Aironet 4800 Series Manual

Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc. • 3875 Embassy Parkway
Akron, Ohio 44333-8357
www.aironet.com
Technical User’s Guide
4800 Series
Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter
PC4800
DOC-710-00520-A0

Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any means, elec-
tronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the written permission of Aironet.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Aironet makes
no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this manual and
specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for any particular purpose.
© 1999 Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
LM4500TM, AP4500TM, PC4500TM, LM4800TM, AP4800TM, PC4800TM, and AironetTM
are trademarks of Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc.
Other trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Printed in USA
DOC-710-00520-A0

Table of Contents
i
About the Technical User’s Guide ...............................vii
Typographical Conventions ................................. viii
Section 1
Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter ..............................9
Before You Start ...................................................10
Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter .....................11
Section 2
Drivers for Special Installations ...................................25
Driver Overview ....................................................25
Windows for Workgroups NDIS2
Installation ............................................................28
DOS NDIS2 Installation ........................................29
DOS Packet Driver Installation .............................31
ODI Driver Installation ..........................................33
General Information .............................................34
Driver Keywords and Settings ..............................36
Section 3
Using the WinDGS Utilities ..........................................49
WinDGS Commands Menu .........................................49
Select Card ..........................................................49
Load New Firmware .............................................49
Edit Properties ......................................................51
Statistics ...............................................................51
Status ...................................................................51
Link Test ...............................................................52
Site Survey ...........................................................54
Radio Off/On ........................................................56
Exit .......................................................................56
Options Menu ..............................................................56
Preferences ..........................................................56
Core Dump ...........................................................57
NDIS Driver Core Dump .......................................57
Using Edit Properties ...................................................57
System Parameters ..............................................58
Network Parameters ............................................60
RF Network Parameters .......................................60
Advanced (Infrastructure) .....................................62
Advanced (Ad Hoc/IBSS) .....................................64
Using the Site Survey Active Mode Feature ................65
Destination MAC Address ....................................65
Continuous Link Test ...........................................66
Destination is Another Aironet Device ..................66
Number of Packets ...............................................66
Packet Size ..........................................................66

Table of Contents
ii
Data Retries .........................................................66
Data Rates ...........................................................66
Delay Between Packets .......................................67
Packet Tx Type ....................................................67
Packet Success Threshold ...................................67
Using the Linkscope Utility ..........................................68
Section 4
Error Messages and Troubleshooting .........................69
Indicator LEDs ......................................................69
If Your Radio Fails to Establish Contact ...............71
Appendix A
Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Overview .....................73
Safety Information ................................................74
Radio Characteristics ...........................................76
Direct Sequence Radio Technology .....................76
Data Transparency and Protocols ........................76
Protocols Supported .............................................77
Radio Ranges ......................................................77
Radio Antenna .....................................................78
Security Features .................................................79
Terminology .........................................................79
System Configurations .........................................81
Coverage Options ................................................85
Appendix B
PC Card Specifications ...............................................89
LAN Drivers Supported ........................................89
Radio Specifications .............................................90
Power Requirements ............................................91
Physical Specifications .........................................91
Mechanical Description ........................................92
Appendix C
Channels .....................................................................93
Appendix D
Declarations of Conformity ..........................................95
Appendix E
Technical Support .....................................................101

About the Technical User’s Guide
iii
About the Technical User’s
Guide
This guide covers the installation, configuration, control,
and maintenance of your Aironet 4800 Series PC Card
Wireless LAN Adapter. The Guide is arranged as follows:
Section 1 – Installation – describes installation of the PC
Card.
Section 2 – Drivers for Special Installations – describes
installation and configuration of the various network drivers.
Section 3 – Utilities – provides detailed procedures for
using the utilities to load new firmware versions, as well as
how to perform link tests and site surveys.
Section 4 – Error Messages and Troubleshooting –
provides detailed descriptions of the LED messages and
error codes, as well as general procedures for correcting
common problems.
Appendix A – Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Overview –
provides a general introduction to the 4800 Series PC Card,
direct sequence radio technology, and the various configu-
rations you can use when operating the 4800 Series PC
Card in your infrastructure.
Appendix B – Specifications – provides radio and physical
specifications.
Appendix C – Channels – provides channel identifiers and
channel center frequencies for various area regulatory
agencies.
Appendix D – Declarations of Conformity – provides
conformity information about the 4800 Series Wireless LAN
Adapter.
Appendix E – Technical Support – provides contact
information for Aironet.

