Teletronics International EZPlatform User manual

Teletronics EZPlatform™
AP/Hotspot/Repeater
User Manual
v1.2
© 2008 Teletronics International, Inc

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Table of Contents
1. Product Overview ...................................................................................................3
2. Specifications .........................................................................................................4
3. Typical Network Configuration ...............................................................................5
4. Hardware Setup and Status LEDs .........................................................................6
5. Web Interface Configuration ..................................................................................7
5.1. Login Information .................................................................................... 8
5.2. System Information .................................................................................9
5.2.1. General .....................................................................................9
5.2.2. Wireless Status ........................................................................ 11
5.3. Network Settings .....................................................................................12
5.3.1. WAN .........................................................................................12
5.3.2. LAN .......................................................................................... 15
5.4. WLAN1 and WLAN2 ............................................................................... 17
5.4.1. Basic .........................................................................................17
5.4.2. Security .................................................................................... 19
5.4.3. AP Settings ...............................................................................21
5.4.4. SU Settings (WLAN1 only) .......................................................23
5.4.5. Advanced ................................................................................. 24
5.4.6. MAC Filtering ............................................................................25
5.5. Bandwidth Control ...................................................................................27
5.6. Administration ......................................................................................... 29
5.6.1. System Configuration ...............................................................29
5.6.2. Admin IP Filter ..........................................................................31
5.6.3. Password ..................................................................................32
5.6.4. Backup and Restore .................................................................33
5.6.5. Firmware Upgrade ....................................................................35
5.7. Log ..........................................................................................................36
5.8. Reboot .....................................................................................................37
6. Console and TELNET Access ............................................................................... 38
7. EZManager ............................................................................................................39
8. Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................................40

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1. Product Overview
Teletronics' EZPlatform™ AP/Hotspot/Repeater is designed for high-power access point,
hotspot and repeater applications. A powerful end-to-end system for a wireless Internet network
can be built by integrating the EZPlatform™ with Teletronics TT™ subscriber units and other
radios. The simplicity of use of the EZPlatform™ allows operators to quickly bring service to
their customers, and with its two serial ports and two Ethernet ports the unit can easily
incorporate GPS, GPRS, RFID, VoIP, surveillance cameras, field meters, motion sensors and
data networks for multiple industrial and commercial applications. The EZPlatform™ is
available in single or dual radio configuration, with 1 W (2.4 GHz) and 600 mW (2.4/5.8 GHz)
radio card options.

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2. Specifications
Technical Information
Standard compliance IEEE 802.3 10/100BASE-T with autonegotiation
Bandwidth Control Mac address-based, specific and default upload/download rates
Networking WAN: static IP address/DHCP client
LAN: DHCP server
SNMP, remote syslog, VPN pass-through (IPsec/PPTP), DDNS
Security Administrator IP address filtering
Management Web-based management
HTTP, HTTPS, TELNET
Web-based update, backup and restore
Wireless 802.11a/b/g, 900 MHz/2.4 GHz/5.8 GHz
AP/SU mode, adjustable TX power
WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption
Turbo mode, WDS, MAC address filtering
Enclosure NEMA 4, ruggedized and weather proof
Status monitoring Network status, system log (compact and detailed mode)
Operating temperature -20° C to + 70° C
Hardware Specifications
CPU Intel® IXP422 226 MHz network processor
Memory 64 MB SDRAM, 16 MB flash
Boot loader RedBoot
Ethernet Two 10/100BASE-T ports
Serial port Two RS-232 ports
Mini PCI Two Mini PCI Type III slots
LEDs Power, WLAN1 status, WLAN2 status
Power options Power over Ethernet, 10-48 VDC
Dimensions 8 in x 7.5 in x 2.5 in
Power consumption 25 W maximum
Operating system Linux, 2.6.x kernel

