D-Link DWL-500 User Manual
DWL-500
PCI Wireless Adapter
User's Manual
Table of Contents for the DWL-500
PCI Wireless Adapter
Introduction i
Contents of Package ii
Wireless Basics 1
Getting Started 3
Configuration Utility 10
Troubleshooting 18
Networking Basics 38
Technical Support 65
Specifications 66
Warranty 70
Registration 75
INTRODUCTION
The D-Link DWL-500 802.11b Wireless PCI Adapter is an
ideal way to connect your laptop computer to a wireless network
or as part of a wired LAN (Local Area Network) with a wireless
network segment. After completing the steps outlined in this
manual, you will have the ability to share information and
resources - such as files and printers- and take full advantage of
a “connected” environment for work and play!
This DWL-500 comes with drivers for the most popular operating
systems and can be integrated into a large network. The
User’s Manual is designed to help you connect your
laptop to a network when running Windows 98, Windows
ME, NT 4.0 or 2000 in either Ad Hoc mode (without an Access
Point) or Infrastructure mode (with an Access Point). Yet the
IEEE802.11b standards compliance means this adapter gives
you the flexibility to connect it to any 802.11b network. The
IEEE 802.11b Ethernet standard allows you to connect
computers and devices at speeds up to 11Mbps, depending
on the distance between wireless adapters.
This manual provides a quick introduction to wireless
technology and its application as it relates to networking.
Take a moment to read through this manual and familiarize
yourself with wireless technology. But you should also give
yourself some time to play with your new wireless network.
i
CONTENTS OF PACKAGE
*Note: Please insert only the DWL-650 PC Card into the provided PCI Holder. Use of
C
A
D
B
DWL-500 Wireless Adapter Package Contents
A DWL-650 PCMCIA Wireless Adapter & PCI Cardholder*
B Driver CD
C User’s Manual
D Quick Install Guide
other cards could result in damage to your computer.
ii
WIRELESS BASICS
Your new D-Link Air product is based on industry standards to provide easy to use and compatible high speed wireless connectivity
within your home or business. Strictly adhering to IEEE 802.11b
the D-Link Air family of products will allow you to access the data
you want, when and where you want it. No longer will you be tethered to a workstation or forced to run new wiring. You will be able
to enjoy the freedom that wireless networking delivers.
Standards Based Technology
Based on IEEE 802.11b, D-Link Air products can perform up to 11
Megabits per second. This means you will be able to transfer
large files quickly or even watch a Movie in MPEG format over
your network without noticeable delays. This technology works by
using multiple frequencies in the 2.4GHz range utilizing Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology. D-Link Air products will automatically sense the best possible connection speed to
ensure the greatest speed and range possible with the technology.
Installation Considerations
Designed to go up to 100 meters indoors and up to 300 meters
outdoors, D-Link Air lets you access your network from anywhere
you want. Keep in mind, however, that range is limited by the
number of walls, ceilings, or other objects that the wireless signals
must pass through. Typical ranges vary depending on the types of
materials and background RF noise in your home or business.
The key to maximizing range is to follow these basic principles:
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WIRELESS BASICS
1. Keep the number of walls and ceilings to a minimum -
Each wall or ceiling can rob your D-Link Air Wireless
product from 1-30M of range. Position your Access
Points, Residential Gateways, and Computers so that
the number of walls or ceilings is minimized.
2. Be aware of the direct line between Access Points,
Residential Gateways, and Computers -
A wall that is .5 meters thick, at a 45 degree angle
appears to be almost 1 meter thick. At a 2 degree
angle it looks over 14 meters thick! Try to make sure
that the AP and Adapters are positioned so that the
signal will travel straight through a wall or ceiling for
better reception.
3. Building Materials make a difference -
A solid metal door or aluminum studs may have a negative effect on range. Again, try to position Access
Points, Residential Gateways, and Computers so that
the signal passes through drywall or open doorways
and not other materials.
4. Make sure that the antenna is positioned for
best reception by using the software signal strength
tools included with your product.
5. Keep your product away (at least 1-2 meters) from
electrical devicesthat generate RF noise, like microwaves,
Monitors, electric motors, etc.
For the average American 4-bedroom home, range should not be a
problem. If you experience low or no signal strength in areas of
your home that you wish to access, consider positioning the
Access Point in a location directly between the Residential
Gateways and/or Computers that will be connected. Additional
Access Points can be connected to provide better coverage in
rooms where the signal does not appear as strong as desired.
