Aironet PC4800B User manual

Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc. • 3875 Embassy Parkway
Akron, Ohio 44333-8357
www.aironet.com
User’s Guide
4800B Series
Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter
DOC-710-005314-A0
PC4800B LM4800B
PC4810B LM4810B
PC4820B LM4820B

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.
AP4800TM, PC4800TM, PC4800BTM, PC4810BTM, PC4820BTM, LM4800TM,
LM4800BTM, LM4810BTM, LM4820BTM, and AironetTM are trademarks of Aironet
Wireless Communications, Inc.
Other trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Printed in USA
DOC-710-005314-A0

Table of Contents
i
About the User’s Guide .................................................iii
Typographical Conventions....................................iv
Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
Before You Start......................................................2
Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter........................3
Aironet Driver Installation Steps..............................4
Section 2: Using the WinDGS Utilities
WinDGS Commands Menu..........................................13
Select Card ...........................................................14
Load New Firmware..............................................14
Edit Properties.......................................................14
Statistics................................................................14
Status....................................................................15
Link Test................................................................15
Site Survey............................................................17
Radio Off/On .........................................................19
Exit ........................................................................19
Options Menu...............................................................19
Preferences...........................................................19
Core Dump............................................................20
NDIS Driver Core Dump........................................20
Using Edit Properties....................................................20
System Parameters...............................................21
RF Network Parameters........................................23
Advanced (Infrastructure)......................................25
Advanced (Ad Hoc/IBSS)......................................27
Using the Site Survey Active Mode Feature.................28
Destination MAC Address.....................................28
Continuous Link Test ............................................28
Destination is Another Aironet Device...................29
Number of Packets................................................29
Packet Size ...........................................................29
Data Retries ..........................................................29
Data Rates ............................................................29
Delay Between Packets ........................................29
Packet Tx Type .....................................................30
Percent Success Threshold ..................................30
Using the Linkscope Utility ...........................................31
Commands............................................................31
Options..................................................................32
Using the WEPKey Utility.............................................34
WEP Overview......................................................34

Table of Contents
ii
Using WEPKey......................................................34
Section 3: Error Messages and Troubleshooting
Error Messages and Troubleshooting ..........................41
Indicator LEDs.......................................................41
If Your Radio Fails to Establish Contact................43
Appendix A: Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Overview
Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Overview......................45
Safety Information.................................................46
Radio Characteristics............................................47
Direct Sequence Radio Technology......................47
Data Transparency and Protocols.........................48
Protocols Supported..............................................48
Radio Ranges .......................................................48
Radio Antenna ......................................................50
Security Features..................................................50
Terminology ..........................................................50
System Configurations..........................................52
Coverage Options .................................................56
Appendix B: PC Card Specifications
PC Card Specifications ................................................59
LAN Drivers Supported .........................................59
Radio Specifications..............................................60
Power Requirements.............................................61
Physical Specifications..........................................61
Appendix C: Channels
Channels ......................................................................63
Appendix D: Declarations of Conformity
Declarations of Conformity...........................................65
Appendix E: Technical Support
Technical Support ........................................................71

About the User’s Guide
iii
About the User’s Guide
This guide covers the installation, configuration, control,
and maintenance of your Aironet 4800B Series PC Card
Wireless LAN Adapter. The Guide is arranged as follows:
Section 1 – Installation – describes installation of the PC
Card.
Section 2 – 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 3 – 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 4800B Series PC
Card, direct sequence radio technology, and the various
configurations you can use when operating the 4800B
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 4800B Series Wireless
LAN Adapter.
Appendix E – Technical Support – provides contact
information for Aironet.

