CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter User’s Guide Version A1 August 2002
TRADEMARKS All names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. DISCLAIMER This document is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The manufacturer may release improved or modified versions of this manual or any product or program described in this manual at any time.
Packing List Your CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter package should contain the following items: • One CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter • One Wireless Adapter Driver disk • One Wireless Adapter Utility disk • One User’s Guide disk
Quick Installation and Operation Guide 1. Exit all application programs and shut the computer down. 2. Insert the adapter in the CardBus slot. See chapter 3 of this user’s guide for detailed instructions. 3. If the computer requires an external disk drive to access floppy disks, connect the drive. 4. Turn on the computer. 5. Install a driver from the Wireless Adapter Driver disk. Follow the instructions on the screen and in chapter 4 of this user’s guide. 6.
Contents Introduction 1 2 1 1.1 1.2 System Requirements Hardware 2 Software 2 2 Terminology Used in this Guide 3 3 3.1 3.2 Familiarization and Installation The Parts of the Adapter 5 Adapter Installation 5 5 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Driver Installation and Operation Installation Preview 7 Installation Details 8 Controlling the Driver 10 Removing the Driver 11 5 5.1 5.2 Utility Installation, Startup, and Shutdown Installation 12 Controlling the Utility 13 6 6.1 6.1.1 6.1.2 6.1.3 6.2 6.2.1 6.2.
Figures 1. Ad-hoc network 3 2. Infrastructure network 3 3. Roamable multi-AP infrastructure network 4 4. CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter 5 5. Microsoft Windows 98 Add New Hardware Wizard window 6. Driver icon in system tray/notification area 7. Driver icon menus (1): main button 10 10 8. Driver icon menus (2): secondary button 11 9. Utility icons in the Start menu and on the desktop 10. Utility icon in the system tray/notification area 13 13 11.
Introduction Congratulations on choosing an outstanding wireless networking product. Your CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter conforms to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11b and the Wi-Fi specification of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). It supports data rates of up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps) and 40- and 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption, and will interoperate seamlessly with all other 802.11b and Wi-Fi compliant products.
1 System Requirements Before installing the adapter and related software, make sure the computer system meets the minimum requirements described below. 1.1 Hardware The adapter can be installed in any recent-model IBM-type microcomputer with a CardBus slot, also known as a PCMCIA or PC Card slot. The adapter is a Type II CardBus card, and can be installed in a Type II or Type III CardBus slot. The computer must have a 3.
2 Terminology Used in this Guide Ad-hoc Network An ad-hoc network is a wireless local-area network (WLAN) made up of stations communicating directly with each other through their wireless interfaces. There is no central relay point, and normally no connection to a wired network. Ad-hoc mode is sometimes referred to as peer-to-peer, computer-to-computer, or Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) mode. Figure 1 shows a typical ad-hoc network. Figure 1.
they automatically select the MAC address of one BSS member as an identifier for the group; this is the BSSID. It has become customary to refer to a wireless device’s MAC address as its BSSID even when the address is not being used to identify an active BSS. A BSS that includes an access point is often referred to as a cell.
3 Familiarization and Installation This chapter describes the adapter and gives instructions on inserting it for the first time. 3.1 The Parts of the Adapter The adapter has a thin, rectangular end with 68 connector holes, and a thick, rounded end that contains the antenna and two light-emitting diode (LED) indicators. Figure 4.
• If the adapter will be connected to an extender card installed in a desktop computer, make sure the extender card is firmly bolted to the computer’s housing before inserting or removing the adapter. Shifting or rocking of a loose extender card can result in momentary loss of contact, which can permanently damage sensitive electronic components. • Microsoft Windows lets you turn off power to the adapter before removing it.
4 Driver Installation and Operation After physically installing the adapter in the computer as described above, you are ready to install a driver. This is software that lets the adapter be used in a specific operating system. The Wireless Adapter Driver disk included with your adapter contains drivers for Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. The following note is for technicians experienced at installing drivers in Microsoft Windows. Other readers should go directly to section 4.
• You will be able to move forward and back through the installation process by choosing the Next and Back buttons at the bottom of the window. • A number of options will appear during the installation process. You must select the options that tell the program: o You wish it to search for a driver. If you do not tell it to search for a driver, it will display a list that you will have to search through yourself. This list will be long and hard to understand, and it might not contain the correct driver.
