802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus Adapt e r User Manual Version 1.
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T able o f Cont e nt s INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 FEATURES ..................................................................................................................................1 1.2 PRODUCT PACKAGE..................................................................................................................1 1.3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.........................................
T able o f F igure s FIGURE 2-1: THE FOUND NEW HARDWARE WIZARD DIALOG BOX..........................................................................3 FIGURE 2-2: LOOKING FOR DRIVERS.........................................................................................................................................4 FIGURE 2-3: THE BROWSE FOR FOLDER DIALOG BOX ...................................................................................................
I N TR O D U C T I O N Being five times faster than the speed of 802.11b network standard devices, the innovative 802.11g standard lets the wireless network become incredibly easier and faster (up to 54Mbps) than ever. Your 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus surely will bring you into such a high-speed network sphere. This document describes how to install your 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus, which aims to let your computer quickly and seamlessly communicate with 802.11 networks.
¨ Minimum 5 Mbytes free disk space for installing the driver and the utility program ¨ 32 MB RAM or above ¨ A CD-ROM drive ¨ 300 MHz processor or higher ¨ Cardbus interface 1 .4 Sa fe t y Pr e ca ut ion In order to let the device function properly, please use only the accessories attached with the device package. If you miss or damage the accessories, please contact your distributor.
I N S T AL L A T I O N It’s free and easy for you to install your 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus and the attached software PRISM Configuration Utility. Simply with a few clicks of the mouse, you will succeed the completion of installation. To have the 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus operated appropriately, please read and go along with the instructions below carefully. Here, we will illustrate the installation instructions based on Windows XP operating system. 2 .1 I n stallat ion Procedures a) Insert the 802.
Figure 2-2: Looking for Drivers d) Choose Browse to open the following dialog box. Find the folder named Install from the directories on the supplied CD, and then click OK to return to the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box. Figure 2-3: The Browse For Folder Dialog Box e) Choose Next to proceed. f) Windows will notify you that the driver has not passed Windows Logo testing. Because the Card has been tested to work with Windows XP, please choose Continue Anyway.
Figure 2-4: The Hardware Installation Dialog Box g) Your system will start to copy the drivers found. When done, click Next. Figure 2-5: Installing the Software h) Click the Finish button when the Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard screen appears.
Figure 2-6: The Complete Screen i) You will find the PRISM Configuration Utility icon appeared in the system tray. Figure 2-7: The PRISM Configuration Utility Tray Icon Double-click the icon to launch the application and open the PRISM Wireless Settings dialog box, in which four tabs are contained. However, normally, the dialog box should be consisted of six tabs. This is because Windows XP has its built-in configuration tools – Windows XP Zero Configuration to assist you in networking activities.
Figure 2-8: The PRISM Wireless Settings Dialog Box (Four Tabs) j) Right-click the Network Connections icon at the task bar to open the Wireless Network Connection Status dialog box, and then select Properties. Figure 2-9: The Wireless Network Connection Status Dialog Box k) Choose the Wireless Networks tab in the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box, and then remove the tick in the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings checkbox.
Figure 2-10: The Wireless Network Connection Properties Dialog Box l) Click OK. Now, you have successfully removed the Windows Zero Configuration. To monitor and configure the network via PRISM Configuration Utility, double-click its tray icon, and you should find six tabs contained in the popped up PRISM Wireless Settings dialog box at this time. For more details about the utility, please refer to the next chapter -- PRISM Configuration Utility Basics. 2 .
4. From the opened dialog box, on the General tab, find the descriptions under the Device Status pane to learn if the card is working properly. However, if there’s an error message shown, please choose Uninstall from the opened menu while right-clicking over the Cardbus item, to which a red or yellow icon is attached beside, in the Device Manager dialog box. Then restart your system and go through the installation procedures again. The following picture indicates a successful installation of the 802.
P R I S M C O N FI GU R A T I O N U TI LI T Y B AS I CS Once you insert your 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus, it will operate with the factory default settings. However, you may configure the desired settings by double-clicking the PRISM Wireless Settings icon on the system tray. In the prompted PRISM Wireless Settings dialog box, there are six tabs, including Status, Configuration, Encryption, IBSS, Domain, and About, proffering various functions to assist you in configuring the connection to the networks.
