Siemens 54 User Manual
Contents
Contents
Safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Notes on secure operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Your contribution to the environment (ECO) . . . . . 5
The Gigaset PC Card 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Wireless LAN Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Local Area Network (LAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Ad-hoc network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Infrastructure network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Security in wireless networksEncryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WEP encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WPA encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Range of wireless communication via a WLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Notes on location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Status displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installation procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Running installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting the Gigaset PC Card 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Installing driver software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Checking installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Reading the connection quality from the icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Configuring Gigaset PC Card 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Opening the monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Deactivating Autostart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Operating the Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Closing the monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Configuration – General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Configuration – Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Configuration – Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
IP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Site Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
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Contents
Uninstalling Gigaset PC Card 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Uninstalling the software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Completing Uninstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Updating device drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Trouble shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Service (Customer Care) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Guarantee Certificate United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Guarantee Certificate Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
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Safety precautions
Safety precautions
u The tic can affect medical equipment. Therefore, you should pay attention to the
technical conditions of the corresponding environment.
u Make sure you include the operating instructions and the CD-ROM, when you pass
on your Gigaset PC Card 54 to somebody else.
u Dispose of the Gigaset PC Card 54 and any CD-ROMs you no longer need in an envi-
ronmentally-friendly manner.
u Under no circumstances try to use a damaged device. If in doubt, please contact our
service department, see Chapter "Service (Customer Care)" on page 50.
Notes on secure operation
When you have installed and configured the Gigaset PC Card 54 on your PC, you should
perform security settings on the wireless network:
u Change the SSID for all of the wireless devices within your network (see "SSID (Serv-
ice Set Identifier)" on page 22).
u Encrypt the communication over your wireless network (see "Configuration – Secu-
rity" on page 24).
Your contribution to the environment (ECO)
We at Gigaset Communications GmbH make our products as environmentally compatible as possible. Our goal is a sustainable process that makes it
easier for us to comply with the strict stipulations of the ISO standard 14001
for international environmental management.
Further advantages for the ecology
u Thanks to a switched-mode power supply, all our routers and repeaters use up to
60% less power and so offer higher energy efficiency.
u You can reduce the WLAN's transmitting power for all routers and repeaters and
some WLAN clients – depending on the device in question and your PC's operating
system.
u You can turn off the WLAN completely.
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Your contribution to the environment (ECO)
Trademarks
Gigaset Communications GmbH is a trademark licensee of Siemens AG.
Microsoft, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Internet
Explorer are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
Please remember:
Trademarks and trade names used in these instructions are meant only to describe the
operating steps and this use does not imply that they are freely available. Trademarks
and trade names are the property of the corresponding holder of the rights.
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The Gigaset PC Card 54
The Gigaset PC Card 54
The Gigaset PC Card 54 is a 54 Mbps WLAN network adapter that is connected to your
PC or Notebook via a PCMCIA slot. You can use Gigaset data products to set up a wireless
local network (WLAN = Wireless Local Area Network) without having to lay cables.
Your Gigaset PC Card 54 can be used to connect your PC to other PCs equipped with
wireless network adapters (ad-hoc mode).
You can also connect your PC to a wireless router, e. g. to the Gigaset SE505 dsl/cable,
for Internet access (infrastructure mode).
Since the PCs communicate with each other via radio, it does not matter where they are
located, as long as they are within range of the wireless network. Mobile PCs, such as
Notebooks, can connect to the WLAN even after changing location. This enables you to
use all the files and printers on the network. The Gigaset PC Card 54 works according to
the IEEE 802.11g transmission standard and is backwards compatible with the older
standard IEEE 802.11b. For network security, wireless transmission can be encrypted
using 64/128-bit WEP or the newer WPA standard.
These operating instructions contain important information on how to set up a WLAN
and to configure your Gigaset PC Card 54.
Wireless LAN Basics
This section provides basic information on wireless LANs to show the role of the
Gigaset PC Card 54 in setting up a wireless network
Local Area Network (LAN)
A LAN is a network that exists in a limited area. A network is two or more computers
which are connected together in order to share files as well as peripheral devices,
e. g. a printer.
Using the Gigaset PC Card 54 you can communicate with other PCs without having to
route network cable. Thus you can take your computer to another place and still remain
connected to the network.
