YDI AP-Plus Operating and maintenance instructions

AP-Plus
Quick Start Guide
MNL-500162-001 – Rev 1.3 1 January 2004
Introduction
The AP-PlusTM is a powerful, feature-rich, two channel
802.11b compliant 11 Mbps wireless Access Point that
operates on the license-free 2.4 GHz band. It comes
with the YDI AP+TM firmware upgrade installed which
provides enhanced features. For indoor applications, it
extends the range of a wired Ethernet network providing
easy network access to both mobile users and locations
that are difficult to wire. With outdoor antennas and
amplifiers, long-range line-of-site links are possible.
The AP-Plus is great for use at a WIPOP (Wireless
Internet Point of Presence) to offer high-speed wireless
Internet services. It can support two independent WLAN
cards. By turning one radio into an 802.11b client, the
AP-Plus acts as a repeater or as a bridge to another
AP+ enabled AP, as well as an Access Point. It is ideal
for large area Wireless LAN deployment and ease of
scalability.
The AP-Plus can also be configured to use 802.1x
security protocol, which provides user-based
authentication and automatic key distribution in both
directions. Additional features offered are SNMP, MIB II
and RADIUS support.
AP-Plus Kit Contents
1. AP-Plus Access Point with removable base
2. 110/220 VAC power supply (see Figure 2)
3. Ethernet cable
4. CD-ROM with management software and
documentation
WLAN PC card(s) must be ordered separately.
Figure 1 – AP-Plus Kit
Installation
The AP-Plus comes ready for use for desk mounted
installations. The base is separable from the unit if so
desired. If you want to mount the unit in a fixed location,
prior to installing the AP-Plus perform a site survey to
determine optimal location. The AP-Plus can easily be
mounted on a wall by using the wall mounting holes at
the bottom of the AP-Plus case. A template is included
in this manual to aid in the location of the mounting
holes. Simply place the template on the wall and insert
four mounting screws (not included) where shown on
the template. Once the mounting screws are securely
inserted in the wall, attach the AP-Plus to the screws
and lock it down in place.
WARNING: If the AP-Plus is wall mounted, the LEDs
must point downward. Mounting the AP-Plus
upside down (i.e., with the WLAN cards
pointing downward) may result in the device
falling off of the wall and causing severe
personal injury and/or damage to the AP-Plus.
1. Insert an 802.11b PC card into the PCMCIA A or
PCMCIA B slot on the rear of the AP-Plus case
(see Figure 2).
Figure 2 – AP-Plus Rear View
2. Connect your Ethernet cable to the Ethernet A or
Ethernet B RJ-45 jack on the rear of the unit. Note
that each RJ-45 jack has two LEDs. When looking
from the rear, the left LED indicates link up, and the
right LED shows network activity.
3. Connect the power cord to an AC wall-outlet to
power-up the AP-Plus.
4. When powered on, the AP-Plus will perform start-
up diagnostics characterized by an LED Sequence.
The LEDs (see Figure 3) will change colors in the
range of Amber, Red and Green. When the start-up
diagnostics are finished the AP-Plus will beep. The
unit will then be ready for normal operation. In this
condition, the Power LED is steady on. The
Ethernet A and B, and the Wireless A and B LEDs
will flash when there is network activity on the
corresponding AP-Plus network interface. If there is
no activity, the LEDs will be off.
11
33
44
PCMCIA Slot B PCMCIA Slot
A
Ethernet B Ethernet A
Restore Factory Defaults
110/220 VAC Power Supply
CAUTION
The Ethernet ports are not
designed for Power Over Ethernet
(POE). The AP-Plus has its own
p
ower supply to provide +5
V
DC to
the unit. Please verify that no
source of power is applied to the
Ethernet ports. If this happens the
Ethernet circuitry on the board
will blow. Any damage caused by
this action will not be covered by
the factory warranty and will be a
billable repair.

