Site Survey Documentation and Utilities
Link status meter (LSM)

Using the Link Status Meter
This section explains how to use the LSM utility to determine the performance of the RF link between the client adapter and its associated access point.

To open LSM in Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, or Me, double-click the ACU icon on the desktop . Next, click on the Link Status Meter icon. The Link Status Meter screen appears . The Link Status Meter screen provides a graphical display of the following:

  • Signal strength – The strength of the client adapter radio signal at the time packets are being received. It is displayed as a percentage along the vertical axis.
  • Signal quality – The quality of the client adapter radio signal at the time packets are being received. It is displayed as a percentage along the horizontal axis.

The diagonal line represents the combined result of the signal strength and signal quality . The location of the line on the graphical display determines whether the RF link between the client adapter and its associated AP is poor, fair, good, or excellent.

This information can be used to determine the optimum number and placement of APs in the RF network. By using LSM to assess the RF link at various locations, areas of weak performance can be avoided to eliminate the risk of losing the connection between the client adapter and the AP.

The AP that is associated to the client adapter and its MAC address are indicated at the bottom of the display.

The parameters that control LSM operation can be set by the user. To do so, select Preferences from the Options pull-down menu .

Click OK at the bottom of the LSM Preferences screen to save any changes.


Interactive Media Activity

Demonstration Activity: Aironet Client Utility (ACU)

In this activity, students will complete the following tasks:

  • Configure a client card adapter using the ACU.
  • Explore the transmitted and received statistics page of the ACU.
  • Configure a client card adapter using the ACU Site Survey.