® USB Wireless LAN Adapter (WL-160g) User Guide
E1441 First Edition V1 December 2003 Copyright © 2003 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Contents Notice ...................................................................................................... v Safety statements ................................................................................... vi About this guide ..................................................................................... viii WL-160g specification summary ............................................................. ix Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.1 Welcome! ....................................
Contents 3.2 Wireless Settings ....................................................................... 3-4 3.2.1 Status ........................................................................ 3-4 3.2.2 Configuration ............................................................ 3-7 3.2.3 Site Survey ............................................................... 3-9 3.2.4 About Wireless Settings .......................................... 3-10 3.2.5 Link State ................................................
Notice Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • • This device may not cause harmful interference, and This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules.
Safety statements Regulatory Information/Disclaimers Installation and use of this Wireless LAN device must be in strict accordance with the instructions included in the user documentation provided with the product. Any changes or modifications (including the antennas) made to this device that are not expressly approved by the manufacturer may void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Safety statements Caution Statement of the FCC Radio Frequency Exposure This Wireless LAN radio device has been evaluated under FCC Bulletin OET 65C and found compliant to the requirements as set forth in CFR 47 Sections 2.1091, 2.1093, and 15.247(b)(4) addressing RF Exposure from radio frequency devices. The radiation output power of this Wireless LAN device is far below the FCC radio frequency exposure limits.
About this guide This user guide contains the information you need to install and configure your ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter. How this guide is organized This guide contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction This chapter describes the physical features of the ASUS Pocket Wireless Access Point. It also presents the package contents, LED indicators, and recommended network settings.
WL-160g specification summary* Standard IEEE 802.11g Interface USB 2.0 Technology Octogonal Frequency (OFDM) Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Data transfer rate 802.11g: 54Mbps with auto-fallback to 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, and 6Mbps 802.11b: 11Mbps with auto-fallback to 5.5, 2, and 1Mbps Network types Supports Infrastructure and Ad-hoc networks Frequency band 2.4 GHz ~ 2.
Notes
Chapter 1 This chapter describes the physical features of the ASUS Pocket Wireless Access Point. It also presents the package contents, LED indicators, and recommended network settings.
Product introduction 1.1 Welcome! Thank you for choosing the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter! The ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter is an easy-to-install and use wireless LAN adapter. Conforming to IEEE 802.11g standard for wireless local area network (WLAN), the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter is capable of up to 54Mbps data transmission rate using the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and the Octogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing technologies.
Product introduction 1.3 Features 1.3.1 Top view LEDs LEDs. The ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter comes with three LED indicators. Refer to section 1.4 “LED indicators” for details. 1.3.2 Bottom view Magnetic ring Mounting hook Air vents Mounting hook. Use the mounting hook to install the device on concrete or wooden surfaces using a roundhead screw. Magnetic ring. Use the magnetic ring when mounting the device on metal surfaces, such as computer chassis or office partition. Air vents.
Product introduction 1.3.3 Rear view USB port USB port. This USB port connects the device to a computer via the supplied USB plug and cable. 1.4 LED indicators The device comes with a Power, Activity, and Link LED indicators. Refer to the table below for LED indications. 1-4 LED Status Indication Power On Off The adapter is receiving power from the USB port. The adapter is not receiving power from the USB port. The USB cable may be disconnected or the computer is turned off.
Product introduction 1.5 Network setup The ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter may be used in both Ad-hoc and Infrastructure network types. The following sections decribe the device functions in these network types. Determine your network settings before installing the device to avail all its features. The following network settings are recommended. 1.5.1 Ad-hoc network In an Ad-hoc network type, the device connects to another wireless LAN adapter in a wireless network.
Product introduction 1.5.2 Infrastructure network In an Infrastructure network, the wireless network is centered on an access point (AP) that provides a central link for wireless clients to communicate with each other or with a wired network.
Chapter 2 This chapter provides information on how to install the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter.
Installation 2.1 System requirements Before installing the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter, make sure that your system meets the following requirements: • • • • • Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD K7/K8 system Minimum 64MB system memory Windows® 98SE/ME/2000 (SP4)/XP (SP1) operating system Optical drive (for software installation) An available USB port (USB 2.0 recommended) 2.2 Installation procedures Follow these instructions to install the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter in your computer. 1.
Installation 2.2.2 Installing the device To install the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter in your computer: 1. Connect one end of the USB cable to the USB port of the device. 2. Connect the other end of the USB cable to the USB port of your computer. 3. Windows® automatically detects the device and displays the Found New Hardware dialog box. Follow screen instructions to proceed. 4. Windows® 2000 users - A Digital Signature Not Found dialog box may appear. Click Yes to proceed.
