Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product WLA-AWCG Buffalo Technology
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WLA-A WCG User Guide.
TABLE OF CONTENTS A BOUT THIS M AN UAL .............................. ............................ ................ 1 About this chapter ................................................................................ 2 Scope of the manual ...........
Setting up routing ......................................... ............................. 53 Setting up the Packet Filter .......................................................... 55 Diagnostics ............. ........................................
1 About this Manual.
1.1 About this chapter This chapter bri efly describe s the conte nt of this manual. It will intr oduce you t o the standard t erms and typographic conventio ns which are used thr oughout the manual. It a lso describes the hardware and soft ware requirements of the AirStati on Pro.
1.3 Related reading Other docu mentatio n available fo r consulta tion are: AirStation WLI-PCM-L1 1 (PC Card) User Manual WLI-ISA-OP (ISA Bus Adapter) U ser Manual WLI-PCI-OP (PCI Bus Adapter) Hardware Manual 1.3.1 Online He lp The Melco Online Help al so provides you with useful in formatio n when using the AirSt ation Ma nager.
1.4 T erms and conventio ns This section describes the standa rd terms and conventions that are used through out the manual. 1.4.1 Standard terms The following standard terms ar e used throughou t the manua l.
1.4.3 Safet y in formati on As with all electrical products, you must exercise care when using the AirSta tion Pro. This table describes the various wa rning symbols used throughout this manual to indicate si tuations where extra caut ion is needed. Symbol Meaning Serious in jury or damage.
2 Getting Started.
7 Getting Star ted WLA-AWCG User Manual 2.1 About this chapter This chapt er explain s how to set up the AirSta tion Pro system. It expl ains how to connect the A irStati on Pro to your PC and how to con nect an ext ernal ante nna.
Getting Started 8 WLA-AWCG User Manual WLA-A WCG User Manual Wa r r a n t y C a r d Antenna co nnector 2.2.2 Softwa re re quireme nts The AirStation Pro requires the f ollowing so ftware to o perate: Wind ows 95/98/M E, NT or 2000 Internet Explor er 4.
9 Getting Star ted WLA-AWCG User Manual Connec ting to a hub Connect the ot her end of the strai ght-throug h cable to your hub. Note: A st raight-throu gh cable ca n be used to con nect to the hub pr.
Getting Started 10 WLA-AWCG User Manual 2.2.3 Install ing the Wireless LAN card To enable an AirS tation Pr o to co mmunicate w ith a co mputer, a net work a dapter must be installed in the P C or the laptop. The A irStation Wirel ess LAN card (W LI- PCM-L11) c onsists of both LAN a nd radio fu nctions.
11 Getting Started WLA-AWCG User Manual Installing an AirStati on Wireless LAN card on a laptop PC If you are using Windows 95/98 o r 2000, you can inst all the netw ork card whilst the laptop is swit ched on. To install the network c ard, follow these steps: 1 Insert the Wireless LAN network card into the PC c ard slot.
Getting Started 12 WLA-AWCG User Manual Attaching the antenna adapter Prior to co nnecting an ex ternal antenn a, you must att ach an ante nna adapter. To attach the a ntenna adapt er you must fi rst disassem ble the AirSt ation Pro . To disassemble the A irStation Pro a nd attach the adapt er, follow these steps.
13 Getting Started WLA-AWCG User Manual 3 R emov e the p rotec tive c over fr om the slot on the W ire less LA N card and connect the end of the antenn a adapter to the Wireless LAN card by inserting it int o the slot.
Getting Started 14 WLA-AWCG User Manual 2 Attach the metal stab iliser t o the AirStati on P ro usi ng the s crew provi ded, in order to secure the antenna a dapter . Figure 9: Attaching the me tal stabiliser to the AirSta tion Pro 3 Connect the en d of the antenna adap ter conn ector t o the external antenna.
15 Getting Started WLA-AWCG User Manual Having installed Client Manager follow th ese steps: 1 From the Start m enu, select Programs , MELCO Wireless LAN and th en Client Manager . 2 From Cl ient Mana ger screen , select File , Manual Figur e 11: C lient Manager Manual opti on 3 Select File , Manual .
Getting Started 16 WLA-AWCG User Manual 5 Select the 11Mbps communication over AirS tation option from the drop- down list. 6 Click OK . The V erify Conne ction dialog box is displayed. Figure 13: Verify Connection dial og box 7 Click OK . The AirStation Pro found on the network is displayed on t he Clie nt M anage r screen.
