery of all compatible devices that are configured within the same subnet. • Individual and batch-mode remote management of compatible devices, including Multi-Monitor, Batch-Upgrade, Batch-Reset, and Batch-Load Default functions.
Windows 95/98 step 1. Click Start/Run, type winipcfg, and click OK. The IP Configuration dialog box will open. step 2. Select the network adapter you use to connect to the Outdoor Bridge. Click Release. step 3. Click Renew to retrieve new information (IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway address) from the DHCP server. Click OK to save the changes and exit the program. Windows NT 4.0 step 1. Click Start/Programs/Command Prompt.
WLAN Management System Hardware and Software Requirements System requirements for installing and operating the WLAN Management System are: • An x86-based microcomputer running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0, 2000, or XP • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or later • A connection to an Ethernet network Particular versions of Windows have the following additional requirements: 1. On Windows 95, Microsoft DCOM95 must be installed. You can obtain DCOM95 from the following Microsoft Web page: http://www.
Terminology Used in this Guide BSSID, MAC ID The BSSID (Basic Service Set ID) is a factory-set ID unique to each wireless networking product. It is identical to the MAC ID (Media Access Control ID). It allows each device to be identified on the wireless network. ESSID An Extended Service Set ID (often referred to as Service Set ID, or SSID) identifies the wireless LAN domain that a bridge is in. A domain is generally composed of wireless bridges in communication with each other via radio links.
How to Use this Guide This user’s guide gives complete instructions for installation and use of the 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge. Wireless Outdoor Bridge is supplied with factory set default network settings. Use the WLAN Management System tool to change the default settings before introducing a new bridge to an already-established wireless network.
Planning the Netw ork The Wireless Outdoor Bridge is used to connect two separate networks via radio waves. A typical application is shown below. Figure 1. Typical application scenario The bridge connects to your existing wired or wired/wireless local area network as shown below (Figure 2). Figure 2.
Hardw are Description Figure 3.
Hardw are Configuration Before adding a Wireless Outdoor Bridge to an existing Ethernet network, you need to carry out basic configuration, e.g., set the SSID, security (WEP) parameters, bridge mode (including the peer bridge’s MAC address), channel number, and IP address in order to make the bridge compatible with the existing network. Figure 4.
Pre-configuration can be carried out through WLAN Management System. As long as the outdoor bridge and the management station are on the same physical Ethernet LAN, WLAN Management System’s Kick Start function will find the outdoor bridge and let you set basic parameters. Make connections as follows: step 1. Using the supplied Category 5 waterproof cable, connect the waterproof connector port of the outdoor bridge to the ODU port of DC injector. step 2.
11-Mbps Wireless Product Placement Guidelines A few tips to mention that are particularly significant in a radio wave communications system: 1. Radio waves reflect or refract from buildings, walls, metal furniture, or other objects. This could result in performance degradation due to the fluctuation of the received signal. 2. Microwave ovens use the 2.45 GHz frequency band. 11-Mbps wireless devices also functions in the 2.4 ~ 2.5 GHz band, and therefore shares some of the band with microwave ovens.
Installing the WLAN Management System step 1. Insert WLAN Management System Disk 1 in floppy drive A, choose Run from the desktop’s Start menu, type a:\setup.exe, and click OK. step 2. The setup program will prepare the InstallShield Wizard and then display a Welcome window. Figure 6. step 3. Welcome screen Click Next.
Figure 7. step 4. Older operating systems may need to update some system files to function correctly with the WLAN Management System. If required, follow the on-screen instructions to download the required file. Click Next to open the Choose Destination Location window. Figure 8. step 5. 14 Important Issues window Choose Destination Location window Click Next.
Figure 9. step 6. Select Program Folder window Click Next again. Installation will begin. You may be instructed to insert disk 2 in drive A. Follow all on-screen instructions until the Setup Complete window appears. Figure 10. Setup Complete window step 7. Check “I would like to launch the Management System” and click Finish.
Using the WLAN Management System Once the outdoor bridge is connected to an Ethernet network, a network administrator can connect to it from any PC on the same network via the WLAN Management System utility. The WLAN Management System utility is a Windows-based SNMP management tool allowing network administrators to remotely configure and monitor the outdoor bridge through an Ethernet connection. To launch the WLAN Management System utility: step 1.
