User Guide C120 11Mbps Wireless LAN CardBus PC Card INFORMATION TO USER Federal Communications Commission Statement This product has been tested and complies with the specifications 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. The transmitter must not be operating in conjunction with other antenna or transmitters. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used according to the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which is found by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
DReorient or relocate the receiving antenna. DIncrease the separation between the equipment or device. DConnect the equipment to an outlet other than receiver
. DConsult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for assistance Notice: The Part 15 radio device operates on a non-interference basis with other devices operating at this frequency. Any change or modification not expressly approved by the party responsible could void the user authority to operate the device. Regulatory The wireless LAN PC Card must be installed and used in strict accordance with the manufacturer instructions. This device complies with the following radio frequency and safety standards. USA - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference. 2. This device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation. Europe - R&TTE Directive This device complies with the specifications listed below:
DETS 301-489 General EMC requirements for Radio equipment. DETS 300-328 Technical requirements for Radio equipment. DEN60950 Safety requirements for Radio equipment. EU Countries not intend for use The ETSI version of this device is intended for home and office use in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France (with Frequency channel restrictions). Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom. The ETSI version of this device is also authorized for use in EFTA member states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 3 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................4 The 11Mbps Wireless LAN CardBus PC Card ...............................................................................4 1.1 Feature ...........................................................................................................................................4 1.2 1.3 Package Contents ..........................................................................................................................4 System Requirements ....................................................................................................................4 1.4 2 NETWORK CONFIGURATION AND PLANNING.............................................................6 2.1 Wireless LAN Basic ........................................................................................................................6 2.2 Network Topology ...........................................................................................................................6 2.3 Roaming .........................................................................................................................................8 INSTALLING AND UN-INSTALLING THE DRIVERS AND CONFIGURATION UTILITY.9 3.1 Inserting the adapter.......................................................................................................................9 Running the Auto Driver/Utility Installation .....................................................................................9 3.2 3.3 Uninstalling the Driver and Utilty ..................................................................................................12 4 CONFIGURATION UTILITY ............................................................................................15 Using the configuration Utility.......................................................................................................15 Profile...................................................................................................................................15 Link State .............................................................................................................................19 Site Survey:..........................................................................................................................20 Statistics...............................................................................................................................21 About....................................................................................................................................22 5 GLOSSARY.....................................................................................................................24 6 SPECIFICATIONS...........................................................................................................25 4.1.1 4.1.2 4.1.3 4.1.4 4.1.5 4.1 3 1 1.1 1.2 Introduction The 11Mbps Wireless LAN CardBus PC Card The 11Mbps Wireless LAN PC Card now has a new, higher-powered antenna that provides a greater range than ever. The increased sensitivity helps filter out interference and notice to keep your signal clear. Improved error correction in the chipset keeps you operating at higher transmission rates for longer distances. And since you only need one Type II or III CardBus slot, youre free to use your other slots for additional accessories. Plug-and-Play device, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP