WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module User Manual Version: 1.0 Sep.
Copyright Statement No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior writing of the publisher. Windows™ 98SE/2000/ME/XP are trademarks of Microsoft ® Corp. Pentium is trademark of Intel. All copyright reserved.
Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 THE WLAN 802.11 G MINI-PCI M ODULE ..............................................................4 1.2 FEATURES ................................................................................................................4 2. PLANNING YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK 5 2.1 NETWORK TOPOLOGY.............................................................................................5 2.2 AD-HOC VERSUS INFRASTRUCTURE M ODE ...................................................
1. Introduction 1.1 The WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module 802.11g is the 54Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed 802.11b products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the country — but since they share the same 2.4GHz radio band, 802.11g devices can also work with existing 11Mbps 802.11b equipment. The new 802.11g mini-PCI Module has both standards built in, so you can connect your notebook to existing 802.
2. Planning Your Wireless Network 2.1 Network Topology A wireless local area network (WLAN) is exactly like a regular local area network (LAN), except that each computer in the WLAN uses a wireless device to connect to the network. Computers in a WLAN share the same frequency channel and SSID, which is an identification name for wireless devices. 2.2 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.
If the wireless network is relatively small and needs to share resources only with the other computers on the wireless network, then the ad-hoc mode can be used. (See Figure 2-2.) Ad-hoc mode allows computers equipped with wireless transmitters and receivers to communicate directly with each other, eliminating the need for an access point. The drawback of this mode is that, in Ad- Hoc mode, wireless-equipped computers are not able to communicate with computers on a wired network.
3. Software Installation and Uninstallation Note! The Installation Section in this User Manual describes the first-time installation for Windows. To re-install the driver, please first uninstall the previously installed driver. See Chapter 3.2 “Uninstallation” section in this User Manual. 3.1 Setup Wizard Installation Follow the steps below to complete the driver/utility installation: 1. Insert the Installation Software CD into the CD-Rom Drive. 2. Click “Next”.
3. Read the License Agreement and click “Yes”. 4. Click “Next” to continue or click “Browse” to choose a destination folder. Setup will install WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module in the following folder. To install to this folder, click Next. To install to a different folder, click Browse and select another folder. C: \Program Files\WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module\ 5. Click “Next”. WLAN 802.
6. Click “Finish”. Setup has finished installing WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module on your computer. 7. The Windows Operating System will find the new hardware and automatically install it. (For Windows 98SE or Windows Me, please restart your computer before inserting the Adatper). 8. You may now see the WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module shortcut on windows system tray. 3.2 Additional Setup Processes During software installation procedure, each operating system may prompt different specific options.
the values of the settings. When the installation is finished, you’ll have to restart your computer. 2. Windows Me: Please check with the network administrator for the values of the settings. Please restart your computer when the installation is finished. 3. Windows 2000: Please check with the network administrator for the values of the settings. Select “Install the software automatically” when the window with this option appears, and then click “Next” to continue installation. 4.
3.3 Disable Windows XP Zero-Configuration In Windows XP, it is recommended that you use the WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module Utility. Right after the installation, before opening the Utility, please follow the steps below to disable the Windows XP Zero Configuration: 1 Go to “Control Panel” and double click “Network Connections”. 2 Right-click “Wireless Network Connection” of WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module, and select “Properties”.
3.4 Uninstallation Note! Before uninstallation, please close all running programs. 1. Click Start>Programs>WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module>Uninstall WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module. 2. Choose “Remove”. Click “Next”. Welcome to the WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module Setup Maintenance program. This program lets you modify the current installation. Click one of the options below. 3. Click “OK” to start Uninstall.
4. Click “Finish”. Uninstall is now completed. InstallShield Wizard has finished performing maintenance operations on WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module.
4. Using the Configuration Utility 4.1 Overview Use the Configuration Utility to search for available wireless networks, connect to wireless network, or check the link status. 4.2 Accessing the Configuration Utility 1. After software installation, the WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module Configuration Utility icon will appear in your system tray. In Windows XP, please first close the XP Zero Configuration function. (Please refer to chapter 3.3) Doubleclick the icon . 2.
