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Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point WAG102
Basic Installation and Configuration 3-13
v1.0, September 2005
• Turn Radio On. On by default, you can also turn off the radio to disable access through this
device. This can be helpful for configuration, network tuning, or troubleshooting activities.
• Wireless Network Name (SSID): The SSID is also known as the wireless network name.
Enter a 32-character (maximum) service set ID in this field; the characters are case sensitive.
The default is 802.11a only.
In a setting where there is more than one wireless network, different wireless network names
provide a means for separating the traffic. Any device you want to participate in a particular
wireless network will need to use the SSID.
When in infrastructure mode, this field defines the service set ID (SSID). The SSID assigned
to the wireless node is required to match the access point SSID in order for the wireless node
to communicate with the access point.
– A group of Wireless Stations and a single access point, all using the same ID (SSID), form
a Basic Service Set (BSS).
– Using the same SSID is essential. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to
communicate with each other. However, some access points allow connections from
wireless stations which have their SSID set to “any” or whose SSID is blank (null).
– A group of wireless stations and multiple access points, all using the same ID (ESSID),
form an Extended Service Set (ESS).
– Different access points within an ESS can use different channels. To reduce interference, it
is recommended that adjacent access points should use different channels.
– As wireless stations physically move through the area covered by an ESS, they will
automatically change to the access point which has the least interference or best
performance. This capability is called roaming.
• Broadcast Wireless Network Name (SSID): If set to Yes, the Wireless Access Point will
broadcast its SSID, allowing Wireless Stations that have a "null" (blank) SSID to adopt the
correct SSID. If set to No, the SSID is not broadcast. The default is NETGEAR_11a.
• Operating Mode: Select the desired wireless operating mode. The options are:
– 11a Only – Only 802.11a wireless stations can be used. This selection cannot be changed.
• Channel/Frequency: Select the channel you wish to use on your wireless LAN. The default is
Auto.
It should not be necessary to change the wireless channel unless you experience interference
(shown by lost connections and/or slow data transfers). Should this happen, you may need to
experiment with different channels to see which is the best. See “Wireless Communications:”
in Appendix B for more information on wireless channels.