D-Link Air Xpert DWL-AG650 User manual

Manual
Building Networks forPeople
Tri-mode Dualband
DWL-AG650
D-Link AirXpert
TM
Wireless CardbusAdapter

2
Contents
Package Contents..............................................................................3
Introduction.........................................................................................4
Wireless Basics..................................................................................6
GettingStarted .................................................................................10
Using theConfigurationUtility............................................................13
Networking Basics ............................................................................20
Troubleshooting ................................................................................33
TechnicalSpecifications....................................................................38
Contacting TechnicalSupport ............................................................40

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ContentsofPackage:
D-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG650
Tri-mode Dualband Wireless CardbusAdapter
Manual,WarrantyandDriverson CD
Printed Quick InstallationGuide
PackageContents
If anyofthe aboveitemsaremissing,pleasecontactyourreseller.
SystemRequirementsforConfiguration:
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An802.11a,802.11b or802.11g Access Point(forInfrastruc-
tureMode)oranother802.11a,802.11b,or802.11g wireless
adapter(forAd-Hoc;Peer-to-Peernetworking mode).
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Atleast128 MBofmemoryand a500 MHzprocessorn
WindowsXP,Windows2000,WindowsMe,orWindows98SE
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Alaptop computerwithan available32-bitCardbusPC
Cardslot
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TM

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Theversatile802.11a/b/gcompatibleDWL-AG650 givesyou an immediatewaytoexpand
toyourexisting 802.11b networkand protectyouroverall wireless networkinvestment.
When you add an 802.11a/b/gaccess point(D-LinkAirXpertDWL-7000AP)orrouter(D-
LinkAirXpertDI-774),yournetworkwill becapableofhandling up tofourtimesthe user
load ofyourcurrent802.11b network.
Introduction
TheD-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG650 Tri-ModeDualband Wireless CardbusAdapter,when
installed intoyourdesktop PC,providesyou aversatilewaytowirelesslyconnecttoany
one ofthree availablewireless networks -802.11b and the newer,faster802.11g and
802.11athatoperateintwodiscrete,non-interfering frequencybands,2.4GHzand 5GHz.
Along withcompatibilitytoearlier802.11b networks,the DWL-AG650 alsooffersthe
robustspeed(upto54Mbps)ofthenewer802.11gand802.11astandards,sothateveryone
can workfasterand moreefficiently.Additionally,the 802.11a 5GHzband offersawayto
quicklytransferdatainafrequency range thatdoesnotexperienceinterferenceor
interruptionsfromcordless phones,microwaveovensand otherdevicesthatusethe 2.
4GHzfrequencyband.
Inaddition tooffering fasterdatatransferspeedswhen used withother802.11a ordraft
802.11g products,the DWL-AG650 hasthe newest, mostadvanced securityfeatures
availabletoday,using the draft 802.11isecuritystandard.Theseadditionalsecurity
featuresareoptional.You maychoosetocontinue using the familiarWEP security,or
you maynotwishtoutilizesecurityfeaturesatall.However,ifyou do choosetousethe
DWL-AG650’s powerfulsecurityfeatureswithotherWPA (WiFiProtected Access)and
802.1xcompatibleproductsinanetworkwithaRADIUSserver,the securityfeatures
will include:
WPA*:Anewsecurityfeature,Wi-FiProtectedAccess authorizesand identifies
usersbased on asecretkeythatchangesautomaticallyataregularinterval.
WPAusesTKIP(TemporalKey IntegrityProtocol)tochange the temporalkey
every10,000 packets(apacketisakind ofmessage transmittedoveranetwork).
Thisensuresmuchgreatersecuritythan the standardWEP security.(By
contrast, the olderWEP encryption required the keys tobe changed manually).
802.1x:Authentication isafirstline ofdefenseagainstintrusion.Inthe
Authentication process the serververifiesthe identityofthe clientattempting to
connecttothe network.Unfamiliarclientswouldbe denied access.
TM
UsersthatchoosenottoincorporateaRADIUSserverintheirnetworkmayalsousethe
optionalenhanced securityfeatures,ortheymaywishtocontinue using the standard
WEP security,ortheymaychoosetouseno securityatall.However,ifyou do wishto
experiencethe enhancedsecurityoftheDWL-AG650 inconjunction withotherdraft 802.
11icompatibleproducts,withoutaRADIUSserver,the PreSharedKey modeofWPA
will assign anewsecuritykeyeverytimetheDWL-AG650 connectstothe draft 802.11i
Access Point. If you choosetoenablethe enhanced securityfeaturesofthe DWL-
AG650,you need onlytoinputyourencryption information onceinthe configuration
menu.Nolongerwill you havetomanuallychange theWEP keytoensuresecurity-with
the DWL-AG650,you will automaticallyreceiveanewkeyeverytimeyou connect,
vastlyincreasing the safetyofyourcommunications.

