Installation guide

Wireless Guide 101
Advanced Features for Wireless Analysis
Notes on Proprietary Implementations of the 802.11a
Standard
The Proxim Harmony 802.11a adapter card used by the Sniffer software
supports a proprietary extension of the 802.11a standard called 2X.
Essentially, this extension allows 802.11a networks to operate at twice the
rates stated by the 802.11a specification (for example, instead of the upper
limit of 54 Mbps stated for the 802.11a specification, the 2X extension
theoretically allows for an upper limit of 108 Mbps).
As a consequence of this support, the Sniffer software displays for 802.11a
networks will include data rate categories beyond the 54 Mbps limit claimed by
the 802.11a specification. You will only see frames counted in these
categories when monitoring or capturing from an 802.11a network
implementing Proxim’s proprietary 2X extensions.
NOTE: Turbo G or 72, 108 Mbps are currently not supported for 802.11g.
Dashboard Counters for Wireless Networks
The Dashboard for wireless networks works in the same way as the
Dashboard for other networks — you display it by clicking the Dashboard icon
in the Toolbar or by selecting the Dashboard option from the Monitor menu.
In response, the Dashboard appears (Figure 10-1), displaying the monitored
network’s utilization, packet rate, error rate, and throughput (the measured
data rate in bits per second) in real time.
For wireless displays, however, the Dashboard includes a number of
wireless-specific counters. These counters are described in this section and
are found in:
 The Gauge tab (see The Dashboard’s Gauge Tab on page 104)
 The Detail tab (see The Dashboard’s Detail Tab on page 104)
 The 802.11 tab (see The Dashboard’s 802.11 Tab on page 106)
 The Dashboard Graphs (see Dashboard Graphs for Wireless Networks
on page 111)