Installation
Introduction
Your Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Access Point, when used with Intel
PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Adapters or other 802.11a-compliant
wireless LAN adapters, offers an easy and economical way to add secure wireless
connectivity to a wired local area network (LAN) within a building or office.
For detailed hardware installation requirements and diagrams, see the printed
Quick Installation Guide supplied with the access point. This guide is also
available in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.
If you already have the Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your system, you
can view a pdf version of the Quick Installation
Guide from the Intel CD. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed
and wish to install it now to view the guide, click
here.
Installation Options and Requirements
Review the following options and requirements for installation and
configuration of the access point for connection over a wired LAN:
- (Recommended) For configuration of the access point, you will need
a wired client workstation connected to the access
point directly (recommended) or over the wired LAN to which the access point
is connected. Note: Initial setup and configuration must be done over
a wired connection, but subsequent changes to the configuration can be done
over a wireless connection.
- (Optional) DHCP server support for
automatic assignment of an IP address to the access point over the wired
network. You can configure the access point to use DHCP to get its IP
address. See Using DHCP.
Connect and Power Up the Access Point
Connect the Access Point to the Wired Network
- Plug an RJ-45 Category 5 Ethernet cable into the RJ-45 connector on the
bottom of the access point and into a 10/100 Ethernet wall connector or hub.
Connect the Access Point to a Source of AC Power
- Plug the power adapter into a wall outlet.
- Plug the power adapter cable into the power socket on the bottom of the
access point.
LED Indicators
Once the access point is connected to a wired network and is powered on,
check the LED indicators to verify that the unit is functioning correctly. If
the access point fails to initialize, restart it by disconnecting and
reconnecting the power.
The
Intel® PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Access Point can be mounted "right side
up" on a desk or table or "upside down" on a wall or ceiling. The
LED discussion that follows is based on a wall- or ceiling-mounted configuration
in which the access point is "upside down." In this configuration the
"Ready" LED will be the top LED and "Wired link" will be the
bottom LED.
- The "Ready" LED should be lit.
- If the access point is connected to a LAN through an Ethernet cable, the
"Wired link" LED should be lit (green for 10 Mbps, orange for 100
Mbps) and the "Wired network activity" LED should be blinking.
- If the access point is communicating with a wireless adapter, the
"Wireless radio activity" LED should be flashing steadily. The
Wireless radio activity LED blinks faster when the access point is sending
or receiving information from a wireless adapter.
- Note that there are two sets of LEDs for "Wireless radio
activity" and "Wireless radio association." The description
indicates which models use which set or sets.
Viewed on a wall- or ceiling-mounted access point, the LED indicators have
the following locations and functions.
Ready |
Green. This indicator will stay illuminated after the access
point has completed the initialization sequence. The Ready light flashes
quickly 3 times during a reset to factory default
settings. |
Wireless radio activity (802.11a) |
Yellow flashes steadily if no adapter associated, and more
rapidly when transferring data. Applies to models WSAP5000 and WDAP5000. |
Wireless radio association (802.11a) |
Green will be ON if a client is associated to the access
point and OFF if not. Applies to models WSAP5000 and WDAP5000. |
Wireless radio activity (802.11b) |
Yellow flashes steadily if no adapter associated, and more
rapidly when transferring data. Applies to models WSAP2000 and WDAP5000. |
Wireless radio association (802.11b) |
Green will be ON if a client is associated to the access
point and OFF if not. Applies to models WSAP2000 and WDAP5000. |
Wired network activity |
Yellow blinking shows activity. |
Wired link |
Green for 10 Mbps wired network speed and orange for 100
Mbps. |
Configuring the Access Point for the First Time
- Set up a portable or desktop computer as a configuration workstation from
which to view the access point browser-based Configuration Management System
and configure the access point:
- Connect the configuration workstation to the access point over a wired
LAN, either directly (using a crossover RJ-45 cable) or through a hub or
switch (using a standard RJ-45 cable). (Modifications to the configuration
can be done from a wireless workstation once the access point has been set
up and configured on the network.)