Utility. Clicking No will undo the removal. Figure 3-2: The Remove Wireless Status Icon Dialog Box Wireless Network Status Choose this command to launch the Status tab of the PRISM Wireless Settings dialog box. For more details about the tab, please refer to The Status Tab in The Utility Basics section below. Advanced Configuration Choose this command to launch the Configuration tab of the PRISM Wireless Settings dialog box.
version of driver and the PRISM Configuration Utility and the card’s MAC Address. 3 .2 The Ut ilit y Basics When you double-click the PRISM Configuration Utility tray icon, the PRISM Wireless Settings dialog box will be prompted as the picture shown below. The application is a window-based program, which is consisted of four tabs, including Status, Configuration, Encryption, IBSS, Domain, and About.
Figure 3-4: The Status Tab Note: The texts before ”PRISM Wireless Settings” in the caption bar of the dialog box is the profile name of the current connection. Thus, the caption contexts vary according to the connectivity at the given time. From the window, the general information on the status of currently connected entry is presented. You may want to click the Rescan button to reinitiate the scanning process and update the status. Later the result of scanning will be renewed and displayed in the window.
Link Quality Link Quality is based on the percentage of successfully transmitted or received signal of the associated access point beacon within a limited period. The higher the percentage, the better the link quality. The bar graph beside also provides a visual interpretation of the current link quality. It is noted that the Link Quality and Signal Strength features only apply to the Infrastructure mode. They are inapplicable in the Ad-Hoc mode since data will be transferred from many different computers.
simply click the arrow button at the right of the Profile Name field to open the pull-down menu and then select the intended one from it. Note: You will have at least one profile named ANY, which allows a link with an Access Point or a Wireless LAN PC Card equipped computer at the given time. When you click the Defaults button under the tab, a profile of the current connection is created.
Figure 3-6: The Encryption Tab Encryption (W EP security) If you choose Disabled from the pull-down list, you will have the 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus communicated with all stations within the same networking community without any data encryption. Otherwise, two key lengths are offered: 64 bit and 128 bit. Specify a preferred one from the two, so that you may use the identical WEP key to make a communication with the chosen access point.
By default, Key 1 will be used. Create Keys with Passphrase Choose this command when the associated wireless network uses a passphrase to create WEP keys. Enter the passphrase string in the Passphrase filed to generate four encryption keys in the Key fields above. Note that only letters A-F are valid for the Passphrase feature. After finish configuring the Encryption features, remember to click the Apply button to initiate the new settings.
The Domain Tab While in the 2.4GHz range, the network operation may differ from country to country, or domain to domain. This is because the 802.11d protocol was established. To have the operation normally processed, choose the Domain tab to change relevant settings. Note: Choosing the Country/Domain command from the right-click menu of PRISM Configuration Utility tray icon will launch this tab too. Figure 3-8: The Domain Tab 802.11d Support 802.11d Support lets you operate multi-country roaming.
Figure 3-9: The About Tab Network Driver Displays the current version and released date of the 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus’ driver. Configuration Utility Displays the current version and released date of the PRISM Configuration Utility application. NIC Firmware Displays the current NIC card firmware version and the MAC (Media Access Control) address of your wireless card.
A P P EN D I X A : T R O U B LE SH O O T I N G This section provides solutions to problems that you might encounter during the installation and operation of your 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus. Please refer to the desired topics below and read the description to solve your problems. Disa ble 8 0 2 .1 1 b/ g W LAN Ca rdbus Supposed you do not need the 802.11gb WLAN Cardbus to establish the wireless connectivity for any reason, you can directly unplug and remove your 802.
2. Restart your computer and repeat the installation procedures as indicated in Chapter 2: Installation. 3. When finished, open the Device Manager window again to verify if the installation is approved. The yellow exclamation mark shall be removed for this time.
A P P EN D I X B : S P ECI F I C AT I O N S Product Name 802.11b/g WLAN Cardbus Adapter Host Interface 32-bit Cardbus Standards IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g Frequency Band 2.400 ~ 2.4835GHz (subject to local regulations) Current Drain Power save mode=22mA, Standby mode=7mA, Transmit mode=460mA, Receive mode=410mA Spreading DSSS (11b), OFDM (11g) Data Rate 1Mpbs, 2Mbps, 5.5Mbps, 6Mbps, 9Mbps , 11Mbps, 12Mbps, 18Mbps, 24Mbps, 36Mbps, 48Mbps, 54Mbps Transmit Power 802.
Internal Antenna Type Dual Antenna Diversity Switching Media Access Control RF activity Supplied Driver CSMA/CA with ACK Warranty 1 year Temperature Range 0~55°C (Operating) Humidity Max. 95% Non-condensing Operating Range Open Space: up to 400m eters; Indoor: up to 100meters The transmission speed varies in the surrounding environment.
