Troubleshooting

This chapter provides troubleshooting procedures for basic problems with the bridge. Sections include:

Checking the Top Panel Indicators

If your bridge is not communicating with your wireless LAN, check the three indicators on the top panel. They allow you to quickly assess the unit's status. Figure 4-1 shows the indicators, and table 4-1 lists the meanings of the indicator signals.

The three indicator lights on top of the bridge report Ethernet activity, operational status, and radio activity. The indicators are labeled in Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1: Indicator lights on the Bridge

The Ethernet indicator signals traffic on the wired LAN, or Ethernet infrastructure. This indicator blinks green when a packet is received or transmitted over the Ethernet infrastructure.
The status indicator signals operational status. Blinking green indicates that the bridge is operating normally but is not communicating with an Access Point. Steady green indicates that the bridge is communicating with an Access Point.
The radio indicator blinks green to indicate radio traffic activity. The light is normally off, but it blinks green whenever a packet is received or transmitted over the bridge's radio.

Table 4-1: Top Panel Indicator Signals

Message
type Radio
indicator Status
indicator Infrastructure
indicator Meaning

Association status

Steady green

Linked to the wireless LAN

Blinking green

Not linked to the wireless LAN; check the unit's SSID and WEP settings

Operational

Blinking green

Steady green

Transmitting/receiving radio packets

Steady green

Blinking green

Transmitting/receiving packets

Blinking amber

Steady green

Maximum retries or buffer full occurred on the radio. The Access Point with which the bridge is communicating may be overloaded, or radio reception may be poor. Try changing the bridge's SSID to communicate with another Access Point, or repositioning the bridge to improve connectivity.

Error/warning

Steady green

Blinking amber

Transmit/receive errors

Blinking red

Ethernet cable is disconnected

Blinking amber

General warning

Failure

Steady red

Steady red

Steady red

Firmware failure; disconnect power from the unit and reapply power

Firmware upgrade

Steady red

Unit is loading new firmware

Message type	Radio indicator	Status indicator	Infrastructure indicator	Meaning
Association status		Steady green		Linked to the wireless LAN
	Blinking green		Not linked to the wireless LAN; check the unit's SSID and WEP settings
Operational	Blinking green	Steady green		Transmitting/receiving radio packets
	Steady green	Blinking green	Transmitting/receiving packets
Blinking amber	Steady green		Maximum retries or buffer full occurred on the radio. The Access Point with which the bridge is communicating may be overloaded, or radio reception may be poor. Try changing the bridge's SSID to communicate with another Access Point, or repositioning the bridge to improve connectivity.
Error/warning		Steady green	Blinking amber	Transmit/receive errors
		Blinking red	Ethernet cable is disconnected
	Blinking amber		General warning
Failure	Steady red	Steady red	Steady red	Firmware failure; disconnect power from the unit and reapply power
Firmware upgrade		Steady red		Unit is loading new firmware

Checking Basic Settings

Mismatched basic settings are the most common causes of lost connectivity with the wireless LAN. If the bridge does not communicate with a Cisco Aironet Access Point, check the following settings.

SSID

The bridge's SSID must match the SSID of a Cisco Aironet Access Point on your wireless LAN. The Access Point must be within radio range of the bridge.

WEP Keys

The WEP key you use to transmit data must be set up exactly the same on your Access Point and your bridge. For example, if you set WEP Key 3 on your bridge to 0987654321 and select it as the transmit key, you must also set WEP Key 3 on the Access Point to exactly the same value.

Refer to the "Configuring the Bridge" section in Chapter 3 for instructions on setting the bridge's WEP keys.

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