Cisco Linksys NWP11B 11 Mbps WLAN Cardbus Card User Manual wpc11 ver3 0 user guide

Cisco-Linksys, LLC 11 Mbps WLAN Cardbus Card wpc11 ver3 0 user guide

Contents

Users Manual Part 1

I n s t a n t W i r e le s s T M S e r i e s Wireless Notebook AdapterU s e r G u i d eUse this Guide to install: NWP11B
COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS Copyright © 2002 Linksys, All Rights Reserved. Instant Wireless™ is a registered trade-mark of Linksys. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarksof Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and brand names are the property of theirrespective proprietors. LIMITED WARRANTY Linksys guarantees that every Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 is free fromphysical defects in material and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase,when used within the limits set forth in the Specifications chapter of this User Guide. Ifthese products prove defective during this warranty period, call Linksys TechnicalSupport in order to obtain a Return Authorization Number. BE SURE TO HAVE YOURPROOF OF PURCHASE AND A BARCODE FROM THE PRODUCT’S PACKAGING ONHAND WHEN CALLING. RETURN REQUESTS CANNOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUTPROOF OF PURCHASE. When returning a product, mark the Return AuthorizationNumber clearly on the outside of the package and include your original proof of pur-chase. All customers located outside of the United States of America and Canada shallbe held responsible for shipping and handling charges.IN NO EVENT SHALL LINKSYS’ LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE PROD-UCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAM-AGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS ACCOMPANYING SOFT-WARE, OR ITS DOCUMENTATION. LINKSYS DOES NOT OFFER REFUNDS FOR ANYPRODUCT. Linksys makes no warranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statuto-ry, with respect to its products or the contents or use of this documentation and allaccompanying software, and specifically disclaims its quality, performance, mer-chantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Linksys reserves the right to revise orupdate its products, software, or documentation without obligation to notify any individ-ual or entity. Please direct all inquiries to:Linksys P.O. Box 18558, Irvine, CA 92623. FCC STATEMENTThis product has been tested and complies with the specifications for a Class B digitaldevice, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide rea-sonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equip-ment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed andused according to the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communi-cations. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particularinstallation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or televisionreception, which is found by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged totry to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna• Increase the separation between the equipment or devices• Connect the equipment to an outlet other than the receiver’s• Consult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for assistanceUG-011702B KLAny changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipmentThis transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter
Table of ContentsC hapter 1: I ntr oduction 1The I nstant WirelessT M 1Features 1Package Contents 2System R equirements 2C hapter 2: Planning Y our W ireless Networ k 3Network Topology 3R oaming 3C hapter 3: I nstalling the Dr iver s and C onfigur ation Utility for W indows 95, 98, M E and 2000 4B efore You Start 4R unning the A uto Driver Installation 4Ad-Hoc V ersus Infrastructure Mode 8Infrastructure Mode 9Ad-Hoc Mode 11C hapter 4: I nstalling the Dr iver s andC onfigur ation Utility for W indows X P 14C hapter 5: I nstalling the Networ k PC C ar d 16C hapter 6: I nstalling the Dr iver s andC onfigur ation Utility for W indows NT 17Overview 17Installing the Network PC Card in Y our Notebook PC 17Installing the Drivers for Windows NT 18Installing the Configuration Utility for Windows NT 30C hapter 7: C onfigur ation Utility 30Using the Configuration Utility 30C hapter 8: I nstalling Networ k Protocols 39Network PC Card Instant WirelessTMSeriesC hapter 9: A dvanced Pr oper ties 41Advanced Properties for Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000 41Advanced Properties for Windows NT 49C hapter 10: T r oubleshooting 56Common Problems and Solutions 56Frequently A sked Questions 57C hapter 11: G lossar y 61C hapter 12: Specifications 68E nvironmental 68C hapter 13: War r anty I nformation 69C hapter 14: C ontact I nformation 70
2• One Instant W irelessT M Network PC Card ver. 3.0• One Setup Utility CD-R OM (User Guide on CD)• Quick Installation insert and R egistration Card (not shown)• A 16-bit PCMCIA T ype II or T ype III slot• PCMCIA revisions 2.10 compliant card and socket services• Windows 95, 98, Millennium, NT, 2000, or X P • 600 K bytes of free disk space for utility and driver installationP a c k a ge C ont e ntsS y s t e m R e qu ire m e n ts Instant WirelessTMSeries1Chapter 1: IntroductionPut the “mobile” back into mobile computing! Whether you’ re at your desk orin the boardroom, the Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card allows you to shareprinters, files, and other resources anywhere within your L A N infrastructure,increasing your productivity and keeping you “in touch.” The I nstant Wireless™ Network PC Card now has a new, higher-poweredantenna that provides a greater range than ever. T he increased sensitivity helpsfilter out interference and “noise” to keep your signal clear. Improved errorcorrection in the chipset keeps you operating at higher transmission rates forlonger distances. A nd, since you only need one Type II or III PCMCIA slot,you’ re free to use your other slots for additional accessories.R eady to run in T ype II or III PCMCIA -equipped notebook PCs runningWindows 95, 98, Millennium, NT , 2000, and X P, the Instant W ireless™Network PC Card ver. 3.0 is truly a “must-have” for all notebook PC users.