Cisco Linksys WPC11-V4 Wireless-B Notebook Adapter User Manual wpc11 ver3 0 user guide

Cisco-Linksys, LLC Wireless-B Notebook Adapter wpc11 ver3 0 user guide

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

The Instant WirelessTM Network PC Card ver. 3.0 1

Features 1

Package Contents 2

System Requirements 2

Chapter 2: Planning Your Wireless Network 3

Network Topology 3

Roaming 3

Chapter 3: Installing the Drivers and Configuration Utility for

Windows 95, 98, ME and 2000 4

Before You Start 4

Running the Auto Driver Installation 4

Ad-Hoc Versus Infrastructure Mode 8

Infrastructure Mode 9

Ad-Hoc Mode 11

Chapter 4: Installing the Drivers and

Configuration Utility for Windows XP 14

Chapter 5: Installing the Network PC Card 16

Chapter 6: Installing the Drivers and

Configuration Utility for Windows NT 17

Overview 17

Installing the Network PC Card in Your Notebook PC 17

Installing the Drivers for Windows NT 18

Installing the Configuration Utility for Windows NT 30

Chapter 7: Configuration Utility 30

Using the Configuration Utility 30

Chapter 8: Installing Network Protocols 39

Network PC Card

Instant Wireless

Series

Chapter 9: Advanced Properties 41

Advanced Properties for Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000 41

Advanced Properties for Windows NT 49

Chapter 10: Troubleshooting 56

Common Problems and Solutions 56

Frequently Asked Questions 57

Chapter 11: Glossary 61

Chapter 12: Specifications 68

Environmental 68

Chapter 13: Warranty Information 69

Chapter 14: Contact Information 70

• One Instant WirelessTM Network PC Card ver. 3.0

• One Setup Utility CD-ROM (User Guide on CD)

• Quick Installation insert and Registration Card (not shown)

• A 16-bit PCMCIA Type II or Type III slot

• PCMCIA revisions 2.10 compliant card and socket services

• Windows 95, 98, Millennium, NT, 2000, or XP

• 600 Kbytes of free disk space for utility and driver installation

Package Contents

System Requirements

Instant Wireless

Series

Chapter 1: Introduction

Put the “mobile” back into mobile computing! Whether you’re at your desk or

in the boardroom, the Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card allows you to share

printers, files, and other resources anywhere within your LAN infrastructure,

increasing your productivity and keeping you “in touch.”

The Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card now has a new, higher-powered

antenna that provides a greater range than ever. The increased sensitivity helps

filter out interference and “noise” to keep your signal clear. Improved error

correction in the chipset keeps you operating at higher transmission rates for

longer distances. And, since you only need one Type II or III PCMCIA slot,

you’re free to use your other slots for additional accessories.

Ready to run in Type II or III PCMCIA-equipped notebook PCs running

Windows 95, 98, Millennium, NT, 2000, and XP, the Instant Wireless™

Network PC Card ver. 3.0 is truly a “must-have” for all notebook PC users.

•11 Mbps High-Speed Data Transfer Rate

•Compatible with Virtually All Major Network Operating Systems

•Plug-and-Play Operation Provides Easy Setup

•Integrated Equalizer Recovers Weak Signals and Enhances Sensitivity

•Sturdy Metal Design with Integrated Antenna

•Works with All Standard Internet Applications

•Interoperable with IEEE 802.11b (DSSS) 2.4GHz-Compliant Equipment

•Clear Channel Assessment Increases Network Throughput

•Hardware Buffer Chaining Provides High Performance While Reading and

Writing Buffers

•Capable of up to 128-Bit WEP

•Free Technical Support—24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week for North America

Only

•1-Year Limited Warranty

Features

The Instant WirelessTM Network PC Card ver. 3.0

Figure 1-1

Network PC Card

Chapter 3: Installing the Drivers

and Configuration Utility for

Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000

Your new Linksys Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 comes with an

automated software installation procedure for Windows 95, 98, Millennium,

and 2000. Windows NT or XP users should refer to the next section. This

new procedure automatically installs the drivers and Configuration Utility

before you insert the Card into your PC, so there’s no searching for the location

of drivers. Again, this step is taken before inserting the Card into your PC.

1. Before installing your

card, insert the Setup

Utility CD into your

CD-ROM drive. Unless

you have deactivated the

auto-run feature of

Windows, the screen

shown in Figure 2-1

should appear automati-

cally.

If this screen does not appear automatically, you can access the installation

by 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-ROM

drive where the Setup Utility CD is located. Double-click the Setup.exe icon

in the folder that appears.

Before You Start

Running the Auto Driver Installation

Network PC Card

Chapter 2: Planning Your Wireless

Network

Awireless LAN is exactly like a regular LAN, except that each computer in the

LAN uses an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 to connect to the

network through a wireless connection. Computers in a wireless LAN must be

configured to share the same radio channel.

The Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 provides LAN access for

wireless workstations. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an

Infrastructure configuration. A group of Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card

ver. 3.0 users and an Access Point compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each

PC equipped with an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 in a BSS can

talk to any computer in a wired LAN infrastructure via the Access Point.

An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of an Instant

Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0 PC to a wired LAN, and doubles the

effective wireless transmission range for two PCs equipped with an Instant

Wireless™ 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 infrastructure

LAN is doubled.

Infrastructure mode also supports roaming capabilities for mobile users. More

than 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, equipped

with an Instant Wireless™ Network PC Card ver. 3.0, within one ESS must be

configured with the same ESS ID.

Before enabling an ESS with roaming capability, selecting a feasible radio

channel and optimum Access Point position is recommended. Proper Access

Point positioning combined with a clear radio signal will greatly enhance per-

formance.

Roaming

Network Topology

Figure 2-1

Instant Wireless

Series

4. Figure 2-4 shows the Warranty Policy screen. Read the entire policy by

pressing the Page Down button on your keyboard or by using the on-screen

scroll 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 installation

will continue.

5. The screen in Figure 2-5 will appear next, requesting the folder into which

the Configuration Utility will be installed. To install the Configuration

Utility in the

default directo-

ry (recom-

mended), click

the Next but-

ton. If you

prefer to install

the Utility in

another direc-

tory, click the

Browse button,

and locate the

preferred

directory.

Then, click the

Next 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 Figure

2-2 should appear, indicating that Windows is preparing the installation.

If, for whatever reason, you need to abort or terminate the installation, press

the 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 ready

to continue the installation. Click the Next button.

Note: If you stop the installation before it has finished, you will have to

run the installation completely again before installing your hardware.

Network PC Card

Figure 2-2

Figure 2-3

Figure 2-4

Figure 2-5

Instant Wireless

Series

Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in which

they may be set up: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. Choosing between these two

modes depends on whether or not the wireless network needs to share data or

peripherals 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 network

computers, the wireless network should be set up in the Infrastructure mode.

The basis of Infrastructure mode centers around an access point, which serves

as 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 roam

within a certain

radial range of the

access point.

Multiple access

points can be

arranged to work

in succession to

extend the roam-

ing range, and can

be set up to com-

municate with

your Ethernet

hardware as well.

