Belkin F5D8053 User Manual

N Wireless USB Adapter

User Manual

F5D8053

Table of Contents

1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Benefits of a Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Advantages of a Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Placement of your Wireless Networking Hardware

for Optimal Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 Overview

3 Installing and Setting up the Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Using the Belkin Wireless Networking Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6 Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Product Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Applications and Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Product Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A — Installation Process for Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

B — Installation Process for Windows Operating Systems other than

Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C — Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Accessing the Belkin Wireless Networking Utility from the

Windows System Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Network Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Available Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Network Status and Solution Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Setting Wireless Network Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Securing your Wi-Fi Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Configuring your Adapter to use Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Introduction

Thank you for purchasin g t he Be lkin N W irel ess U SB Adapter. Now you can take advan ta ge of th is grea t n ew te chnology and gain th e freedom to network you r hom e a nd office co mp uters wirelessly. This Adapter allows you to conne ct a not ebook computer to your ne tw ork. Please be sure t o read through this User Ma nu al completel y, and pay special attent io n t o t he se ct ion entitled “P la cement of your Wireless Netwo rking Hardware f or Op timal Perfor ma nce”.

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Benefi ts of a Home Net wo rk

Your B elkin Home Networ k w il l a ll ow you t o:

• Share o ne hi gh-speed Int er net conn ec tion with all the compute rs in your home

• Share resou rces , s uc h a s f il es, and hard dr ives among all the connec te d c om puters in your home

• Share a si ng le printer with the entire famil y

• Share d oc uments, musi c, vi deo, and digital pic tu re s

• Store, retr ie ve, and copy files from one compute r t o ano th er

• Simultane ou sly play games onlin e, ch eck Intern et email, and chat

Advant ag es of a Wireles s N et work

Here are some of the advantages of setting up a Belkin wireless network:

•

Mobility – you’ll no longer need a dedicated “computer room”—now you can work on a networked laptop or desktop computer anywhere within your wireless range

• Easy installation – Belkin Easy Installation Wizards make setup simple

•

Flexibility – set up and access printers, computers, and other networking devices from anywhere in your home

• Easy expansion – the wide range of Belkin networking products let you

expand your network to include devices such as printers and gaming consoles

• No cabling required – you can spare the expense and hassle of retrofitting

Ethernet cabling throughout the home or office

• Widespread industry acceptance – choose from a wide range of

interoperable networking products

Introduction

Placement of your Wireless Networking Hardware for Optimal Performance

Your w irel ess c onnection wi ll be st rong er th e c lo ser your comput er is to y our wireless router (or access point ). Typi ca l i ndoor operatin g range for your wireless de vi ces is b etween 100 and 200 feet . In the same way, yo ur wi re le ss connectio n a nd pe rf ormance will de gr ade somewh at as th e dis ta nce between you r wireles s route r (or ac ce ss point) and con ne cted devices increase s. Th is may o r m ay no t b e notice ab le to yo u. As yo u m ove f arther from your wireless ro uter (or access poin t) , c onnection sp ee d m ay de crea se. Factors that can weaken sign al s s imply by getting in the way of your net wo rk’s radio waves are m etal applian ce s o r o bstructio ns , a nd wa lls.

If you have concerns about your netwo rk’s perfo rm ance that might be rel ated to range or obstru ct ion factors, try mov in g t he co mputer to a positi on be tw een five and 10 feet from the w irel ess rou ter ( or access point) in order to see if distance is the problem . If difficu lt ies p ersist even at close range , p le ase contact Belki n Techn ic al Su pport.

Note: W hile some of the items liste d bel ow ca n a ffec t n et work

perfor ma nce, they will not prohibit your wireless ne tw ork fro m functi on ing; if you a re co nc erned th at yo ur ne twork is not operati ng at its maximum effect iv eness, this check li st may help.

1. Placement of your Wireless Router (or Access Point)

Place your wireles s router (or acce ss po int), the central co nn ection point of your netwo rk , a s c lose as possible to the cent er of yo ur wireless networ k d ev ices.