3. Select “Advanced” in previous page, and you will enter this window. In Wireless Networks Tab: -Enable Radio: Choose “Enable Radio” to enable radio. You usually are requested to uncheck Enable Radio while in the airplane or in the hospital. User can also find this function on system tray menu. -Available networks: List all the available networks, and you can choose the appropriated network and click “Configure”. The selected network will be listed in Preferred networks.
Fig. 4-3 6. Click “Properties” in Fig. 4-2. 7. If the selected Network is WEP enabled, you need to enter Network Key in Fig. 4-4. Contact with the Network Administrator for Network Key. Fig.
8. Select the chosen item in Fig. 4-5 to switch the network to ad hoc mode. Fig.
4.3 Link Status The Link Status tab shows information of Linked Network Name, Current Channel, Current Transmission Rate, Own MAC Address, Current Connection State, Wireless Network Adapter IP Address, Network Connection Type and Signal Strength.
4.4 Site Monitor This tab gives you the information of all the available Access Points in the network, such as their signal strength and WEP status, so that you can select the Access Point with the strongest signal for better performance. You may select the appropriated “Network Name ” and click”Advanced” to see the detailed information.
4.5 Statistics This tab describes the Current Activity of the connection, such as Packet Sent and Received.
4.6 Diagnostics Click “Run” button to check errors in hardware, firmware, and software of your WLAN 802.11g mini-PCI Module. In case of any errors occur, please print it out to present to your dealer or distributor.
4.7 Information This tab provides you the version information of Firmware, Driver and Utility. WLAN 802.
Appendix A: FAQ 1. Can I run an application from a remote computer over the wireless network? This will depend on whether or not the application is designed to be used over a network. Consult the application’s user guide to determine if it supports operation over a network. 2. Can I play computer games with other members of the wireless network? Yes, as long as the game supports multiple players over a LAN (local area network). Refer to the game’s user guide for more information. 3.
WLAN features two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as with Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security feature of scrambling. On the software side, WLAN offers the encryption function (WEP) to enhance security and access control. 6. What is WEP? WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit or 128-bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard. 7.
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. 10. What is the IEEE 802.11g standard? Approved in June, 2003 as an IEEE standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), 802.
Appendix B: Glossary 802.11b – One of the IEEE standards of wireless networking hardware. Products that adhere to a specific IEEE standard will work with each other, even if they are manufactured by different companies. The 802.11b standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps, an operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and WEP encryption for security. 802.11b networks are also referred to as Wi-Fi networks. 802.11g – Refers to the proposed extension of the IEEE 802.
DHCP uses the concept of a “lease” or amount of time that a given IP address will be valid for a computer. The lease time can vary depending on how long a user is likely to require the Internet connection at a particular location. It’s especially useful in education and other environments where users change frequently. Using very short lease, DHCP can dynamically reconfigure networks in which there are more computers than there are available IP address.
international standards. The organization publishes a number of journals, has many local chapters, and several large societies in special areas, such as the IEEE Computer Society. Infrastructure Network – An Infrastructure network is a group of computers or other devices, each with a wireless adapter, connected as an 802.11 wireless LAN. In infrastructure mode, the wireless devices communicate with each other and to a wired network by first going through an access point.
unique hardware number. mIRC – mIRC runs under Windows and provides a graphical interface for logging onto IRC servers and listing, joining and leaving channels. Network Mask – also known as the “Subnet Mask”. OFDM – Developed for wireless applications, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology offers superior performance-increased data rates and more reliable transmissions- than previous technologies, such as DSSS.
part of the host ID address field into a field for subnets. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) - A method (protocol) used along with the IP (Internet Protocol) to send data in the form of message units (datagram) between network devices over a LAN or WAN. While IP takes care of handling the actual delivery of the data (routing), TCP takes care of keeping track of the individual units of data (called packets) that a message is divided into for efficient delivery over the network.
Appendix C: Specification Items Contents 1. Modulation type 11g:DSSS&OFDM;11b:DSSS Use Broadcom MFG Tool to transmit signal in single carrier mode 11g:11 channels for FCC 11b: 11 channels for FCC 11b&11g:11channels 2.412,2.417,2.422,2.472,432,2.437,2.442,2.447,2 .452,2.457,2.462GHz 11g: 16.44MHz 11b :11.12MHz 2. Procedure to modulation off 3. Number of channels 4. Carrier frequency of each channel 5. Bandwidth of each channel 6. L.O. frequency of receiver 2412~2462MHz 7.