Figure 11. Main and Hosts View windows Kick Start Function If for any reason the outdoor bridge does not yet have a reachable IP address, it can be discovered, and a suitable IP address assigned to it, using the Kick Start function. step 1. Click the Kick Start icon (a figure with one leg extended) in the top toolbar. The WLAN Kick Start window will appear. step 2. Open the WLAN Kick Start window’s Start menu and choose Find, or click the Find icon (a pair of binoculars), or press F5.
Figure 12. WLAN Kick Start window This window’s Tools menu also lets you test IP connectivity, reboot, reset the selected device, or change its password. The administrator password set on the device is “admin” as the default. The Edit menu is for manually adding and removing devices in the display. The Start menu, in addition to letting you initiate Kick Start discovery, lets you set preferences for the Kick Start and ping functions (timeout periods, number of tries, etc.). Configuration step 1.
Figure 13. Configuration window — IP panel IP IP Address Setting: The outdoor bridge is a DHCP client. It will automatically ask the DHCP server to assign it an IP address. An administrator can assign a fixed IP to an outdoor bridge by unchecking the Obtain IP Settings Automatically (by DHCP) box (Figure 13). You may also configure a subnet mask and add a default gateway.
the outdoor bridge. If the correct default gateway is set, you can use a manager (i.e. a PC running WLAN Management System) physically located in a different subnet to manage this outdoor bridge. Filter The next panel in the configuration dialog box is Filter (Figure 14). Figure 14. Configuration window — Filter panel This is a one-way protocol filtering mechanism that prevents the bridge from transmitting specified protocols packet from a wired Ethernet LAN into the wireless LAN.
• Internet Multicast Frames Wireless The Wireless panel (Figure 15) provides access to the Wireless settings. Figure 15. Configuration window — Wireless panel These settings are explained in the following table. Name SSID Transmission Rate Assigns the outdoor bridge a unique name that allows the outdoor bridge to be easily identified on the network. Identifies the wireless domain that this outdoor bridge is in.
Basic Rates Channel Number Regulatory Domain This value determines the basic rates used and reported by the outdoor bridge. The highest rate specified is the rate that the outdoor bridge will use when transmitting broadcast/multicast and management frames. Available options are: • 1, 2 Mbps • All (1, 2, 5.5, and 11) Mbps You can change the channel number from here.
Point to Point Each bridge has to know its peer bridge’s MAC address. For example, if Bridge A is to connect with Bridge B, then Bridge B’s MAC address must be entered on this page for Bridge A, and Bridge A’s MAC address must be entered here for Bridge B. Figure 17. Bridge Mode – Point to Multipoint Point to Multipoint If a large wireless network using more than two outdoor bridges is to be constructed, at least one of the outdoor bridges must be set to Point-to-Multipoint mode.
Encryption Click the Encryption tab (Figure 18) to set up the security options. Figure 18. Configuration window — Encryption panel The default setting is WEP Disabled and initially the key sections are blank.
Another WEP key generation method is to insert the key values directly from the keyboard. Enter your own key into one of the Key 1~4 fields. Select that field number in the Default Key field. SNMP Access Control The outdoor bridge contains an SNMP access table to limit access to its configurations. By default there is no restriction on accessing the outdoor bridge. To avoid chaos on the network, access to the outdoor bridge configuration should be restricted to only those who require access.
Two levels of access rights may be assigned: Read Read/Write Read-only rights. The user may read everything except the Access Control settings, but is not allowed to alter anything The user may read and alter all settings Note: Do not set all the stations in the Access Control table to Read only. Once this is set and enabled, it will be impossible to modify the outdoor bridge.
Figure 21. Configuration window — Trap Server panel Assign a station as a trap server by entering its IP address. Right-click on a blank in the list and click Edit address. To remove a trap server from the list, right-click it and click Clear address. Click Clear all address to remove all assigned trap servers from the list (Figure 22). Figure 22.
Trap View To view trap log information, click the Start Trap View icon (a ringing telephone) in the upper left corner of the main WLAN Management System window. A window such as that shown below will appear (Figure 23). Figure 23. Trap View window The log shows the time, the IP address of the reporting outdoor bridge, and the event. You can save, open, and delete log files through the File menu. Advanced You may set packet size thresholds in the Advanced section.
