Linksys WCF11 Owner's Manual

Instant WirelessTMSeries

Wireless Network

CF Card

User Guide

Use this Guide to install: WCF11

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Copyright © 2001 Linksys, All Rights Reserved. Instant Wireless™ is a registered trade­mark of Linksys. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and brand names are the property of their
respective proprietors.

LIMITED WARRANTY
Linksys guarantees that every Instant Wireless™ Wireless Network CF Card is free from
physical defects in material and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase,
when used within the limits set forth in the Specification section of this User Guide. If
these products prove defective during this warranty period, call Linksys Customer
Support in order to obtain a Return Authorization Number. BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR
PROOF OF PURCHASE AND A BARCODE FROM THE PRODUCT'S PACKAGING ON
HAND WHEN CALLING. RETURN REQUESTS CANNOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT
PROOF OF PURCHASE. When returning a product, mark the Return Authorization
Number clearly on the outside of the package and include your original proof of pur­chase. All customers located outside of the United States of America and Canada shall
be held responsible for shipping and handling charges.

IN NO EVENT SHALL LINKSYS’ LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE PROD­UCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAM­AGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS ACCOMPANYING SOFT­WARE, OR ITS DOCUMENTATION. LINKSYS DOES NOT OFFER REFUNDS FOR ANY
PRODUCT. Linksys makes no warranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statuto­ry, with respect to its products or the contents or use of this documentation and all
accompanying software, and specifically disclaims its quality, performance, mer­chantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Linksys reserves the right to revise or
update its products, software, or documentation without obligation to notify any individ­ual or entity. Please direct all inquiries to:

Linksys P.O. Box 18558, Irvine, CA 92623.
FCC STATEMENT

This product have been tested and complies with the specifications for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide rea­sonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equip­ment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used according to the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communi­cations. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which is found by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to
try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment or device

• Connect the equipment to an outlet other than the receiver’s

• Consult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for assistance

UG-WCF11-011003NC KL

Introduction

Experience the same speed and ease of wireless networking with your
CompactFlash Type II ready personal digital assistant as you do with your lap­top or desktop computer with the Instant Wireless™ Wireless Network CF
Card. This Type II CompactFlash card connects directly to your PDA—just
plug it in and you’re ready to share data, printers, or high speed Internet access
over your existing wireless network. User-friendly software makes it simple to
set up.

Not only is the Instant Wireless™ Wireless Network CF Card easy to install
and use, it’s also powerful. You can send and receive data at speeds up to
11Mbps. A high-powered built-in antenna means that you’re connected at dis­tances of up to 1500 feet. It’s also versatile and easily configurable through
your PC.

So for full wireless flexibility and conv enience, the Instant W ireless™ Wireless
Network CF Card puts wireless networking in the palm of your hand!

• Up to 11 Mbps High-Speed Data Transfer Rate

• Compatible with Windows CE

• Low Interference and High Sensitivity to Guarantee Reliable Performance

• User-Friendly Software Provides Hassle-Free Installation and
Configuration

• Plug-and-Play Operation Provides Easy Setup

• Built-in Antenna with Link LED

• Works with Vir tually All Standard Internet Applications

• Interoperable with IEEE 802.11b (DSSS) 2.4GHz-Compliant Equipment

• Capable of up to 128-Bit WEP Encryption

• Free Software Driver Upgrades

• Free Technical Support-24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week for North America
Only

• 1-Year Limited Warranty

1

Features

The Instant WirelessTMWireless Network CF Card

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

The Instant WirelessTMWireless Network CF Card 1
Features 1
Package Contents 2
System Requirements 2

Planning Y our Wir eless Network 3

Network Topology 3
Roaming 3
Ad-Hoc Versus Infrastructure Mode 4

Installing the Drivers 5

Before You Start 5
Driver Installation 5

Installing the Wireless PCI Card 14
Configuration Utility 12

Using the Configuration Utility 12

Troubleshooting 18

Common Problems and Solutions 18
Frequently Asked Questions 18

Glossary 22
Specifications 27

Environmental 27

Warranty Information 28
Contact Information 29

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Wireless Network CF Card

32

Planning Your Wireless Network

Network Topology

A wireless LAN is exactly like a regular LAN, except that each Personal
Digital Assistant (PDA) in the LAN uses an Instant Wireless™ Wireless
Network CF Card to connect to the network using no wires. PDAs in a wire­less LAN must be configured to share the same radio channel.

