CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter OEM’s manual Version A1 NWH1022 National Datacomm Corporation 4th Fl., No. 24-2, Industry East Road IV Science-based Industrial Park Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C. Technical Support E-mail: techsupt@ndc.com.tw NDC World Wide Web http://www.ndclan.com.
TRADEMARKS NDC and InstantWave are trademarks of National Datacomm Corporation. All other names mentioned in this document are trademarks/registered trademarks of their respective owners. NDC provides this document “as is,” without warranty of any kind, either expressed nor implied, including, but not limited to, the particular purpose for which it is intended. NDC may make improvements and/or changes in this manual or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.
Packing List The adapter package should contain the following items: • One InstantWave NWH1022 CardBus enhanced wireless network adapter with integrated antenna • Four floppy disks – one containing drivers, two containing the InstantWave HighRate Utility for the NWH1022, and one containing this user’s guide in PDF format CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter iii
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... 1 Hardware ......................................................................................................... 1 Software............................................................................................................ 1 TERMINOLOGY USED IN THIS GUIDE ...
NDC LIMITED WARRANTY............................................................................ 32 SPECIFICATIONS .............................................................................................. 34 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................... 36 INDEX...................................................................................................................
List of Figures FIGURE 1. AN AD HOC NETWORK........................................................................... 2 FIGURE 2. AN INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK............................................................ 2 FIGURE 3. ROAMING IN THE SAME DOMAIN ............................................................ 3 FIGURE 4. ADD NEW HARDWARE WIZARD-1............................................................ 5 FIGURE 5. ADD NEW HARDWARE WIZARD-2............................................................
Introduction Thank you for choosing an InstantWave wireless networking product. This guide gives comprehensive instructions on installing and using the InstantWave NWH1022 CardBus enhanced wireless network adapter, and also explains how to install and use the InstantWave utility program. Your InstantWave wireless network adapter is part of a family of easy-to-use, highperformance wireless communication products.
Terminology Used in this Guide Ad Hoc Network An ad hoc network is formed by a number of wireless stations (without an access point) communicating via radio waves. For the users, the shared resources on the wireless network appear exactly as they would on a regular wired network. The wireless operation of the network is totally transparent. Figure 1 depicts a typical ad hoc network scenario. Wireless Computers Figure 1.
BSSID/MAC ID BSSID (Basic Service Set ID) is an ID unique to each AP that is factory set and is identical to the MAC ID (Media Access Control ID). It allows each AP to be identified on the network. Domain Name/SSID A domain is usually defined by the network administrator as a segment/subnet of a large network and may be made up of overlapping wireless cells. Wireless nodes can roam freely within the same domain without disconnecting from the network. Figure 3 depicts a common wireless network setup.
Adapter Installation The adapter fits into a Type II or Type III CardBus slot, also known as a PCMCIA or PC Card slot. The antenna is encased in a plastic case, in line with the main body of the adapter, such that it extends outside the slot when the adapter is inserted. step1. Insert the adapter into the computer’s CardBus slot. Insert the adapter with its 68-pin connector facing the slot and the label facing up. step2. Repeat the above procedure for each of the other computers to be networked.
Driver Installation/Uninstallation For Windows 98 see the following section, for Windows Me go to page 8, for Windows 2000 go to page 10, and for Windows XP go to page 11. Note that if networking components have not yet been installed in the operating system, you may be asked to insert the Windows installation CD-ROM during installation of the driver. A message about certification of the driver may appear during installation in some versions of Windows. This message can safely be ignored.
Figure 5. Add New Hardware Wizard-2 step4. Choose Search for the best driver for your device (Figure 5). Click Next to open the following window (Figure 6). Figure 6. Add New Hardware Wizard-3 step5. Insert the driver disk. Check Floppy disk drives, check Specify a location, and enter a:\win98 (assuming the floppy drive is A). Click Next.
