3COM 3CRWE777A User Manual

AirConnect

Wireless PCI Card User Guide

3CRWE777A

http://www.3com.com/ http://www.3com.com/productreg

Part No. 09-2006-000 Published October 2000

3Com Corporation ■ 5400 Bayfront Plaza ■ Santa Clara, California, U.S.A. 95052-8145

Copyright © 2000 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation, transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from 3Com Corporation.

3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notiﬁcation of such revision or change.

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If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation, it is furnished under a license agreement included with the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation, or on the removable media in a directory ﬁle named LICENSE.TXT or !LICENSE.TXT. If you are unable to locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND

If you are a United States government agency, then this documentation and the software described herein are provided to you subject to the following:

All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense. Software is delivered as “Commercial Computer Software” as deﬁned in DFARS

252.227-7014 (June 1995) or as a “commercial item” as deﬁned in FAR 2.101(a) and as such is provided with only such rights as are provided in 3Com’s standard commercial license for the Software. Technical data is provided with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252.227-7015 (Nov 1995) or FAR

52.227-14 (June 1987), whichever is applicable. You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in conjunction with, this User Guide.

Unless otherwise indicated, 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States and may or may not be registered in other countries.

3Com, the 3Com logo, and AirConnect are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation.

Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

EXPORT RESTRICTIONS:

exported or transferred from the U.S. or Canada without an approved US Department of Commerce export license.

This product or software contains encryption code which may not be

ONTENTS

VERVIEW

Introduction 1 Package Checklist 1 Hardware Description 2

Features 2 Applications 2 Status LED Indicator 3

System Requirements 4

NSTALLATION

Introduction 5 Card Installation Procedure 5 Windows 95/98/2000/Me Driver Installation Procedure 7 Windows NT 4.0 Driver Installation Procedure 9

ETWORK CONFIGURATION AND PLANNING

Introduction 13 Network Topologies 13

Ad hoc Wireless LAN 13 Infrastructure Wireless LAN 14

Setting the Communication Domain 15

Stationary Wireless PCs 15 Roaming Wireless PCs 15

ONFIGURATION AND DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY

Introduction 17 Installing the Wireless LAN Conﬁguration Utility 17 Using the Wireless LAN Conﬁguration Utility 17

Link Information Screen 18 Conﬁguration Screen 19 Encryption Screen 21

ROUBLESHOOTING

Introduction 23 Preliminary Troubleshooting 23

PCI Compatibility 23 Network Connection Problems 24

ECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Speciﬁcations 27

ECHNICAL SUPPORT

Online Technical Services 29

World Wide Web Site 29

3Com FTP Site 29 Support from Your Network Supplier 30 Support from 3Com 30 Returning Products for Repair 32

NDEX

ARRANTY AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Introduction

3Com's Wireless PCI Card is an 11 Mbps wireless network adapter that seamlessly integrates with existing Ethernet networks to support applications such as mobile users or temporary conferences. This solution offers a high data rate and reliable wireless connectivity with considerable cost savings over wired LANs (which include long-term maintenance overhead for cabling). Just install PCI adapters into your notebook PCs, and start networking.

Using this card in conjunction with 3Com's AirConnect Access Point, you can create an instant network that integrates seamlessly with 10 Mbps Ethernet LANs. Moreover, moving or expanding your network is as easy as moving or installing additional access points - no wires!

VERVIEW

Package Checklist

The Wireless PCI Card package includes:

■

One wireless PCI card (3CRWE777A)

■

One CD containing drivers and utilities This

■

One registration card (please complete and return)

Please inform your dealer if there are any incorrect, missing or damaged parts. If possible, retain the carton, including the original packing materials. Use them again to repack the product in case there is a need to return it for repair.

Wireless PCI Card User Guide

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VERVIEW

Hardware Description

3Com's Wireless PCI Card supports 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps half-duplex connections to Ethernet networks. This card is fully compliant with 2.4GHz DSSS CSMA/CA wireless networking as deﬁned in IEEE 802.11b. It is designed to complement PCI Local Bus computers. It supports Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me.