will automatically recognize the wireless LAN card and initiate the installation process. Upon successful installation, the wireless LAN card will communicate seamlessly with other wireless home and office networking products. Using radio frequency (RF) technology, WLANs transmit and receive data over the air, minimizing the need for wired connections. Thus, WLANs combine data connectivity with user mobility, and through simplified configuration, enable movable LANs. This wireless networking solution has been designed for both large and small businesses, and it is scalable so that you can easily add more users and new network features as your business grows. This manual will assist you in the installing WLAN CardBus PC Card. Feature DIEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum(DSSS) high rate compatible. DHigh data rate 11/5.5/2/1 Mbps. DSupport 32bit CardBus interface DAuto Rate fallback for optimizing communication possibility in worse channel conditions and over larger distances. DSupport 64/128bit WEP data encryption security DCompliant with Windows 98/200/ME/XP DPower save in infrastructure mode. DBuild-in PCB patch space diversity antenna DPlug-and-Play and easy setup DEasy-to-Use Graphical Configuration utility saves detailed connectivity profiles for frequently accessed networks 1.3 Package Contents DOne 11Mbps Wireless LAN CardBus PC Card. DOne setup Utility CD-ROM (User Guide on CD). DQuick Installation Guide. 11Mbps Wireless LAN PC Card i o n G u i d e t a l l a t I n s c k Q u i Quick Installation Guide Utility CD-ROM System Requirements DOne CarBus Type II or Type III slot. DA laptop computer with an available 32bit CardBus slot DOperating System: Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP. D2M bytes free disk space for utility and driver installation. 1.4 4 DCardBus Controller properly installed and working the laptop computer 5 2 Network Configuration and Planning 2.1 Wireless LAN Basic The WLANs supports legacy Ethernet LAN network configuration options as defined by the IEEE 802.11b standards committee. The wireless LAN CardBus PC card can be configured as:
DAd-Hoc for departmental or SOHO LANs. DInfrastructure for enterprise LANs. DLAN-Interconnection for point-to-point link as campus backbone. 2.2 Network Topology An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each equipped with one WLAN adapter, connected as an independent wireless LAN. Computers in a specific Ad-Hoc wireless LAN must be configured to share the same radio channel. Ad-Hoc Wireless LAN 6 Infrastructure Wireless LAN The adapter provides access to a wired LAN for wireless workstations. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration. A group of WLAN PC users and an Access Point compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each WLAN PC in a BSS can talk to any computer in the wired LAN infrastructure via the Access Point. An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of a WLAN equipped PC to a wired LAN, and doubles the effective wireless transmission range for 2 WLANs PCs. Since the Access Point is able to forward data within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an infrastructure LAN is double. The effective transmission range 7 The use of a unique ID in a BSS is essential. All WLAN equipped PCs configured without roaming options in independent BSS must be configured with a BSS ID corresponding to the Access Point used in the BSS. Check your Access Point for its BSS ID or use the Access Point Browser Utility program to determine the BSS ID. The infrastructure wireless LAN configuration is appropriate for enterprise-scale wireless access to a central database, or as a wireless application for mobile users. 2.3 Roaming Roaming in an Extended Service Set (ESS) Infrastructure mode also supports roaming capabilities for mobile users. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set (ESS). The continuous network allows users to roam freely within an ESS. All WLAN PCs and Access Point within one ESS must be configured with the same ESS ID. Before enabling an ESS with roaming capability, it is recommended to select a feasible radio channel and optimum Access Point position. Proper Access Point positioning combined with a clear radio signal will greatly enhance performance. 8 3 3.1 Installing and Un-installing the Drivers and Configuration Utility Inserting the adapter To insert the wireless LAN CarBus Card into a notebook computer, do the following:
Locate an available Type II or Type III CardBus slot. With the CardBus adapters 68-pin connector facing the CARD BUS slot and the Brand Name of Card Bus label facing up side the CardBus adapter completely into the Card Bus slot. Insert the Wireless LAN CardBus card into Notebook After properly inserting the Network Adapter into your notebook, continue with the WLAN driver and configuration utility installation. NOTE: The CardBus slot allows hot swap of CardBus adapter. You may insert or remove the WLAN Card Bus adapter from the slot anytime, even when the power of your computer is on. NOTE: Windows 98 requires that the Network card and socket services must be compliant with the 32bit CardBus specification. Please check the documentation of the CardBus driver before installing the WLAN CardBus adapter. 3.2 Running the Auto Driver/Utility Installation Before insert your card, please install the Auto-Install CD into your CD-ROM driver first. Unless you have deactivated the auto-run feature of Windows, the screen shown below should appear automatically. 