Belkin F5D6020 Wireless Network Card User Manual WL11000
Belkin International, Inc. Wireless Network Card WL11000
Belkin >
Revised Manual
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Wireless LAN PCMCIA Adapter
USER MANUAL
Version 0.9.2, February 16, 2000
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Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference.
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
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. If this equipment is not installed and used in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions, it 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 during
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 to 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.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure
compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by
the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
Manufacturer's Disclaimer Statement
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of the vendor. No warranty or representation, either expressed or implied,
is made with respect to the quality, accuracy or fitness for any particular purpose of this document.
The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the content of this document and/or the
products associated with it at any time without obligation to notify any person or organization of
such changes. In no event will the manufacturer be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental or
consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this product or documentation,
even if advised of the possibility of such damages. This document contains materials protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form, by any means or for any purpose without expressed written consent of its authors. Product
names appearing in this document are mentioned for identification purchases only. All trademarks,
product names or brand names appearing in this document are registered property of their
respective owners.
FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement:
This equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an
uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with a
minimum distance of 20 centimeters between the radiator and your body.
This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other
antenna or transmitter.
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Contents
Chapter 1 About the WL11000 PCMCIA Card........................................................... 4
1-1 Features .............................................................................................................................................. 4
1-2 Applications ......................................................................................................................................... 4
1-3 Product Kit ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 2 Network Configuration and Planning ...................................................... 6
2-1 Network Topology................................................................................................................................ 6
2-2 Roaming .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Chapter 3 Adapter Installation and Configuration – Windows® 98 ......................... 9
3-1 System Requirements ......................................................................................................................... 9
3-2 Inserting the Adapter ........................................................................................................................... 9
3-3 WL11000 Driver Installation -Windows® 98 ....................................................................................... 10
3-4 Adapter Configuration – Windows® 98............................................................................................... 13
3-5 Protocol Installation – Windows® 98 .................................................................................................. 19
3-6 WL11000 Setup for Windows NT 4.0 ................................................................................................ 24
Chapter 4 Installing and Navigating the PRISM Configuration Utility .................. 28
4-1 PRISM Configuration Utility - Installation........................................................................................... 28
4-2 PRISM Configuration Utility- Navigation............................................................................................ 31
Appendix A Troubleshooting................................................................................... 36
Appendix B Glossary................................................................................................ 38
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Chapter 1 About the WL11000 PCMCIA Card
The WL11000 IEEE 802.11 PCMCIA PC Card is compatible with any standard, notebook computer
Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot. As a Plug-and-Play device, Windows 95/98 will automatically
recognize the WL11000 PCMCIA card and initiate the installation process. Upon successful
installation, the WL11000 PCMCIA card will communicate seamlessly with other WL11000 wireless
home and office networking products.
1-1 FEATURES
1. Supports up to 11 Mbps data rate: T-1 line alternative/replacement that dramatically cuts
costs.
2. Working range up to 800 ft. in an open environment enhances mobility.
3. Supports point-to-point and point-to-multipoint access provides increased flexibility.
4. Seamless connectivity to wired Ethernet and PC network LAN’s offers quick, trouble-free
integration with existing networks.
5. Robust Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology provides secure,
interference-resistant wireless connection.
6. Wireless connections eliminate the hassle and cost of cabling.
7. Supports a wide range of LAN (Local Area Network) Network Operating Systems (NOS)
including Windows ® 98 and Windows NT™
8. Easy Plug and Play installation
9. Omni - directional antenna included
10. Greater flexibility to locate or move networked PC’s
1-2 APPLICATIONS
WL11000 products offer a fast, reliable, cost-effective solution for wireless client access to the
network the following applications and environments:
Remote access to corporate network information
E-mail, file transfer and terminal emulation
Difficult-to-wire environments
Historic or older buildings
Buildings with asbestos insulation
Open areas where wiring is difficult to employ
Frequently changing environments
Retailers, manufacturers or other organizations that frequently rearrange the workplace
or relocate
Temporary LANs for special projects or peak time usage
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Trade shows, exhibitions and construction sites that employ temporary networks.