The Instant Wireless™ Wireless Network CF Card provides LAN access for
PDAs. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure con­figuration. A group of Network CF Card users and an Access Point compose
a Basic Service Set (BSS). Each PDA equipped with a Network CF Card in a
BSS can talk to any computer in a wired LAN infrastructure via the Access
Point also allows you to synchronize the PDA through wireless connection.

An infrastructure configuration extends the accessibility of a Network CF Card
PDA to a wired LAN, and doubles the effective wireless transmission range for
two Network CF Card PDAs. Since the Access Point is able to forward data
within its BSS, the effective transmission range in an infrastructure LAN is
doubled.

The use of a unique ID in a Basic Service Set is essential.

The Wireless LAN Infrastr ucture configuration is appropriate for enterprise­scale wireless access to a central database, or as a wireless application for
mobile users.

Infrastructure mode also supports roaming capabilities for mobile users. More
than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Ser vice Set (ESS). This con­tinuous network allows users to roam freely within an ESS. All Network CF
Card PDAs within one Extended Service Set must be configured with the same
SSID.

Selecting a feasible radio channel and optimum Access Point position is rec­ommended. Proper Access Point positioning combined with a clear radio sig­nal will greatly enhance performance.

Roaming

• One Instant Wireless™ Wireless Network CF Card

• One Setup CD-ROM with Drivers and User Guide

• One Registration Card (not shown)

• Windows 9x or higher PC with CD-ROM (to load drivers)

• PDA with available Type II CompactFlash Slot

• Windows CE

Package Contents

System Requirements

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Wireless Network CF Card

5

Installing the Drivers

Your new Instant Wireless™ Wireless Network CF Card comes with an auto­mated software installation procedure that interacts with the Windows operat­ing system on your PC and the Windows CE operating systems on your PDA.
This procedure automatically installs the drivers and Configuration Utility
while the Network CF Card is installed on your PDA.

1. With the Network CF Card inserted into your PDA while your PDA is con­nected to your PC, insert the Setup CD into your PC’s CD-ROM drive.
Unless you have deactivated the auto-run feature of Windows, the follow­ing screen should appear automatically.

If this screen does not appear automatically, you can access the installation
by pressing the Start button and choosing Run. In the drop down bo x pro­vided, type D:\setup.exe (where D: is the letter of your CD-ROM drive).
Alternately, double-click My Computer, and then double-click the CD­ROM drive where the Setup CD is located. Then double-click the
Setup.exe icon that appears.

Before You Start

Driver Installation

Wireless Network CF Card

Unlike wired networks, wireless networks have two different modes in which
they may be set up: Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc. Choosing between these two
modes depends on whether or not the wireless network needs to share data or
peripherals with a wired network or not.

If the computers on the wireless network need to be accessible by a wired net­work or need to share a peripheral, such as a printer, with the wired network
computers, the wireless network should be set up in the Infrastructure mode.
The basis of Infrastructure mode centers around an access point, which serves
as the main point of communications in a wireless network. Access points
transmit data to PCs
equipped with wireless
network card, which can
roam within a certain
radial range of the access
point. Multiple access
points can be arranged to
work in succession to
extend the roaming
range, and can be set up
to communicate with
your Ethernet hardware
as well.

If the wireless network is relatively small and needs to share resources only
with the other computers on the wireless network, then the Ad-Hoc mode can
be used. Ad-Hoc mode allows computers equipped with wireless transmitters
and receivers to communicate directly with each other, eliminating the need for
an access point. The dra wback of this mode is in the fact that, in Ad-Hoc mode,
wireless-equipped computers are not able to communicate with computers on

a wired network.
And, of course,
communication
between the wire­less-equipped com­puters is limited by
the distance and
interference directly
between them.

Ad-Hoc versus Infrastructure Mode

4

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4. The next screen that appears will show the W arranty P olicy. Read the entire
policy by clicking the Page Down button on your keyboard. Click the Yes
button if you agree, or No if you disagree. Clicking No will terminate the
installation. If you click Yes, the installation will continue.

5. From the following screen, you will determine where the driver will be
installed. If you would lik e the driver installed to the default directory, click
the Next button. If you would like to choose an alternate directory , click the
Bro wse button and select the appropriate folder.

Wireless Network CF Card

2. The first tab across the top of the screen, labeled Install, should now be high-

lighted. Click the Install button. The following screen should appear , indi­cating that Windows is preparing the installation.

If, for whatever reason, y ou need to abort or terminate the installation, click
the Cancel button at any time during the installation. Otherwise the instal­lation will continue automatically.

3. The following screen will indicate that Windows is ready to continue the

installation. Click the Next button.

Note: If you stop the installation before it has finished, you will have to
run the installation completely again before installing your hardware.

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