® WL-127 Wireless Fidelity Card Installation Guide First Edition June 2003
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WL-127 specifications summary* Standard IEEE 802.11b Technology Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Data Transfer Rate 11Mbps (with automatic fallback to 5.5, 2 and 1Mbps) Host Interface ASUS proprietary WL-127 interface Network Types Supports Infrastructure and Ad Hoc networks Frequency Band 2.4 GHz ~ 2.
1. Welcome! Thank you for buying the ASUS WL-127 Card! The WL-127 card is a wireless network interface card for ASUS motherboards with the proprietary Wi-Fi slot. This card conforms to the IEEE 802.11b standard for wireless local area network (WLAN) assuring you of seamless integration to any wireless network. The WL-127 card is sure to keep you ahead in the world of wireless computing. 2. Package contents Check the following items in your ASUS WL-127 package.
3. Features The WL-127 card is an easy-to-use wireless solution for desktop PCs. Compliant with the IEEE 802.11b standard, the WL-127 card gives you freedom to connect to a wireless network and the Internet without wires and cables. Employing the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology, the WL-127 card is capable of transmitting and receiving signals through radio waves on the 2.4 GHz band. Check out other WL-127 card advantages.
4. Card installation IMPORTANT! Before installing the WL-127 card, make sure that your system meets the following requirements. 4.1 System requirements • • • • • ASUS motherboard with Wi-Fi slot (P4C800/P4C800 Deluxe/P4P800/ P4P800 Deluxe/P4P8X/P4S800/P4S800D/P4V800/P4V800D/P4R800-V/A7N8X-E)* Intel® Pentium™ 4 system Minimum 64MB system memory Windows® 98 SE/2000/ME/XP operating system CD-ROM drive for software and drivers installation NOTE.
4.2 Hardware installation Follow these steps to install the WL-127 card in your system. CAUTION! Before handling the card, touch a bare metal portion of your PC to discharge static electricity from your body. Wear a wrist strap grounded to the PC chassis when handling the card. IMPORTANT! The PCI5 and the Wi-Fi slot may not be used simultaneously on certain motherboards. Check your motherboard documentation for this limitation. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Make sure that the PC is turned off.
9. 8. Connect the dipole antenna twist-on connector to the antenna connector (male) of the WL-127 card. Turn on the computer. 4.2.1 Indicators The WL-127 card is equipped with a Data Transmission (Green AIR) and Network Link (Yellow LINK) LED indicators. Refer to the table below for LED indications. AIR LINK Meaning Fast Blink ON Transmitting/receiving data and connected to the network ON ON No data activity but connected to the network OFF OFF No power or not connected to the network 4.2.
4.3 Software installation Follow these steps to install the WL-127 card driver and the Control Center Utility. 1. Turn on your computer. 2. Insert the support CD into the CD-ROM drive. 3. Click “Install ASUS WLAN Card Utilities/ Driver” when the ASUS WL-127 installation window appears. 4. Restart your computer after the device driver and the Control Center Utility are installed. NOTE. If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support CD and double click the Setup.
4.3.1 Other support CD contents The support CD also contains the following options. Uninstall ASUS WLAN Card Utilities. Click this option to uninstall the Control Center Utility from your system. Read/Install User Documentation. Click to view the installation and quick setup guides in PDF format. Explore CD-ROM. Click this option to explore the support CD contents. Browse our Web Site. Click this option to visit the ASUS website. Click EXIT to close the installation window.
4.4 Windows® XP Wireless Options The first time that the Control Center Utility is launched in Windows® XP, it will automatically show the Wireless Options window. Select “Only use ASUS utilities and disable XP wireless function” to avail all WL-127 card features. Click OK. 5. Using the Control Center Utility The Control Center Utility is a management software that launches applications and activate network location settings.
The Control Center icon indicates the quality of link to the Access Point and whether or not the system is connected to the Internet. Refer to the table below for icon meanings.
5.1 Control Center Right-Click Menu Right-clicking the Control Center icon displays the right-click menu. The following sections describe the right-click menu items. Tabbed Property Sheets The Wireless Settings is the main interface that allows users to control the ASUS WL127. Use the Wireless Settings to view the operational and connection status, or to modify the WL-127 configuration. The Wireless Settings window is composed of the property window and tabbed property sheets.
Status - Status Tab The Status Tab provides general information on the WL-127 card. Association State. This field displays the connection status and MAC address of the network where the system is connected. Service Set Identifier (SSID). This field displays the SSID of the network which the card is associated or is intending to join. The SSID is a group name shared by every member of a wireless network. Only client PCs with the same SSID are allowed to establish a connection.
The Radio State field displays the radio communication status. Click the Disable Radio button if you wish to disable radio communication with the access point. Rescan button - Click to allow WL-127 to scan available wireless networks and to connect to the network with the best signal quality. Change SSID button - Click to change the SSID. Clicking this button opens the Config-Basic window. See page 17 for details.
