ASUSTeK Computer WL167G Users Manual

Chapter 3

This chapter provides information on
the softwares and utilities inside the
support CD

Software support

3.1 Control Center

The Control Center utility is a
management software that launches
applications and configures network
settings. The Control Center starts
automatically when the system boots and displays the Control Center icon
in the Windows
launcher, and indicator of signal quality and Internet connection.

3.1.1 Control Center icons

The Control Center icon indicates the quality of link to the access point
and connection to the Internet. Refer to the table below for icon
indications.

Infrastructure network (wireless LAN adapter to an access point)

Excellent link quality and Excellent link quality but not
connected to the Internet connected to the Internet

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taskbar. The Control Center icon serves as an application

Good link quality and Good link quality but not
connected to the Internet connected to the Internet

Fair link quality and Fair link quality but not
connected to the Internet connected to the Internet

Poor link quality but Poor link quality and not
connected to the Internet connected to the Internet

Not linked but connected Not linked and not
to the Internet connected to the Internet

Ad-hoc network (wireless LAN adapter to other Wi-Fi device)

Linked
Not Linked
Connected to the Internet

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Chapter 3: Software support

3.1.2 Control Center right-click menu

Right-clicking the Control Center icon
displays the softwares and utilities
the ASUS USB Wireless LAN
Adapter supports. Refer to the
succeeding sections for details on
these utilities and softwares.

3.1.3 Control Center left-click menu

Left-clicking the Control Center icon
displays the left-click menu.

Search & Connect – View available wireless networks within range.
Wireless Option – Sets your

Windows
environment. The Wireless Option
window appears when you select this
option. Select “Only use ASUS

utilities and disable XP wireless
function” to avail all ASUS USB

wireless LAN adapter features.
Click OK.

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XP wireless networking

ASUS USB wireless LAN adapter

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3.2 Wireless Settings

The Wireless Settings is the main
interface that allows you to control
the ASUS USB wireless LAN adapter.
Use the Wireless Settings to view
the operational and connection
status, or to modify the wireless
LAN adapter configuration.

The Wireless Settings window is
composed of the property window
and tabbed property sheets. Click
the icons in the property window to
display their tabbed property
sheets.

3.2.1 Status

Status tab

Tabbed property sheets

Property window

The Status tab provides general
information on the wireless LAN
adapter.

Association State. This field
displays the connection status and
MAC address of the network where
the system is connected.

Service Set Identifier (SSID). This
field displays the SSID of the
network to which the card is
associated or is intending to join. The SSID is a group name shared by
every member of a wireless network. Only client PCs with the same SSID
are allowed to establish a connection.

The MAC Address field displays the hardware address of a device
connected to a network.

The Current Channel field displays the radio channel that the card is
currently tuned. The channel changes as wireless LAN adapter scans the
available channels.

The Current Data Rate field displays the data transfer rate between the
wireless LAN adapter and the access point.

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Chapter 3: Software support

Rescan button - Click to allow wireless LAN adapter to scan available

wireless networks and to connect to the network with the best signal quality.
Change SSID button - Click to change the SSID. Clicking this button

opens the Config-Basic window. See “Basic tab” on page 3-7.
Search and Connect button - Click to view all wireless networks within

the range of your system. Clicking this button opens the Site Survey
window. See page 3-9.

Connection tab

The Connection tab provides
real-time information on connection
throughput, frame errors, signal
strength, link quality and overall
connection quality in graphical
representation.

IP Config tab

The IP Config tab displays the
current host and Ethernet adapter
configurations. IP Config displays
TCP/IP information including the IP
address, subnet mask, default
gateway, DNS and Windows Internet
Naming Service (WINS)
configurations.

Use the IP Config Tab to verify your
network settings.

IP Release. Click to release the DHCP IP address for the wireless LAN adapter.
IP Renew. Click to renew the DHCP IP address for the wireless LAN adapter .
Ping. Click to display the Ping tab. Use ping to verify a connection to a particular

host name or IP address.

The IP Release and IP Renew buttons may only be used on a
DHCP-configured wireless LAN adapter.

ASUS USB wireless LAN adapter 3-5

Ping tab

The Ping tab allows you to verify the
connection of your computer with
another computer in a network. To
ping a connection:

1. Type the IP address of the
connection you want to verify in
the IP Address field.

2. Configure the ping session by
assigning the size and count of
packet to send, and the time limit
for a ping session to continue (in milliseconds).