Retailers, airline and shipping companies that need additional workstations for a peak
period and Auditors that require workgroups at customer sites.
Access to database for mobile workers
Medical, Technical and Retail specialists that require roaming access to a database or
other network resources.
SOHO (Small Office and Home Office) users
Perfect for users that need a small, easy-to-install network that deploys rapidly.
Inter-building connection
Wireless building-to-building networks are quickly and easily installed, require no monthly
lease fees, and provide the flexibility to reconfigure easily.
1-3 PRODUCT KIT
The WL11000 product kit includes the following items. Ensure that the items in the following list
have been included. If any of the listed items are missing, please contact your local dealer.
1 X WL11000 PCMCIA Type II Adapter
1 X Driver
1 X User Manual & Utility CD pack
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Chapter 2 Network Configuration and Planning
The WL11000 supports legacy Ethernet LAN network configuration options as defined by the IEEE
802 standards committee.
The WL11000 can be configured as:
Ad-Hoc for departmental or SOHO LANs
Infrastructure for enterprise LANs
LAN-Interconnection for point-to-point link as a campus backbone
2-1 NETWORK TOPOLOGY
Fig. 1 - Ad-Hoc Wireless LAN
An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each equipped with one WL11000 adapter,
connected as an independent wireless LAN. Computers in a specific Ad-Hoc wireless LAN must be
configured to share the same radio channel.
Ad-Hoc wireless LAN configurations are appropriate for branch level departments or SOHO
operations.
Ad-Hoc Wireless
LAN
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Fig. 2 - Infrastructure Wireless LAN Configuration
The WL11000 provides access to a wired LAN for wireless workstations. An integrated wireless
and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration. A group of WL11000 PC users and an
Access Point compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each WL11000 PC in a BSS can talk to any
computer in the wired LAN infrastructure via the Access Point.
An Infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of a WL11000 equipped PC to a wired LAN,
and doubles the effective wireless transmission range for 2 WL11000 PCs. Since the Access Point
is able to forward data within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an infrastructure LAN is
doubled.
Fig. 3 - The effective Transmission Range
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The use of a unique ID in a BSS is essential. All WL11000 equipped PCs configured without
roaming options in an independent BSS must be configured with a BSS ID corresponding to the
WL11000SA used in the BSS. Check your WL11000SA for its BSS ID or use the Access Point
Browser Utility program to determine the BSS ID.
The Infrastructure Wireless LAN configuration is appropriate for enterprise-scale wireless access to
a central database, or as a wireless application for mobile users.
A point-to-point LAN configuration is possible when two access points are linked with an optional
directional antenna (the directional antenna is an optional accessory, please contact your dealer for
information). The optional directional antenna makes LAN-Interconnection to a wireless backbone
between buildings possible.
2-2 ROAMING
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 WL11000 PCs and WL11000SAs within one ESS must be configured with the
same ESS ID and use the same radio channel.
Fig. 4 - Roaming in an Extended Service Set (ESS)
Before enabling an ESS with roaming capability, choosing a feasible radio channel and optimum
Access Point position is recommended. Proper Access Point positioning combined with a clear
radio signal will greatly enhance performance.
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Chapter 3 Adapter Installation and Configuration – Windows® 98
3-1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
In order to install and use the WL11000 PCMCIA card your PC system must meet the following
requirements:
A PCMCIA Type II or Type III slot
PCMCIA revision 2.10 compliant card and socket services
Windows® 98 (with the Windows® CD, for use during installation)
500 Kbytes free disk space for utility and driver installation
3-2 INSERTING THE ADAPTER
To insert the WL11000 Network Adapter 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
“WL11000PCMCIA” label facing up slide the PCMCIA adapter completely into the
PCMCIA slot.
Fig. 5 Insert the WL11000 into Notebook
After properly inserting the Network Adapter into your notebook, continue with the WL11000 driver
and PRISM Configuration Utility installation.
NOTE: The PCMCIA slot allows “hot swap” of PCMCIA adapter. You may insert or remove the
WL11000 / PCMCIA adapter from the slot anytime, even when the power of your computer is on.
NOTE: Windows® 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 WL11000 PCMCIA adapter.