17 Getting Started WLA-AWCG User Manual 8 From th e File menu, select T est Connection, Diagnostic . Figur e 15: F ile, Test Connect ion, Diagno stic option The T est Connectio n dialog box is displayed. Figur e 16: Test Connection di alog box The connection status is now checked and the connecti on test di splayed.
Connection test results The following table di splays the connection test results in terms of their connection and the radio status. The diagnostic test resul ts are displayed as a combinatio n of connection sta tus and radio status.
Antenna connections and tr ansmission ranges The actual range depends on the e nvironment in which the aerial is used a s shown in the table: The following conditio ns may affect the signal transmission: Obstacles such as trees or bu ildings between anten nas.
3 Product Overv iew.
21 Prod uct Overview WLA-AWCG User Manual 3.1 About this chapter This chapter describes the main features a nd capabilities of the AirStation Pro. 3.2 Main features of the AirStation Pro The AirStation Pro acts as an ac cess point for wireless LAN’s, enabling communication between physi cally separated networks.
Product Overview 22 WLA-AWCG User Manual LED Indicators The AirStation Pro WLA-AWCG di splays the fo llowing physical features: Figure 18: AirStation Pro + DIAG POWER WIRELESS 10M/100M DC ETHERNET RES.
23 Prod uct Overview WLA-AWCG User Manual As show n in th e diagram ab ove, th e AirSt ation Pr o has four LED indica tors, ea ch indicato r relayin g importa nt inform ation to t he user. This i nforma tion is des cribed in the following table: Diagnostic Indicator Each flash of the Diagnostic indicator conveys a particular erro r message.
Product Overview 24 WLA-AWCG User Manual AirStation Pro ports On the side p anel of the A irStation Pro a re a number of ports see “LED Indicators” on page 22 .
25 Prod uct Overview WLA-AWCG User Manual The above exam ple illustr ates the use of Ai rStatio n Pro’s to connec t between buildings. By directing the external adapters in each building toward each other, you can strength en the signal range between bui ldings.
Product Overview 26 WLA-AWCG User Manual The above right-h and diagram i llustrates how the AirStation P ro enables y ou to roam wi th a lapt op, whilst rem aining connect ed to the netwo rk.
27 Prod uct Overview WLA-AWCG User Manual.
4 AirStation Pro Installation.
29 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual 4.1 About this chapter This chapter describes all the necessary proce dures that you must perfo rm to connect your PC or lapto p to the AirStati on Pro. There are five steps th at you must follow bef ore you c an successfully communic ate throug h the A irStation Pr o.
AirStation Pro Installation 30 WLA-AWCG User Manual The System Pro perties - Dev ice Manager dialog box is displayed. Figure 22: System Properties - Device Manager dialog box 5 Unde r the Network adapters opti on, check that the MELCO WLI-PCM-L11 Wireless LAN adapter is listed .
31 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual Windows 2000 1 On the Star t menu, select S etup, Network and Dial-up connection . 2 Select the Local Area Connect ion icon. 3 Click Proper ties . 4 Ensur e that the ne twork ad apter name is display ed.
AirStation Pro Installation 32 WLA-AWCG User Manual Note: Run ni n g wini pcfg a llows you to check the IP address of all network adapters. Windows NT & Windows 2000 1 On th e Star t menu, select Pro grams , Command Prompt . For W indow s 2000, s elect Progr ams, Accessories, Command Prompt .
33 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual 4.2.3 Installing the AirS tati on Manager Software For security reasons the A irStation Manager software wi ll only normally be installed on the config uration PC. This means that only an admi nistrator has access to config ure the AirS tation Mana ger setti ngs.
AirStation Pro Installation 34 WLA-AWCG User Manual 5 Select Install th e AirSt ation Manager option . 6 Leave all ot her options dese lected. Click Next . An installation welc ome message is displa yed. 7 Click Next . The Setup dialog box is displayed.
35 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual An installation confirmation m essage is displayed. Figur e 30: Installati on conf irmati on messa ge 11 Click OK . Note: T o uninstall the A irStation Mana ger , on the Start menu se lect Pr ogr ams, MELCO Ai rStation , Uninst all Air Station Mana ger .
AirStation Pro Installation 36 WLA-AWCG User Manual Note: If you are connecting to a Wired LAN PC, the process of connecti ng to the AirStat ion P ro will differ slightly to the process o f connecting to a Wireless LAN PC. T o connect to a Wired LAN PC, simply click the icon and proceed to step 7 .
37 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual Note: If you want to enter the ESS-ID dir ectl y, select the ESS-ID check-box, and inpu t t he ESS-ID directly .
