3Com 3CRWE737A - 11Mbps Airconnect Wireless Lan PC Card... User manual

Extending Networks Beyond the
Desktop
In today’s competitive business
environment, continuous network
access is essential to any organization’s
success. At the same time, mobile
professionals can no longer afford to
be tied down by wiring installations.
In order to be as productive as pos-
sible, people need the freedom to
roam yet stay connected.
The 3Com®AirConnect®11 Mbps
Wireless LAN Solution overcomes
the limitations of wired networks
by providing fast, reliable, simple,
and secure access—when and where
you need it. It plugs directly into
the wired network infrastructure
for full access to all your networked
resources.
The AirConnect Wireless
LAN Solution offers multiple
business benefits:
■Managers and executives can
consult corporate information
in real time to make faster and
smarter decisions, which can
then be communicated and
deployed more efficiently via
the extended network.
■Employees moving throughout
the company can gain network
access from anywhere: a co-
worker’s cubicle, training rooms,
or even the company cafeteria.
■Corporate colleagues and
partners can work effectively
while traveling between sites
or visiting other offices.
■Hospital personnel can
provide better and faster care
by accessing patient profiles
at their bedsides.
■University students can get
immediate access to
digital libraries and work
assignments—or conduct
research whenever they choose.
Fast. Delivers network speeds
of up to 11 M ps—five times
faster than previous wireless
LAN products.
Reliable. Each Access Point
supports up to 63 simultaneous
users, at distances of up to
300 feet (91 m). Dynamic rate
shifting and load alancing
optimize connectivity.
Easy to install and use.
3Com’s Site Survey Utility and
PowerBASE-T simplify network
setup. DynamicAccess®mo ile
connection manager easily con-
figures your network
connections— oth wired and
wireless. PC Cards install in
minutes on systems running
Windows 2000, 98 SE, 98, or 95;
Windows NT 4.0; or Windows CE
2.11.
Easy to manage. Use any We
rowser or SNMP- ased man-
agement tool to configure and
monitor Access Points across
your network.
Mobile. DHCP and Extended
Roaming features keep you
connected when moving
across IP su nets.
Secure. Access Points offer mul-
tiple levels of security, including
access control lists, domain
identification, and authentica-
tion. Both 40- and 128- it
encryption* and the RC4 algo-
rithm are also availa le.
Standards-based technology.
3Com®AirConnect®is compliant
with IEEE 802.11 and Wireless
Ethernet Compati ility Alliance
(WECA) Wi-Fi™standards,
ensuring interopera ility with
the greatest range of industry
standards-certified products.
3Com®AirConnect®11 M ps
Wireless LAN Solution provides fast,
relia le, and managea le network
access. 3Com AirConnect Access
Points, PC Cards, and PCI cards
extend LAN connectivity to any con-
ference room or office—delivering
“wired-like” performance when and
where you need it.
Key Benefits
Simple connectivity when and where you need it.
AAiirrCCoonnnneecctt
AirConnect®
data sheet
11 Mbps Wireless
L N Solution
Simple Connectivity When and Where You Need It
3Com®

The 3Com AirConnect 11 Mbps
Wireless LAN Solution enables you to
overcome many of the limitations
imposed by traditional wired networks.
You can count on it to:
■Provide network access in hard-
to-wire locations such as older
buildings, solid-wall structures,
and clean rooms.
■Ensure hassle-free connectivity
in spaces that are frequently
reconfigured.
Based on the IEEE 802.11 High
Rate standard (802.11b), the 3Com
AirConnect Wireless LAN Solution
enables you to send and receive infor-
mation at speeds of up to 11 Mbps—
over five times faster than previous wire-
less LANs. Each Access Point supports
up to 63 simultaneous users and pro-
vides 300 feet (91 m) of wireless
coverage in a standard office environ-
ment. With 3Com’s mobility features
and PowerBASE-T-powered Access
Points, you can deploy wireless net-
working across your entire company,
allowing users to roam at will.
