NETGEAR Preparing to Install the ME101, System Requirements, Placement and Range Guidelines

System Requirements

Before installing the ME101 802.11b Wireless Ethernet Bridge, please make sure that these minimum requirements have been met:

•You must have a wireless network set up with either a wireless router or access point.

If the default settings on the bridge do not work, you will need to configure the bridge. To configure the bridge with the configuration utility, you must have a personal computer with:

•Windows® 98 or 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP.

•A CD-ROM drive.

•2 Megabytes of free hard disk space.

If you don’t have a Windows-based computer or a CD-ROM drive, you may use a browser to configure the bridge.

1 Preparing to Install the ME101

Placement and Range Guidelines

Computers and other Ethernet-enabled devices can connect over 802.11b wireless networks indoors at a maximum range of approximately 500 feet. However, the operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the physical location of the ME101 802.11b Wireless Ethernet Bridge. For best results, avoid potential sources of interference, such as:

•Large metal surfaces

•Microwaves

•2.4 GHz cordless phones

In general, 802.11b wireless devices can communicate through walls. However, if the walls are constructed with concrete or have metal (or metal mesh), the effective range will decrease if such materials are between the wireless devices.

Operating Mode

The ME101 Wireless Ethernet Bridge operates only in infrastructure mode. In this mode devices and computers communicate with each other by first going through a wireless router or access point. For example, infrastructure mode is used when you have computers in a house connected to an access point that is attached to a router. The router lets multiple computers share a single cable or DSL broadband Internet connection.

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