Advanced Tab: Wireless - Linksys Instant Wireless BEFW11S4 User Manual

Advanced Tab: Wireless

Important: Wireless is an Advanced Function. No changes
should be made to this tab without a thorough understanding
of networking concepts.
Before making any
changes to the
Wireless tab, shown
in Figure 5-23,
please check the
wireless settings for
all your wireless
PCs, as these
changes will alter the
Router's effective-
ness. In most cases,
these settings do not
need to be changed.
• Firmware Version. This indicates the Router's firmware version.
Beacon Interval. This value indicates the frequency interval of the beacon.
•
A beacon is a packet broadcast by the Router to keep the network synchro-
nized. A beacon includes the wireless LAN service area, the IP address, the
Broadcast destination addresses, a time stamp, Delivery Traffic Indicator
Maps, and the Traffic Indicator Message (TIM).
RTS Threshold. This value should remain at its default setting of 2,346.
•
Should you encounter inconsistent data flow, only minor modifications are
recommended.
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Instant Wireless ® Series
Figure 5-23
Wireless Access Point Router with 4-Port Switch
• Fragmentation Threshold. This value indicates how much of the Router's
resources are devoted to recovering packet errors. The value should remain
at its default setting of 2,346. If you have decreased this value and experi-
ence high packet error rates, you can increase it again, but it will likely
decrease overall network performance. Only minor modifications of this
value are recommended.
• DTIM Interval. This value indicates the interval of the Delivery Traffic
Indication Message (DTIM). A DTIM field is a countdown field informing
clients of the next window for listening to broadcast and multicast mes-
sages. When the Router has buffered broadcast or multicast messages for
associated clients, it sends the next DTIM with a DTIM Interval value.
Clients for the Router hear the beacons and awaken to receive the broadcast
and multicast messages.
Basic Rates. The basic transfer rates should be set depending on the speed
•
of your wireless network. You must select 1-2 (Mbps) if you have older
802.11 compliant equipment on your network, such as wireless adapters
that support only 1 or 2 Mbps. Selecting 1-2 (Mbps), however, does not
limit the basic transfer rates of faster adapters.
• TX Rates. Select all the supported rates at which an access point will com-
municate with a client.
• Preamble Type. The preamble defines the length of the CRC block for
communication between the Router and the roaming Network Card. (High
network traffic areas should use the shorter preamble type.) Select the
appropriate preamble type and click the Apply button to set it.
• Authentication Type. You may choose between Open System, Shared
Key, and Both. The Authentication Type default is set to Open System, in
which the sender and the recipient do NOT share a secret key. Each party
generates its own key-pair and asks the receiver to accept the randomly-
generated key. Once accepted, this key is used for a short time only. Then
a new key is generated and agreed upon. Shared Key is when both the
sender and the recipient share a secret key.
• Antenna Selection. This selection is for choosing which antenna transmits
data. By default, the Diversity Antenna selection, used to increase recep-
tion, is chosen.
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