Understanding Basic Wireless Security Options - NETGEAR ProSafe ME103 Reference Manual

• Wireless Network Name (SSID). The SSID is also known as the wireless network name.
Enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. 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.
The ME103 default SSID is: NETGEAR.
– 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.

Understanding Basic Wireless Security Options

The table below identifies the various basic wireless security options. A full explanation of these
standards is available in
Figure 3-9: Basic Wireless Security options
Basic Installation and Configuration
Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point
Appendix B, "Wireless Networking
August 2003
Basics".
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