Wireless LAN PC Card User's Manual Version 1.
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2. 3. 4. This warranty shall not apply to any product which has been subjected to misuse, abuse, abnormal use, negligence, alteration or accident, or has had its serial number altered or removed. This warranty does not apply to any defects or damage directly or indirectly caused by or resulting from the use of unauthorized replacement parts and/or service performed by unauthorized personnel. This warranty does not apply to the software driver that accompanies this product.
Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Features ................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Applications..............................................................................................................................................
1 Introduction Wireless LAN is local area networking without wires, which uses radio frequencies to transmit and receive data between PC’s or other network devices. Wireless LAN is able to configure independent networks and infrastructure networks. The former is suitable for small or temporary peer-to-peer configurations, and the later is offering fully distributed data connectivity via micro cells and roaming.
Notebook with Wireless PC Card Notebook with Wireless PC Card Desktop PC with Wireless PC Card Figure 1. Peer-to-Peer Configuration 1.3.2 Access Point Configuration An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Access Point configuration. A group of Wireless LAN cards and an Access Point (AP) is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each WLAN card in this BSS can be linked to any computer in the wired LAN infrastructure via the AP.
Desktop PC Desktop PC File Server Hub Access Point Access Point Notebook with Wireless PC Card Desktop PC with Wireless PC Card Notebook with Wireless PC Card Desktop PC with Wireless PC Card Notebook with Wireless PC Card Notebook with Wireless PC Card BSS1 BSS2 ESS Figure 2. Access Point Configuration The Access Point configuration supports roaming capability for mobile workers. More than one BSS can be jointly configured as an Extended Service Set (ESS).
File Server ADSL/Cable modem Switch Switch Notebook with Wireless PC Card Access Point Notebook with Wireless PC Card Access Point Desktop PC with Wireless PC Card ESS Figure 3.
2 Installation The Wireless LAN Configuration Utility is installed simultaneously with the driver by executing the Setup.exe file. The following illustration shows this program’s initial screen: Installation procedures differ depending on whether this is an initial installation or an upgrade. The following sections discuss these scenarios. NOTE: Some versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems require administrator privileges to install software.
When it detects the card, the operating system starts the New Hardware Found wizard. Respond to the prompts displayed by the wizard, but do not check the Specify Location check box; since the operating system will find the driver on its own. The operating system then uses the newlyinstalled driver to operate the card. 2.2 Upgrade Installation It is not necessary to physically remove your Wireless LAN card from your computer to upgrade the driver.
Expand the list of network adapters by clicking on the plus sign to the left of this entry; your display will appear similar to the following: Click on the entry for the Wireless LAN PC Card (the above illustration shows an entry for a PCMCIA card) and click on the Remove button beneath the list. The operating system displays a confirmation window warning that you are about to remove this device from your system; click the OK button to continue.
Click on the Next button to continue. A screen then appears with the software license agreement displayed. Click on the Yes button to accept the agreement and continue with the installation. Once the installation is complete, click on the Finish button to return to your Windows desktop. Restart the Operating System: After installing the new driver, you must restart the operating system. Click the Start button in the taskbar, choose the Shut Down...
3 Operation The utility is installed simultaneously with the driver by executing the Setup.exe file. When you click the Finish button in the installation screen, both the driver and the Configuration Utility are installed on your computer. 3.1 System Tray Icon After the installation of the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility, its icon appears in the System Tray in the bottom right corner of your desktop. The color behind the logo indicates the link status. Red indicates no or very poor link quality.
The first two items in this menu let you turn the wireless radio on or off. When the wireless radio is turned off, the following icon appears in the system tray. Advanced Configuration… launches the Configuration Utility with the Configuration menu displayed, as discussed in the following section. This lets you set configuration parameters which change the operation of the Wireless LAN card. Remove Status Icon… removes the System Tray Icon.
4 Starting the Configuration Utility You can launch the Configuration Utility by clicking the left mouse button on the Configuration Utility icon and selecting Advanced Configuration… If the Configuration Utility icon is not displayed in the System Tray, you can restart the Configuration Utility from the Start Menu by selecting Programs and Wireless LAN Configuration. The Configuration Utility consists of window with four tabs: Status, Configuration, Encryption, and About.
