User's Manual
Table Of Contents
- Trademarks
- Statement of Conditions
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Compliance Notice: Radio Frequency Notice
- Canadian Department of Communications Compliance Statement
- CE Declaration of Conformity
- Contents
- Chapter 1 About This Manual
- Chapter 2 Introduction
- Chapter 3 Basic Installation and Configuration
- Observing Placement and Range Guidelines
- Default Factory Settings
- Understanding WG602 v2 Wireless Security Options
- Installing the 54 Mbps Wireless Access Point WG602 v2
- Two Ways to Log In to the WG602 v2
- Using the Basic IP Settings Options
- Understanding the Basic Wireless Settings
- Understanding Wireless Security Options
- How to Configure WEP Wireless Security
- How to Configure WPA-PSK Wireless Security
- How to Restrict Wireless Access by MAC Address
- Chapter 4 Management
- Chapter 5 Advanced Configuration
- Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting
- No lights are lit on the access point.
- The Ethernet LAN light is not lit.
- The Wireless LAN activity light is not lit.
- I cannot configure the wireless access point from a browser.
- I cannot access the Internet or the LAN with a wireless capable computer.
- When I enter a URL or IP address I get a timeout error.
- Using the Reset Button to Restore Factory Default Settings
- Troubleshooting
- Appendix A Specifications
- Appendix B Wireless Networking Basics
- Appendix C Network, Routing, Firewall, and Cabling Basics
- Appendix D Preparing Your PCs for Network Access
- Glossary
- Index
Wireless Networking Basics B-1
Appendix B
Wireless Networking Basics
This chapter provides an overview of wireless networking and security.
Wireless Networking Overview
The WG602 v2 Access Point conforms to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) 802.11g standard for wireless LANs (WLANs). On an 802.11 wireless link, data is
encoded using direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and is transmitted in the
unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.5GHz. The maximum data rate for the 802.11g wireless link is 54
Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 54 Mbps when the radio signal is weak or when
interference is detected.
The 802.11 standard is also called Wireless Ethernet or Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet
Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www.wi-fi.net), an industry standard group promoting
interoperability among 802.11 devices. The 802.11 standard offers two methods for configuring a
wireless network - ad hoc and infrastructure.
Infrastructure Mode
With a wireless access point, you can operate the wireless LAN in the infrastructure mode. This
mode provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or
area of coverage, interacting with wireless nodes via an antenna.
In the infrastructure mode, the wireless access point converts airwave data into wired Ethernet
data, acting as a bridge between the wired LAN and wireless clients. Connecting multiple access
points via a wired Ethernet backbone can further extend the wireless network coverage. As a
mobile computing device moves out of the range of one access point, it moves into the range of
another. As a result, wireless clients can freely roam from one access point domain to another and
still maintain seamless network connection.