Gigafast WF721-AEX User manual

GigaFast Ethernet
WF721-AEX
User Manual
Adapter
11
Mbps
Wireless
CMCIA
P

GigaFast Ethernet
opyright
The contents of this publication may not be
reproduced in any part or as a whole, stored,
transcribed in an information retrieval system,
translated into any language, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, mechanical,
magnetic, electronic, optical, photocopying,
manual, or otherwise, without prior written
permission.
Trademark
All product, company, and brand names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies. They are used for
identification purpose only. Specifications are
subject to be changed without prior notice.
C
S

GigaFast Ethernet
T
C
able of
ontent
Section 1
: Introduction
: Features
: Package Contents
: System Requirements
2: Network Configuration and Planning
3: Installing the Drivers and Configuration
Utility for Windows 9X/ME/2000
4: Configuration Utility
6: Installation Procedure Under Windows
XP
5: Installation Procedure Under Windows
NT4.0
A: Troubleshooting
Appendix
B: Glossary
C: Specifications
D: Technical Support / Warranty info

GigaFast Ethernet
The 11Mbps Wireless PCMCIA Adapter now has a new,
higher-powered antenna that provides a greater range than
ever. The increased sensitivity helps filter out interference to
keep your signal clear. Improved error correction in the chipset
keeps you operating at higher transmission rates for longer
distances. Since you only need one Type II or III PCMCIA slot,
you're free to use your other slots for additional accessories.
The PCMCIA Adapter is a Plug-and-Play device that runs on
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP. It will automatically recognize the
wireless PCMCIA Adapter and initiate the installation process.
Upon successful installation, the wireless PCMCIAAdapter will
communicate seamlessly with other wireless home and office
networking products.
Using radio frequency (RF) technology, WLANs transmit and
receive data over the air, minimizing the need for wired
connections. Thus, WLANs combine data connectivity with
user mobility, and through simplified configuration, enable
movable LANs. This wireless networking solution has been
designed for both large and small businesses, and it is scalable
so that you can easily add more users and new network
features as your business grows.
This manual will assist you in the installation of the Wireless
PCMCIAAdapter.
Introduction
Section 1

GigaFast Ethernet
Features
!! IEEE802.11b Direct Sequence high rate compatible.
High data rate 11/5.5/2/1 Mbps.
Auto Rate fallback.
IPX, NetBEUI, TCP/IP protocols supported.
Wired Equivalent Privacy Algorithm (WEP) (64 bits/128
bits).
802.11 Power save in infrastructure mode.
Passive/Active scan. Long/Short preamble.
RTS/CTS handshake.
Beacon and Probe response generation in an IBSS.
Plug-N-Play and easy setup.
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
Section 1
Requirements
!! Pentium-Class 200MHz or faster processor
64MB RAM Recommended
One available PCMCIA Slot
2M bytes free disk space for utility and driver installation
!!
!!
!!
Package Contents
!! One 11Mbps Wireless LAN PCMCIA Adapter
One setup Utility CD-ROM.
User Manual.
Quick Installation Guide.
!!
!!
!!

GigaFast Ethernet
Network Configuration and
Planning
The WLANs supports legacy Ethernet LAN network configuration options
as defined by the IEEE802.11b standards committee.
The WLAN Card can be configured as:
Ad-Hoc for departmental SOHO LANs.
Infrastructure for enterprise LANs.
LAN-Interconnection for point-to-point link as campus backbone.
!!
!!
!!
Section 2
Wireless LAN Basic
Fig 2-1 Ad-Hoc Wireless LAN
An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each equipped with one
WLAN adapter, connected as an independent wireless LAN. Computers in
a specific Ad-Hoc wireless LAN must be configured to share the same radio
channel. (Fig 2-1)

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 2
Fig 2-2 Infrastructure Wireless LAN
The adapter provides access to a wired LAN for wireless workstations. An
integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration.
A group of WLAN PC users and an Access Point compose a Basic Service
Set (BSS). Each WLAN PC in a BSS can talk to any computer in the wired
LAN infrastructure via theAccess Point (Fig 2-2)
An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of a WLAN
equipped PC to a wired LAN, and doubles the effective wireless
transmission range for 2 WLAN PCs. Since the Access Point is able to
forward data within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an
infrastructure LAN is doubled. (Fig 2-3)
Fig 2-3 The effective transmission range