To ach ieve the best wireless networ k c ov erage for your “wireless client s, ” ( i. e., computer s e na bled by Belkin Adapt er s o r C ards ):

• Ensure that your wireless router’s (o r a ccess point’s) antenn as are paral le l t o e ac h o ther, and are p os itioned vertic al ly (t oward t he ce iling). If your wireless router (or access poin t) it self is positione d v er tically, p oint the antenn as as mu ch as po ss ible in an upward di re ct ion.

• In multistory homes, place the wireless router (or access point) on a floor that is as close to the center of the home as possible. This may mean placing the wireless router (or access point) on an upper floor.

• Try not to place the wireless router (or acces s poi nt) n ear a cordless 2.4GHz ph on e.

Introduction

2. Avoid Obstacles and Interference

Avo id placing your wireless router (or acc es s p oint) near device s t ha t may emit radio “noi se ”, such as microwave ovens. Othe r o bj ects that can inhibit wi rele ss co mm unicati on ca n i nc lude:

• Refrig er ators

• Washe rs an d/or dryers

• Metal cabin et s

• Large aq uariums

• Metall ic -based, UV-tint ed wi ndows

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If your wireless signal se em s w eak i n s ome s pots, make sure that object s suc h a s the se are not bloc ki ng the s ignal’s pa th between your comput er s a nd wi re le ss rout er (o r a ccess point).

3. Cordless Phone Placement

If the performan ce of yo ur wi re le ss ne twork is impaired after atten ding to the above issues , a nd yo u h av e a co rdle ss ph one:

• Try moving cordles s pho ne s a way f ro m t he wi rele ss rout er (or access poi nt ) a nd yo ur wire less-enab le d c omputers.

• Unplug and remove the batt er y f rom any cordless ph on e that operat es on th e 2 .4 GHz band (check manu fa cturer’s inform at ion). If this fixes the problem, your ph on e m ay be interfer in g.

• If your phone suppo rt s c hannel selec ti on, change the channe l on the phon e t o the fa rt hest channel from your wireless networ k a s pos si ble. For exampl e, ch ange the phone to chann el 1 and move yo ur wi rele ss rout er (o r access poin t) to ch an nel 11. (Your c hannel selec ti on wi ll vary depend in g o n you r regio n. ) S ee yo ur ph one’s us er ma nual for detail ed in st ruction s.

• If necessar y, conside r s wi tching to a 9 00MHz or 5GHz cordless phone.

Introduction

4. Choose the “Quietest” Channel for your Wireless Network

In location s w he re home s o r offices are close toge th er, such as apartm en t b ui ldings or office complex es , t here ma y b e wireles s networ ks ne ar by that can conflict wi th yo urs. Use the Site Survey capabi li ties of your Belkin Wireless Net wo rking Utilit y to loc at e a ny other wireless net wo rks, and move your wireless router (or acces s point) and com pu ters to a c hannel as far away from o ther network s as possible .

Experi me nt wi th more th an on e o f t he av ailable channe ls in orde r to find the clearest conne ct ion and avoid interf eren ce from neig hboring cordless phones or othe r w irel es s d evices.

For more Be lkin wireless netwo rk ing pro ducts, use the detaile d S it e Survey and wireles s cha nn el informati on in cluded in your User Manual .

5. Secure Connections, VPNs, and AOL

Secure connecti on s t ypically require a user name and password, and are us ed wh ere s ec urity is importan t. Se cure co nnections incl ude:

• Vir tual Private Ne tw ork ( VPN) connect io ns, often used to connec t remotel y t o an office netwo rk

• The “Bring Your Own Access ” program from Americ a O nl ine (AOL), whic h l et s y ou us e A OL th ro ug h b road band prov ided by another cab le or DS L ser vice

• Most online ba nk ing w ebsites

• Many commercial we bs ites that re quire a us er na me an d passwo rd to access your ac co unt

Secure connecti on s c an be in terrupted by a compu te r’s powe r manage me nt se tting, which ca us es it to “g o t o sle ep.” The simplest soluti on to av oi d t hi s i s t o s im ply rec onnect by re -running the VPN or AOL software, or by re-logging into th e sec ure web si te.

