Table Of Contents

Wireless Device Overview

Management Options

Network Configuration Examples

Root Access Point

Central Unit in an All-Wireless Network

Wireless Device Overview

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Wireless devices (commonly configured as access points) provide a secure, affordable, and easy-to-use wireless LAN solution that combines mobility and flexibility with the enterprise-class features required by networking professionals. When configured as a access point, the wireless device serves as the connection point between wireless and wired networks or as the center point of a stand-alone wireless network. In large installations, wireless users within radio range of a device can roam throughout a facility while maintaining seamless, uninterrupted access to the network.

With a management system based on Cisco IOS software, wireless devices are Wi-Fi certified, 802.11b-compliant, 802.11g-compliant, and pre-802.11n-compliant wireless LAN transceivers.

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Note The 802.11n standard has not been ratified. Therefore, references to 802.11n throughout this document refer to 802.11n Draft 2.0.

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Management Options

The wireless device runs its own version of Cisco IOS software, separate from the version of Cisco IOS software operating on the router. You can configure and monitor the access point using a variety of tools:

•The Cisco IOS software command-line interface (CLI)

•Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

•Web-browser interface, see the following URL
http://cisco.com/en/US/docs/wireless/access_point/12.4_10b_JA/configuration/guide/scg12410b-chap2-gui.html

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Note The web-browser interface is fully compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 on Windows 98, 2000, and XP platforms, and with Netscape version 7.0 on Windows 98, 2000, XP, and Solaris platforms.

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Note Avoid using both the CLI and the web-browser interfaces to configure the wireless device. If you configure the wireless device using the CLI, the web-browser interface might display an inaccurate interpretation of the configuration. However, the inaccuracy does not necessarily mean that the wireless device is misconfigured.

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.Use the interface dot11radio global configuration CLI command to place the wireless device into the radio configuration mode.

Network Configuration Examples

Set up the access point role in any of these common wireless network configurations. The access point default configuration is as a root unit connected to a wired LAN or as the central unit in an all-wireless network.

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Note Access points can also be configured as bridges and workgroup bridges, however this wireless device is not typically setup as a bridge.

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These roles require specific configurations, as defined in the following examples.

•Root Access Point

•Central Unit in an All-Wireless Network

Root Access Point

An access point connected directly to a wired LAN provides a connection point for wireless users. If more than one access point is connected to the LAN, users can roam from one area of a facility to another without losing their connections to the network. As users move out of range of one access point, they automatically connect to the network (associate) through another access point. The roaming process is seamless and transparent to the user. Figure 2-1 shows access points acting as root units on a wired LAN.

Figure 2-1 Access Points as Root Units on a Wired LAN

Central Unit in an All-Wireless Network

In an all-wireless network, an access point acts as a stand-alone root unit. The access point is not attached to a wired LAN; it functions as a hub linking all stations together. The access point serves as the focal point for communications, increasing the communication range of wireless users. Figure 2-2 shows an access point in an all-wireless network.

Figure 2-2 Access Point as Central Unit in All-Wireless Network