If the wireless network is relatively small and needs to share resources only

with the other computers on the wireless network, then the Ad-Hoc mode can

be used (shown in Figure 2-8). Ad-Hoc mode allows computers equipped with

wireless 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 communicate

with computers on a

wired network. And,

of course, communi-

cation between the

wireless-equipped

computers is limited

by the distance and

interference directly

between them.

Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode

6. When the screen shown in Figure 2-6 appears, choose either Infrastructure

mode or Ad-Hoc mode. If you are unsure whether to choose Infrastructure

or Ad-Hoc, refer to the next section for more information. Once you have

made your choice, click the Next button.

Network PC Card

Figure 2-6

Figure 2-7

Figure 2-8

Instant Wireless

Series

3. The screen shown

in Figure 2-11 will

appear, indicating

that all of the

appropriate files

are being copied

onto your drive.

Click the Cancel

button if you need

to stop the installa-

tion for any reason.

4. Once Windows has finished copying the necessary files, the screen shown

in 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, I

want 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 your

choice, click the Finish button to continue.

1. 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. The

SSID may be up to 32 characters in length. This may include any character

on the keyboard, keeping in mind that the SSID is case sensitive. All SSID

values on your wireless network must match. If you are unsure, use the

default value of “linksys.” Then, click the Next button.

2. The Review

Settings screen

(Figure 2-10) will

appear next. Verify

that all the settings

are correct and

click the Next but-

ton to continue.

Note: Restart the computer and go to Chapter 3:

Installing the Network PC Card for further instructions.

Infrastructure Mode

Figure 2-9

Figure 2-10

Figure 2-11

Figure 2-12

Instant Wireless

Series

Network PC Card

2. The screen shown in Figure 2-14 should appear. You will be prompted to

enter 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. (See

Figure 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. All

computers on your wireless network must be using the same channel in

order to communicate with each other. If you are unsure about which chan-

nel to use, select the default channel (Channel 6). Once you have chosen

your channel, click the Next button.

Ad-Hoc Mode

Figure 2-13

Figure 2-14

Figure 2-15

Instant Wireless

Series

Chapter 4: Installing the Drivers

and Configuration Utility for

Windows XP

Windows XP will automatically walk you through the driver installation

process as well as automatically configure the Network PC Card for your wire-

less network. If you have any questions regarding wireless networking on your

Windows XP PC, please refer to your Windows XP documentation.

To install the Network PC Card’s drivers, insert the Setup Utility CD-ROM into

your 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 appropriate

drivers. 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 to

continue.

4. The next screen

will indicate that all

of the appropriate

files are being

copied onto your

drive. (See Figure

2-16.) Click the

Cancel button if

you need to stop

the installation for

any reason.

5. Once Windows has finished copying the necessary files, a screen similar to

that shown in Figure 2-17 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, I want 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 your choice, click the Finish button to continue.

Network PC Card

Figure 2-16

Figure 2-17

Note: Restart the computer and go to Chapter 5:

Installing the Network PC Card for further instructions.

Figure 4-1

Instant Wireless

Series

Chapter 5: Installing the Network

PC Card

1.Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot on

your notebook computer.

2. With the Network PC Card’s 68-pin connector facing the PCMCIA slot

and the “Network PC Card” label facing up, as shown in Figure 5-1, slide the

Network PC Card completely into the PCMCIA slot while the computer is

restarting and before the Windows desktop appears.

3. You may see several screens appear as the driver installation is finalized.

This is normal. No input should be necessary, and the screens should dis-

appear when the card is ready for use.

The Hardware Installation is complete. Your Wireless Network PC Card

is set up and ready for use. You may continue reading to learn about the

card’s Configuration Utility in Chapter 6 for Windows NT or Chapter 7

for other Windows Operating Systems.

The Windows XP

compatibility screen

will appear, as

shown in Figure 4-2.

As this card has

been tested to work

with Windows XP,

click the Continue

Anyway button to

continue.

On the final instal-

lation screen, click

the Finish button

to complete instal-

lation.

The Hardware Installation is complete.

Windows XP automatically detects and configures the Network PC Card for

your wireless network. To adjust these settings, refer to your Windows XP doc-

umentation.

Figure 4-2

Figure 4-3

Instant Wireless

Series

Network PC Card

Windows NT will set up the Network PC Card differently depending upon

whether you’ve previously installed network hardware or not. Please follow the

instructions appropriate for you.

If You Have Never Installed Network Hardware:

1. Windows NT is not a Plug-and-Play Operating System and will not auto-

matically identify the Network PC Card. To begin setup, insert the Setup

Utility CD into your CD-ROM drive. If the Setup Utility CD attempts to

autorun, exit out of the utility to the desktop by clicking the Exit tab. Select

Settings from the

Start Menu and

bring up the

Control Panel

(as shown in

Figure 6-1).

Double-click the

Network icon.

2. Windows will display

the screen in Figure 6-

2, showing that

Networking has not

been installed. Click

the Yes button to con-

tinue.

Installing the Drivers for Windows NT

Figure 6-1

Figure 6-2

Chapter 6: Installing the Drivers

and Configuration Utility for

Windows NT

The installation of the Network PC Card is different for users of Windows NT

because it is not a Plug-and-Play (PnP) operating system. This means it will not

automatically detect the presence of the Card when it is inserted.

Consequently, the order of the installation is different. The steps involved in

the installation are different, as well. If you are using any other operating sys-

tem than Windows NT, stop here and refer to the chapters regarding those oper-

ating systems.

1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot on your notebook

computer.

2. With the Network PC Card’s 68-pin connector facing the PCMCIA slot

and the “Network PC Card” label facing up, slide the Network PC Card

completely into the PCMCIA slot while the computer is restarting and

before the Windows desktop appears.

The Hardware Installation is complete. Proceed to the next section for

driver installation.

Overview

Installing the Network PC Card In Your Notebook PC

Network PC Card

Instant Wireless

Series

5.A list of adapters

will appear as in

Figure 6-5. You will

not want to select

one of these, howev-

er, as your installa-

tion disk (the Setup

Utility CD) has all

of the appropriate

drivers. Click the

Have Disk button to

continue.

6. When the Insert Disk

screen appears (shown

in Figure 6-6), type

“D:\WINNT” in the

field provided and click

the OK button to con-

tinue.

7.The Select OEM Option screen (shown in Figure 6-7) will display all

available adapters. Make sure that Instant Wireless - Network PC Card

V3.0 is highlighted and click the OK button to continue.

Figure 6-5

Figure 6-6

Figure 6-7

3. Installation will begin and you will reach the screen in Figure 6-3. You will

want to select the box that reads Wired to the network since you are adding

network hardware. Click the Next button to continue.

4. The screen shown in Figure 6-4 will not show any Network Adapters

installed on your system; this signifies that no network adapter has been pre-

viously installed. Click the Select from list button to continue.

Network PC Card

Figure 6-3

Figure 6-4

Instant Wireless

Series

10. On the screen showing Network Services (Figure 6-10), the selections are

automatically made. Click the Next button to continue.

11. As displayed in Figure 6-11, Windows NT will now be ready to start

installing networking components. After verifying your selections, click the

Next button to continue or click the Back button to make any necessary

corrections.

Figure 6-10

Figure 6-11

8. On the next screen, make sure there is a check mark in the box beside

Instant Wireless - Network PC Card (as shown in Figure 6-8). Then click

the Next

button to

continue.

