StarTech.com CB555WG Manual

802.11g Wireless Cardbus Adapter
CB555WG
Instruction Guide
The Professionals’ Source For Hard-to-Find Computer Parts
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* Actual product may vary from photo

FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to
radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure set forth for an uncontrolled
environment. In order to avoid the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency
exposure limits, human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than 2.5cm (1 inch)
during normal operation.
R&TTE Compliance Statement
This equipment complies with all the requirements of DIRECTIVE 1999/5/EC OF THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL of March 9, 1999 on radio equipment
and telecommunication terminal Equipment and the mutual recognition of their
conformity (R&TTE).
EU Countries Intended for Use
The ETSI version of this device is intended for home and office use in Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The ETSI version of this device is also authorized for use in EFTA member states:
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
EU Countries Not intended for use
None.

1
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Using the Configuration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Site Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Profile Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Appendix A: Installation Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a StarTech.com 54 Mbits/sec 802.11g wireless cardbus adapter.
Based on the IEEE 802.11g wireless standard, the CB555WG instantly provides your
notebook computer with wireless LAN (WLAN) access. The adapter comes with both
WPA and WEP protection to keep your wireless network secure and works with 802.11b
wireless devices to ensure compatibility with your network. The card requires no
external power source and uses low levels of power to help preserve your notebook
battery life.
Features
•Provides your laptop computer with wireless LAN access
•Offers high data transfer rate up to 54 Mbits/sec
•Uses low levels of power to preserve notebook battery life
•Compatible with IEEE 802.11g and 802.11b devices
•Uses enhanced WPA (Windows XP only) and 64/128 bit WEP data encryption for
high level of security
•Complies with draft of IEEE 802.11e EDCF and HCF polling for multimedia over
WLAN applications
•Supports 32-bit Cardbus specifications
•Supports Windows Plug and Play installation
•Uses automatic fallback data rate to increases data security and reliability
Before You Begin
System Requirements
•An IBM (or compatible) computer running Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE
•An open Cardbus slot
Package Contents
•1x wireless Cardbus adapter
•1x driver/utility disk

3
Installation
Note: Depending on your OS and the configuration of your system, the instructions
below may not be identical to what you see on your screen.
Note: You must install the software BEFORE you plug the adapter into your notebook.
1. Insert your driver/utility disk into the disk drive and run the setup.exe file.
2. Click Next.
3. Review the License Agreement Select and select “I accept...”, then click Next.
4. On the “Ready to Install the Program” screen, click Install.
5. Windows will install the driver and utility of the card automatically. Click Finish to
complete the installation.
Note: Windows XP users may see the Windows Logo Testing warning. This is normal.
This message is generated by any driver not written or tested by Microsoft. The driver
has not passed because it has never been tested by Microsoft. You can safely install this
driver on Windows XP.
6. When installation has been completed, insert the adapter into your notebook’s
cardbus slot.
7. The system will automatically detect the card as a new device and display the
“Found New Hardware Wizard” dialog box. Follow the installation wizard to
complete the device setup.

4
Using the Configuration Utility
After completing the installation, a new icon will be displayed in the system tray at
the bottom of the screen. The icon appears as a bar diagram, with different colors and
levels representing different levels of connection. When the adapter is not associated
with other wireless stations or an access point, the icon will appear as an empty (blank)
bar diagram. Once the adapter is associated, the bar diagram will appear in different
colors depending on the signal strength. There are three colors that represent signal
strength: Green (signal strength from 100%-50%), Yellow (50%-25%), or Red (below 25%).
You can open the Configuration Utility by clicking on the icon. If you right-click the icon,
you can access the following options:
•Connect: Brings up a profile list. If you want to connect to one of the networks
immediately, click the network.
•Radio: Select “On” to enable the card, select “Off” to disable the card temporarily.
•Open: Click “Open” to maximum the screen of the Configuration Utility tool.
•Minimize: Click “Minimize” to minimize the screen of the Configuration Utility tool.
•Exit: Click “Exit” to close the Configuration Utility tool.

5
Status
The Status screen lets you view information about the network you are connected to.
Parameter Description
Profile Displays the profile name of the network.
SSID Displays the SSID of the wireless network the
adapter is connecting to (up to 32 printable ASCII
characters).
Link Status Displays the status of the connection: Scanning,
Connected, or Disconnected.
Network Type Displays the mode the device is operating in. There
are two sorts of network types: Infrastructure and
Ad Hoc.
Channel Displays the radio channel used by the device.
Tx Rate Displays the transmission rate of the network.

6
Status, continued
From the Status screen, you can also click on the Configuration button to configure the
network you are connecting to. See Profile Configuration on page 8 for details.
Parameter Description
Signal Strength Displays the signal strength. The higher the
percentage, the better the signal. This indicator can
help you find the best position for your wireless
devices.
Link Quality Displays the quality of the link. The higher the
percentage, the better the quality.
Network Address The Network Address section shows information
about your network: whether DHCP is enabled, and
the adapter’s MAC address, IP address, Gateway
Address, Subnet Mask address, and DNS server
address.

7
Site Survey
The Site Survey screen gives you information on all your available networks.
Parameter Description
Available Networks This list shows you available networks, along
with information about them. You can see the
network’s link quality, network name, network
mode, security settings, etc. Use this information to
decide which network to connect to.
Rescan Button Click Rescan to get the latest information of all the
wireless networks nearby.
Profiles This Profiles list shows all the profiles (up to 32
sets) with their current configurations. To change
the connection, double-click on the profile you
want to connect to. You can also Add, Delete, and
Edit profiles from this screen.
For more information on creating and editing
profiles, see Profile Configuration on page 8.

8
Profile Configuration
You can make it quick and easy to connect to your wireless networks by setting each
network up with a profile. You can set up a profile for each wireless network you
frequently use. You can configure your profiles by clicking on the Configuration button
from the Status screen or by selecting New or Edit from the Site Survey screen.
General
Parameter Description
Profile Name Assign a recognizable profile name for the wireless
network.
Network Type Choose the type of network this profile uses:
Infrastructure – Choose Infrastructure if the
network uses an Access Point for communication.
Ad-Hoc – Choose Ad Hoc if the network is
another wireless station that will communicate
directly with the CB555WG.
SSID Enter the SSID (up to 32 printable ASCII characters)
of the wireless network.
Channel (This setting is only available in Ad Hoc mode.)
Choose the channel the network communicates on.
Desired Rate Select a desired data transfer rate from the list.
When Automatic is selected, the device will choose
the most suitable transmission rate automatically.
The higher the data rate you designate, the shorter
distance is allowed between the card and the other
wireless stations. (When in Ad Hoc mode, the
maximum rate will be 11 Mbits/sec. See Appendix
Afor information on improving this performance.)