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Chapter 7: Configuration Utility

The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you further customization of

the Network PC Card and your wireless network.

Once the Configuration Utility has been installed, an icon will be placed in the

system tray (next to the clock) when the Network PC Card is inserted, as shown

in Figure 7-1.

You can also start the Configuration Utility by clicking the Start button, select-

ing Programs, and choosing the folder for the Network PC Card. Choose

Configuration Utility. You will see the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility

screen (shown in Figure 7-1). This utility is divided into six parts: Link Info,

Configuration, Site Survey, Encryption, Advanced, and About. You should

change all configuration settings for your Network PC Card using this utility

and not under the Network Properties section in your Control Panel.

LINK INFO

The Link Info screen (shown in Figure 7-2) provides information about the cur-

rent link between the Network PC Card and a wireless Access Point.

When in Infrastructure Mode, State will display the connection statistics for

the network segment that you are on.

The Current Channel field shows to what channel the Network PC Card is set.

The Current Transfer Rate field shows the transfer rate in megabits per sec-

ond.

The Current Service Set Identifier shows the current SSID set for the wire-

less network. This SSID can be modified at the Configuration screen.

The Throughput fields show the rate at which data is transferred and received

in Bytes per second.

Using the Configuration Utility

Figure 7-1

If this screen does not appear automatically, you can access the installation by

clicking the Start button and choosing Run. In the drop-down box provided,

type D:\setup.exe (where D: is the letter of your CD-ROM drive). Alternately,

double-click My Computer, and then double-click the CD-ROM drive where

the Setup Utility CD is located. Double-click the Setup.exe icon that appears.

Follow the instructions that appear on your screen. If you have any questions

or difficulty, refer to the section called Installing the Drivers and

Configuration Utility for Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000.

Network PC Card

Instant Wireless

Series

Summary of content (21 pages)