AirStation Pro Installation 38 WLA-AWCG User Manual Any AirStati on P ro’ s f ound on the netw ork are displayed i n the AirStation Manager screen. Figure 34: AirStation Pr o’s foun d 8 Highlig ht the AirS tation Pro for which you wan t to configu re the settings.
39 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual 10 Enter an IP Address in the IP Address field. Enter th e subne t mask in the Subnet Mask field. Note: If you do not know an IP address and a subnet m ask that correspo nds with the IP range of your network you should co nsult your network adminis trato r .
AirStation Pro Installation 40 WLA-AWCG User Manual The Enter networ k password dialog box is displayed. Figure 37: Network password dialog box 2 Enter root in the Username fi eld. 3 Leave the P assword field blank. This is t he defa ult pa ssword 4 Click OK .
41 AirStati on Pro I nstallation WLA-AWCG User Manual 5 Click Set . A confirmati on screen i s displayed, confirming your sett ings. Figur e 39: St andard settings confirmation screen 4.
5 Configuring AirStation Settings.
43 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual 5.1 About this chapter This chapt er describes how to config ure the se ttings of th e AirSt ation, usin g the browser based settings screen as part of the AirS tation Manager software.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 44 WLA-AWCG User Manual The Web browser launches a utomatically, and the Setti ngs screen is displayed. Figure 41: Settings screen 5.2.2 Registering multiple AirStat ion Pro MAC addresses Access point communi cation enables comput ers to communi cate wirelessly with one another.
45 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual The Basic Settings screen is displayed. Figur e 42: Ba sic Settings screen 5 Click AP Communication on the Advanced Settings m enu in the left pa nel. The Acces s P oint Communi cation screen is displayed.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 46 WLA-AWCG User Manual Note: Y ou must enter the wireless MAC address of your AirStation P ro ( see page 22 t o locate the wireless MAC address ), on the re mote Air Station P ro. The diagra m below illust rates a local t o remote co nnection.
47 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual The settings for the roa ming functio n must be made from a PC that is on a Wired LAN. To configur e the roam ing func tion, you must a djust the s ettings on the AirS tation Pro, using t he AirSta tion Manager and t he Client Manager.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 48 WLA-AWCG User Manual 5.2.4 Setting up AirP ort configur ation The AirPort function ena bles the sharing of files betwe en a Macintosh computer and a Windows c omputer. In order to enable thi s file sharing yo u must have the DAVE software and the AirPort software installed on the Macint osh computer.
49 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual 5.2.5 Setting up WEP securit y The AirStation Pro WEP (Wireless En cryption Privacy) security feature prevents external decryption o f wireless packets; the p ackets are encoded prior to communicat ion.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 50 WLA-AWCG User Manual 5.2.6 Restricting Wireless LAN PC’ s This functi on allows you to restr ict the number of Wireless LAN PC’s that c an be connected to th e network. Once this fun ction is en abled, only Wi reless LAN PC’s that have been registered can connect to the network.
51 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual 6 When the add ed MAC address is displayed, press Return . The MAC address you registered should now be displayed in the Authorised Wireless LAN PC s list. Note: Y ou can register up to 255 MAC addresses.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 52 WLA-AWCG User Manual Note: P asswo rds can be of any combi nation of alphanum eric char acters up to a maximum of 8. P asswords are case-sensitive. If you forget yo ur password, restore the AirStation P ro factory settings.
53 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual 5.2.8 Configuring channe l settings If numerous AirSt ation Pro’s ar e being used to co mmunicate wit h a Wireless LAN PC on the same floo r, the baud rate ma y be reduced, this is bec ause the AirSta tion Pro’s are using the sa me frequency which can crea te bandwidth congest ion.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 54 WLA-AWCG User Manual The Routing Setup screen is displayed. Figure 48: Routing Setup screen 3 Set the IP a ddress of the default ga teway IP i n the Default Ga teway address field. If there is no default g ateway , leave the Def ault Ga teway address fi eld blank and click Set .
55 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual 5.2.10 Setting up the P acket Filt er The Packet Filte r feature can be used to prohibit tr ansmissio n and reception of data which may cau se abnormal oper ation.
Configurin g AirStation Settings 56 WLA-AWCG User Manual Note: R ules can also be del eted by selecting the rule you want to delete and clicking Delete th e checked rules . 5.2.11 Di agnost ics The diagnosti cs function displays a ll AirStation Pr o informati on and settings.
57 Configuring AirSta tion Sett ings WLA-AWCG User Manual The follow ing information about th e AirStation Pro is displayed: Field Descriptio n Model Name Displays the AirS tation Pro mo del nam e. AirStation Pro name Dis play s th e AirS ta tion Pro nam e.