• Signal Strength: is based on the received signal strength measurement of the baseband processor of the Beacon signal. You can click the Radio Off button to turn off the wireless radio. When you click this button, the State field indicates that the radio has been turned off and the remaining fields in this window display either a zero or Not Applicable. Click this button again to turn the radio back on. the Rescan button to force the radio to rescan all available channels.
After changing parameters, you can save them in the profile named in this field by clicking the Apply button in the Configuration Utility panel. You can also create additional profiles by typing a name in the Profile field. When you change the name in the Profile field and then click the Apply button, the Configuration Utility uses the current parameters for your card to create a separate profile.
more wirelessly-enabled PCs wish to exchange data directly, without an Access Point. In this case the PCs can establish an Peer-to-Peer network in which they are the only members and over which they can exchange data. To exchange data, each computer participating in the Peer-to-Peer network must also specify the same Network Name (SSID) and Peer-to-Peer Channel in this menu. 4.2.2.2 Access Point Type The second type defined by the IEEE 802.
The transmit rate can be set to: • Fully Automatic – your card chooses the highest available rate providing reliable communications based on the capabilities of the Access Point or station with which it communicates and on the received signal quality • Auto 1 or 2 Mb – allows only 1 and 2 Mb/s operation • 5.5 Mb – allows only 5.
This field is grayed in Access Point type because the channel is automatically selected follow the Access Point. 4.3 Encryption Tab The Encryption menu lets you enable encryption and set the encryption keys. To see the available encryption methods, click the down arrow at the right of the Encryption {WEP} field. There are two encryption methods available. The IEEE 802.11 specification defines Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) using a 64-bit key.
4.3.1 Disabling Encryption To disable encryption, click the down arrow at the right of the Encryption field, select Disabled, and click the Apply button. 4.3.2 Enabling Encryption To enable encryption, click the down arrow at the right of the Encryption field, select either 64 bit or 128 bit, and click the Apply button. After enabling an encryption method, you must then specify encryption keys, as described in the following sections. 4.3.
Using a passphrase to generate the four keys makes it easy to set the same keys for all members of your wireless LAN. 4.3.4 Creating Encryption Keys Manually If you want, you can create encryption keys manually by clicking the radio button next to Create Key Manually, as shown in the following illustration. When you click this button, the cursor appears in the field for Key 1.
must type exactly 26 hexadecimal digits. You then click the Apply button to create your encryption keys. After you click the Apply button, the Configuration Utility uses asterisks to mask your keys. The Default Key field lets you specify which of the four encryption keys you use to transmit data on your wireless LAN. You can change the default key by clicking on the down arrow at the right of this field, selecting the number of the key you want to use, and then clicking the Apply button.
5 Troubleshooting 5.1 Poor Linking Solution: The antenna is attached to the end of the Wireless LAN Card. For best use of the antenna, please follow the instruction below: 1) 2) Keep the area around the antenna clear to avoid any interference from materials that could block radio transmission, such as metal objects, electronic devices, and cordless telephones. Adjust the direction of the PC slightly to improve the linking quality. 5.
6 SPECIFICATIONS General Standards compliance Security Hardware RF Data rate Modulation Coding Number of channels Host interface Transmit power (Typ.) Receive sensitivity (Typ.) Input Voltage Power consumption (Max. @ 3.3Vdc) Software Driver support Utility Mechanical Antenna connector Indicator Environmental Package Dimensions Weight Certificate EMC IEEE 802.11b standard for wireless LAN WEP 64, 128 bit, encryption MD5 Frequency range: 2.4 ~ 2.4835 GHz Supported bit rates: 11 Mbps / 5.
7 GLOSSARY Access Point (AP) – Any entity that has station functionality and provides access to the distribution services, via the wireless medium (WM) for associated stations. Ad-Hoc – A network composed solely of stations within mutual communication range of each other via the wireless medium (WM). An ad hoc network is typically created in a spontaneous manner. The principal distinguishing characteristic of an ad hoc network is its limited temporal and spatial extent.