AP-Plus
Quick Start Guide
January 2004 2 MNL-500162-001 – Rev 1.3
Figure 3 – AP-Plus Front View and LEDs
Configuring the AP-Plus
The Windows-based YDI AP Manager software can be
installed on a PC or workstation running Windows
98/ME, 2000, NT, or XP. This software has a GUI
(Graphical User Interface), which makes it easy to use.
The program allows you to locally or remotely perform
the following procedures:
• Display a list of units running on the local network
• Display and edit the current configuration of the
units
• Save and load configurations
IMPORTANT: Your AP-Plus units must be reachable
on the same subnet as the computer with the YDI AP
Manager installed, or have a routable IP address, in
order to access it.
Note that the YDI AP Manager program is also used to
manage AP-Plus units loaded with other versions of
software, such as YDI-Fi. Therefore you will see many
grayed out options, features and settings. These only
become available when you are connected to an AP-
Plus, Orinoco AP, or router that has all these features
available.
Windows Installation – To install the YDI AP Manager in
Windows, insert the YDI CD-ROM included in the AP-
Plus kit into the appropriate drive of your computer.
Using your Windows Explorer, open the directory
\Management Software\YDI AP Manager and run the
Set Up program ydi_ap.exe. Simply follow the
instructions on the screen which will guide you through
the entire process. After completing the YDI AP
Manager installation, you are ready to configure your
system.
NOTE: For detailed information about the YDI AP
Manager, please refer to the documentation in
your CD ROM. Also, an online help is available
by pressing F1 or clicking Help-> Index from
the main screen.
1. Plug your computer into any Ethernet port of the
AP-Plus with a crossover cable and power it on.
2. Open the directory where the manager program
has been installed (the default is \Program
Files\YDI\AP Manager). Run the program AP
Manager.exe.
3. The Main Screen shown in Figure 4 appears. To
scan for devices on the network, place the cursor in
the List of Scanned Devices text box and right-click
the mouse. A Re-scan local network button will
appear. Click on the button. A list of devices will
appear.
Figure 4 – YDI AP Manager Main Screen
4. Click on the device you wish to configure. The
selected device IP address will appear in the text
box above the Configure Remote button
(alternatively, you can enter the IP address of the
AP-Plus unit). Click this button.
5. A Read/Write Password text box will appear (see
Figure 5). The default password is Public. Click the
OK button. It is suggested that you change the
password later, write it down and keep it in a safe
place.
Figure 5 – Read/Write Password Screen

AP-Plus
Quick Start Guide
MNL-500162-001 – Rev 1.3 3 January 2004
6. On the Main Screen, click on the IP Host button.
The IP Setup screen appears (see Figure 6). Enter
the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Router
IP Address. Click OK.
Figure 6 – IP Setup Screen
7. On the Main Screen, click on the Interface Setup
button. The corresponding screen appears (see
Figure 7).
Figure 7 – Interface Setup Screen
8. If the WLAN card was inserted in PCMCIA A then
line 3 will display 802.11b. Click Setup 3. If the
WLAN card was inserted into PCMCIA B then line 4
will display 802.11b. Click on Setup 4.
9. The 802.11b Setup screen appears (see Figure 8).
Enter the name of the wireless network in the
Network Name text box. Click the Frequency
button.
Figure 8 – 802.11b Setup Screen
10. The 802.11b Frequency Setup screen appears (see
Figure 9). Select a frequency from the pull down
menu box. Click OK. Click OK again.
Figure 9 – 802.11b Frequency Setup Screen
11. Go to File and click Save Config: this will save the
new settings.
12. After the AP-Plus is finished saving its
configuration, exit the YDI AP Manager program.
The AP-Plus is ready to use. Refer to the online
help for complete instructions on setting up other
features in the unit.