- The configuration workstation must be running Microsoft Windows XP, 2000,
Me, or 98, and must have one of the following web
browsers installed for access to the access point Configuration Management
System: Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.5 or later or Netscape
Navigator version 4.78 or later
- In order to view the browser-based Configuration Management System and
modify access point default settings, the configuration workstation must be
configured initially with an IP address compatible with the default IP
address and subnet of the access point. For example, based on the
access point default IP address 192.0.2.1 and default subnet 255.255.0.0,
the client workstation could be set to 192.0.2.2, 192.0.2.3, or a similar
address not in use by another device.
- Once the workstation has been configured as just described, type the
default access point IP address as a URL in the browser address field: http://192.0.2.1.
- To access the Express Setup pages, type a user name and a password. The default for both user name and password is
Intel (upper case I, lower case ntel)
- Use Express Setup to configure the access point with
a new IP address, subnet, and other settings suitable for the network
to which it will be permanently connected.
- Click Apply first, then click Restart AP. After the access has restarted,
connect it to the required network.
To ensure
that your settings are saved, always click the Apply button after making changes
to settings, then click OK to exit the page. If you click OK without clicking
Apply, the new settings will not be saved.
- Once the access point has been configured and connected on the network,
the configuration interface can be viewed from any workstation on the same
network segment or subnet. Open a browser and type the actual IP address of
the access point as a URL in the address field.
View the Access Point Browser Interface
- Make sure that the IP address of the computer you are using to configure
the access point is on the same subnet or has access via a gateway to the
subnet the access point is attached to (see instructions above for setting
up a configuration workstation). Also make sure your proxy settings are
correct. If you are not sure, contact your network administrator.
- Launch one of the following Internet browsers: Netscape Navigator* 4.78 or
later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer* 5.5 or later.
- In the browser’s address field, enter http://x.x.x.x, where x.x.x.x is
the access point’s IP address. The access point Configuration Management
System main page will display.
- Access the various screens using the tree located on the left.
To view
configuration, function or option changes on the browser pages, turn off the
browser's caching function.
- For Netscape, from the menu bar select Edit, Properties, Advanced, Cache,
the select Document in cache is compared to document on network: Every time.
- For Internet Explorer, from the menu bar select View, Internet Options,
Temporary Internet files, Settings, then select Check for newer
versions of stored pages: Every visit to the page.
If this property or option is not turned off, the browser returns the
previous view of the page without the changes.
Settings for First Time Configuration (Express Setup)
For complete coverage of access point settings see the Access Point Help File.
Setting |
Description |
Default IP Address |
The default IP address is 192.0.2.1. An IP address is not dynamically
assigned to the access point under its default configuration. Use the
default address initially, then change it to a valid address for the
network to which the access point will be connected. For dynamic address
assignment, see Using DHCP. |
System Name |
User-defined name for the access point. Any combination of letters and
numbers from 1 to 32 characters. Default is the model number of the
access point. |
Default Subnet Mask |
The default Subnet Mask is 255.255.0.0 if DHCP usage is Disabled or DHCP
service is not available. Change this address to a valid address for the
network to which the access point will be connected. |
Default Gateway |
There is no default gateway initially configured. Use a valid gateway
address for the network to which the access point will be connected. If no
valid gateway is defined on your network, use the default gateway 0.0.0.0.
For gateway assignment via DHCP, see Using DHCP. |
DHCP |
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) dynamically assigns IP
addresses on a network with a DHCP server. Default setting for the
PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Access Point is Disabled. If you wish to
change this setting to Enabled and install the access point on a network
using DHCP support, see Using DHCP. |
Help URL |
Location of the Help files accessible by clicking the Help button on a
screen in the access point Configuration Management System. See Access Point Help File Installation. |
SSID 11A |
Service Set Identifier (also called Network Name, Network ID, ESSID)
identifies the network to which the access point is connected. All access
points and client workstations on the same wireless LAN must have the same
SSID, which can be any combination of letters and numbers up to 32
characters. Default for Intel PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN devices is "101."
The default SSID is intended only for preliminary setups and connections;
it should usually be changed to a descriptive name for the wireless LAN
network in question. |
Using DHCP
The Intel PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Access Point can be configured to use DHCP to
get its IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway:
- Access the Express Setup page in the
browser-based Configuration Management System as described in Steps 1-6
under Configuring the Access Point for the First Time.