9.The next screen (Figure 6-9) will show the list of network protocols used on

your network. While the TCP/IP Protocol is already selected by default, you

should check with your network administrator before installing any addi-

tional network protocols. Click the Next button to continue.

Network PC Card

Figure 6-8

Figure 6-9

Instant Wireless

Series

14. After setting the Resource and Properties fields, Windows NT will begin

installing the network components you’ve selected. You may be presented

with the screen shown in Figure 6-14, asking if you would like to configure

the protocols with a DHCP server on your network. Click the Yes or No

button to continue. This setting may also be changed at a later time.

15. In the event that the screen shown in Figure 6-15 appears, do not make any

changes unless you are proficient with the advanced networking properties

of Windows NT. Click the Next button to continue.

16. At this point, Windows NT will let you know that it is ready to start the net-

work. If you’d like to stop the procedure, click the Back button. To contin-

ue, click the Next button.

Figure 6-14

Figure 6-15

12. Windows NT may

request further

files at this point

(as shown in

Figure 6-12). Type

“D:\WINNT”

(where “D” repre-

sents your CD-

ROM drive) in the

field provided and

click the Continue

button.

If files are still requested, insert your Windows NT CD into your CD-ROM

drive and type “D:\i386” (where “D” represents your CD-ROM drive).

Then, click the Continue button.

13. You will now reach the screen shown in Figure 6-13. This is called the

Resources & Properties screen. It is recommended that you leave these

options at their

default settings. If

settings must be

changed, it is pre-

ferred that you use

the Configuration

Utility that came

with the Network

PC Card. If you

must adjust the set-

tings on this screen,

refer to Chapter 9:

Advanced

Properties for more

information on the

Advanced

Properties for

Windows NT. Click

the OK button to

continue.

Network PC Card

Figure 6-12

Figure 6-13

Instant Wireless

Series

23 24

Make sure that the Instant Wireless Network PC Card ver. 3.0 appears in the

Adapter window (as shown in Figure 6-17). Then, unless you need to

assign a static IP address, select Obtain an IP address from a DHCP

server and click the OK button. If you need to assign a static IP address,

select Specify an IP Address, and enter the appropriate values under IP

Address, Gateway Mask, and Default Gateway. After you have made your

choice, click the OK button.

Windows NT has now completed installing the network. Remove the Setup

Utility CD from the CD-ROM drive and click the Finish button to contin-

ue. Then, restart your computer.

The Driver Installation is complete. Continue now to the section called

Installing the Configuration Utility for Windows NT.

If You Have Installed Network Hardware Before:

1. Windows NT is not a

Plug-and-Play Operating

System and will not

automatically identify

the Network PC Card. To

begin setup, insert the

Setup Utility CD into

your CD-ROM drive and

then select Settings from

the Start Menu. Bring

up the Control Panel (as

shown in Figure 6-18)

and double-click the

Network icon.

Note: After you have installed the Network PC

Card, reapply the Windows NT service pack.

Figure 6-18

17. On the screen shown in Figure 6-15, enter your Computer Name, how your

computer is identified on the network. Then, assign the computer to either

a Workgroup or Domain, whichever is appropriate. The Computer Name

must be differ-

ent than any

other on the

Workgroup or

Domain. Click

the Next but-

ton.

18. Once the drivers

have been installed,

the following screen

(Figure 6-17) may

appear.

Network PC Card

Figure 6-16

Figure 6-17

Instant Wireless

Series

25 26

5. The Select OEM Option screen will display all available adapters. Make

sure that Instant Wireless - Network PC Card V3.0 is highlighted, as

shown in Figure 6-22, and click the OK button to continue.

6. You will now reach the screen shown in Figure 6-13. This is called the

Resources & Properties screen. It is recommended that you leave these

options at their

default settings. If

settings must be

changed, it is pre-

ferred that you use

the Configuration

Utility that came

with the Network PC

Card. If you must

adjust the settings on

this screen, refer to

Chapter 9: Advanced

Properties for more

information on the

Advanced Properties

for Windows NT.

Click the OK button

to continue.

Figure 6-22

Figure 6-23

2. To add the Network PC Card,

click the Adapters tab (as

shown in Figure 6-19) and

click the Add button to con-

tinue.

3. A list of adapters

will appear as

shown in Figure 6-

20. You will not

want to select one of

these, however, as

the Setup Utility

CD has all of the

appropriate drivers.

Click the Have Disk

button to continue.

4. On the Insert Disk

screen (Figure 6-21),

type “D:\WINNT” in

the field provided.

Then, click the OK

button to continue.

Network PC Card

Figure 6-19

Figure 6-20

Figure 6-21

Instant Wireless

Series

27 28

If the screen shown in Figure 4-25 appears, make sure that the Instant Wireless

Network PC Card ver. 3.0 appears in the Adapter window. Then, unless you

need to assign a static IP address, select Obtain an IP address from a DHCP

server and click the OK button. If you need to assign a static IP address, select

Specify an IP Address, and enter the appropriate values under IP Address,

Gateway Mask, and Default Gateway. After you have made your choice,

click the OK button.

Windows NT has now completed installing the drivers. Remove the Setup

Utility CD from the CD-ROM drive and click the Finish button to continue.

Then, restart your computer.

The Driver Installation is complete. Continue now to the section called

Installing the Configuration Utility for Windows NT.

Once you have restarted your computer, the drivers for the Card should load suc-

cessfully. Now it is necessary to install the Configuration Utility. Insert the Setup

Utility CD in the CD-ROM drive. Unless you have deactivated the auto-run fea-

ture of Windows, the screen shown in Figure 6-26 should appear automatically.

NOTE: After you have installed the Network PC Card,

reapply the Windows NT service pack.

Installing the Configuration Utility for Windows NT

Figure 6-26

7. The Network PC Card has

now been installed. You will

see it added onto the screen

shown in Figure 6-24. Click

the Close button to continue

and then restart your comput-

er.

8. Once the drivers have

been installed, the fol-

lowing screen (Figure

6-25) may appear.

Network PC Card

Figure 6-24

Figure 6-25

Instant Wireless

Series

29 30

Chapter 7: Configuration Utility

The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you further customization of

the Network PC Card and your wireless network.

Once the Configuration Utility has been installed, an icon will be placed in the

system tray (next to the clock) when the Network PC Card is inserted, as shown

in Figure 7-1.

You can also start the Configuration Utility by clicking the Start button, select-

ing Programs, and choosing the folder for the Network PC Card. Choose

Configuration Utility. You will see the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility

screen (shown in Figure 7-1). This utility is divided into six parts: Link Info,

Configuration, Site Survey, Encryption, Advanced, and About. You should

change all configuration settings for your Network PC Card using this utility

and not under the Network Properties section in your Control Panel.

LINK INFO

The Link Info screen (shown in Figure 7-2) provides information about the cur-

rent link between the Network PC Card and a wireless Access Point.

When in Infrastructure Mode, State will display the connection statistics for

the network segment that you are on.

The Current Channel field shows to what channel the Network PC Card is set.

The Current Transfer Rate field shows the transfer rate in megabits per sec-

ond.

