airPoint Frequently Asked Questions

airPoint™[sB2400] Frequently Asked Questions

About airPointT
1.	How do I connect to my PC/Laptop?
2.	How fast is the airPoint Ethernet port?
3.	Is it necessary for me to install the software simpleMonitor?
4.	What do the different lights (LEDs) on the airPoint indicate ?
5.	How do I upgrade the firmware on the airPoint?
6.	Is it necessary to use the powerShot?
7.	What are the different operating modes in airPoint ?
8.	How many client device's can I associate to an access point ?
9.	What are different types of encryption and authentication mechanism possible in the airPoint ?
10.	What is the benefit of using airPoint in Client Bridge mode instead of using airBridge as client device?

Common Problems and Solutions
1.	Cannot ping the device?
2.	Can ping the sB device but not able to login using the simpleMonitor software, what is the problem ?
3.	LEDs do not light up at all ?
4.	Having trouble in make client bridge mode to associate to third party access point ?
5.	Not able to do remote administration of airPoint devices ?
6.	Fail to login as administrator with this error "You are trying to login as administrator with user password".?
7.	Not able to ping the device interface IP with larger MTU size than 1452?

About airPointT
1.	How do I connect to my PC/Laptop? Connect airpoint directly to the PC/Laptop through the powershot. In case the Ethernet light doesn't come up, toggle the switch on the powershot. After the device has been confiured, you can connect it to the network and toggle the switch back. Please refer to the Quick Install Guide or the User Guide for further details. Back to top
2.	How fast is the airPoint Ethernet port? The Ethernet port supports 10 Mbps and half-duplex over a 10BaseT RJ-45 connector. When you inter-connect airPoint to an Ethernet based device or switch, ensure that the Ethernet device or switch is set to either 10Mbps or Auto negotiation mode. Back to top
3.	Is it necessary for me to install the software simpleMonitor? No, for normal operation the simpleMonitor software is not required. It is required for configuration and monitoring only. However, it is highly recommended to install the software on the user's PC for monitoring and troubleshooting. Back to top
4.	What do the different lights (LEDs) on the airPoint indicate ? On the airPoint the Orange LED shows POWER, Green LED indicates Ethernet activity, Blue LED indicates RF Link. Back to top
5.	How do I upgrade the firmware on the airPoint? The firmware upgrade is one-click operation. Get the latest software (CD Version which include the firmware) and install. When login to the airPoint, it will detect the firmware version and may prompt you for upgrade. Choose "Yes" to upgrade. Alternatively, to upgrade the firmware, follow the instructions given below: Click on Start -> Programs -> smartBridges -> airPoint -> airPoint FWUpGrade Click on Search. Now the IP address of airPoint will be displayed. Click on the airPoint entry in the List Enter password for the selected airPoint Click on "Get File Path" to locate the new Firmware file (.rom) in your PC. Click on "Download Firmware". Refer to the User Manual for further details. Back to top
6.	Is it necessary to use the powerShot? Yes you have to use PowerShot. This is in newer device version and has no more power connector on the device and is part of the device in order to power it up via ethernet. (It is a POE device). Also using the powerShot you will be able to restore the device back to factory/WISP defaults. Back to top
7.	What are the different operating modes in airPoint ? The airPoint can operate in two different Modes, namely Access Point - In this mode the airPoint is operating as a normal 802.11b compliant Access Point. Client Info and Client Auth Tabs of simpleMonitor will be enabled in this Mode. Client Bridge - In this mode the airPoint is operating as ethernet client and is transparent bridge. You can associate it with Access Point on the LAN; SiteSurvey and Link Status Tabs of simpleMonitor will be enabled on this Mode. This Ethernet Client supports the multiple PCs. Back to top
8.	How many client device's can I associate to an access point ? You can have up to 128 client devices associated to an access point at any given point of time Back to top
9.	What are different types of encryption and authentication mechanism possible in the airPoint ? HEX based WEP encryption Internal MAC address based authentication Back to top
10.	What is the benefit of using airPoint in Client Bridge mode instead of using airBridge as client device? It is transparent bridge and allows multiple MAC addresses (multiple PCs/ Ethernet ready devices) to connect at the Ethernet port of the unit. Client Bridge can be directly connected to a hub or a switch for connecting multiple devices. Back to top

Common Problems and Solutions

Cannot ping the device?

