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Table of Contents About This User’s Manual ......................................................................................ii Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................1 1-1 Wireless LAN Basics .........................................................................1 1-1-1 Local Area Network (LAN).........................................................1 1-1-2 Wireless Network Topologies ..................................
About This User’s Manual This manual was written for Mini PCI Wireless LAN Card. For brevity, throughout this manual Wireless LAN Card is used to indicate 802.11g/super-g WLAN Card Mini PCI. Also, the following terms/abbreviations are used interchangeably: • Access Point-AP • Wireless LAN-WLAN • Ethernet network-LAN-network This User’s Manual contains information on how to install and configure your Wireless LAN Card.
which the receiver is connected. - Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user authority to operate the equipment. Tested to comply with FCC standard. FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE. FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement: 1. This equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment, under 47 CFR 2.1093 paragraph (d)(2).
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 1 Introduction The Wireless LAN Card design is based on Atheros WLAN chipset. It supports 802.11g/super-g standards to provide maximum data rates of 108Mbps. 1-1 Wireless LAN Basics This section contains some Wireless LAN basics to help you better understand how the products work together to create a wireless network. 1-1-1 Local Area Network (LAN) Simply put, a LAN is a network that exists in a relatively limited area.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Figure 0-1 Ad Hoc Network Infrastructure Network An Infrastructure wireless network consists of at least one Access Point connected to the wired network infrastructure and a set of wireless end stations. The AP acts as a gateway, linking the wireless network to a wired LAN. As a result, wireless stations have access to all of the features of your wired LAN including e-mail, Internet, network printers and files server access.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Figure 0-3 Roaming Across Multiple Access Points 1-1-3 802.11g/super-g This Wireless LAN Card is an IEEE 802.11g/super-g radio solution. Getting familiar with some technical terms will help you better understand your device. • Operating Frequency Band • Operates in the 2.4GHz band . • Data Rates • Supports data rates of 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9,11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54M,108Mbps.
02.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 2 Installing the Driver and Utility Software This chapter describes the first-time installation of the driver and software for the Wireless LAN Card. Proper driver installation is to allow the device to operate on your host computer while the utility software, a Windows program, is to help you configure and monitor your Wireless LAN Card.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 2-1 System Requirements To use the Wireless LAN Card, your computer must meet the following minimum requirements: • Windows 98/Me/2000/XP • 32 MB of RAM or greater • 300 MHz processor or higher • UL listed I.T.E. computers 2-2 Installing the driver and software If your operation system has not been installed with the Wireless LAN Card driver, the Windows Plug-and-Play capability will automatically detect the new device (e.g.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 5. For first-time installation, select the first option as shown below then click Next. 6. Let Enable icon in system tray check box selected. Click Next. 7. Read the following instructions about the utility (ACU or ZERO) you want to use to control your Wireless LAN Card. Click Next to continue. 8. Select the preferred utility then click Next.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 9. Click Finish to complete the installation and reboot your computer. Depending on your operating system, following situation may occur during the installation: For Windows XP: When Found New Hardware Wizard appears, have Install the software automatically selected and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed. If digital signature message appears, just click Continue Anyway. Now you are done with the installation procedure.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 3 Utility Configuration The configuration of the Wireless LAN Card is done through the Atheros Client Utility (ACU). The user-mode utility also includes a number of tools to display current statistics and status information pertaining to your Wireless LAN Card. The Atheros Client Utility screen pops up with three available tabs: Current Status, Profile Management, and Diagnostics.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 3-1-1 Note to Windows XP Users Windows XP provides built-in Wireless Zero Configuration Utility for wireless network. The utility is enabled by default. When it is active, it will override the Network Name, Security and other settings of the Atheros Client Utility. If you want to disable the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration Utility and have your device managed only by the Atheros Client Utility, proceed as follows: 1.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 3-2 Network Basic Configuration To add a new Ad Hoc or Infrastructure profile, click New on the Profile Management tab. The dialog box displays three tabs: General, Security and Advanced. 3-2-1 General Tab The configuration items on the General tab are described as below. Profile Name: Enter a unique name to identify this network setting. Configuration names are not case sensitive.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 3-2-2 Security Tab The Atheros Client Utility provides four types of encryption: Pre-Shared Keys, LEAP, Externally Managed 802.1x Keys and Disabled. Each wireless device within a WLAN must use the same security settings to allow communication. Depending on whether you are connecting to an Ad Hoc or Infrastructure network, you will need to consult one of the workgroup participants or network administrator for the correct security settings.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Note Currently, Windows XP does not support 152-bit encryption when using the built-in Wireless Zero Configuration Utility. You must disable the zero configuration in order to use 152-bit encryption. Figure 0-2 Define Pre-Shared Keys screen 3-2-2-2 LEAP (Light Extensible Authentication Protocol) Enables the use of LEAP for dynamic security keys.