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SonicPoint Deployment Best Practices
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SonicOS 5.8.1 Administrator Guide
• Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
• Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
These wireless cards are provided to OEM
laptop manufacturers and are often rebranded
under the manufacturers name – for example, both Dell and IBM use the above wireless cards
but the drivers are branded under their own name.
To identify the adapter, go to Intel’s support site and do a search for Intel Network Connection
ID Tool. Install and run this tool on any laptop experiencing frequent wireless disconnect
issues. The tool will identify which Intel adapter is installed inside the laptop.
Once you have identified the Intel wireless adapter, go to Intel’s support site and download the
newest software package for that adapter – it is recommended that you download and install
the full Intel PRO/Set package and allow it to manage the wireless card, instead of Windows or
any OEM provided wireless network card management program previously used. SonicWALL
recommends that you use version 10.5.2.0 or newer of the full Intel PRO/Set Wireless software
driver/manager.
Be sure to use the Intel wireless management utility and to disable Microsoft’s Wireless Zero
Config management service – the Intel utility should control the card, not the OS.
In the ‘Advanced’ section, disable the power management by unchecking the box next to ‘Use
default value’, then move the slidebar under it to ‘Highest’. This instructs the wireless card to
operate at full strength and not go into sleep mode. When you are done, click on the ‘OK’ button
to save and activate the change. Reboot the laptop.
In the ‘Advanced’ section, adjust the roaming aggressiveness by unchecking the box next to
‘Use default value’, then move the slidebar under it to ‘Lowest’. This instructs the wireless card
to stay stuck to the AP it’s associated as long as possible, and only roam if the signal is
significantly degraded. This is extremely helpful in environments with large numbers of access
points broadcasting the same SSID. When you are done, click on the ‘OK’ button to save and
activate the change. Reboot the laptop.
If you continue to have issues, you may also try adjusting the Preamble Mode on the wireless
card. By default the Intel wireless cards above are set to ‘auto’. All SonicWALL wireless
products by default are set to use a ‘Long’ preamble, although this can be adjusted in the
Management GUI. To adjust the Intel wireless card’s preamble setting, go to the ‘Advanced’
section and uncheck the box next to ‘Use default value’, then select ‘Long Tx Preamble’ from
the drop-down below it. When you are done, click on the ‘OK’ button to save and activate the
change. Reboot the laptop.
PoE
• A SonicPoint at full power draws 6-10 Watts.
• SonicPoints are set to Class 0 PD (meaning that it can be 0.44W minimum up to 12.95W
maximum). A mismatch in Class will cause confusion in the handshake and reboot the
SonicPoint.
• Full 802.3af compliance is required on any switch that will be supplying PoE to a SonicPoint
or SonicPoint-G. Do not operate SonicPoints on non-compliant switches as SonicWALL
does not support it.
• Turn off pre-802.3af-spec detection as it may cause connectivity issues.
• Long cable runs cause loss of power; 100 meter runs between SonicPoint and PoE switch
may incur up to 16% power/signal degradation; because of this the PoE switch will need to
supply more power to the port to keep the SonicPoint operational.