airBridge™ Frequently Asked Questions

About airBridge

  Question   Answer  
   
  How fast is airBridge?

  airBridge is capable of a data rate of up to 11Mbps.

 
  How do I connect airBridge to my PC?

  It is connected to the Ethernet port of the PC. Please refer the user guide for detailed installation procedure.

 
  Can I use airBridge with my laptop?

  Yes. airBridge can be used with any Ethernet-ready computer.

 
  What standard does airBridge conform to?

  IEEE802.11b for wireless

 
  Where can I find additional information about airBridge?

  You can refer to the manual on the setup CD, or check out our online User Guide.

 
  Can it work with any Wireless Access Point?

  Yes. It can work with any IEEE802.11b compliant Wireless Access Point.

 
  Would the Internet connection speed be affected if I connect more than one PC at the same time?

  There might be a slight loss in the speed but it will be very insignificant.

 
  What do the different lights
(LEDs) on the airBridge case indicate?
 
  • Orange indicates Device Power On, Power cable is connected.
  • Green indicates Ethernet Link is OK, Ethernet cable is connected.
  • Blue indicates Device is in Wireless Transmit/Receive mode.

 
  What operating systems are supported by airBridge?

  Windows 98,98SE, 2000, ME, XP

 
  Will I be able to see other computers on LAN?

  Yes. airBridge allows you to connect to other computers on your network.

 
  Is the Wireless Connection secure?

  Yes. airBridge is capable of providing 64/128-bit WEP encryption.

 
  How can I find out if my PC supports Ethernet?

 
  • Right-click on "My Computer" on your desktop
  • Click "Properties"
  • Click "Device Manager"
  • Click "Network Adapters". You should see atleast one real network adapter.

 
  What are the minimum computer requirements for the proper operation of airBridge?

 
  • An IBM compatible PC
  • Pentium processor (166 MHz or above)
  • Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/Me/XP
  • CD-ROM drive
  • A spare Ethernet port

 
  How do I uninstall airBridge setup software from my PC?

  In order to uninstall airBridge from your computer, follow the following steps:
  • Click on Start -> Programs -> smartBridges -> airBridge
  • Select and click on "Uninstall airBridge". A dialog box will pop up to confirm that you want to uninstall airBridge. Click "Yes".

 

General Questions

  What is WEP?

  Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is an encryption scheme used to protect wireless data communication. It is part of the system security behind the wireless IEEE 802.11 protocol, and its goals are to provide confidentiality and data integrity, and to protect access to the network infrastructure by rejecting all non-WEP packets.

 
  What is an Access Point?

  It is a hardware device that converts a wired LAN port/outlet to a wireless port typically for Infrastructure mode.

 
  What is AdHoc mode ?

  Peer-to-Peer networking mode usually used for sharing local resources between wireless Networked PCs.

 
  What is Infrastructure mode ?

  Infrastructure Mode allows a wireless network to be integrated into an existing, wired network through an Access Point, permitting roaming between Access Points while maintaining a connection to all network resources.

 
  What is IEEE 802.11 standard?

  It is a standard set by Institution of Electrical Electronics & Engineers for standardizing the wireless networking hardware so that they are interoperable.

 
  What is ISM band ?

  The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside bandwidth for unlicensed use in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band. The ISM band comprises of frequencies in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz.

 
  What is Direct-Sequencing
Spread Spectrum (DSSS)?
  Wireless LAN products are available in three different technologies - Direct Sequencing Spread Spectrum (DSSS), Frequency Hopping Spread-Spectrum (FHSS) and Infrared. DSSS and FHSS are spread-spectrum techniques that operate over the radio airwaves in the unlicensed ISM band (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical). DSSS uses radio transmitter to spread data packets over a fixed range of frequency band.

 
  How does the Wireless LAN connect the PCs?

  The Wireless LAN uses Radio Frequency (RF) to transmit data. In this respect, it is similar to radio stations and cordless phones. Devices "tune in" to different signals on specific frequency bands and ignore others, allowing the devices to co-exist and PCs to communicate securely over the Wireless LAN.

 
  Will Wireless LAN interfere with other RF devices like cordless phones?

  Use of DSSS and FHSS techniques eliminate the interference between different RF devices.

 

Common Problems and Solutions

  I can't connect to the Access
Point.
 
  • Make sure that the notebook or desktop is powered on and the airBridge-Wireless Ethernet Client is properly connected.
  • Make sure that airBridge is configured on the same channel, SSID, and WEP as the other computers in the Infrastructure configuration.

 
  LEDs are flickering.

 
  • Orange should be continuously on. If it flickers, make sure that Power cable is securely plugged into the Power jacket.
  • Green LED will be continuously on if there is no network traffic and the ethernet connection is sensed. It flickers with the network traffic.
  • Blue shows the association Status. In Infrastructure mode, if the airBridge has assosciated with any Access Point,it will be ON, otherwise will be OFF. In adhoc mode,it will be always ON.

 
  LEDs do not light up at all.

  Make sure that the Power cable is properly connected and the PC is powered on.

