Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
AirEZY-2411-BT is an 802.11b compliant, or WiFi, radio with a 10-BaseT interface.
Two features separate AirEZY-2411-BT from many other 802.11b-compliant radios. Firstly, this 802.11b-compliant (WiFi) radio can be configured as either a Station (ACR-201) or an AP (ASR-102).Secondly, when configured as a Station, the 10-BaseT interface affords it a true plug-and-play feature that is unavailable from any other 802.11b Station radios are based on either a PCMCIA or a USB interface and require the installation of a driver on the host computer. This driver-less feature also means that the operation of the radio is OS (operating system) independent.
When configured as a Station, i.e. ACR-201, the driver-less feature enables wireless connectivity for any computing devices/systems installed with any OS (operating system), as long as an Ethernet communication port is available. Ethernet-equipped workstations in a corporate environment, for example, benefit greatly from this driver-less feature—the IT workforce has one less driver to worry when upgrading an OS or when salvaging an OS crash. Special computing/networking devices, such as printer servers, POS (point of sales) machines may not even have an easy way of installing a driver for a radio.
When configured as an AP, i.e., ASR-102, AirEZY-2411-BT, offers a no-frill, seamless way of fitting a wireless network into an existing wired LAN infrastructure. It does not even require the assignment of an extra IP address. Existing wired-network resources such as DHCP, VPN, firewall, etc., reach across the ASR-102 to the client workstations with total transparency. Unlike many other 802.11b APs on the market, which offer network functions that are duplicative to the existing network, this AP simply wirelessly collects a group of workstations or other kinds of computing devices into the existing network—just like a hub.
AirEZY-2411-BT has a compact form-factor that blends easily into a home/office environment. It also lends particularly well to portable applications. The specifications are given on the next page.
AUtility program is needed to pre-configure AirEZY-2411-BT prior to putting the radio in operation. And the Utility program can be used to monitor the communication condition once the radio is in operation. Once configured, the radio runs self-sufficiently without the aid of any driver program in the host computer connected to the radio. This Utility program therefore is intended to be, in most cases, just a tool for the network operators. An end user simply plugs the pre-configured radio into a host computer or a network device equipped with a RJ-45 receptacle without ever being expose to this Utility program. The Utility program is simple to install and easy to use through its graphic user interface. The details are described in Chapter 3.
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