•11 Mbps High-Speed Data T ransfer R ate•Compatible with V irtually All Major Network Operating Systems•Plug-and-Play Operation Provides E asy Setup•Integrated E qualizer R ecovers W eak Signals and E nhances Sensitivity•Sturdy Metal Design with Integrated Antenna•Works with All Standard Internet Applications•Interoperable with IE EE 802.11b (DSSS) 2.4GHz-Compliant E quipment•Clear Channel A ssessment Increases Network Throughput•Hardware B uffer Chaining Provides High Performance While R eading andWriting B uffers•Capable of up to 128-B it WEP•Free T echnical Support—24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a W eek for North A mericaOnly•1-Year L imited WarrantyF e a t ur e sT he I n s ta n t W ire le s s T M N e tw ork P C C a rd v e r . 3 .0Network PC Card Figure 1-1
43Chapter 3: Installing the Driversand Configuration Utility forWindows 95, 98, ME, and 2000Your new Linksys Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 comes with anautomated software installation procedure for Windows 95, 98, Millennium,and 2000. Windows NT or XP users should refer to the next section. Thisnew procedure automatically installs the drivers and Configuration Utilitybefore you insert the Card into your PC, so there’s no searching for the locationof drivers. Again, this step is taken before inserting the Card into your PC. 1. Before installing yourcard, insert the SetupUtility CD into yourCD-ROM drive. Unlessyou have deactivated theauto-run feature ofWindows, the screenshown in Figure 2-1should appear automati-cally. If this screen does not appear automatically, you can access the installationby clicking the Start button and choosing Run. In the drop-down box pro-vided, type D:\setup.exe (where D: is the letter of your CD-ROM drive).Alternately, double-click My Computer and double-click the CD-ROMdrive where the Setup Utility CD is located. Double-click the Setup.exe iconin the folder that appears.Before You StartRunning the Auto Driver InstallationNetwork PC Card Chapter 2: Planning Your WirelessNetworkAwireless LAN is exactly like a regular LAN, except that each computer in theLAN uses an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 to connect to thenetwork through a wireless connection. Computers in a wireless LAN must beconfigured to share the same radio channel.The Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 provides LAN access forwireless workstations. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called anInfrastructure configuration. A group of Instant Wireless™ Network PC Cardver. 3.0 users and an Access Point compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). EachPC equipped with an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 in a BSS cantalk to any computer in a wired LAN infrastructure via the Access Point.An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of an InstantWireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 PC to a wired LAN, and doubles theeffective wireless transmission range for two PCs equipped with an InstantWireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0. Since the Access Point is able to for-ward data within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an infrastructureLAN is doubled.Infrastructure mode also supports roaming capabilities for mobile users. Morethan one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set (ESS). This con-tinuous network allows users to roam freely within an ESS. All PCs, equippedwith an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0, within one ESS must beconfigured with the same ESS ID.Before enabling an ESS with roaming capability, selecting a feasible radiochannel and optimum Access Point position is recommended. Proper AccessPoint positioning combined with a clear radio signal will greatly enhance per-formance.RoamingNetwork TopologyFigure 2-1Instant WirelessTMSeries
654. Figure 2-4 shows the Warranty Policy screen. Read the entire policy bypressing the Page Down button on your keyboard or by using the on-screenscroll bar. Click on the Yes button if you agree, or No if you disagree.Clicking No will terminate the installation. If you click Yes, the installationwill continue.5. The screen in Figure 2-5 will appear next, requesting the folder into whichthe Configuration Utility will be installed. To install the ConfigurationUtility in thedefault directo-ry (recom-mended), clickthe Next but-ton. If youprefer to installthe Utility inanother direc-tory, click theBrowse button,and locate thepreferreddirectory.Then, click theNext button.2. The first tab across the top of the screen, labeled Install, should now be high-lighted. Click the Install button. A screen similar to that shown in Figure2-2 should appear, indicating that Windows is preparing the installation.If, for whatever reason, you need to abort or terminate the installation, pressthe Cancel button at any time during the installation. Otherwise the instal-lation will continue automatically.3. The screen in Figure 2-3 will appear next, indicating that Windows is readyto continue the installation. Click the Next button.Note: If you stop the installation before it has finished, you will have torun the installation completely again before installing your hardware.Network PC Card Figure 2-2Figure 2-3Figure 2-4Figure 2-5Instant WirelessTMSeries
Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in whichthey may be set up: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. Choosing between these twomodes depends on whether or not the wireless network needs to share data orperipherals with a wired network or not.If the computers on the wireless network need to be accessible by a wired net-work or need to share a peripheral, such as a printer, with the wired networkcomputers, the wireless network should be set up in the Infrastructure mode.The basis of Infrastructure mode centers around an access point, which servesas the main point of communications in a wireless network (see Figure 2-7).Access points transmit data to PCs equipped with wireless network cards,which can roamwithin a certainradial range of theaccess point.Multiple accesspoints can bearranged to workin succession toextend the roam-ing range, and canbe set up to com-municate withyour Ethernethardware as well. If the wireless network is relatively small and needs to share resources onlywith the other computers on the wireless network, then the Ad-Hoc mode canbe used (shown in Figure 2-8). Ad-Hoc mode allows computers equipped withwireless Network PC Cards to communicate directly with each other, eliminat-ing the need for an access point. The drawback of this mode is in the fact that,in Ad-Hoc mode, wireless-equipped computers are not able to communicatewith computers on awired network. And,of course, communi-cation between thewireless-equippedcomputers is limitedby the distance andinterference directlybetween them.87Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode6. When the screen shown in Figure 2-6 appears, choose either Infrastructuremode or Ad-Hoc mode. If you are unsure whether to choose Infrastructureor Ad-Hoc, refer to the next section for more information. Once you havemade your choice, click the Next button.Network PC Card Figure 2-6Figure 2-7Figure 2-8Instant WirelessTMSeries
3. The screen shownin Figure 2-11 willappear, indicatingthat all of theappropriate filesare being copiedonto your drive.Click the Cancelbutton if you needto stop the installa-tion for any reason. 4. Once Windows has finished copying the necessary files, the screen shownin Figure 2-12 will appear. In order for the drivers to be installed properly,you must restart your computer. If you choose to do it now, select Yes, Iwant to restart my computer now. If you do not want to do it now,choose No, I will restart my computer later. Once you have made yourchoice, click the Finish button to continue. 101. If you have chosen Infrastructure mode, the following screen (Figure 2-9)will appear. If you have chosen Ad-Hoc mode, skip to the next section,titled “Ad-Hoc Mode”. You will be prompted to enter an SSID value in the box provided. TheSSID may be up to 32 characters in length. This may include any characteron the keyboard, keeping in mind that the SSID is case sensitive. All SSIDvalues on your wireless network must match. If you are unsure, use thedefault value of “linksys.” Then, click the Next button.2. The ReviewSettings screen(Figure 2-10) willappear next. Verifythat all the settingsare correct andclick the Next but-ton to continue.9Note: Restart the computer and go to Chapter 3:Installing the Network PC Card for further instructions.Infrastructure ModeFigure 2-9Figure 2-10Figure 2-11Figure 2-12Instant WirelessTMSeriesNetwork PC Card
112. The screen shown in Figure 2-14 should appear. You will be prompted toenter an SSID value in the field provided. All SSID values on your wire-less network must match. If you are unsure, use the default value of“linksys.” Then, click the Next button.3. The next screen to appear (Figure 2-15) will be the Review Settings screen.Verify that all the settings are correct and click the Next button to contin-ue.Network PC Card 1. If you have chosen Ad-Hoc mode, the following screen will appear. (SeeFigure 2-13.) If you have chosen Infrastructure mode, refer to the previ-ous section, titled “Infrastructure Mode”. You will be prompted to choose a Channel from the list provided. Allcomputers on your wireless network must be using the same channel inorder to communicate with each other. If you are unsure about which chan-nel to use, select the default channel (Channel 6). Once you have chosenyour channel, click the Next button.Ad-Hoc ModeFigure 2-13Figure 2-14Figure 2-15Instant WirelessTMSeries12
Chapter 4: Installing the Driversand Configuration Utility forWindows XPWindows XP will automatically walk you through the driver installationprocess as well as automatically configure the Network PC Card for your wire-less network. If you have any questions regarding wireless networking on yourWindows XP PC, please refer to your Windows XP documentation.To install the Network PC Card’s drivers, insert the Setup Utility CD-ROM intoyour CD-Rom drive and then insert the card into your PC’s PCMCIA slot.Windows XP will automatically detect the card and search for the appropriatedrivers. The screen in Figure 4-1 will then appear.Verify that the radio button beside Install the software automatically(Recommended) is highlighted. If not, click it. Then, click the Next button tocontinue.144. The next screenwill indicate that allof the appropriatefiles are beingcopied onto yourdrive. (See Figure2-16.) Click theCancel button ifyou need to stopthe installation forany reason. 5. Once Windows has finished copying the necessary files, a screen similar tothat shown in Figure 2-17 will appear. In order for the drivers to beinstalled properly, you must restart your computer. If you choose to do itnow, select Yes, I want to restart my computer now. If you do not wantto do it now, choose No, I will restart my computer later. Once you havemade your choice, click the Finish button to continue. Network PC Card Figure 2-16Figure 2-17Note: Restart the computer and go to Chapter 5:Installing the Network PC Card for further instructions.Figure 4-1Instant WirelessTMSeries13

Navigation menu