Figure 7. Add New Hardware Wizard-4 step6. The Add New Hardware Wizard will indicate that Windows 98 found the driver (Figure 7). Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Uninstalling the Driver from Windows 98 To completely remove the adapter and driver from your system you will need to physically remove the adapter (with the system powered off). The hardware removal procedure is the reverse of the hardware installation procedure.
Installation in Windows Me Complete the following procedure to install the driver in Windows Me: step1. Turn on the power and start Windows Me. step2. Windows Me will detect the adapter. The Add New Hardware Wizard will open (Figure 8). Figure 8. Add New Hardware Wizard-1 step3. Select Specify the location of the driver and click Next.
Figure 9. Add New Hardware Wizard-2 step4. Check Search for the best driver for your device and check Specify a location. Assuming the floppy drive is drive A, type a:\win98 (the driver is the same as that for Windows 98). step5. Insert the adapter driver disk and click Next to open the following window (Figure 10). Figure 10.
step6. Click Next. The Add New Hardware Wizard will complete the installation. step7. Click Finish and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Uninstalling the Driver from Windows Me To completely remove the adapter and driver from your system you will need to physically remove the adapter (with the system powered off). The removal procedure is the reverse of the hardware installation procedure on page 4. Restart the computer and then proceed as follows: step1.
Uninstalling the Driver from Windows 2000 To completely remove the adapter and driver from your system you will need to uninstall the device driver first: step1. Click Start/Settings/Control Panel. Double-click the System icon, then select the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. step2. Highlight the entry TI ACX100 WLAN Adapter in the the Network Adapters section. step3. Click the right mouse button and select Uninstall. step4. Click OK to confirm the device removal. step5.
step1. Click Start/Settings/Control Panel. Double-click the System icon, then select the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. step2. Highlight the entry TI ACX100 WLAN Adapter in the Network Adapters section. step3. Click the right mouse button and select Uninstall. step4. Click OK to confirm the device removal. step5. Click OK to close Device Manager and the System Properties window. Then shut down the computer and physically remove the adapter.
The InstantWave HighRate Utility The InstantWave HighRate Utility is a Windows-based application that allows users to monitor and configure an InstantWave wireless adapter. The program includes tools that allow users to determine the best location to place the InstantWave products, or to diagnose the wireless network for problems. The utility allows users to configure the wireless network type (ad hoc or infrastructure), domain name (SSID), and security (WEP).
step3. Click Next to copy the program files to the default location, C:\Program Files\Instantwave\HighRate Utility, or click Browse to choose another location. step4. The setup program will copy the necessary files into the specified directory. Insert disk 2 when instructed to do so. File copying progress will be displayed in the InstantWave HighRate Utility setup screen. step5. Click OK to complete the installation.
Station Traffic Monitor Adapter Properties Signal Quality Indicator step4. step5. Figure 13. Toolbar Site Survey Click the icon for the task you wish to perform. The functions provided by the utility program are, reading from left to right: • Adapter Properties • Signal Quality Indicator • Station Traffic Monitor • Site Survey Right-click the InstantWave toolbar’s title bar. Four functions are available: #" Move is used to move the toolbar to a suitable screen position.
Figure 14. Preferences #" Launch InstantWave Utility on startup automatically starts the utility at each system boot. #" Show Icon on the Taskbar displays an icon on the taskbar (Figure 15). Figure 15. Lamp Icon The color of the icon indicates the wireless adapter’s current status: Color Red Status The wireless adapter or the driver is not working properly Yellow Fair signal quality Green Good signal quality #" Pop-up message dialog is used to display a warning message in case of abnormal conditions.
Right-click on the icon to open a pop-up menu for fast access to the utility program, Preferences, and Help. Adapter Properties Click the Adapter Properties icon on the InstantWave utility toolbar to open the Adapter Properties window (Figure 16). Adapter Properties allows the user to view the adapter properties, and to change the wireless configuration of the InstantWave station. Figure 16.
