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Proxim RangeLAN2 7920 User Manual

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Summary of Contents for Proxim RangeLAN2 7920

  • Page 2 Proxim will not honor this warranty if there has been any attempt to tamper with or remove the Ethernet Adapter's external foil label. This warranty does not cover and Proxim will not be liable for any damage or failure caused by misuse, abuse, acts of God, accidents, or other causes beyond Proxim's control, or claim by other than the original purchaser.
  • Page 3 Technical Support at 650-526-3640. Proxim Technical Support will assist with resolving any technical difficulties you may have with your Proxim product. If your product is found to be defective, you may return the product to Proxim after obtaining an RMA (Return Materials Authorization) number from Proxim Technical Support.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Contents 1. Introduction ..............1 The RangeLAN2 Family ................. 2 System Requirements ................3 The Product Package ................3 2. Quick Installation ............5 3. Wireless Topologies ........... 9 Ad Hoc ..................... 9 Infrastructure ..................10 Workgroup Concentrator ............... 14 Repeating ....................
  • Page 5 10. Performance Hints ..........47 Microwave Ovens .................. 47 Range ...................... 47 11. Troubleshooting ............49 How to Obtain Help with Your Product Installation ......49 Fixed Node Filtering on RangeLAN2 Access Points ......49 LED Error Codes ................... 52 Commonly Asked Technical Support Questions ........

  • Page 7: Introduction

    Proxim is the leading supplier of spread spectrum radio network- ing technology for local area environments. Proxim’s un- matched spread spectrum networking expertise, combined with the company’s extensive experience serving the communication needs of the mobile computing user, have kept Proxim at the forefront of the emerging wireless market.

  • Page 8: The Rangelan2 Family

    The RangeLAN2 Family RangeLAN2 792x Ethernet Adapter is part of a family of high- performance products that provides a complete wireless net- working solution. RangeLAN2 7100 is a wireless LAN adapter that fits into a standard PC/AT ISA bus slot. RangeLAN2 7400 is a wireless LAN adapter which fits into a PCMCIA Type II slot on a portable notebook, laptop, or pen-based computer.

  • Page 9: System Requirements

    One (1) switch setting tool. Two (2) plastic plugs to cover the Domain and Station Type rotary switches. One (1) RangeLAN2 792x Ethernet Adapter User’s Guide. If any of these items are missing or damaged, please contact your reseller or Proxim Technical Support.
  • Page 10 Figure 1 RangeLAN2 792x Ethernet Adapter Components...

  • Page 11: Quick Installation

    Note: Government regulatory agencies mandate that the antenna not be alterable. Therefore, the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter uses a custom antenna connector. Do not attempt to use a non-certified Proxim antenna, or you may damage the connector and the Ethernet Adapter.
  • Page 12 Figure 2 Attachment of the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter Antenna 2. Each RangeLAN2 792x Ethernet Adapter is preconfigured to use Domain 0. If the existing wireless network is not using Domain 0, use the Domain rotary switch on the underside of the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter to set the Domain number to a value between 0 and 9.
  • Page 13 3. Plug the power supply into the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter DC power jack, located on the rear panel, and plug the power supply into an AC outlet. Upon com- pleting this step, the LED indicator on the top panel of the unit will glow yellow and then turn green, indicating that the unit is ready for operation.
  • Page 14 Note: The RangeLAN2 Access Point is shipped with Filter Fixed Nodes set to “Filtering” by default. Unless you are using an Ethernet Access Point (model 7510, 7520, or 7521) with revision 1.4 or greater of the Access Point flash code image installed, this param- eter must be set to “Not Filtering”...

  • Page 15: Wireless Topologies

    With the addition of the Ethernet Adapter to the RangeLAN2 family, you may now connect resources to your wireless network that previously did not support a Proxim device driver such as printers, UNIX-based systems, and Macintosh computers. Figure 3...