Fast, Reliable Performance
for Your Mobile Users
With the 3Com AirConnect 11 Mbps
Wireless LAN Solution, mobile users
are guaranteed fast, reliable perfor-
mance. Each Access Point supports
dynamic rate shifting, which automati-
cally adjusts the connection speed to
compensate for radio-frequency inter-
ference. Automatic load balancing
distributes wireless traffic across mul-
tiple Access Points to optimize network
performance. And support for DHCP
and Extended Roaming means users
moving across the company can experi-
ence seamless connectivity without
having to reconfigure their
network settings.
Simple Installation,
Configuration, and
Management
Unlike other vendors, 3Com provides
unique installation management and
mobility tools, making this wireless
LAN Solution as easy to install and
configure as it is to use. AirConnect
wireless LAN Access Points connect to
your “wired” network using standard
10BASE-T connections, while the sup-
plied PowerBASE-T module eliminates
the need to run AC power to them. The
module converts AC main power to
low-voltage DC that can be supplied to
the Access Point over an unused pair in
the same Category 5 cable that carries
the data. This single feature can help
you realize significant savings in
setup costs alone.
The 3Com AirConnect Wireless
LAN Solution also includes a Site
Survey Utility, which uses signal
strength and packet error information
to help you determine where to place
your Access Points for best coverage.
Once installed, 3Com AirConnect
offers several management tools and
options. Support for the IEFT industry-
standard Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) means you can
leverage existing network management
platforms to monitor and manage a
wide variety of networking and radio
variables. Web-based management lets
you manage Access Points from any-
where on the network, using a standard
Web browser. And Transcend®Network
Control Services management software
gives you comprehensive administra-
tion, monitoring, and troubleshooting
for both your wireless and wired
3Com network.
Enhanced Security
3Com AirConnect Wireless LAN
Access Points offer multiple layers of
security, including spread spectrum
signaling, access control lists, domain
identification, and authentication. End
stations need to have their Access Point’s
ID before they can be connected, while
Access Points can use access control
lists of individual MAC addresses to
prevent unauthorized devices from
connecting. Wired Equivalent Privacy
(WEP)-compliant data encryption,
using either 40- or 128-bit encryption
keys, is also available to protect all
wireless data transmissions.
i-Fi™Certified for
Compatibility
The 3Com AirConnect Wireless LAN
solution is fully IEEE 802.11b-com-
pliant at 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps and
is backwards compatible with other
Direct Spread Spectrum products that
support the original IEEE 802.11 wire-
less standard for 1 and 2 Mbps. 3Com
AirConnect products constitute part
of the Wi-Fi™test bed and are Wi-Fi-
compliant, ensuring standards-based,
cross-vendor interoperability with other
Wi-Fi certified products.
Access Point
PCI Card
PC Card
PC Card
PCI Card
Switch
2
3Com AirConnect Wireless
LAN Access Points, PC Cards,
and PCI cards provide every-
thing you need to deploy a
wireless LAN solution.

3
3Com®AirConnect®11 Mbps ireless LAN Solution Features and Benefits
Features Benefits
Reliable Performance Without Wires
Load alancing PC Cards and PCI cards automatically switch to the est availa le Access Point when the
current Access Point ecomes congested or the signal weakens. This ensures uninter-
rupted access to network services and optimum data rates.
Dynamic rate shifting Access Points dynamically support 11, 5.5, 2, and 1 M ps for maximum availa ility and
relia ility of network connections. The proper data rate is determined automatically,
ased on signal strength.
Antenna diversity All 3Com AirConnect products feature antennae with signal diversity. Each product has
two antennae to improve the likelihood of strong signal reception.
Separate, mova le antenna PCI cards feature a separate antenna that can e placed on a wall, desktop, or ookcase
for desktop computers (PCI Card) to allow the est reception, regardless of the computer’s location.
Ease of Installation
PowerBASE-T Reduces installation cost and effort y eliminating the need to run separate AC circuits—
the PowerBASE-T module supplies each Access Point with low-voltage DC power over
the 10BASE-T connection.
Site survey utility Helps IT managers determine the est placement for each Access Point y logging the
signal strength from different locations in the uilding.
Extended Roaming PC Cards let users travel etween Access Points as well as roam throughout the company
without losing their network connection.
