ActionTec 802CIG User manual

User Manual
54 Mbps
Wireless PC Card

3
Introduction
Congratulations for purchasing of the 54Mbps
Wireless PC Card!
Your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card provides a single PC Card
solution for connecting to Wireless-B (802.11b) and WIreless-G (802.11-g)
networks. Whichever standard you encounter, your Actiontec 54 Mbps
Wireless PC Card is ready to connect. Just insert it into a CardBus slot
and run the included Setup Wizard. All wireless communications can be
protected by 64- or 128-bit Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) for the high-
est level of security.
Product Features
The following list summarizes the features of yourActiontec 54 Mbps
Wireless PC Card:
•Conforms to IEEE 802.11g and 802.11b standards.
•High-speed wireless 54 Mbps throughput that is nearly 5 times
faster than 802.11b products.
•Backward compatible with 11 Mbps wireless products.
•64- or 128-bit WEP for the highest level of security.
•32-bit CardBus performance.
•Supports PC Card hot-swapping with true Plug-and-Play connectivi-
ty.
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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
•Low power consumption.
Package Contents
Before you begin the installation of your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC
Card, make sure you have the following items:
•Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PCCard.
•An installation CD-ROM containing drivers.
•This User Manual.
•Program License Agreement.
As you examine these items, look for any physical damage. Retain your
proof of purchase and packing material in the event you need to return
your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card.
Technical Support
Actiontec Electronics prides itself on making high-quality, durable, high-per-
formance products. If you need assistance, the Actiontec Technical Support
Department is available every day from 6 A.M. to 11 P.M. (MST) to provide
professional support.
Actiontec Electronics, Inc.
760 N. Mary Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Technical Support
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.actiontec.com/support

5
Installation
This chapter describes how to install the Actiontec
54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. Please refer to the appropriate section:
•Microsoft Windows XP users: refer to “Windows XP Installation
Instructions,” below.
•Microsoft Windows 2000users: refer to “Windows 2000 Installation
Instructions” on page 7.
•Microsoft Windows ME users: refer to “Windows ME Installation
Instructions” on page 12.
•Microsoft Windows 98 and 98SE users: refer to “Windows 98 and
98SE Installation Instructions”on page 14.
Windows XP Installation Instructions
To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running
Microsoft WIndows XP, use the following procedure:
1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your
computer.
2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing
your computer’s PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up.
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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA
CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, a sound should be heard,
the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and the following screen
appears.
4. Make sure that “Install the software automatically (Recommended)”
is selected.
5. In your computer’s CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied
with your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card.
6. Click the Next button. Windows may notify you that the software has
not passed Windows Logo testing. If this screen does appear, then
press the Continue Anyway button to continue. If this screen does
not appear, then go to Step 8.
7. The wizard installs the software, then the following message appears.

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Chapter 2 Installation
8. Click the Finishbutton. A pop-up message tells you that your 54 Mbps
Wireless PC Card is now ready to use.
This completes the installation instructions for computers running Windows
XP.
Windows 2000 Installation Instructions
To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running
Microsoft WIndows 2000, use the following procedure:
1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your
computer.
2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing
your computer’s PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up.

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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA
CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, a beep should be heard,
the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and the following screen
appears.
4. Click the Next button. The following screen appears.

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Chapter 2 Installation
5. Make sure that “Search for a suitable driver for my device (recom-
mended)” is selected.
6. In your computer’s CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied
with your 54 Mbps Wireless PCCard.
7. Click the Next button. The following screen asks where you want
Windows to search for driver files.

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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
8. Uncheck Floppy disk drives. Only CD-ROM drives should be
checked.
9. Click the Next button. Windows finds the driver for your 54 Mbps
Wireless PC Card and displays the following screen.
10. Click the Next button. Windows may notify you that the software has

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Chapter 2 Installation
not passed Windows Logo testing. If this screen does not appear,
then go to Step 12.
11. Click Yes to continue. The wizard installs the software, a beep
sounds, and the following message appears.
12. Click the Finishbutton.
This completes the installation instructions for computers running Windows
2000.

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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
Windows ME Installation Instructions
To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running
Microsoft WIndows ME, use the following procedure:
1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your
computer.
2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing
your computer’s PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up.
3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA
CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, the Add New Hardware
Wizard starts and the following screen appears.