  • Page 16: Infrastructure

    Infrastructure Many companies have an existing Ethernet or Token Ring LAN infrastructure and want to be able to extend that capability to wireless nodes. This is accomplished by attaching an Access Point to the wired LAN. This allows the wireless clients to access the network resources.
  • Page 17 Figure 5 Roaming on Ethernet LAN - Light Overlap With RangeLAN2’s multi-channel architecture, Access Points can be placed within the same cell area to increase the aggregate throughput supported by the network. In addition, the overlap- ping cells offer redundancy of coverage required in networks where downtime is not tolerable.
  • Page 18 Figure 6 Roaming on Ethernet LAN- Heavy Overlap Each RangeLAN2 Access Point within a roaming network must be configured as a Master on a unique Channel/Subchannel pair, but all Access Points must have the same Domain number and Security ID. In addition, mobile clients, such as the Ethernet...
  • Page 19 Adapters or laptops with 7400 PC cards, are set to the same Domain and Security ID as the Access Points. As the RangeLAN2 mobile clients seamlessly switch from cell to cell, the network connectivity is preserved. The user can move freely between the RangeLAN2 Access Points in the network.

  • Page 20: Workgroup Concentrator

    Workgroup Concentrator In small networks, the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter may be used as a workgroup concentrator to connect up to 8 Ethernet devices to a RangeLAN2 wireless network. However, the Ethernet Adapter can NOT support more than 8 devices on its Ethernet port, as shown in Figure 7. The Ethernet Adapter filters at a rate less than full Ethernet speed.
  • Page 21 Since an Ethernet Adapter’s 10BaseT connector is wired to operate like a standard Ethernet cabling hub, you must use a 10BaseT cross-over cable to connect an Ethernet Adapter to a cabling hub. See Chapter 2 for information on the pinout speci- fication for a 10BaseT cross-over cable.

  • Page 22: Repeating

    Repeating You have the option to enable or disable repeating. When repeating is enabled, the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter, set as a Master, will repeat any signal coming from one Station and destined for another Station, when the two Stations are both within range of the Master, but not within range of one another.

  • Page 23: Understanding The Hardware

    4. Understanding the Hardware Rotary Switches The RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter is designed for easy config- uration by setting two rotary switches located on the bottom of the unit. The rotary switches are shown in Figure 9 below. Use the switch setting tool, enclosed in the product package, to change the position of the rotary switches.

  • Page 24: Led Indicators

    Ethernet Adapter: The Status LED on the right side (with the unit orien- tated so that you can read the Proxim logo), changes colors from yellow (initializing) to green (operational). This LED will blink red in a repeating pattern if a problem occurs with the unit during operation.
  • Page 25 The Radio LED in the center blinks yellow when the Ethernet Adapter is transmitting data packets over its radio. The Ethernet LED on the left side blinks green when the Ethernet Adapter is transmitting data over the 10BASE- T Ethernet port. Ethernet LED Status LED Radio LED...
  • Page 26 There are also four LEDs on the back panel of the RangeLAN2 792x Ethernet Adapter: The green “Master” LED, located between the DC power jack and the serial interface, is on steady when the unit is set as a Master. The yellow “Sync”...
  • Page 27 Link LED Master LED Sync LED Override LED Figure 11 Back Panel LEDs...

  • Page 28: 10Base-T Connector Specification

    10BASE-T Connector Specification The 10BASE-T connector located on the back panel of the Ethernet Adapter (see Figure 11, above) is wired like a cabling hub and connects to any Ethernet Network Interface Card using a standard 10BaseT cable. Standard 10BASE-T specifications apply to the 10BASE-T interface of the Ethernet Adapter.

  • Page 29: Serial Port Specification

    Serial Port Specification Figure 13 and the table below provide the specification of the nine (9) pin serial port located on the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter. The Ethernet Adapter is wired as a standard DCE (Data Commu- nication Equipment) device. a i r i t c r r a r e i...
  • Page 30 Figure 13 Serial Port Specification...

