BroMax Communications UW200 FreePort 11M USB WLAN Adapter User Manual USB WLAN Adapter Manual

BroMax Communications Inc FreePort 11M USB WLAN Adapter USB WLAN Adapter Manual

users manual

Wireless USB Network AdapterUser Manual
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual2Regulatory complianceFCC WarningThis equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digitaldevice, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to providereasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. Thisequipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed andused in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radiocommunications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in aparticular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or televisionreception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user isencouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:Ÿ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.Ÿ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.Ÿ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiveris connected.Ÿ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.You are cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly approved by the partyresponsible for compliance could void your authority to operate the equipment.CE Mark WarningThis is a Class B product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radiointerference, in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.About this manualThis User manual describes how to install and operate your USB 11M WLAN Adapter.Please read this manual before you install the product.This manual includes the following topics:Ø Product description and features.Ø Hardware installation procedure.Ø Software installation procedure.RF Exposure WarningElectronic Magnetic energy is intentionally radiated by this product. For compliance of FCC RFexposure rule, the radiator of this product should be installed at least 20 cm far away from the user ornearby person.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual3Table of ContentsSection 1Introduction 41.1 Package Contents 41.2 System Requirements 41.3 Features 4Section 2Hardware Installation 62.1 Connecting the USB Adapter 62.2 Status LEDs 62.3 Disconnecting the USB Adapter 6Section 3Installation and Configuration ProceduresUnder Windows 98 73.1 What You Need to Know About Windows 98 73.2 What You Will Need 73.3 Installing the Driver Under Windows 98 73.4 Configuration Under Windows 98 113.5 Uninstall Procedure Under Windows 98 12Section 4Installation and Configuration ProceduresUnder Windows 2000 134.1 What You Need to Know About Windows 2000 134.2 What You Will Need 134.3 Installing the Driver Under Windows 2000 134.4 Configuration Under Windows 2000 174.5 How to Unplug the Device Under Windows 2000 184.6 Uninstall Procedure Under Windows 2000 19Section 5Installation and Configuration ProceduresUnder Windows ME 205.1 What You Need to Know About Windows ME 205.2 What You Will Need 205.3 Installing the Driver Under Windows ME 205.4 Configuration Under Windows ME 215.5 Uninstall Procedure Under Windows ME 22Section 6Configuration and Monitor Application 236.1 How to Install the Configuration and Monitor Application 236.2 Using the Configuration and Monitor Application 236.3 How to Uninstall the Configuration and Monitor Application 27
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual4Section 1 - IntroductionThe USB 11M WLAN Adapter is a network adapter with a rate of 1, 2, 5.5, and11 Mbps operating in the ISM band using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum(DSSS) transmission implementing the IEEE 802.11b standard. This adapterprovides Device Drivers for MS Windows ® 98, Windows ® 2000 and Windows® ME. It also provides tools for the configuration and firmware upgrade of theadapter. These tools, as well as the installation steps of the plug-and-playprocedure for the Microsoft Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows 2000operating systems, are described in this document.1.1 Package ContentsPlease make sure that items below are included on package.ü A USB 11M WLAN Adapterü A USB cablesü Floppy Diskette (include Device Drivers and User Manual)1.2 System RequirementsØ Operating System: MS Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows MEØ Desktop PC or notebook PCØ One free USB port1.3 FeaturesThe USB 11M WLAN Adapter offers compliance with the IEEE 802.11bspecification. This feature allows them to communicate with other wirelessdevices that support the standard. Features of the adapter are:ü Uses 2.4GHz frequency band, which complies with worldwide requirementü Wireless interface following the IEEE 802.11b standardü Using Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaceü Enciphering/deciphering of wireless data by the implementation of theWEP algorithm (WEP-40 bits)ü Wire-free access to networked resources from anywhere beyond thedesktopü Allows users move between Access Points without resetting theirconnection reconfigurationü Delivers data rate up to 11 Mbpsü Supports 11, 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps ratesü Roamingü Provide USB 11M WLAN Configuration utility
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual5ü Dielectric Antenna is built in to the Adapter with LEDs indicating Powerand Linkü Supports most popular operating systems: Window 98/2000 & WindowsME