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3-3 WL11000 DRIVER INSTALLATION -WINDOWS® 98
Note: Before proceeding, have the Windows® 98 CD ready, as it will be required during the
software installation process.
1. Insert the WL11000 A adapter into a standard Type II or Type III PCMCIA card slot, as
described in the preceding section.
2. Windows® 98 will automatically detect the WL11000 and prompt you to install the
necessary driver. Click “Next” to begin the installation.
3. Check “Search for the best driver…” click “Next”.
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4. Check “Floppy-disk drives” click “Browse”. Double-click the “Setup” folder icon from the
list, double-click the setup.exe icon. Windows® will automatically enter the path click
“Next”.
5. Windows® will then acknowledge that it has found the appropriate driver, click "Next"
Windows® will now install the driver
As the driver files are being copied to the appropriate location, you will be prompted to
insert the Windows® 98 CD.
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6. Insert the Windows® 98 CD. Select “D:\win98” from the drop down list (where “D”
represents the CD-ROM drive), click “OK”
NOTE: You must insert the Windows 98®CD as the driver installation requires special files that
will not be available even if you have stored a copy of Windows® 98 on your hard drive.
7. After Windows® has finished installing the appropriate files click “Finish”
8. You will be prompted to restart your computer, click "YES" to complete the installation.
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3-4 ADAPTER CONFIGURATION – WINDOWS® 98
After successful installation of the WL11000 and its driver, continue the installation process by
configuring the WL11000 adapter properties. To configure the WL11000 Adapter complete the
following steps :
1. From the Control Panel, double-click the “Network” icon
2. Select "PRISM2IEEE 802.11 PC Card Adapter" from the list and press the “Properties”
button.
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3. From the “Properties” menu select the “Advanced” tab.
4. Select “Channel” from the list, and choose a “Value” from the drop down list. FCC
regulations require a “Value” between 1 and 11.
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5. Select “Network Type”, and choose “Infrastructure” or “Ad-Hoc” as the “Value”.
Note: “Infrastructure” mode allows a wireless adapter to communicate with a wired network,
while “Ad-Hoc” mode allows wireless-to-wireless communication. Consult your System
Administrator for information about your network communication type. For more information
about Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc networks, see Chapter 2 of this manual
6. Select “Power Save Mode” and choose a “Value”.
NOTE: To allow uninterrupted data communication, choose “Disabled” as the “Value”.
Choosing “Enabled” allows your notebook to enter “sleep” mode, however, this will interrupt
data communication. Consult your System Administrator to find out the best setting for your
network type. For more information about Power Save Mode, see the chapter entitled “PRISM
Configuration Utility” in this manual.
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7. Select “Power Save Mode” and choose a “Value”.
NOTE: To allow uninterrupted data communication, choose “Disabled” as the “Value”.
Choosing “Enabled” allows your notebook to enter “sleep” mode, however, this will interrupt
data communication. Consult your System Administrator to find out the best setting for your
network type. For more information about Power Save Mode, see the chapter entitled “PRISM
Configuration Utility” in this manual.
8. Select “SSID”; enter a “Value” of “PRISM2”.
NOTE: The SSID can have any value, but should have the same value as the Access Point
(AP). In Ad-Hoc mode, all clients should share the same SSID.
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9. Select “Transmit Rate”, and choose a “Value”.
NOTE: Fixed 11 Mb/s is the preferred “Value” for environments where the client has line of
sight access and is a short distance away from the AP. Fully Auto is the recommended setting
for clients that are farther away from the AP and where there may be interference between the
client and the AP.
10. Select “Use Wep”, and choose a “Value”.
NOTE: Wired Equivalent Privacy (Wep) is an encryption scheme used to protect wireless data
communication. Selecting “Disabled” will prevent you from sharing data with other computers if
your network uses Wep. If your network is Wep enabled, you must choose “Mandatory”.
Consult your System Administrator for more information about your network type. For more
information about Wep, see the chapter entitled “PRISM Configuration Utility” in this manual.
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11. After the configuring the “Properties”, click “OK” and continue with the Protocol
Installation, described in the following section.