9 Autorun feature of Windows If this screen doesnt 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 double-click the Setup.exe icon in the folder that appears. Click install 802.11b WLAN Driver and Utility, please 10 The screen below will appear next, please click Next button. Click Yes button for installing configuration utility. Otherwise click NO to skip or Back to the previous screen. After Windows has finished copying the necessary files, a screen similar to that shown below will appear. 11 3.3 Uninstalling the Driver and Utilty Previous installations or interrupted installation attempts sometimes leave problems that affect card operation. If the installation is unsuccessful, your best course may be to completely uninstall the card and repeat the installation procedure. please run the Auto-Install again, Click install 802.11b WLAN Driver and Utility. The screen shown below should appear automatically. Select Remove 12 The screen below will appear next, please click Yes button. After Windows has finished removing all installed components, a screen similar to that shown below will appear. 13 Click Finish . The operating system will restart the computer automatically. 14 4 Configuration Utility The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you further customization of the WLAN CardBus PC Card and your wireless network. 4.1 Using the configuration Utility After the Configuration Utility has been installed, an icon will placed in the system tray when the WLAN CardBus PC Card is inserted. The utility is divided into five parts: Profile , Link State, Site Survey, Statistics, and about. You should change all your configuration settings for your WLAN CardBus PC Card using this utility and not with the Network Properties section in your Control Panel. Click ACTIVATE to excuse the profile. To add a new location profile name or to rename, delete, or select an existing profile, click Edit. The Edit Configurations screen appears 4.1.1 Profile Specifies different network profile settings used in various locations, such as your office, your home, the factory, or the airport. In each profile, you can specify a network type, network name, WEP and security setting parameters required for that operating location. 4.1.1.1 System Configuration Edit profile Network Type:
Ad Hoc: An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adapters, connected as an independent wireless LAN. Infrastructure: An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration. SSID: All wireless devices within the ESS or extended wireless LAN use the SSID. This can be any alphanumeric value of up to 32 long. Use this to prevent cross communication between two or more WLAN in one area. The SSID should be changed in order to provide some minimum security. Fragment Threshold: Fragment Threshold defines a threshold above, which the wireless packet will be split up, or fragmented. For a fragmented packet, if transmission of part of it were to be interfered with, only the portion that was successfully transmitted would need to be resent. Throughput will generally be lower for fragmented packets, since the fixed packet overhead consumes a higher portion of the RF bandwidth. RTS Threshold: The RTS Threshold sets an upper threshold at which point the device will issue an RTS packet. The RTS (Request To Send) packet is used for the purpose of avoiding data collisions on the wireless LAN. There are several trade offs to consider when setting this parameter. Setting this parameter to a small value causes RTS packets to be sent more often, consuming more of the available bandwidth, therefore reducing the apparent throughput of other network packets. However, the more often RTS packets are sent, the quicker the system can recover from interference or collisions. Refer to the IEEE 802.11 Standard for more information on the RTS/CTS mechanism. Power Save Mode:
15 CAM: (Constant Awake Mode) CAM is the normal mode for desktop machines or other machines where power consumption is not an issue. It keeps the radio powered up continuously, so there is little latency for responding to messages. Max_PSP: Maximum Power Save. Fast_PSP: Fast Awake. Use Short Preamble: Preamble is the first sub-field of PPDU, which is the appropriate frame format for transmission to PHY (Physical layer). There are two options, Short Preamble and Long Preamble. The Short Preamble option improves throughput performance. Transmit rate: By default, the unit adaptively selects the highest possible rate for transmission. Select the basic rates to be used among the following options: Auto, 1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps. For most networks the default setting, Auto will be the best choice. When Auto
(Rate Fall Back) is enabled the transmission rate will select the optimum rate. If obstacles or interference are present, the system will automatically fall back to a lower rate. Encryption : A way of coding the information in a file or e-mail message so that if it is intercepted by a third party as it travels over a network it cannot be read. Only the person or persons that have the right type of decoding software can unscramble the message. WEP : WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is an optional feature of the IEEE 802.11 standard that is used to provide data confidentiality and is equivalent to that of a wired LAN that does not use crypto techniques to improve security. 4.1.1.2 Authentication & Security No Encryption: No any encryption for security. Encryption:
WEP Key length: The 64 or 128-bits Wired Equivalent Privacy Algorithm. Use this enable 64-bit or 128-bit encryption. WEP is disabled by default. WEP use a Hexadecimal format as key type. The 64/128-bit key length minus the 24-bit IV actually gives an effective 40/104-bit key length, Open System: With this setting any station in the Wireless LAN can associate with an Access Point to receive and to transmit data. Key 1 - Key 4: These four fields can be used to manually enter the encryption keys. This may be necessary if you wish this node to 16 match keys in a different vendor's product. No Data Encryption. 17 18 4.1.2 Link State You can see the below status:
Status, Current Channel, Current TX Rate, througput(Kbit/sec), Link Quality, Signal Strength,. 19 4.1.3 Site Survey:
When you select AP Client, you can find that the Site Survey and Link Quality are enabled. Click the Site Survey, and then you can choose which AP you want to click and click Close button to close the screen. The APs MAC address will be displayed at the Preferred BSSID field. You can click the Link Quality also to see the link quality of AP you select. 20 4.1.4 Statistics You can see the information of transmit statistics and receive statistics in this screen :
21 4.1.5 About You can see the driver & utility information as below, including owner, version and phy_address. 22 23 Glossary Access Point - An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks together. Ad-Hoc - An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adapters, connected as an independent wireless LAN. Bit - A binary digit. The value - 0 or 1 used in the binary numbering system. Also, the smallest form of data. Backbone - The core infrastructure of a network, the portion of the network that transports information from one central location to another central location. The information in then off-loaded onto a local system. BSS - Stands for Basic Service Set. An Access Point associated with several stations. Domain - A subnetwork comprised of a group of clients and servers under the control of one security database. Dividing LANs into domains improves performance and security. DSSS - Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum is very widely known and the most used of the spread spectrum types, owing most of its popularity to its ease of implementation and high data rates. Encryption - A security method that applies a specific algorithm to data in order to alter the datas appearance and prevent other devices from reading the information ESS - Stands for Extended Service Set. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set. An ESS is basically a roaming domain. Ethernet - A popular local area data communications network, originally developed by Xerox Corp., which accepts transmission from computers and terminals. Ethernet operates on 10 Mbps baseband transmission over shielded coaxial cable or over shielded twisted pair telephone wire. Fragmentation - Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet. Infrastructure - An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration. IRQ - Interrupt ReQuest, A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ lines used to signal the CPU that peripheral event has started or terminated. In most cases, two devices cannot use the same line. Roaming - A function that allow one to travel with a mobile end system (wireless LAN mobile station, for example) through the territory of domain (an ESS, for example) while continuously connecting to the infrastructure. RTS - Request to Send, An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station to the receiving station requesting permission to transmit. Throughput - The amount of data moved successfully from one place to another in a given time period. Tx Rate - Transmission Rate. WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy, A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit or 128-bit shared key algorithm, as described in IEEE 802.11 standard. 24 5 6 Specifications Model Radio Frequency Band Modulation TYPE Operating Channels Radio Technology Data Rate Output Power Receive sensitivity Antenna Type Current Consumption Package Certification Driver 11Mbps Wireless LAN CardBus PC Card Complies with IEEE 802.11b 2400 ~ 2483.5MHz (for US, Canada, and ETSI) 2400 ~ 2497MHz (for Japan) CCK, BPSK, QPSK IEEE 802.11b compliant 11 channels (US, Canada) 13 channels (ETSI) 14 channels (Japan) Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum 1 / 2 / 5.5 / 11 Mbps
+13dBm, 10mW/MHz for Japan Min. -80dBm for 11Mbps (@BER 10E-5) Min. -82dBm for 5.5/2/1 Mbps (@BER 10E-5) Build-in PCB patch space diversity antenna 3.3V, Tx mode 350 mA (Max.) Rx mode 150 mA (Max.) 3.3V Card Bus Radio: EU: ETS 300 328; USA: FCC Part 15C EMC: EU ETS 301 489; USA: FCC Part 15B Safety: EN60950 Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP Taiwan: DGT 25 FCC WARNING This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A computing device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against electromagnetic interference in a commercial environment. Changes or modifications to the equipment not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. CE MARK WARNING This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures. 26