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual If you are using a operating system other than Windows XP, the Define Static Encryption Keys button is available for you to enter at least one key into the Atheros Client Utility static key configuration. In the AP-802.1x network, the static keys serve only to initialize the security data structures. Real keys are dynamically provided by 802.1x key distribution protocol.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 3-2-3 Advanced Tab The configuration items on the Advanced tab are described as below. Power Save Mode: Infrastructure mode ONLY. This feature reduces power consumption by the Wireless LAN Card to extend the battery life of your computer. The options include Off, Normal and Maximum. • Off – The power management is disabled and the card consumes full power from the computer.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Channel (1~11 or Auto) and choose the base band: • 2.4 GHz 11 Mbps: Specifies whether to use 11 Mbps mode. • 2.4 GHz 54 Mbps: Specifies whether to use 54 Mbps mode.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 3-3 Connecting to an Existing Network To check for existing networks near your computer, open the Profile Management tab and click Available Networks… button, the following screen will pop-up. Figure 0-6 Available Networks All available networks will be shown in the above list box. Highlight the network name (SSID) you wish to join in and click the Activate button.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 3-4 Modifying a Configuration Profile To modify a configuration profile, highlight the profile name from the Profile list box and click the Modify button. 3-5 Removing a Configuration Profile To remove a configuration profile: 1. Highlight the profile to remove from the Profile list on the Station Configuration tab. 2. Click the Remove button.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 4 Checking Status or Statistics The Atheros Client Utility includes a number of options to display statistics and status information. These tools can be accessed via the corresponding tabs of the Atheros Client Utility. 4-1 Status Monitor Tray Icon The Atheros Client Utility tray icon allows you to easily and quickly monitors your wireless connection status.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 4-2 Current Status Tab The Current Status tab of the Atheros Client Utility contains general information about the program and its operations. The following table describes the items found in the Current Status tab. Screen Item Description Profile Name The name of the current configuration. Network Type Displays if the adapter is connected to an Access Point or Ad Hoc network. Wireless Mode Displays the connection frequency and maximum speed: z 2.
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802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 4-2-1 Advanced Status You can view advanced information about the program and its operation by clicking the Advanced button on the Current Status tab. The following table describes the items found on the Advanced Status screen. Screen Item Description Country The regulatory domain of the network. Transmit Power Level Displays the transmit power level. Network Name (SSID) The wireless network name. Power Save Mode The power management options.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Figure 0-3 Diagnostics Tab 4-3-1 Advanced Statistics Advanced Statistics also show receive and transmit statistical information for the following receive and transmit diagnostics for frames received by or transmitted to the wireless network adapter.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 4-3-2 Driver Information The Driver Information contains general information about the network interface card (NIC) and the network driver interface specification (NDIS). The following table describes the items found on the Driver Information tab. Screen Item Description Card Name The name of the NIC. MAC Address The station's MAC address. It is configured at the factory. Driver The location of the NDIS driver. Driver Version The NDIS driver version.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 5 ACU Toolbar There are three menus Action, Options, Help in the ACU toolbar, check the appropriate section for more information. 5-1 Action Menu You can enable/disable radio frequency or ACU icon in the system tray. Click Exit to shutdown the utility. The Country Select… allows users to switch to different country codes. The Wireless LAN Card has EEPROM locations allocated to store country code information.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 5-2 Options Menu There is only one option under this menu. You can view or change the current display settings. To change the display settings, click on Display Settings…. The display settings dialog box contains tools to set these parameters: Signal Strength Display Units: Sets the units used when displaying signal strength: percentage or decibels. Refresh Interval (seconds): Sets the display refresh interval in seconds.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 6 Uninstalling the Wireless LAN Card Should you need to uninstall the Wireless LAN Card and its application software for any reason, please proceed as follows. The uninstallation procedures are basically the same under Windows 98, Me, 2000 and XP. The graphics here assume a Windows XP environment. 1. Close all programs that are currently running. 2. Right-click on the Atheros Client Utility (ACU) icon in the system tray. Click Exit to shut down the utility.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual 6. When confirm message appears, click OK. 7. Click Finish.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Chapter 7 Uninstalling the Wireless LAN Card My station cannot associate in Ad Hoc mode. Make sure all the stations in the Ad Hoc network are set with the same SSID. You can set up one station to start the Ad Hoc network and wait briefly before setting other stations.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual • If in Ad Hoc mode, make sure the Log on to Windows NT domain check box is not selected in the Client for Microsoft Networks Properties dialog box in the Network Configuration tab. • Incorrect IP address or subnet mask. Check these settings in the TCP/IP Properties dialog box in the Network Configuration tab. Poor Link Quality If the link quality display stays in the poor range, it could be due to one of the following reasons: • Radio interference.
802.11g/super-g WLAN Card User’s Manual Appendix A Setting Up TCP/IP This section contains instructions for configuring the TCP/IP protocol of the Wireless LAN Card. The IP address policy depends on your network. You should configure your TCP/IP protocol as instructed by your network administrator. For Windows 2000/XP 1. Double-click Network Dial-up Connections (Windows 2000) or Network Connections (Windows XP) on Control Panel. 2.