6 Tr o u b l e s h o o t i n g.
59 Tr oublesh ooting WLA-AWCG User Manual 6.1 About this chapter This chapter can be used as a refere nce for troubleshooti ng and tips. If you should encounter any difficu lties during the instal lation o r configura tion of the AirStat ion Pro or any of its peripherals, follow these troubleshooting tips.
Troublesh ooting 60 WLA-AWCG User Manual Cause 2: Connectio ns to the LAN ha ve not been attached correctly. Soluti ons: If the AirStatio n Pro is c onnected to a LAN cable, you must ensure that: The cable connectio n to both the compute r and the hub is secure.
61 Tr oublesh ooting WLA-AWCG User Manual The ESS-ID is displayed. Figur e 51: E SS-ID Checking the ESS-ID for Windows 2000 To check the ESS-ID on your networ k adapter: 1 Right-click My Network Places , select Propert ies . 2 Select Loc al Area Netw ork , right-click Pr opert ies.
Troublesh ooting 62 WLA-AWCG User Manual Cause 4: The protoco ls are not installed o r config ured cor rectly. Soluti ons: To check your TCP/IP protocol s, refer to th e A ppendix chapter, “Checking t hat the protocols are added” on page 72. Incorrect pr otocol con figuratio n will af fect the per formance o f the AirSt ation Pro.
63 Tr oublesh ooting WLA-AWCG User Manual Solutions: To correct this: 1 Ensure that the network adapter i s installed in the computer . For ins tructio ns on how to do this, refer t o the A irStation Pro Install ation chapter , “Network adap ter install ation” on page 29 .
Troublesh ooting 64 WLA-AWCG User Manual Network ada pter is displayed with “!”. Figure 52: Network adapter displayed with “!” If this symbol is displaye d beside the network adapter, you must.
65 Tr oublesh ooting WLA-AWCG User Manual 6.2.3 N etwork adapter fails at driver installation. Cause 1: Drivers are not installed corre ctly. Solutions: To correct thi s error, re-install th e drivers for the network adapter. Refer to yo ur Windows documenta tion for info rmation on how to do this.
Troublesh ooting 66 WLA-AWCG User Manual 6.2.5 Settings Screen is not displayed If the Se ttings screen is not displaying, it cou ld be because the drivers have not been installed correctly. To correct this, you sho uld remove the adapter and its drivers.
67 Tr oublesh ooting WLA-AWCG User Manual Cause 3: The ESS-ID is incorrect. Solutions: To correct thi s, ensure that the ESS-ID on both systems match. The correct network mode must also be matched with the AirStat ion Pro. See “Checkin g the ESS-I D for Wind ows 95 /98/ME ” on pag e 60 for mo re infor mation .
Troublesh ooting 68 WLA-AWCG User Manual Cause 7: The network setti ng is incorrect. Soluti ons: Ensure that the P rotocol, Wo rkgroup Name and Sh are settings are correct. T o check the pro tocols, refer to the AirStation Pro Instal lation cha pter, “Checking t he TCP/IP set tings” on page 31 .
69 Tr oublesh ooting WLA-AWCG User Manual.
Appendix.
71 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual A.1 About thi s appendix This appendix describes some general tasks tha t you m ay need to com plete when installi ng the Ai rStatio n Pro. A.2 Checking the version of Windows To determ ine which v ersion o f Windows is instal led on your m achine, fo llow th ese steps: 1 Minimise or close all windows.
Appendix 72 WLA-AWCG User Manual A.3 Restoring Ai rStation Pro factory settings You might need t o restore the fac tory settings i f you are having co nnection problems. To do this: 1 T urn the power on. 2 Find the reset sw itch, which is lo cated on the back pa nel of the AirSta tion Pro .
73 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual The Network - C onfigur ation dialog box is displayed. Figur e 54: N etwork - Configurati on dialog box All the pro tocols insta lled on you r PC are displayed in this dialog box. If the protocol that you requi re is not displa yed, you must add it.
Appendix 74 WLA-AWCG User Manual 3 Select the Protocol tab. Figure 55: Network - Protocol di alog box If the protocol t hat you require is not displ ayed, you must add it. For instructi ons on how to do this, see “Adding p rotocol s” on p age 75 .
75 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual A.4. 2 Addi ng pr otocol s If you need to add protocols, follow the steps appro priate to the Windows version that you are u sing: Windows 95/98/ME 1 Open the Network - Configu ration dialog box as shown in “Check ing that the protocols a re added” on page 7 2 .
