ASUS WL-100g User Manual

Wireless Local Area Network Card

®

WL-100g

(For 802.11g and 802.11b Wireless Networks)

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User’s Manual

Copyright Information

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it,
may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or
translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation
kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written
permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF
ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A P AR TICULAR PURPOSE. IN
NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES
OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT , SPECIAL, INCIDENT AL,
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS
OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA,
INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS
BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING
FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired,
modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized
in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or
missing.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be
registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used
only for identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent
to infringe.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND
ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND
SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS
ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS
OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL,
INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Copyright © 2003 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

Product Name: ASUS WLAN Card (WL-100g)
Manual Revision: 1 E1291
Release Date: April 2003

2 ASUS WLAN Card

Copyright Information

ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific)

Address: 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112
General Tel: [phone]
General Fax: [phone]
General Email: [e-mail]

Technical Support

MB/Others (Tel):[phone] (English)
Notebook (Tel): [phone] (English)
Desktop/Server: [phone] (English)
Support Fax: [phone]
Support Email: [e-mail]
Web Site: www.asus.com.tw
Newsgroup: cscnews.asus.com.tw

ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL (America)

Address: 6737 Mowry Avenue, Mowry Business Center,

Building 2, Newark, CA 94560, USA
General Fax: [phone]
General Email: [e-mail]

Technical Support

Support Fax: [phone]
General Support: [phone]
Web Site: www.asus.com
Support Email: [e-mail]

ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Germany & Austria)

Address: Harkortstr. 25, 40880 Ratingen, BRD, Germany
General Fax: [phone]
General Email: [e-mail] (for marketing requests only)

Technical Support

Support Hotline: MB/Others: [phone]
Notebook (Tel): [phone]
Support Fax: [phone]
Support (Email): www.asuscom.de/de/support (for online support)
Web Site: www.asuscom.de

ASUS WLAN Card 3

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................. 7

Overview .............................................................................................. 7

The ASUS Wireless LAN Family..................................................... 8

The ASUS WLAN™ Family .................................................................. 8

System Requirements ........................................................................ 10

The Product Package......................................................................... 10

2. Installation ............................................................................. 11

Installing the ASUS WLAN Card Driver.............................................. 11

Verifying Drivers............................................................................ 12

Installing the ASUS WLAN Card Utilities ............................................ 13

ASUS WLAN Utility Quick Start.......................................................... 15

Reading the ASUS WLAN Status Indicators................................. 17

Orientating the Antenna................................................................ 18

3. Software Reference .............................................................. 19

Chapter Overview............................................................................... 19

Windows XP Wireless Options ..................................................... 20

Control Center Utility .......................................................................... 21

Site Monitor Utility......................................................................... 24

Wireless Settings Utility...................................................................... 26

Status - Status Tab ....................................................................... 27

Status - Connection Tab ............................................................... 31

Status - IP Config Tab ................................................................... 32

Config - Basic Tab......................................................................... 33

Config - Encryption Tab ................................................................ 35

Survey - Site Survey Tab .............................................................. 38

About - Version Info Tab ............................................................... 39

Link State...................................................................................... 40

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Table of Contents

Exit Wireless Settings ................................................................... 40

Mobile Manager Utility........................................................................ 41

New Configuration Wizard ............................................................ 45

Edit Configuration ......................................................................... 46

Troubleshooting Utility........................................................................ 54

Windows XP Wireless Properties ....................................................... 58

4. Troubleshooting.................................................................... 60

5. Glossary................................................................................. 62

IEEE 802.11b (11Mbits/sec) ............................................................... 67

Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (for 802.11b) .............................. 68

IEEE 802.11a (54Mbits/sec) ............................................................... 69

COFDM (for 802.11a/g) ...................................................................... 70

6. Safety Information................................................................. 71

Federal Communications Commission............................................... 71

FCC Radio Frequency Interference Requirements ...................... 72

FCC RF Exposure Guidelines (Access Points) ............................ 72

FCC RF Exposure Guidelines (Wireless Cards)........................... 72

Canadian Department of Communications ........................................ 73

France Restricted Frequency Band.................................................... 74

ASUS WLAN Card 5

6 ASUS WLAN Card

1. Introduction

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Overview

Thank you for purchasing the ASUS WLAN Card. The ASUS WLAN Card is
a PCMCIA compliant “wireless” network interface card (NIC) for any computer
equipped with a PC Card slot (available mainly in Notebook PCs).