4. Check “Floppy disk drives” and “Specify a location,” and uncheck all other options; then type the following into the location box: a:\win98 5. Insert the Wireless Adapter Driver disk in drive A and choose Next. The Add New Hardware Wizard will find the driver and show information about it. 6. Choose Next. Installation will begin. 7. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish. Microsoft Windows ME (uses the Windows 98 driver): 1. Turn on the computer.
Microsoft Windows XP: 1. Turn on the computer. Windows XP will detect the adapter and start the Found New Hardware Wizard. 2. Insert the Wireless Adapter Driver disk and select “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)”; then choose Next. 3. Check “Include this location in the search” and type the following into the location box: a:\winxp 4. Choose Next. Installation will begin. 5. When the Found New Hardware Wizard indicates that installation is complete, choose Finish.
• To reactivate the driver: Open the Start menu, go to Settings, choose Control Panel, open the Add New Hardware (or Add Hardware) icon, choose Next, choose Next again, and press Esc. Assuming the adapter is in the slot, the driver will be activated and the adapter will start working. Note that the system may stop responding to keyboard and mouse actions for about one minute.
5 Utility Installation, Startup, and Shutdown To join and leave wireless networks and use the adapter’s special features, you must install the utility included with the adapter. In addition to its basic functions, this utility has special features that make wireless networking as convenient as possible. 5.1 Installation Before installing the utility, make sure all items on the following checklist have been completed: • The adapter is installed and its LEDs light up.
Figure 9. Utility icons in the Start menu and on the desktop 5.2 Controlling the Utility The Wireless Adapter Utility behaves slightly differently from most programs with icons on the desktop and in the Start menu.
• When you close the utility’s main window in any of the usual ways (clicking its close box, choosing Close from its system menu, or pressing Alt+F4), the utility continues to run in the background. The utility must be running to keep any wireless connections active. Figure 11. Closing the utility’s main window • To re-open the utility window, you can double-click the utility icon in the system tray, or you can carry out either of the procedures for starting the utility up (see first item above).
6 Operation This chapter explains how to establish wireless connections using your CardBus Enhanced Wireless Network Adapter and the Wireless Adapter Utility. It is assumed here that — • you have completed installation of the adapter, driver, and utility; • you know how to start the utility, close and redisplay its window, and shut it down (see section 5.2, “Controlling the Utility”); and • you are within range of at least one wireless device that is working and will accept a connection from you.
Figure 13. Typical Information panel display on first startup Note the default setting shown in the Network Name (SSID) box. If the adapter had been within range of an access point (AP) that used the same SSID and did not require encryption, a connection would have been automatically established. This panel then would have shown the AP’s SSID and BSSID, as well as the current channel, transmission rate, link quality, and signal strength.
Figure 14. The Settings panel in a multi-network environment The Site Survey section shows all wireless networks and devices that the adapter is currently receiving signals from. This information is updated each time the Settings panel is opened; you can also update it by choosing the Search button. A “connection profile” is a group of settings that allows you to join a particular wireless network.
Figure 15. The About panel 6.2 Connecting for the First Time A connection to a wireless network is made by creating, saving, and applying a profile for that network. This is done through the Wireless Adapter Utility’s Settings panel. 6.2.1 Required Information Before you create a connection profile, you need to know certain information about the wireless network that the profile is for: • The SSID, sometimes referred to as the network name or ID, or the domain name or ID.
• • The operating mode of the network. This can be 802.11 ad-hoc, infrastructure, or highspeed ad-hoc. The Site Survey display will show you if a network is in ad-hoc or infrastructure mode. o If the mode is ad hoc (either 802.11 or high-speed), you will need to know the radio frequency channel the network is operating on. This is displayed in the Site Survey listing. o High-speed ad-hoc mode can be used only with wireless devices from the same product family as your adapter.
2. Find out the network’s SSID, WEP, mode, and channel settings from the Site Survey results. If the network does not appear immediately in the Site Survey listing, choose Search and wait a few seconds. If the mode is ad-hoc, note the channel setting. If WEP is enabled, obtain detailed WEP settings from the network installer or operator. 3. In the Connection Profiles section, choose New. The New Profile dialog box will appear. Figure 16. The New Profile dialog box 4.
If the network is in infrastructure mode and WEP is enabled, skip the next two steps and go directly to step 8. If the network is in infrastructure mode and WEP is disabled, skip the next three steps and go directly to step 9. 6. For an ad-hoc network, adjust the Network Mode control. The default setting of this control is Infrastructure. Open the list and select 802.11 Ad-hoc or High-speed Ad-hoc. (Use high-speed ad-hoc mode only for links to devices from the same product family as your adapter.) 7.