About the 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, porta-
ble or hand-held device), the device must be equipped with
an internal or external PC Card Type II or Type III slot. All
drivers and supporting software (card and socket services)
for the PC Card slot must be loaded and configured.
Ask your system administrator for the following information,
which you may need to provide during driver installation:
•Your Wireless Client Name
•Your Wireless SSID
•For Windows 98 networking, your computer name and
workgroup name
•For your network account, your user name and pass-
word
•Your IP address (unless using a DHCP server)
After unpacking the PC Card, make sure the following items
are present and in good condition:
•PC4800B Wireless LAN Adapter
•Aironet 4800 Series for Windows 95 & NT CD
•Aironet 4800 Series for Windows 98 CD
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 for
an LM4800B Series Wireless LAN Adapter is ordered
and packed separately. (The integrated antenna on the
PC4800B Series Wireless LAN Adapter is permanently
attached.)

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 98, Windows 95,
and Windows NT.
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
Aironet Driver Installation Steps
Installing the Driver for Windows 98
If the operating system on your computer is Windows 98,
follow these steps (if 95, see page7; if NT, see page9):
1. Remove all PC Cards from your computer and turn
it on.
2. Hold the Aironet 4800B Series Wireless LAN
Adapter with the label facing up, and insert the card
into the slot, applying just enough pressure to make
sure it is fully seated.
NOTE: The PC Card slot will be on the left or right side of
the computer, depending on the model.
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.
Windows 98 automatically detects the Aironet
4800B Series PC Card Wireless LAN Adapter,
briefly opens a New Hardware Found window, and
starts collecting information for a driver information
database.
When Windows 98 is ready to configure the new
hardware, it opens the Add New Hardware Wizard
dialog box. The dialog box states that Windows will
search for new drivers for the Aironet PC4800.
3. Click "Next." A dialog box appears asking what you
want Windows to do.
4. Select "Search for the best driver for your device
(Recommended)" and click "Next."
5. Select "CD-ROM drive," unselect all the other
options, insert the Aironet 4800B Series for Win-
dows 98 CD, and click "Next."