The ASUS WLAN Card is designed to be fully compliant with both the IEEE

802.11g and IEE802.1 1b wireless local area network (Wireless LAN) standards.
As a result of the completion of the standard, the interoperability of Wireless
LAN products among multiple manufacturers will be guaranteed. The ASUS
WLAN Card product provides high-speed, standards-based Wireless LAN
solutions.

The ASUS WLAN Card is designed to be fully compliant with IEEE 802.11g
wireless local area networks (WLAN). 802.11g is an extension to 802.11b,
used in majority of wireless LANs today . 802.1 1g will broaden 802.1 1b's data
rates to 54 Mbps within the 2.4 GHz band using OFDM (orthogonal frequency
division multiplexing) technology . 802.11g allows backward compatibility with

802.11b devices but only at 11 Mbps or lower depending on the range and
presence of obstructions.

Overview

Chapter 1

The ASUS WLAN Card supports data rates up to 11 Mbps, with automatic
fallback to 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps in 802.11b networks. It operates in the unlicensed

2.4 GHz frequencies called the Instrumentation, Science, and Medical (ISM)
band. Unlicensed means free of charge to users.

The ASUS WLAN Card configuration utility is a user-friendly application that
helps you quickly setup multiple roaming nodes using the ASUS WLAN Card.
You can even export the configuration settings to a file and import them to
other computers for fast multiple installations using ASUS Mobile Manager.
Wireless LANs are complementary extensions to existing wired LANs, of fering
complete mobility while maintaining continuous network connectivity to both
corporate and home Intranets. They add a new level of convenience for LAN
users. PC users stay connected to the network anywhere throughout a building
without being bound by a LAN wires. This is accomplished through the use of
ASUS WLAN Access Points or ASUS WLAN Home Gateways. ASUS WLAN
Home Gateways with built-in Internet gateway capability , allows your family
to share a broadband Modem and one ISP account simultaneously from dif ferent
rooms without wires! ASUS WLAN products can keep you connected
anywhere, any time.

ASUS WLAN Card 7

Chapter 1 - Introduction

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WLAN Family

Chapter 1

The ASUS Wireless LAN Family

The ASUS Wireless LAN family contains a complete solution for wireless
local area networks in the office or at home.

The ASUS WLAN 802.11b Gateway
(WL-500) creates a wireless network
using the IEEE 802.11b wireless
standard and allows sharing a single
Internet connection.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b PC Card
(WL-100) is a IEEE

802.11b wireless
LAN adapter that fits
into a PCMCIA T ype
II slot in a Notebook
PC.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b Access Point
(WL-300) creates a

wireless network using
the IEEE 802.11b
wireless standard.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b/a Cardbus
Card (WL-200) is a dual

band (IEEE 802.11a/b)
wireless LAN adapter that
fits into a Notebook PC’ s
PCMCIA T ype II slot with
Cardbus support.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b CF Card
(WL-1 10) is a IEEE

802.11b wireless
LAN adapter that fits
into a Compact Flash
Type II slot in a
Portable Digital
Assistant (PDA).

The above illustrations are not to scale.

8 ASUS WLAN Card

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b/a PCI Card
(WL-230) is a dual

band (IEEE 802.11a/b)
wireless PCI card that
also supports Bluetooth
connections.

Chapter 1 - Introduction

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Chapter 1

WLAN Family

The ASUS WLAN 802.11b/a Router
(WL-600) creates a wireless network

using the IEEE 802.11b and 802.11a
wireless standards and allows sharing
a single Internet connection.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11g Access Point
(WL-300g) creates a

wireless network using
the IEEE 802.11g and

802.11b wireless
standards.

The ASUS WLAN 802.11b USB
Client (WL-140) is an IEEE

802.11b wireless USB LAN adapter
that connects to any computer’s
USB port with the benefit of being
able to place the antenna anywhere
in order to maximize signal strength.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11g PC Card
(WL-100g) is a IEEE

802.11g and 802.11b
wireless LAN adapter
that fits into a
PCMCIA T ype II slot
in a Notebook PC.

The above illustrations are not to scale.

ASUS WLAN Card 9

Requirements

Chapter 1

System Requirements

To begin using the ASUS WLAN Card, you must have the following
minimum requirements:

• Windows XP/2000/ME/98SE

• Standard PCMCIA Slot Type II

• 32MB system memory or larger

• 300MHz processor or higher

The Product Package

When you receive the ASUS WLAN Card package, it should contain the
following items:

Chapter 1 - Introduction

• ASUS WLAN Card (PCMCIA Type II)

• ASUS WLAN Card Quick Start Guide

• ASUS WLAN Card User’s Manual

• CD-ROM Disc (Drivers, Utilities, Documentation)

If any of the above items are not included or damaged, contact your
local dealer for instructions.