PAGE 1
Instant WirelessTM Series If this screen does not appear automatically, you can access the installation by clicking the Start button and choosing Run. In the drop-down box provided, type D:\setup.exe (where D: is the letter of your CD-ROM drive). Alternately, double-click My Computer, and then double-click the CD-ROM drive where the Setup Utility CD is located. Double-click the Setup.exe icon that appears. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
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Instant Wireless Series Network PC Card CONFIGURATION The Configuration screen, shown in Figure 7-3, allows you to customize the settings for the Network PC Card and your wireless network. The Wireless Mode setting determines the architecture of your wireless network. Select Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure Mode depending on your network type. The Ad-Hoc mode is used for a simple peer-to-peer network and allows the sharing of local resources only between Network PC Cards without needing a wireless Access Point.
PAGE 3
Instant WirelessTM Series The Transfer Rate field shows the current transfer rate for the Network PC Card. To optimize performance and range, the TX Rate should be set to Fully Automatic, which will automatically adjust the transfer speed for best performance and longest range. The Channel setting specifies the channel used in wireless communication and should be set to the same channel as the other points in the wireless network. This setting can only be adjusted in Ad-Hoc mode.
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Instant Wireless Series In order to enable 128-bit WEP encryption, choose 128 Bits in the drop-down box. In the drop-down box near the bottom right-hand corner of the page, choose which Default Tx Key will be used for the encryption. By default, Key 1 will be used. In the box corresponding to the default you chose, enter a hexadecimal number that the encryption algorithm will be based on. Click Apply Changes when you are done.
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Instant Wireless Series Chapter 8: Installing Network Protocols Network PC Card 3. Highlight Protocol from the list of network component types, as shown in Figure 8-3, and click the Add button. Protocols are necessary for computers to communicate on your network. 1. From the Start Menu, select Settings and bring up the Control Panel, as shown in Figure 8-1. From the Control Panel, doubleclick the Network icon. 4.
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Instant WirelessTM Series Chapter 9: Advanced Properties The Advanced Properties for Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000 The Advanced Properties of the card are supplied for fine tuning the card’s settings. These values should only be changed by those completely familiar with both the operating system and the settings of the network. Unless your specific situation requires changing them, the default settings should be sufficient for your card’s proper operation.
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Instant WirelessTM Series 3. The Channel setting, shown in Figure 9-3, must be the same for all wireless points in the network. Use the settings, 1-11, to find the best channel for your connection. For further information, see Chapter 7: Configuration Utility. Once your card is configured, click the OK button to finish setting the Advanced Options. 4. Select either Disabled, 64 bit, or 128 bit as the value under Encryption, shown in Figure 9-4.
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Instant WirelessTM Series 7. Select Network Type (Figure 9-7) and select a Value, from the drop down menu, of either Infrastructure or AdHoc. The Infrastructure mode allows a Network PC Card to communicate with a wired network employing an access point, while the Ad-Hoc mode allows wirelessto-wireless, peer-to-peer communication. Click Power Save Mode to continue or the OK button to finish setting the Advanced Options. Figure 9-7 8.
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Instant WirelessTM Series Network PC Card 13. The WEP Passphrase (Figure 9-13) value allows the user to change the passphrase that is used to generate the encryption key for WEP. Any alphanumeric value can be entered here, but it will only be activated if you choose either 64 or 128 bit under Encryption. This value can also be changed using the Configuration Utility. For further information, see Chapter 7: Configuration Utility. 11.
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Instant Wireless Series The Advanced Properties for Windows NT The Advanced Properties screen allows you to make modifications to your Network PC Card, optimizing performance. These properties are accessed by right-clicking on the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop. Select Properties from the menu that appears. From the tabbed window that appears next, click the Adapters tab. Highlight Instant Wireless Network PC Card V3.0 and then click the Properties button. The screen in Figure 9-14 should appear.
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Instant WirelessTM Series 4. The SSID (as shown in Figure 9-17) depends on what Mode is selected. If the Mode is Infrastructure, it should have the same SSID name as the Access Point. If the Mode is Ad-Hoc, all clients should share the same SSID name. Network PC Card 6. RTS Threshold should remain in the default setting of Disabled, as shown in Figure 9-19. Do not change the setting of the RTS Threshold unless connection quality is poor.
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Instant WirelessTM Series 8. Under Power Saving mode (Figure 9-21), select either Enabled or Disabled. Disabled will allow for uninterrupted data communication. Selecting Enabled allows your notebook to enter “sleep” mode and could interrupt data communication. For further information about Power Save Mode, see Chapter 7: Configuration Utility. Network PC Card 10. The Authentication setting, shown in Figure 9-23, is Open System by default. Open System is another name for WECA compliant. Figure 9-21 9.
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Instant WirelessTM Series Network PC Card Chapter 10: Troubleshooting 11. The Listen Interval setting, as shown in Figure 9-24, should remain at 1 Beacon per Second. Setting this higher could result in slower data transfer. This chapter provides solutions to problems usually occurring during the installation and operation of the Network PC Card. Read the description below to solve your problems. If you can’t find an answer here, check the Linksys website at www.linksys.com.
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Instant WirelessTM Series If the Network PC Card does not function after attempting the above steps, remove the card and do the following: • Uninstall the driver software from your PC. • Restart your PC and repeat the hardware and software installation as specified in this User Guide. 3. I cannot communicate with the other computers linked via Ethernet in the Infrastructure configuration. • Make sure that the notebook PC to which the Network PC Card is associated is powered on.
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Instant WirelessTM Series What is ISM band? The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside bandwidth for unlicensed use in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band. Spectrum in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz, in particular, is being made available worldwide. This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place convenient high speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe.
PAGE 16
Instant WirelessTM Series Chapter 11: Glossary Ad-hoc Network - An ad-hoc network is a wireless network or other small network in which some of the network devices are part of the network only for the duration of a communications session while in some close proximity to the rest of the network. Architecture - The total design and implementation of the network.
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Instant Wireless Series DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) - DSSS generates a redundant bit pattern for each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code). The longer the chip, the greater the probability that the original data can be recovered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmission, statistical techniques embedded in the radio can recover the original data without -the need for retransmission.
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Instant WirelessTM Series LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line and typically share the resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for example, within an office building). Mbps (MegaBits Per Second) - One million bits per second; unit of measurement for data transmission. NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface) - The transport layer for NetBIOS.
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Instant Wireless Series parameters of the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not tuned to the right frequency, a spread-spectrum signal looks like background noise. There are two main alternatives, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). Static IP Address - A permanent IP address that is assigned to a node in an IP or a TCP/IP network.
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Instant Wireless Series Chapter 13: Warranty Information BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE AND A BARCODE FROM THE PRODUCT’S PACKAGING ON HAND WHEN CALLING. RETURN REQUESTS CANNOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT PROOF OF PURCHASE. IN NO EVENT SHALL LINKSYS’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE PRODUCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS ACCOMPANYING SOFTWARE, OR ITS DOCUMENTATION. LINKSYS DOES NOT OFFER REFUNDS FOR ANY PRODUCT.