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Features
LEDs
LEDstandsforLight-Emitting Diode.The DWL-AG650 hasthe following
LEDs:
LEDLEDActivity
Ablinking lightindicatesdataisbeing transmitted
Asteadylightindicatesaconnection toan Access Point
Activity
Link
nUser-friendlyconfiguration and diagnosticutilities
32-bitCardbusPerformance/Plug &Play Connectivity-TheDWL-AG650 is
apowerful32-bitCardbusadapterthatinstallsquicklyand easilyintodesktop
PCs,and when used withotherD-LinkAirXpertABGproductswill automatically
connecttothe networkoutofthe box.
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Compatiblewith802.11a,802.11band 802.11gDevices -Fullycompatible
withthe IEEE 802.11a,802.11b and Draft 802.11g standards,theDWL-AG650
can connectwithexisting 802.11b routers,access pointsand cards.Thatmeans
you can still communicatewithcolleaguesand friendswhileyou havethe ability
tolinktoeven morewireless networks.
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Dualband versatility-WiththeDWL-AG650,you havethe option ofusing one
oftwofrequencies.If the 2.4GHzfrequency band isexperiencing interruptions
and interferencefromcordless phones,and microwaveovens,you havetheop-
tion ofusing the 5GHzband with802.11a enabled devices.
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BetterSecuritywith802.1x and WPA*-Withthe DWL-AG650 inyourlaptop
PCyou can securelyconnecttoawireless networkusing 802.1xforwireless
authentication,aswell asWPA (Wi-FiProtected Access)providing you amuch
higherlevelofsecurityforyourdataand communicationsthan haspreviously
been available.TousetheDWL-AG650’s 802.1xsecurityfeatures,yourOperat-
ing Systemand all the devicesinyournetworkmustsupportit. WindowsXP
supports802.1xand afree802.1xupgradeisavailableforWindows2000.Check
themanufacturer’s websiteforavailable802.1xupgradesforotheroperating sys-
tems.
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D-Linkwireless productsarebased on industrystandardstoprovide easy-to-
useand compatiblehigh-speedwireless connectivitywithinyourhome,business
orpublicaccess wireless networks.D-Linkwireless productswill allowyou
access tothe datayou want, when and whereyou wantit. You will be ableto
enjoythe freedomthatwireless networking brings.
AWLANisacellularcomputernetworkthattransmitsand receivesdatawith
radiosignalsinstead ofwires.WLANsareused increasinglyinbothhomeand
officeenvironments,and publicareassuchasairports,coffee shopsand
universities.Innovativeways toutilizeWLANtechnologyarehelping peopleto
workand communicatemoreefficiently.Increased mobilityand the absenceof
cabling and otherfixed infrastructurehaveproven tobe beneficialformany
users.
Wireless Basics
Wireless userscan usethe sameapplicationstheyuseon awired network.
Wireless adaptercardsused on laptop and desktop systemssupportthe same
protocolsasEthernetadaptercards.