A second alter native is to change your computer’s power management settings so it does not go to sleep; however, this may not be appropriate for portable computers. To change your power management setting in Windows, see the “Power Options” item in the Control Panel.

If you continu e to hav e difficu lty w ith Secure C onnection s, VP Ns, and AOL, please review step s 1 –4 in th e previou s p ag es to be su re you have addressed the se is su es.

The se guidelines should al low yo u to cover the maxim um possible area with your wirel ess router. Sho uld you ne ed to cove r an even wider area, we suggest the Belkin Wireless Range Extend er/Access Poi nt.

For more informati on regarding our networking product s, vis it our web site at ww w.belk in.com/ne tworking or call Belkin Technica l Support.

Overview

Product Features

The Adapter c omplies with the IEEE draft-8 02.11n specif ication to com municate with other dra ft-802.11 n-compliant w irele ss devices at up to 300Mbps*. The Adapter is also compatibl e with 802 .11g devices at 54M bps as wel l as 802.1 1b products at 11Mbps . The Adap ter operates on the same 2.4GHz frequency band as 802.11b /g Wi-Fi

• 2.4GHz ISM (Industrial, Science, and Medical) band operation

• Integrated easy-to-use Belkin Wireless Networking Utility

• USB 2.0 interface, for operation in virtually any computer with a USB 2.0 bus-power port

• WPA, WPA2, 64-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), or 128-bit encryption

• Wireless access to networked resources

• Data rate of up to 300Mbps* (draft 802.11n), 54Mbps (802.11g), or 11Mbps (802.11b)

• Easy installation and use

• LED power and network link/activity indicator

prod ucts.

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Overview

Applications and Advantages

• Wireless roaming with a laptop around the hom e or office Off ers the free dom of networki ng wi thout cables

• Connec ti on ra tes of u p t o 3 00Mbps* Pro vides immedi at e h igh-speed wi rele ss co nn ectivit y at hom e, work, and hots po t l oc ations witho ut co mpro mising the use of existi ng 80 2. 11b/g products

• Compat ib ility with 802.11 b/ g p ro du cts The Adapter is back wa rd -c ompatib le wi th ex isting Wi-Fi (IEEE 80 2. 11b/g) products

• Difficult- to -wire e nv iron ments Enable s net wo rking in buildi ng s w it h s olid or finished wal ls , or open are as where w iring is difficult to install

• Fre quently chan gi ng environments Adapts easi ly in office s o r env iron ments that frequently rearrang e or change loca ti ons

• SOHO (Small Office /H ome O ff ic e) networkin g n ee ds Provides the easy and quick, small network installation SOHO users need

Product Specifications

Host Interf ac e: USB 2.0

Ope rating Temperature: 32—1 40 de gree s F (0 —60 d egre es C)

Storag e Tempera tu re : -4—176 degrees F (-20—8 0 d eg re es C)

Humidi ty : Max. 90% (non- co ndensing)

Typical Operating Range: Up to 1,2 00 ft .* *

NOT E: T he s tan da rd tr an smi ss ion rat e— 300 Mb ps— is t he p hys ic al d ata r at e. Act ua l data throu ghp ut w ill be lower.

**Wirel ess p er forma nc e may var y de pen di ng o n the net wo rki ng e nviro nme nt .

Overview

(a) (b)

(c)

(d)

(a) Protective Cap

The cap is provided to protec t the USB connector during transpor tation. Remove the cap before inserting the Adapter to your computer’s USB port or through the provided Desktop Stand.