The Current Service Set Identifier shows the current SSID set for the wire-

less network. This SSID can be modified at the Configuration screen.

The Throughput fields show the rate at which data is transferred and received

in Bytes per second.

Using the Configuration Utility

Figure 7-1

If this screen does not 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, and then double-click the CD-ROM drive where

the Setup Utility CD is located. Double-click the Setup.exe icon that appears.

Follow the instructions that appear on your screen. If you have any questions

or difficulty, refer to the section called Installing the Drivers and

Configuration Utility for Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000.

Network PC Card

Instant Wireless

Series

CONFIGURATION

The Configuration screen, shown in Figure 7-3, allows you to customize the

settings for the Network PC Card and your wireless network.

The Wireless Mode setting determines the architecture of your wireless net-

work. Select Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure Mode depending on your network

type. The Ad-Hoc mode is used for a simple peer-to-peer network and allows

the sharing of local resources only between Network PC Cards without need-

ing a wireless Access Point. The Infrastructure mode allows a wireless net-

work to be integrated into an existed, wired network through an Access Point.

Infrastructure networks permit roaming between Access Points while main-

taining a connection to all network resources.

An acronym for Service Set Identifier, 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.

Figure 7-3

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 bet-

ter the link.

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.

Note: When in Ad-Hoc mode, Link Quality and

Signal Strength indicators will not be available.

Figure 7-2

Network PC Card

Instant Wireless

Series

ENCRYPTION

On the Encryption screen, shown in Figure 7-5, you can set the level of security

with which you will be using the Network PC Card.

Under the drop-down box, you can choose to have WEP encryption Disabled, 64-

Bit, or 128-Bit. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is an encryption scheme used to

protect wireless data communication. The Disabled setting prevents the sharing of

data with other computers on the WEP network. When selecting Manual Entry

for the WEP Key Entry, enter the hexadecimal number set by other wireless WEP

settings; these settings have to be identical to the WEP encryption on all points in

your wireless network in order to network to your Network PC Card.

Note: In order to enable WEP encryption,

hexadecimal values must be entered.

Figure 7-5

Note: The WEP Key Entry must match the Key on all other devices

on the wireless network, or else this device will be unable to trans-

mit or receive data.

The Transfer Rate field shows the current transfer rate for the Network PC

Card. To optimize performance and range, the TX Rate should be set to Fully

Automatic, which will automatically adjust the transfer speed for best per-

formance 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.

This setting can only be adjusted in Ad-Hoc mode.

Power Saving Mode, or PS Mode, enables or disables the power saving features

of your Network PC Card.

SITE SURVEY

The Site Survey screen shows the available access points and their features.

Click on the desired access point. Then click Connect to connect or Search to

search for more access points.

Network PC Card

Figure 7-4

Instant Wireless

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The RTS Threshold Value should remain at its default setting of 2,432. A pre-

amble is a signal used to synchronize the transmission timing between two or

more systems. A series of transmission pulses is sent before the data to indicate

that “someone is about transmit data.” This ensures that systems receiving the

information correctly when the data transmission starts.

Security is used for WEP only. By selecting Deny Unencrypted Data

Frames, all unencrypted data will not be seen. 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 until the

key is changed.

Open System, the default setting, is 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.

The Preamble Type

should be set to Short (if

the network environment

is “noisy”) or Long (if the

environment is clear).

Click OK to complete the

configuration.

ABOUT

The About screen (Figure

7-7) shows the release

information for the Driver

Version, Configuration

Utility Version, and

Firmware Version

Figure 7-7

In order to enable 128-bit WEP encryption, choose 128 Bits in the drop-down

box. In the drop-down box near the bottom right-hand corner of the page,

choose which Default Tx Key will be used for the encryption. By default, Key

1 will be used. In the box corresponding to the default you chose, enter a hexa-

decimal number that the encryption algorithm will be based on. Click Apply

Changes when you are done.

ADVANCED

The Advanced screen (Figure 7-6) allows you to set the 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 2,432. If you experience high packet error rates, you can decrease this

value but it will likely decrease overall network performance. Only minor mod-

ifications of this value are recommended.

Network PC Card

Figure 7-6

Instant Wireless

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3. Highlight Protocol from the

list of network component

types, as shown in Figure 8-3,

and click the Add button.

4. From the screen

shown in Figure 8-

4, select Microsoft

from the list of

“Manufacturers”

and TCP/IP from

the list of “Network

Protocols” and click

the OK button.

Repeat steps two

through four to

install other proto-

cols, such as

NetBEUI or IPX/SPX.

5. To verify that the drivers are

working under Enhanced

Mode on the Driver Type tab

or reconfigure the card on

the Advanced tab, go to the

screen shown in Figure 8-2

and click the Properties but-

ton. This will bring up the

Properties Tabs, where such

values can be refined.

When finished, you must

restart your computer to

complete installation.

Chapter 8: Installing Network

Protocols

Protocols are necessary for computers to communicate on your network.

1. From the Start

Menu, select

Settings and

bring up the

Control Panel,

as shown in

Figure 8-1. From

the Control

Panel, double-

click the

Network icon.

2. Select Instant Wireless

Network PC Card V3.0

from the list (as shown in

Figure 8-2) and click the

Add button.

Figure 8-3

Figure 8-4

Figure 8-5

Network PC Card

Figure 8-1

Figure 8-2

Instant Wireless

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2. Select Authentication

Algorithm from the list

provided and select a

Value from the drop-

down menu on the

right, as shown in

Figure 9-2.

WECA Compliant (Default) (also referred to as Open Authentication)

The sender and recipient do NOT share a secret key. Each party generates its

own key-pair and asks the receiver to accept the generated key. Once accept-

ed, this key is used for a short time only.

Must use Shared with WEP (Optional)

This is when both the sender and recipient share a secret key. They use this key

for an extended length of time. Any eavesdropper that discovers the key may

decipher all packets until the key is changed. As indicated, you should always

use WECA Compliant (Always Use) unless you have some other reason to do

so.

Choose Channel to continue or click the OK button to finish setting the

Advanced Options

Figure 9-2

Network PC Card

Chapter 9: Advanced Properties

The Advanced Properties of the card are supplied for fine tuning the card’s set-

tings. These values should only be changed by those completely familiar with

both the operating system and the settings of the network. Unless your specif-

ic situation requires changing them, the default settings should be sufficient for

your card’s proper operation. Linksys advises that you change these values in

the Configuration Utility rather than using this method, to insure that the set-

tings you change will be recognized everywhere.

Check your wireless network settings before changing any of these values.

1. To access the Network Configuration screen (shown in Figure 9-1), click the

Start button, choose Settings and open the Control Panel. Double-click the

Network icon and choose the Advanced tab.

The Advanced Properties for Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000

Figure 9-1

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5. The Fragmentation

Threshold Value,

shown in Figure 9-5 indi-

cates the maximum size

of the transmit frame.

Any data frame larger

than this value will be

fragmented into multiple

frames. Lowering this

value usually means a

lower frame error rate,

but a lower value also

creates more overhead,

which negatively affects

network performance.

The value can only be

entered in increments of

128. Only minor modi-

fications of this value are

recommended. Click

Maximum Listen

Interval to continue or

the OK button to finish

setting the Advanced

Options.