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual6Section 2 - Hardware InstallationThis chapter covers connecting your USB 11M WLAN Adapter to the desktop /notebook PC’s USB port.2.1 Connecting the USB AdapterNOTE: These instructions apply to most notebook computers. For detailedinformation on inserting USB adapters into your desktop/notebook PC, consult thedesktop/notebook PC User manual.With the adapter’s USB connector facing the desktop / notebook PC’s USB ports,connect the adapter into an available USB port.2.2 Status LEDsThe following table describes the meaning of the LEDs:LED MEANINGPWR Indicates that the Card is powered on.Link Indicates link status. It is normally blinking. When blinking,indicates that the card is scanning the channels, and the linkis not active. When lit, indicates that the card is locked to achannel, and the link is active.2.3 Disconnecting the USB AdapterIn Win 98/ME operating systems, you do not have to power down the notebook toremove the adapter. The adapter is hot-swappable—you can remove the cardwhen the notebook is powered on. However, Microsoft recommends that you stopthe adapter. Refer to your Win 98/ME online help for information on stopping theFast Ethernet Adapter.WARNING: Do not remove the USB 11M WLAN Adapter when a data transmission istaking place. Exit your communications program normally, stop the adapter ifnecessary, and then remove the adapter.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual7Section 3 - Installation and ConfigurationProcedures Under Windows 98Use the procedures described in this chapter to install and configure the USB11M WLAN Adapter under MS Windows 98.3.1 What You Need to Know About Windows 98Throughout this section it is assumed that you have a basic working knowledgeof Windows 98 and of how to install new network cards on them. However, inthis paragraph, some specific features of Windows 98 are briefly explained.Windows 98 operating system supports the “Plug & Play” feature. That meansthat once you connect the Adapter to your PC for the very first time, thisoperating system will detect the Adapter and prompt you to install the driver.Another feature is the “Hot Swapping”. With this feature, you can remove andreconnect the Adapter whenever you want.3.2 What You Will NeedDuring the installation, you may be prompted to load operating system files fromthe Windows installation disk. Please have this disc handy.You will also need the Drivers and Software Tools CD provided with yourpackage.3.3 Installing the Driver Under Windows 981. Plug the Adapter into the USB port of a notebook or desktop PC.2. The Add New Hardware Wizard will indicate that Windows have recognizeda new network device that has not been used before.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual83. Click Next to continue the installation. A screen appears prompting you toselect an installation method:4. Select Search for the best driver for your device. (Recommended) andclick Next. The following screen appears:
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual95. Ensure that the Floppy disk drives box is checked.6. Insert the driver disk into your floppy drive and click Next. The followingscreen appears:7. Click Next to continue.8. Under Windows 98, you will have the chance to set up USB 11M WLANAdapter operational parameters during the installation of the Adapter.Please note that you can change these parameters later (for more detailssee the “Configuration Under Windows 98” paragraph).
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual10Figure 3-1. USB 11M WLAN Adapter PropertiesYou can set the following USB operational parameters:• Channel: Select the channel to be used. There are 11 channelsavailable.• ESSID: Select the ESSID to be used. The ESSID can be either theESSID of the access point to which the station will be associated if ininfrastructure mode, or the ESSID of the ad-hoc network in case thestation will operate in ad-hoc mode. In the latter case, all stationsparticipating in the ad-hoc network should have the same ESSID.• Fragmentation Threshold: This is the option for the FragmentationThreshold activation.• Network Address: This is a unique MAC address.• Operating Mode: Infrastructure or ad-hoc.• Preamble Type: Select either “Long”, or “Short” Preamble Type.• Rate: Select the rate to be used among the following options: 1 Mbps, 2Mbps, 5.5 Mbps and 11Mbps.• RTS Threshold: This is the option for the RTS Threshold activation.• WEP Key: Select which of the 4 WEP keys is going to be used. Youcan select “None” if you do not need WEP encryption.• WEP KEY #1 - #4 : You can set the value of 4 different WEP keys.For every station participating in a Network the user must select the sameChannel and Rate (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) but a different Network Address(MAC Address). Also the user can set the Fragmentation Threshold (thethreshold for the activation of the fragmentation mechanism), as well as the