Configuration Configuration (Figure 16) displays, and allows you to modify, some important parameters of the InstantWave adapter. All parameter changes are saved and are referred to by the InstantWave driver when the system boots. • Network Mode – The IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.11b wireless specifications allow for two types of network, infrastructure and ad hoc. Infrastructure is used when networking with an access point. The default setting is Infrastructure.
Advanced Information Click the Advanced Information tab to view read-only information that may be useful in troubleshooting (Figure 17). Figure 17. Adapter Properties/Advanced Information The window is divided into three sections as described below: • Type and Version – This section shows the driver and firmware version numbers and the kind of chipset in the adapter. • Hardware Information – Shows the adapter bus type, regulatory domain, and MAC address.
Link Info Click the Link Info tab to view wireless connection properties (Figure 18). Figure 18. Adapter Properties/Link Info • State – State shows whether the client is connected to an AP or not. If connected, it also shows the BSSID (Basic Service Set ID) address of the AP. This is also the AP’s MAC address. • Current Channel – Channel number is the channel used for communication between the clients and AP or between the clients only.
using and change to the same channel automatically. In ad hoc network node, the channel number must be set manually on each client that wishes to connect. • Current Tx Rate – Shows the current wireless transmission rate. • Signal Strength – Displays the signal strength level. • Rescan – Clicking Rescan forces the client to rescan for an access point with the same domain name on a different channel. Encryption Data encryption provides more secure wireless data communication.
Figure 19. Adapter Properties/Encryption • WEP – WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and is an encryption scheme that provides secure wireless data communications. WEP uses a 40-, 128-, or 256-bit key to control network access. In order to decode transmissions, each wireless client on the network must use exactly the same key. Disabled (default): Stations and APs communicate without any data encryption. 40-bit WEP: Stations and APs communicate using 40-bit WEP encryption.
• WEP Key Generation – There are two ways to create a WEP key: The first is by entering text in the Passphrase field and then clicking Generate. For 40-bit WEP, four WEP keys will be generated – Key 1, Key 2, Key 3, and Key 4. You must select the key currently being used on the network. If you do not select a key, Key 1 will be selected. For 128- and 256-bit WEP, a single key will be generated. The second way to create a WEP key is by inserting the key values directly from the keyboard.
Troubleshooting Should a problem be encountered that cannot be resolved using the ‘Troubleshooting’ section of this manual, click the Troubleshooting tab (Figure 20). Figure 20. Troubleshooting A diagnosis program will run and display a diagnostic message. Follow the onscreen instructions to send the message, together with a description of the symptoms, to NDC’s technical support via e-mail.
Site Survey (Infrastructure Mode Only) Site Survey scans for all existing APs and displays the domain name (SSID), BSSID (MAC ID), channel number, signal strength, network mode, WEP status, and estimated distance. It also gives users the option of selecting a particular access point to associate with (and thus “join” a wireless network). When Site Survey is run, the program first reads and displays information stored in the database. The information is not dynamically updated.
Signal Quality Indicator Signal Quality Indicator dynamically displays the current radio signal quality (Figure 22). The quality level is indicated by colors. Green means the signal is good, yellow indicates the signal is fair, red denotes the signal is poor. When the signal quality goes from fair to poor, the station will search for a different AP. Figure 22. Signal Quality Indicator Station Traffic Monitor This tool lets you monitor the throughput of the wireless station (Figure 23). Figure 23.
Driver/Utility Upgrade Procedure New drivers or utilities will be released from time to time. Check http://www.ndc.com.tw/support/driver.htm for the latest releases. To upgrade the InstantWave adapter driver or utility, you need to uninstall the current driver or utility first. See the index (last pages in this guide) to find the location of detailed uninstallation instructions for your operating system.
Troubleshooting This section provides you with some troubleshooting information should you encounter installation or operation problems with InstantWave products. If your problem still cannot be remedied after going through the Troubleshooting section, check the FAQs at http://www.ndc.com.tw/support/insfaq.htm If you still have a problem, call the reseller from whom you purchased the InstantWave product, or contact NDC technical support for assistance (see Technical Support, page 31).