Status - IP Config Tab The IP Config tab displays the current host and ethernet adapter configurations. IP Config displays TCP/IP information including the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) configurations. Use the IP Config Tab to verify your network settings. IP Buttons IP Release. Click to release the DHCP IP address for the WL-127 card. IP Buttons IP Renew. Click to renew the DHCP IP address for the WL-127 card. NOTE.
Config - Basic Tab The Basic tab provides general information on network types and other configurations. Network Type. Select which type of network you wish to use. Select Infrastructure mode to establish a connection with an Access Point (AP). In this mode, your system can access wireless LAN and wired LAN (Ethernet) via the AP. Select the Ad Hoc mode to communicate directly with other Wi-Fi devices within the WL-127 operating range. Network Name - Displays the network SSID.
Data Rate. Select Fully Auto to allow WiFi-b to adjust to the most suitable connection. You may also fix data transfer rates to 11, 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps. PS Mode. This field allows control of the WL-127 card power saving features. The CAM (Constantly Awake mode) is recommended for systems running on AC power. Others. Click the WEP or Advanced link to open the Encryption or Advanced property tab sheet.
Key Format allows you to set a hexadecimal digit or ASCII character WEP key. Key Length allows you to choose a 64-bit or a 128-bit WEP key. A 64-bit encryption contains 10 hexadecimal digits or 5 ASCII characters. A 128-bit encryption contains 26 hexadecimal digits or 13 ASCII characters. NOTE. 64-bit and 40-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method and can interoperate on wireless networks.
NOTE. After assigning the WEP keys, Click APPLY to save and activate the encryption. Manually assigned encryptions are more secured than automatically generated encryptions. Config - Advanced The Advanced tab displays the WL-127 card advance settings. It is recommended that you do not make any changes on these settings.
Site Survey The Site Survey tab displays the available networks within the range of the WL-127 card. The following network attributes are displayed: BSSID - The IEEE MAC address of the network SSID - SSID (service set identifier) of the network. CH - Direct sequence channel used by the network. RSSI - Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) in dBm. Type - wireless network mode. AP indicates an Infrastructure network type. STA indicates an Ad Hoc network type.
About Click the About icon to view the software version, driver version, and copyright information. Link State Displays the current connection status of the WL127 card to the AP or to other Wi-Fi device.
5.1.2 Help Menu The Control Center Utility is equipped with a Help menu to guide you in using and configuring the WL-127 card. Right-click the Control Center icon on the taskbar, then select Help. Select the Help menu you wish to browse. 5.1.3 Configuring your system as an Access Point (AP) The Control Center Utility can configure your system as soft access point (AP). The WL-127 soft AP function can support up to 31 wireless clients.
Follow these instructions to configure your system as soft AP. Right-click the Control Center icon on the taskbar, then select Change Mode in the pop-up menu. A Change Mode window appears. Select SoftAP Mode. Click OK. The Access Point icon replaces the Control Center icon in the Windows® taskbar. IMPORTANT. Make sure that the network type of wireless clients is set to Infrastructure mode. Wireless clients must also have the same SSID with the soft AP to establish connection.
5.1.4 Preferences The Preferences window allows you to customize the Control Center Utility settings. 5.1.5 About Control Center The About Control Center menu displays the software, drivers, and copyright information.
5.2 Control Center Left-Click Menu Left-clicking the Control Center icon displays the Left-Click menu. The options are described below. Wireless Radio On – Turns the WL-127 radio ON. Wireless Radio Off – Turns the WL-127 radio OFF. Search & Connect – View available wireless networks within range. Wireless Option (Windows® XP only) – Sets your Windows® XP wireless networking environment. See page 11 for details.
6. Appendix 6.1 Channels The IEEE 802.11b standard for Wireless LAN allocated the 2.4 GHz frequency band into 14 overlapping operating channels. Each channel corresponds to a different set of frequencies. The table below shows the center frequencies of each channel. Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Center Frequency 2.412 GHz 2.417 GHz 2.422 GHz 2.427 GHz 2.432 GHz 2.437 GHz 2.442 GHz Channel 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Center Frequency 2.447 GHz 2.452 GHz 2.457 GHz 2.462 GHz 2.467 GHz 2.472 GHz 2.
The number of channels available for the WL-127 varies by country/region. Refer to the table below to determine the number of channels available in your location. Country/Region United States (FCC) and Canada (IC) Europe (ETSI) except Spain and France Spain France Japan (MKK) Available Channels Channels 1 to 11 Channels 1 to 13 Channels 10 and 11 Channels 10 to 13 Channels 1 to 14 NOTE. Channels 1,6 and 11 are independent and do not overlap each other.
6.2 Safety Information In order to maintain compliance with the FCC RF exposure guidelines, this equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance [20cm] between the radiator and your body. Use only with supplied antenna. Unauthorized antenna, modification, or attachments could damage the transmitter and may violate FCC regulations. CAUTION! Any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authorization to use this device.
prohibited. When using this device, a certain separation distance between antenna and nearby persons has to be kept to ensure RF exposure compliance. In order to comply with the RF exposure limits established in the ANSI C95.1 standards, the distance between the antennas and the user should not be less than [20cm].
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