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual11RTS threshold (the threshold for the activation of the RTS/CTS mechanism).Also, the user can select the operating Mode. Two modes are available:Ad-Hoc Mode and Infrastructure Mode. In Ad-Hoc Mode the wirelessstations can directly communicate, however, in Infrastructure Mode, anAccess Point is necessary. The user can also specify the ESSID (up to 32characters). The ESSID field is case sensitive. The user can select long orshort preamble as referred in 802.11b specification. Finally, the user canselect among four user-defined WEP keys for encryption e.g. by setting theWEP Key To Use field to 3, the WEP KEY #3 will be used; by setting it to“None”, no WEP encryption will be used.Please keep in mind that the WEP keys must be in HEX and in twocharacters per byte formats e.g. if you want the WEP KEY #1 to be 12345,then you must set it as 0102030405.9. Windows 98 copies files to your hard disk drive, and you see the followingscreen:10. Click Finish to complete the installation.11. When Windows ask you if you wand to restart your system now, press “No”in the dialog box and restart you system manually. If you press “Yes”, it ispossible that the installation will not be completed (this is an operatingsystem related problem).3.4 Configuration Under Windows 98Note: The following procedure applies to the configuration of the cards whenthey are not running. In case a communication has been established, theconfiguration parameters of the adapter can be changed “on the fly” by using the
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual12Configuration and Monitor Application described in the section “Configurationand Monitor Application”.After you have installed the Adapter, you can easily change its configurationthrough the Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel), where you selectthe “Network” icon and then the “USB 11M WLAN Adapter” card in theConfiguration tab.With the “USB 11M WLAN Adapter” card highlighted press the “Properties”button or double-click on the higlighted icon in order to configure the Adapter. Inthe new window, select the “Advanced” tab and adjust the operationalparameters of the card. This tab is the same with the one that appeared duringthe installation (Figure 3-1). Please check the paragraph “Installing the DriverUnder Windows 98” for details about the configuration parameters.Please note that in order for any change in these parameters to take effect, thecomputer must be restarted. Windows will prompt you to restart the computer.3.5 Uninstall Procedures Under Windows 98In order to uninstall the Adapter from Windows 98, you must double click on the“Network” option in the “Control Panel” (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel).Select the “USB 11M WLAN Adapter” card from the list and press the “Remove”button. The system will prompt you to re-boot. Press "Yes" to re-boot.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual13Section 4 - Installation and ConfigurationProcedures Under Windows 2000Use the procedures described in this chapter to install and configure the USB11M WLAN Adapter under MS Windows 2000.4.1 What You Need to Know About Windows 2000Throughout this section it is assumed that you have a basic working knowledgeof Windows 2000 and of how to install new network cards on them. However, inthis paragraph, some specific features of Windows 2000 are briefly explained.Windows 2000 operating system supports the “Plug & Play” feature. That meansthat once you plug the Adapter into your PC for the very first time, this operatingsystem will detect the card and prompt you to install the driver.Another feature is the “Hot Swapping”. With this feature, you can remove andre-insert the Adapter whenever you want.4.2 What You Will NeedDuring the installation, you may be prompted to load operating system files fromthe Windows installation disk. Please have this disc handy.You will also need the Device Drivers and Software Tools CD provided with yourpackage.Note: In order to be able to install the Adapter on to your PC running underWindows 2000, you will need to log on as “Administrator”.4.3 Installing the Driver Under Windows 20001. Plug the Adapter into the USB port of a notebook or desktop PC.2. The Found New Hardware Wizard will indicate that Windows haverecognized a new network device that has not been used before.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual143. Click Next to continue the installation. A screen appears prompting you toselect an installation method:4. Select Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended) andclick Next. The following screen appears:
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual155. Ensure that the Floppy disk drives box is checked and insert the driver diskinto floppy drive. Click Next to continue. The following screen appears:6. Click Next to continue.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual167. Windows may display the message “Digital Signature Not Found”. Ignore itby pressing “Yes”. Windows will start copying the files and then the followingscreen appears:8. Click Finish to complete the installation.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual174.4 Configuration Under Windows 2000Note: The following procedure applies to the configuration of the cards whenthey are not running. In case a communication has been established, theconfiguration parameters of the adapter can be changed “on the fly” by using theConfiguration and Monitor Application described in the section “Configurationand Monitor Application”.You can use the standard configuration method for network cards of Windows2000 by going to “My Network Places” and double click on the Adapter. Press“Properties” in the “Local Area Connection Status” dialog.In the “Local Area Connection Properties” dialog, press “Configure” in order toconfigure the card. You can configure the parameters shown in the Figure 4-1.After you have made your changes, you must restart your system for the newparameters to take effect.Figure 4-1. USB 11M WLAN Adapter PropertiesYou can set the following USB operational parameters:• Channel: Select the channel to be used. There are 14 channels available.