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
5
NOTE: If your computer doesn’t have a CD-ROM drive,
go to the Aironet website (www.aironet.com) and
download the drivers for your computer’s operating
system. Copy the drivers to a 3.5” floppy disk, and use
the floppy disk in place of the CD.
After the hardware wizard finds the installation files
on the CD, it displays the search results: "Windows
driver file search for the device: PC4800 DS Wire-
less PCMCIA LAN Adapter."
6. Click "Next" to copy the required files.
During the installation, you may be prompted with
dialog boxes asking you to enter a path to the
required Aironet or Windows 98 files.
If the Windows 98 files are installed on your com-
puter, the Windows 98 files will usually be located
in the folder C:\Windows\Options\Cabs. Click "OK"
to copy the required files.
If Windows 98 prompts for the Windows CD, insert
the Windows 98 CD into your CD-ROM drive. If
your CD-ROM drive is drive D, the path in the dia-
log box should be D:\WIN98. Click "OK" to copy the
required files.
7. The Add New Hardware Wizard window appears
stating that Windows has finished installing the soft-
ware that your new hardware device requires.
8. Click "Finish."
9. The Systems Settings Change window states: "To
finish setting up your new hardware, you must
restart your computer. Do you want to restart your
computer now?" Remove the CD and click "Yes" to
reboot the computer.
10. When the computer restarts, double-click the My
Computer icon on your desktop.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
6
11. In the My Computer window, double-click the Con-
trol Panel icon.
12. In the Control Panel window, double-click the Net-
work icon.
13. Select the PC4800 DS Wireless PCMCIA LAN
Adapter. Click the Properties button.
14. On the PC4800 DS Wireless PCMCIA LAN Adapter
Properties window, click the Advanced tab.
15. In the Advanced window, select Client Name. Type
your computer's unique client name in the Value
dialog box.
16. Select SSID. Type your Access Point's SSID in the
Value dialog box. Click OK.
17. In the Network window, click OK.
18. The Systems Settings Change window states: "To
finish setting up your new hardware, you must
restart your computer. Do you want to restart your
computer now?" Click "Yes" to reboot the com-
puter.
The driver installation is complete.
Contact your IS department if you have a problem
connecting to the network. Proxy server, network
protocols, and further authentication information
might be needed to connect to the network.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
7
Installing the Driver for Windows 95
If the operating system on your computer is Windows 95,
follow these steps (if 98, see page4; if NT, see page9):
1. Remove all PC Cards from your computer and turn
it on.
2. Hold the Aironet 4800B Series PC Card Wireless
LAN Adapter with the label facing up. Insert the
card into the PC card slot and apply just enough
pressure to make sure it is fully seated.
NOTE: The PC Card slot will be on the left or right side of
the computer, depending on the model.
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.
Windows 95 automatically detects the Aironet
4800B Series PC Card Wireless LAN Adapter,
briefly opens a New Hardware Found window, and
starts collecting information for a driver information
database.
When Windows 95 is ready to configure the new
hardware, it opens the Update Device Driver Wiz-
ard dialog box. The dialog box states that Windows
will complete the installation of the Aironet-PC4800.
3. Insert the Aironet 4800 Series for Windows 95 and
Windows NT CD and click Next.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
8
NOTE: If your computer doesn’t have a CD-ROM drive,
go to the Aironet website (www.aironet.com) and
download the drivers for your computer’s operating
system. Copy the drivers to a 3.5” floppy disk, and use
the floppy disk in place of the CD.
4. The Update Device Driver Wizard displays the fol-
lowing message: "Windows was unable to locate a
driver for this device." Click the Other Locations
button.
5. The Select Other Location window appears. Click
the Browse button.
6. Select your CD-ROM drive and click OK. At the
Select Other Location window, click OK.
7. The Update Device Driver Wizard window tells you
that it found the driver. Click Finish.
8. When prompted with "Please insert the disk labeled
'Windows 95 CD-ROM', and then click OK", just
click OK and do one of the following:
•If the Windows 95 files are installed on your com-
puter, the Windows 95 files will usually be located
in the folder C:\Windows\Options\Cabs. Type
C:\Windows\Options\Cabs in the "Copy files
from:" dialog box. Click "OK" to copy the required
files.
•If Windows 95 prompts for the Windows CD,
insert the Windows 95 CD into your CD-ROM
drive. If your CD-ROM drive is drive D, the path in
the dialog box should be D:\WIN95. Click "OK" to
copy the required files.
9. The Systems Settings Change window states: "To
finish setting up your new hardware, you must
restart your computer. Do you want to restart your
computer now?" Remove the CD and click "Yes" to
reboot the computer.
10. When the computer restarts, double-click the My
Computer icon on your desktop.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
9
11. In the My Computer window, double-click the Con-
trol Panel icon.
12. In the Control Panel window, double-click the Net-
work icon.
13. Select the PC4800 DS Wireless PCMCIA LAN
Adapter. Click the Properties button.
14. On the PC4800 DS Wireless PCMCIA LAN Adapter
Properties window, click the Advanced tab.
15. In the Advanced window, select Client Name. Type
your computer's unique client name in the Value
dialog box.
16. Select SSID. Type your Access Point's SSID in the
Value dialog box. Click OK.
17. In the Network window, click OK.
18. The Systems Settings Change window states: "To
finish setting up your new hardware, you must
restart your computer. Do you want to restart your
computer now?" Click "Yes" to reboot the com-
puter.
The driver installation is complete.
Contact your IS department if you have a problem
connecting to the network. Proxy server, network
protocols, and further authentication information
might be needed to connect to the network.
Installing the Driver for Windows NT 4.0
If the operating system on your computer is Windows NT
4.0, follow these steps (if 98, see page4; if 95, see page7):
1. Turn your computer off.
2. Hold the Aironet 4800B Series PC Card Wireless
LAN Adapter with the label facing up. Insert the
card into the PC card slot and apply just enough
pressure to make sure it is fully seated.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
10
NOTE: The PC Card slot will be on the left or right side of
the computer, depending on the model.
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.
3. Turn your computer on, and wait for Windows NT to
fully start.
4. Insert the Aironet 4800 Series for Windows 95 & NT
4.0 CD into your CD-ROM drive.
NOTE: If your computer doesn’t have a CD-ROM drive,
go to the Aironet website (www.aironet.com) and
download the drivers for your computer’s operating
system. Copy the drivers to a 3.5” floppy disk, and use
the floppy disk in place of the CD.
5. Right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon on
your desktop and select Properties. (If your desktop
doesn't have a Network Neighborhood icon, open
the Control Panel, right-click the Network icon
there, and select Properties.)
6. Click the Adapters tab.
7. Click "Have Disk" at the Select Network Adapter
window.
8. Enter D:\ in the Copy files from box. (D:\ is the
drive letter of your CD-ROM drive. Your drive letter
may be different from this example.) Click OK.
9. In the Select OEM Option box, select the "Aironet
PC4800 PC Wireless LAN Adapter" option. Click
OK.
10. The Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc.
Adapter Setup window appears. In the Advanced