  • Page 31: Antenna Options

    The Ethernet Adapter is shipped with a standard directly-con- nected antenna. To install the antenna, screw it clockwise onto the antenna connector. Proxim sells several antenna alternatives, including higher gain omnidirectional and directional antennas. Each of these antennas ship with installation and mounting instructions.
  • Page 32 2.75” 2.10” Figure 14 Mounting Holes...

  • Page 33: Software Configuration

    5. Software Configuration You need to configure the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter using the software menus if any of the following conditions apply: You want to set Security IDs on your network or your existing network uses a Security ID. You want to set the Domain number to a value between 10 and 15.
  • Page 34 The Ethernet Adapter’s configuration menu should look like this: Type the number of the menu option and <ENTER> to view the submenus. Hit <ESC> at any time to back up one menu. To simplify the menu options, all of the configuration menus will appear in a tree diagram format.
  • Page 35 Ethernet Adapter M ain M enu Display Param eter Values Reset Param eters to Factory D efaults Radio Configuration M enu Advanced Configuration M enu View Statistics Dow nload New Softw are Version Reset the Ethernet Adapter Exit The following four chapters detail the sub-menus, shown above.

  • Page 37: Radio Configuration Menu

    6. Radio Configuration Menu This section discusses the RangeLAN2 radio parameters that can be configured by the user. The software tree below shows the options available in the Radio Configuration Menu: E the rn et Ad apte r M a in M enu D ispla y Param e ter V alu es R e se t Param ete rs to F ac tory D efa ults R a d io C o n figu ra tio n M en u...

  • Page 38: Radio Parameters Menu

    Radio Parameters Menu The table below shows the range and default values for each of the radio software parameters: r e t t l u " " U r o f t i w t i w r o f c i t i t c , r e...
  • Page 39 Station/Master rotary switch. The rotary switch is set to Station by default. Proxim’s RangeLAN2 products are frequency hopping spread spectrum radios which communicate in the 2.4GHz frequency band. This means that several times every second, the frequency at which the units are communicating changes.
  • Page 40 In order to establish communication, all Stations and the Master must be configured with the same Domain number. Radios on different Domains cannot communicate with each other. The Domain is a software filter which does not affect the actual radio frequency or the frequency hopping sequence.
  • Page 41 There are 15 independent Channels designated 1 through 15. This means that there are 15 different sequences of frequency hops. Each Channel is at a different frequency at a different time. To minimize interference, set each Ethernet Adapter acting as a Master within the same area to a different Domain and Channel.
  • Page 42 The optional Master Name parameter of up to 11 characters specifies an alphanumeric name to simplify the identification of each Master in your network. You may not have spaces in the name. This parameter is visible only when the Ethernet Adapter is set as a Master.
  • Page 43 However, be aware that by enabling the repeating feature, the network throughput will drop by as much as one-half when repeating occurs. This parameter is only visible when the Ethernet Adapter is configured as a Master. By default, Repeating is disabled. See Chapter 3 for more information on Repeating.
  • Page 44 The Roam Config parameter allows you to determine how quickly an Ethernet Adapter, set as a Station, will roam from one Master Access Point to another. In areas with many RangeLAN2 Access Points that provide heavy overlapping coverage, set this parameter to Fast to maintain high throughput for each of the wireless nodes.

  • Page 45: Advanced Configuration Menu

    7. Advanced Configuration Menu Use these parameters to configure the advanced features of the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter. Eth ern et Ad ap ter M ain M en u D isp lay Param eter Valu es R eset Param eters to Facto ry D efau lts R ad io C o n figu ratio n M en u Ad van ced C o n fig u ratio n M en u S et IP Ad d ress...

  • Page 46: Advanced Parameters

    Advanced Parameters r e t t l u i d r c i n t r o Set IP Address allows you to assign the Ethernet Adapter a unique network IP address. If the unit is attached to an Ethernet- ready device, do not assign the Ethernet Adapter the same IP address as the Ethernet-ready device.
  • Page 47 A pass- word is needed to enable Technical Support Access to view these settings. If you call Proxim Technical Support, they may ask you to enable the Technical Support parameters, but, in general, you will not need to access these parameters.