• ESSID: Select the ESSID to be used.• Fragmentation Threshold: This is the option for the FragmentationThreshold activation.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual18• Network Address: This is a unique MAC address.• Operating Mode: Infrastructure or ad-hoc.• Preamble Type: You can select long or short preamble• Rate: Select the rate to be used among the following options: 1 Mbps, 2Mbps, 5.5 Mbps and 11Mbps.• RTS Threshold: This is the option for the RTS Threshold activation.• WEP Key: Select one of the four available keys to be used for encryption.When no key is selected, the encryption is disabled.• WEP KEY #1 - #4 : Set the value of the WEP key.For every station participating in a Network the user must select the sameChannel and Rate (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) but a different Network Address (MACAddress). Also the user can set the Fragmentation Threshold (the threshold forthe activation of the fragmentation mechanism), as well as the RTS threshold(the threshold for the activation of the RTS/CTS mechanism). Also, the user canselect the operating Mode. Two modes are available: Ad-Hoc Mode andInfrastructure Mode. In Ad-Hoc Mode the wireless stations can directlycommunicate, however, in Infrastructure Mode, an Access Point is necessary.The user can also specify the ESSID (up to 32 characters). The ESSID field iscase sensitive. The user can select long or short preamble as referred in802.11b specification. Finally, the user can select among four user-defined WEPkeys for encryption e.g. by setting the WEP Key To Use field to 3, the WEP KEY#3 will be used; by setting it to “None”, no WEP encryption will be used. Pleasekeep in mind that the WEP keys must be in HEX and in two characters per byteformats e.g. if you want the WEP KEY #1 to be 12345, then you must set it as0102030405.4.5 How to Unplug the Device Under Windows 2000After the successful installation of the Adapter, you will see an iconcorresponding to the device in the Windows taskbar for as long as the device isconnected to the PC (see the lower part of Figure 4-3). If you want to unplug thedevice double click on this icon. The dialog of Figure 4-2 will appear where youmust press “Stop”. Now it is safe to unplug the device from the PC.In case you unplug the device without having followed the above procedure thedialog of Figure 4-3 will appear reminding you the problems this action may havecaused. Press “OK”. It is recommended not to unplug the device unless youhave followed first the above procedure to stop the card.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual19Figure 4-2. Stop card dialogFigure 4-3. Unsafe removal notification4.6 Uninstall Procedures Under Windows 2000In order to uninstall the Adapter you must select it in the Device Manager ofWindows 2000 and press “Uninstall”. The “Uninstall” procedure can beperformed only if the Adapter is plugged-into your computer.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual20Section 5 - Installation and ConfigurationProcedures Under Windows MEUse the procedures described in this chapter to install and configure the USB11M WLAN Adapter under MS Windows ME5.1 What You Need to Know About Windows METhroughout this section it is assumed that you have a basic working knowledgeof Windows ME and of how to install new network cards on them. However, inthis paragraph, some specific features of Windows ME are briefly explained.Windows ME operating system supports the “Plug & Play” feature. That meansthat once you connect the Adapter to your PC for the very first time, thisoperating system will detect the Adapter and prompt you to install the driver.Another feature is the “Hot Swapping”. With this feature, you can remove andreconnect the Adapter whenever you want.5.2 What You Will NeedDuring the installation, you may be prompted to load operating system files fromthe Windows installation disk. Please have this disc handy.You will also need the Drivers and Software Tools CD provided with yourpackage.5.3 Installing the Driver Under Windows ME1. Plug the Adapter into the USB port of a notebook or desktop PC.2. The Add New Hardware Wizard will indicate that Windows have recognizeda new network device that has not been used before
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual213. Select Automatic search for a better driver (Recommended) and insert thedrivers disk into floppy drive. Click Next to continue.4. The system will find the setup files and follow the instruction of the setup fileto copy drivers. After the drivers were copied, the following screen appears:5. Click Finish. You should reboot your system to finish the installation.5.4 Configuration Under Windows MENote: The following procedure applies to the configuration of the cards when