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Wireless Basics (continued)
PeopleuseWLANtechnologyformanydifferentpurposes:
Mobility-Productivityincreaseswhen peoplehaveaccess todatainany
location withintheoperating range oftheWLAN.Managementdecisionsbased
on real-timeinformation can significantlyimproveworkerefficiency.
LowImplementation Costs-WLANsareeasy tosetup,manage,change
and relocate.Networks thatfrequentlychange can benefitfromWLANsease
ofimplementation.WLANscan operateinlocationswherethe installation of
wiring maybe impractical.
Installation and NetworkExpansion -Installing aWLANsystemcan be
fastandeasy andcan eliminatetheneed topull cablethrough wallsand ceilings.
Wireless technologyallowsthe networktogo wherewirescannotgo -even
outside the homeoroffice.
Inexpensive Solution -Wireless networkdevicesareascompetitively
priced asconventionalEthernetnetworkdevices.
Scalability-WLANscan be configured inavarietyofways tomeetthe
needsofspecificapplicationsand installations.Configurationsareeasily
changed and range frompeer-to-peernetworks suitableforasmall numberof
userstolargerinfrastructurenetworks toaccommodatehundredsorthousands
ofusers,depending on the numberofwireless devicesdeployed.
The DWL-AG650 iscompatiblewiththe following wireless products:
D-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG650,D-LinkAirProDWL-A650,D-Link
AirPlusDWL-650+,D-LinkAirPlusXtremeGDWL-G650,D-
LinkAirProDWL-AB650
Wireless CardbusAdaptersused withlaptop computers
D-LinkAirProDWL-A520 and D-LinkAirPlusDWL-520+,
D-LinkAirPlusXtremeGDWL-G520,anotherD-LinkAirXpert
DWL-AG520,and D-LinkAirProDWL-AB520
Wireless PCIcardsused withdesktop computers
D-LinkAirPlusDWL-900AP+,D-LinkAirPlusXtremeGDWL-
2000APand D-LinkAirXpertDWL-7000AP
Wireless Access Points
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nD-LinkAirPlusDI-614+,D-LinkAirPlusXtremeGDI-624 and
D-LinkAirXpertDI-774
Wireless Broadband Routers

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Standards-BasedTechnology
The DWL-AG650 Wireless CardbusAdapterutilizesthe 802.11a,802.11band
draft 802.11gstandard.
The IEEE draft 802.11gstandardisan extension ofthe 802.11bstandard.It
increasesthe datarateup to54 Mbpswithinthe 2.4GHzband.The 802.11a
standardalsoincreasesthe datarateup to54 Mbps,butwithinthe 5GHzband.
Both802.11a and 802.11g utilizeOFDMtechnology.
Thismeansthatinmostenvironments,withinthe specified range ofthisdevice,
you will be abletotransferlarge filesquicklyoreven watchamovieinMPEG
formatoveryournetworkwithoutnoticeabledelays.Thistechnologyworks by
transmittinghigh-speeddigitaldataoveraradiowaveutilizingOFDM(Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexing)technology.OFDMworks bysplitting the radio
signalintomultiplesmallersub-signalsthatarethen transmitted simultaneously
atdifferentfrequenciestothe receiver.OFDMreducestheamountofcrosstalk
(interference)insignaltransmissions.TheD-LinkDWL-AG650 will automatically
sensethe bestpossibleconnection speed toensurethe greatestspeed and
range possible.
TheDWL-AG650 offersthe mostadvanced networksecurityfeaturesavailable
today,including:WPA and 802.1x.
Inaddition toitscompatibilitywith802.11gand802.11a devices,theDWL-AG650
iscompatiblewith802.11b devices.Thismeansthatifyou havean existing
802.11b network,oranetworkwithamixtureof802.11g,802.11a and 802.11b,
the devicesinthatnetworkwill be compatiblewiththeDWL-AG650.
Wireless Basics (continued)
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Wireless Basics (continued)
Installation Considerations
TheD-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG650 letsyouaccessyournetwork,usingawireless
connection,fromvirtuallyanywherewithinitsoperating range.Keep inmind,
however,thatthe number,thickness and location ofwalls,ceilings,orother
objectsthatthe wireless signalsmustpass through,maylimitthe range.Typical
rangesvarydepending on the typesofmaterialsand background RF(radio
frequency)noiseinyourhomeorbusiness.The keytomaximizing wireless
range istofollowthesebasicguidelines:
1.Keep the numberofwallsand ceilingsbetween theDWL-AG650 and
othernetworkdevicestoaminimum-eachwall orceiling can reduce
yourD-Linkwireless product’s range from3-90 feet(1-30 meters.)Position
yourdevicessothatthe numberofwallsorceilingsisminimized.
2.Beawareofthe directline between networkdevices.Awall thatis1.5
feetthick (.5meters),ata45-degree angleappearstobe almost3
feet(1meter) thick.Ata2-degree angleitlooks over42 feet(14 meters)
thick!Position devicessothatthe signalwill travelstraightthrough awall or
ceiling (instead ofatan angle)forbetterreception.
3.Building materialscan impede the wireless signal-asolidmetaldooror
aluminumstudsmayhaveanegativeeffecton range.Trytoposition wireless
devicesand computerswithwireless adapterssothatthe signalpasses
through drywall oropen doorways and notothermaterials.
4.Keep yourproductaway(atleast3-6feetor1-2meters)fromelectrical
devicesorappliancesthatmaygenerateextremeRFnoise.
TM