  • Page 49: Display Parameter Values

    8. Display Parameter Values The Ethernet Adapter displays all of the relevant parameters in one centralized location. By choosing “Display Parameter Values,” you can view the current and configured values for the Radio and Advanced parameters. Current values are already in use by the Ethernet Adapter. If the configured value is different from the current value, the Ethernet Adapter must be reset before the configured value takes effect and at that time, the configured value becomes the new...
  • Page 50 E the rne t Ada pte r M a in M e nu D ispla y P a ra m e te r V a lue s R a dio Pa ra m e te rs D o m a in C ha nn e l S u bc ha n ne l S ta tion T y pe...

  • Page 51: View Statistics

    9. View Statistics You can obtain operating statistics for the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter from the View Statistics menu. The following diagram illustrates the software tree: Eth ernet Ad ap ter M ain M en u D isplay Param eter Values R eset Param eters to Factory D efaults R adio C onfig uration M en u Advanced C on figu ratio n M enu...

  • Page 52: Synchronized To Statistic

    Synchronized To Statistic This statistic displays the Master Name of the RangeLAN2 product, acting as a Master, to which the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter is synchronized. If the Ethernet Adapter is set as a Master, it will be synchronized to itself and display its own Master Name.

  • Page 53: Performance Hints

    Proxim has devel- oped some guidelines to estimate the range that users will see when the RangeLAN2 7920 Ethernet Adapter is installed in their facility, but there are no hard and fast specifications. Note that the RangeLAN2 7921 Ethernet Adapter will have greater range.
  • Page 54 If you are interested in antenna options, contact your Proxim Sales Representative about antenna kits. Proper antenna placement can help improve range. Here are some guidelines: The antenna should be placed in a vertical position. Do not place a sheet of metal (like a filing cabinet) between two antennas.

  • Page 55: Troubleshooting

    If you do experience difficulties, however, use the information in this chapter to help diagnose and solve problems. If you cannot resolve a problem, contact Proxim, as described in Appendix E, “How to Reach Technical Support.”...
  • Page 56 Access Points with the wired network. This is not an issue for Ethernet Access Points with revision 1.4 or greater of the flash code image installed. Proxim has modified the flash code for these Access Points to allow non-RangeLAN2...
  • Page 57 Below is a summary for changing this parameter on each model: Model 7500: Uncheck the NON-RangeLAN2 Address Filter on the Filter Configuration page of the 7500's Configuration Tool. Model 7510/752x: No action is needed if the Access Point has revision 1.4 or greater of the flash code image installed. If the Access Point is using an earlier version of the flash code, set the Filter Fixed Nodes parameter to “Not Filtering”...

  • Page 58: Led Error Codes

    If you see any of the above flashing sequences, first attempt to reset the Ethernet Adapter. If the flashing sequence persists after you have reset the unit, make a note of which of the above pat- terns you have and call Proxim Technical Support.

  • Page 59: Commonly Asked Technical Support Questions

    Commonly Asked Technical Support Questions i t s o i t r e t s ' r t f i t i e i t a t r e t t i w i r r n i t t t i w g i f i t a...
  • Page 60 i t s o i t r e t s ' r t ' n i l b e r i f i r r e t i t c t i w y t i r . r e s t c .

  • Page 61: Menu Structure

    A. Menu Structure E th e rn e t Ad a p te r M a in M e n u D isp la y Pa ra m e te r V a lu e s R a d io Pa ra m e te rs D o m a in C h a n n e l S u b c h a n n e l...
  • Page 62 E thernet Ada pte r M ain M e nu D isplay Pa ram eter V a lues R eset Param ete rs to Fac tory D efa ults R adio Configuration M enu Dom ain Cha nnel S ubcha nnel S ta tion T ype M a ster Na m e S ec urity ID...
  • Page 63 Eth ernet Ad ap ter M ain M en u D isp lay P aram eter Valu es R eset P aram eters to F acto ry D efau lts R ad io C o n fig u ratio n M en u Ad van ced C o n fig u ratio n M en u Set IP Ad d ress F o rw ard in g D atab ase T ab le T im eo u t...
  • Page 64 Ethern et Adapter M ain M en u D isp lay Param eter Valu es R eset Param eters to F acto ry D efaults R adio C o nfig uratio n M enu Advan ced C o n fig u ration M en u View Statistics Syn ch ro nized T o Eth ern et Statistics...