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual22they are not running. In case a communication has been established, theconfiguration parameters of the adapter can be changed “on the fly” by using theConfiguration and Monitor Application described in the section “Configurationand Monitor Application”.After you have installed the Adapter, you can easily change its configurationthrough the Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel), where you selectthe “Network” icon and then the “USB 11M WLAN Adapter” card in theConfiguration tab.With the “USB 11M WLAN Adapter” card highlighted press the “Properties”button or double-click on the higlighted icon in order to configure the Adapter. Inthe new window, select the “Advanced” tab and adjust the operationalparameters of the card. This tab is the same with the one that appeared duringthe installation (Figure 3-1). Please check the paragraph “Installing the DriverUnder Windows ME” for details about the configuration parameters.Please note that in order for any change in these parameters to take effect, thecomputer must be restarted. Windows will prompt you to restart the computer.5.5 Uninstall Procedures Under Windows MEIn order to uninstall the Adapter from Windows ME, you must double click on the“Network” option in the “Control Panel” (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel).Select the “USB 11M WLAN Adapter” card from the list and press the “Remove”button. The system will prompt you to re-boot. Press "Yes" to re-boot.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual23Section 6 - Configuration and MonitorApplicationThe Configuration and Monitor Application is a powerful utility that helps you toconfigure the Adapter and monitor the statistics of the communication. Unlikethe standard method of configuring the Adapter via the operating system utilities(e.g. Control Panel), this application permits the dynamic modification of theconfiguration parameters while the Adapter is operating. It also offers somemore configuration options.The Adapter offers the Configuration and Monitor Application for Windows 98,Windows 2000 and Windows ME.Note: Please keep in mind that the Configuration and Monitor Application canbe used to change the above configuration parameters when the Adapter isactive. When the Adapter is not in use, please use the Control Panel methoddescribed in previous sections.6.1 How to Install the Configuration and MonitorApplicationIn order to setup the Configuration and Monitor Application, run the programSETUP.EXE, which you will find in the “Config_Utility” folder of your installationCD and follow the instructions as they appear on the screen. As soon as a link isestablished, the application will start running and will appear as an icon on thesystem tray. You can locate the application under Start -> Programs -> ATMEL11MBPS WIRELESS LAN USB -> USB 11M WLAN Adapter Configuration.6.2 Using the Configuration and Monitor ApplicationThe Configuration and Monitor Application appears as an icon on the systemtray of Windows every time the Adapter is running. You can open it by double-clicking on this icon. While the station is in infrastructure mode and notassociated to an access point, the color of the icon is red. As soon as the stationassociates itself to an access point, the icon color turns to blue. In ad-hoc modethe color is always blue, except when the card is reseting where it turns to redduring the reset procedure.A typical screen of the application in infrastructure mode is shown in Figure 6-1.The configuration parameters are shown at the top of the screen, while thestatistics of the communication are shown at the bottom. In the middle of thescreen there is information about which Access Point the Adapter is associatedwith, the address of the AP, its SSID and the channel. The four “LEDs” at thebottom of the dialog box indicate which of these features are enabled.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual24Figure 6-1. A typical screen of the Configuration andMonitor Application in infrastructure mode.A similar screen appears in case the Adapter operates in ad hoc. In this case,Short Preamble has been enabled (Figure 6-2).
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual25Figure 6-2. A typical screen of the Configuration andMonitor Application in ad-hoc mode.By pressing the “Change” button in any of the two modes, you can change basicconfiguration settings such as the Operating Mode, Channel, SSID, andTransmission Rate (Figure 6-3). While in infrastructure mode you can select apreferred Access Point (AP) by checking the “Enable” check box and giving theMAC address of the AP. In that case you must also specify the channel thepreferred AP is using.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual26Figure 6-3. Change of basic configuration.By pressing the Advanced button in any of the two modes, you can changeadvanced configuration settings, such as the Preamble Type, FragmentationThreshold, and RTS/CTS Threshold (Figure 6-4). Figure 6-4 shows therecommended configuration for the advanced settings. Before selecting ShortPreamble, make sure that the other stations and APs are also supporting thisfeature.
USB 11M WLAN Adapter User Manual27Figure 6-4. Change of advanced configuration settings.6.3 How to Uninstall the Configuration and MonitorApplicationIn order to uninstall the Configuration and Monitor Application, go to Start ->Programs -> ATMEL 11MBPS WIRELESS LAN USB and select “Uninstall USB11M WLAN Adapter”.

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