Installation 2.3 Placement Take note of the following guidelines before placing the device. • • • Place the device on a flat, stable surface as far from the ground as possible Keep the device away from metal obstructions and direct sunlight. Keep the device away from transformers, heavy-duty motors, fluorescent lights, microwave ovens, refrigerators, and other industrial equipment to prevent interference and signal loss.
Installation 2.3.2 Magnetic mounting Use the magnetic ring on the bottom of the device to mount it on a flat, metal surface, such as the side of your computer chassis or office partition. Magnetic ring DO NOT place the magnetic ring near floppy or magnetic disks to avoid data loss.
Notes
Chapter 3 This chapter provides information on the contents of the support CD.
Software support 3.1 Control Center The Control Center utility is a management software that launches applications and configures network settings. The Control Center starts automatically when the system boots and displays the Control Center icon in the Windows® taskbar. The Control Center icon serves as an application launcher, and indicator of signal quality and Internet connection. 3.1.
Software support 3.1.3 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 wireless LAN adapter radio ON. Wireless Radio Off – Turns the wireless LAN adapter radio OFF. Search & Connect – View available wireless networks within range. Wireless Option – Sets your Windows® XP wireless networking environment. The Wireless Option window appears when you select this option.
Software support Wireless Settings The Wireless Settings is the main interface that allows you to control the ASUS wireless LAN adapter. Use the Wireless Settings to view the operational and connection status, or to modify the wireless LAN adapter configuration. Tabbed property sheets Property window 3.2 The Wireless Settings window is composed of the property window and tabbed property sheets. Click the icons in the property window to display their tabbed property sheets. 3.2.
Software support The Current Data Rate field displays the data transfer rate between the wireless LAN adapter and the access point. The Radio State field displays the radio communication status. Click the Disable Radio button if you wish to disable radio communication with an access point or a Wi-Fi device. Rescan button - Click to allow wireless LAN adapter to scan available wireless networks and to connect to the network with the best signal quality. Change SSID button - Click to change the SSID.
Software support IP Renew. Click to renew the DHCP IP address for the wireless LAN adapter. Ping. Click to display the Ping tab. Use ping to verify a connection to a particular host name or IP address. The IP Release and IP Renew buttons may only be used on a DHCP-configured wireless LAN adapter. Ping tab The Ping tab allows you to verify the connection of your computer with another computer in a network. To ping a connection: 1.
Software support 3.2.2 Configuration Basic tab The Basic tab provides general information on network types and other configurations. Network Type. Select the type of network that 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 mobile clients within the wireless LAN adapter range.
Software support Encryption tab Wireless data transmissions between your wireless LAN adapter and the AP are secured using the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. Check the Data encryption (WEP enabled) option to assign the WEP keys. Check the Network Authentication (Shared Mode) option if you wish to use a network key to authenticate a preferred wireless network. Unchecking this option allows the network to operate on an Open System mode.
Software support • 64-bit and 40-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method and can interoperate on wireless networks. This lower level of WEP encryption uses a 40-bit (10 hexadecimal digits assigned by the user) secret key and a 24-bit Initialization Vector assigned by the wireless LAN adapter. 104-bit and 128-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method. • After assigning the WEP keys, click APPLY to save and activate the encryption.
Software support 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. WEP - shows whether a network has an enabled (On) or disabled (Off) WEP encryption. Select an available network and click Connect to establish connection. Click Search to rescan available networks. 3.2.4 About Wireless Settings Click the About icon to view the software version, driver version, and copyright information.
Software support 3.2.6 Command icons Apply. Click to apply the changes made on the Wireless Settings utility. OK. Click to close the Wireless Settings utility window. Cancel. Click to cancel any changes made on the Wireless Settings utility. Clicking Cancel closes the Wireless Settings utility window. Help. Click to display the help menu. 3.2.7 Other right-click options Activate Configuration This option allows you to select the wireless profile to use.
Software support About Control Center Select the About Control Center option to display the Control Center software version and copyright information.
Software support 3.3 Mobile Manager The Mobile Manager is a convenient tool to setup and manage network location settings. This utility allows users to configure multiple alternative configurations for different locations. You need to set this up once, then easily switch configurations when you change your location. To launch the Mobile Manager utility: • • Click the Windows® Start button.
Software support File Menu New Configuration – Select this option to launch the New Configuration Wizard. See the next section for details. Import Configuration – Select this option to load a configuration from an INI File. Export Configuration – Save the selected configuration (containing Wireless Settings, TCP/IP Settings, Network Settings, etc.) to an INI file. The INI file may be saved on a floppy disk, and may be imported by other computers with the Mobile Manager utility.
Software support Down – Lowers the position of the selected wireless network configuration in the preferred network list. Edit menu commands appear when you right-click a configuration in the Mobile Manager window. View Menu Large Icons – Displays large icons for each configuration. Small Icons – Displays small icons for each configuration. List – Shows a list of available configurations. Details – Displays the name, type, and description of a selected configuration.