3. Click the Ping button.

During the ping session, the Ping
button toggles into a Stop button.
Click Stop anytime to cancel the
ping session.

The session field displays
information on the verified
connection including the roundtrip
time (minimum, maximum, and
average) and packets sent, received,
and lost after a ping session.

Click the Clear button to clear the session field.

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Chapter 3: Software support

3.2.2 Configuration

Basic tab

The Basic tab provides general
information on network types and
other configurations.

Network Type. Select the type of
network that you wish to use. Select
Infrastructure mode to establish a
connection with an access point
(AP). In this mode, your system can
access wireless LAN and wired LAN
(Ethernet) via the AP. Select the Ad
Hoc mode to communicate directly
with other mobile clients within the wireless LAN adapter range.

Network Name - Displays the network SSID. The network SSID is a string
use to identify a wireless LAN. Assign different SSIDs to segment the
wireless LAN and increase network security. Set the SSID to a null string
to allow your station to connect to any available access point. Null string
may not be used in Ad-hoc mode.

Channel. In Infrastructure mode, wireless LAN adapter automatically
tunes in to the access point channel. In Ad-hoc mode, select a channel
that is allowed for use in your country/region.

Data Rate. Sets the data transmission rate to Fix or Auto. Select Fully Auto
to allow the device to adjust to the most suitable connection. You may also
fix data transfer rates to 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 9, 6, 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps.

Note: Operating the device at very high data rates reduces the operating
range. When the “Data Rate” is changed, the adapter will survey
available APs and connect to the AP with the strongest signal.

Others. Click the WEP or Advanced link to open the Encryption or
Advanced property tab sheet.

ASUS USB wireless LAN adapter

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Encryption tab

Wireless data transmissions
between your wireless LAN adapter
and the AP are secured using the
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
encryption. Check the Data
encryption (WEP enabled) option to
assign the WEP keys.

Check the Network Authentication
(Shared Mode) option if you wish to
use a network key to authenticate a
preferred wireless network.
Unchecking this option allows the network to operate on an Open System mode.

Key Format allows you to set a hexadecimal digit or ASCII character WEP key.
Key Length allows you to choose a 64-bit or a 128-bit WEP key. A 64-bit

encryption contains 10 hexadecimal digits or 5 ASCII characters. A 128-bit
encryption contains 26 hexadecimal digits or 13 ASCII characters.

All wireless clients in a network must have identical WEP keys to
communicate with each other or with an access point.

Two ways to assign WEP keys

Manual Assignment. For a 64-bit encryption, enter 10 hexadecimal digits

(0~9, a~f, A~F) or 5 ASCII characters in each of the four WEP keys. For
128-bit encryption enter 26 hexadecimal digits (0~9, a~f, A~F) or 13 ASCII
characters in each of the four WEP keys.

Automatic Generation. Type a combination of up to 64 letters, numbers,
or symbols in the Passphrase field. The Wireless Settings utility uses an
algorithm to generate four WEP keys based on the typed combination.

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Chapter 3: Software support

• 64-bit and 40-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method and
can interoperate on wireless networks. This lower level of WEP
encryption uses a 40-bit (10 hexadecimal digits assigned by the
user) secret key and a 24-bit Initialization Vector assigned by the
wireless LAN adapter. 104-bit and 128-bit WEP keys use the same
encryption method.

• After assigning the WEP keys, click APPLY to save and activate
the encryption. Manually assigned encryptions are more secure
than automatically generated encryptions.

• Use Manual Assignment instead of Automatic Generation if you are
not sure whether other wireless clients use the same algorithm as
that of wireless LAN adapter.

• Keep a record of the WEP encryption keys.

3.2.3 Site Survey

The Site Survey window displays
the available networks within the
wireless LAN adapter range and the
following network settings.

BSSID - The IEEE MAC address of
the available wireless networks.

SSID - SSID (service set identifier) of
the network.

CH - Direct sequence channel used
by the network.

RSSI - Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) in dBm.
Type - wireless network mode. AP indicates an Infrastructure network

type. STA indicates an Ad-hoc network type.
WEP - shows whether a network has an enabled (On) or disabled (Off)

WEP encryption.
Select an available network and click Connect to establish connection.

Click Search to rescan available networks.

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