Appendix 76 WLA-AWCG User Manual 5 Select TCP/IP from th e Network Protocols panel. 6 Click OK . The TCP/IP protoco l is added. Y ou wi ll be prompte d to restart your co mputer at this point. Click No because you still have to specify an IP address. For instru ctions on how to do this, see “Specifying the IP address” on page 77.
77 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual Windows 2000 1 Open the Local Area C onnec tion P ropertie s dialog box as shown in “Checking that the protocols are added ” on pag e72. 2 Click Install . 3 Select Protocol and click Add . 4 Select Internet Pr otocol (TCP/IP) .
Appendix 78 WLA-AWCG User Manual Windows 95/98 1 Open the Network - Conf igur ation dialog box as shown in “Che cking t hat the protocol s are added” on page 72. Figure 59: Ne twork - Configu ratio n dialo g box 2 Select the TCP/IP protoc ol and c lick the Prop erties button.
79 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual 4 Select the Specify an IP address option . Note: If there is a DHCP server on the network, select Obtai n an IP address automatical ly . 5 Enter an IP address in the IP Address fie ld. Enter 255.255.2 55.0 in the Subnet Mask field.
Appendix 80 WLA-AWCG User Manual Windows NT 1 Open the Network - Protocol dialog box as shown in “Checking that the pro- tocols are added” on page 72. Figure 62: Network - Protocols dial og box 2 Select the TCP/IP protoc ol and c lick Propertie s .
81 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual The TCP/IP Propertie s - IP Address dialog box is displayed. Figur e 63: TC P/IP Properties - IP Address dialog box 4 Select the Specify an IP address option .
Appendix 82 WLA-AWCG User Manual A.5 Checking W eb browser settings The method that you use to check the sett ings differs, dependi ng on the Web browser installed on your PC. Follow the steps appropriate to the Web browser th at you are using: A.5.1 U sing Inte rnet Explor er 5.
83 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual The Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box is displa yed. Figur e 65: Lo cal Area Network (LAN) Setti ngs dialog box 5 Ensure Bypass proxy server for local addresses option is sel ected. Note: Ensu re Use a proxy server option is selected if you wish to have access to the Internet.
Appendix 84 WLA-AWCG User Manual 7 In the Exceptions field, enter the IP address of the A irStation P ro, whi ch you want the proxy server to bypass. 8 Click OK . The W eb browser settings have been configured. A.5.2 U sing Inte rnet Explor er 4.0 1 Open Int ernet Explor er .
85 Appe ndix WLA-AWCG User Manual The Prefe rence s dialog box is displayed. Figur e 67: Pref erences dialog box 3 Select the Manual Proxy configur ation op tion.
GLOSSAR Y Access P oint An access point serves as a bridge between an existing wired network and wirele ss devices. The AirSta tion Pro is a type o f access point. CD-ROM (Compac t Disc Read-Only Memory) An optical disc that is physically the sa me as an audio CD, but c ontains computer data.
ESS-ID (E xtended Ser vice Set ID) An ID used to reg ulate communi cation between wir eless LAN PC’s and an AirStat ion Pro.This ID allows you to access the networ k and connect to an access point. The ESS-ID f orms part of the AirStation Pro address a nd part of the PC/laptop address, act ing as a special identi fier.
The pro tocol withi n TCP/IP that gove rns the break-up o f data messages into packets from sender to destina tion network and sender to distribution network and station, and the re-a ssembly of the packets into o riginal data messages at the de stinati on.
stay connect ed without being tied down t o wired installati ons. The roaming functi on au tomati cally c hanges a ccess p oints . Str aight-thr ough cabl e Bulk cable and connect ors used to ensure data transmission. TCP/IP (T ransmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol) TCP/IP is basica lly a communication s protocol.
Wireless channel When connecti ng between Wireless LAN computers, the sam e Wireless channel must be used i n all the Wirel ess LAN computers involv ed. If you change the Wireless cha nnel, it may cause radio interference with o ther Wireless devices.
INDEX A aerial a dapter attaching 12 AirPor t setting up conf iguratio n 48 AirStatio n Pro main feat ures 21 restorin g factor y settings 72 C channel settings configuri ng 53 Checking the TCP/IP set.
hardware 7 software 8 roaming between the A irStation Pr o and other 47 config uring a wireless clien t 47 setting up 46 routing setting up 53 S safety inform ation 5 search AirStat ion on N etwork 37.
FCC Statement This equipment has be en tested and found to comply with the limit s for a class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rule s. These limits a re designed to provide reaso nable protection against harmf ul interference when t he equipment is operated in a commerc ial environment.
An important point after buying a device Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Buffalo Technology WLA-AWCG along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