6. The Maximum Listen

Interval, as shown in

Figure 9-6, only applies

when operating in the

Infrastructure mode

while Power Saving is

enabled. The value you

input here will deter-

mine how often the com-

puter “wakes up” from

the power saving mode

to receive any packets

that were sent while it

was “asleep.” The higher

the value entered here,

the longer the time your

computer “sleeps”

between waking up to

check for packets. Click

Network Type to con-

tinue or the OK button

to finish setting the

Advanced Options.

3. The Channel setting,

shown in Figure 9-3,

must be the same for

all wireless points in

the network. Use the

settings, 1-11, to find

the best channel for

your connection. For

further information,

see Chapter 7:

Configuration

Utility. Once your

card is configured,

click the OK button to

finish setting the

Advanced Options.

4. Select either Disabled, 64

bit, or 128 bit as the

value under Encryption,

shown in Figure 9-4.

Wired Equivalent

Privacy (WEP) is an

encryption method used

to protect wireless data

communication. The

Disabled setting pre-

vents the sharing of data

with other computers on

a WEP network. For data

sharing to be enabled,

select either 64 or 128 bit

encryption, depending

on your needs. For fur-

ther information, see

Chapter 7:

Configuration Utility.

Once your card is con-

figured, click OK to fin-

ish setting the Advanced

Options.

Network PC Card

Figure 9-5

Figure 9-6

Figure 9-3

Figure 9-4

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9. A preamble is a signal

used to synchronize

the transmission tim-

ing between two or

more points in your

wireless network.

The default setting is

Long Tx Preamble

(as shown in Figure 9-

9). Long Tx Preamble

allows extra time for

the digital decoder to

process the initial

header packets, but is

transmitted at

11Mbps. Short Tx

Preamble allows for

less time to process

the packets, but initial

packets are transmit-

ted at 2Mbps. Click

SSID to continue or

the OK button to fin-

ish setting the

Advanced Options.

10. RTS Threshold

should remain

Disabled the default

setting, as shown in

Figure 9-10. Do not

change the setting of

the RTS Threshold

unless connection

quality is poor. Then,

increase this setting by

a small value to estab-

lish a better connec-

tion. Click Network

Type to continue or

the OK button to fin-

ish setting the

Advanced Options.

Network PC Card

7. Select Network Type

(Figure 9-7) and select a

Value, from the drop

down menu, of either

Infrastructure or Ad-

Hoc.

The Infrastructure mode

allows a Network PC

Card to communicate

with a wired network

employing an access

point, while the Ad-Hoc

mode allows wireless-

to-wireless, peer-to-peer

communication. Click

Power Save Mode to

continue or the OK but-

ton to finish setting the

Advanced Options.

8. Select Power Save

Mode (shown in Figure

9-8) and select either

Enabled or Disabled

for the Value. Disabled

will allow for uninter-

rupted data communica-

tion. Selecting Enabled

allows your notebook to

enter “sleep” mode and

could interrupt data

communication. For

further information

about Power Save

Mode, see Chapter 7:

Configuration Utility.

Click Preamble Mode

to continue or the OK

button to finish setting

the Advanced Options.

Figure 9-9

Figure 9-10

Figure 9-7

Figure 9-8

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13. The WEP Passphrase (Figure 9-13) value allows the user to change the

passphrase that is used to generate the encryption key for WEP. Any

alphanumeric value can be entered here, but it will only be activated if you

choose either 64 or 128 bit under Encryption. This value can also be

changed using the Configuration Utility. For further information, see

Chapter 7: Configuration Utility.

Once your card is configured, click the OK button to finish setting the

Advanced Options.

Network PC Card

11. The value for SSID

(Figure 9-11) depends

on what Network

Type was selected.

Infrastructure net-

works should have the

same SSID as the

Access Point. All

clients in an Ad-Hoc

Network should share

the same SSID. Click

Transmit Rate to

continue or the OK

button to finish set-

ting the Advanced

Options.

12. The Transmit Rate

affects the speed of

transmission to anoth-

er wireless device.

The rate can either be

set to a fixed value or

left at the default value

of Full Auto, as shown

in Figure 9-12, which

lets the computer

determine the best

transfer rate. The first

option, Auto Select 1

or 2, is for compatibil-

ity with older wireless

equipment. Click

WEP Passphrase to

continue or the OK

button to finish setting

the Advanced Options.

Figure 9-13

Figure 9-11

Figure 9-12

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2. The IRQ Base level

(Figure 9-15) can be

changed in order to

avoid possible conflicts

with other system

devices. The default

setting for the Network

PC Card is 7. This

value should only be

changed if the Card

does not work properly.

3. The Mode setting (Figure

9-16) should be either

Infrastructure or Ad-

Hoc, depending upon

your network’s settings.

The Infrastructure

mode allows

a Network PC Card to

communicate with a

wired network employing

an access point, while the

Ad-Hoc mode allows

wireless-

to-wireless, peer-to-peer

communication. For

more information about

these settings, refer to the

section in Chapter 3

called Ad-Hoc versus

Infrastructure Mode.

The Advanced Properties screen allows you to make modifications to your

Network PC Card, optimizing performance. These properties are accessed by

right-clicking on the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop. Select

Properties from the menu that appears. From the tabbed window that appears

next, click the Adapters tab. Highlight Instant Wireless Network PC Card

V3.0 and then click the Properties button. The screen in Figure 9-14 should

appear. Choosing improper settings in these fields can keep the Wireless

Network PC Card from functioning properly. Follow these steps to configure

the Advanced Properties fields:

1. The I/O Base setting,

shown in Figure 9-14,

should be unique and

not conflict with any

other device settings in

your system.

The Advanced Properties for Windows NT

Note: In order to check for potential IRQ conflicts,

run WINMSD by selecting RUN from the Start menu

and typing winmsd.exe and pressing the Enter key.

Network PC Card

Figure 9-14

Figure 9-15

Figure 9-16

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6. RTS Threshold should

remain in the default

setting of Disabled, as

shown in Figure 9-19.

Do not change the set-

ting of the RTS

Threshold unless con-

nection quality is poor.

Then, increase this set-

ting by a small value to

establish a better con-

nection.

7. Fragmentation

Threshold should

remain in the default

setting of Disabled,

as shown in Figure 9-

20. Do not change the

setting of the

Fragmentation

Threshold unless con-

nection quality is

poor. Then, increase

this setting by a small

value to establish a

better connection.

4. The SSID (as shown in

Figure 9-17) depends

on what Mode is

selected. If the Mode

is Infrastructure, it

should have the same

SSID name as the

Access Point. If the

Mode is Ad-Hoc, all

clients should share

the same SSID name.

5. The DS Channel set-

ting (Figure 9-18) must

be the same for all

wireless points in the

network. Use the set-

tings, 1-11, to find the

best channel for your

connection.

Network PC Card

Figure 9-17

Figure 9-18

Figure 9-19

Figure 9-20

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10. The Authentication

setting, shown in Figure

9-23, is Open System

by default. Open

System is another name

for WECA compliant.

