A101 Wireless USB A daptor Adaptor User’ s Manual User’s
Copyright 2004, Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission.
Disclaimer Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty. Ltd. makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Mitsubishi Electric Australia reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.
Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Welcome! ........................................................................... 1-2 Package contents ............................................................... 1-2 Features ............................................................................. 1-3 1.3.1 Top view ................................................................. 1-3 1.3.2 Bottom view ........................................................... 1-3 1.3.3 Rear view ..........
Contents Safeguards 3.2 3.3 3.4 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 .............................................
About this guide This user guide contains the information you need to install and configure your A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. How this guide is organised This guide contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction This chapter describes the physical features of the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. This section also presents the package contents, LED indicators, and recommended network settings.
A101 specification summary* Standard IEEE 802.11g Interface USB 2.0 Technology Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (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.
Chapter 1 This chapter describes the physical features of the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. This part presents the package contents, LED indicators, and recommended network settings.
1.1 Welcome! Thank you for choosing the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor! The A101 is an easy-to-install wireless LAN adaptor. Conforming to the IEEE 802.11g standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN), the A101 is capable of up to 54Mbps data transmission rate using the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing technologies. The A101 also comes with the latest wireless technology to keep you ahead in the world of wireless computing. 1.
1.3 Features 1.3.1 Top view LEDs: The A101 Wireless USB Adaptor comes with three LED indicators. Refer to section 1.4 “LED indicators” for details. LEDs 1.3.2 Bottom view Mounting hole: Use the mounting hole to install the device on concrete or wooden surfaces using a roundhead screw. Air vents: These vents provide ideal ventilation to the device.
1.3.3 Rear view USB port. This USB port connects the device to a computer via the supplied USB cable. USB port 1.4 LED Indicators The device comes with Power, Activity, and Link LED indicators. Refer to the table below for LED indications. LED Status Power On Off Indication The adaptor is receiving power from the USB port. The adaptor is not receiving power from the USB port. The USB cable may be disconnected or the computer is off.
1.5 Network setup The A101 Wireless USB Adaptor 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 make all its features available. 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 adaptor in a wireless network.
Chapter 2 This chapter provides information on how to install the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor.
2.1 System requirements Before installing the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor, make sure that your system meets the following requirements: • • • • • Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD K7/K8 system Minimum 64MB system memory Windows® 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 A101 Wireless USB Adaptor in your computer. 1.
2.2.2 Installing the device To install the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor 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 dialogue box. Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed. 1 2 4. After completing installation, configure the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor using the Wireless Settings utility.
2.3.1 Wall mounting Aside from desktop placement, you may install the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor vertically on a concrete or wooden wall using the mounting hook at the bottom of the device and a mounting screw. Mounting hook To mount the device on a concrete or wooden wall: 1. Locate the mounting hook on the bottom of the device. 2. Select an ideal location for the device following the considerations mentioned previously. 3.
Chapter 3 This chapter provides information on the software and utilities supplied on the Driver CD Softw are Suppor t Software Support
3.1 Control Center The Control Center utility is management software that launches applications and configures network settings. Clicking the A101 Control Center on the desktop starts the program and displays a Control Center icon in the Windows® taskbar. The Control Center icon serves as an application launcher and indicator of signal quality and Internet connection. 3.1.1 Control Center icons The Control Center icon indicates the quality of link to the access point and connection to the Internet.
3.1.2 Control Center right-click menu Right-clicking the Control Center icon displays the software and utilities for the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. Refer to the following sections for details on these utilities and software programs. 3.1.3 Control Center left-click menu Left-clicking the Control Center icon displays the left-click menu. Search & Connect – View available wireless networks within range. Wireless Option – Sets your Windows® XP wireless networking environment.
3.2 Wireless Settings The Wireless Settings is the main interface that allows you to control the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. Use the Wireless Settings to view the operational and connection status, or to modify the Wireless USB adaptor configuration. 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.
Rescan button - Click to allow the Wireless USB adaptor 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 “Basic tab” on page 3-7. Search and Connect button - Click to view all wireless networks within the range of your system. Clicking this button opens the Site Survey window. See page 3-9.
