Description
2
Version 1.0 Rev B - 08/00
Creating a Wireless Network
You can create a wireless network by adding remotes and taking advantage of the point-to-
multipoint capabilities of the Hopper Plus 120-24. Up to 255 remote units can be
contained in a wireless network.
Point-to-Multipoint Wireless Network
About Hopper Plus Units
Base Station:
A Hopper Plus 120-24 can operate as a remote unit or a base station,
however, at least one unit in the network
must
be configured as a base. A base station is
the central control unit of the wireless network. The base station polls all remote units and
controls how traffic is routed to and from remotes. The base usually connects to a major
access point of the wired network. The antenna of the base station must be capable of
transmitting and receiving radio signals to and from all the remote units in a system. If
remotes are spread over a large area, an omni-directional antenna is usually required.
Remote Units:
Remote units link wired segments of the network wirelessly to the main
network (via the base station). Remotes can limit the amount of data passed by the remote
(a function called throttling), and they can filter specific data packets. Because remote
units need to communicate only with the base station, their antennas can be more
directional and have higher gains than base antennas.
Repeaters:
A base unit can also be configured as a repeater. A repeater is needed when
remote units cannot communicate directly with each other, but direct transfers of data
between them are necessary (as in a true WAN). When configured as a repeater, the base
station passes data packets between remote stations based on the remote group status and
the MAC (Media Access Control) address filter. Remote stations ignore the packets they
hear from other remotes, and listen only to the repeated packets from the base. See
Setting
Repeater Mode (Base Station Only)
, page 49 for more information.
Base
Remote
Router
Remote
Router
Wired Network
Wired Network
Wired Network
Remote
Router
Main Wired Network
Router
or
Repeater
Hub
Switch
Hub
Switch
Firewall
Firewall
Switch
Hub
Firewall
Switch
Hub
Firewall
