General Wireless F.A.Q. What variables may cause my wireless product not to receive signals at the maximum advertised distance? I want to share a cable or DSL internet connection with three PCs. I want to share a printer and I already own a hub. Should I use an access point like the DWL-900AP+ or a wireless router like the DI-614+ or DI-714P+? What is an Access Point? What is SSID? What is Ad-hoc mode? What is Infrastructure? What is WEP? What is 4X Mode? What variables may cause my wireless product not to receive signals at the maximum advertised distance? D-Link Air lets you access your network from anywhere you want. However, keep in mind, that range is limited by the number of walls, ceilings, or other objects that the wireless signals must pass through. Typical ranges vary depending on the types of materials and background RF noise in your home or business. The key to maximizing range is to follow these basic principles: 1. Keep the number of walls and ceilings to a minimum - Each wall or ceiling can rob your D-Link Air Wireless product of 3-90 ft. of range. Position your Access Points, Residential Gateways, and computers so that the number of walls or ceilings is minimized. 2. Be aware of the direct line between Access Points, Residential Gateways, and Computers - A wall that is 1.5 feet thick, at a 45 degree angle, appears to be almost 3 feet thick. At a 2-degree angle it looks over 42 feet thick! Try to make sure that the Access Point and Adapters are positioned so that the signal will travel straight through a wall or ceiling for better reception. 3. Building Materials make a difference - A solid metal door or aluminum studs may have a negative effect on range. Try to position Access Points, Residential Gateways, and Computers so that the signal passes through drywall or open doorways and not other materials. 4. Make sure that the antenna is positioned for best reception by using the software signal strength tools included with your product. 5. Keep your product away (at least 3-6 feet) from electrical devices that generate RF noise, like microwaves, Monitors, electric motors, UPS units, etc. 6. If you are using 2.4GHz cordless phones or X-10 (wireless products such as ceiling fans, lights, and home security systems), your wireless connection will degrade dramatically or drop completely. For the average home, range should not be a problem. If you experience low or no signal strength in areas of your home that you wish to access, consider positioning the Access Point in a location directly between the Residential Gateways. I want to share a cable or DSL internet connection with three PCs. I want to share a printer and I already own a hub. Should I use an access point like the DWL-900AP+ or a wireless router like the DI-614+ or DI-714P+? The router will be a better solution for you. This will allow you to share multiple computers with a single IP address from your cable/DSL provider. It has LAN ethernet ports with which you can connect your hub to allow multiple wired connections and wireless capabilities with which you can connect your wireless computers. All of our routers have a DHCP server which will automatically assign your computers the required IP information. What is an Access Point? An access point is a bridging device for connecting a wired and wireless network together. Access points are typically wireless routers or stand-alone devices that plug into an Ethernet hub, switch, or router. Currently, D-Link offers several wireless access points and routers. Please visit our products page for more information. Wireless adapters should be set to Infrastructure Mode when connecting to an access point or wireless router. What is SSID? SSID, or Service Set Identifier, is the workgroup name of your Wireless Network. All devices (Access Points, Wireless Routers, and Wireless Network Adapters) must all have the same SSID to communicate on the Wireless Network. All D-Link Wireless devices have the default SSID of default, all lower case. You can use up to 32 letters and/or numbers. Do not use spaces, dashes, slashes, or other non-alphanumeric characters. The SSID is CaSe-SenSiTiVe. What is Ad-hoc mode? Set of 802.11b wireless stations that communicate directly with one another without using an access point or any connection to a wired network. What is Infrastructure? Infrastructure: An 802.11 network in which wireless devices communicate with each other by first going through an Access Point (AP) or wireless router. What is WEP? WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. It is based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and uses the RC4 encryption algorithm. Enabling WEP allows you to increase security by encrypting data being transferred over your wireless network. When WEP encryption is enabled, there are two options*: 64-bit and 128-bit. 64-bit is the same as 40-bit WEP. The lower level of WEP encryption uses a 40-bit (10 character) "secret key" (set by the user), and a 24-bit "initialization vector" (not under user control). So lower level 40 and 64 bit WEP cards are equivalent in encryption strength and compatibility. * 802.11B supports 64 and 128-bit encryption, 802.11B+ (enhanced) supports 64, 128, and 256-bit encryption, and 802.11A supports 64, 128, and 152-bit encryption. What is 4X mode? 4X mode is a proprietary method of gaining increased throughput exclusive to the D-Link Airplus family. 4X mode enables you to get up to 4 times actual throughput increase over 802.11b devices when using some D-Link Airplus products that also support 4X mode. The 4X mode option will be available with a driver upgrade for the DWL-650+ or DWL-520+ and a firmware upgrade for DWL-900AP+ and some other products. Note: When upgrading firmware or drivers, 4X mode is enabled by default. If you are using non-4X adapters in your wireless network, performance will degrade if 4X is enabled. Note The DWL-900AP+ currently supports the 4X feature in Access Point mode only. 4X mode will not be available for the following products: DI-713P DWL-1000AP DWL-900AP DWL-120 DWL-650 DWL-520 DWL-AB520/650 DWL-AG520/650 DWL-A520/650 DWL-G520/650 DCF-660W