10 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 2 - Installation

2. Installation

Installing the ASUS WLAN Card Driver

1. Turn ON your computer and enter
Windows.

2. Insert the ASUS WLAN Card into a
PCMCIA Type II slot with the connector
side first. The raised side represents the
top side and the flat side represents the
bottom side. Push the ASUS WLAN Card
into the slot until it is firmly seated.

CAUTION: Make sure that you carefully align the ASUS WLAN Card
into the PCMCIA socket. Forcing a misaligned PCMCIA card will
damage the PCMCIA card or the PCMCIA socket.

Chapter 2

Installing Driver

3. Windows will automatically detect the
ASUS WLAN Card once it is inserted into
the PCMCIA slot, then the “Add New
Hardware Wizard” dialog will appear.
Click Next.

ASUS WLAN Card 11

4. Insert the support CD that came with your
ASUS WLAN Card.

5. Select “Search for the best driver in”...
and “Search removable media...”, then
click Next.

Chapter 2 - Installation

Installing Driver

Chapter 2

6. When asked about driver compatibility
with Windows XP. Click Continue
Anyway since ASUS has always tests its
drivers before product shipment.

8. Click Finish when installation has
complete. Restart your computer if
prompted.

Verifying Drivers

7. Wait while Windows XP creates a restore
point for you system files in case you
need to restore your current system.

You can verify the ASUS WLAN
Card driver in Device Manager.
(Access Device Manager from Start |
Control Panel | System | Hardware).
A question mark

means that no
driver has been installed. An
exclamation mark over a card
means that the driver is incorrect.
Verify that you are using the correct
product and driver CD. T ry repeating
the installation and contact customer
support if necessary .

12 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 2 - Installation

Installing the ASUS WLAN Card Utilities

After you have installed the ASUS WLAN Card driver, you can install the
WLAN Adapter utilities. Refer to the
User’s Manual for the detailed
information.

1. Insert the ASUS WLAN Card support CD
and an autorun menu will appear. If your
autorun is disabled, double click
SETUP.EXE in the root directory of the
support CD.

2. From the autorun menu, select your
language and click Install ASUS WLAN
Card Utilities.

3. Click Next on the Welcome screen.

Chapter 2

Installing Utilities

4. Click Next after reading the Information.

5. Click Next to use the default Destination
Folder or click Browse to select another
folder.

ASUS WLAN Card 13

6. Click Next to place icons in the default
program folder or type another folder
name.

Chapter 2 - Installation

Installing Utilities

Chapter 2

7. When Setup is complete, click Finish to
exit the installation wizard.

8. When the program is launched for the first
time, you will be asked which function to
use. Select to use ASUS utilities for more
functions.

By default, the “ASUS WLAN
Control Center” is set to launch with
Windows. If necessary, you can

Several shortcuts will be created
which can be accessed through Start.

14 ASUS WLAN Card

launch it manually from the W indows
Start Menu.

Chapter 2 - Installation

ASUS WLAN Utility Quick Start

After installing the ASUS WLAN driver and utility, you may need to make
some settings before being able to use your wireless connection.

Chapter 2

Quick Start

Right-Click Menu

1. Right-click the ASUS WLAN icon and
select “Wireless Settings”

3. Use “Site Survey” if you don’t know the
name of your access point(s).

2. Set the Network Name (SSID) to the
same name as the SSID set in your
wireless access point.

4. Encryption settings must also match
those set in the access point. Talk with
your network administrator if necessary.

ASUS WLAN Card 15

ASUS WLAN Utility Quick Start (Cont.)

Quick Start

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Installation

5. Click Apply to save your settings and
check the “Status” page to see the
“Association State”. It should show
“Connected - xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx”.

6. You can also see the connection quality
on the “Connection” page. Click OK to
exit the utility.

16 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 2 - Installation

Reading the ASUS WLAN Status Indicators

The part of the ASUS WLAN Card that protrudes out of the PCMCIA socket
consists of two LEDs that indicate the status of the ASUS WLAN Card .

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Air LED

Power LED

Chapter 2

Status Indicators

Air LED

OFF: No wireless activity.
Blink: Transmitting or receiving wireless data.

