ASUSTeK Computer WL103B Users Manual

Wireless Local Area Network Card

®

WL-103b

(For 802.11b Wireless Networks)

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
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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
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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-103b)
Manual Revision: 1
Release Date: May 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

ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL (America)

Address: 44370 Nobel Drive, Fremont, CA 94538, 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 Email: [e-mail] (for marketing requests only)
Marketing Fax: [phone]

Technical Support

Support Hotline: Components: [phone]
Support Hotline: Notebook PC:[phone]
Support (Email): www.asuscom.de/kontakt (for online support)
Web Site: www.asuscom.de
Support Fax: [phone]

ASUS WLAN Card 3

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

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

Installation .......................................................................................... 11

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

Reading the ASUS WLAN Status Indicators................................. 16

3. Software Reference .............................................................. 17

Chapter Overview............................................................................... 17

Windows XP Wireless Options ..................................................... 18

Control Center Utility .......................................................................... 19

Site Monitor Utility......................................................................... 22

Wireless Settings Utility...................................................................... 24

Status - Status Tab ....................................................................... 25

Status - Connection Tab ............................................................... 29

Status - IP Config Tab ................................................................... 30

Config - Basic Tab......................................................................... 31

Config - Encryption Tab ................................................................ 33

Survey - Site Survey Tab .............................................................. 36

About - Version Info Tab ............................................................... 37

Link State...................................................................................... 38

Exit Wireless Settings ................................................................... 38

Mobile Manager Utility........................................................................ 39

New Configuration Wizard ............................................................ 43

Edit Configuration ......................................................................... 44

4 ASUS WLAN Card

Table of Contents

5. Glossary................................................................................. 48

4. Troubleshooting.................................................................... 58

6. Safety Information................................................................. 68

Federal Communications Commission............................................... 68

FCC Radio Frequency Interference Requirements ...................... 69

FCC RF Exposure Guidelines (Access Points) ............................ 69

FCC RF Exposure Guidelines (Wireless Cards)........................... 70

Canadian Department of Communications ........................................ 70

Operation Channel for Different Domains .......................................... 70

France Restricted Frequency Band.................................................... 71

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 802.1 1g
and IEE802.11b 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 W ireless LAN solutions.

The ASUS WLAN Card is designed to be fully compliant with IEEE 802.1 1g wireless
local area networks (WLAN). 802.11g is an extension to 802.11b, used in majority of
wireless LANs today . 802.11g 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.

The ASUS WLAN Card supports data rates up to 1 1 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. W ireless LANs are complementary
extensions to existing wired LANs, offering 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 different rooms without wires! ASUS WLAN products can keep you connected
anywhere, any time.

Overview

Chapter 1

ASUS WLAN Card 7

Chapter 1 - Introduction

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.

For 802.11b Wireless Networks

creates a wireless network using the IEEE

802.11b wireless standard and allows
sharing a single Internet connection.

The ASUS

WLAN

802.11b
Gateway
(WL-500)

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b CF Card (WL-

110) is a IEEE 802.11b

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

The ASUS WLAN

802.11b Access Point
(WL-300) creates a

wireless network using the
IEEE 802.11b wireless
standard.

The ASUS WLAN

802.1 1b 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 802.1 1b
PC Card (WL-103b) is a
IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN
adapter that fits into a
PCMCIA Type II slot in a
Notebook PC. This new
version presents a better
looking design to replace the
WL-100.

The above illustrations are not to scale.

8 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 1 - Introduction

For 802.11b & 802.11a Wireless Networks

The ASUS WLAN

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

(IEEE 802.11a/b) wireless
LAN adapter that fits into
a Notebook PC’s
PCMCIA Type II slot with
Cardbus support.

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

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

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

Chapter 1

WLAN Family

For 802.11g & 802.11b Wireless Networks

The ASUS WLAN

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

wireless network using
the IEEE 802.11g and

802.11b wireless
standards.

The above illustrations are not to scale.

The ASUS WLAN

802.11g PC Card (WL­103g) is a IEEE 802.11g

and 802.11b wireless
LAN adapter that fits into
a PCMCIA Type II slot in
a Notebook PC. This new
version presents a better
looking design to replace
the WL-100g.