2
GETTING STARTED
To begin, you must select the type of wireless network you will
be building and follow the relevant instructions.
Which statement below best describes the type of network you
want to build?
The Home Internet Network with A Residential
Gateway, Firewall, or Router(LAN administrators
with Dynamic IPs should follow these instructions)
"I have 2 or more computers and/or laptops and want to share
files, printers, and Internet access using a Residential
Gateway, Router, or Firewall or I want to connect to an
Ethernet network that uses Dynamic (DHCP) IP addresses"
(requires a Wireless Router or Access Point and Ethernet capable
Gateway, Router, or Firewall or an existing Ethernet network).
When you have installed your Wireless network it will look
like this:
OR
3
GETTING STARTED
Please note that this type of installation requires that your
Residential Gateway, Router, Firewall or Network Administrator
can give you a dynamic IP address for each computer. Please
consult the documentation that comes with your Access Point to
determine its necessary configuration.
To complete this installation, please follow these steps:
1.Using the provided Ethernet cable, connect the router to the
Cable/DSLmodem. Also connect the Access Point to the Router.
2. Install the wireless adapter - see the Quick Install Guides.
3. Check the wireless connection- see Configuration Utility and
Networking Basics section.
4. Check IP Address for the Wireless Adapter - see Networking Basics
section
NOTE: The default settings for the Wireless Adapter are set to obtain
a Dynamic IP Address.
5. Learn to share printers and files - see Networking Basics section
4
GETTING STARTED
The Home Internet Network with Multiple IPs (LAN
administrators with Static IPs should follow
these instructions)
"I have 2 or more computers and/or laptops and want to share
files, printers, and Internet access using multiple IP addresses
that I have purchased from my Internet Service Provider or I
want to connect to an Ethernet network that uses Static IP
addresses" (requires Access Point, Ethernet capable
Broadband modem, and multiple IP address Internet Account
or an existing Ethernet network).
When you have installed your wireless network it will look
like this:
5
GETTING STARTED
Please note that this type of installation requires that your ISP
or Network Administrator can give you a static IP address for
each computer. Please consult the documentation that comes
with your Access Point to determine its necessary configuration.
To complete this installation, please follow these steps:
1.Install the access point and connect it to your cable/DSL modem.
2. Install the wireless adapter - see the Quick Install Guides.
3. Check the wireless connection- see Configuration Utility and
Networking Basics section.
4. Set Static IP Address for the wireless adapter - see Networking
Basics section.
NOTE: If you are using a PPPoE client, go to “Networking Basics
section” instead. Verify the settings with your ISP or Network
Administrator if necessary.
5. Learn to share printers and files - see Networking Basics.
6
GETTING STARTED
The Ad Hoc Network
"I have 2 or more computers and/or laptops and just want to
share files and printers"
When you have installed your Wireless network it will look
like this:
To complete this installation, please follow these steps:
1. Install the wireless adapter - see the Quick Install Guides.
2. Set Static IP Address for the wireless adapter - see Networking
Basics section.
3. Check the wireless connection- see Configuration Utility and
Networking Basics section.
4. Learn to share printers and file - See Networking Basics.
7
GETTING STARTED
The Ad Hoc Network with Internet Sharing
"I have 2 or more computers and/or laptops and want to share
files, printers, and Internet access using one computer or laptop
as an Internet Server" (requires Internet sharing software)
When you have installed your Wireless network it will look
like this:
To share an Internet connection with Internet Sharing software
you will need to purchase Internet Sharing software or use
Windows 98SE's or ME's Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
utility. Please follow your software documentation to properly
configure the Internet sharing software after you install your
wireless networking adapters. To install your wireless network adapter
follow these steps:
8
GETTING STARTED
If the Internet Sharing Software will be installed on the same computer
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into which you are installing this wireless network adapter follow
these steps:
1. Install the wireless adapter - see the Quick Install Guides.
2. Set Static IP Address for the wreless adapter - see Networking
Basics section.
3. Check the wireless connection- see Configuration Utility and
Networking Basics section.
4. Learn to share printers and file - See Networking Basics.
5. Install your Internet Sharing Software.
If the Internet Sharing Software is installed on a
different computer follow these steps:
1. Install the wireless adapter - see the Quick Install Guides.
2. Check IP Address for the wireless adapter - see Networking Basics
section.