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 2
The use of a unique ID in a BSS is essential. All WLAN equipped PCs
configured without roaming options in independent BSS must be
configured with a BSS ID corresponding to the Access Point used in the
BSS. Check your Access Point for its BSS ID or use the Access Point
Browser Utility program to determine the BSS ID. (Fig 2-4)
The infrastructure wireless LAN configuration is appropriate for enterprise-
scale wireless access to a central database, or as a wireless application for
mobile users.
Fig 2-4 Roaming in an Extended Service Set (ESS)
Infrastructure mode also supports roaming capabilities for mobile users.
More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set (ESS).
The continuous network allows users to roam freely within an ESS. All
WLAN PCs and Access Point within one ESS must be configured with the
same ESS ID.
Before enabling an ESS with roaming capability, it is recommended to
select a feasible radio channel and optimum Access Point position. Proper
Access Point positioning combined with a clear radio signal will greatly
enhance performance.

GigaFast Ethernet
Before installing your card, insert the Auto-Install CD into your CD-ROM
drive. Unless you have deactivated the auto-run feature of Windows, the
screen shown in Fig 3-1 should appear automatically.
If this screen doesn't appear automatically, you can access the installation
by clicking the Start button and choosing Run. In the drop-down box
provided type D:\Setup.exe (where D: is the letter of your CD-ROM drive).
Alternately, double-click My Computer, double-click the CD-ROM drive,
then double-click Setup.exe.
Section 3
Installing the Drivers and
Configuration Utility for
Windows 9X, ME, 2000
Fig 3-1 Autorun feature of Windows
Running the Auto Driver
& Utility Installation
1. Click “Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP Driver & Utility - PCMCIA” to install
the driver/utility for your PCMCIA WLAN Card. You will see Welcome to
the InstallShield Wizard for 802.11 Wireless LAN. Click “Next>” (Fig 3-
2)

GigaFast Ethernet
2. After clicking “Next>”, the components version will be shown in the
window. (Fig 3-3)
Note: You must install this software before installation of the
hardware
Section 3
Fig 3-2 Install WLAN
Driver/Utility
Fig 3-2 Components
Version
3. The setup will ask you for Custom or Typical installation. (Fig 3-4)
4. If “Custom” is chosen, you can select packages individually. If you
choose “Typical”, the 3 packages will be installed in your system. (Fig 3-
5)
The 3 packages are the Application, the PCMCIA card driver, and the USB
adapter driver. (Fig 3-6)

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 3
Fig 3-4 Setup Type
Fig 3-5 Typical Setup
Fig 3-6 Custom Setup
5. You can specify a folder name for the program. (Fig 3-7)
6.After copying files, installation is complete. (Fig 3-8)

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 3
Fig 3-7 Select Program
Folder
Inserting the Adapter
Fig 3-8 Finish
To insert the wireless LAN Card into a notebook computer, do the following:
1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot.
2. With the PCMCIA adapter’s 68-pin connector facing the PCMCIA slot and
the label facing up, slide the PCMCIA adapter completely into the
PCMCIAslot.

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 3
Fig 3-9 Insert the Wireless LAN card into Notebook
After properly inserting the Network Adapter into your notebook, continue
with the WLAN driver and configuration utility installation. (Fig 3-9)
Note: The PCMCIA slot allows “hot swapping” of the PCMCIA adapter. You
may insert or remove the WLAN PCMCIA adapter from the slot anytime,
even when the power of your computer is on.
Note: Windows 95/98 requires that the Network card and socket services
must be compliant with the PCMCIA revision 2.10 specification. Please
check the documentation of the PCMCIA driver before installing the WLAN
PCMCIA adapter.
After installing the PCMCIA WLAN Card driver and utility. Please insert the
WLAN Card. You will see “Found New Hardware”. Please select "Install the
software automatically" then click "Next>" (Fig 3-10). The screen in
Windows XP (Fig 3-11) will appear but click "Continue Anyway". Once
Windows has finished installing software for the device, click "Finish". (Fig
3-12). For the Configuration Utility please see Section 4.

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 3
Fig 3-10 Found New
Hardware
Fig 3-11 Windows XP
Screen
Fig 3-12 Finish the
installation

GigaFast Ethernet
After the Configuration Utility has been installed, an icon will be placed in
the system tray when the WLAN PC Card is inserted, as shown in Fig 4-1.
Section 4
Configuration Utility
Fig 4-1
The utility is divided into six parts: Status, Statistics, Site Survey,
Encryption, Advanced, and Info. You should change all your
configuration settings for your WLAN PC Card using this utility and not with
the Network Properties section in your Control Panel.
Status
The Status screen (Shown in Fig 4-2) provides information about the
current link between the Network PC Card and WirelessAccess Point.
When in Infrastructure Mode, Status will display the connection statistics
for the network segment that you are on.
The Channel field shows to what channel the WLAN PC Card is set.
The SSID field shows the current SSID set for the wireless network. This
SSID can be modified by clicking the Change button.
The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you further
customization of the WLAN PC Card and your wireless
network.
Using the configuration Utility