 
  All the Ethernet ports on my PC
are already connected to other Ethernet devices.

  Remove one of the Ethernet device or install a new ethernet network card on your PC.

 
  airBridge does not work when connected through a Ethernet
hub.

  Check the ethernet cable. Cross over of the ethernet cable is done inside the airBridge.

 
   

airBridge™ Products Enhancements

  How do I install the new airBridge software?
 

The latest setup CD 1.5 is available on the website, http://www.smartbridges.com/. This is a self extractable file. Just click on the link to install. This version will overwrite existing version of airBridge simpleMonitor on the PC. When you invoke simpleMonitor for the first time, the device will be upgraded to latest firmware ver 0.01.04.

 
  Major differences in airBridge behavior
(CD setup ver 1.5, firmware ver 0.0.1.04)

 

With the addition of remote management and the multi MAC support, here are the major differences in the behavior. As this may affect the changes in the WISP operator’s network design, these differences should be noted and upgrade should be planned properly.

airBridge
New airBridge
(Indoor, Outdoor and TOTAL)
Firmware – 09.xx series (currently at 09.10) Firmware - 01.xx series (currently at 01.04)
Transparent device. Device IP number used for configuration purpose only. An active Network Element with it’s own IP number that is used for various functions.
From the AP side, only the MAC number of the PC is visible. This number is used for MAC level authentication. From the AP side MAC number of the airBridge is visible. This number should be used for the MAC authentication.
Can be connected only to a single PC. Can be connected to PC with airBridge gateway setting 0.0.0.0

Can be connected to LAN with valid gateway and IP settings using a cross cable.

No DHCP client available in the device. DHCP client implemented in the device. The airBridge obtains DHCP lease from either Ethernet or wireless ports.
The device supports only one MAC address on the Ethernet side. Up to 64 MAC addresses can be supported on the Ethernet side.
Remote configuration not possible from the wireless side. The device must be configured from the Ethernet side. Remote configuration is possible from both Ethernet and Wireless side.
Completely transparent bridge that passes all the Ethernet frames, irrespective of the protocol. The traffic is limited to IP packets. PPPoE frames are not supported.
Gateway settings not required. Gateway settings have to be set to configure the device on LAN
Factory Settings
IP 192.168.0.22
MASK 255.255.255.0
Factory Settings
IP 192.168.0.22
MASK 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway 0.0.0.0

 
  Connecting the airBridge on the LAN for Multi MAC operation

 
a. After the upgrade, please change the device’s primary port to be Wireless. This will allow the airBridge to obtain the DHCP lease from the wireless side. Since the old airBridge was to be configured only from the Ethernet side, this is the default value.
b.

Enter the correct Default Gateway number. The default for this field is 0.0.0.0.

 

 
  MAC # and IP # visible from AP

  In the AP’s association list, it is normal behavior to see the airBridge MAC number associated with the IP # of the PC or the Router connected behind the airBridge. Because of the Multi MAC support, the AP receives traffic from different IP #s, all originating from one MAC # of the airBridge. Most manufacturer’s APs will filter out the entries and show only one MAC # in the association table. But the displayed IP # will change randomly with the traffic.

This affects only the display in the associated table of the AP. All the data traffic carries the correct association of the airBridge MAC # and PC’s IP#. This information can be used for various network management functions on the data traffic.


 
  Incompatibility with Mikrotik v2.6 Software

  We have confirmed a compatibility problem between the new airBridge firmware and the Mikrotik v2.6 software. WE HAVE RECEIVED CONFIRMATION FROM MIKROTIK THAT THIS ISSUE DOES NOT EXIST IN THE v2.7 beta6 SOFTWARE.

This issue stems due to the way IP address assignment is currently handled in Mikrotik. Our understanding is that all the Mikrotik releases prior to the v2.7 use two IP addresses assignment scheme for user authorization. Apparently there are some issues with this and the new v2.7 software addresses them by using new authentication scheme. The issue becomes more visible with the Multi-MAC support being added to the airBridge.

In light of this, our recommendation to the Mikrotik v2.6 users is to stay with the current version of the airBridge firmware 09.10. They should upgrade to the new airBridge software and firmware to take advantage of the remote management and the multi-mac capability only after upgrading to the Mikrotik v2.7.

 
 
  Going back to the old software
 

If you like to switch back to the old feature set (single MAC and no remote management), a special CD setup version 1.43 with new firmware binary is required. This software is available from the same download URL on our website. This is also available in the setup CD ver 1.5. (Please note the firmware binary in the setup ver 1.42 CANNOT be used to go back.)

 

 
  PPPoE is not supported
 

In order for the airBridge to do the Remote Management and the Multiple MAC support with the 3rd party Access Points, we had to make a conscious choice to support only the IP traffic. This means that the new airBridge will drop the PPPoE packets.

So for the people who use PPPoE for authentication, our recommendation is to stay with the current airBridge F/W 0.09.10. This issue does not affect the installations that use the airPoint PRO on both sides of the link (in AP and Client Bridge modes).