(b) Power/Activity LED

Lights when th e Ada pt er is powered o n a nd fl ashes when it is active .

Part of the Adapter th at fi ts in to your computer’s USB port.

(d) Desktop Stand

Lets you move the Adap te r a way f ro m int erfering objec ts aro und your comput er.

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System Requirements

• PC-com pa tible laptop with on e ava il able USB 2.0 bus-pow er po rt

• Window s

2 000, XP with SP2, or Vi staTM***

Package Contents

• N Wire less USB Adapter

• Quick Insta ll ation Guide

• CD with Instal la tion Software and User Manual

• Deskto p Sta nd

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A. Installation Process for Windows Vista

***NOTE:

drivers were not available for release and might not be included on the CD shipped with your product. For information on updated drivers

for Windows Vista (if any), please visit the Belkin website at www.belkin.com/support/vista.

At the time of initial release of this product, Windows Vista

IMPORTANT: INSTALL THE SOFTWARE BEFORE INSERTING

THE ADAPTER.

A.1 Insert the Installation Software CD into your CD-ROM drive.

A.2 Click “Next” to begin the installation process.

Note: If the Belkin Wireless Card Installer screen does not appear within

20 seconds, access your CD-ROM by double-clicking on the “My Computer” icon; then double-click on the CD-ROM drive into which the installation CD has been placed. If the Installer does not start automatically, double-click on the icon named “Setup.exe”.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.3 The InstallShield Wizard starts the

installation process.

A.4 Select a destination folder for the

software installation by clicking “Browse”; or, simply click “Next” to select a default location.

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A.5 A Setup Status screen will let you

know where you are in the setup process.

A.6 A window may appear a second time

showing the message, “Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software”. This DOES NOT indicate a problem. Our software has been fully tested and is compatible with this operating system.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.7 When prompted, turn off your

computer and plug in your Adapter. Your installation is now complete.

A.8 When the installation completes,

click on “Finish”.

A.9 The Found New Hardware Wizard

might appear within 3–15 seconds. If it does, continue to follow the prompts. Select “Locate and install the driver software” to continue.

A.10 You might see a screen similar to

the one pictured below. This DOES NOT mean there is a problem. Our software has been fully tested and is compatible with this operating system. Select “Install this driver software anyway” and follow the on-screen instructions.

Next, a screen appears indicating that hardware installation is taking place; then, another indicates that the process is complete.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.11 To connect to the Internet, open the

Network and Sharing Center by first opening the Control Panel from the “Start” menu.

A.12 In the Control Panel, click on “View

network status and tasks”.

A.13 In the Network and Sharing Center,

click on “Connect to a network”.

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A.14 In the next screen, select an

available wireless network and click “Connect”.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.15 Your Adapter will attempt to

connect to the selected network.

A.16 Depending on the security settings

of your wireless network, you may be prompted to enter a network security key or a passphrase. Click “Connect” after you have done so.

A.17 After connecting to the network,

you can choose to save this network and connect automatically when your Adapter is in range.

A.18 The Network and Sharing Center

now indicates the network connection that you have just made. The links on the left of the window allow you to configure your network connections.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

B. Installation Process for Windows Operating Systems other than Windows Vista

IMPORTANT:

B.1 Insert the Installation Software CD into your CD-ROM drive.

INSTALL THE SOFTWARE BEFORE INSERTING THE ADAPTER.

B.2 The Belkin Wireless Card Installer

screen will automatically appear within up to 20 seconds. Click “Install Software” or “Next” to start the installation

Note: If the Belkin Wireless Card Installer screen does not appear within 20 seconds, access your CD-ROM by double-clicking on the “My Computer” icon; then double-click on the CD-ROM drive into which the installation CD has been placed. Then, double-click on the icon named “Setup.exe”.

B.3 The InstallShield Wizard starts the

installation process

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B.4 Select a destination folder for the

software installation by clicking “Browse”; or, simply click “Next” to select a default location.

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