NOTE: The default settings for the wireless adapter is set to obtain a
Dynamic IP Address.
3. Check the wireless connection- see Configuration Utility and
Networking Basics section.
4. Learn to share printers and file - See Networking Basics.
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
D-Link Air adapter products use the "Configuration Utility" as the
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management software. The utility provides the user an easy interface to change any settings related to the wireless adapter. When
the computer is started, the "Configuration Utility" starts automatically and the system tray icon is loaded in the toolbar. Clicking on
the utility icon will start the Configuration Utility. Another way to
start the Configuration Utility is to click on Start > Programs > D-
Link DWL-650 Control Utility > Configuration Utility.
If the utility icon appears with a red "X" in the toolbar, then the utility did not install properly and will need to be reinstalled.
Sometimes the icon will be red. This happens when the wireless
adapter is set to a different channel or the communication mode is
set incorrectly. Verify your settings, and check that you are in
range.
When the utility is started, the following screen will be displayed.
Figure 1 - Configuration Utility with opened "Link Info" tab
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
Link Info Tab
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State
The field will display the current state of the wireless adapter.
1. Associated - means that the wireless adapter is connected to
another wireless adapter or Access Point / Wireless Gateway
Router. The MAC address of the wireless adapter or Access Point
will be displayed in hex format i.e. BSS ID (Basic Service Set ID) =
00:40:05:AC:11:32. Networking is available when the wireless
adapter is associated to an Access point or another wireless
adapter.
2. Scanning - means that the node is searching for an available
Access Point and trying to detect the SSID (Service Set ID) of an
Access Point within range.
NOTE: This field will also display an error message if for
some reason the driver failed to initialize.
Rescan
Pressing the rescan button will cause the wireless adapter to look
for a connection. When the wireless adapter is set to
"Infrastructure" mode, the wireless adapter will scan all available
channels continuously until it finds one or more Access Points with
a matching SSID. At that point it will attempt to authenticate and
associate with the Access Point.
Ad Hoc
When the wireless is set to "Ad Hoc" mode, the wireless adapter
will scan for 5 seconds looking for an existing Ad Hoc network
using the same SSID. If one is not found the driver will "Start" its
own Ad Hoc network.
Current Channel and Current Tx Rate
Shows the selected channel and transmit rate that are currently
used by the wireless adapter for an active connection.
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
Throughput
These two fields display the instantaneous wireless Receive and
Transmit throughput displayed in bytes per second. These values
are updated every two seconds.
Link Quality
The Link Quality bar graph is only active when the node is in
Infrastructure Mode. The bar graph displays the quality of the link
between the node and its Access Point. A label summarizes the
quality of the link over the bar graph, which can take on one of the
following values:
"Not Applicable"
"Poor"
"Fair"
"Good"
"Excellent"
The wireless adapter will start looking for a better Access Point if
the Link Quality becomes "Poor". Link Quality is a measure of
receive and transmit errors over the radio channel.
Signal Strength
The Signal Strength bar graph is only active when the node is in
Infrastructure Mode. The bar graph displays normalized signal
strength as reported by the radio, averaged over all frames over
100 bytes long that are received from the Access Point.
Configuration Tab
The Configuration Tab contains several fields where the operating
parameters of the wireless can be viewed and changed. Changes
to any of the parameters in the panel can be applied to the wireless adapter without the need to reboot the PC.
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CONFIGURATION UTILITY
Figure 3 -Configuration Utility with opened "CONFIGURATION" tab
Restore Defaults
Pressing this button restores each field in the panel to its default
value.
"Apply Changes" or "OK" button must be pressed before the
default values are restored.
Undo Changes
Pressing this button reverts all fields in the panel back to the previously "saved" values.
Apply Changes
This button becomes active only when one of the fields has been
modified. Pressing this button applies the changed settings and
saves the settings to the registry.
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CONFIGURATION UTILITY
Mode
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The field allows selection from a list of supported Network
"Modes." The supported modes displayed are the following:
"802.11b Ad Hoc," " Ad Hoc," and "Infrastructure." The default
setting for the "Configuration Utility" is "Infrastructure."
