Appendix B:
About Wireless LANs
BSS
BSS
A group of Wireless Stations and a single Access Point, all using the same ID (SSID), form a
Basic Service Set (BSS).
Using the same SSID is essential
. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to communicate
with each other.
Channels
The Wireless Channel sets the radio frequency used for communication.
•
Access Points use a fixed Channel. You can select the Channel used. This allows you to
choose a Channel which provides the least interference and best performance. In the USA
and Canada, 11 channel are available. If using multiple Access Points, it is better if
adjacent Access Points use different Channels to reduce interference.
•
In "Infrastructure" mode, Wireless Stations normally scan all Channels, looking for an
Access Point. If more than one Access Point can be used, the one with the strongest signal
is used. (This can only happen within an ESS.)
Security
Authentication methods include
Disable
,
Open, Shared, WEP Auto, WPA, WPA-PSK,
WPA2, WPA2-PSK
,
WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK, WPA1/WPA2 and 802.1X.
Once you choose
your authentication, you then need to select the
Data Encryption
methods which may includes
WEP
Key,
Pass Phrase
and
Radius
Server settings.
Encryption
Enabling
WEP
can protect your data from eavesdroppers. There are two levels of WEP
Encryption: 64 bits and 128 bits. 64 bits WEP encryption requires enter 10 Hex characters as a
“secret key”, whereas 128 bits WEP requires users to enter 26 Hex characters as “secret key”.
PASS PHRASE
is applicable only when you select to use WPA-PSK authentication. You will
need to enter an 8~63 characters password to kick off the encryption process, which will
generate four WEP keys automatically.
RADIUS
setup is used to set up additional parameters for authorizing wireless clients through
RADIUS server. The
RADIUS
setup is required when you select to use
Open System with
802.1x
or
WPA/WPA2
authentication.
Open, Shared, WEP auto
With
Shared Key or Open System,
the Wireless Router can automatically change its
authentication method to
Shared Key
or
Open System
depending on its client’s setting.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a standard for encrypting data before it is transmitted.
This is desirable because it is impossible to prevent snoopers from receiving any data that is
transmitted by your Wireless Stations. But if the data is encrypted, then it is meaningless unless
the receiver can decrypt it.
If WEP is used, the Wireless Stations and the Access Point must have the same settings
for each of the following:
B