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
11
window, select Client Name. Type your computer's
unique client name in the Value dialog box.
11. Select SSID. Type your Access Point's SSID in the
Value dialog box. Click OK.
12. Click Close.
13. When asked to shutdown and restart your com-
puter, remove the CD-ROM disk and click Yes.
The driver installation is complete.
Contact your IS department if you have problems
connecting to the network. Proxy server, network
protocols, and further authentication information
might be needed to connect to the network.
Installing the Aironet 4800B Series PC Card Wireless
LAN Adapter Utilities
To install the WinDGS, LinkScope, and WEPKey utilities,
follow these steps:
1. Insert the Aironet 4800B Series CD for your operat-
ing system into your computer's CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start > Run and type D:\utils\setup.exe where
"D" is your CD-ROM's drive letter.
3. Follow the setup instructions on the screen to com-
plete the installation.
Refer to Section 2 of this User Guide for details on using
each utility.

Section 1: Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter
12

Section 2: Using the WinDGS Utilities
13
Section 2
Using the WinDGS Utilities
WinDGS is used to perform user-level diagnostics on your
Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Card in the Windows 95, 98,
and NT operating system environments.
To install the WinDGS, LinkScope, and WEPKey utili-
ties, follow these steps:
1. Insert the Aironet 4800B Series CD for your operat-
ing system into your computer's CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start > Run and type D:\utils\setup.exe where
"D" is your CD-ROM's drive letter.
3. Follow the setup instructions on the screen to com-
plete the installation.
WinDGS Commands Menu
The Commands Menu includes:
•Select Card
•Load New Firmware
•Edit Properties
•Statistics
•Status
•Link Test
•Site Survey
•Radio Off/On
•Exit

Section 2: Using the WinDGS Utilities
14
Select Card
This allows another installed Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter
Card to be chosen. The property screens will change to
reflect the parameters specific to each card type.
Load New Firmware
The firmware is contained in the card’s flash memory. Flash
memory allows for easy updating of the firmware as neces-
sary.
Upgrading Firmware for Windows 95, 98, and NT
The WinDGS program is used to load new firmware.
To load new firmware:
1. Make sure the PC Card is up and running.
2. Select Commands.
3. Select Load New Firmware.
4. Select Look In....Use the drop down button to select
the appropriate path and image file.
5. Select Open. This will flash the card with the selected
image.
Edit Properties
WinDGS allows you to change the configuration parame-
ters of your currently installed Aironet 4800B Series Wire-
less LAN Adapter. See “Using Edit Properties” on page20
for details on this command.
Statistics
The Statistics screen shows the current statistics from the
PC Card. Statistics are updated at the rate specified by the
Screen Update Timer. Clear the current statistics by clicking
on Reset. Exit the Statistics screen by clicking on OK, or by