1 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 Package Contents Minimum System Requirements Technical Support 1 1 2 2 Setting Up the Wireless PC Card 3 Connecting the PC Card 3 Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Opening the Monitor Utility Window Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Windows XP 4 Using the Wireless LAN Config.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual ii
1 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card. This easy-toset-up, easy-to-use PC Card is perfect for the mobile home or small office computer user, and features the latest in wireless networking technology. If you want to take your computing to the next level, the Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card is sure to be one of the keys to your success.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Technical Support Actiontec Electronics prides itself on making durable, high-quality, high-performance products. If you need assistance, the Actiontec Technical Support Department is available 24 hours a day, every day, to provide professional support. Actiontec Electronics, Inc. 760 N. Mary Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Technical Support Phone: 719.884.8300 E-mail: techsupp@actiontec.com Internet: www.actiontec.
Setting Up the Wireless PC Card 2 The instructions that follow parallel the steps contained in the Actiontec Installation Buddy™, which provides a visual guide to setting up the Pc card. It is recommended the user run the Installation Buddy first, before attempting any other procedures. To set up the PC Card, it must be connected to and configured with a computer, and then connected to a wireless network. To do this, use the following instructions. Connecting the PC Card 1.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 3. In the next window, click in the check box next to Wireless PC Card and click Next. 4. The next window appears. Read the onscreen instructions, then click Next. 5. When the next window appears, read the information concerning the items needed to set up the PC Card, then click Next.
Chapter 2 Setting Up the Wireless PC Card 6. If Actiontec was chosen in step 2, the following window appears. Read the instructions concerning the gateway, router, or access point, then click Next. If Other Brand was chosen in step 2, the following window appears. Read the instructions concerning the gateway, router, or access point, then click Next. 7. When the next window appears, insert the PC Card into an available PCMCIA slot on the computer. Click Next.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 8. When the next window appears, check that the light on the end of the PC Card is glowing solid green, then click Next. 9. As shown in the next window, select whether Windows XP is used on the computer by clicking Yes or No. Then, click Next. 10. If Yes (Windows XP is running on the computer) was selected in step 9, the window below appears, instructing the user to click Start, Settings, and Network Connections from the desktop.
Chapter 2 Setting Up the Wireless PC Card 11. The next window appears, as well as the “Network Connections” window on the desktop. In the Network Connections window, double-click on the Wireless Network Connection, then click Next in the Installation Buddy. 12. When the next window appears, follow the onscreen instructions. In the “Connect to Wireless Networks” window on the desktop, select the wireless network the PC Card will be connected to, then click Next in the Installation Buddy. 13.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 13. When the PC Card has finished connecting, a “Congratulations” window appears. Click Next through the following windows, then click Finish. The Wireless PC Card is connected to, and configured with, the computer, and is connected to the wireless network.
Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility ☛ 3 Important: If the icon in the picture below appears in the System Tray, use this Utility. If another icon appears, see page 19. To monitor the wireless network to which the Wireless PC Card is connected, as well as check or adjust wireless network settings, use the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility. This utility offers the ability to check wireless network signal strength, connect to a wireless network using an encryption scheme, and many other options.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Using the Wireless LAN Monitor After double-clicking on the Wireless LAN Monitor icon, the Wireless LAN Monitor appears. There are six tabs at the top of the window: Status, Statistics, Site Survey, Encryption, Advanced, and Info. To select a particular tab, click on it. To close the Monitor window, click Exit. Status The Status tab(shown in the figure above) features a number of settings and options related to the wireless network connection.
Chapter 3 Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Infrastructure - When Infrastructure is selected, the PC Card is connected to a router, gateway, or access point. Ad Hoc - When Ad Hoc is selected, the PC Card is connected to another computer. Channel The Channel text box displays the channel in which the PC Card is currently operating. This option cannot be changed from here. SSID The SSID text box displays the name of the wireless network to which the PC Card is currently connected.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Statistics Clicking Statistics in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the “Statistics” tab to appear. This tab contains various Tx (transmit cell) and Rx (ATM cell) statistics for the wireless connection. Clicking Reset sets all the statistics displayed back to zero, and starts the count again.
