Cisco Aironet Macintosh Clients FAQ

This document provides information on the most common questions asked about Cisco Aironet Client Adapters used with Apple Macintosh operating systems.

A. For the OS 9.0 products:

Within the System folder, four items are added to the Extensions folder, one item is added to Location Manager Modules within the Extensions folder and one item to the Help folder. Then a new folder called Cisco PCM340 is added to the hard drive.

The System Folder contains these subfolders and files:

• Extensions Folder:
  • PCM340 (PCMCIA card driver)
  • PCM340Enabler
  • PCM350Enabler
  • PCM340PCI (PCI driver - all models)
  • Location Manager Modules: Cisco Wireless LAN Adapter
• Help Folder:
  • PCM340PPC help:
    • Toc.htm
    • PCM340PPC help idx
    • Pgs:
    • Gfx:

The Cisco PCM340 Folder contains these files:

• PCM340PPC (the Aironet Client Utility equivalent application)
• PCM340PPC Guide (help)
• Read Me

In addition to those files, the application PCM340PPC creates a data file in the Preferences folder within the System folder called PCM340 Preferences.

A. For all other OS:

Within the System folder, two items are added to the Library's Extensions folder, five items in one folder are added to the Library:StartupItems folder, and 1 item is added to the Applications folder. A file called Cisco WLAN Installer Log File is added to the hard drive. In detail:

• WLAN Installer Log File
• Cisco PCM340 Folder:
• System Folder:
  • Library:
    • Extensions:
      • CiscoPCCardRadio.kext
      • CiscoPCIRadio.kext
• Library:
  • StartupItems:
    • Cisco:
      • Cisco
      • Cisco.install
      • Cisco.nosetup
      • Cisco.setup
      • StartupParameters.plist
• Applications:
  • Aironet Client Utility

A. The access point, not the client, controls interoperability. Make sure that the access point is not using any proprietary extensions or requiring firmware specific to the products of the manufacturer. Also make sure that the access point is 802.11b-compliant.

A. The Apple Airport uses Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) keys entered in ASCII; the Cisco Aironet products use hexadecimal. To set a WEP key on an Airport in hex, use a $ symbol before the key. To ensure that you're using the correct key, check the Airport Base Station Configurator. Since that application is Java-based, it requires MRJ (Mac Runtime Java) and the swing libraries.

A. The Apple System Profiler report can be very helpful in determining what items the system is recognizing properly, particularly if you have to open a case with the TAC. You can find the Apple System Profiler in OS 9 under the Apple Menu, or in OS X in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder. Be sure to include System Profile, Devices and Volumes, Control Panels, Extensions, and System Folders in your report.

A.

1. Launch the PCM340PPC application or Aironet Client Utility.
2. Click Commands.
3. Click Edit Properties.
4. On each tab, click Defaults.

A. The most common cause of this behavior is a misconfiguration of AppleTalk or TCP/IP. The card is receiving power, so the radio associates to the access point, but the facilities on the other end of the card aren't communicating with the OS. Verify that the card appears correctly on the Connect Via: (in OS 9) or Show: (in OS X) popup menus, then configure TCP/IP accordingly.

A. This problem comes from inadequate shielding around the PCMCIA socket itself. The radio energy of the card passing traffic leaks into the speakers (since it's not sufficiently contained in the card socket) and manifests as a buzz in the speakers. Consequently, it's not a problem with the card, it's the socket. Resolution needs to come from the manufacturer of the laptop who chose not to shield the socket.

A. The specific hardware model determines the level of encryption for the unit:

• 340 models do not support encryption
• 341 models support 40-bit or no encryption
• 342 and 352 models support 128-bit, 40-bit or no encryption

A. Associations go as follows:

• Client to Access Point
• Client to Bridge (in Access Point mode)
• Client to Base Station
• Client to Client (in AdHoc mode)

A. The answer to this question depends on many factors. Among them are data rate (bandwidth) desired, antenna type and cable length (where applicable), and device receiving the transmission. In an optimal installation, range can be up to 300 feet.

A. Yes. The major difference between the two product lines is the power of the radio, with the 350 series having the stronger radio at 100 milliwatts. In a mixed installation, the shorter range of the 340 series prevails.

A. If there are multiple access points in your wireless topology, your client maintains an association with the access point where it originally associated until it loses keepalive beacons from that access point. It then seeks out another access point and attempts to associate to it, provided that the client has sufficient rights and authorization on the new access point.

A. No. This is not supported in any version of the hardware. Because the radio card is set to a different I/O mode, the card is not recognized by the Operating System. There is no known way of bypassing this.

A. From the PCM340PPC application in OS 9, configure the clients to run in Ad Hoc mode. In OS X, the Aironet Client Utility, choose the network type Computer to Computer. These are peer-to-peer connections. One machine becomes the parent, while the other becomes the child.

A. In the US, wireless LAN radios transmit and receive in one of 11 channels within the 2.4 GHz frequency. This is a public frequency and is unlicensed by the FCC.

A. Enable WEP to encrypt packets sent across a radio link.

A. An Access Point has the physical capacity to handle 2,048 MAC addresses. However, given that the access point is a shared medium and acts as a wireless hub, performance is degraded as the number of users increases on an individual access point.