DHCP support The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically o tains leased IP
addresses from a DHCP server. This allows note ook users to roam seamlessly, automat-
ically o taining new IP addresses as they suspend and resume operations.
DynamicAccess®mo ile Helps IT administrators create and distri ute location-specific configuration profiles for
connection manager various LAN, modem, and wireless communications. One-click access to a menu of
preset profiles reduces help desk calls from users as they change locations or
connection types.
Power-saving modes Access Points can uffer packets, allowing PC Cards to reduce their power consumption
y entering a sleep mode when out of range and resume full connectivity when they
sense a new Access Point.
Manageability
SNMP support 3Com AirConnect provides support for monitoring a wide array of network and wireless
parameters using your existing network management platforms.
Em edded HTTP server Each Access Point contains an integrated We server that allows administrators to
access and set configuration parameters, monitor performance, and run diagnostics
from any We rowser—anywhere on the network.
Bulk configuration For even greater ease of administration, the configuration of any Access Point can e
automatically propagated to other Access Points on the same su net.
Remote configuration and Administrators can use HTTP, Telnet, Serial, PPP, or SNMP to remotely configure or
firmware upgrade upgrade Access Points. A firmware upgrade utility allows you to easily upgrade PC Cards
and PCI adapters with the latest features, easing IT urdens and lowering the total cost
of ownership.
Security
Access control This utility ensures that only 3Com AirConnect devices programmed with the WLAN ser-
vice area ID of a given 3Com AirConnect Access Point can connect to that Access Point.
For greater security, you can create an access control list specifying the MAC addresses
of the wireless devices that are allowed to associate with a particular 3Com AirConnect
Access Point.
Encryption* Wireless clients have the option of using 40- or 128- it encryption* keys and the RC4
algorithm to encrypt the wireless portion of data transmissions. AirConnect Access
Points also offer the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) defined in the 802.11 standard.
Standards-based
IEEE802.11 - AirConnect products comply with IEEE802.11 at 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 M ps. They offer
and Wi-Fi™-compliant ackwards compati ility with the original 802.11 standard at 1 and 2 M ps,
interoperating with other Direct Spread Spectrum products. The AirConnect Wireless
LAN solution is also Wi-Fi™certified, and is part of the Wi-Fi test ed, ensuring
cross-vendor interopera ility.

AAiirrCCoonnnneecctt
4
Specifications
3Com®AirConnect®11Mbps Wireless LAN Solution
3Com irConnect Wireless L N ccess Point
Dynamic Rate Shifting 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 M ps
Power Supply 24 VDC over 10BASE-T ca ling (from PowerBASE-T module); 110 or 220 VAC
over standard power circuit
Remote Configuration and Firmware Upgrade HTTP, Telnet, Serial, PPP, or SNMP
Standards Conformance IEEE 802.11 High Rate, IEEE 802.11 (direct sequence mode only), IEEE 802.3
(10BASE-T), SNMP v2 DHCP, WECA Wi-Fi™
Service and Support Three-Year Limited warranty, 90 days free software upgrades and
phone support
3Com irConnect Wireless L N PC Card PCI Card
LAN Speeds 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 M ps Same
Computer Slot Type Type II 16- it PC Card 32- it PCI NIC
Frequency Band, 2.4 GHz: Channel support will comply Same
Num er of Selecta le Su channels with country requirements
Modulation Technique Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Same
(DBPSK, PQPSK)