Ping tab The Ping tab allows you to verify the connection of your computer with another computer in the network. To ping a connection: 1. Type the IP address of the connection you want to verify in the IP Address field. 2. Configure the ping session by assigning the size and count of packet to send, and the time limit for a ping session to continue (in milliseconds). 3. Click the Ping button. During the ping session, the Ping button toggles into a Stop button. Click Stop anytime to cancel the ping session.
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 adaptor range. Network Name - Displays the network SSID.
Encryption tab Wireless data transmissions between your Wireless LAN adaptor 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. Key Format allows you to set a hexadecimal digit or ASCII character WEP key.
• 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 Initialisation Vector assigned by the wireless LAN adaptor. 104-bit and 128-bit WEP keys also use the same encryption method. • After assigning the WEP keys, click APPLY to save and activate the encryption.
3.2.4 About Wireless Settings Click the About icon to view the software version, driver version, and copyright information. 3.2.5 Link State Displays the current connection status of the Wireless USB adaptor to the AP or to other Wi-Fi devices. An icons represents the Link State for easy identification. Refer to the table below for icon indications.
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.
About Control Center Select the About Control Center option to display the Control Center software version and copyright information.
3.3 Mobile Manager The Mobile Manager is a convenient tool to set up and manage network location settings. This utility allows users to configure multiple alternative configurations for different locations. You need to set up this utility so you can easily switch configurations when you change your location. To launch the Mobile Manager utility: 1. Click the Windows® Start button.
File menu New Configuration – Select this option to launch the New Configuration Wizard. See the next section for details. Import Configuration an INI File. – Select this option to load a configuration from 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. You may also use this file as backup.
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.
2. Choose the type of configuration you want to create. The configuration types are described below. Click Next when done. • Diamond Digital Wireless Local Area Networking . Select this option if you have an installed A101 Wireless USB Adaptor in your computer. • Wired Local Area Network Configuration. Select this if your computer has an installed network interface card other than A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. • Dialup Networking Configuration. Select this option if your computer has an installed modem. 3.
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.
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.
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.
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 A101 Wireless USB Adaptor. In an Infrastructure network, your wireless LAN adapter automatically selects the correct frequency channel required to communicate with an Access Point.
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. The value in each gateway field must be between 0 and 255.
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 or Socks protocol.
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 > A101 Wireless LAN Adaptor > Site Monitor, or • Right-click the Control Center icon on the Windows taskbar, then select Site Monitor. The Site Monitor survey message appears. Click OK. 3.
3.4.3 Monitoring a connection To monitor a connection: 1. Select the connection from the list. 2. Select Command from the menu bar, then select Monitor. You may also press on your keyboard. The Monitor window appears. The following connection parameters are displayed in a 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.
Chapter 4 This chapter contains a troubleshooting guide for solving common problems you may encounter when using the A101 Wireless USB Adaptor.
Troubleshooting This troubleshooting guide provides answers to some common problems which you may encounter while installing and/or using Diamond Digital Wireless LAN products. These problems require simple troubleshooting that you can perform by yourself. Contact the Wireless LAN Technical Support if you encounter problems not mentioned in this section. Problem My computer does not recognise the installed A101 Wireless USB Adapter.
Troubleshooting Problem 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. Action 3. Restart your computer and repeat the software installation following the instructions contained in this User Guide. • 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 • 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. I cannot connect to other computers linked via an Access Point or Ad-hoc network. • 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 APs and/or clients.
Service Contacts If problems remain after checking this manual, please contact your place of purchase or contact: Australian Service Contacts Visit the Customer Support section of Mitsubishi Electric Australia’s web site at: www.mitsubishielectric.com.
Western Australia 5 / 329 Collier Road Bassendean, WA, 6054 Telephone: (08) 9377-3411 Fax: (08) 9377-3499 New Zealand Contact: BDT New Zealand Ltd. 1 Parliament St. Lower Hutt Wellington Telephone: (04) 560-9100 Fax: (04) 560-9140 Web site: www.bdt.co.
