Hardware manual

Preparing the test 3
Nov 98
Required equipment Recommended software tools Comment
1 Access Point
§ Integrated web based management tool
Simplifies advanced configuration
1 Client
(laptop with wireless PC
Card)
§ Windows 95 or other peer-to-peer NOS
§ TCP/IP protocol stack with support for
ping , telnet and FTP
§ Site survey tool
Site survey tool should be used to
determine best relative physical
locations for measuring performance
1 Server
(desktop PC with Ethernet
adapter)
§ Windows 95 or Windows NT NOS
§ TCP/IP protocol stack with support for
ping , telnet and FTP
Possibly with removable hard drives
10Base-T Ethernet Hub
§ None
UTP Cat 5 or STP Type 1 cables
Installing the Access Point
To connect the Access Point, simply attach the Twisted Pair cable from the Ethernet hub to its 10Base-T port.
The Access Point uses the same cable that would otherwise be plugged into a 10Base-T workstation on this
segment. Proxim’s RangeLAN2 and RangeLAN802 families feature a serial port on the back of the Access
Point to locally configure the unit. You will need a null modem RS-232 cable with a nine pin female connector
(DB-9) on the Access Point side and a terminal or PC with an available serial port running a terminal
emulation package. To install the antenna, follow the mounting instructions in the manual.
Setting up the wireless client
The wireless PC Card should be installed by following the instructions in the hardware manual provided with
the client computer for general installation of PCMCIA Type II cards. Proxim provides two antenna choices
for the RangeLAN2 and RangeLAN802 PC Cards. The snap-on antenna plugs directly into the PC Card and
must be installed with the Proxim logo facing up. The dipole antenna is supplied with a mounting clip that
should be attached to the back of the client computer. After the hardware installation is complete, the
Windows 95 and Windows NT drivers for the client can be loaded just as any other network card driver. The
operating system will prompt you for a driver diskette, then follow the on-screen instructions.
General guidelines
When testing wireless LANs, following these guidelines will provide the best measure of product performance:
§ Set up an isolated Ethernet network for the most accurate performance measurements. Measurements
performed using a server on a wired LAN with other traffic will vary test to test depending on the other
traffic on the network at that time.
§ Power up only one vendor’s products at a time. Other operating wireless LAN products in the vicinity
will cause variable performance results.
§ Repeat throughput tests multiple times at each location to ensure consistent results. Wireless system
performance can vary due to changes in the environment. Collecting multiple data points helps eliminate
the possibility of a wild card result.
§ Use the same platform each time for comparative product testing. Using different laptops can influence
performance results.