RLX2-IHx Series ♦ 802.11a, b, g, n
Configuring a Radio - Detailed Configuration
Industrial Hotspots
User Manual
ProSoft Technology, Inc.
Page 66 of 248
Parameter
Description
802.11 Mode
(RLX2-IHNF only)
This control only appears when configuring a model RLX2-IHNF radio.
Specifies whether the radio operates in 802.11 a/g mode or in 802.11n
mode (default). In addition, it specifies whether the radio allows use of
40 MHz wide channels for Child clients.
Note:
A Repeater radio automatically uses a mode that is compatible
with the Parent radio settings. For example, an RLX2-IHNF radio may
connect to an RLX2-IHW Master radio which only operates in 802.11a/g
mode, and still use 802.11n mode for any Child Repeater radios.
802.11
A
/
G
-
The radio acts as an 802.11a radio on the 5 GHz band, and
an 802.11g radio on the 2.4 GHz band. Data rates are limited to the
802.11 a/g rates (54 mbps maximum, and. 802.11n operational features
are disabled. It is
not
necessary to select this mode for RLX2-IHNF
radios to link to other RLX2-IHx series or RLXIB series radios. These
radios link at their best possible speeds regardless of mode. This mode
is not commonly used. It is mainly used to allow 802.11 a/b/g client
devices that cannot link to 802.11n devices to work. One example of
such a device is the ProSoft 1734-AENTR wireless I/O client.
802.11
N
-
The default operational mode of the RLX2-IHNF radio. All
802.11n features are operational, and the radio uses 20 MHz wide
channels.
802.11.
N WIDE
-
Utilizes adjacent pairs of 20 MHz-wide channels as a
single 40 MHz-wide channel. This allows the fastest data throughput to
other 802.11n devices. Only 802.11n devices can utilize this mode, but
all RLX2-IHx series radios link at their best speed regardless of mode.
Channels in the 5 GHz band are 20 MHz apart, so the 802.11n wide
mode occupies only two channels in that band. However, channels in
the 2.4 GHz band are spaced only five MHz apart, so 802.11n wide
mode in the 2.4 GHz band occupies
eight adjacent channels!
Since
there are at most 13 channels in the 2.4 GHz band, and only three
channels do not overlap others, we do not recommend enabling wide
mode on 2.4 GHz band channels.
Master
Specifies that this radio is a Master radio. The Master radio is the root
device in a network. You must have at least one Master radio in your
network. For redundancy, you can assign more than one Master to a
network. See
Setting Up a Master Radio
(page 41).
Available Channel List
(Master radio only)
Specifies the channel number, the frequency band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
DFS, or 5 GHz), and the channel frequency in MHz.
For RLX2-IHNF radios:
When you set
802.11
M
ODE
to
802.11
N WIDE
, each entry shows the
main channel number, followed by the extension channel number if the
particular channel supports 40 MHz.
The 20 MHz channels are used whenever sending frames at an 802.11
a/g data rate (for example, Beacons at 6 Mbits). The main and
extension channels are used together for 802.11n data rate
transmissions. Note that the frequency indicated when in 802.11n wide
mode is the center of the 40 MHz channel pair.
Important:
The RLX2-IHx series radio is not supplied with an antenna.
When choosing an antenna for use with your RLX2-IHx series radio, you
must choose one that supports the frequency range set in the
configuration for the radio. See
Appendix G - Antenna Configuration
Repeater
Specifies that this radio is a Repeater radio. Repeater mode is the
normal mode for the radios in the network that are not the Master radio.
The Master radio specifies the network channel and is the root of the
radio network tree. Repeater radios extend the range of a network and
create the signal bridges that allow networked radios to communicate
over a greater distance. All RLX2-IHx series radios are capable of being
Repeaters. See Configuring a Repeater Radio (page 43).