Figure 24. Configuration window — Advanced panel RTS Threshold: Transmitters contending for the medium may not be aware of each other. The RTS (Request to Send) mechanism can solve this “Hidden Node Problem”. If the packet size if smaller than the present RTS threshold size, the RTS mechanism will NOT be enabled. Fragment Threshold: In the 802.11 Standard, the MAC Layer may fragment and reassemble directed data units. The fragmentation and defragmentation mechanisms allow for fragment re-transmission.
Monitor The Monitor tool allows the outdoor bridge’s status, Ethernet statistics, wireless statistics, and other configuration information to be viewed/monitored. In the Hosts View window, select a bridge and click the Monitor button on the toolbar or on the pop-up menu. An information window will appear. The first of two panels in this window, the Identity panel, will be visible (Figure 26). Figure 26.
Statistics The Statistics window shows both Ethernet and wireless transmission/reception statistics. To refresh the statistics, click on the button to continually refresh the information. Click on the button to stop updating the information. Figure 27. Monitor window — Statistics panel Restart Restarting the outdoor bridge will take about 30 seconds (Figure 28). Figure 28.
Factory Reset Click Factory Reset if you want to return the device to its factory default settings. A warning dialog box will open (Figure 29). Figure 29. Warning before factory defaults are loaded Click Yes to return the outdoor bridge to the factory default settings. Upgrade Firmware The outdoor bridge’s embedded software is contained in “flash” ROM, and can be updated over your LAN via the WLAN Management System. To download new embedded software to the device, click Upgrade Firmware.
The Upgrade button will then become enabled. Click Upgrade to start downloading the file to the outdoor bridge. The WLAM Management System and the outdoor bridge’s built-in Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) client/server will load the new executable into the outdoor bridge’s flash ROM area. If the download activity fails, an error message will be shown in the message box. Once the file transfer is complete, click Close to close the window.
Figure 31. Antenna alignment for bridges Step 2: Set the parameters for testing The calculation of the antenna alignment is conducted by the following procedure: • Bridge A sends a packet to Bridge B • When Bridge B successfully receives the packet from Bridge A, it will automatically echo the packet back. • When Bridge A receives the packet echoed back by Bridge B, it can calculate the throughput and can present it as PPS (packets per second) and KBPS (kilobytes per second).
• Peer Bridge: In a Point to Multi-Point application environment, all the wireless bridges configured to communicate with each other are shown in the pull-down Peer Bridge box. A peer bridge has to be specified by indicating its MAC address before starting the antenna alignment test. The selected bridge must be set up to be able to communicate with the bridge initializing the alignment test. Figure 32. Antenna Alignment Tool Tips in setting the parameters: 1.
Figure 33. Throughput presented as a 3D graphic During the antenna alignment test, the bridge might receive interference owing to some unexpected reason. Under this circumstance, the wireless communication data rate will automatically fall back. The numbers of packets sent or received at different data rates can be viewed as shown below (Figure 34). Figure 34.
use. Click the Save Current Alignment Info icon (a floppy disk) on the toolbar to open the Save As box (Figure 35). Figure 35. Saving the test results to a file A previously saved test data file can also restored back and shown in the window. Use the previously stored file as a reference to compare with the latest test results and evaluate the difference between them.
Step 5: View test results as a three-dimensional graphic The Antenna Alignment utility allows the user to view the test results in multiple ways: • 2D (two-dimensional) or 3D (three-dimensional) • Zoom in for a magnified view or zoom out for a wider view • Rotation: rotate the view angle from side view • Elevation: rotate the view angle from top view Zooming in for a magnified view: Click the Zoom In icon (a magnifying glass and a plus sign [+]) from the toolbar.
Figure 38. Zooming out for a wider view 3D Enhancement: Adjust the 3D slider at the bottom of the window. Figure 39. Enhanced 3D effect Rotation and Elevation for X, Y, and Z axes: Adjust the Rotation and Elevation sliders at the bottom of the window.