Software support 2. Choose the type of configuration you want to create. The configuration types are described below. Click Next when done. • • • ASUS Wireless Local Area Network Configuration. Select this option if you have an installed ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter in your computer. Wired Local Area Network Configuration. Select this if your computer has an installed network interface card other than ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter. Dialup Networking Configuration.
Software support 4. Configure the wireless settings including the network type, SSID, channel and WEP encryption. Click Next when done. 5. Set the IP address of the configuration using this window. Specify the IP address using the DHCP server (automatic) or manual assignment. The wizard auto-detects and displays the current system settings. Click Next when done. 6. Enter the computer name, then click Next.
Software support 7. Use this window to set the proxy server and printer sharing. Click Advanced to display the proxy server and printer sharing options. Click Next when finished. 8. Check the Activate Configuration Now option to start using the created configuration. The Mobile Manager window displays the created configuration when it is not activated. Click Finish to close the wizard.
Software support 3.3.3 Editing a configuration To edit a configuration: 1. Select a configuration from the Mobile Manager window. 2. Click Edit from the menu bar, then select Edit Configuration. The Edit Configuration dialog box appears. Navigate through the windows by clicking the buttons on the left. General settings Name – The configuration name indicates the location from where you are dialing or connecting to a network.
Software support SSID SSID stands for Service Set Identifier, a string used to identify a wireless LAN. You can only connect with an Access Point, that has the same SSID. Use different SSIDs to segment the wireless LAN and add security. Channel The Channel field allow you to select the radio channel for the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter. In an Infrastructure network, your wireless LAN adapter automatically selects the correct frequency channel required to communicate with an Access Point.
Software support Specify an IP address – Ask your network administrator for the IP address and subnet mask you should use. Type in the IP Address and Subnet Mask manually. TCP/IP settings-Gateway tab Specify the gateways. You may specify more than one gateway. Set up the primary gateway first. Add – Click this button to add a new TCP/IP gateway address. The added gateway appears in the Default gateways list. Repeat the process to add another gateway.
Software support Enable Proxy Server – Use the Proxy server to access the Internet. Use the same proxy server for all protocols – Specifies whether you want to use the same proxy server to gain access to the Internet using all protocols. Servers field – Provides fields for you to type the address and port number of the proxy server you want to use to gain access to the Internet over HTTP, Secure, FTP, Gopher, and Socks protocol.
Software support 3.4 Site Monitor The Site Monitor utility measures the signal-to-noise (SNR) values of all available wireless networks. Use this utility to determine the best placement of access points in a wireless network. 3.4.1 Launching Site Monitor To launch the Site Monitor: Click the Windows® Start button, then select Programs > ASUS Utility > WLAN Card > Site Monitor, or • Right-click the Control Center icon on the Windows taskbar, then select Site Monitor.
Software support 3.4.3 Monitoring a connection To monitor a connection: 1. Select the connection from the list. 2. Click Command from the menu bar, then select monitor. You may also press in your keyboard. The Monitor window appears. The following connection parameters are displayed in graphical representation. SNR. This indicates the quality of communications within the current network. The communication quality is based on signal level and noise level measurements.
Software support Noise Level. Specifies the average noise level of the Frequency Channel currently used for connection. Throughput. The Throughput graph sends a specified number of data packets to the remote host and calculates the average transmission rate in megabytes per second. During the test, the Start button toggles to Stop. Click Start button to begin the link test. Click the Stop button at any time to stop the test.
Notes
Chapter 4 This chapter contains a troubleshooting guide for solving common problems you may encounter when using the ASUS USB Wireless LAN Adapter.
Troubleshooting This troubleshooting guide provides answers to some common problems which you may encounter while installing and/or using ASUS Wireless LAN card products. These problems requires simple troubleshooting that you can perform by yourself. Contact the Wireless LAN Technical Support if you encounter problems not mentioned in this section.
Troubleshooting Problem Action 3. Restart your computer and repeat the software installation following the instructions contained in this User Guide. I cannot connect to an Access Point. • • • • • I can connect to an Access Point but I cannot connect to the Internet. • • • I cannot connect to another station with a wireless LAN device. • • • Check if the Network Type of the device is set to Infrastructure mode. Check if the device has the same Service Set Identifier (SSID) as that of the AP.
Troubleshooting Problem Action I cannot connect to other computers linked via an Access Point or Ad-hoc network. • Check if the device and the other station have the same Encryption. If WEP encryption is enabled, set the same WEP keys for the device and the AP. • Check if the device and the other APs and/ or clients have the same Encryption. If you enable WEP encryption, you must set the same WEP keys for the device and the other AP/s and/or clients.
