ActionTec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User manual

54 Mbps Wireless
PC Card
User Guide
0530-0309-000

1
Table of Contents
l. Introduction 2
ll. Technical Support 3
lIl. Operating Modes 4
IV. Installing the PC Card 6
V. Installing the Software 7
Windows 98 and 98SE 7
Windows Me 9
Windows 2000 11
Windows XP 13
VI. Installing the Configuration Utility 15
Windows 98, 98SE, Me, and 2000 15
VII. Setting Infrastructure Mode 16
Windows 98, 98SE, Me, and 2000 16
Windows XP 17
VIII. Setting AdHoc Mode 20
Windows 98, 98SE, Me, and 2000 20
Windows XP 22
IX. Configuring File and Print Sharing 24
Windows 98, 98SE, and Me 24
Windows 2000 29
Windows XP 30
X. Troubleshooting 32
XI. Frequently Asked Questions 33
XII. Regulatory and Warranty 34
Proprietary Notice and Disclaimer
Unless otherwise noted, this document and the information herein disclosed are proprietary to Actiontec Electronics, Inc the manufacturer. Any person or
entity to whom this document is furnished or who otherwise has possession thereof, by acceptance agrees that it will not be copied or reproduced in whole
or in part, nor used in any manner except to meet the purposes for which it was delivered.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Actiontec the manufacturer.
Although Actiontec the manufacturer will make every effort to inform users of substantive errors, Actiontec the manufacturer disclaims all liability for any
loss or damage resulting from the use of this document or any hardware or software described herein, including without limitation contingent, special or
incidental liability.
Note: PC is a trademark of IBM Corporation. Windows 98 and 98 SE is a trademark of Microsoft Inc. All other brand or product names and logos used
in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
0530-0309-000
Page
Table of Contents

2Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC card. This
Wireless PC Card is easy to setup and easy to use. If you’re tired of all those
messy wires needed to connect a laptop to your home network, take your
networking to the next level with the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. You’ll
be able to have full access to your network and share files, printers and even
your High-Speed Internet access wirelessly from anywhere within your home.
This card uses Wi-Fi5 (a.k.a. IEEE 802.11a) technology.
Package Contents
Make sure the following items came in this package:
•Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card
• Installation CD-ROM
• User’s Manual
• Quick Start Installation Guide
• Warranty Card
Minimum System Requirements
• Compatible notebook, PC or handheld device with an available 32-bit
Cardbus Type II slot
• 16 MB of RAM
• Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP
Introduction

3
Contacting Technical Support
Actiontec Electronics prides itself on making high-quality, durable, high-
performance products. If you need assistance, the Actiontec Technical Support
Department is available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Mountain
Time) to provide professional support.
Contacting Technical Support
Actiontec Electronics, Inc.
760 N. Mary Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]om

4Operating Modes
The Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card can be set to operate in one of two
modes: AdHoc mode or Infrastructure mode.
AdHoc Mode
When configured for AdHoc mode, the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card is
able to operate in an environment where a wireless network consists of a
number of stations using additional 54 Mbps Wireless Cards without access
points. They can share files this way, but are not able to access Wired LAN
(Local Area Network) resources.
Operating Modes
AdHoc Network
Infrastructure Mode
When configured for Infrastructure mode, the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC
Card network is able to operate on a network composed of base stations and
access points that connect the wireless network to a wired LAN (Local Area
Network), allowing wireless computers access to LAN resources, such as file and
print servers or existing Internet connectivity.

5
Operating Modes
Infrastructure Network
You may reconfigure the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card at any time by following the
steps in this manual.

6Installing the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card
1. Your computer can be on or off, it will not affect the installation process. Locate an
available Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot on your laptop. If you are not sure where
the slot is, please consult your laptop’s user manual.
2. Insert the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card into the appropriate PCMCIA slot.
Your hardware is now installed.
Installing the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card
This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rule., as well as ICES 003 B / NMB
003 B. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may
not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesirable operation.
Modifications not expressly authorized by Actiontec Electronics may invalidate
the user's right to operate this equipment.
WARNING!!
While this device is in operation, a separation distance of at least 20 centimeters
must be maintained between the radiating antenna and the body of all persons
exposed to the transmitter in order to meet the FCC RF exposure guidelines.

7
Installing the Software
Windows 98 and 98SE
1. Upon restarting Windows, the “New Hardware Found” window will appear.
2. Insert the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card Installation CD into your
CD-ROM drive. Click Next.
3. In the “Add New Hardware Wizard’ screen that appears, select the option
“Search for the best driver for your device (Recommended)” and click the
Next button.
Installing the Software

8Installing the Software
4. A screen will display location options to look for the driver. Make sure the
box next to “CD-ROM drive ” is checked and click Next.
5. Click Next to continue.

9
Installing the Software
6. Click Finish to continue to complete the driver installation. Note: In
Windows ME, the device manager will show a warning in regards to the
driver and Windows Logo testing. This is normal.
7. Click Ye s to restart the system.
Note:Once the system is restarted, the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card will
display two flashing greet lights.
Windows Me
1. Upon restarting Windows, the “New Hardware Found” screen appears.