1. 802.11 Ad Hoc - This is the 802.11b peer-to-peer mode of
operation. In "802.11b Ad Hoc" only one wireless "cell" is supported for each different SSID. All communication is done from client
to client without the use of an Access Point. "802.11b Ad Hoc" networking uses the same SSID for the wireless adapters for establishing the network connection.
2. Ad Hoc - A "non-compliant" mode that will allow Prism2 (and
only Prism2) adapters to communicate with one another without an
Access Point regardless of the SSID assigned to the wireless adapters.
3. Infrastructure - This mode of operation requires the presence
of an 802.11b Access Point. All communication is done though the
Access Point which relays packets to other wireless clients as well
as to nodes on a wired network.
SSID (Service Set Identification)
The field allows the user to set the identification by typing the
name for a particular group of connected wireless adapters and
Access Point. The SSID has the name "default" as the initial settings after the drivers are loaded.
Tx Rate
The transmission rate is set to "Fully Automatic" as the default setting. However, the setting has options for 1Mb, 2Mb, Auto 1 or
2Mb, 5.5 Mb, and 11Mb. For most applications, it is recommended
to leave the setting at "Fully Automatic."
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
PS Mode
PS (Pseudo Set) mode is by default set to "Disabled". When the
mode is set to AdHoc or "802.11b AdHoc", then the PS mode will
need to be changed to "Enable."
Channel
There is not an option to change the channel setting when the
"Infrastructure" mode is selected. However, the option for channel
selection is available in AdHoc or "802.11b AdHoc" mode.
Encryption tab
Figure 4 - Configuration Utility with opened "Encryption" tab.
If an additional measure of security is desired on the wireless net-
work, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption can be enabled.
WEP encrypts each frame transmitted from the wireless adapter
using one of the keys entered in the "WEP Key Entry" field.
15
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
The Access Point or wireless adapter will accept only encrypted
When WEP Encryption is enabled, there are two options: 64-bit and
The panel allows the entry of four keys for 64-bit encryption and one
-
These four fields can be used to manually enter the encryption keys.
The button updates the wireless adapter with the four keys entered in
are updated for the wireless adapter. Please note that the "Default Tx
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frames that it can decrypt correctly. This will only happen if the
receiver has the "WEP Key" used by the transmitter.
128- bit.
NOTE: 64 bit WEP is the same as 40 bit WEP!
The lower level of WEP encryption uses a 40 bit (10 character)
“secret key” (set by the user), and a 24 bit “Initialization Vector” (not
under user control).
set for 128-bit key encryption. Each key must consist of hex digits,
which means that only digits 0-9 and letters A-F are valid entries.
The Configuration Utility will not apply keys that are not entered cor
rectly.
Passphrase
Alternatively, a "Passphrase" can be entered which is used as a
"seed" to randomly generate the four keys. Using the "Passphrase"
saves considerable time since the same keys must be entered into
each node on the wireless network.
Manual Entry:
Key 1 - Key 4
This may be necessary if you wish this node to match keys in a different vendor's product. These fields also display the keys when
they are generated using a Pass-phrase.
Default Tx Key
Key 1 through Key 4. Once the "Apply" button is selected, the keys
Key" is not an available option when 128 bit encryption is selected.
CONFIGURATION UTILITY
Apply
This button updates the settings for the wireless adapter with the
four keys displayed in Key field. The keys are updated in the driver registry for permanent storage until another key is selected.
About tab
Figure 5 - Configuration Utility with opened "ABOUT" tab
About tab shows the product version including the details of the
Driver, Configuration Utility, and NIC firmware version.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
A network can be simple to install and maintain. However,
18
occasionally something might go wrong. The best approach to
troubleshooting network problems is to start at the very simplest
level and work your way up.
On the following pages we have covered many of the common
troubleshooting situations. Please read through these
pages or skip to the specific one that interests you.
TROUBLESHOOTING
UNDERSTANDING THE INDICATOR
Your Network Adapter has an indicator or light that can give you
information about your network traffic and help you determine problems when troubleshooting.
The DWL-650 PC Card has an indicator labeled “LINK” on the top
panel. a steady green “LINK” light indicates a good connection with
the network. A flashing green “LINK” light indicates that the
Network Adapter is sending or receiving data.
19
TROUBLESHOOTING
VERIFYING DRIVER INSTALLATION
To check that the wireless network adapter drivers are
loaded properly:
A. Go to: Start>Settings>Control Panel
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