Features

1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps data rate.

■

Wireless connection without the difﬁculties and cost

of cabling

■

Greater ﬂexibility to locate or move networked PCs

Integrates with or replaces wired LANs at dramatically

■

lower cost than wired alternatives

■

Seamless connectivity to wired Ethernet LANs augments

existing networks quickly and easily

■

Easy installation

Operating range up to 30m (100 ft) at 11 Mbps , up to

■

100m (300 ft) at 5.5 Mbps and lower

■

Point-to-point and point-to-multipoint access

■

Direct Sequence Spread-Spectrum (DSSS) technology

provides robust, interference-resistant and secure

wireless connection

Supports a wide range of operating systems

■

(Win95/98/NT/2000/Me)

■

Plug-and-Play

■

Provides a user-friendly interface for conﬁguration

■

Enhances your network security with WEP data

encryption

Applications

3Com wireless products offer a fast, reliable, cost-effective solution for wireless client access to the network in applications like these:

■

Remote access to corporate network information:

E-mail, ﬁle transfer and terminal emulation.

Hardware Description

■

Difﬁcult-to-wire environments: Historic or old buildings, asbestos installations, and

open areas where wiring is difﬁcult to employ. Frequently changing environments:

■

Retailers, manufacturers and banks who frequently rearrange the workplace and change location.

■

Temporary LANs for special projects or peak times: Trade shows, exhibitions and construction sites that

need a temporary setup for a short time period. Retailers, airline, and shipping companies that need

additional workstations for peak periods. Auditors who require workgroups at customer sites. Access to database for mobile workers:

■

Doctors, nurses, retailers, and white-collar workers who need access to databases while being mobile in the hospital, retail store, or ofﬁce campus.

■

SOHO (Small Ofﬁce and Home Ofﬁce) users: SOHO environments needing easy and quick installation

of a small computer network.

Status LED Indicator

The Wireless PCI Card includes one status LED indicator, as described in the following ﬁgure and table.

Figure 1

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VERVIEW

Always On

Power is being

■

supplied to the PCI card.

A valid connection to

■

the network exists. The PCI card is

■

transmitting or receiving data.

System Requirements

Before you install the wireless PCI card, check your system for the following requirements:

■

Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me operating system (prepare

the Windows installation CD-ROM for use during

installation).

■

A minimum of 500 Kbytes of free disk space for

installing the driver and utility program.

■

Other IEEE 802.11b-compliant devices installed in your

service area (such as 3Com's AirConnect access point

and wireless PC card.

Blinking Off

The PCI card is attempting to associate with an access point.

No power is being supplied to the PCI card.

NSTALLATION

Introduction

Before Installing the 3Com Wireless PCI Card, be sure you read and follow the precautions listed here:

Network cards are sensitive to static electricity.

■

To protect the card, always touch the metal chassis of your computer before handling the card.

■

Be sure to turn off power to your computer before you plug in or remove a wireless PCI card.

Card Installation Procedure

1 Turn off power to your desktop computer and unplug

the power cord.

2 Remove the cover of your computer.

3 Locate an empty PCI slot and remove its slot cover.

Save the screw.

4 Carefully insert the PCI card into the selected slot

until it seats snugly (see Figure 2). The shielded part of the wireless PCI card protrudes from the card faceplate and juts out beyond the back panel of your computer when the card is installed.

CAUTION: DO NOT REMOVE the shielded part of the

PCI card from the printed circuit carrier.

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NSTALLATION

Figure 2

5 Secure the card with the screw that you removed

earlier.

6 Replace the cover of your PC and plug in the

power cord.

7 Turn on the power to your computer.

8 Depending on your operating system, proceed to

either “Windows 95/98/2000/Me Driver Installation Procedure” or “Windows NT 4.0 Driver Installation Procedure”.

Windows 95/98/2000/Me Driver Installation Procedure

Your

End User Utilities

available for the 3Com Wireless PCI Card. New or updated drivers can be downloaded from 3Com's web site at http://www.3Com.com.