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3. Typical Network Configuration
The wireless interfaces of the EZPlatform™ can be configured in a number of ways, each suited
for a particular application or network environment:
a) Access Point (AP): this mode allows clients to connect wirelessly to the EZPlatform™ in
order to gain access to the network the EZPlatform™ is part of. This is the most widely
used mode to provide Internet access to other devices, in either point-to-point or point-
to-multipoint fashion.
b) Access Point with WDS: in this mode, the EZPlatform™ operates as a wireless switch,
relaying information to other WDS-enabled devices. WDS allows great flexibility when
building the network, at the cost of possibly reduced throughput.
c) Subscriber Unit (SU): also known as bridge or client, this mode allows the EZPlatform™
to gain access to a network by connecting to an access point. This AP-SU association is
known as infrastructure mode. In the subscriber unit mode, the EZPlatform™ can only
be connected to one access point at a time.
d) Ad hoc mode: also known as peer-to-peer, this non-hierarchical mode allows clients to
communicate with each other directly without the need of an access point.
In the EZPlatform™, each of the two wireless interfaces can be configured independently. They
can also operate simultaneously regardless of the mode being used in each interface. For
example, WLAN1 can be working in subscriber unit mode while WLAN2 is operating as an
access point with WDS.

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4. Hardware Setup and Status LEDs
Hardware Setup
Figure 1 shows how to connect the EZPlatform™.
Figure 1. Network and power connections
The purpose of this setup is to connect the EZPlatform™ so that it can be configured with a
computer via the web interface of the EZPlatform™. The power over Ethernet (PoE) module
allows you to send/receive data and power the EZPlatform™ with a single cable. When
connecting the antennas, care must be taken so that the antennas are properly mounted to
avoid mutual interference, especially if both wireless interfaces will be operated in the same
802.11 mode.
WLAN1 and WLAN2 are the fixed designations for the two wireless interfaces. WLAN1 is wired
to the antenna port that is closer to the hinges of the NEMA 4 enclosure; WLAN2 is wired to the
antenna port farther from the hinges of the enclosure.
Status LEDs
The behavior of the LEDs mounted on the enclosure is explained in the following table.
LED Position Status Interpretation
Off Radio card not detected / wireless off
Blinking No station(s) associated (in AP mode)
Not associated to an AP (in SU mode)
WLAN1 Left
Solid on Station(s) associated (in AP mode)
Associated to an AP (in SU mode)
Off Power off
Power Center Solid on Power on
Off Radio card not detected / wireless off
Blinking No station(s) associated
WLAN2 Right Solid on Station(s) associated

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5. Web Interface Configuration
The EZPlatform™ can be conveniently configured using its web interface. The web interface
provides intuitive navigation and options for you to easily configure the unit. Figure 2 shows a
sample page of the web interface.
Figure 2. EZPlatform™ web interface
Throughout this manual, the buttons on the top row, which are light blue when unselected and
orange when selected, will be denominated ‘primary tabs’. Likewise, the buttons immediately
below the primary tabs, which are of a darker blue when unselected and orange when selected,
will be referred to as ‘secondary tabs’. For instance, in Figure 2 the ‘System Information’ primary
tab and the ‘General’ secondary tab are selected. To access a secondary tab, you must first
click on the primary tab to which the secondary tab belongs. Each primary tab has a different
set of secondary tabs. Some primary tabs do not have secondary tabs.

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5.1. Login Information
After properly connecting and powering the unit, wait for the unit to finish the boot-up process.
On the computer connected to the EZPlatform™ via Ethernet, open a browser and point it to the
IP address of the EZPlatform™ (192.168.1.124 by default), as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Entering the EZPlatform™ IP address in the address bar
The IP address of the EZPlatform™ can be changed once you have logged in. In order to
access the web interface, the computer needs to be configured for the subnet to which the
EZPlatform™ belongs. By default, both HTTP and HTTPS are enabled, so you can log in using
the ‘http://’ or ‘https://’ headers, respectively. HTTP and HTTPS access can be enabled or
disabled independently after you have logged in.
To log in to the web interface, enter the user name and password in the prompt that appears, as
shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. User name and password
The default user name is ‘admin’ and the default password is ‘admin’. The password can be
changed once you have logged in. After logging in, you will see the page shown in Figure 5.

