First thing you should do is set up all of the basic settings you will need to on the Versa Technology VX-AP400 400mw wireless access point you will be WDS Bridging. This includes things like Country, IP Address and any other things like VLAN. Notice that each device should be set up as its own device on the network. Separate SSID, and IP address are fine.

(Note: if you set up WPA or WEP it will need to be the same on both.)

Next you should go to Basic settings where you will actually be setting up the WDS.

If you have 2 VX-AP400 Versa Technology access points, Access Point A and Access Point B. You need to login to Access Point A and go through and select Access Point mode, followed by selecting WDS Point to Point Bridge under the Bridge Mode option.

Now you need to insert the MAC Address of the VX-AP400 400mw Versa Technology access point B and select which channel you would like them to be on. Channel 1 or Channel 6 usually is the best to go with.

After you do this you will need to repeat the steps above on Access Point B putting the MAC address of access point A in.

Make sure you do not have both of them connected to the network VIA wired connection after you complete this and reboot. This will loop the network.

Please visit our web site for full range of wireless access point products we offer.

If you have any more questions feel free to contact support@versatek.com or visit www.versatek.com for more information.

When installing wireless networks with wireless router or wireless access point we often need more than just the basic tools provided to correctly deploy 802.11ABGN networks. Depending on what operating system you are here are some great ones.

Inssider – developed by MetaGeek, runs on all versions of windows and provides great feedback. Easy to hook up with any of the Wi-Spy gear that they sell for Site surveys not only on Wireless Access Points but also anything operating in the ABGN range. (Depending on what Wi-Spy device you purchase.)

Netstumbler – The original and an old standby. This has been around since wireless first started to become popular. It will give lots of great information like SNR and Signal Strength reading in decibels. It is great for Windows XP but support for Windows Vista.

Vistumbler – Vistumbler is the Windows Vista version of Netstumbler. Works with live Google earth tracking when hooked up to GPS.

KisMAC- KisMAC is an open source and free stumbler/scanner application for Mac OS X. It has an advantage over MacStumbler/iStumbler/NetStumbler in that it uses monitor mode and passive scanning.

MacStumbler - Utility to gather and display information about nearby 802.11b/g wireless networks and access points for Mac.

An old customer of ours had quite a problem, they had several PC’s they needed attached to the local Intranet but the PC’s were located slightly over 1KM away from the central switch. Why would they have a several PC’s that far away from the central switch? Well they own a 54 hold golf resort and have snack stands located throughout the course. While lots of golfers certainly carry cash on them a handful only have credit card, or prefer credit card because it’s easier to expense. So the golf course needed a way to connect back to the central Point of Sale system with nothing more than twisted pair copper ran to each location.

The first quote they go was to run fiber to each location which would have cost nearly $15,000 dollars. While the resort could certainly afford the fees it was hardly worthy investment. So they called us seeing if we had any sort of solution that would have allowed them too easily and cost effectively fix the solution. We weren’t quite sure what the distances were so we had to go out and use a Black Box device to measure. Once we did we realized it well within the range of the VX-VEB160R2 and we can still push over 40Mb of total bandwidth to these locations using the VX-VEB60R2.

 We extended the resort a 30 day trial to use the product and make sure it worked properly and within a week they had not only bought that pair but had bought 4 more pair and were looking for other innovative ways to use this that even included putting security cameras in remote spots, turning other areas into easily accessible vending areas and providing WiFi for iPhones and Blackberry’s at the driving range for customers needing to answer email and send files. They managed to save nearly $14,000 while still providing a great service to the customers. One they will see an ROI on.

For Further Information on the VX-VEB165 contact info@versatek.com.

Deploying an Outdoor Wi-Fi Network.

While most of our customers are extremely well versed in deploying indoor WLAN networks, we still get a TON of questions on how to deploy an outdoor WLAN network. While some of semantics are the same (Using PoE when you can, Using NetStumbler to get a correct signal reading, etc.). Sometimes though, it’s just not that easy, distance limitations’ on how far Cat 5 can go, really hurt.

You cannot just put an Access Point every 100 Meters outdoors (distance limitation of CAT5E). If you do it becomes counter redundant. You then have too much signal and the access points begin to interfere with each other. The best solution is to use WDS (Wireless Distribution System). This way you can adequately separate each WAP (Wireless Access Point) from the next for the best performance while maintain stability. This dedicates each access point to stay connected with another access point, which is better than just standard Mesh which is often hit or miss.

Start by finding the nearest place you can install a POE Injector then run a CAT5E cable from there to where you want the WAP in order power it. Make sure the WAP is within eye site of the WAP you want it to connect to for optimal signal. For better distance it’s often best to amp the antenna and then use a high gain antenna when connected back to the original WAP. One problem a lot of people encounter is the fact that 2.4GHz is so widely used and can be interfered with easily from anything from a microwave to a cordless phone. So if someone makes a simple phone call the whole network can go down.

One simple way around this is to use 802.11A standard to WDS and the 802.11G standard to distribute within the local area. This way the “backbone” won’t be interfered with when people go to connect anything from their cell phones to their laptops to your network. The best WAP to use would be an outdoor weatherproof dual radio access point, this way you won’t be overloading it and it will easily be able to handle hundreds of customers.

Other things you may want to ensure are that the Client Separation mode is turned on. This way if you are running a hotspot in something like a campground or a trailer park, guest will be able to safely and securely connect to your network without having to worry about if someone can see what files they have shared. Also the ability to do WPA and WEP over the back bone is key for ensuring the best security for your network.

One product that can easily achieve all of this is our own Versa Technology VX-BW225. This supports:

• Simultaneously supports 802.11a and 802.11b/g standard.
• Mix of AP and Bridge configuration works simultaneously, blanketing last miles with high-speed throughput.
• Dual AP configuration for both 802.11b/g and 802.11a users in a high client density environment.
• Dual Bridge (repeater) configuration to extend the transmission range of wireless local bridge.

The VX-BW225 250MW Dual Radio 2.4GHz/5GHz Weatherproof Outdoor WAP also includes a Dynamic Channel Allocation (DCA) solution that automatically selects optimal operational frequency channel during power up. This way the network will be least susceptible to interference. It also comes equipped in an aluminum-alloy frame-resistant with waterproof design housing, and is able to operate even under extreme weather conditions. An integrated IEEE 802.3af Power-over-Ethernet port enables effortless deployment in various environments.

If you have any further questions about correctly deploying an outdoor WLAN with this product feel free to contact info@versatek.com