Make sure that Ethernet (ETH), power (PWR) LEDs are ON. If any of the LEDs is OFF, check for the power connection and cable connection. TxRx LED should be flickering or steady.

Make sure the IP settings of the PC are correct. Use ipconfig/all command to confirm that PC has valid IP settings. Usually PC and the airPoint will be on the same IP subnet, otherwise proper routing has to be taken care off.

If your are connecting directly to your PC and using powerShot sB 2820 then change the switch from straight to cross, if you are using powerShot sB 2811 or sB 2810 then make sure you are using a cross connector.

Can ping the sB device but not able to login using the simpleMonitor software, what is the problem ?

Check if you are using the correct simpleMonitor software appropriate to the device.

Make sure that there is no firewall running on your PC which prevents the broadcast packets to go out, because this will also prevent the simpleMonitor software from searching for the device. WinXP with Internet Firewall enabled will block the search.

You could try to login by manually entering device IP address and password.

The SNMP UDP port 161 and 162 are used for communicating between the software and the device.

LEDs do not light up at all ?

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

Also if you are using cable lengths beyond 50 meters make sure you have an appropriate power supply.

Powering CAT5 cable lengths of greater than 160 feet or 50 meters

In case you need to power the device with CAT5 Cable lengths greater than 160 feet or 50 meters (to a maximum of 327 feet or 100 meters) then a DC power supply adapter of output voltage between 15V DC and 18V DC needs to be procured independently from third party sources.

To help you procure the correct power supply adapter, the specification of the power adapter is :-

Output Voltage Range between 15V to 18V Regulated (preferred 18V max)

Current Ratings 1 Ampere (minimum)

Type of Plug Barrel Type

Plug Polarity outer body = +ve, center = -ve

Diameter of plug Inner Diameter of the plug = 2.5mm
Outer Diameter of the plug = 5.5mm

Length of the plug 10mm or more

The supplied standard 12V DC power adapter can power the devices upto 160 feet or 50 meters only with standard CAT5 Cables.

Having trouble in make client bridge mode to associate to third party access point ?

smartBridges devices use Address-4 field, which is an optional field as specified by IEEE 802.11b standard. If any IEEE 802.11b compliant wireless access points supporting this field, then it can be used with Client-Bridge mode.

In this case, I would recommend you to use the airBridge series which is a standard Ethernet client device and will work with any access point supporting the 802.11b standard instead of using the airPointPRO series as client devices (CB mode). This will prevent you from having any incompatibility issues with normal 802.11b Access points.

Not able to do remote administration of airPoint devices ?

Remote administration is possible if the following procedures are followed:

IP address of the device and PC is properly configured and ensure you can ping the device
Under Advanced Tab, the Configuration Port should be enabled for both Wireless and Ethernet
Primary Port is correctly set
Routing is taken care if manage from different subnet
No firewall rule is blocking the SNMP UDP port 161 & 162

Fail to login as administrator with this error "You are trying to login as administrator with user password".?

We have implemented a feature that user can not login using administartor authority with user password. However this logic assumes the memory API support and some of the older airPoint devices are not calibrated for memory. So if you are using the correct admin password and getting this error, download Recovery Utility to re-calibrate the device settings.

Not able to ping the device interface IP with larger MTU size than 1452?

You cannot ping the device interface IP with any packet size larger than 1452, this however does not stop you to send larger packets. This is by design and is not going to cause any problem to user data traffic.