Honeywell S7350B Owner's Manual - Page 29

S7350B WebPAD™ APPENDIX A: THE S7350B WIRELESS LINK Introduction The S7350B WebPAD is equipped with an IEEE 802.11b compliant wireless module for communicating with a companion access point or base station, which then facilitates access to the Internet via broadband or dialup interfaces. The wireless link between the S7350B and the base station is established over the unlicensed 2.4 GHz radio frequency band using the direct sequencing spread spectrum (DSSS) protocol. IEEE 802.11b wireless technology is capable of supporting up to 11 Mbps* in raw data rate. The base station must also be 802.11b wireless LAN protocol-compliant for communicating with the WebPAD. The base station can be in one of the following forms: - 802.11b Wireless broadband and/or dialup router that integrates the 802.11b access point and non-wireless router functions. (The Honeywell W7351B 802.11b router provides this integrated solution.) Technical Note: The Wireless Router is configured for acquisition of an IP address from a DHCP server located at the ISP. The WebPAD is configured for acquisition of an IP address from a DHCP server located in the Wireless Router. - 802.11b Access Point (or Bridge) connected to a broadband (cable, DSL) modem Technical Note: The Access Point or Bridge works in transparent mode. The WebPAD is configured for acquisition of IP address via a DHCP server located in the ISP or elsewhere in the network. - 802.11b Access Point (or Bridge) in turn connected to a non-wireless broadband and/or V.90 dialup router. Technical Note: The Access Point or Bridge works in transparent mode. The Router is configured for acquisition of IP address via a DHCP server located in the ISP or elsewhere in the network. The WebPAD is configured for acquisition of an IP address from a DHCP server located in the router. IMPORTANT: Your S7350B WebPAD does not contain specialized or dedicated functions to configure either an 802.11b Router or an Access Point (or Bridge). It is highly recommended that your basestation (802.11b Router or Access Point (or Bridge)) be able to be configured from a Web browser. This allows you to set the addressing modes, ESSID and Encryption mode by either your in-home PC or your WebPAD. *The data rate ranges from 1 Mbps to 11 Mbps, depending on the distance between the base station and the WebPAD. See the table below for a typical matrix correlating range versus data rate. Environmental Condition 11 Mbps Semi-Open Environment: An 50 m (165 ft) environment with no major obstructions such as walls or privacy cubicles between Access Point and users. Closed Environment: A typical 24 m (80 ft) office or home environment with floor to ceiling obstructions between Access Point and users. Speed and Distance Ranges 5.5 Mbps 2 Mbps 70 m (230 ft) 91 m (300 ft) 35 m (115 ft) 40 m (130 ft) 1 Mbps 100 m (330 ft) 50 m (165 ft) NOTE: Many variables such as barrier composition and construction and local environmental interference may impact actual distances and affect the distance threshold experience. Assigning IP addresses facilitates the communication between the base station and the network and the WebPAD to the base station. Two other features play a key role in establishing the wireless connectivity between the WebPAD and the base station: ESSID and WEP. ESSID The ESSID is a unique ID given to the 802.11b Access Point. Wireless clients associated with any access point must have the same ESSID. This allows your wireless adapter to associate to a corresponding access point in the vicinity of your wireless adapters. When moving your computer to another location within the network environment, and it is out of range of the current access point, the roaming functionality (if supported by the access points) automatically connects your computer to the nearest access point. 27 69-1514-1