Independent Mode - Proxim Harmony 8550 Manual

Note:
For best performance, Proxim recommends using a Harmony 802.11b Access
Point without an AP Controller on isolated Ethernet networks that contain less
than 512 nodes and connect to a single router. The Access Point has limited
filtering and forwarding capabilities and may have difficulty keeping up with
the amount of traffic on larger networks. This limitation does not apply to the
Harmony AP Controller.
The Harmony 802.11b Access Point supports three modes of operation:
G Independent: The Access Point operates as a stand-alone device to provide
network access to mobile clients.
G Dependent: The Access Point partners with an Access Point Controller to
provide network access to mobile clients.
G Flexible: The Access Point operates in Dependent mode if an AP Controller is
installed on the network; otherwise, it operates in Independent mode.
By default, the Access Point operates in Flexible mode.
Note:
If you configure a Harmony 802.11b Access Point to operate in Independent
mode, you can always add an AP Controller to the network at a later date and
reconfigure the Access Point to operate in Dependent or Flexible mode.

Independent Mode

When AP Controller Dependence is configured to Independent, the Harmony 802.11b
Access Point will operate as a MAC layer learning bridge and forward packets between
mobile clients and the Ethernet network.
A wireless LAN that uses the Harmony 802.11b Access Point in Independent mode
generally consists of one or more 802.11b Access Points and one or more mobile clients
that have an 802.11b adapter installed, as shown in Figure 2.
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