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In the interest of improving internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes to the products described in this document without notice. NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur due to the use or application of the product(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The ME102 802.11b wireless Access Point is the basic building block of a wireless LAN infrastructure. It provides wireless connectivity to multiple wireless network devices within a fixed range or area of coverage, interacting with a wireless network interface card (NIC) via an antenna. Typically, individual in-building access point provides a maximum connectivity range of about 300 feet.
In the infrastructure mode, the wireless access point converts airwave data into wired Ethernet data, acting as a bridge between the wired LAN and wireless clients. Connecting multiple ME102 Access Points via a wired Ethernet backbone can further extend the wireless network coverage. As a mobile computing device moves out of the range of one access point, it moves into the range of another.
SS ID. A wireless LAN consisting of nodes operating in ad hoc configuration without an access point is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). All nodes in a BSS must use the same Basic Service Set ID (BSS ID).
Wireless Channel Selection IEEE 802.11 wireless nodes communicate with each other using radio frequency signals in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band between 2.4Ghz and 2.5Ghz. Neighboring channels are 5Mhz apart. However, due to spread spectrum effect of the signals, a node sending signals using a particular channel will utilize frequency spectrum12.5Mhz above and below the center channel frequency.
Web page at: http://www.NETGEAR.com. Hardware Description The ME102 802.11b Wireless Access Point provides a bridge between Ethernet wired LANs and 802.11b compatible wireless LAN networks. It provides connectivity between Ethernet wired networks and radio-equipped wireless notebook systems, desktop systems, print servers, and other devices. The ME102 access point provides an 11Mbps data transfer rate on the radio network.
Connecting the USB Cable Plug in the power adapter for the ME102 access point to provide power to the unit. Using the provided USB cable, connect the access point to a PC. The USB interface of the ME102 Access point can be connected to the PC either powered on or shut down.
Click on “Finish” to complete the installation of the access point USB utility. Configuring Access Point From the Windows desktop, select Start ⇒ Program ⇒ NETGEAR ME102 AP ⇒ Access Point USB Manager . The opening screen opens showing the firmware version of the access point and the access point USB utility software version.
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Changing Wireless Parameters The following table explains each of the configurable parameters of the ME102 Wireless Access Point. General Specifications Access Point Name IP Address Subnet Mask MAC Address ESSID Channel Key1 Key2 Key3 Key4 Model ME102 Wireless Access Point Assign name to the access point.
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This utility must be running Windows 98 or Windows Millennium. The following steps illustrate the installation of the utility in Windows 98. Insert the ME102 Wireless Access Point Resource CD into the CD-ROM drive. From the Windows 98 desktop, double-click on My Computer . Double-click on the CD-ROM drive to look into the content of the CD.
Select an Ethernet/wireless station on the same subnet to install the access point SNMP utility. From the windows desktop of the station, select Start ⇒ Program ⇒ NETGEAR ME102 AP ⇒ Access Point SNMP Manager . You should be able to see the device that is configured with the new IP address.
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Configuring Access Point From the Windows desktop, select Start ⇒ Program ⇒ NETGEAR ME102 AP ⇒ Access Point SNMP Manager . All accessible access points from this system are shown in a table. Select the access point, and click on “Configure”. The configurable parameters are categorized into folders and are accessible by clicking on the folder tabs.
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Fragmentation Setting RTS Threshold Preamble Type The ME102 Wireless access point supports 40-bit WEP data encryption. (40-bit WEP data encryption is also called 64-bit WEP data encryption by some vendors.) This parameter enables/disables encryption and select the 40-bit WEP data encryption key to use. Up to four keys can be defined in the access point.
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Reports the various receive packet statistics on the wireless interface of the access point. Reports the various transmit packet statistics on the wireless interface of the access point. The software version number of the access point SNMP configuration utility.
Dimensions Weight Status LED Environment Specifications Warranty Model ME102 802.11 Wireless Access Point 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps (Auto Rate Sensing) 2.4Ghz to 2.5Ghz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Outdoor environment 1Mbps - 1650 ft (503 m) 2Mbps - 1320 ft (402 m) 5.5Mbps - 1155 ft (352 m)
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