10 Installing the Software
2. Insert the PC Card Installation CD into your CD-ROM drive
3. In the “Add New Hardware Wizard” screen that appears, select the option
“Automatic search for a better driver (Recommended)” and click Next.
4. Click Finish to continue to complete the driver installation. Note: In
Windows ME, the device manager will show a warning in regards to the
driver and Windows Logo testing. This is normal.
4. Click Ye s to restart the system.
Note: Once the system is restarted, the PC Card will display two flashing
green lights.

11
Installing the Software
Windows 2000
1. After you have installed the PC Card, your computer will display the
“Found New Hardware Wizard” window. Click Next.
2. Choose “Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended) and
click Next.
3. Insert the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card Installation CD into your
CD-ROM drive. Choose the “CD-ROM Drive” option and click Next.

12 Installing the Software
4. When the appropriate driver is found, click Next.
5. Since the driver does not have a digital signature from Microsoft, a warning
message may appear. If so, click Yes and proceed with the installation.
6. Click Finish to complete the driver installation.

13
Installing the Software
Windows XP
1. After installing the PC Card, the “Found New Hardware Wizard” will
appear. Insert the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card Installation CD into
your CD-ROM drive. Choose the “Install the software automatically
(recommended)” option and click Next.
2. A window displaying that the hardware has not passed Windows logo
testing may appear. Click Continue Anyway to install the driver.
3. The wizard install the drivers automatically. Click Finish to complete the
installation.

14 Installing the Software
6. Right-click on the Networks icon in the task bar and select “View Available
Wireless networks” from the pop-up menu.
6. Select the network you wish to connect to and click Connect.
6. A status window will appear over the network icon in the task bar showing
the network name and signal strength.

15
Installing the Configuration Utility
Installing the Configuration Utility
Windows 98, 98SE, Me, and 2000
1. After the system restarts, insert the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card CD-
ROM in the computer’s CD-ROM drive if you have not done so already.
The InstallShield Wizard will launch when drive door closes. If the
InstallShield Wizard has not launched, look for the file named
“SETUP.EXE” in the root directory of the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC
Card Installation CD-ROM and double-click on it.
2. The InstallShield Wizard “Welcome” screen will appear and notify you that
it is ready to install the 802.11a Wireless LAN (54Mbps Wireless PC Card)
Configuration Utility. Click Next to continue.
3. The InstallShield Wizard will proceed with the installation. Once
completed, click Finish to continue.
Note: For 98/98 SE users - the Windows Management Information (WMI)
utility will now be installed. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete
the installation. Click OK to restart.If the WMI tools are already installed
on the computer, click No to abort the installation.

16 Setting Infrastructure Mode
Windows 98, 98SE, Me, and 2000
This section defines the process of configuring the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless
PC Card in Infrastructure mode.
1. Under the “Profile” tab, select either of the options:
New: Use this option to create a new network profile.
Modify: Use this option to make changes to an existing network profile.
Delete: Use this option to erase an existing network profile.
2. Under the “General” tab, make sure the fields are set to the following:
Configuration Name: This field identifies the configuration. This name
must be unique. Configuration names are case insensitive.
Network name (SSID): This is the name of the Wi-Fi5 (IEEE 802.11a)
wireless network. This field has a maximum limit of 32 characters. If this
field is left blank, the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card connects to the
AP (access point) with the best signal strength.
Network Connection: AP (Infrastructure)
Setting Infrastructure Mode

17
Setting Infrastructure Mode
3. Once finished, click OK.
4. Security
Usually, infrastructure mode is used as an environment where Access Points
are installed and maintained by an IT (Information Technology) staff. You
must configure security to make sure that only stations with the appropriate
keys can receive data. The Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card supports
key lengths of 64, 128, and 152 bits. Encryption and decryption keys
should be provided by your IT Staff.
Windows XP
1. Bring up the settings screen again by right-clicking on the networks icon in
the task bar and select “View Available Wireless networks” from the pop-up
menu. Select a network and click Advanced for more configuration options.

18 Setting Infrastructure Mode
2. Under the “Wireless Networks” tab select the network you wish to connect
to. Click Configure from the “Available networks:” list. (If the network
that you wish to connect to is not listed, click Add from the “Preferred
networks:” list.)
3. Enter the SSID for the network you wish to connect. You can also set the
WEP encryption and encryption key information for the network. If the
access point is configured with encryption, check the “Data encryption
(WEP enabled)” box and uncheck the “The key is provided for me
automatically” box.
In the “Network key” field, type in the encryption keys that match the
54Mbpx Wireless Access Point that you want to connect to. Once you enter
these numbers, the “Key format” and “Key length” fields will automatically
change. Do not change these two fields.
Click OK.

19
Setting Infrastructure Mode
4. The “Wireless Network Connection Properties” screen will appear. Click
OK.
5. You can also specify the types of networks to connect to by clicking
Advanced in the “Wireless Network Connection Properties” window. Select
and option and click Close.
Any available network: will give priority to infrastructure mode networks
but will also connect to an ad-hoc network if available.
Access point: connects to infrastructure mode networks only
Computer-to-computer: connects to ad-hoc networks only