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Chapter 7: Configuring the Wireless-G Access Point
The Advanced Tab
Wireless-G Access Point
Advanced Wireless
Before making any changes to the Wireless tab, please check your wireless settings on other systems, as these
changes will alter the effectiveness of the Access Point. In most cases, these settings do not need to be changed.
Authentication Type.
The default is set to
Auto
, where it auto-detects for Shared Key or Open System.
Shared
Key
is when both the sender and the recipient share a WEP key for authentication.
Open Key
is when the sender
and the recipient do not share a WEP key for authentication. All points on your network must use the same
authentication type.
Transmission Rates.
The default setting is
Auto
. The range is from 1 to 54Mbps. The rate of data transmission
should be set depending on the speed of your wireless network. You can select from a range of transmission
speeds, or you can keep the default setting, Auto, to have the Access Point automatically use the fastest possible
data rate and enable the Auto-Fallback feature. Auto-Fallback will negotiate the best possible connection speed
between the Access Point and a wireless client.
CTS Protection Mode
. CTS (Clear-To-Send) Protection Mode should remain disabled unless you are having
severe problems with your Wireless-G products not being able to transmit to the Access Point in an environment
with heavy 802.11b traffic. This function boosts the Access Point’s ability to catch all Wireless-G transmissions
but will severely decrease performance.
Basic Rate
. The Basic Rate setting is not actually one rate of transmission but a series of rates, advertising to the
other wireless devices in your network at what rates the Access Point can transmit. At the
Default
setting, the
Access Point will advertise that it will automatically select the best rate for transmission. Other options of rates to
advertise are
1-2Mbps
, for use with older wireless technology, and
All
, when you wish to make all rates
advertised. The Basic Rate is not the rate transmitted; that is the Transmission Rate.
Antenna Selection.
This selection is for choosing which antenna transmits data, left or right. By default, the
Diversity
antenna selection, used to increase reception, is chosen.
Frame Burst
. Enabling this option should provide your network with greater performance, depending on the
manufacturer of your wireless products. If you are not sure how to use this option, keep the default,
Off
.
Beacon Interval.
This value indicates the frequency interval of the beacon. A beacon is a packet broadcast by
the Access Point to keep the network synchronized. A beacon includes the wireless LAN service area, the AP
address, the Broadcast destination addresses, a time stamp, Delivery Traffic Indicator Maps, and the Traffic
Indicator Message (TIM).
RTS Threshold.
This setting determines how large a packet can be before the Access Point coordinates
transmission and reception to ensure efficient communication. This value should remain at its default setting of
2,346
. Should you encounter inconsistent data flow, only minor modifications are recommended.
Figure 7-15: The Advanced Wireless screen
beacon internal:
data transmitted on your wireless
network that keeps the network synchronized
cts:
a signal sent by a wireless device,
signifying that it is ready to receive data.
rts (request to send):
a networking method of coordinating
large packets through the RTS Threshold setting.