WECA Compliant (Default) (also referred to as Open Authentication)

The sender and recipient do NOT share a secret key. Each party generates

its own key-pair and asks the receiver to accept the generated key. Once

accepted, this key is used for a short time only; thereafter a new key is gen-

erated and agreed upon.

Shared Key (Optional)

This is when both the sender and recipient share the same key. They use this

key for an extended length of time. Any eavesdropper that discovers the key

may decipher all packets until the key is changed. As indicated, you should

always use WECA Compliant (Always Use) unless you have some other rea-

son to do so.

Choose Listen Interval to continue or the OK button to finish setting the

Advanced Options

8. Under Power Saving

mode (Figure 9-21),

select either Enabled

or Disabled. Disabled

will allow for uninter-

rupted data communi-

cation. Selecting

Enabled allows your

notebook to enter

“sleep” mode and

could interrupt data

communication. For

further information

about Power Save

Mode, see Chapter 7:

Configuration Utility.

9. Select either Disabled,

64 bit, or 128 bit as

the value under

Encryption, as shown

in Figure 9-22). Wired

Equivalent Privacy

(WEP) is an encryp-

tion scheme used to

protect wireless data

communication. The

Disabled setting pre-

vents the sharing of

data with other com-

puters on a WEP net-

work. For data sharing

to be enabled, select

either 64 or 128 bit

encryption.

Network PC Card

Figure 9-21

Figure 9-22

Figure 9-23

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Chapter 10: Troubleshooting

This chapter provides solutions to problems usually occurring during the instal-

lation and operation of the Network PC Card. Read the description below to

solve your problems. If you can’t find an answer here, check the Linksys web-

site at www.linksys.com.

1.My computer does not recognize the Network PC Card.

Make sure that the Network PC Card is properly inserted into the PCMCIA

slot. Note that the card can be inserted either way, but only correctly when it

is inserted so that the “Instant Wireless” logo on the front of the card may not

be seen. If in doubt, try inserting the card both ways. The card will slide in

further when it is correct.

2.The Network PC Card does not work properly.

•Reinsert the Network PC Card into your notebook’s PCMCIA slot. A beep

should be heard if the card is properly inserted.

•For non-Windows environments, make sure that a PCMCIA card service

driver is installed on your PC.

•Open the Control Panel and click on the PC Card. Check whether it has a

PCMCIA card in one of the sockets or not. If you find the Network PC Card

in one of the sockets, it means the card has been detected properly. If you see

a yellow question mark, the resources are conflicting.

•Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. Select the device man-

ager and click the Network Adapter. You will find the Network PC Card if

it is installed successfully. If you see the yellow exclamation mark, the

resources are conflicting. Click PCMCIA card and then click PCMCIA

card service. You will see the status of the Network PC Card. If there is a

yellow question mark, please check the following:

•Make sure your notebook has a free IRQ.

•Make sure you have inserted the right card and installed the proper

driver.

Common Problems and Solutions

Network PC Card

11. The Listen Interval

setting, as shown in

Figure 9-24, should

remain at 1 Beacon per

Second. Setting this

higher could result in

slower data transfer.

12. The TX Rate setting, as

shown in Figure 9-25,

should remain Fully

Auto as set by default.

Changing this to a dif-

ferent transfer rate will

lock in that rate and

may result in dropped

connections.

Click the OK button to

complete setting these

options.

Figure 9-24

Figure 9-25

Instant Wireless

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What is Infrastructure?

An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configura-

tion. Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access to a cen-

tral database, or wireless application for mobile workers.

What is Roaming?

Roaming is the ability of a portable computer user to communicate continu-

ously while moving freely throughout an area greater than that covered by a sin-

gle Wireless Network Access Point.

To achieve true seamless connectivity, the wireless LAN must incorporate a

number of different functions. Each node and Wireless Network Access Point,

for example, must always acknowledge receipt of each message. Each node

must maintain contact with the wireless network even when not actually trans-

mitting data. Achieving these functions simultaneously requires a dynamic RF

networking technology that links Wireless Network Access Points and nodes.

In such a system, the user’s end node undertakes a search for the best possible

access to the system. First, it evaluates such factors as signal strength and qual-

ity, as well as the message load currently being carried by each Wireless

Network Access Point and the distance of each Wireless Network Access Point

to the wired backbone. Based on that information, the node next selects the

right Wireless Network Access Point and registers its address. Communications

between end node and host computer can then be transmitted up and down the

backbone.

As the user moves on, the end node’s RF transmitter regularly checks the sys-

tem to determine whether it is in touch with the original Wireless Network

Access Point or whether it should seek a new one. When a node no longer

receives acknowledgment from its original Wireless Network Access Point, it

undertakes a new search. Upon finding a new Wireless Network Access Point,

it then re-registers, and the communication process continues.

What is BSS ID?

A specific Ad-hoc LAN is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Computers in a

BSS must be configured with the same BSS ID.

What is ESSID?

An Infrastructure configuration could also support roaming capability for

mobile workers. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service

Set (ESS). Users within an ESS could roam freely between BSSs while main-

taining a continuous connection to the wireless network stations and Wireless

Network Access Points.

If the Network PC Card does not function after attempting the above steps,

remove the card and do the following:

•Uninstall the driver software from your PC.

•Restart your PC and repeat the hardware and software installation as

specified in this User Guide.

3.I cannot communicate with the other computers linked via Ethernet in

the Infrastructure configuration.

•Make sure that the notebook PC to which the Network PC Card is associat-

ed is powered on.

•Make sure that your Network PC Card is configured on the same channel and

with the same security options as the other computers in the Infrastructure

configuration.

Can I run an application from a remote computer over the wireless net-

work?

This will depend on whether or not the application is designed to be used over

a network. Consult the application’s documentation to determine if it supports

operation over a network.

Can I play multiplayer games with other users of the wireless network?

Yes, as long as the game supports multiple players over a LAN (local area net-

work). Refer to the game’s documentation for more information.

What is the IEEE 802.11b standard?

The IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN standards subcommittee formulatings stan-

dards for the industry. The objective is to enable wireless LAN hardware from

different manufacturers to communicate.

What IEEE 802.11 features are supported?

The product supports the following IEEE 802.11 functions:

•CSMA/CA plus Acknowledge protocol

•Multi-Channel Roaming

•Automatic Rate Selection

•RTS/CTS feature

•Fragmentation

•Power Management

What is Ad-hoc?

An Ad-hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with a Network PC

Card, connected as an independent wireless LAN. An Ad-hoc wireless LAN is

applicable at a departmental scale for a branch or SOHO operation.

Network PC Card

Frequently Asked Questions

Instant Wireless

Series

What is ISM band?

The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside bandwidth

for unlicensed use in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band.

Spectrum in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz, in particular, is being made available

worldwide. This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place convenient

high speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe.

What is Spread Spectrum?

Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency technique devel-

oped by the military for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communica-

tions systems. It is designed to trade off bandwidth efficiency for reliability,

integrity, and security. In other words, more bandwidth is consumed than in the

case of narrowband transmission, but the trade-off produces a signal that is, in

effect, louder and thus easier to detect, provided that the receiver knows the

parameters of the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not

tuned to the right frequency, a spread-spectrum signal looks like background

noise. There are two main alternatives, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

(DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).

What is DSSS? What is FHSS? And what are their differences?