1 Windows 95/98/2000/Me will automatically detect

the new hardware and prompt you to install the driver. Click "Next" to ﬁnd the driver.

2 Insert the CD and click "Next".

3 Specify the CD drive and click "Next". The setup

program automatically ﬁnds the appropriate .INF ﬁle and driver for your operating system.

4 Click "Next" to copy ﬁles from the CD.

5 The Adapter Properties window appears, showing

the Advanced tab screen.

CD contains all the software drivers

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NSTALLATION

6 If you are setting up an ad hoc wireless LAN, set

"Channel" to the same radio channel as that used by the other wireless clients in your group. However, if you are connecting to a network via an access point, then use the same channel as that used by the access point (access point default: 3).

7 Set "Mode" to ad hoc or infrastructure, depending on

the type of network you want to connect to. Click OK (default: infrastructure).

8 Set "RTS Threshold" to the same as that used by the

other devices in your network (access point default:

2432).

9 Set the "SSID" identiﬁer to the same as that used by

the ad hoc workgroup or access point you want to connect to (access point default: 101).

10 For more secure data transmission, set the "Use WEP"

to "Enabled" to ensure wireless network security. The advanced Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is implemented in this card to prevent unauthorized access (default: Disabled).

If the access point you wish to connect to is set for encryption, you must also enable encryption on the wireless client. Click Encryption in the Wireless LAN Conﬁguration Utility to go to screens where you can enable and conﬁgure encryption.

You must set the wireless client for the same encryption algorithm and shared key values as the access point it will associate with. Save the conﬁguration settings and exit by clicking OK.

11 Click "OK". At this point, depending on how your

computer is conﬁgured, Windows 98/98SE may prompt you to insert the Windows 98/98SE installation CD to copy required system ﬁles. Follow the instructions displayed, then click "Finish."

12 Restart your computer when prompted.

Windows NT 4.0 Driver Installation Procedure 9

Windows NT 4.0 Driver Installation Procedure

1 From the Windows desktop, select "Control Panel,"

double-click "Network," click "Adapters," and then click the "Add" button on the Network dialog box.

2 Windows NT will present a list of all its supported

adapters. Click "Have Disk" to continue.

3 Windows NT will ask for the drive/path containing

the Windows NT drivers. Insert the CD into the drive, specify the drive letter of the CD, then click "OK."

4 When prompted, select 3Com 3CRWE777A WLAN PCI

adapter, then click "OK."

5 Windows NT will attempt to locate the SYS and INF

ﬁles in the speciﬁed path. If you have entered the path name correctly, Windows NT should copy the appropriate drivers to the Windows NT system. You must conﬁrm the selection by clicking "OK."

6 The Adapter Properties dialog box appears. Conﬁgure

the card as described below, and click "OK."

10 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLATION

■ Mode - Set to "ad hoc" or "infrastructure", depending

on the type of network you want to connect to.

■ SSID - Set the "SSID" identiﬁer to the same as that

used by the ad hoc workgroup or access point you want

to connect to. (access point default: 101).

■ Channel - If you are setting up an ad hoc wireless LAN,

set the channel number to the same radio channel used

by the other wireless clients in your group. However, if

you are connecting to a network via an access point,

then use the same channel as that used by the access

point (access point default: 3).

■ RTS Threshold - Set the RTS threshold to the same as

that used by the other devices in your network (default:

Disabled).

■ Use WEP - For more secure data transmission, set this

ﬁeld to "Enabled" to ensure wireless network security.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is implemented in the

PCI card to prevent unauthorized access (default:

Disabled).

You must set the wireless client for the same encryption algorithm and shared key values as the access point it will associate with. Save settings and exit by clicking OK.

7 If desired, select the Services tab and Click "Add..." to

install the network protocols you want to use, such as IPX/SPX, NetBEUI or TCP/IP.

If you install TCP/IP, be sure to set the appropriate gateway, DNS server, and domain for your network. If you install an IPX/SPX-compatible protocol, then you also need to install the Client for NetWare Networks.

8 Click "Close."

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