Coding Technique 11 Chip/Bit Barker Coding (1, 2 M ps); Same
Complementary Code Keying (5.5 M ps, 11 M ps)
Maximum Range Up to 300 ft (91 m) in an open office environment Same
Software Drivers Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0 Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0
(with Service Packs 4 or 5), (with Service Packs 4 or 5),
Windows CE 2.11, Windows 98 SE, 98, 95B Windows 98 SE, 98, 95B
Power Consumption Typical power consumption N/A
Usage Mode: 270 mÅ
Sleep Mode: 35 mÅ
Safety Compliance Canada, the U.S.: UL1950/CSA 22.2; Same
Europe: CE Marked
Standards Conformance IEEE 802.11 High Rate; IEEE 802.11 Same
(direct sequence mode only); SNMP v2,
DHCP; WECA Wi-Fi™
Radio/Electromagnetic Canada, the U.S.: FCC Part 15C, sections 15.247, Same
Conformance Compliance 15.205, 15.209, RSS-210; Europe: ETS 300 328,
ETS 300 826, CE Marked; Japan: RCR STD-33;
Australia: C-Tick
Physical Dimensions Length: 85.6 mm/3.37 in, Length: 153 mm/6.06 in,
Width: 54 mm/2.23 in, Width: 102 mm/4 in,
Thickness: 5 mm/0.20 in Thickness: 8 mm/0.31 in
Environmental Operating Ranges Operating Temperature: 0° to 70°C Same
Storage Temperature: -25° to 65°C
Altitude: Up to 6,100 m
umidity: 10-95% non-condensing
Network Management SNMP; Transcend Network Control Services 1.1 Same
for Windows NT
Service and Support Three-Year Limited warranty Same

5
Ordering Information
3Com AirConnect products can be ordered in the following sets:
SKU Description Country Contents
3CRWE7 7A Access Point US/Canada
3CRWE7 7A-E1 Access Point—E1 Countries conforming
to the ETSI standard
with 1–11 radio channels
3CRWE7 7A-E2†Access Point—E2 Countries conforming
to the ETSI standard
with 1–13 radio channels
3CRWE7 7A-FR‡Access Point—FR France and Singapore
3CRWE7 7A-JP‡Access Point—JP Japan
3CRWE737A PC Card US/Canada
3CRWE737A-E1 PC Card—E1 Countries conforming
to the ETSI standard with
1–11 radio channels
3CRWE737A-E2†PC Card—E2 Countries conforming to
the ETSI standard with
1–13 radio channels
3CRWE737A-FR‡PC Card—FR France and Singapore
3CRWE737A-JP‡PC Card—JP Japan
3CRWE777A PCI Card US/Canada
3CRWE777A-E1 PCI Card—E1 Countries conforming to
the ETSI standard with
1–11 radio channels
3CRWE777A-E2‡PCI Card—E2 Countries conforming to
the ETSI standard with
1–13 radio channels
3CRWE777A-FR‡PCI Card—FR France and Singapore
3CRWE777A-JP‡PCI Card—JP Japan
3CRWE3 3A Wireless LAN US/Canada
Starter Pack
3CRWE3 3A-E1 Wireless LAN Countries conforming to
Starter Pack—E1 the ETSI standard with
1–11 radio channels
3CRWE3 3A-E2†Wireless LAN Countries conforming to
Starter Pack—E2 the ETSI standard with
1–13 radio channels
3CRWE3 3A-FR‡Wireless LAN France and Singapore
Starter Pack—FR
3CRWE3 3A-JP‡Wireless LAN Japan
Starter Pack—JP
• Access Point
• Power supply
• PowerBASE-T module
• Mounting bracket
• Power cables
• Null modem serial cable
• Warranty and
registration card
• CD-ROM including all Site Survey,
Hyper Terminal script and online
documentation
• Quick Start Guide
• PC Card
• CD-ROM including all drivers,
installation, diagnostics software
and online documentation
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty and registration card
• PCI Card
• CD-ROM including all drivers,
installation, diagnostics software
and online documentation
• PCI antenna w/6 ft cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty and registration card
• One Access Point
• Three PC Cards
• Power supply
• PowerBASE-T module
• Mounting bracket
• Power cables
• Null modem serial cable
• Warranty and registration card
• Access Point CD-ROM including all
Site Survey, Hyper Terminal script
and online documentation
• CD-ROM including all drivers,
installation, diagnostics software
and online documentation
• Quick Start Guide

3Com Corporation
P.O. Box 58145
5400 Bayfront Plaza
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8145
