Instant WirelessTM Series Network PC Card Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction The Instant WirelessTM Network PC Card ver. 3.
Instant WirelessTM Series Network PC Card Chapter 1: Introduction The Instant WirelessTM Network PC Card ver. 3.0 Put the “mobile” back into mobile computing! Whether you’re at your desk or in the boardroom, the Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card allows you to share printers, files, and other resources anywhere within your LAN infrastructure, increasing your productivity and keeping you “in touch.
Instant WirelessTM Series Chapter 2: Planning Your Wireless Network Network Topology A wireless LAN is exactly like a regular LAN, except that each computer in the LAN uses an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 to connect to the network through a wireless connection. Computers in a wireless LAN must be configured to share the same radio channel. The Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 provides LAN access for wireless workstations.
Instant WirelessTM Series 2. The first tab across the top of the screen, labeled Install, should now be highlighted. Click the Install button. A screen similar to that shown in Figure 2-2 should appear, indicating that Windows is preparing the installation. Network PC Card 4. Figure 2-4 shows the Warranty Policy screen. Read the entire policy by pressing the Page Down button on your keyboard or by using the on-screen scroll bar. Click on the Yes button if you agree, or No if you disagree.
Instant WirelessTM Series 6. When the screen shown in Figure 2-6 appears, choose either Infrastructure mode or Ad-Hoc mode. If you are unsure whether to choose Infrastructure or Ad-Hoc, refer to the next section for more information. Once you have made your choice, click the Next button. Figure 2-6 Network PC Card Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in which they may be set up: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc.
Instant WirelessTM Series Infrastructure Mode 1. If you have chosen Infrastructure mode, the following screen (Figure 2-9) will appear. If you have chosen Ad-Hoc mode, skip to the next section, titled “Ad-Hoc Mode”. Network PC Card 3. The screen shown in Figure 2-11 will appear, indicating that all of the appropriate files are being copied onto your drive. Click the Cancel button if you need to stop the installation for any reason. Figure 2-11 4.
Instant WirelessTM Series Ad-Hoc Mode 1. If you have chosen Ad-Hoc mode, the following screen will appear. (See Figure 2-13.) If you have chosen Infrastructure mode, refer to the previous section, titled “Infrastructure Mode”. Network PC Card 2. The screen shown in Figure 2-14 should appear. You will be prompted to enter an SSID value in the field provided. All SSID values on your wireless network must match. If you are unsure, use the default value of “linksys.” Then, click the Next button.
Instant WirelessTM Series Chapter 4: Installing the Drivers and Configuration Utility for Windows XP 4. The next screen will indicate that all of the appropriate files are being copied onto your drive. (See Figure 2-16.) Click the Cancel button if you need to stop the installation for any reason. Windows XP will automatically walk you through the driver installation process as well as automatically configure the Network PC Card for your wireless network.
Instant WirelessTM Series Network PC Card Chapter 5: Installing the Network PC Card The Windows XP compatibility screen will appear, as shown in Figure 4-2. As this card has been tested to work with Windows XP, click the Continue Anyway button to continue. 1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot on your notebook computer. 2.
Instant WirelessTM Series Chapter 6: Installing the Drivers and Configuration Utility for Windows NT Overview The installation of the Network PC Card is different for users of Windows NT because it is not a Plug-and-Play (PnP) operating system. This means it will not automatically detect the presence of the Card when it is inserted. Consequently, the order of the installation is different. The steps involved in the installation are different, as well.
Instant Wireless Series 3. Installation will begin and you will reach the screen in Figure 6-3. You will want to select the box that reads Wired to the network since you are adding network hardware. Click the Next button to continue. Network PC Card 5. A list of adapters will appear as in Figure 6-5. You will not want to select one of these, however, as your installation disk (the Setup Utility CD) has all of the appropriate drivers. Click the Have Disk button to continue. Figure 6-5 Figure 6-3 4.
Instant WirelessTM Series 8. On the next screen, make sure there is a check mark in the box beside Instant Wireless - Network PC Card (as shown in Figure 6-8). Then click the Next button to continue. Figure 6-8 21 Network PC Card 10. On the screen showing Network Services (Figure 6-10), the selections are automatically made. Click the Next button to continue. Figure 6-10 9. The next screen (Figure 6-9) will show the list of network protocols used on your network.
Instant Wireless Series 12. Windows NT may request further files at this point (as shown in Figure 6-12). Type “D:\WINNT” (where “D” represents your CDROM drive) in the field provided and click the Continue button. Network PC Card 14. After setting the Resource and Properties fields, Windows NT will begin installing the network components you’ve selected. You may be presented with the screen shown in Figure 6-14, asking if you would like to configure the protocols with a DHCP server on your network.
Instant WirelessTM Series 17. On the screen shown in Figure 6-15, enter your Computer Name, how your computer is identified on the network. Then, assign the computer to either a Workgroup or Domain, whichever is appropriate. The Computer Name must be different than any other on the Workgroup or Domain. Click the Next button. Network PC Card Make sure that the Instant Wireless Network PC Card ver. 3.0 appears in the Adapter window (as shown in Figure 6-17).
Instant WirelessTM Series 2. To add the Network PC Card, click the Adapters tab (as shown in Figure 6-19) and click the Add button to continue. Network PC Card 5. The Select OEM Option screen will display all available adapters. Make sure that Instant Wireless - Network PC Card V3.0 is highlighted, as shown in Figure 6-22, and click the OK button to continue. Figure 6-22 Figure 6-19 3. A list of adapters will appear as shown in Figure 620.
Instant WirelessTM Series 7. The Network PC Card has now been installed. You will see it added onto the screen shown in Figure 6-24. Click the Close button to continue and then restart your computer. Network PC Card If the screen shown in Figure 4-25 appears, make sure that the Instant Wireless Network PC Card ver. 3.0 appears in the Adapter window. Then, unless you need to assign a static IP address, select Obtain an IP address from a DHCP server and click the OK button.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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