User guide

User Guide 69
Firebox X Edge e-Series Wireless Setup
Setting the wireless mode
Most wireless cards can operate only in 802.11b (up to 11 MB/second) or 802.11g (54 MB/second) mode.
To set the operating mode for the Firebox X Edge e-Series Wireless, select an option from the Wireless
Mode drop-down list. There are two wireless modes:
802.11g and 802.11b
This is the default mode. This mode allows the Edge to connect with devices that use 802.11b or
802.11g.
802.11b only
This mode allows the Edge to connect to devices using only 802.11b.
Note
The Firebox X Edge e-Series Wireless only operates in 802.11g mode if all the wireless cards
connected to the Edge are using 802.11g. If any 802.11b clients connect to the Edge, all
connections automatically drop to 802.11b mode.
Setting the fragmentation threshold
The Firebox X Edge e-Series Wireless allows you to set the maximum frame size it can send without frag-
menting the frame. This is called the fragmentation threshold. This setting is rarely changed. It is set at
the default maximum frame size of 2346, which means that it will never fragment any frames that it
sends to wireless clients. This is best for most environments.
To change the fragmentation threshold, type a value in the Fragmentation Threshold field. The possi-
ble values are 256 through 2346.
For more information on the fragmentation threshold parameter, see
this FAQ:
www.watchguard.com/support/advancedfaqs/edge_fragthreshold.asp
You must log in to your LiveSecurity account to see this FAQ.
Configuring Wireless Security Settings
The Firebox® X Edge e-Series Wireless uses two security protocol standards to protect your wireless net-
work. They are WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WEP and WPA encrypt
the transmissions on the wireless LAN between the computers and the access points. WPA and WEP also
can prevent unauthorized access to the wireless access point.
WEP and WPA each use pre-shared keys, but WPA uses an algorithm to change the encryption key at
regular intervals. This keeps the data sent on a wireless connection more secure. If you use the Windows
XP operating system with Service Pack 2 or higher, you can use WPA-PSK (WPA with pre-shared keys)
with no additional driver installation. If you use an earlier version of Windows or a different operating
system, it can be necessary to install other drivers to use WPA-PSK. If you cannot use WPA-PSK, we rec-
ommend that you use Shared Key authentication with WEP encryption or MUVPN without WPA or WEP.