  • Page 65: Parameters

    B. Parameters Radio Parameters r e t t l u " " U r o f t i w t i w r o f c i t i t c , r e o i t i t a t t i w "...

  • Page 66: Advanced Configuration Parameters

    Advanced Configuration Parameters r e t t l u i d r c i n t r o...

  • Page 67: Procedure For Downloading New Software

    C. Procedure for Downloading New Software At some point in the future, you may need to upgrade the RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapter software. To do this, choose the Download New Software Version option from the Main Menu. You need to use the XMODEM protocol to complete the download.
  • Page 68 Note: Do not choose the "Download New Software Version" menu item unless you are prepared to perform a software download to the device. Once you proceed past the warning messages, there is no way to exit the download process. The unit will not become opera- tional again until after a download of software to the Ethernet Adapter has been successfully completed.

  • Page 69: Glossary

    D. Glossary 10BASE-T Cross-over Cable — A standard 10BASE-T Ethernet cable with pins 1 & 3 and 2 & 6 crossed to allow two Ethernet devices with the same pin specification to communicate directly with one another. Access Point — An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks together.
  • Page 70 Filtering — An action performed by an Ethernet device, such as a bridge, switch, or router, which excludes an Ethernet packet from being passed from one subnetwork to another based upon the packet's destination, source, or packet type. Frequency Hopping — A spread spectrum technique by which the band is divided into a number of channels and the transmis- sions hop from channel to channel in a pre-specified sequence.

  • Page 71: How To Reach Technical Support

    What were you doing when the error occurred? What error message did you see? Can you reproduce the problem? What version of the Ethernet Adapter software are you using? You can reach Proxim Technical Support by voice, fax, email BBS, or mail: Tel: 800-477-6946 or 650-526-3640 Fax:...

  • Page 72: Specifications

    The following technical specification is for reference purposes only. Actual product's performance and compliance with local telecommunica- tions regulations may vary from country to country. Proxim, Inc. will only ship products that are type approved in the destination country. Network Interface...

  • Page 73: Index

    Index 10BASE-T 7, 15, 22, 66 Cross-over Cable 15, 22 Access Point. See RangeLAN2: Access Point Ad Hoc 9, 33 Antenna 3, 5, 25, 47, 66 Channel 12, 32, 34–35 Collisions 46 Configuration Menu 28, 29 Advanced Configuration Menu. See Advanced Configuration Menu Displaying Menu 27 Parameter Tables 59–60 Radio Configuration Menu.
  • Page 74 FCC ii, 66 Filter Fixed Nodes. See Fixed Node Filtering Filtering 64 Fixed Node Filtering 49–51 Forwarding Database Table Timeout 40 Frame Align Errors 46 Frequency Hopping. See Spread Spectrum: Frequency Hopping Inactivity Timeout 32, 37 Installation How to Obtain Help 49 IP Address 27, 40, 64 LED Error Codes 52 LEDs 18...
  • Page 75 Radio Configuration Menu 31–38. See also Configuration Menu Radio LED 19. See also LEDs Radio Statistics 46 Range 47 RangeLAN2 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 14, 66 Access Point 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 33, 38, 49–51 Extension Point 2, 38 Family 1, 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point 12, 13, 14 Receive Overflow 46...
  • Page 76 Temperature Operating 66 Terminal 27, 61 Token Ring 2, 10, 51 U.S. Specifications 66–67 UNIX 9 View Statistics 45 Workgroup Concentrator 14, 33 XMODEM 61...

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Rangelan2 7921

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