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3-5 PROTOCOL INSTALLATION – WINDOWS® 98
Before continuing with the Protocol installation consult your System Administrator for details about
your specific network. To install network protocols complete the following steps.
1. From the “Control Panel” double-click the “Network” icon.
2. Select “PRISM2 IEEE 902.11 PC Card Adapter” and click “Add”.
3. Highlight “Protocol” and click “Add”
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4. Select “Microsoft” from the list of “Manufacturers” and “TCP-IP” from the list of “Network
Protocols”, click “OK”
5. Select “TCP/IP “ and click “Properties”.
Repeat step 2 – 5 to install other protocols such as NetBeui or IPX/SPX.
NOTE: The following steps apply to DHCP servers. Consult your system administrator for
specific information regarding your server type, and for help in specifying an IP address if you do
not use a DHCP server and must manually enter the IP address and DNS number.
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6. Check “Obtain an IP address…” and click “OK”. If you are using a DHCP server the IP
address will be entered automatically.
7. From the Network menu highlight “Client from Microsoft Networks”, and click" File and
Print Sharing”.
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8. Check both boxes and click “OK”.
9. Enter a “Computer name”, “Workgroup” and “Computer Description”, click “OK”
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10. Enter a “Computer name”, “Workgroup” and “Computer Description”, click “OK”
11. You will be prompted to restart your computer, click “Yes” to complete the installation.
Note: Please see the trouble shooting if you encounter some problem while installing the PC-
Card card or your PC-Card is non-functional.
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3-6 WL11000 SETUP FOR WINDOWS NT 4.0
Login as Administrator
1. From the desktop, select “Control Panel”, double-click “Network”, click “Adapters”, click
“Add”
2. Click “Have Disk”
3. Insert the WL11000 disk; Windows NT will manually enter the path to the driver click “OK”.
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4. Select your adapter from the list click “OK”.
5. Click “Close” from the “Network” dialog, Windows NT will auto-bind the new adapter with
any network protocols already installed on the system.
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6. After the auto-binding procedure is complete, select “Properties” from the “Network”
dialog. At this point you may choose to manually specify an IP address, or automatically
obtain an IP address if you are using a DHCP server. Consult your Systems Administrator
for information about your server type, IP address settings and DNS number.
7. After the settings configuration is complete, confirm that the “Computer Name” and
“Workgroup” designations are correct, and click “OK”.
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8. You will be prompted to restart your computer, click yes to complete the installation
9. Upon restart, open the “Devices” menu from the “Control Panel”, to confirm that the driver
installation was successful. Your adapters driver should now be listed in the “Devices”
menu.
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Chapter 4 Installing & Navigating the PRISM Configuration Utility
4-1 PRISM CONFIGURATION UTILITY - INSTALLATION
1. Insert the PRISM Network Configuration Utility disk into an available floppy disk drive.
From the "Run" window type "A:\WL1100\WLU\setup.exe" (where "A" represents a floppy
disk drive).
2. Click “Yes” to accept the License Agreement and continue with the installation.
3. Click “Next”.
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4. Enter the System ID click “Next”.
5. Choose the Network Mode, click “Next”
6. Browse to install the utility in another folder, or confirm the installation and click “Next”.
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7. You will be prompted to insert Disk 2. Insert the disk and click “Browse”. Double-click the
“Setup” folder; double-click again on the “setup” icon. When the path has been
automatically entered in the “Setup Needs The Next Disk” dialog, click “OK”.
8. After installation is complete, you will be prompted to restart your computer. Check “Yes”
and click “Finish” to complete the installation and begin navigating the PRISM
Configuration Utility.
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4-2 PRISM CONFIGURATION UTILITY- NAVIGATION
The following section describes and defines the various functions of the PRISM Network
Configuration Utility. This utility provides quick access to all adapter settings.
PRISM Quick-Launch Icon: After installation is complete, a PRISM utility icon will appear in
the “Quick-Launch” menu in the lower right hand corner of the screen, near the clock.
The PRISM Configuration Utility: Double clicking the PRISM icon in the Quick Launch bar
will open the PRISM Configuration Utility main menu, providing quick access to all adapter
settings. The following image shows the PRISM Configuration Utility with the “About” tab
selected, here you will find Version, Copyright and Manufacturer information.
