Wireless Control-
DOC 108864
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Make sure that the IP address for the Client card connection is in the same subnet as the RPM that you
want Drag Net to communicate with. The procedure for doing this is the same as for a wired connection.
You now can send Ethernet messages between your laptop and an RPM. Start up Drag Net and poll for
devices exactly as if you were connected with a wire. (If this fails see sidebar for “pinging.”)
You can now move around and adjust parameters from anywhere in the room.
Summary
1. Configure the Access Point from your computer using a wired connection.
2. Connect the Access Point and the RPMs together with cable to form a LAN.
3. Install your Wi-Fi card (Client) and configure it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Open the Wi-Fi card’s control window. You should see the Access Point in the list of available WLANs.
5. Connect to the Access Point.
6. Open Drag Net and poll for devices.
You are now controlling the RPMs using wireless Ethernet.
How to “Ping” an Ethernet Device
Open a command Window (click on Start
Menu> Run, then type “
cmd
” [for Windows
XP, or “
command
” for Windows 98] and click
OK
). When the command window is open,
type in “
ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx <enter>
”.
(xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the RPM,
or other device, you’re checking). The ping
program will try to contact the device at that
IP address and send it a test message. Ping
will report back whether it got a response
and how long it took for the message to
get there and back. It will likely try this four
times. It is a quick way to find out whether
your setup is working.
To be sure your networking service is operat-
ing on the Client, you can “ping yourself” us-
ing the command: “
ping 127.0.0.1 <enter>
”.
This IP address is known as the loopback
address.
If your wireless connection isn’t working,
consult the manual from the manufacturer of
your wireless equipment for troubleshooting
tips. To close the command window, type
“
exit <enter>
”.
More about IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g
Three 802.11 standards (suffixed “a,”
“b,” and “g”) are alternate answers
to the trade-off of cost vs. speed vs.
coverage. Standard “a” uses a different
part of the radio spectrum than “b” or
“g” and is more expensive. Standard
“b” provides up to 11 Mbps data rates,
while “a” and “g” increases this to 54
Mbps. Because “a” operates at a higher
radio frequency, it has a shorter range
and doesn’t penetrate walls or other
obstacles as well as “b” or “g.” Lots of
other subtleties exist in obtaining the
utmost performance in an installation
but these are the main considerations.
Remember to always match your Wi-
Fi card and Access Point standards.