3
802.11b
The IEEE 802.11b standard, developed by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance
WECA) and ratified by IEEE, establishes a stable standard for compatibility. A user with an
802.11b product can use any brand of access point with any other brand of client hardware that is
built to the 802.11b standard for basic interconnection. 802.11b devices provide 11 Mbps
transmission in the 2.4 GHz band.
For wireless devices to communicate with the WAB-1000, they must meet the following
conditions:
• The wireless device and wireless access point must have been configured to recognize
each other using the SSID (a unique ID assigned in setup so that the wireless device is
seen to be part of the network by the WAB-1000);
• Encryption, authentication capabilities and types enabled must conform.
• If MAC filtering is used; the WAB-1000 must be configured to allow the wireless
device’s MAC address to associate (communicate) with the WAB-1000 wireless
interface.
802.11g
Because 802.11g is backwards-compatible with 802.11b, it is a popular component in LAN
construction. 802.11g broadens 802.11b’s data rates to 54 Mbps within the 2.4 GHz band using
OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) technology.
Network Configuration
The WAB-1000 is an access point with bridging setup capability:
• Access point
• Wireless bridging with choice of:
• Point-to-point setup
• Point-to-multipoint setup
• Repeater setup
Bridging actually has more choices, but the above choices are popular and are discussed
later in this user guide (Chapter 4).
Access point configurations
IP addresses for wireless devices are typically assigned by the wired network’s DHCP
server. The wired LAN’s DHCP server assigns addresses dynamically, and the AP virtually
connects wireless users to the host wired network. All wireless devices connected to the AP are