Belkin F5D8073 User Manual

N Wireless ExpressCard

™

Adapter

User Manual

F5D8073

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

2 Overview

3 Installing and Setting up the Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Accessing the Belkin Wireless Networking Utility

from the Windows System Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Network Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Available Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Network Status and Solution Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Setting Wireless Network Profiles

Securing your Wi-Fi Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

30 39

Introduction

Thank you for purcha sing the Belkin N Wi reless Ex pressCard Ada pte r. This Adapter i s specifi cal ly design ed to work wit h noteboo ks that have an ExpressCard slot. Now yo u can take adv ant age of this great new t echnology an d gain the freedom to n etw ork your home and off ice computer s wire lessly. This Ada pter a llo ws you to c onn ect a notebook computer to yo ur network. Please be sure to re ad throug h this User Manu al comple tel y, a nd pay special attention to the section entitled “Placement of you r Wire less N etw orking Ha rdware for Optimal Performance”.

Benefits of a Home Network

Your Belkin H ome Netwo rk will allow you to:

• Share one high-speed Internet conn ect ion with all the com put ers in your home

• Share re sou rces, such a s files, and h ard dr ives a mon g all the connected computers in you r home

• Share a single pr int er with the entire family

• Share documents , music, video, a nd dig ita l pictures

• Store, re tri eve, a nd copy files from o ne comput er to another

• Simultaneous ly play games online, c hec k Internet email, an d chat

Advantages of a Wireles s Network

• Mobility – yo u’l l no longer need a dedicated “computer roo m”— now you ca n work on a networked laptop or deskt op computer anywhere within your wi reless range

• Easy installation – Be lki n Easy Installation Wizards make setup simple

• Flexibility – se t up and ac cess prin ter s, com put ers , and other networking devices f rom an ywhere in yo ur home

• Easy expansion – the wide r ange of Belkin networking product s lets you expan d your network to inclu de devices such as prin ter s and g aming con sol es

• No c abling required – you can spare the expense and hassl e of retrof itt ing Et her net cabling throughou t the home or off ice

• Widespre ad ind ust ry accept anc e – choose from a wide range of in teroperabl e networking produ cts

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Introduction

Placement of your Wireless Networking Hardware for Optimal Performance

Your wireless connectio n will be stronger t he closer your computer is to yo ur wireless router (or acce ss point). Typical ind oor op era ting rang e for y our wireless de vices is between 100 an d 200 feet. In the same w ay, your wireless connection and per formance will degr ade somewhat as t he distance between your w ireless router (or ac ces s poin t) and connected devices increas es. This may o r may not b e noticeable to y ou. As you move farther f rom yo ur wireless router (or acce ss point), connection speed may decrease. Factors t hat can weaken signals sim ply by getting in th e way of yo ur networ k’s rad io wav es are metal appliances or obstructions , and walls.

If yo u have concerns a bou t your network’s performance that migh t be rel ate d to range or obstructi on factor s, try moving the computer to a position between five a nd 10 feet from t he wirele ss router (o r access point) in order t o see if di sta nce is the problem. If difficulties persist even at cl ose range , please contact Belkin Technical Support.

Note: While so me of the i tem s listed below can a ffect net work performance, they will not prohi bit yo ur wirele ss net wor k from functioning; if y ou are conce rned that y our netwo rk is not o per ating at its maximum effecti ven ess, this checklist may help.

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

Place your wireless router (or a cce ss point) , the central connection p oint of yo ur networ k, as close as possible to t he cen ter of your wi reless network devices.

To achieve th e best wirel ess network coverage for y our “wireless c lie nts,” (i.e. computers e nabled by Belkin N W ireless ExpressC ard Ad apt ers, Wirele ss Deskto p Card s, and Wirel ess USB Adapters):

• Ensure that your wireless router’s (o r access point’s) an ten nas are parallel to e ach other, an d are positione d vertically (toward the c eiling). If your wireles s rout er (or access point) it self is positioned vertically, po int the antennas as muc h as possible in an up ward directio n.

• In mu ltistory hom es, pl ace the wireles s rout er (or access point) on a floor that is as close to the center of the home a s possibl e. This may mean placing the wi reless router (or acc ess po int ) on an up per floor.

• Try not to p lace t he wirele ss router (o r access point) near a cordle ss 2.4GHz phone.

Introduction

2. Avoid Obstacles and Interference

Avo id placing your w ireless route r (or access p oin t) near devices that may e mit radio “noise”, such as microwave o vens. Oth er objects that can i nhibit wi reless communication can in clude:

• Refrigerator s

• Washers a nd/ or dry ers

• Metal cabinets

• Large aquari ums

• Metallic-bas ed, UV-tin ted windows

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If yo ur wireless sig nal seems weak in so me spots, make su re that objects such a s these are not b locking t he signal’s p ath between your computers an d wireless router (or acces s point).