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5.2. System Information
5.2.1. General
The web interface is the home page and thus is the page displayed when you log in. This page
displays a summary of the current configuration and status of the EZPlatform™, as shown in
Figure 5.
Figure 5. System Information page

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To view details of the Linux operating system, the Linux kernel and network settings, click on
the ‘View System Details’ button. The page in Figure 6 will be displayed:
Figure 6. System Log Details
This page shows a series of commands executed on the Linux kernel, and their corresponding
output immediately below each command.

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5.2.2. Wireless Status
The Wireless Status page is shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. Wireless Status page
The Wireless Status page displays current status and associations of the wireless interfaces
(WLAN1 and WLAN2). Under this page you can see the configuration information for each
WLAN interface, such as MAC address, operation mode, SSID, etc. A list of available access
points and relevant information is shown if the WLAN interface is operating in SU mode. A list of
associated stations and relevant information is shown if the WLAN interface is operating in AP
mode.
You may need to refresh the page so that the latest changes in the wireless environment are
reflected on the page.

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5.3. Network Settings
5.3.1. WAN
The WAN page is shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8. WAN page
WAN Assignment
WAN Interface: this setting allows you to designate which one of the four interfaces acts as the
Wide Area Network (WAN) side of the EZPlatform™. The purpose of the WAN is to
communicate with the “outside” of the network to retrieve the data requested by the LAN side
(the “inside” of the network). Figure 9 shows which physical port on the PCB corresponds to
which network interface.
ETH1: Ethernet port farther from the serial ports on the PCB.

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ETH2: Ethernet port closer to the serial ports on the PCB.
WLAN1: Mini PCI slot closer to the Ethernet ports in the PCB, wired to the antenna port
closer to the hinges of the enclosure.
WLAN2: Mini PCI slot farther from the Ethernet ports in the PCB, wired to the antenna
port farther from the hinges of the enclosure.
Figure 9. Network interfaces of the EZPlatform™
WAN IP Settings
IP address mode: how to assign an IP address to the WAN side of the EZPlatform™
Static: manually assign an IP address.
DHCP: make the EZPlatform™ act as a DHCP client so that a DHCP server can
automatically configure its IP settings.
IP address: the unique network address of the EZPlatform™ in the WAN.
Subnet mask: the mask that logically organized the IP address into its corresponding
subnetwork.
Default gateway: the device which will act as the agent for IP addresses that are outside the
WAN subnet.
Preferred DNS server: the server that will perform translation between URLs and IP addresses
Alternate DNS server: the server that will resolve DNS requests if the preferred DNS server is
not available.
DDNS certificate: the DDNS feature of the EZPlatform™ is designed to work with the DDNS
implementation of freedns.afraid.org. The certificate issued by freedns.afraid.org will allow the
EZPlatform™ to periodically send IP address updates to freedns.afraid.org so that your URL is
always mapped in DNS to the EZPlatform™, even if the IP address of the EZPlatform™
changes. To obtain a DDNS certificate, go to http://freedns.afraid.org, create an account and

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follow the instructions in the 'Dynamic DNS' section. Once you have set up the DDNS relation,
obtain the DDNS certificate from the 'Wget Script' link.
Update time (s): how often to send IP address updates to freedns.afraid.org.
Save: store the changes made on this page.
Cancel: undo the changes made on this page.

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5.3.2. LAN
The LAN page is shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10. LAN page
DHCP Server
Enable DHCP server: whether the EZPlatform™ should act as DHCP server and thus
automatically configure the IP settings of DHCP clients.
Yes
No
Starting IP address: the first IP address that will be used in the configuration of DHCP clients.
Ending IP address: the last IP address that will be used in the configuration of DHCP clients.
Subnet mask: the subnet mask that will be used in the configuration of DHCP clients.
Default gateway: the default gateway that will be used in the configuration of DHCP clients.
Preferred DNS server: the preferred DNS server that will be used in the configuration of DHCP
clients.

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Alternate DNS server: the alternate DNS server that will be used in the configuration of DHCP
clients.
Lease time (min): the period of time the IP address of a DHCP client will be reserved
exclusively for said client.
Save: store the changes made on this page.
Cancel: undo the changes made on this page.

