Belkin F5D6001 User manual

User Manual
F5D6001
802.11b Wireless
Desktop Network Card
Connect your desktop to a wireless network
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Features...............................................................................................1
Product Specifications............................................................................2
System Requirements.............................................................................2
Package Contents ..................................................................................2
Knowing your Desktop Network Card...............................................................3
Installing the Card.......................................................................................4
The Belkin Wireless Network Monitor Utility...................................................10
Troubleshooting.........................................................................................18
Information...............................................................................................19
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1
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing the Belkin Wireless Desktop Network Card (the Card).
This high-speed Card provides you with an innovative wireless networking
solution that is easy to set up and use. The Card transmits at a rate of 11, 5.5, 2,
or 1Mbps to let you share files and printers on the network—without the hassle
and inconvenience of connecting wires! Operating in the ISM band using Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) transmission, the Card implements the IEEE
802.11b standard and supports Windows 98SE, 2000, Me, or XP operating
systems.
Features
The Card complies with the IEEE 802.11b standard in order to communicate with
other 802.11b-compliant wireless devices.
•2.4GHz ISM (Industrial, Science, and Medical) band operation
•Includes an easy-to-use profile manager for storing multiple wireless network
settings for work, school, home, etc.
•Wireless interface compliance with the IEEE 802.11b standard
•PCI interface, complies with PCI specification 2.1
•64- or 128-bit wireless (WEP) encryption
•Wireless access to networked resources
•Support for both Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc (peer-to-peer) networking modes
•Data rate of up to 11Mbps
o Supports 11, 5.5, 2, or 1Mbps rates (Auto-Rollback)
•Easy to install and use
•External detachable antenna
•LED link indicator
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Product Specifications
Host Interface: 32-bit, PCI 2.2-compliant
Power Consumption: 300mA (max.)
OS Support: Windows© 98SE, 2000, Me, or XP operating systems
Certification: FCC Class B, CE Mark, C-Tick
Operating Temperature: 0° C to 55° C
Storage Temperature: –25° C to 70° C
Typical Operating Range: Indoors: 160 ft. (50m) @ 11Mbps, 260 ft. (80m)
@ 5.5Mbps or lower
Outdoors: 490 ft. (150m) @ 11Mbps, 980 ft. (300m)
@ 5.5Mbps or lower
Humidity 10% to 90% non-condensing
System Requirements
•PC with available PCI expansion slot
•PC running Windows 98SE, 2000, Me, or XP
•CD-ROM drive (for loading software)
Package Contents
•Belkin Wireless Desktop Network Card
•External Antenna
•Software CD
•Quick Installation Guide
•User Manual
•Product Registration Card
INTRODUCTION
2
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Activity LED
Off No activity
Blinking Activity
Link LED
Solid Connected to a wireless network
Off Not connected
Antenna
Antenna Cable
Link LED
Activity LED
Threaded Connector
PCI Edge Connector
Warning! Your Card is sensitive to static electricity. Handle the Card
by the edges and avoid touching the PCI edge connector or any of
the components on the green printed circuit board.
KNOWING YOUR DESKTOP NETWORK CARD
3
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INSTALLING THE CARD
4
Installing your Card is done in three easy steps.
1. Install the software FIRST. If you install your Card into your computer before
you install the software, it will not work until you install the software.
2. Install the Card inside of your computer.
3. Let Windows finish installing the Card.
Step 1: Software and Driver Installation
1. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. The Belkin Wireless Desktop Network Card Setup Utility screen will
automatically appear. If it does not appear within 15-20 seconds, then
select your CD-ROM drive and double-click on the folder named “Files”.
Next double-click on the icon named “start.exe”.
3. In the menu window, drag your mouse over the “Install” button then select
“Click here” to start the software installation program.
NOTE: INSTALL THE SOFTWARE FIRST BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE CARD
INTO YOUR COMPUTER.
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INSTALLING THE CARD
5
4. The installer will start. You will see a progress screen. Go to the next step.
5. Next, you will see an introduction screen. Click “Next” to continue with the
installation of the Card.
6. If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you may see a screen similar
to the one below. This does not mean there is a problem. Select
“Continue Anyway”.
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7. When the software installation is complete, you will see a screen prompting
you to finish. Click “Finish”.