3. Cordless Phone Placement

If th e perf orm ance of your wireless network is im pai red after at ten ding to th e above issues, and you have a cordless phone:

• Try mov ing cordless ph one s away from the w ireless route r (or a ccess poi nt) and your w ireless-en abl ed comput ers .

• Unplug and remove th e battery from any cordless phone that operates on the 2.4GHz band (che ck manufactu rer’s information) . If this f ixe s the proble m, your phone may be in terfering.

• If yo ur phone supports channel selection, change the channel on the phone to t he farthest channel from your wirele ss networ k as possible. Fo r exam ple , change the phone to chann el 1 and mo ve your wireles s rout er (or access point) to channe l 11. (Your c hannel se lec tion will vary depending on y our re gion.) Se e your phone’s user manual for detailed instructions .

• If ne cessary, consider switching to a 900MHz or 5G Hz cordle ss phone.

Introduction

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

In locations where homes or offices are close together, such as apartment buildings or office complexes, there may be wireless networks nearby that can conflict with yours. Use the Site Survey capabilities of your Belkin Wireless Networking Utility to locate any other wireless networks, and move your wireless router (or access point) and computers to a channel as far away from other networks as possible.

Experiment with m ore than one of the ava ila ble chann els in order to find the clearest co nnection and avoid interference f rom ne igh boring cordle ss phones or o ther wireless d evices.

For m ore Belkin w ireless networking products, use the detai led Site Survey and wireless channel i nfo rmation i ncluded i n your User Ma nua l.

5. Secure Connections, VPNs, and AOL

Secure connecti ons typicall y requ ire a user name a nd passwo rd, an d are used where security is impor tan t. Secure co nne ctions in clu de:

• Vir tua l Private Network (VPN) co nnections, often u sed to connect remotel y to an office ne two rk

• The “ Bring Your O wn Access ” prog ram from Americ a Online (AOL), which l ets you use AO L through broadband p rovided by another cable or DSL service

• Most online ba nki ng web sit es

• Many commercial websites that require a user na me and password to access y our accou nt

Secure connecti ons can be int err upted by a computer’s power management setting, which causes it to “ go to sleep.” The si mpl est solution to av oid this is to simply reco nne ct by re-run nin g the VPN o r AOL s oftware, or by re- logging i nto the secure website.

A sec ond alter native is t o chan ge your computer’s power management settings so it does not g o to sleep; ho wev er, this may not be approp riate for portable computers. To c hange you r power management setting in Win dow s, see the “Power Op tio ns” item in the Cont rol Pa nel.

If yo u continu e to have d ifficulty with Sec ure Co nnections, VPNs, a nd AOL, please review s teps 1–4 in the previous p age s to be sure y ou have addres sed these issues.

These guidelines should al low you to cov er the maximum possible area with your wireless router. S hould you need to cover an even wi der area, we su ggest the Belkin Wireles s Range Extender/Acce ss Point.

For m ore information regard ing ou r networking produ cts , visi t our website at www. belkin.com/netwo rki ng or call Bel kin Tech nical Sup por t.

Overview

Product Features

The A dapter co mpl ies wi th the IEEE dr aft -802.11n spe cification to communicate with other dra ft-802.11n-complian t wire less devi ces at up to 300Mbps*. The Ad apt er is also com patible w ith 802.1 1g devices at 54M bps as well as 802.11b pro duc ts at 11Mbps. The Adapter operates on the same 2.4GHz f requency band a s 802.11b/g Wi-Fi® p roducts.

• 2.4GHz ISM (In dus trial, Sc ience, an d Medical) band operation

• Integrated easy-to-us e Belkin Wireless Networkin g Utility

• CardBu s interfa ce, for operation in vi rtu ally any notebook computer

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

• Wirele ss access to n etworked resourc es

• Data rate of up to 300Mb ps* (draft 802.11n), 54Mbps (802.11g), or 11M bps (8 02. 11b)

• Easy installation and u se

• LED p ower and network link i ndicators

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Overview

Applications and Advantages

• Wirel ess ro aming wit h a laptop around th e home or o ffice Off ers the freedom of n etworking wi thout cab les

• Connection rates of up to 3 00Mbps* Pro vid es immedi ate high-spe ed wireless con nec tivity at home, work, and h otspot lo cat ions w ith out compromising the use of e xisting

802.11b/g produ cts

• Compatibili ty with 802.11b/g produc ts The A dapter is backward-compatible with e xisting W i-F i (IEEE 802.11b/g) products