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) uses a narrowband carrier that

changes frequency in a pattern that is known to both transmitter and receiver.

Properly synchronized, the net effect is to maintain a single logical channel. To

an unintended receiver, FHSS appears to be short-duration impulse noise.

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) generates a redundant bit pattern for

each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code).

The longer the chip, the greater the probability that the original data can be

recovered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmis-

sion, statistical techniques embedded in the radio can recover the original data

without the need for retransmission. To an unintended receiver, DSSS appears

as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband

receivers.

Would the information be intercepted while transmitting on air?

WLAN features two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as with

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security fea-

ture of scrambling. On the software side, the WLAN series offers the encryp-

tion function (WEP) to enhance security and access control. Users can set it up

depending upon their needs.

Can Instant WirelessTM products support file and printer sharing?

Instant WirelessTM products perform the same function as LAN products.

Therefore, Instant WirelessTM products can work with Netware, Windows

NT/2000, or other LAN operating systems to support printer or file sharing.

What is WEP?

WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 40 bit

shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

Network PC Card

Instant Wireless

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devices access the line at exactly the same time, their signals collide. When the

collision is detected, they both back off and each wait a random amount of time

before retrying.

Database - A database is a collection of data that is organized so that its contents

can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.

Default Gateway - The routing device used to forward all traffic that is not

addressed to a station within the local subnet.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A protocol that lets network

administrators manage centrally and automate the assignment of Internet

Protocol (IP) addresses in an organization's network. Using the Internet's set of

protocol (TCP/IP), each machine that can connect to the Internet needs a unique

IP address. When an organization sets up its computer users with a connection to

the Internet, an IP address must be assigned to each machine. Without DHCP, the

IP address must be entered manually at each computer and, if computers move to

another location in another part of the network, a new IP address must be entered.

DHCP lets a network administrator supervise and distribute IP addresses from a

central point and automatically sends a new IP address when a computer is

plugged into a different place in the network.

DHCP uses the concept of a "lease" or amount of time that a given IP address

will be valid for a computer. The lease time can vary depending on how long a

user is likely to require the Internet connection at a particular location. It's espe-

cially useful in education and other environments where users change frequently.

Using very short leases, DHCP can dynamically reconfigure networks in which

there are more computers than there are available IP addresses.

DHCP supports static addresses for computers containing Web servers that need

a permanent IP address.

Domain - A subnetwork comprised of a group of clients and servers under the

control of one security database. Dividing LANs into domains improves per-

formance and security.

Driver - A workstation or server software module that provides an interface

between a network interface card and the upper-layer protocol software running

in the computer; it is designed for a specific NIC, and is installed during the ini-

tial installation of a network-compatible client or server operating system.

Network PC Card

Chapter 11: Glossary

Ad-hoc Network - An ad-hoc network is a wireless network or other small net-

work in which some of the network devices are part of the network only for the

duration of a communications session while in some close proximity to the rest

of the network.

Architecture - The total design and implementation of the network. It includes

the network's topology, transmission technologies and communications proto-

cols, management and security systems, and any other attributes that give a net-

work a particular set of capabilities and functionalities.

Backbone - The part of a network that connects most of the systems and net-

works together and handles the most data.

Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of a given facility, in terms of how much

data the facility can transmit in a fixed amount of time; expressed in bits per sec-

ond (bps).

Bit - A binary digit. The value - 0 or 1-used in the binary numbering system.

Also, the smallest form of data.

BSS (Basic Service Set) - A group of Instant Wireless Network PC Card users

and an Access Point.

Buffer - A buffer is a shared or assigned memory area used by hardware devices

or program processes that operate at different speeds or with different sets of pri-

orities. The buffer allows each device or process to operate without being held up

by the other. In order for a buffer to be effective, the size of the buffer and the

algorithms for moving data into and out of the buffer need to be considered by

the buffer designer. Like a cache, a buffer is a "midpoint holding place" but exists

not so much to accelerate the speed of an activity as to support the coordination

of separate activities.

CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) - The LAN

access method used in Ethernet. When a device wants to gain access to the net-

work, it checks to see if the network is quiet (senses the carrier). If it is not, it

waits a random amount of time before retrying. If the network is quiet and two

Instant Wireless

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Hop - The link between two network nodes.

IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) - The IEEE

describes itself as "the world's largest technical professional society, promoting

the development and application of electrotechnology and allied sciences for the

benefit of humanity, the advancement of the profession, and the well-being of our

members."

The IEEE fosters the development of standards that often become national and

international standards. The organization publishes a number of journals, has

many local chapters, and several large societies in special areas, such as the IEEE

Computer Society.

Infrastructure - An infrastructure network is a wireless network or other small

network in which the wireless network devices are made a part of the network

through the Access Point which connects them to the rest of the network.

IP Address - In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol (Internet

Protocol) today, an IP address is a 32-binary digit number that identifies each

sender or receiver of information that is sent in packet across the Internet. When

you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet Protocol part of TCP/IP

includes your IP address in the message (actually, in each of the packets if more

than one is required) and sends it to the IP address that is obtained by looking up

the domain name in the Uniform Resource Locator you requested or in the e-mail

address you're sending a note to. At the other end, the recipient can see the IP

address of the Web page requestor or the e-mail sender and can respond by send-

ing another message using the IP address it received.

IPX (Internetwork Packet EXchange) - A NetWare communications protocol

used to route messages from one node to another. IPX packets include network

addresses and can be routed from one network to another.

IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) - A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ lines

used to signal the CPU that a peripheral event has started or terminated. In most

cases, two devices cannot use the same line.

ISM band - The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside

bandwidth for unlicensed use in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical)

band. Spectrum in the vicinity of 2.4 GHz, in particular, is being made available

worldwide. This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place convenient

high-speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe.

Network PC Card

DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) - DSSS generates a redundant bit pat-

tern for each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping

code). The longer the chip, the greater the probability that the original data can

be recovered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmis-

sion, statistical techniques embedded in the radio can recover the original data

without -the need for retransmission. To an unintended receiver, DSSS appears as

low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband

receivers.

Encryption - A security method that applies a specific algorithm to data in order

to alter the data's appearance and prevent other devices from reading the infor-

mation.

ESS - More than one BSS in a network.

Ethernet - IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is placed on

and retrieved from a common transmission medium. Has a transfer rate of 10

Mbps. Forms the underlying transport vehicle used by several upper-level proto-

cols, including TCP/IP and XNS.

FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) - FHSS continuously changes the

center frequency of a conventional carrier several times per second according to

a pseudo-random set of channels, while chirp spread spectrum changes the car-

rier frequency. Because a fixed frequency is not used, illegal monitoring of spread

spectrum signals is extremely difficult, if not downright impossible depending on

the particular method.

Firmware - Programming that is inserted into programmable read-only memory

(programmable read-only memory), thus becoming a permanent part of a com-

puting device.

Fragmentation - Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a

network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet.

Gateway - A device that interconnects networks with different, incompatible

communications protocols.

Hardware - Hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications,

and other information technology devices. The term arose as a way to distinguish

the "box" and the electronic circuitry and components of a computer from the

program you put in it to make it do things. The program came to be known as the

software.

Instant Wireless

Series

Packet - A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination in a network.

Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP

encryption process by automatically generating the WEP encryption keys for

Linksys products.

PC Card - A credit-card sized removable module that contains memory, I/O, or

a hard disk.

PCMCIA - The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International

Association) is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a

credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer,

usually a notebook or laptop computer.

Plug-and-Play - The ability of a computer system to configure expansion boards

and other devices automatically without requiring the user to turn off the system

during installation.

Roaming - The ability to use a wireless device and be able to move from one

access point's range to another without losing the connection.

RTS (Request To Send) - An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station to

the receiving station requesting permission to transmit.

Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to

files, printing, communications, and other services.

Software - Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a

particular task is called a "program." The two major categories of software are

"system software" and "application software." System software is made up of

control programs such as the operating system and database management system

(DBMS). Application software is any program that processes data for the user.

A common misconception is that software is data. It is not. Software tells the

hardware how to process the data.

Spread Spectrum - Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency

technique developed by the military for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical

communications systems. It is designed to trade off bandwidth efficiency for reli-

ability, integrity, and security. In other words, more bandwidth is consumed than

in the case of narrowband transmission, but the trade off produces a signal that

is, in effect, louder and thus easier to detect, provided that the receiver knows the

Network PC Card

LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated

devices that share a common communications line and typically share the

resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for

example, within an office building).

Mbps (MegaBits Per Second) - One million bits per second; unit of measure-

ment for data transmission.

NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface) - The transport layer for NetBIOS.

NetBIOS and NetBEUI were originally part of a single protocol suite that was

later separated. NetBIOS sessions can be transported over NetBEUI, TCP/IP and

SPX/IPX protocols.

NetBIOS - The native networking protocol in DOS and Windows networks.

Although originally combined with its transport layer protocol (NetBEUI),

NetBIOS today provides a programming interface for applications at the session

layer (layer 5). NetBIOS can ride over NetBEUI, its native transport, which is not

routable, or over TCP/IP and IPX/SPX, which are routable protocols.

NetBIOS computers are identified by a unique 15-character name, and Windows

machines (NetBIOS machines) periodically broadcast their names over the net-

work so that Network Neighborhood can catalog them. For TCP/IP networks,

NetBIOS names are turned into IP addresses via manual configuration in an

LMHOSTS file or a WINS server.

There are two NetBIOS modes. The Datagram mode is the fastest mode, but does

not guarantee delivery. It uses a self-contained packet with send and receive

name, usually limited to 512 bytes. If the recipient device is not listening for mes-

sages, the datagram is lost. The Session mode establishes a connection until bro-

ken. It guarantees delivery of messages up to 64KB long.

Network - A system that transmits any combination of voice, video and/or data

between users.

Node - A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work sta-

tion.

Notebook (PC) - A notebook computer is a battery-powered personal computer

generally smaller than a briefcase that can easily be transported and convenient-

ly used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in libraries, temporary offices,

and at meetings. A notebook computer, sometimes called a laptop computer, typ-

ically weighs less than five pounds and is three inches or less in thickness.

Instant Wireless

Series

Chapter 12: Specifications

Standards: IEEE 802.11b

Channels: 11 Channels (US, Canada)

13 Channels (Europe)

14 Channels (Japan)

Operating Range:

Indoors: Up to 30M (100 ft.) @ 11 Mbps

Up to 50M (165 ft.) @ 5.5 Mbps

Up to 70M (230 ft.) @ 2 Mbps

Up to 91M (300 ft.) @ 1 Mbps

Outdoors: Up to 152M (500 ft.) @ 11 Mbps

Up to 270M (885 ft.) @ 5.5 Mbps

Up to 396M (1300 ft.) @ 2 Mbps

Up to 457M (1500 ft.) @ 1 Mbps

Data Rate (Mbps): Up to 11Mbps (with automatic scale back)

LEDs: Link, Power

Dimensions: 4.5"x 2"x 0.3"(115mm x 54mm x 8mm)

Unit Weight: 1.65 oz. (47g)

Power: 3.3V or 5V DC, 275mA Tx, 225mA Rx,

200mA Standby

Certifications: FCC Class B, CE Mark Commercial

Operating Temp.: 32ºF to 131ºF (0ºC to 55ºC)

Storage Temp.: -4ºF to 158ºF (-20ºC to 70ºC)

Operating Humidity: 0% to 90% Non-Condensing

Storage Humidity: 0% to 95% Non-Condensing

Environmental

parameters of the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not

tuned to the right frequency, a spread-spectrum signal looks like background

noise. There are two main alternatives, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

(DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).

Static IP Address - A permanent IP address that is assigned to a node in an IP

or a TCP/IP network.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) - A method (protocol) used along with the

Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) to send data in the form of message units

between computers over the Internet. While IP takes care of handling the actual

delivery of the data, TCP takes care of keeping track of the individual units of

data (called packet) that a message is divided into for efficient routing through

the Internet.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - The basic commu-

nication language or protocol of the Internet. It can also be used as a communi-

cations protocol in a private network (either an intranet or an extranet). When you

are set up with direct access to the Internet, your computer is provided with a

copy of the TCP/IP program just as every other computer that you may send mes-

sages to or get information from also has a copy of TCP/IP.

Throughput - The amount of data moved successfully from one place to anoth-

er in a given time period.

Topology - A network's topology is a logical characterization of how the devices

on the network are connected and the distances between them. The most common

network devices include hubs, switches, routers, and gateways. Most large net-

works contain several levels of interconnection, the most important of which

include edge connections, backbone connections, and wide-area connections.

TX Rate - Transmission Rate.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit

or 128-bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

Workgroup - Two or more individuals that share files and databases.

Instant Wireless

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Network PC Card

Chatper 14: Contact Information

For help with the installation or operation of this product, contact Linksys

Technical Support at one of the phone numbers or Internet addresses below.

Sales Information 800-546-5797 (LINKSYS)

Technical Support 866-242-8558

RMA Issues 949-261-1288

Fax 949-261-8868

Email support@linksys.com

Web http://www.linksys.com

FTP Site ftp.linksys.com

Network PC Card

Chapter 13: Warranty Information

BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE AND A BARCODE

FROM THE PRODUCT’S PACKAGING ON HAND WHEN CALLING.

RETURN REQUESTS CANNOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT PROOF OF

PURCHASE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL LINKSYS’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE

PAID FOR THE PRODUCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCI-

DENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE

USE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS ACCOMPANYING SOFTWARE, OR ITS

DOCUMENTATION. LINKSYS DOES NOT OFFER REFUNDS FOR ANY

PRODUCT.

LINKSYS OFFERS CROSS SHIPMENTS, A FASTER PROCESS FOR PRO-

CESSING AND RECEIVING YOUR REPLACEMENT. LINKSYS PAYS

FOR UPS GROUND ONLY. ALL CUSTOMERS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA SHALL BE HELD

RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES. PLEASE

CALL LINKSYS FOR MORE DETAILS.

Instant Wireless

Series

http://www.linksys.com

Cisco Linksys WPC11-V4 Wireless-B Notebook Adapter User Manual wpc11 ver3 0 user guide

Cisco-Linksys, LLC Wireless-B Notebook Adapter wpc11 ver3 0 user guide

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