User's Manual

Octopus Series Wireless LAN Card
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Page 19
 Profile Name
A profile is a named set of operating parameters for your Octopus WLAN adapter. The Profile Name:
field lets you set values for all parameters by selecting a previously defined profile. Click the down
arrow at the right of this field to display the available profiles for your PRISM WLAN Interface adapter.
You will always have at least one profile, named Default. Initially, this profile contains the parameters
configured at installation. You can modify this profile at any time after the installation. 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 Name: field. When you change
the name in this field and then click the Apply button, the Configuration Utility uses the current
parameters for your adapter to create a separate profile. You can then switch between profiles by
clicking the down arrow at the right of the Profile Name: field, selecting a profile from the drop-down
list, and clicking the Apply button.
The following example describes a situation in which you would want to create multiple profiles.
Suppose that you use the wireless LAN at your work, but you also have a network in your home (with a
wireless Access Point) for sharing an internet connection and a printer between several computers.
Suppose also that you have another office within your business which also has WLAN capability, but
which is configured differently than your main office.
In this situation, you can create a different profile for each of these three environments. Each profile
specifies the parameters used on a single network. Moving from one location to another, you need only
apply the appropriate profile to be able to participate in the local network.
 Network Name
Officially, in wireless networks the network name is known as the SSID (Service Set IDentifier), and is
used by Access Points and stations to identify a wireless LAN. Your PRISM WLAN Interface adapter
scans the available channels looking for an Access Point or another station which has specified this same
SSID. It then attempts to associate with these Access Points or stations to form a wireless LAN.
To change the SSID, simply highlight it, type the new SSID, and click the Apply button.
In typical infrastructure applications a company will use a single SSID for all Access Points. If the radio
is scanning and cannot find a channel when an Access Point is known to be in range, verify that the
Network Name is set correctly.
 Network Type
The Octopus WLAN adapter can operate in one of two types of networks, which are specified in the
Network Type: field of the Configuration menu. Clicking the down arrow at the right of this field
displays the available types.
Peer-to-Peer
IEEE 802.11, the standard on which the WLAN protocol is based, defines two modes to handle two
separate needs. The first, called AdHoc (or IBSS) mode, is used when two or more wirelessly-enabled
PCs exchange data directly, without an Access Point. In this case the PCs can establish a peer-to-peer