Quick Steps for Setup and Launch of Your Wireless Network
Setting up and deploying one or more Devicescape Enterprise-Managed APs is in effect creating and launching a wireless network. The KickStart Wizard and corresponding Basic Settings Administration Web page simplify this process. Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up your Devicescape Enterprise-Managed APs and the resulting wireless network. Have the KickStart CD handy, and familiarize yourself with the PreLaunch Checklist: Default Settings and Supported Administrator/Client Platforms if you haven't already. The topics covered here are:
Step 1. Unpack the access point
Unpack the Access Point (AP) and familiarize yourself with its hardware ports, associated cables, and accessories.
Access Point Hardware and Ports
The Access Point includes:
- Ethernet ports for connection to the Local Area Network (LAN) via Ethernet network cable
- Power port and power adapter
- Power on/off switch
- Either one or two radios depending on which model of the product you have
For more information on the specifics of your Access Point, see the booklet provided by the manufacturer.
What's inside the Access Point?
An access point is a single-purpose computer designed to function as a wireless hub. Inside the access point is a Wi-Fi radio system, a microprocessor, and sometimes a mini-PC card. The access point boots from FlashROM that contains Devicescape Software, Inc.™ powered firmware with the configurable, runtime features summarized in Overview of Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP.
As new features and enhancements become available, you can upgrade the firmware to add new functionality and performance improvements to the access points that make up your wireless network. (See Upgrading the Firmware.)
Step 2. Connect the access point to network and power
The next step is to set up the network and power connections.
- Do one of the following to create an Ethernet connection between the access point and the computer:
- Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the network port on the access point and the other end to the same hub where your PC is connected. (See Figure 1 below.)
Or
- Connect one end of a crossover cable to the network port on the access point and the other end of the cable to the Ethernet port on the PC. (See Figure 2 below.)
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Note
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- If you use a hub, the device you use must permit broadcast signals from the access point to reach all other devices on the network. A standard hub should work fine. Some switches, however, do not allow directed or subnet broadcasts through. You may have to configure the switch to allow directed broadcasts.
- For initial configuration with a direct Ethernet connection and no DHCP server, be sure to set your PC to a static IP address in the same subnet as the default IP address on the access point. (The default IP address for the access point is 192.168.1.10.)
- If for initial configuration you use a direct Ethernet (wired) connection (via crossover cable) between the access point and the computer, you will need to reconfigure the cabling for subsequent startup and deployment of the access point so that the access point is no longer connected directly to the PC but instead is connected to the LAN (either via a Hub as shown in Figure 1 or directly).
- It is possible to detect access points on the network (using Kickstart) with a wireless connection. However, we strongly advise against using this method. In most environments you may have no way of knowing whether you are actually connecting to the intended AP and also because many of the initial configuration changes required will cause you to lose connectivity with the AP over a wireless connection.
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Figure 1
Figure 2
- Connect the power adapter to the power port on the back of the access point, and then plug the other end of the power cord into a power outlet (preferably, via a surge protector).
A Note About Setting Up Connections for a Guest Network
The Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP offers an out-of-the-box Guest Interface that allows you to configure an access point for controlled guest access to the network. The same access point can function as a bridge for two different wireless networks: a secure "Internal" LAN and a public "Guest" network. This can be done in one of two ways: (1) physically, by connecting the two LAN ports on the access point to different networks with two different cables; one to the internal LAN and the other to the public Guest network, or (2) virtually, by defining two different Virtual LANs via the Administration UI.
Hardware Connections for a Guest VLAN
If you plan to configure a guest network using VLANs, do the following:
- Connect a network port on the access point to a VLAN-capable switch
- Define VLANs on that switch
Hardware Connections for a Physically Separate Guest Network
If you plan to configure a physically separate guest network, you need to set up your network connections differently at this point. The Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP ships with an extra network port to support configuration of a physically separate guest network. Use both network ports on the access point to create two physical connections to different networks:
- Create a wired (Ethernet) connection from one of the network ports on the access point to your internal LAN.
- Create a second wired (Ethernet) connection from the other network port on the access point to a separate network.
Once you have the required physical connections set up, the rest of the configuration process is accomplished through the Administration UI. For information on configuring Guest interface settings on the Administration UI, see Setting up Guest Access.
Step 3. Power on the access point
If there is a power button, power on the Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP, and wait for its initialization process to complete. The specific indication that this has occurred will vary depending on the hardware used by the manufacturer.
Some access points do not include a power button; they power on and initialize when you plug them in.
Step 4. Run KickStart to find access points on the network
KickStart is an easy-to-use utility for discovering and identifying new Devicescape Enterprise-Managed APs. KickStart scans the network looking for access points, and displays ID details on those it finds.
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Notes and Cautions
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- Keep in mind that KickStart (and the other Administration tools) recognizes and configures only Devicescape Enterprise-Managed APs. KickStart will not find or configure non Devicescape Software, Inc. access points. Kickstart will not find any other devices.