Chapter 3 Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Site Survey Clicking Survey Site in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the “Survey Site” tab to appear. In the tab’s large text box, a list of all wireless networks the PC Card can detect appears, along with the particular network’s BSSID (MAC address), SSID name, signal strength, channel, encryption state, and BSS (type of connection [Infrastructure or Ad Hoc]). Clicking Re-Scan causes the PC Card to refresh its list of detected networks.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Encryption Clicking Encryption in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the ‘Encryption” tab to appear. If changing settings in this tab, make sure to click Submit after making all changes. Encryption Types Clicking the arrow next to the “Encryption” text box reveals a list box with three options: Disabled, 64 Bit, and 128 Bit. Disabled - If joining a wireless network with no encryption, select this option.
Chapter 3 Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Default Key When 64 Bit or 128 Bit encryption is selected, the “Default Key” text box activates. Click the arrow next to the text box to reveal a list box with four options: Key #1, Key #2, Key #3, and Key #4.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Advanced Clicking Advanced in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the “Advanced” tab to appear. The settings in this tab should be changed only if the user is very familiar with wireless networking concepts. Preamble Type A preamble is a signal which synchronizes transmissions between two or more systems. This setting should remain at Auto. Fragmentation Threshold Sets the amount of network resources used to recover packet errors.
Chapter 3 Using the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Power Save Clicking in this box enables Power Save mode. Activate Power Save when using the PC Card with a laptop running on battery power to minimize the PC Card’s power load. Info Clicking Info in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the “Info” tab to appear. In this tab, the PC Card’s Driver Version, Firmware Version, Application Version, and MAC Address are displayed.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Windows XP When using the PC Card with a computer running Windows XP, the Wireless LAN Utility Monitor is not used. Instead, Windows XP handles the operation of the wireless network natively (that is, within the Windows XP operating system itself).
Using the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility ☛ 4 Important: If the icon in the picture below appears in the System Tray, use this Utility. If another icon appears, see page 9. To monitor the wireless network to which the PC Card is connected, as well as check or adjust wireless network settings, use the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility. This Utility offers the ability to check wireless network signal strength, connect to a wireless network using an encryption scheme, and many other options.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Using the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility After clicking on Advanced Configuration, the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility appears. There are four tabs at the top of the window: Status, Configuration, Encryption, and About. To select a particular tab, click on it. To close the Utility window, click the “x” in the upper right corner of the window .
Chapter 4 Using the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility Current Channel The Current Channel text box displays the channel in which the PC Card is currently operating. Throughput (bytes/sec) The TX and RX text boxes display the transmit cell and ATM cell throughput rates. Disable/Enable Radio The Disable/Enable Radio button controls the state of the PC Card’s wireless capability. Clicking this button causes the wireless radio to turn on and off.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Configuration The Configuration tab features a number of settings related to the network connection. To change any of the settings, click OK, after making changes. Click Defaults to reset all settings to default, Undo to reset the changes to what they were when the Utility was opened, Apply to apply the changes made, or Cancel to cancel any changes. Profile The Profile text box displays the name of the current group of network settings.
Chapter 4 Using the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility Transmit Rate The Transmit Rate text box sets the rate of packets being sent across the PC Card’s wireless connection.Options include 5.5 Mbps, 11 Mbps, and Fully Automatic. Ad Hoc Channel The Ad Hoc Channel text box displays the channel number of the Ad Hoc network. Clicking the up and down arrows next to the text box causes the channel number to increase or decrease.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Encryption (WEP security) Clicking the arrow next to the “Encryption” text box reveals a list box with three options: Disabled, 64 Bit, and 128 Bit. Disabled - If joining a wireless network with no encryption, select this option. 64 Bit - If joining a wireless network with 64-bit encryption, select this option. 128 Bit - If joining a wireless network with 128-bit encryption, select this option.
Chapter 4 Using the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility About Clicking About in the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility window causes the “Link” tab to appear. In this tab, the PC Card’s Network Driver Version, Configuration Utility Version, NIC Firmware Version, and MAC Address are displayed.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Windows XP When using the PC Card with a computer running Windows XP, the Wireless LAN Utility Monitor is not used. Instead, Windows XP handles the operation of the wireless network natively (that is, within the Windows XP operating system itself).
