802.1x Configuration

Instant Wireless® Series

2.4GHz, 802.11b

Beacon Interval The Beacon Interval value indicates the frequency interval of the beacon. Enter a value between 20 and 1000. A beacon is a packet broadcast by the Router to synchronize the wireless network. The default value is 100.

RTS Threshold Should you encounter inconsistent data flow, only minor reduction of the default value, 2346, is recommended. If a network packet is smaller than the preset RTS threshold size, the RTS/CTS mechanism will not be enabled. The Router sends Request to Send (RTS) frames to a particular receiving station and negotiates the sending of a data frame. After receiving an RTS, the wireless station responds with a Clear to Send (CTS) frame to acknowledge the right to begin transmission. The RTS Threshold value should remain at its default value of 2346.

Fragmentation Threshold This value specifies the maximum size for a pack- et before data is fragmented into multiple packets. If you experience a high packet error rate, you may slightly increase the Fragmentation Threshold. Setting the Fragmentation Threshold too low may result in poor network per- formance. Only minor reduction of this value is recommended. In most cases, it should remain at its default value of 2346.

Preamble Type The preamble defines the length of the CRC block for com- munication between the Router and a roaming wireless network adapter. Select the appropriate preamble type for your wireless network. (High network traffic areas should use the shorter preamble type.) The default is Long Preamble.

Transmission Rate The rate of data transmission should be set depending on the speed of your wireless network. You can select from a range of transmission speeds (1, 2, 5.5, or 11Mbps), or you can select Best to have the Router auto- matically use the fastest possible data rate and enable the Auto-Fallback fea- ture. Auto-Fallback will negotiate the best possible connection speed between the Router and a wireless client. The default setting is Best.

To apply any of the settings you change on this page, click the Apply button. To cancel any changes you’ve entered on this page, click the Cancel button. To get more information about the features, click the Help button.

802.1x Configuration Click the 802.1x Configuration button to customize the Router’s 802.1x feature (see Figure 6-20).

Dual-Band Wireless A+B Broadband Router

Note: If your wireless network does not have a RADIUS server, the 802.1x feature is not applicable to your network. (802.1x is an advanced data security measure and not essential for router operation.)

802.1x Configuration

The 802.1x Configuration screen allows you to alter the 802.1x settings for your wireless network(s). Based on the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), the 802.1x standard specifies an authentication framework for a wireless client to access a network, so network security is enhanced.

To access a network with 802.1x enabled, wireless clients, such as PCs, must use 802.1x client software or Windows XP, which supports 802.1x.

Note: For more details about 802.1x, refer to “Appendix C: Configuring Wireless Security.”

Figure 6-20