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Chapter 2 Installation
4. Make sure that “Automatic search for better driver (Recommended)”
is selected.
5. In your computer’s CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied
with your 54 Mbps Wireless PCCard.
6. Click the Next button. A screen tells you that Windows has found
the driver for the device, then Windows ME installs the driver files
and displays the following screen.
7. Click the Finishbutton. The following screen asks whether you want
to restart your computer at this time.
8. Remove the CD-ROM from your computer’s CD-ROM drive and click
Yes to restart your computer.
This completes the installation instructions for computers running WIndows
ME.

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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
Windows 98 and 98SE Installation Instructions
To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running
Microsoft WIndows 98 or Windows 98SE, use the following procedure:
1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your
computer.
2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing
your computer’s PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up.
3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA
CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, a beep should be heard,
the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and the following screen
appears.

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Chapter 2 Installation
4. Click the Next button. The following screen appears.
5. Make sure that “Search for the best driver for your device
(Recommended)” is selected.
6. In your computer’s CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied
with your 54 Mbps Wireless PCCard.

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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
7. Click the Next button. The following screen asks where you want
Windows to search for driver files.
8. Uncheck every selection except CD-ROM drive.
9. Click the Next button. Windows finds the driver for your 54 Mbps
Wireless PC Card and displays the following screen.

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Chapter 2 Installation
10. Click the Next button. Windows will install the software. During this
step, WIndows may prompt you for the WIndows 98 CD-ROM. If it
does, replace the drivers CD with your Windows 98 CD. After the files
are copied, a beep sounds, and the following message appears.
11. Click the Finishbutton. The following screen asks whether you want
to restart your computer at this time.
12. Remove the CD-ROM from your computer’s CD-ROM drive and click
Yes to restart your computer.
This completes the installation instructions for computers running WIndows
98 or Windows 98SE.

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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual

19
Configuration
This chapter describes how to configure your
Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card.
Overview
After you install your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card, you are ready
to configure it using the Actiontec configuration utility program. This pro-
gram was automatically installed on your personal computer when you
installed your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card.
Using this program, you can:
•View status information about your network connection
•View and change configurations
•Enable or disable encryption
•Perform IBSS channel selection
•View and change domains
Understanding the Actiontec Configuration Utility
When your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card is inserted into your computer’s
CardBus slot, the Actiontec Client Utility driver loads automatically and a
PC Card status icon appears in your System Tray at the bottom-right cor-
ner of your desktop.
The icon uses a series of color-coded vertical bars to show the link status
to the wireless network connection:
Red indicates no or poor quality.
Yellow indicates a usable but weak link.
Green indicates a good or excellent link.
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Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual
If you hold your mouse pointer over the icon, the transmit and
receive rates appear, along with the name of the current configu-
ration profile. You can also
To configure your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card, you select the appropri-
ate parameters in the Actiontec Configuration Utility screen. The next
section described how to access this screen.
Accessing the Actiontec Configuration Utility Screen
To access the Actiontec Configuration Utility screen, double-click the
PC Card status icon in your System Tray. The following main screen
appears.
This screen has tabs for selecting various operating parameters.
•Status shows the status of your connection to the wireless net-
work. Also, lets you control the radio-frequency from your 54
Mbps Wireless PC Card and rescan its connection to an Access
Point. See page 22.
•Configuration lets you specify a profile name, network name,
and network type (Access Point or Peer-to-Peer). See page 24.
•Encryption lets you enable or disable your 54 Mbps Wireless PC

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Chapter 3 Configuration
Card’s encryption security feature. See page 27.
•IBSS lets you select an IBSS channel. See page 29.
•Domain lets you select IEEE 802.11d support and a country or
domain. See page 31.
•About shows version information for the network driver, configu-
ration utility, and 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card firmware.
Another way to access the parameters in the main screen is through a
pop-up menu that appears when you click or right-click the vertical-bar
icon in the System Tray (see the following figure).
This pop-up menu provides commands that let you:
•Turn the wireless radio On or Off
•Remove the PC Card status icon from the System Tray. If you
remove the icon, use the Windows Control Panel to configure
your wireless network or restart the Configuration Utility from the
Start Menu by selecting Programs and PRISM Wireless LAN.
If you click Remove Status Icon, a checkbox lets you remove the
status icon permanently from the System Tray. If you check the
Remove Status Icon Permanently check box, the Configuration
Utility does not run at Windows startup. To start it and restore the
icon at startup, select Programs and PRISM Wireless LAN
Configuration from the Start menu, click the icon to display the
menu, choose Remove Status Icon, and uncheck the Remove
Status Icon Permanently check box.
•View your wireless network status (displays the Status tab in the