About the Technical User’s Guide
iv
Typographical Conventions
When reading the User’s Guide and Technical Reference
Manual, it is important to understand the symbol and
formatting conventions used in the documentation. The
following symbols are used in the guide.
Convention Type of Information
Indicates a note which contains important
information.
Indicates procedures which, if not observed,
could result in loss of data or damage to the
equipment.
Bold type An action you must perform, such as typing a
character or making a selection with your
mouse.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
1
Section 1
Installing the Wireless LAN
Adapter
This section describes the procedures for installing the
Wireless LAN Adapter.
Here’s what you’ll find in this section:
• Before You Start
• Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
2
Before You Start
For the PC Card to be used with a computing device (desk-
top personal computer, notebook, laptop computer, portable
or hand-held device), the device must be equipped with an
internal or external PC Card Type II or Type III slot. All driv-
ers and supporting software (card and socket services) for
the PC Card slot must be loaded and configured.
After unpacking the PC Card, make sure the following items
are present and in good condition:
•PC4800 Wireless LAN Adapter
•Software Driver Diskette
•Utilities Diskette
If any item is damaged or missing, contact your Aironet sup-
plier. Save all shipping and packing material to repack the
unit should service be required.
NOTE: Any remote antenna and its associated wiring are
ordered and packed separately.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
3
Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
This section provides instructions for installing an Aironet
client card on a computer using Windows 95 or 98, and on a
computer using Windows NT. The instructions for Windows
95 and 98 show screens typical in Windows 98, and the
instructions for Windows NT show screens typical in NT
4.0. If your computer uses Windows 95 or Windows NT
3.51, your screens will differ slightly.
If you are installing your client card on a computer using
Windows for Workgroups, DOS, Novell Netware, or any
other ODI-compliant DOS environment, see Section 2 —
Drivers for Special Installations.
Before you begin, examine the PC Card. One end is a dual-
row, 68-pin PC Card connector. This side will be inserted
into the PC Card slot with the Aironet logo on the PC Card
facing up. The card is keyed so it can be inserted only one
way into the PC Card slot.
CAUTION: The following procedures and physical
connections apply generally to normal and conventional
PC Card slots. In the cases of custom or non-
conventional equipment, be alert to possible differences
in PC Card slot configurations.
The PC Card can be connected to a PC Card Type II slot.
This includes slots that support both Type II and Type III
cards.
CAUTION: Do not force the PC Card into the PC Card
slot. Forcing it will damage both the PC Card and the slot.
If the PC Card does not go in easily, remove the card and
re-insert it.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
4
If the operating system on your computer is Windows
95 or 98, follow these steps:
1. While your computer is up and running, hold the PC
Card so the Aironet logo is facing up, and slide the
PC Card into the slot until its connector is firmly
seated and the slot’s eject button pops out. The
New Hardware Found window appears briefly, fol-
lowed by the Add New Hardware window:

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
5

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
6

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
7
Note: Steps 8, 9, 10, and 11 allow you to name your client
card and specify the name of the access point your card will
“talk to.”Your client card will work fine if you skip these steps,
however. For the simplest setup of your client card, click OK
and skip to step 13 of these instructions.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
8

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
9

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
10
If the operating system on your computer is Windows
NT, follow these steps:
1. Turn your computer off, plug the card into the PCM-
CIA slot, and turn the computer back on.
2. On your Windows Control Panel (click
the Start button, then select Settings,
then Control Panel), select the Network
icon. The Network window appears.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
11

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
12
Note: Steps 9, 10, 11, and 12 allow you to name your client
card and specify the name of the access point your card will
“talk to.”Your client card will work fine if you skip these
steps, however. For the simplest setup of your client card,
click OK and skip to step 14 of these instructions.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
13

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
14