- Change the DHCP setting from Disabled to
Enabled on the Express Setup page (or the Configuration page). Save the new
settings by clicking Apply, then click Restart AP. After the restart,
connect the access point to the network to which it will be permanently
connected.
- The next time the access point is restarted
after DHCP has been enabled, it will attempt to get its IP address, subnet
mask, and default gateway from the DHCP server. If no server is available,
the access point will use its Default IP Address and Default Subnet Mask
settings.
- When the access point used DHCP to obtain its
IP address, you will have to determine the IP address before you can access
the configuration pages. There are several strategies you can use for this,
based on the MAC address assigned to the access point:
- Before connecting the "DHCP
Enabled" access point to a DHCP network, ask your network
administrator to reserve an IP address based on the MAC address for the
access point in the DHCP "lease table." This will allow the DHCP
server to recognize the access point when it is connected to the network
and assign it a known IP address based on the MAC address.
- You can also connect a "DHCP
Enabled" access point to a DHCP network immediately, without
reserving the MAC address before connection. In this case an address will
be assigned automatically, but you will have to request the address from
your network administrator who will obtain it from the DHCP "lease
table."
- You can also use the Intel Access Point
Administration Tool AP Discovery to find the access point and display its
IP address. See the Administrator's
Guide for information.
The MAC Address
The Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) address of an Ethernet or
wireless LAN device is a hardware address unique to that device and permanently
set when the device was manufactured. A MAC address is a 48-bit number written
as six hexadecimal bytes separated by colons. For example:
00:A0:F8:24:9A:C8
The MAC address of the access point can be seen on the Configuration page, on
the Ethernet Network Interface page, and on the label on the bottom of the
access point.
Access Point Default Settings
System name |
WDAP5000 |
IP address |
192.0.2.1 |
Subnet mask |
255.255.0.0 |
Default gateway |
None |
User |
Intel (case sensitive) |
Password |
Intel (case sensitive) |
SSID 11A |
101 |
WEP 11A |
Disabled |
Restore Factory Defaults
The access point has a Reset button that can be used to perform a hardware
reset or to restore the access point's factory default settings.
The Reset button is located in a pinhole on the bottom of the access point.
Insert the end of an unbent paper clip into the hole and apply pressure as
follows:
- Press and release the Reset button quickly to perform a hardware reset of
the access point.
- Press and hold the Reset button until the "Ready" LED flashes
quickly 3 times. This will restore all access point parameters to factory
default settings, including the default user name, password, and IP address.
For detailed information on access point configuration parameters, see the Access Point Help File.
Select a Location for Installation of the Access Point
PRO/Wireless 5000 LAN Access Points should be positioned for maximum
throughput and range between access points and wireless client stations. Range
and performance are dictated by the distance between the access point and client
radios, and by obstacles that may be present in a specific building or office
environment. The following positioning guidelines are suggested:
- If you're installing two or more access points to make up a single
wireless Ethernet network, all access points must be connected to the same
wired Ethernet subnet and must use the same network ID (SSID). If WEP
security is used, all access points and clients must use the same WEP key.
- Make a chart documenting all the access points and client adapters you
wish to include in your wireless network. Record the MAC address of each,
and fill out the chart with the IP addresses of each (when set), as well as
the network ID (SSID), subnet mask, gateway, and WEP key, if used.
- Use the Site Survey utility supplied on the Intel CD-ROM to analyze
positioning and test signal strength at various locations. Modify the
positioning of the access points and client stations as required for optimum
performance. See the Administrator's
Guide for information on this utility.
- Wired LAN (RJ-45) and power connections must be available for the access
point at the desired location
- If building blueprints or floor plans are available, use them to define
potential client workstation locations and likely roaming areas
- Identify possible obstacles or sources of interference that could affect
signal strength (for example, walls, metal objects)
- Define preliminary access point positioning based on the range of access
points and client adapters, which is approximately 150-300 feet (45-90
meters) between access points, depending on the environment (see
Specifications for details).
- Mount the access point in the desired location using the bracket and
mounting screws supplied. See the Quick Installation Guide for detailed
instructions.
- The location of each access point must be dry and dust free (install in
wet or dusty areas only with additional protection) and maintain a
temperature range between 0° C and 55° C.
- Place the access point in a location clear of debris and away from office
traffic.
Copyright © 2002 Intel Corporation. Legal Information