AP-Plus
Quick Start Guide
January 2004 4 MNL-500162-001 – Rev 1.3
YDI AP+ and Super-EC Bridging
The AP+ bridging function (see Figure 10) requires the
AP+ function on an Access Point and the SEC function
on the Access Point you are bridging to as a client. It is
these two things that allow the actual bridging to take
place. Notice that these two functions can also coexist
in the same Access Point by loading them separately on
each of the two WLAN cards.
Figure 10 – Point-to-Point Transparent Bridging
BCU
802.11b Clients
AP-Plus Loaded
With AP+
Internet
Internal Bridging
Super-EC
Mode
AP+
Mode
Omni
Antenna
Straight
802.11b
Transparent
Layer-2 Bridging
AP+
Mode
(Optional amplifiers
or 2.4 to 5.8 GHz converters)
AP-Plus Loaded
With AP+
2.4 GHz Link
Relay StationBase Site
One channel of the Relay Station Access Point is in Super EC
mode and acting as a “client” of the Base Site AP. The second
channel is in AP+ mode and serving local clients within the range
of its antenna.
This arrangement should only be used when there is a small
number of clients served by the Relay Station.
SSID 1
SSID 2
The AP+ function is automatic in the AP+ enabled
Access Point, no additional configuration is required to
take advantage of it. The SEC function is configured
the same way as any other 802.11b client. The
suggested procedure follows:
1. Open the YDI AP Manager.
2. Connect yourself to the Access Point that has AP+
loaded. Go to File and select Open Remote
Config. Enter the IP address and password of the
AP, and click OK.
3. Go to Interface Setup, click on the setup button for
the radio interface you wish to use.
4. This interface should already be in 802.11b
Compatible Access Point mode. Set the Network
Name to what you want it to be. You can select the
Channel to use by selecting the Frequency button.
This is all that is really necessary to configure on
the AP for the basic functionality.
5. Go to File and click Save Config to save the
configuration to the AP and reboot it.
6. Connect yourself to the Access Point that has SEC
loaded. Go to File and select Open Remote
Config. Enter the IP address and password of the
AP acting as a SEC device, and click OK.
7. Go to Interface Setup, click on the setup button for
the radio interface you wish to use.
8. The mode should be set to Mobile Ethernet
Converter (or Mobile Network Address
Translator if NAT is enabled). In the Network
Name field enter the exact same network name you
assigned to the remote AP, it is case sensitive!
This is all the configuration that is necessary. The
Frequency button should be grayed out, since the
client will use whatever channel the AP is using.
9. Go to File and click Save Config to save the
configuration to the SEC device and reboot it.
10. At this point, as long as the network names match,
the SEC device should associate to the AP and,
depending on the user limitation, bridge the
appropriate amount of MAC addresses.
For outdoor and most applications, the following
802.11b settings are recommended:
Parameter Setting
Medium Reservation (RTS/CTS) 100
Microwave Oven Robustness Support Off
Distance Between APs Large
Technical Support
Your primary source of assistance is the dealer from
which you purchased this product. The YDI support staff
should only be contacted directly if you purchased this
product directly from YDI.
NOTE: Before you contact Technical Support, please
make sure that you have read and thoroughly
understood all instructions outlined on this
manual.
YDI Wireless Tel.: [phone]
8000 Lee Highway Fax: [phone]
Falls Church, VA 22042 E-mail: [e-mail]
USA www.ydi.com
The latest software and User’s Manuals can also be
found at:
http://www.ydi.com/support/downloads.php
http://www.ydi.com/support/documents.php
CAUTION
If you have 2 wireless cards in the
same AP, one in AP mode and one
in SEC mode, they can NOT have
the same SSID. If they do it will
cause a loop which is shown by all
LEDs turning almost solid green.

AP-Plus
Quick Start Guide
MNL-500162-001 – Rev 1.3 5 January 2004
Wall-Mounting Template

AP-Plus
Quick Start Guide
January 2004 6 MNL-500162-001 – Rev 1.3