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Getting Started
Infrastructure-using an Access PointorWireless Router,
suchastheDWL-7000AP orDI-774.
Ad-Hoc-directlyconnecting toanothercomputer,forpeer-to-
peercommunication,using wireless networkadapterson
eachcomputer,suchastwoormoreDWL-AG650 wireless
networkCardbusadapters.
Onthe following pageswewill showyou an exampleofan Infrastructure
Networkand an Ad-HocNetwork.
AnInfrastructurenetworkcontainsan Access PointoraWireless Router.
The InfrastructureNetworkexampleshownon the following page contains
the following D-Linknetworkdevices(yourexisting networkmaybe
comprised ofotherdevices):
Awireless Router-D-LinkAirXpertDI-774
Alaptop computerwithawireless adapter-
D-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG650,D-LinkAirPlusXtremeGDWL-
G650,D-LinkAirProDWL-AB650,orD-LinkAirPlusDWL-650+
Adesktop computerwithawireless adapter-
D-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG520
ACablemodem-D-LinkDCM-200 orDCM-201
Therearebasicallytwomodesofnetworking:
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You will need broadband Internetaccess (aCableorDSL-subscriberline into
yourhomeoroffice)
ConsultwithyourCableorDSLproviderforproperinstallation ofthe modem
Connectthe CableorDSLmodemtoyourbroadband router(see the Quick
Installation Guideincludedwithyourrouter).
Install the D-LinkAirXpertDWL-AG520 wireless PCIadapterintoan available
PCIsloton yourdesktop computer.
(See the Quick Installation Guideincluded withthe networkadapter).
If you areconnecting alaptop computertoyournetwork,you can install the
driversfortheD-LinkDWL-AG650 wireless Cardbusadapterintoalaptop
computer.You mayalsoinstall theDWL-A650,DWL-G650,DWL-AB650 orother
compatibleD-Linkwireless Cardbusadapter.
(See the Quick Installation Guideincluded withthe wireless Cardbusadapter).
Getting Started
Foratypicalwireless setup athome(as shownabove),please do the
following:
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Setting up aWireless InfrastructureNetwork
4
2
1
3
DWL-AG650
DWL-AG520

