48CHAPTER 5: GATEWAY CONFIGURATION
Choose the Clear Channel Select option to automatically choose the clearest channel. The Gateway will check for the clearest channel whenever it is rebooted, powered up, and when the Clear Channel Select option is first applied.
Valid channels are country dependent. See “Channels” on page 121 for a list of channels approved by each country.
Service Area Name/SSID
This allows you to name your Wireless network. The field will accept any alphanumeric string and has a maximum length of 32 characters. Your Wireless computers must be configured with exactly the same name or you will not establish a connection. The Service Area Name may also be referred to as “ESSID” depending on your networking vendor. By default the Gateway uses the name “3Com”. 3Com recommends that you change the default name.
In order that your wireless computers can connect to the Gateway, you must:
■Use Infrastructure Mode not Adhoc Mode.
■Have the same Service Area Name as the Gateway.
■Have the same Channel number as the Gateway.
■Use the same encryption type and keys as the Gateway.
■Ensure that the PC is included in the authorized Wireless PCs list if Connection Control is enabled. See page 53.
Enable Broadcast SSID
This feature can be used to improve the security of your wireless network. When the tickbox is checked, the Gateway will broadcast the Service Area Name/SSID of your wireless network. This will allow unauthorized clients from detecting your SSID and attempting to connect to your network.
If you have a wireless client that can detect all the available SSIDs in your area, your client will not list the Gateway SSID unless this feature is enabled. The clients will still be able to connect, provided that they are supplied with the SSID.