8. A message will appear telling you that you need to shut down your computer
to install the Card. Choose “Yes, I want to shut down my computer now” to
shut down your computer. Follow the directions in the next section to install
your Card inside of your computer.
INSTALLING THE CARD
6
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INSTALLING THE CARD
Step 2: Installing the Card into your PC
1. POWER OFF THE COMPUTER AND DISCONNECT THE POWER CORD.
2. Remove the screws that secure the computer cover and remove the cover.
3. Touch any metal part of the case to ground yourself. This will discharge any
static electricity that could damage your product or your computer.
4. Locate an empty PCI expansion slot. Confirm that the Card will fit into the
slot you have chosen.
5. Remove the port cover from the back of the PC that corresponds to the PCI
slot you selected. If there is a screw, place it in a safe place as you will be
using it to attach the Card to the computer chassis later.
6. Push the Card firmly into the PCI slot that you have chosen. Apply pressure
as needed until the connector is fully seated.
7. Now secure the Card with the screw that you previously placed in a safe place.
8. Carefully screw the antenna’s gold
connector onto the threaded
connector on the Card until it
is finger-tight. Do not use a
wrench to tighten the connector.
Place the antenna on top of the
computer’s case or on top of
your desktop while taking care
to keep it away from any solid
metal objects.
9. Replace the computer’s cover.
10.Now that the Card is installed,
you can reconnect all of the
cables and turn the computer
back on. Proceed to Step 3.
7
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INSTALLING THE CARD
8
Step 3: Finishing the Installation
1. After you have installed your Card and replaced the cover on your computer,
turn your computer back on and let it boot up.
2. Windows will detect that new hardware has been installed. Depending on
which version of Windows you are using, a window similar to the one
pictured below will appear. Select the option that will automatically install
the software.
3. If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you may see a screen similar
to the one below. This does not mean there is a problem. Select
“Continue Anyway”.
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INSTALLING THE CARD
9
4. When the installation is complete, you will see a screen prompting you to
finish. Click “Finish”.
Windows 98SE or Me users: You may be asked to restart the computer. Let
the computer restart before going to the next step.
5. When the installation is complete or your computer has restarted, the Belkin
Wireless Network Utility icon will appear on your desktop. To open the
Monitor Utility, double-click on this icon. For information about using the
Utility, see the next section in this manual.
6. A small icon in your system tray (bottom right corner of most screens) will
appear. This is your shortcut to the Belkin Wireless Network Monitor. It also
indicates the status of your connection:
Green: Connected to a wireless network.
Red: No connection to a wireless network.
Uninstalling the Software and Drivers
If you need to remove the software and drivers for any reason, you can easily
accomplish this in one of two ways. You can insert the software CD and click
on the Uninstall option in the menu, or you can go to the Windows Control
Panel and select the “Add/Remove Programs” option. The Belkin Wizard will
walk you through the removal process.
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The Wireless Network Monitor Utility is a central point on your computer that
allows you to control your Wireless Notebook Network Card. Among the things
you can do using the Utility, you can:
•Choose the wireless network you want to connect to
•See a list of all available networks in the area
•See information about the networks in the area that are available to you
•Store profiles for each network that you connect to
•Set power saving options
•Enable/Disable the Card’s radio
•Select the default view you will use to connect to your networks
•View and refresh the Card’s network IP information
Opening the Wireless Network Monitor Utility
After you have installed the Card and the Utility, you will see an icon in the
lower right corner of your screen (near the clock). This is called the system tray.
The icon will be green when your Card is connected to a network and it will be
red when there is no connection to a wireless network. After installation, the
Card will connect to your wireless network automatically. Double-clicking on the
system tray icon will open the Utility. Also, the installation software placed a
shortcut icon on your desktop. Double-clicking this shortcut will open the Utility.
System Tray icon Shortcut icon
THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
10
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Windows XP Users
If you are using Windows XP, please read this section first.
Windows XP integrates a wireless management utility referred to as Windows XP
Wireless Zero Configuration service (WZC). The WZC can be used to control your
Card or you can use the Belkin Wireless Network Monitor Utility. We suggest that
you use the Belkin Utility to control your Card. If you choose to use the WZC,
directions for operation of the WZC are available in the Windows XP help file.