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 1 - Introduction

Installation

Follow these instructions to install WLAN card in your system.

1. Install the software using the support CD.

2. Insert the wireless LAN card.

Note: Please install the Utility/Driver software first before inserting
the WLAN Card.

Installing the WLAN Card Utility/Driver

1. Insert the ASUS WLAN Card support CD into the CD-ROM drive and
an autorun menu will appear . (If the menu screen is not visible, double
click SETUP.EXE in the root directory of the support CD.)

Chapter 1

WLAN Card Utilities/Driver.

4. Click Next after reading the information.

3. Click Next on the Welcome screen.2. From the autorun menu, click Install ASUS

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

ASUS WLAN Card 11

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Introduction

6. Modify the Program Folder field, if desired.
Click Next to continue. It will start copying
files on your system.

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

12 ASUS WLAN Card

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Installing the WLAN Card
PCMCIA Card

1. Turn on your computer and enter Windows.

2. Insert the WLAN Card into the PCMCIA slot on your computer until it
is firmly seated.

CardBus Card

1. Turn on your computer and enter Windows.

2. Insert the WLAN Card into the CardBus PC Card slot on your com­puter until it is firmly seated.

PCI Card

1. Turn OFF your computer and open your computer chassis. Insert the
WLAN Card into a PCI slot. Attach the antenna to the WLAN Card.

Chapter 1

2. Turn on your computer and enter Windows.

USB Adapter

1. Turn ON your computer and enter Windows.

2. Plug the USB Adapter into the USB port of your computer.

3. Windows will automatically detect the WLAN Card. The Found New
Hardware Wizard dialog will appear and begin installing drivers.

4. Windows 98SE/Me users - During the installation, windows may prompt
you insert the " Windows 98SE/ME CD-ROM" which contains some
driver files. Insert your "Windows 98SE/ME CD-ROM" and click Y es.

Windows 2000 users - A Digital Signature Not Found message may
appear. Click Yes to proceed.

Windows XP users - A W indows Logo T esting Not Found message may
appear. Click Continue Anyway to proceed.

5. When the WLAN Card setup is completed, you can start up the WLAN
utility to configure your WLAN Card. Please refer the user manual for
more detailed information.

ASUS WLAN Card 13

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 1

Verifying the Driver Installation

1. Open the Control Panel through the Start menu.

2. Double-click System icon.

3. Windows 98SE/Me users - Select the Device Manager tab.

4. Double-click Network Adapters. There should be no yellow exclama-

Windows 2000/XP users - Select the Hardware tab, and click Device
Manager button.

tion mark or red cross-sign on the ASUS 802.11b Network Adapter /
ASUS 802.11g Network Adapter selection. It means the adapter in­stalled correctly.

14 ASUS WLAN Card

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.

Right-Click

1. Right-click the ASUS WLAN icon and

select “Wireless Settings”

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

Quick Start

Chapter 2

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

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”.

ASUS WLAN Card 15

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

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

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 .

Chapter 2

Network

Network (Green) Power (Green) Definition

Chapter 2 - Installation

Power

Status Indicators

Fast Blinking Fast Blinking Associated or joined with network & activity
Slow Blinking Slow Blinking Associated or joined with network & no activity
Alternating Blink Alternating Blink Seaching for network connection
OFF Slow Blinking Power save mode (power-up or reset)
OFF OFF No power to the SpaceLink Cardbus

Status Indicators

16 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 17

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

18 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 19

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)

20 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 21

Site Monitor Utility

Site Monitor measures the received
signal strength indicator (RSSI)
values of all available wireless
networks. This tool is used for
determining the best placement of
Access Points to provide the best
coverage for a wireless network.

Starting Site Monitor

• Click the Windows Start button, select Programs | ASUS Utility |

or

Site Monitor

Chapter 3

• Right-click the Control Center icon on the Windows taskbar and then

Chapter 3 - Reference

Windows Start Menu

WLAN Card | Site Monitor.

click Site Monitor.

Your wireless LAN perfor­mance may be affected when
running the site monitor.

Main Screen

Measures the signal values of all available wireless networks.

Some Access Points can disable broadcasting SSID to hide them­selves from “Site Survey” or “Site Monitor” for added security
but still allow you to join if you know their SSID.

22 ASUS WLAN Card