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Chapter 1: Introduction
The 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Wireless Access Point is an IEEE 802.11a/g access point that
provides transparent, wireless high-speed data communications between the wired
LAN and fixed or mobile devices equipped with an 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g
wireless adapter.
This solution offers fast, reliable wireless connectivity with considerable cost savings
over wired LANs (which include long-term maintenance overhead for cabling). Using
802.11a and 802.11g technology, this access point can easily replace a 10 Mbps
Ethernet connection or seamlessly integrate into a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN.
The access point supports up to four Virtual Access Points per physical radio
interface, that is four on the 802.11a radio and four on the 802.11g radio. This allows
traffic to be separated for different user groups using an access point that services
one area. For each VAP, different security settings, VLAN assignments, and other
parameters can be applied.
Each radio interface on the access point can operate in one of four modes:
• Access Point – Providing conectivity to wireless clients in the service area.
• Repeater – Providing an extended link to a remote access point from the wired
LAN. In this mode, the access point does not have a cable connection to the wired
Ethernet LAN.
• Bridge – Providing links to access points operating in "Bridge" or "Root Bridge"
mode and thereby connecting other wired LAN segments.
• Root Bridge – Providing links to other access points operating in "Bridge" mode
and thereby connecting other wired LAN segments. Only one unit in the wireless
bridge network can be set to "Root Bridge" mode.
In addition, the access point offers full network management capabilities through an
easy to configure web interface, a command line interface for initial configuration
and troubleshooting, and support for Simple Network Management Protocol tools.
Radio Characteristics – The IEEE 802.11a/g standard uses a radio modulation
technique known as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and a
shared collision domain (CSMA/CA). It operates at the 5 GHz Unlicensed National
Information Infrastructure (UNII) band for connections to 802.11a clients, and at 2.4
GHz for connections to 802.11g clients.
IEEE 802.11g includes backward compatibility with the IEEE 802.11b standard.
IEEE 802.11b also operates at 2.4 GHz, but uses Direct Sequence Spread
Spectrum (DSSS) and Complementary Code Keying (CCK) modulation technology
to achieve a communication rate of up to 11 Mbps.
The access point supports a 54 Mbps half-duplex connection to Ethernet networks
for each active channel (or up to 108 Mbps when using turbo mode on the 802.11a
interface).
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