User guide

DeviceMaster FreeWire Installation and User Guide: 2000412 Rev. D Product Overview - 5
Product Overview
The DeviceMaster FreeWire is a high-performance, standalone device designed to
connect a wide range of serial devices (i.e., security devices, telecommunications
equipment, modems, data display devices, industrial instrumentation, etc.) to an
Ethernet network. The DeviceMaster FreeWire supports RS-232 serial interfaces
at a variety of baud rates (data transmission speeds), automatically senses both
100baseTX Fast Ethernet and 10baseT Ethernet network connections, and the
wireless capability allows connections to 802.11g wireless networks as well.
DeviceMaster FreeWire Requirements
To use the wireless DeviceMaster FreeWire, you need an 802.11g compatible
wireless network consisting of either of the following:
• An 802.11b/g wireless-enabled PC connected directly to the DeviceMaster
FreeWire (Ad-Hoc or Peer-to-Peer mode).
• An 802.11b/g wireless access point that allows wireless and wired Ethernet-
enabled PCs to connect to the serial server.
To configure the wireless DeviceMaster FreeWire, you will need the following
information from your wireless network administrator:
• Wireless mode used (Infrastructure or Ad-Hoc)
• The SSID (service set identifier) for your wireless network.
• The Radio Frequency Channel of the wireless network.
• If you are using TCP/IP (recommended for Windows networks) and are not
connected to a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server (for
obtaining an IP Address automatically), you will need a unique IP Address for
the DeviceMaster FreeWire (for example: 192.168.1.14). If the DeviceMaster
FreeWire is not on the same IP subnet as the PCs you are using, you will also
need a subnet mask and a router (default gateway) address.
• Wireless Security Settings (WEP keys, 802.1x settings, etc.)
Installation Overview
The DeviceMaster FreeWire installation follows these steps:
1. Install the hardware (Hardware Installation
on Page 7).
2. Configure the DeviceMaster FreeWire using Configuration Options
on Page 6
to locate configuration procedures for your environment.
3. If necessary, update the firmware (Checking the Firmware Version
on Page
35).
4. Connect your serial device to the DeviceMaster FreeWire (Connecting the
Serial Device on Page 41).