Figure 40. Rotation and elevation effects Step 6: Export the chart to file or clipboard Click Export Chart icon on the toolbar to select ‘Save to File’ or ‘Copy to Clipboard’ buttons. Figure 41.
Advanced Management Batch mode operation In order to maximize the efficiency of wireless LAN management, you can use batch mode operation to manage your outdoor bridges. You can sort wireless devices by device type first. Then select the multiple outdoor bridges you would like to manage. Next, click the right mouse button to open the pop-up menu; then choose the functional tool you would like to use to work on these specific outdoor bridges. Figure 42.
Create Host Table via Automatic Discovery Click the Automatic Discovery icon to find all compatible devices. Select the desired outdoor bridges (for example, those located in Building A). Click the right mouse button to open the pop-up menu. Choose Export Host Table to save the Host Table to a file (for convenience, you can save the Host table on a network disk for ease of access).
Figure 43. New/Edit Address dialog box Exporting a Configuration Profile to a File The configuration file can be saved to a text file and safely stored. To do this, first click the Export button in the Configuration window. Then enter the file name for the configuration profile to be saved to. Click Export again. Figure 44. Exporting a configuration profile to a file Importing a Configuration Profile from a File A configuration file can also be imported to recover the outdoor bridge’s original settings.
Figure 45. Importing a configuration profile from a file (1) In the Step 2 display (Figure 46), you can select or uncheck the sessions of the configuration profile to be imported. Click Next. Figure 46. Importing a configuration profile from a file (2) Encryption The configuration profile does not contain the security key settings. The attributes of security keys are externally write-only and cannot be saved in the configuration file.
will appear before the Step 3 display (Figure 48), and you will be asked to enter the security key settings manually. Figure 47. Encryption dialog when importing a configuration profile In the Step 3 display (Figure 48), click Import. Figure 48.
FAQs The FAQs section attempts to answer the most commonly asked questions about the 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridge. Question How can I manage the bridge? Answer The bridge does not have a console port. You may easily configure and manage the bridge remotely via its standard RJ-45 Ethernet network interface. Configure the bridge using the method described in this manual.
How do I set the outdoor You can apply Factory Reset option from the menu of bridge back to its factory the WLAN Management System or use Kick Start default settings? function by the following way: 1. Connect the outdoor bridge to your PC. Please make sure the Ethernet connection is normal. 2. Open WLAN Management System application and click Kick Start icon. 3. Click Find icon from WLAN Kick Start window or press key to search for outdoor bridges. 4.
Troubleshooting This section provides you with some troubleshooting info should you encounter installation or operation problems on 11-Mbps Wireless Outdoor Bridges. If the problems still cannot be remedied after going through the Troubleshooting section, check the FAQs on page 47 of this manual. If your problems still cannot be remedied after going through the FAQs and this Troubleshooting section, contact your network equipment supplier for assistance (see “Technical Support,” page 51).
Technical Support If assistance is required, call your supplier for help. Have the following information ready before you make the call. 1. LED status 2. A list of the product hardware (including revision levels), and a brief description of the network structure 3.
Limited Warranty Hardware The manufacturer 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 the manufacturer 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 the manufacturer by following these steps: You must prepare: Dated proof of purchase Product model number and quantity Product serial number Precise reason for return Your name/address/email address/telephone/fax 1. Inform the distributor or retailer. 2.
Service after Warranty Period After the warranty period expires, all products can be repaired for a reasonable service charge. The shipping charges to and from the manufacturer’s facility will be borne by the purchaser. Return for Credit In the case of a DOA (Dead on Arrival) or a shipping error, a return for credit will automatically be applied to the purchaser’s account, unless otherwise requested.
Re gulatory Domains and Channels This appendix lists the channels supported by the world’s regulatory domains. The channel numbers, channel center frequencies, and regulatory domains are shown in the table.
Index Auto-discovery ..............3, 16, 33, 42 Monitor ......................................... 30 Basic Rates ................................... 22 Peer Bridge ................................... 23 Bridge Mode................................. 23 Radio frequencies ......... 6, 22, 46, 53 BSSID ............................................ 6 Reset ..................... 18, 29, 31, 32, 47 Channel number10, 22, 31, 46, 48, 53 Restart........................................... 31 Channel overlap..