These problems may be caused by unsuccessful installation. Completely uninstall the adapter (hardware and driver) and repeat the installation 2. The adapter LED is off. procedure as described in this manual. 3. The operating system does not detect the InstantWave adapter. 1. The adapter fails to function. The computer cannot associate with an access point (AP), even though the link quality is good and the taskbar indicator is green. Make sure the computer has the same SSID and security settings as the AP.
The utility or the network rejects the domain name (SSID) Please note the following points when inputting an SSID during adapter installation: (1) The domain name (SSID) is case-sensitive. (2) There should not be any spaces in the SSID. After the InstantWave utility is successfully installed, executing the utility may cause a "Divide Error.” When the InstantWave utility is successfully installed, please remember to reboot your machine although the installation program didn't force you to.
Technical Support Support from Your Network Supplier If assistance is required, call your supplier for help. Have the following information ready before you make the call. 1. LED status. 2. A list of the product hardware (including revision levels), and a brief description of the network structure. 3. Details of recent configuration changes, if applicable. Support from NDC If you have any problems that you cannot resolve with the information in troubleshooting, or the FAQs at http://www.ndc.com.
NDC Limited Warranty Hardware NDC warrants its products to be free of defects in workmanship and materials, under normal use and service, for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase from NDC or its Authorized Reseller, and for the period of time specified in the documentation supplied with each product.
!" Your name/address/email address/telephone/fax 1. Inform the distributor or retailer. 2. Ship the product back to the distributor/retailer with prepaid freight. The purchaser must pay the shipping fee from the distributor/retailer to NDC. Any package sent C.O.D. (Cash On Delivery) will be refused. 3. Charges: Usually RMA (Returned Material Authorization) items will be returned to the purchaser via airmail, prepaid by NDC. If returned by another carrier, the purchaser will pay the difference.
Specifications General Regulatory Compliance FCC Part 15 Class B. (US) CE: ETS 300 328 and ETS 300 826 TELEC: ARIB STD-T66 Computer Slot Type PCMCIA Type II or Type III Standards IEEE 802.11b, Wi-Fi compliant Operating Systems Supported Data Rate Microsoft Windows 98/Me/2000/XP Communication Method Security Half-duplex LED Indicators Power, Wireless Activity Power Voltage: 3.3V ±5% 22/11/5.
Wireless Emission Type Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum RF Frequency Range 2471 to 2497 MHz – Japan Band 2400 to 2483.5 MHz – North America, Europe, and Extended Japan Band 2445 to 2475 MHz – Spain 2446.5 to 2483.5 MHz – France Transmitter RF Output Power: 15 dBm (typical) Data Modulation Type: BPSK (1 Mbps), QPSK (2/5.5/11 Mbps), PBCC (22 Mbps) Data Modulation Speeds: 22, 11, 5.
Appendix This appendix lists the channels supported by the world’s regulatory domains. The channel numbers, channel center frequencies, and regulatory domains are shown in the table.
Index A Access Point ........1, 2, 18, 21, 25, 29 Activity LED .................................. 4 Ad Hoc Network ............................ 2 Adapter Bus type.......................... 19 Adapter Properties........................ 17 Adapter Status .............................. 19 Advanced Information.................. 19 Antenna .......................................... 4 Appendix ...................................... 36 B Basic Service Set ID....................... 3 BSSID .........................
Technical Support ........................ 31 Toolbar ......................................... 14 Traffic Monitor............................. 26 Transmission Rate ........................ 18 Troubleshooting ........................... 28 Type and Version ......................... 19 U Uninstalling from Windows 2000................. 11 from Windows 98....................... 7 from Windows Me ................... 10 from Windows XP .................... 11 the InstantWave Utility............. 26 Upgrades....
