WESM zl Management and Configuration Guide WT.01.28 and greater

12-5
Wireless Network Management
Monitoring the Wireless Network
The screen displays this information for each station associated with one of the
WLANs on this module:
■ Station Index—Stations are listed in the order in which they associated.
■ MAC Address—Each station’s Media Access Control (MAC) address is listed.
■ IP Address—A station must receive an IP address to receive complete network
connectivity.
■ Ready—A green check mark indicates that the station has completely authenti-
cated and associated to a WLAN. A red X reveals that the station cannot yet send
data, usually because it failed to authenticate.
■ Power Save—A station that uses power save turns off the wireless connection
except when actively sending or receiving data. The Wireless Edge Services zl
Module tracks these stations and ensures that packets are correctly buffered for
them. A green checkmark indicates that the station is currently in power save
mode.
Although power save extends a station’s battery life, it might result in jittery
performance for real-time applications. If a user complains of low quality of
service (QoS) and you see that the user’s station implements power save, you
could suggest that the user disable this feature.
■ WLAN—The index number of the WLAN to which the station has connected is
listed. (This column does not show the service set identifier [SSID]). The WLAN
defines the broadcast group for the station and determines settings such as
encryption and QoS.
■ VLAN—The virtual LAN (VLAN), or subnetwork, in which the module will
forward traffic from this station is listed. This important setting determines the
type of network access that the station receives. If the module implements user-
based VLANs for a WLAN, you should verify that the station has received the
correct VLAN assignment.
■ Radio Index—The radio to which the station connects is listed. If you see an
unauthorized station, this information will point you toward the intruder’s
physical location.
■ Radio Type—This setting indicates the 802.11 mode in which the station and the
RP radio to which it connects operate.
You should be able to interpret the information on the Device Information > Wireless
Stations screen to monitor and troubleshoot your wireless network.
For example, if the user of a wireless station listed in Figure 12-1 reports that he or
she cannot connect to the network, the network administrator can quickly access the
Network Setup > Wireless Stations screen while talking to the user. The adminis-
trator can immediately see that the user’s station is not ready to send and receive
traffic and has not received an IP address. The administrator can then begin to
troubleshoot the problem, working with the user to ensure that login credentials were