Power LED

OFF: No power or error.
ON: Power ON.

Status Indicators

ASUS WLAN Card 17

Chapter 2

Antenna

Chapter 2 - Installation

Orientating the Antenna

The ASUS WLAN Card has two integrated antennas, one external
omnidirectional antenna and the other is a built-in diversity antenna. It is
recommended that you adjust the external antenna straight up for maximum
range and higher link quality. Lower the external antenna when transporting
your Notebook PC.

Internal diversity

antenna

Inserted ASUS WLAN Card - Antenna Down

External omnidirectional antenna

Inserted ASUS WLAN Card - Antenna Up

18 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 3 - Reference

3. Software Reference

Chapter Overview

The ASUS WLAN Card software includes five groups of utilities

Windows Start Menu - Programs

• Control Center – Makes it easy to launch applications and activate

network location settings.

• Mobile Manager – A convenient tool to setup and manage network

location settings.

• Site Monitor – Measures the received signal strength indicator (RSSI)

values of all wireless networks. This tool is used for determining the
best placement of Access Points to provide the most ef ficient coverage
in a wireless network.

• T r oubleshooting - T roubleshooting will test your settings and connec-

tion to try to pinpoint your problem and give you a solution.

• Wireless Settings – Allows users to control the ASUS WLAN Card.

Additional Reference

Chapter 3

Software Reference

• Windows XP Wireless Properties - Brief overview of the wireless

settings provided in Windows XP.

ASUS WLAN Card 19

Chapter 3 - Reference

Windows XP Wireless Options

The wireless options shown below is only available for Windows XP. The
first time you run the Control Center utility, it will automatically show.
Select one of the radio buttons to decide which interface to use with your
ASUS WLAN Card.

Only use XP wireless function – Only use “Windows XP” wireless network
settings to configure the ASUS WLAN Card.

Only use ASUS utilities and disable XP wireless function – Only use
“ASUS WLAN Card utilities” to configure the ASUS WLAN Card.
(recommended)

Software Reference

Chapter 3

You can return to the Wireless Option setting at any time by left clicking
the control center icon and choosing “Wireless Option”.

Taskbar Left-Click Menu

20 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 3 - Reference

Control Center Utility

Control Center is an application that makes it easy to launch applications
and activate network location settings. Control Center starts automatically
when the system boots. Whenever Control Center is running, you will see
a Control Center icon displayed on the Windows taskbar.

Starting the Control Center manually

• Select ASUS WLAN Control Center in Windows Start menu.
or

• Double click the ASUS WLAN Control Center icon on the desktop.

Windows Start Menu

Using the Control Center Taskbar

The Control Center Taskbar menu display the following information:

• The link quality of the ASUS WLAN Card (Excellent, Good, Fair,
Poor, Not Linked)

• Whether the ASUS WLAN Card is connected to the Internet (Blue:
Connected, Gray: Not Connected)

Chapter 3

Control Center

Taskbar Icon and Status

ASUS WLAN Card 21

Chapter 3 - Reference

Wireless Status Icons (on the taskbar)

Excellent link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Good link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Fair link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Poor link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Not linked but connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Excellent link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Control Center

Chapter 3

Good link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Fair link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Poor link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

Not linked and not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)

22 ASUS WLAN Card

Taskbar Icon - Right Menu

Right-clicking the taskbar icon shows
the following menu items:

• Wireless Settings – Launches
Wireless Settings application.

• Activate Configuration – Al-
lows you to set which profile
to use.

• Mobile Manager – Launches
Mobile Manager application.

• Preferences – Customizes the
way the Control Center pro­gram behaves. You can create
a Control Center shortcut on
the desktop. You can also set
whether Control Center starts
up with Windows.

• Exit – Closes the Control Cen-
ter program.

Chapter 3 - Reference

Right-Click Menu

Chapter 3

Control Center

Taskbar Icon - Left Menu

Left-clicking the taskbar icon shows
the following menu:

• Wireless Radio On – T urns the
wireless radio ON.

• Wireless Radio Off – Turns
the wireless radio OFF.

• Search & Connect – V iew the
properties of available Access
Points within range.

• Wireless Option (W indows XP only) – Sets your Windows XP wire-
less networking environment.

Taskbar Left-Click Menu

Taskbar Icon - Launch Wireless Settings

Double-clicking the taskbar icon:

• Launches the Wireless Settings application.

ASUS WLAN Card 23