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Getting Started
Setting up aWireless Ad-HocNetwork
Install the D-LinkDWL-AG650 Wireless Cardbusadapterintoa
laptop computer.(See the Quick Installation Guideincluded withthe
productforinstallation instructions).
Install aDWL-AG650 intoalaptop computer,oryou can install
anotherDWL-AG520 wireless PCIadapterintoadesktop computer.
(See the Quick Installation Guideincluded withthe product).
Setthe wireless configuration forthe adapterstoAd-Hocmode,set
the adapterstothe samechannel,and assign an IPAddress toeach
computeron theAd-Hocnetwork.(See Boxbelow)
When assigning IPAddressestothe computerson the network,please
rememberthatthe IPAddress foreachcomputermustbeinthesame
IPAddress rangeas all thecomputersinthenetwork,and the subnet
mask mustbe exactlythe sameforall the computersinthe network.
Forexample:If the firstcomputerisassigned an IPAddress of192.168.0.2
withaSubnetMask of255.255.255.0,then the second computercan be
assigned an IPAddress of192.168.0.3withaSubnetMask of255.255.255.
0,etc.
IMPORTANT:Ifcomputersorotherdevices areassignedthesameIP
Address,oneormoreofthedevices may notbevisibleon thenetwork.
IPAddress

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Using theConfiguration Utility
Beforeyou usethe configuration utilityfortheDWL-AG650,you mustinstall the
driversandtheconfigurationutilityfromtheCD-ROMthatcamewiththe DWL-
AG650.(Pleasesee the Quick Installation Guide thatcamewiththe product.)
Afteryou havecompleted thisinstallation and restarted yourcomputer,you can
access the Configuration Utilityatanytimebyclicking on thisicon thatwill
appearon yourdesktop.
If you wishtochange the defaultsettingsoroptimizethe performanceofthe
DWL-AG650,D-Linkhasincluded aconfiguration utilityforthispurpose.How-
ever,inWindowsXP,you can useeitherthe ZeroConfiguration Utilityoryou
can usetheD-LinkConfiguration utility.
Tousethe D-Linkconfiguration utilitywithXP,click on the ZeroConfiguration
Utilityicon inthe taskbarinthe lowercornerofyourcomputerscreen and
uncheck the boxinthe PropertieswindowthatenablesWindowsconfiguration.
Afteryou havedone this,you can then usetheD-LinkConfiguration utilitywith
XP.
Afterdouble-clicking the icon on the desktop (shownatright),
the LinkInfowindowshownon the nextpage will appear:

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Status:Displays the
MACAddress ofthe
Access Pointthatis
associated withthe
DWL-AG650.
SSID:The Service
SetIdentifieristhe
nameassigned to
the wireless
network.The factory
SSIDsetting isset
todefault.
Frequency:The
DWL-AG650 isatri-
mode,dualband wireless Cardbusadapter.Inthisinstance802.11b indicates
thattheDWL-AG650 iscommunicating inthe 2.4GHzband.
Wireless Mode:EitherInfrastructureorAd-Hocwill be displayed here.
Encryption:You can see ifWEP isenabled ordisabled here
TxRate:The defaultsetting isAuto;TxRatesettingsareautomatically
determined bythe DWL-AG650 depending on the distancefromthe access
pointatthisdefaultsetting.
Channel:Displays the channelinformation.Bydefault, the channelissetto
Autoand selection isautomaticallydetermined bytheDWL-AG650.
SignalStrength:The SignalStrengthrepresentsthe wireless signal
between the access pointand theDWL-AG650.The percentage coincides
withthe graphicalbar.
PacketCount: Displays the statistics ofdatapacketstransmitted and
received.
Configuration Utility
LinkInfo
default