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 4
The Tx Rate field shows the transfer rate in megabits per second.
The Int. Roaming field allows your adapter to retrieve country information
from the access point and behave according to that country's regulations.
The Radio field shows on / off radio signal
Fig 4-2
Note: When in Ad-Hoc mode, Signal Strength and Link Quality indicators
will not be available.
The Signal Strength field will display a bar indicating the percentage,
between 0 and 100 percent, of the strength of the signal. The higher the
percentage, the stronger the signal.
The Link Quality field will display a bar indicating the percentage, between
0 and 100 percent, of the quality of the link. The higher the percentage, the
better the link.
The Change button, allows you to customize the setting for the WLAN PC
Card and your wireless network.

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 4
The Operating Mode setting determines the architecture of your wireless
network select Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure Mode depending on your network
type. The Ad-Hoc mode is used for sample peer-to-peer network and
allows the sharing of local resources only between Network PC Card
without needing a Wireless Access Point. The Infrastructure mode allows a
wireless network to be integrated into an existed, wired network through an
Access Point. Infrastructure networks permit roaming between Access
Points while maintaining a connection to all network resources.
The Service Set Identifier, or SSID, is the unique name shared among all
points in a wireless network. The SSID must be identical for all points in the
network. It is case sensitive and must not exceed 32 characters.
The Tx Rate field shows the current transfer rate for the Network PC Card.
To optimize performance and range, the Tx Rate should be set to Auto,
which will automatically adjust the transfer speed for best performance and
longest range.
The Channel setting specifies the channel used in wireless communication
and should be set to the same channel as the other points in the wireless
network. The setting can only be adjusted inAd-Hoc mode.
Statistics
The Statistics screen (Shown in Fig 4-3) provides information about the Tx /
Rx Data, Management, and rejected Packets.

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 4
Fig 4-3
Fig 4-4
Site Survey
The Site Survey screen shows some features of the available access points
or other stations. Click on the desired access point or station. Then double
click BSSID to connect or Re-Scan to search for more access points.
(Shown in Fig 4-4)

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 4
Encryption
On the Encryption screen, show in Fig 4-5, you can set the level of security
with which you will be using the WLAN PC Card.
Under the drop-down box, you can choose to have WEP encryption
Disabled, 64-Bit, or 128-Bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which is an
encryption scheme used to protect wireless data communication. If you
decide to use encryption, you can choose any of the available WEP keys (1
to 4). You also have the option to select the WEP mode
(Mandatory/optional). If you select "Mandatory", then not only will WEP be
used, but any other station needs to use WEP encryption in order to
establish a communication with your station. This requirement is in line with
the IEEE 802.11b standard. If, on the other hand, you choose "Option", then
your station can communicate with every other station regardless if they
use WEP or not. The Disabled setting prevents the sharing of data with
other computers on the WEP network. When enabling encryption for the
WEP Key entry, enter the hexadecimal number (the letters "A" through "F"
and the numbers "0" through "9") set by the other wireless WEP settings.
These settings must be identical to the WEP encryption on all points in your
wireless network in order to network to your WLAN PC Card. The security
keys are four 10 digit key for the 64-Bit WEP setting and four 26 digit key for
the 128-Bit WEP setting.
Note: The WEP Key Entry must match the Key on all other devices on the
wireless network or this device will be unable to transmit or receive data.
Fig 4-5

GigaFast Ethernet
Section 4
For Authentication Type, you may choose between Open System or
Shared Key.
Shared Key is when both the sender and recipient share a secret key. Both
units use this key for an extended length of time, sometimes indefinitely.
Any eavesdropper that discovers the key may decipher all packets unit the
key is changed.
Open System is the default setting, when the sender and the recipient do
not share a secret key. Each party generates its own key-pair and asks the
receiver to accept the (usually randomly) generated key. Once accepted,
this key is used for a short time only. Then, a new key is generated and
agreed upon.
Advanced
The Advanced screen (Fig 4-6) allows you to set Fragmentation
Threshold, the RTS/CTS Threshold, and the Preamble Type. The
Fragmentation Threshold Value indicates how much of the network
resources is devoted to recovering packet errors. The value should remain
at its default setting of 2,346. If you experience high packet error rates, you
can decrease this value but it will likely decrease overall network
performance. Only minor modifications of this value are recommended.
Fig 4-6