A Reference This appendix contains information about various topics, including accessing information about your Windows computer. Locating Computer Information The following procedure is valid for Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, NT 4.0, 2000 and XP. 1. From the desktop, right-click on My Computer. 2. Select Properties from the menu that appears. 3. When the “System Properties” window appears, select General.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Locating Windows Operating System Files If the operating system files reside on the hard drive of the computer, follow the instructions below to locate them. If the files are not on the hard drive, they must be loaded from the installation disks. Windows 98, 98 SE 1. From the desktop, click Start. 2. When the menu appears, select Find, then Files or Folders. 3. When the “Find: All Files” window appears, select Name & Location. 4.
Appendix A Reference 4. Click the down arrow next to the “Look in” text box and select My Computer from the list that appears. 5. Click Search Now. 6a. Windows Me: When the search is complete, note the directory path that appears most often in the “In Folder” column. For example: C:\WINDOWS \OPTIONS\INSTALL. 6b. Windows 2000: When the search is complete, note the directory path that appears most often in the “In Folder” column. For example: C:\WINNT \Driver Cache. 7.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Windows XP 1. From the desktop, click Start. 2. Select Search, then For Files and Folders. 3. The “Search Results” window appears. In the panel at left titled “What do you want to search for?”, click All files and folders. 4. Another panel, titled “Search by any or all of the criteria below” appears. In the “Look in” text box, click the down arrow and select My Computer from the menu that appears. 5.
B Specifications General Model Number Gxxxxxxx-00 (Actiontec Wireless USB Adapter) Standards IEEE 802.11b (Wireless) Certification FCC, CE Frequency Band 2.4000 GHz ~ 2.4835 GHz Interface USB Data Rate Up to 11Mbps Data Encryption 64 bit/128 bit WEP Dimensions Wireless Operating Range Indoors 40~100M (145~330 ft.) Outdoors 100~300M (330~1000 ft.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter User Manual Environmental Power Input USB power only Operating Temperature 0ºC to 55ºC (32ºF to 131ºF) Storage Temperature -20ºC to 70ºC (-4ºF to 158ºF) Operating Humidity 0% to 70%, non-condensing Storage Humidity 0% to 95%, non-condensing 32
C Glossary Access Point A device that allows wireless clients to connect to one another. An access point can also act as a bridge between wireless clients and a “wired” network, such as an Ethernet network. Wireless clients can be moved anywhere within the coverage area of the access point and remain connected to the network.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter User Manual Firewall Prevents users outside the network from accessing and/or damaging files or computers on the network. Gateway A device that manages the data traffic of a network, as well as data traffic to and from the Internet. IP (Internet Protocol) Address A series of four numbers separated by periods identifying a unique Internet computer host. ISP Gateway Address An IP address for the Internet gateway.
Appendix C Glossary Subnet Mask A set of four numbers configured like an IP address used to create IP address numbers used within a particular network only. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) The standard protocol for data transmission over the Internet. WAN (Wide Area Network) A network connecting computers located in separate areas, (i.e., different buildings, cities, countries). The Internet is a WAN.
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Notices Regulatory Compliance Notices Class B Equipment This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter User Manual 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause unwanted operation. To comply with FCC RF exposure compliance require☞ Note: ments, the antenna used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.
Limited Warranty Hardware: Actiontec Electronics, Inc., warrants to the end user (“Customer”) that this hardware product will be free from defects in workmanship and materials, under normal use and service, for twelve (12) months from the date of purchase from Actiontec Electronics or its authorized reseller.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter User Manual THIS ACTIONTEC ELECTRONICS PRODUCT MAY INCLUDE OR BE BUNDLED WITH THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE, THE USE OF WHICH IS GOVERNED BY A SEPARATE END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. THIS ACTIONTEC ELECTRONICS WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO SUCH THIRDPARTY SOFTWARE. FOR THE APPLICABLE WARRANTY, PLEASE REFER TO THE END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT GOVERNING THE USE OF SUCH SOFTWARE.
Limited Warranty NEITHER ASSUMES NOR AUTHORIZES ANY OTHER PERSON TO ASSUME FOR IT ANY OTHER LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE, INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE OR USE OF ITS PRODUCTS.
Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter User Manual Governing Law: This Limited Warranty shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, U.S.A., excluding its conflicts of laws and principles, and excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