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SSID-(ServiceSetIdentifier) isa
namethatidentifiesawireless
network.Access Pointsand
wireless clientsattempting to
connecttoaspecificWLAN
(Wireless LocalAreaNetwork)must
usethe sameSSID.The default
setting isdefault.
Wireless Mode-Click on the pull-
downmenu;selectfromthe
following options:
Infrastructure-connecting
theWLANusing an Access
Point.(The defaultsetting).
Ad-Hoc-wireless mode used when
connecting directlytoacomputer
equipped withawireless adapterina
peer-to-peerenvironment.
Configuration Utility
D-LinkAirPlusDWL-650+2.4GHzWireless Cardbus
Adapter
Configuration default
DataEncryption -selectEnabled or
Disabled
Authentication -chooseone ofthe following
modes:OpenAuthentication -the DWL-
AG650 isvisibletoall deviceson the
network
SharedAuthentication -allows
communication onlywithother
deviceswithidenticalWEP settings
Auto-will automaticallyadjusttothe
Authentication mode ofthe wireless
access pointorrouter
Key Length-selectthe keylengthand eitherASCII (e.g., aword)orhexadecimal
format.
Keys 1-4-selectthe defaultkey
IPSettings-Click IPSettingsand the screen abovewill appear.You can configure
the IPSettingsinthiswindow.
Click Applytosavethe changes.
Hexadecimaldigitsconsistofthe numbers0-9and the lettersA-F
ASCII (American StandardCode forInformation Interchange)isacode for
representing Englishlettersasnumbersfrom0-127
IPSettings

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Configuration Utility
Advanced
Frequency -Selectthe Frequency here.Autoisthe defaultsetting.
Starting Ad-HocNetwork-Eachwireless adaptercommunicating inAd-Hocmode
musthavethe samesetting here.
Turbo Mode-ToenableTurbo mode,all devicesmusthavethe samesetting
Ad-HocChannel-All devicesintheAd-Hocnetworkmusthavethe samechannel
Encryption Type-Selectthe Encryption type
ProfileIPSettings-You can EnableorDisablethe IPSettingsportion ofyour
profilehere.If you selectDisableyou will need toconfigurethe IPAddress
information eachtimeyou connecttoanetwork.If you selectEnableyou will maintain
the sameIPAddress information thatyou haveconfigured eachtimeyou connecttoa
network.
LaunchUtilityon Startup -SelectEnableorDisable
DataPacketParameter-Selectthe parametershere
Fragmentation Threshold-Thisvalue shouldremainatitsdefaultsetting of2346.
If you experienceahigh packeterrorrate,you mayslightlyincreaseyour
Fragmentation Thresholdwithinthe value range of256 to2,346.Setting the
Fragmentation Thresholdtoo lowmayresultinpoorperformance.
RTSThreshold-Thisvalue shouldremainatitsdefaultsetting of2346.If
inconsistentdataflowisaproblem,onlyaminormodification shouldbe made.

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AvailableNetwork
The top section ofthe windowdisplays the AvailableNetworks.Scroll up
and downthe listand highlightthe networktowhichyou wishtoconnect.
Click on the Connectbutton.
Profile
Inthe lowerhalfofthe screen,you can manage the profilesthatyou have
created.Scroll up and downand highlightthe profilethatyou wishto
configure.You can ADD orREMOVE aprofile,orconfigurethe Properties
ofthe profileinordertoconnectwithan availablenetwork.
Add
Click on Add and the screen on the nextpage will appear.
Configuration Utility
SiteSurvey
Advanced
When you click Advanced,thisscreen will
appear.Makethe appropriateselectionsfor
yournetworkand click OK.
Rescan
Reordersprofiles,withmostaccessible
listed first.

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Inthiswindowyou can configureall the propertiesofaprofileinorderto
connectwithanetworkofyourchoice.
Afteryou haveentered yourchangesinthiswindow,click OKtosavethe
changes.
Configuration Utility
AddNewProfile

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The ABOUTscreen givesyou information aboutthe MACAddress and the
Utilityand DriverVersionsoftheDWL-AG650.
Configuration Utility
About

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Using theNetworkSetup WizardinWindowsXP
Inthissection you will learnhowtoestablishanetworkathomeorwork,
using Microsoft WindowsXP.
Note:Pleaserefertowebsitessuchashttp://www.homenethelp.com
and http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000 forinformation aboutnetworking
computersusing Windows2000,MEor98SE.
GotoStart>ControlPanel>NetworkConnections
SelectSetup ahomeorsmall office network
Networking Basics
When thisscreen appears,click Next.