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5.4. WLAN1 and WLAN2
WLAN1 and WLAN2 are the fixed designations for the two EZPlatform™ wireless interfaces.
WLAN1 is the radio card closer to the Ethernet ports and WLAN2 is the radio card farther from
the Ethernet ports, as explain in section 5.3.1.
The configuration pages of WLAN1 and WLAN2 are identical, with the exception that WLAN2
cannot be used in SU mode.
5.4.1. Basic
The LAN page is shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11. Basic page
Operation Mode
Wireless on/off: whether to use the WLAN interface or not.
On: enable the WLAN interface.
Off: disable the WLAN interface.
Operation mode: the role of the WLAN interface in the network.
AP: access point.
SU: subscriber unit, also know as bridge or client.

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Basic Settings
SSID: the service set identifier of the WLAN interface. An AP and an SU must have the same
SSID to associate each other. Never assign the same SSID to WLAN1 and WLAN2.
RF TX power (dBm): the radio frequency transmission power at which the radio card will
operate. The value entered must be within the specifications of the radio card being used.
802.11 mode: which amendment of the IEEE 802.11 standard to use. The selected mode must
be supported by the radio card being used.
802.11a: 5.8 GHz, OFDM, 54 Mbps.
802.11b only : 2.4 GHz, DSSS, 11 Mbps.
802.11g only: 2.4 GHz, OFDM, 54 Mbps.
802.11b/g: mixed use of 802.11b and 802.11g.
Channel: the radio frequency channel to be used.
Channels 36-165: for use with 802.11a mode. Channels are non-overlapping.
Channels 1-11: for use with 802.11b and 802.11g modes. May also be used to drive
certain 900 MHz radio cards. If the difference between any two channels is equal to or
greater than 5, then the channels do not overlap, otherwise the channels overlap and
interference may occur. For example, channels 1, 6 and 11 do not overlap and can be
used simultaneously without causing mutual interference.
S-Turbo Channels: for use with turbo mode only.
Transmission rate: the data rate the WLAN interface should use. ‘Best (automatic)’ is
recommended in most cases.
Turbo mode: this feature, also known as Atheros Super AG, doubles the nominal data transfer
rate by using two channels simultaneously. Both sides of the wireless link must be configured
for turbo mode and have Atheros Super AG compatible radio cards.
Save: store the changes made on this page.
Cancel: undo the changes made on this page.

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5.4.2. Security
The Security page is shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12. Security page
Encryption Type
Encryption type: select the encryption type you wish to use.
None: no encryption.
WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy, a deprecated algorithm proven to have serious
weaknesses.
WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access, IEEE 802.11i.
WEP Settings

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Authentication: select the WEP authentication type.
Open: stations are always automatically authenticated and associated, but cannot pass
traffic if they do not have a matching WEP key.
Shared: stations need to have the same WEP key as the AP to be authenticated. Shared
authentication is considered a security risk since the encryption scheme is sent over the
air during the authentication negotiation process, making it easier for a hacker to discover
the WEP key.
Default WEP key: data received is decrypted using any of the four WEP keys, but data
transmitted is encrypted using the default WEP key only.
WEP key length: whether to use a 64-bit or a 128-bit key. A longer key is considered to be
more robust.
WEP key 1-4: enter the WEP key to be used. The key must be of the same length as specified
in ‘WEP key length’ and may only contain hexadecimal digits (0-9, A-F).
WPA Settings
WPA mode: select which WPA mode should be used
WPA: released before the completion of the IEEE 802.11i standard and specifically
designed to work with pre-WPA wireless network cards.
WPA2: implements the full 802.11i standard but may not work with some older network
cards.
WPA and WPA2
Cipher: the specific algorithm for performing encryption and decryption
TKIP: Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
AES: Advanced Encryption Standard
TKIP and AES
Pre-shared key: the password to be used for WPA. It must be between 8 and 63 characters
long.
Save: store the changes made on this page.
Cancel: undo the changes made on this page.