• Diffi cul t-to-wire enviro nments Enables networking in b uil dings wit h solid or fin ish ed wal ls, or open are as where wiring is d ifficult to ins tall

• Frequ ent ly cha ngi ng environments Adapts easily in offices or environments that frequently rearrange or change locations

• SOHO (Small O ffice/Home Offic e) networkin g needs Pro vid es the easy an d quick, small network installation SOHO users need

Product Specifications

Host Interface: 32-bit CardBus

Operating Temperature: 32–140 degrees F (0 –60 degrees C)

Storage Te mperature: -4–176 degrees F (-2 0–80 degrees C)

Humidity: Max. 90% (non- con densing)

Typical Operating Range: Up t o 1,200 ft. (3 65.8m)**

*NOTE: The sta nda rd transmission rate—300Mbps—is the physical dat a rate. Actual d ata throughput wil l be lower.

**Wire less perf orm ance may v ary depen din g on the networking environ ment.

Overview

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(a) Power LED

Lights up when the Adapter i s powered up

(b) Link/Activity LED

Lights up when the Adapter i s connect ed; flashes when wireless activity is de tec ted

Part of the Adapter that fit s into your co mputer’s CardB us slot

System Requirements

• PC-compatib le comput er with one av ail able 32-b it, CardBus slo t

• Windows® 2 000 , XP with S P2, or Vista™*** (clients are not Mac OS compatible)

• Minimum 64MB o f RAM

• CD-ROM drive

• Internet browser

Package Contents

• N Wireless Express Card A dap ter

• Quick Installation Guide

• Installation Software and User M anual on CD-ROM

(b)

(c)

(a)

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A. Installation Process for Windows Vista

***NOTE: At the time of initial release of this product, Windows Vista 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.

IMPORTANT: INSTALL THE SOFTWARE BEFORE INSERTING THE CARD.

A.1 Insert the Ins tal lation So ftware CD in to your CD-ROM dr ive.

A.2 Click “Ne xt” to begin the ins tal lation process.

Note: If the Belkin Wireless Card Installer screen does not a ppe ar

within 20 seco nds , acce ss your CD-ROM by double-c lic king o n the “My C omputer” ico n; the n, double-cl ick on the CD- ROM drive into which the inst all ation CD has been pl ace d. If the I nstaller doe s not start automaticall y, d ouble-click on the icon na med “S etu p.exe”.

A.3 The I nstallShield Wizard starts installation process.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.4 Select a destination folder for the

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

A.5 A Se tup St atu s scre en wil l let

you k now where yo u are in the setup process.

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A.6 A wi ndow m ay appear a se con d

time showing t he messag e, “Windows can’t verify the publisher of t his drive r software”. This DOES NOT indicate a pro ble m. Our software has been fully tested a nd is compatible with this oper ati ng sys tem .

A.7 When prompted, turn off y our

computer and p lug in your Adapter. Your i nst allation is now c omplete.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.8 When the i nst allation com pletes,

click on “Fini sh” .

A.9 The Found New Hardw are Wizard

might appear w ith in 3–1 5 seconds. If it does, continue to f oll ow the pro mpt s. Select “Locate and i nst all the d river sof twa re” to conti nue .

A.10 You might see a scre en sim ila r to

the o ne pictured bel ow. Thi s DOES NOT m ean there is a problem. Our software has been fu lly teste d and is co mpatible wit h this operating system. Select “I nstall th is driver software anyway ” and follow t he on-screen instr uct ions.

Next, a sc reen a ppe ars in dic ati ng

that hardware inst all ation is taking place; then, a not her in dic ates that the p rocess is co mpl ete.

A.11 To connect to the Inter net, open t he

Network and Sh ari ng Cen ter by first opening the Co ntrol Panel from t he “Start” menu.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

A.12 In the Control Panel, click on “Vi ew

network status an d task s”.

A.13 I n the Network and Sharing Center,

click on “Conn ect to a ne two rk”.

A.14 In the next s creen, select a n

available wirel ess network and click “Connect”.

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A.15 Your Adapt er will attempt to

connect to the selected network.

Installing and Setting up the Adapter

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

IMPORTANT

: INSTALL THE SOFTWARE BEFORE INSERTING THE ADAPTER.

B.1 Ins ert the Installation Software CD into you r CD-ROM drive.

A.16 De pen ding o n the security se ttings

of yo ur wireless net work, you may be prompted to en ter a network security key o r a passphrase. Click “Connect” after y ou hav e done so.

A.17 Af ter conne cti ng to the n etw ork,

you c an choose to save th is network and co nne ct aut oma tically when your Adap ter is in r ang e.

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 N Wireless

ExpressCard Adapter 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”.

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.

+ 30 hidden pages