- Run Kickstart only in the subnet of the "Internal" network (SSID). Do not run Kickstart on the guest subnetwork.
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Run the KickStart CD-ROM on a laptop or computer that is connected to the same network as your access points and use it to step through the discovery process as follows:
- Insert the KickStart Wizard CD into the CD-ROM drive on your computer.
The Kickstart window should display automatically. If not, navigate to the CD-ROM drive and run the CD using AutoPlay or the ks.jar executable.
The KickStart Welcome screen is displayed.
Click Next to search for access points.
- Wait for the search to complete, or until KickStart has found your new access points.
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Note
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If no access points are found, Kickstart indicate this and presents some troubleshooting information about your LAN and power connections. Once you have checked hardware power and Ethernet connections, you can click the Kickstart Back button to search again for access points.
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- Review the list of access points found.
KickStart will detect the IP addresses of Devicescape Enterprise-Managed APs. Access points are listed with their locations, Media Access Control (MAC) addresses, and IP Addresses. If you are installing the first access point on a single-access-point network, only one entry will be displayed on this screen
Verify the MAC addresses shown here against the hardware labels for each access point. This will be especially helpful later in providing or modifying the descriptive "Location" name for each access point.
Click Next.
- Go to the Access Point Administration Web pages by taking the link provided on the KickStart page.
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Note
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KickStart provides a link to the Administration Web pages via the IP address of the first access point of each model. (For more information about model types and clustering see What Kinds of APs Can Cluster Together?.) The Administration Web pages are a centralized management tool that you can access via the IP address for any access point in a cluster. Once your other access points are configured, you can also link to the Administration Web pages by using the IP address for any of the other Devicescape Enterprise-Managed APs in a URL ( http://IPAddressOfAccessPoint).
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Step 5. Log on to the Administration Web pages
When you follow the link from KickStart to the Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP Administration Web pages, you are prompted for a user name and password.
The defaults for user name and password are as follows.
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Field
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Default Setting
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Username
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admin
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Password
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admin
The user name is read-only. It cannot be modified.
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Enter the username and password and click OK.
Viewing Basic Settings for Access Points
When you first log in, the Basic Settings page for Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP administration is displayed. These are global settings for all access points that are members of the cluster and, if automatic configuration is specified, for any new access points that are added later.
Step 6. Configure "Basic Settings" and start the wireless network
Provide a minimal set of configuration information by defining the basic settings for your wireless network. These settings are all available on the Basic Settings page of the Administration Web interface, and are categorized into steps 1-4 on the Web page.
For a detailed description of these "Basic Settings" and how to properly configure them, please see Configuring Basic Settings. Summarized briefly here, the steps are:
- Review Description of this Access Point
Provide IP addressing information. For more information, see Review / Describe the Access Point.
- Provide Network Settings
Provide a new administrator password for clustered access points. For more information, see Provide Administrator Password and Wireless Network Name.
- Set Configuration Policy for New Access Points.
Choose to configure new access points automatically (as new members of the cluster) or ignore new access points.
If you set a configuration policy to configure new access points automatically, new access points added to this network will join the cluster and be configured automatically based on the settings you defined here. Updates to the Network settings on any cluster member will be shared with all other access points in the group.
If you chose to ignore new access points, then as you add new access points they will run in standalone mode. In standalone mode, an access point does not share the cluster configuration with other access points; it must be configured manually.
You can always update the settings on a standalone access point to have it join the cluster. You can also remove an access point from a cluster thereby switching it to run in standalone mode.
For more information, see Set Configuration Policy for New Access Points.
- Start Wireless Networking
Click the Update button to activate the wireless network with these new settings. For more information, see Update Basic Settings.
Default Configuration
If you follow the steps above and accept all the defaults, the access point will have the default configuration described in Default Settings for the Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP.
What's Next?
Next, make sure the access point is connected to the LAN, bring up some wireless clients, and connect the clients to the network. Once you have tested the basics of your wireless network, you can enable more security and fine-tune by modifying advanced configuration features on the access point.
Make Sure the Access Point is Connected to the LAN
If you configured the access point and administrator PC by connecting both into a network hub, then your access point is already connected to the LAN. That's it-you're up and running! The next step is to test some wireless clients.
If you configured the access point using a direct wired connection via crossover cable from your computer to the access point, do the following:
- Disconnect the crossover cable from the computer and the access point.
- Connect a regular Ethernet cable from the access point to the LAN.
- Connect your computer to the LAN either via Ethernet cable or wireless client card.
Test LAN Connectivity with Wireless Clients
Test the Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP by trying to detect it and associate with it from some wireless client devices. (See Wireless Client Computers in the PreLaunch Checklist: Default Settings and Supported Administrator/Client Platforms for information on requirements for these clients.)
Secure and Fine-Tune the Access Point Using Advanced Features
Once you have the wireless network up and running and have tested against the access point with some wireless clients, you can add in more layers of security, add users, configure a Guest interface, and fine-tune performance settings.
