User manual NETGEAR WGPS606

[. . . ] Reference Manual for the NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless USB Print Server with 4-Port Switch WGPS606 NETGEAR, Inc. 4500 Great America Parkway Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA Phone 1-888-NETGEAR 202-10083-01 March 2005 202-10083-01 NETGEAR, INC. Technical Support Please register to obtain technical support. To register your product, get product support or obtain product information and product documentation, go to www. netgear. com. If you do not have access to the World Wide Web, you can register your product by filling out the registration card and mailing it to NETGEAR customer service. [. . . ] The maximum data rate for the 802. 11g wireless link is 54 Mbps, but it will automatically back down from 54 Mbps when the radio signal is weak or when interference is detected. The 802. 11 standard is also called Wireless Ethernet or Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www. wi-fi. net), an industry standard group promoting interoperability among 802. 11 devices. The 802. 11 standard offers two methods for configuring a wireless network - ad hoc and infrastructure. Infrastructure Mode With a wireless access point, you can operate the wireless LAN in the infrastructure mode. This mode provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or area of coverage, interacting with wireless nodes via an antenna. In the infrastructure mode, the wireless access point converts airwave data into wired Ethernet data, acting as a bridge between the wired LAN and wireless clients. Connecting multiple access points via a wired Ethernet backbone can further extend the wireless network coverage. As a mobile computing device moves out of the range of one access point, it moves into the range of another. As a result, wireless clients can freely roam from one access point domain to another and still maintain seamless network connection. Wireless Networking Basics 202-10083-01 B-1 Reference Manual for the NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless USB Print Server with 4-Port Switch Ad Hoc Mode (Peer-to-Peer Workgroup) In an ad hoc network, computers are brought together as needed; thus, there is no structure or fixed points to the network - each node can generally communicate with any other node. This mode enables you to quickly set up a small wireless workgroup and allows workgroup members to exchange data or share printers as supported by Microsoft networking in the various Windows operating systems. Some vendors also refer to ad hoc networking as peer-to-peer group networking. In this configuration, network packets are directly sent and received by the intended transmitting and receiving stations. As long as the stations are within range of one another, this is the easiest and least expensive way to set up a wireless network. Network Name: Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) The Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) is one of two types of Service Set Identification (SSID). In an ad hoc wireless network with no access points, the Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID) is used. In an infrastructure wireless network that includes an access point, the ESSID is used, but may still be referred to as SSID. An SSID is a thirty-two character (maximum) alphanumeric key identifying the name of the wireless local area network. For the wireless devices in a network to communicate with each other, all devices must be configured with the same SSID. Wireless Channels IEEE 802. 11g/b wireless nodes communicate with each other using radio frequency signals in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band between 2. 4 GHz and 2. 5 GHz. However, due to spread spectrum effect of the signals, a node sending signals using a particular channel will utilize frequency spectrum 12. 5 MHz above and below the center channel frequency. As a result, two separate wireless networks using neighboring channels (for example, channel 1 and channel 2) in the same general vicinity will interfere with each other. Applying two channels that allow the maximum channel separation will decrease the amount of channel cross-talk, and provide a noticeable performance increase over networks with minimal channel separation. B-2 202-10083-01 Wireless Networking Basics Reference Manual for the NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless USB Print Server with 4-Port Switch The radio frequency channels used are listed in Table B-1: Table B-1. Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 802. 11b Radio Frequency Channels Center Frequency 2412 MHz 2417 MHz 2422 MHz 2427 MHz 2432 MHz 2437 MHz 2442 MHz 2447 MHz 2452 MHz 2457 MHz 2462 MHz 2467 MHz 2472 MHz Frequency Spread 2399. 5 MHz - 2424. 5 MHz 2404. 5 MHz - 2429. 5 MHz 2409. 5 MHz - 2434. 5 MHz 2414. 5 MHz - 2439. 5 MHz 2419. 5 MHz - 2444. 5 MHz 2424. 5 MHz - 2449. 5 MHz 2429. 5 MHz - 2454. 5 MHz 2434. 5 MHz - 2459. 5 MHz 2439. 5 MHz - 2464. 5 MHz 2444. 5 MHz - 2469. 5 MHz 2449. 5 MHz - 2474. 5 MHz 2454. 5 MHz - 2479. 5 MHz 2459. 5 MHz - 2484. 5 MHz Note: The available channels supported by the wireless products in various countries are different. The preferred channel separation between the channels in neighboring wireless networks is 25 MHz (5 channels). This means that you can apply up to three different channels within your wireless network. It is recommended that you start using channel 1 and grow to use channel 6, and 11 when necessary, as these three channels do not overlap. Wireless Networking Basics 202-10083-01 B-3 Reference Manual for the NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless USB Print Server with 4-Port Switch WEP Wireless Security The absence of a physical connection between nodes makes the wireless links vulnerable to eavesdropping and information theft. To provide a certain level of security, the IEEE 802. 11 standard has defined two types of authentication methods, Open System and Shared Key. [. . . ] (IBM Glossary of Computing Terms) 4 Glossary 202-10083-01 Reference Manual for the NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless USB Print Server with 4-Port Switch MAC address The Media Access Control address is a unique 48-bit hardware address assigned to every network interface card. Usually written in the form 01:23:45:67:89:ab. Mbps Megabits per second. MDI/MDIX In cable wiring, the concept of transmit and receive are from the perspective of the PC, which is wired as a Media Dependant Interface (MDI). At the hub, switch, router, or access point, the perspective is reversed, and the hub receives on pins 1 and 2. This wiring is referred to as Media Dependant Interface - Crossover (MDI-X). N NAT See "Network Address Translation" netmask Combined with the IP address, the IP Subnet Mask allows a device to know which other addresses are local to it, and which must be reached through a gateway or router. [. . . ]