ActionTec 11 Mbps Wireless Access Point Manual de usuario descargar pdf (Pagina 2)

30 edn

September 26, 2002

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ran when comparing Ethernet, powerline network-

ing, and 802.11b (Reference 2). Using Windows Ex-

plorer and my stopwatch, I’d time a copy operation

for a 20-Mbyte block of data.

Working at the notebook, I copied the files from

my main work system, which connects to the Linksys

switch via 100-Mbps, full-duplex Ethernet. The

802.11a link to the notebook would be the slowest

link in the chain because the connection between the

Linksys switch and the Actiontec access

point was also operating at 100 Mbps full

duplex.

When I use the Compaq 802.11b

module, I realize a maximum data-

transfer rate of 2.1 Mbps. Networks nev-

er deliver their stated maximum rates,

but the 802.11b rate on the Evo is even

lower than what other 802.11b products deliver be-

cause the MultiPort Module uses USB 1.1 internal-

ly to link the wireless-network adapter. Still, the con-

venience of having 802.11b integrated in the

lid—rather than having an antenna protruding

from a PC Card—is extremely compelling. Using

Linksys and Agere (www.agere.com) Orinoco

802.11b PC Cards, I’ve clocked rates as high as 4.3

Mbps on this test.

With the Evo notebook and its 802.11a card sit-

ting about 15 feet from the access point, my first test

yielded a rate of 9.2 Mbps on the transfer. I was sur-

prised, however, that the status utility for the Ac-

tiontec card wasn’t reporting full-speed operation.

Indeed, the utility sometimes reported a transmit

rate of 54 Mbps, but the receive rate was generally

32 to 48 Mbps. I ran the test with the notebook sit-

ting directly next to the access point and achieved

the same results. Still, the performance was far bet-

ter than any 802.11b product I’ve tested.

Since the conception of the 802.11a standard,

however, I’ve worried about the range of such prod-

ucts. The laws of physics make range more prob-

lematic at higher frequencies. I’ve been outspoken

about 802.11b products’ failing to deliver anywhere

near their advertised range, and I’ve feared that the

“a” products would be even worse.

LACK OF REACH

Proponents of 802.11a, however, claim that the

superiority of the standard’s OFDM (orthogonal-

frequency-division-multiplexing) modulation

scheme will overcome range issues. Early reviews of

802.11a seem to indicate that my fears were unwar-

ranted. Several testers have reported lower speeds as

the distance between access point and client grows

but have generally claimed few range problems. I

can’t say the same.

My first stop with the 802.11a-equipped Evo was

my chair in the living room, about 55 feet from the

access point, where I spend many nights and week-

ends with the notebook in my lap. The status utility

reported a transmit rate of 24 Mbps and a receive rate

of 12 Mbps, presumably still faster than 802.11b. I

accessed a few Web pages with no problem. The file-

transfer test, however, didn’t go so well. On several

occasions,Windows aborted the test before comple-

tion due to a dropped connection. At best, I meas-

ured a rate just over 1 Mbps on a complete transfer.

At the next stop, my patio, about 65 feet from the

access point, things got even worse; I couldn’t even

surf the Internet. When I use the Compaq 802.11b

module in that same spot, I get a 2.1-Mbps rate. I

even get a 1.7-Mbps rate in the corner of my back

yard, 90 to 100 feet from the access point.

CONFIGURATION CHAOS

Because I hadn’t configured the access point in any

way, I thought I might possibly boost performance

by doing so. In fact, I hadn’t even named my WLAN.

The configuration utility on the Evo had no network

name, but it was automatically finding the default

Actiontec_11A network. Still, it worried me

that that the network-name field was

blank, and I wanted to test-

drive other features,

such as security

settings, anyway.

As with most

routers and access

points, you interface

with the Actiontec ac-

cess point by entering its

IP (Internet Protocol) ad-

dress in a browser, which sum-

mons a configuration page. Near

the access point, I entered the pre-

scribed address: 192.168.0.250. After

a minute or so, I got a message indicating

that the page wasn’t available.

Immediately, I expected that the problem was

subnet-related. The “192.168...” IP address range is

reserved for private networks behind routers, so

anyone can use that range of addresses. But every

other home-LAN product I’ve seen uses a

“192.168.1.xxx” address. The “0” in the third octet

placed the Actiontec product on a different subnet

from the Linksys router, which comes configured

with an address of 192.168.1.1.

wrks

how it

MANY EXPECT 802.11A TO CARRY MULTIPLE HDTV VIDEO

STREAMS AS EFFORTLESSLY AS IT DOES THE TRICKLE OF

DATA BITS THAT CREEP FROM THE INTERNET. WILL IT

DELIVER ON THE PROMISE?

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