Phone: 1 800 NET 3Com or 1 408 326 5000
Fax: [phone]
World Wide Web: www.3com.com
3Com Americas International
U.S. eadquarters (serving Canada and Latin America):
1 408 326 2093/1 408 326 6075
Miami: 1 305 461 8400
3Com Canada
Burlington: 905 336 8168
Calgary: 403 265 3266
Edmonton: 780 423 3266
Montreal: 514 683 3266
Ottawa: 613 566 7055
Toronto: 416 498 3266
Vancouver: 604 434 3266
3Com Latin America
Argentina (serving Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay):
541 312 3266
Brazil: 55 11 246 5001
Chile (serving Bolivia, Chile, and Peru):
562 240 6200
Colombia: 57 1 629 4110
Mexico: 525 201 0000
Peru: 51 1 221 5399
Venezuela: 582 267 5550
Asia Pacific Rim
Melbourne, Australia: 61 3 9934 8888
Sydney, Australia: 61 2 9937 5000
Beijing, China: 8610 68492568
Shanghai, China: 86 21 6350 1581
ong Kong: 852 2501 1111
India: 91 11 644 3974
Indonesia: 62 21 572 2088
Osaka, Japan: 81 6 536 3303
Tokyo, Japan: 81 3 5977 3266
Toll free from Japan: 0120 31 3266
Korea: 82 2 3455 6300
Malaysia: 60 3 715 1333
New Zealand: 64 9 366 9138
Philippines: 632 892 4476
Singapore: 65 538 9368
Taiwan: 886 2 2 377 5850
Thailand: 662 231 8151 5
3Com Austria
43 1 580 17 0
3Com Benelux B.V.
Belgium: 32 2 725 0202
Netherlands: 31 346 58 62 11
3Com Eastern Europe/CIS
Bulgaria: 359 2 962 5222
Czech Republic: 420 2 21845 800
ungary: 36 1 250 83 41
Poland: 48 22 6451351
Russia: 7 095 258 09 40
Slovak Republic: 421 7 317 850
3Com France
33 1 69 86 68 00
3Com GmbH
Munich, Germany: 49 89 627320
3Com Iberia
Portugal: 351 1 3404505
Spain: 34 1 509 69 00
3Com Italia S.p.A.
Milan, Italy: 39 2 253011
Rome, Italy: 39 6 5279941
3Com Middle East
971 4 319533
3Com Nordic AB
Denmark: 45 48 10 50 00
Finland: 358 9 435 420 67
Norway: 47 22 58 47 00
Sweden: 46 8 587 05 600
3Com Southern Africa
27 11 807 4397
3Com Switzerland
41 844 833 933
3Com UK Ltd.
Edinburgh: 44 131 240 2900
Ireland: 353 1 823 5000
Manchester: 44 161 874 1700
Winnersh: 44 1189 27 8200
3Com®AirConnect®
11 Mpbs Wireless L N Solution
To learn more about 3Com products and services, visit our World Wide Web site at www.3com.com/. 3Com
Corporation is publicly traded on Nasdaq under the symbol COMS.
Copyright © 2000 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. 3Com, the 3Com logo, AirConnect, DynamicAccess,
and Transcend are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. Windows and Windows NT are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All other
company or product names may e trademarks of their respective companies. All specifications are su ject to
change without notice.
Printed in U.S.A. 400496-003 5/00
* This product or software contains encryption which may not e exported from the U.S. or Canada without an
approved U.S. Department of Commerce export license.
† Availa le Summer 2000
‡ Availa le Fall 2000
Trust 3Com to Keep You
Connected
It takes an expert to develop and
integrate the radio and networking
technologies necessary for a reliable,
high-performance, easily manageable
wireless networking solution—and
3Com is just that expert. With more
than 20 years of experience in the
networking industry, 3Com is your
worldwide leader for connectivity
solutions designed to meet the needs
of mobile workers.
The 3Com AirConnect Wireless LAN
Solution is designed as a simple exten-
sion of your existing network
infrastructure to give you reliable perfor-
mance right out of the box, with
worldwide service and support. To learn
more about 3Com wireless solutions,
visit www.3com.com/wireless/.
3-Year Limited arranty
3Com warrants 3Com AirConnect
Access Points, PCI cards, and PC Cards
to be in good working order for three
years while owned by the original
end-consumer.
Customer Support
Quick access to support information is
available on 3Com’s Web site at
http://support.3com.com/.