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Link Info: The Link Info menu provides information about the current link between the adapter and
the base station.
Configuration: Selecting this tab opens the “Configuration” menu. Here you will find options for
configuring your adapter.
Description of Settings
Following is an explanation of each adapter setting presented by the “Configuration” menu.
Mode: The Mode setting determines the architecture of your wireless LAN. Choose Ad-Hoc or
Infrastructure Mode depending on your network type. A brief explanation of each mode follows:
Ad-Hoc: This mode is used for a simple peer-to-peer network. This type of network
allows the sharing of local resources only between wireless clients without a wireless
Access Point (AP).
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Infrastructure: This mode allows a wireless LAN to be integrated into an existing wired
network through an AP. Infrastructure type networks also permit roaming between
Access Points while maintaining connection to all network resources. Infrastructure mode
provides additional features, such as WEP security, power saving and extended range.
SSID: An acronym for Service Set Identifier, SSID is the unique name shared among all clients and
Access Points in a wireless network. The SSID must be identical for all clients or Access Points
participating in the same network. The SSID is case sensitive and must not exceed 30 characters.
Ethernet Conversion: The RFC1042 mode is the 802.11 standard conversion method and is
selected by default. If compatibility with older wireless LAN systems is necessary select another
conversion implementation from the Ethernet Conversion drop down list.
Tx Rate: The transmit rate or Tx Rate selects the allowable transfer rates of the wireless client. To
optimize performance and range, the Tx Rate should be set to Fully Automatic, which will
automatically adjust the transfer speed for best performance and longest range.
Note: The Tx rate setting must be supported by the AP. If the AP does not support the Tx rate,
undesired results may occur.
WEP: An acronym for Wired Equivalent Privacy, WEP is an encryption scheme used to protect
your wireless data communications. WEP uses a combination of 40-bit keys to provide access
control to your network and encryption security for every data transmission. To decode a data
transmission, each wireless client on the network must use an identical 40-bit key.
NOTE: This feature is only available in Infrastructure Mode and must also be enabled on the
Access Point. Select the WEP tab to enable or disable this feature.
PS Mode: Power Saving Mode enables or disables the power saving features of your wireless
adapter. When enabled on a laptop, the power saving mode can reduce power consumption by the
wireless card and extend the battery life of your laptop. This setting is only implemented in a
network operating in Infrastructure mode.
Changing the PS mode: The PS Mode on your adapter is set to “Disabled” by default.
To change the setting, select “Enabled” from the drop-down list, click “OK” and wait a few
seconds. The screen will then is updated and show the current Connection Status, Link
Quality and Signal Strength.
Channel: This setting specifies the default 802.11 channel used by the Wireless LAN
communication. In an Infrastructure type network without an Access Point active on the default
channel, clients will scan through all available channels searching for a network with matching
SSID.
Changing the Channel: Changing the channel is only effective in Ad-Hoc networks.
Networks operating in Infrastructure mode automatically scan for a channel. The following
table presents contains the operational channel frequency for several countries.
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Regulatory Channel Frequency
Channel Frequency
(MHZ)
FCC Canada ETSI France Spain Japan
12412
2 2417
3 2422
4 2427
5 2432
6 2437
7 2442
8 2447
9 2452
10 2457
11 2462
12 2467
13 2472
14 2484
Encryption: Selecting the Encryption tab allows you to create new WEP keys.
The 40-bit WEP keys can be generated from a user-defined passphrase (any text string with a
maximum of 32 characters). To generate encryption keys for each client communicating in the
wireless network, complete the following steps:
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1. Type the exact same case sensitive text in the Passphrase entry field for each client.
2. Click, “Generate” to create the encryption keys. The Passphrase generates four (4)
unique keys.
3. Select the same Default Key in the drop-down box for each client. This is the key the
clients will use to encrypt data.
4. You must click “Write” to store the information in the registry.
5. Select the “Configuration” tab and enable WEP by choosing “Mandatory”.
6. Click “Apply Changes”.
7. Click “OK” to close the dialog.
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Appendix A Troubleshooting
Problem Solving
My computer does not recognize the WL11000.