When you first install the Card, the Belkin Utility will be enabled. If you want to
disable the Belkin Utility in order to use the WZC, follow the steps below to
disable the Belkin Utility.
Disabling the Belkin Wireless Network Monitor Utility in Windows XP
1. Right-click on the system tray icon ( ).
2. Select “Use Windows to Configure my Wireless Connection”.
3. The Belkin Utility will disable itself and enable the WZC. This may take up to
30 seconds.
4. To re-enable the Belkin Utility, double-click on the desktop shortcut ( ).
This will disable the WZC and enable the Belkin Utility. This may take up to
30 seconds.
THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
11
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THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
12
Using the Belkin Utility (Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP)
When the Utility opens, you will see the Utility screen. The view will be of the
Configuration screen. This is the screen you will use most often to choose and
change networks.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a. Available Networks: Displays the available networks and their settings.
b. Navigation Buttons: Pressing these buttons will change the view.
c. Connect Button: Select a network from the Available Networks window and
click “Connect” to connect to the network.
d. Update Button: Re-scans for more wireless networks in the area.
e. “Connected to” Window: Shows you the name and MAC address of the
network you are currently connected to.
f. Signal Strength: Shows you the signal strength (in real time) of the network
you are currently connected to.
g. Link Speed: The Card is operating at the speed indicated in this window.
h. Refresh Button: Pressing this button will refresh the IP settings of the Card.
The IP information is displayed next to the button. This button is sometimes
used when you switch from one network to another.
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THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
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Connecting to a Wireless Network
After you install your Card for the first time, it will connect to your wireless
network automatically. You should not have to do anything further to connect to
a network. To manually connect to a wireless network, see the steps below.
1. Open the Utility by double-clicking the system tray icon ( ) or the desktop
shortcut.( )
2. All networks in your area will be displayed in the “Available Networks”
window. Select the network that you want to connect to by clicking the name
(under the SSID column) of the network. Once you have selected the
network, click the “Connect” button. Note: If the network that you are
attempting to connect to is using encryption, you will be prompted to enter
the network key. If you don’t know the key, you will need to obtain it from
the system administrator. Also, see the section of this manual called
“Creating and Using a Profile” for advanced encryption setup options.
3. The name of the network will appear in the “Connected to” window and the
Signal Strength indicator will show the network’s signal strength. Your
computer is now connected to the wireless network.
Using the Quick Connect Screen
The Utility was designed to offer you two methods of connecting to a wireless
network. The Card ships with the Utility configured so you use Configuration view
to select wireless networks. A second option allows you to choose to have the
Utility open to the Quick Connect screen. The Quick Connect screen (pictured
below) is a simplified window that shows you the names of the available
networks only, excluding other information like signal strength, MAC address,
network type, channel, etc.
Available Networks
Displays the available networks in the area.
Network Name
This is the name of the wireless network.
Connect Button
Select a network from the Available Networks window
and click “Connect” to connect to the network.
Advanced Button
Click this button to go to the Advanced
configuration window.
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THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
14
You may find it easier to use the Quick Connect screen to connect to networks.
To switch to the Quick Connect screen, right-click on the Utility system tray icon
( ). In the menu that appears, select “Use Quick Connect screen”. After you
have selected this option, the next time you double-click on the system tray icon
( ) or the desktop shortcut ( )to open the Utility, you will be presented
with the Quick Connect screen.
Connecting to a Network Using the Quick Connect Screen
When the Quick Connect screen appears, you will see all of the available
networks in the window. Select a network by clicking on the name, then click
the “Connect” button.
Note: If the network that you are attempting to connect to is using encryption, you
will be prompted to enter the network key. If you don’t know the key, you will need
to obtain it from the system administrator. Also, see the section of this manual
called “Creating and Using a Profile” for advanced encryption setup options.
Using the Profiles Manager View
Using profiles is a convenient way to quickly and easily connect to networks if
you travel between multiple wireless networks. For example, your primary wireless
network may be at home, but you also use a wireless network at work and also at
the local café. Each of these networks likely has different settings. For instance,
the network at your workplace uses encryption, but home and the café don’t.