7 Utility Command Reference This chapter explains all the controls in the Wireless Adapter Utility’s Settings panel and profile editor. (The profile editor is the dialog box that appears when you choose New or Details in the Connection Profiles section of the Settings panel. It is illustrated in figure 16.) 7.1 Settings Panel The Settings panel displays information about any wireless networks you are within range of, and any connection profiles you have created.
• To change the order in which site survey results are displayed, click a column heading. For example, you can click the WEP column heading to have all networks where WEP is disabled listed before all networks where WEP is enabled. • To see all of an SSID that exceeds the width of the SSID column, place the pointer on that SSID. Continuation dots show when an SSID is too long for the SSID column. Sometimes you might have to click the SSID.
New To create a new profile, choose New at any time. The profile editor will appear (see section 7.2, “The Profile Editor,” below). Apply To use a profile to join a wireless network, select the profile and choose Apply. Doubleclicking a profile has the same effect. You will be asked for confirmation. When you confirm the command, the utility will put all the settings in the profile into effect and attempt to join the network.
setting of the Transmission Rate control is fixed because of the Network Mode setting, it is shown in gray characters and the control is disabled. When the Network Mode control is set to 802.11 Ad-hoc, the Transmission Rate control offers five settings: Auto, 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, and 11 Mbps. Using a fixed, high speed throughout a network can improve security by reducing the effective range. Fixed, low speeds may be necessary for interoperation with some pre-802.11b devices.
destined for your machine. The adapter stays “awake” only long enough to check for and receive waiting communications. Fast Power Save mode is like Maximum Power Save mode except that the adapter checks the activity level on the network and stays fully “awake” if the activity level is high. When network traffic falls below a certain level, the adapter returns to “doze” mode. 7.2.7 Auth. Mode The Auth.
(So-called 40-bit WEP encryption is the same as that offered by the 64 bits setting. On all wireless networking products, only 40 bits of a 64-bit key, and 104 bits of a 128-bit key, are input by the user.) The default setting is Disable. Selecting any other setting enables the WEP key input controls (for example, the Passphrase input box and Generate button). WEP itself is not enabled in the profile until you complete WEP key input. Selecting 64, 128, or 256 bits also causes input boxes to appear.
Appendix A: Character Conversion Charts These charts show both control codes and printable characters. Control codes (including DEL) have no standard printed representations and are unlikely to appear in plain-text WEP keys; they are included for completeness only. Printable characters appear in the punctuation/numbers, symbols/diacritics, uppercase, and lowercase columns. Each is followed by an equals sign and a numeric value in hexadecimal notation.
Appendix B: Troubleshooting Problem: Adapter installation appears to have failed. Solutions: • Make sure the adapter is firmly seated in the CardBus slot. • Uninstall and reinstall the adapter. If the problem persists, uninstall the adapter and install it in another slot. If possible, try the adapter in another computer to see if the problem is in the adapter or the computer. • Check to see if there is an IRQ conflict with another device: 1.
If the network is in ad-hoc mode, in addition to using the correct SSID and security settings, you must use the channel indicated in the Site Survey section and set the transmission rate to Auto or the exact fixed speed used on the network. Remember that high-speed ad-hoc mode and 256-bit WEP encryption can be used only on connections to devices in the same product line as your adapter.
Appendix C: Technical Support If you encounter a problem that cannot be solved by following the steps in the troubleshooting section, call your networking equipment supplier for help.
Appendix D: Limited Warranty Hardware The manufacturer 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 the manufacturer or its authorized reseller, and for the period of time specified in the documentation supplied with each product.
Charges: Usually, RMA (Returned Material Authorization) items will be returned to the purchaser via airmail, prepaid by the manufacturer. If any item is returned by another carrier, the purchaser will pay the difference. A return freight and handling fee will be charged to the purchaser if the manufacturer determines that the product is not defective or that the damage was caused by the user.
Appendix E: Specifications Standards compliance IEEE 802.11b, PCMCIA CardBus (Type II) Regulatory compliance USA: FCC Part 15 Class B EU: ETS 300.328, ETS 300.826, CE Mark Japan: ARIB STD-T66 Frequency band 2400.0 to 2497.0 MHz (Japan) 2400.0 to 2483.5 MHz (North America and Europe) 2445.0 to 2475.0 MHz (Spain) 2446.5 to 2483.
Appendix F: Channels and Regulations The following table lists the IEEE 802.11b transmission channels and provides important notes on regulations regarding channel use.