Probable Solution:
The WL11000 is not properly inserted into the PCMCIA slot.
Ensure that the WL11000 has been inserted into an available PCMCIA slot.
The WL11000 does not work properly.
Probable Solution:
Insert the PCMCIA adapter into Notebook’s slot again. A beep should be heard if the
adapter is properly inserted.
Check the I/O cable that connects the RF module and the PCMCIA adapter. The power
LED indicator will be active if the cable is properly connected.
For non-Windows 95/98 environments, ensure that a PCMCIA card service driver is
installed in your computer.
1) Click on the Control Panel and then on PC-Card. Check whether it has PCMCIA card
in one of the sockets or not. If you find PRISM2 IEEE 802.11 PC-Card Adapter in one of
the sockets, it means the card is detected properly. If you see the yellow sign of
question-mark(?), the resources are conflicting.
2)Right click on “My Computer” and the select Properties. Select the device Manager and
click on the Network Adapter. You will find PRISM2 IEEE 802.11 PC-Card Adapter if it is
installed successfully. If you see the Yellow sign the resources are conflicting. Click on
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PCMCIA card and then on PCMCIA Card service, you can see the status of PCMCIA
card. If there are yellow sign either on adapter or PCMCIA card, please check followings.
2-1) Check if your Notebook supports 3.3V card.
2-2)Check if your Notebook has a free IRQ
2-3) Check that you have inserted the right card and have installed the proper driver.
If the WL11000 does not function after attempting the above steps, remove the PCMCIA adapter,
and do the following:
From the run window enter, c:\windows\system, locate and delete the cw10.sys file
Open the “Control Panel” double-click “System” and delete PRISM2 IEEE 802.11 PC-
card Adapter.
Restart the PC and repeat the hardware and software installation steps outlined in
Chapters 3 and 4.
The WL11000 station cannot communicate with other computers linked via Ethernet in the
Infrastructure configuration.
Probable Solution:
Ensure that the WL11000 with which the station is associated is powered on.
Confirm the station is configured with the same operating radio channel as the WL11000. If
the IDs are different, change the WL11000 and all the stations within the BSS to another
radio channel.
Ensure that the station is configured with the same security options as the WL11000, and
can be turned off and on with the same security key.
Confirm that the BSS ID is the same as the WL11000 for a roaming disabled station.
Alternately confirm that the ESS ID is the same as the WL11000 for a roaming enabled
station.
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Appendix B Glossary
Access Point - An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks together.
Ad-Hoc - An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adapters, connected as an
independent wireless LAN.
Backbone - The core infrastructure of a network, the portion of the network that transports information from one
central location to another central location. The information is then off-loaded onto a local system.
Base Station - In mobile telecommunication, a base station is the central radio transmitter/ receiver that
maintains communication with the mobile radio telephone sets within range. In cellular and personal
communications applications, each cell or microcell has its own base station; each base station in turn
is interconnected with other cells’ base.
BSS - Stands for “Basic Service Set.” An Access Point associated with several wireless stations.
ESS - Stands for “Extended Service Set.” More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set. An
ESS is basically a roaming domain.
Ethernet - A popular local area data communications network, originally developed by Xerox Corp., which
accepts transmission from computers and terminals. Ethernet operates on 10 Mbps baseband
transmission over shielded coaxial cable or over shielded twisted pair telephone wire.
Infrastructure - An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration.
PCMCIA - Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which develops standards for PC cards,
formerly known as PCMCIA cards, are available in three “types” which are about the same length and
width as credit cards, but range in thickness from 3.3 mm (Type I) to 5.0 mm (Type II) to 10.5 mm (Type
III). These cards can be used for many functions, including memory storage, as landline modems and
as wireless LAN.
Roaming - A function that allows one to travel with a mobile end system (wireless LAN mobile station, for
example) through the territory of a domain (an ESS, for example) while continuously connecting to the
infrastructure.
RTS Threshold – Transmitters contending for the medium may not hear each other. RTS/CTS mechanism can
solve this “ Hidden Node Problem”.