Also, each of these networks has a different name. Trying to keep track of these
differences just got easier with the profile manager. Every time you successfully
connect to a network, the profile manager will remember that network’s settings
for a later time. This means that after the first time you connect your computer
to the network at your workplace, you won’t have to reenter the encryption
settings again. The profile manager will recognize the network and automatically
connect to it. You can also create custom profiles, delete profiles, and edit
profiles when needed.
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THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
15
Creating and Using a Profile
Profiles are automatically created when you connect to a network. From the
factory, Belkin has also created one profile called “Default”. This is a special
profile that will connect to the first wireless network that the Card detects. You
can remove this profile if you wish. If you want to create the default profile
again, simply create a profile with the name “Default” and the SSID is “ANY” (all
caps). Here is how:
1. Open the Utility.
2. Click the “Profiles” button. You will see the below screen.
3. Click “Add”. The following screen will appear.
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THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
16
4. Name the profile by typing in a name in the Profile Name field.
5. Type in the name of the wireless network in the Network Name (SSID) field.
6. If the network you are going to be connecting to uses an access point (this
is the most common configuration), leave the box next to “This Network uses
an Access Point” checked. If it is a peer-to-peer network that you are
creating a profile for, check that box.
7. If the network uses encryption, select the type of encryption (64-bit or 128-
bit) by placing a check mark next to the type you need.
8. Type in the network key for the network in the Network Key field. If the
network key is a hexadecimal key, check “Hex Key”. If your key is in the form
of a passphrase, check “Passphrase”. Check the number of the key that you
need to use. Most of the time, this is “1”. Note: The network key and format
are determined by the network administrator. If you don’t have the key, contact
your administrator.
9. Click “Save” to save the profile.
10.Your profile will now appear in the Profiles window. To use the profile, select
the profile by clicking on it, then press the “Use” button. The Utility will
switch to the Configuration view again. Your Card will now be connected to
the network specified in your profile.
Prioritizing your Profiles
You can change the priority of your profiles so the Utility will connect to the first
network in the profile priority list. This feature is useful if you are in an area
where you use more than one wireless network. Put simply, the profile at the top
of the list will be the first network that the Utility automatically connects to. If
the network in the top of the priority list is not available (you are not near it)
then the Utility will go to the next profile in the list, and so on.
Advanced Options
Clicking on the “Advanced” button will take you to the Advanced view. In the
Advanced view you can do the following:
•Enable Power Save mode
•Enable/disable the system tray icon
•Turn off the radio on the Card
•Select the default Ad-Hoc channel
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THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORK MONITOR UTILITY
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Power Save Mode
Allows you to select the Power Save mode.
Default is OFF.
Show icon in system tray
Choose to display or NOT display the
icon in the system tray.
Default Ad-Hoc Channel
Allows you to select the default
Ad-Hoc channel.
Radio Off
Allows you to turn the radio
(the Card) on or off.
Using Power Save Mode
Enabling Power Save will help reduce battery consumption on a laptop by turning
the Card or parts of the Card OFF after each data set is sent or received to or
from the network. Enabling this mode will decrease performance of the Card, but
may greatly enhance your battery life. Use this feature only if necessary.
Minimum Power Save mode will partially shut the Card off to reduce power
consumption, but the radio will still be on, ready to transmit or receive.
Maximum Power Save mode will completely shut the Card down when there is no
activity. When there is activity, the Card will turn itself back on and begin
transmitting or receiving data. This introduces a short delay, but will save the
most battery power on your laptop.
Showing the Icon in System Tray
You can choose to display the Utility icon in the system tray. By placing a check
in the box, the icon will be displayed in the system tray. Removing the check will
remove the icon. When there is no icon in the system tray, you can access the
Utility by using the desktop shortcut.
Turning the Radio Off
You can manually turn the radio off by placing a check in the box. This will
disable the Card until you turn it back on.
Setting the Default Ad-Hoc Channel
You can select the channel you want the Card to operate in when it is set for
Ad-Hoc (peer-to-peer) mode. In an Ad-Hoc configuration, one client initiates
the connection by broadcasting its presence as an Ad-Hoc client. The rest of the
clients will connect to the initial client, making the initial client’s channel the
channel that all of the clients will operate on. The default Ad-Hoc channel is 11.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
18
Technical Support
You can find technical support information at www.belkin.com/networking or
www.belkin.com through the tech support area. If you want to contact technical
support by phone, please call 877-736-5771. Technical support is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
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