You can use the Gigaset PC Card 54 in two different ways. On the one hand, you can
establish a connection to one or more PCs equipped with wireless network adapters.
This is an ad-hoc network. On the other hand, you can establish a connection to an
Access Point, which is used to obtain access to an already existing wired LAN (infrastructure network).
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The Gigaset PC Card 54
Ad-hoc network
In an ad-hoc network, PCs communicate with each other via wireless peer-to-peer connections. An ad-hoc network is set up by participants as and when required. All the PCs
must have a wireless network adapter installed, e. g. a Gigaset PC Card 54, a
Gigaset USB Adapter or USB Stick 54 or a Gigaset PCI Card 54. Ad-hoc networks are used
wherever communication networks have to be set up quickly without any existing network infrastructure and the participants are mobile.
Infrastructure network
In an infrastructure network, connections between network participants are set up via
an Access Point (or several Access Points). The Access Point provides the basis for the
wireless network. It controls the connections between the participants and can also
establish the connection from the mobile stations of a wireless network to a wired LAN
(Ethernet) or the Internet.
Roaming
Several Access Points can be installed to extend the range of a wireless network. Participants in the wireless network can move freely between the various Access Points without losing contact to the network. As soon as there is a risk of losing contact, the PC
automatically looks for another Access Point with a stronger signal. All Access Points and
wireless network adapters must have the same SSID. All Access Points must be connected to the same Ethernet network.
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The Gigaset PC Card 54
Security in wireless networksEncryption
Any network, be it wired or wireless, is exposed to the risk of eavesdropping.
Connecting your local network to the public network exposes your data and applications
to not inconsiderable risks. As with an individual connection, you should always protect
your network PCs against external attacks, e. g. via emails, with a virus scanner.
These virus scanners however do not provide any protection against unauthorised
access from outside (hackers). To counter this risk, Gigaset data products offer various
encryption procedures that largely rule out unauthorised access (hacking) to your wireless network.
WEP encryption
WEP encryption (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encodes data for sending using a key that
you have defined. Once they reach the recipient, who uses the same key, the data are
restored to the state before you sent them. Recipients who do not know this key cannot
read the content of this data stream or only after a great deal of effort.
There are two security levels for calculating the encryption key:
u 64-bit mode
u 128-bit mode
WPA encryption
Wireless Protected Access (WPA) is a new standard-compliant solution for greater security in wireless networks. WPA is meant to replace the existing WEP standard (Wired
Equivalent Privacy) and offers more reliable encryption and authentication methods.
With your Gigaset PC Card 54 you can use WPA encryption regardless of the operating
system used. WPA encryption is particularly recommended where the highest security
is required.
Range of wireless communication via a WLAN
The range is up to 300 m in the open. In buildings, the maximum range is up to 30 m.
The operating environment, the nature of the rooms and building may reduce the range
considerably. You can boost the range of your wireless network by placing a repeater,
e. g. a Gigaset WLAN Repeater, at the limit of its range.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
System requirements
For operation, you will require:
u a PC with at least 466 MHz and one of the following operating systems:
Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP
u 64 MB RAM, more working memory is recommended
u at least 30 MB free hard disk space
u a free PC card slot (Cardbus)
u a CD-ROM drive or a DVD drive
Contents
The package contains the following components:
u a Gigaset PC Card 54
u a CD-ROM containing installation and configuration software, detailed operating
instructions, Adobe Reader to read the operating instructions and the document
"Practical tips and configuration examples".
u a Quick Installation Guide
Notes on location
Choose the location of the PC where the Gigaset PC Card 54 will be connected with the
fewest obstacles to radio waves. Protect the Gigaset PC Card 54 from dampness.
The PC with the Gigaset PC Card 54 should not be placed in the immediate vicinity of
other electronic equipment. Electrical equipment can mutually affect each other, and
radio waves may impair the functioning of other devices.
If your PC with the Gigaset PC Card 54 should be under a desk or in a housing, the range
of the wireless network can be affected. For the best possible range, we recommend
placing the WLAN components in a central and an open location.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Status displays
There are two status displays (LEDs) on the Gigaset PC Card 54 . They are used to display
the:
u Operating status (PWR), red
u Transmission status (ACT), green
LED State Meaning
PWR
ACT
Continuously lit
Off The device is not ready for use.
Flashing Data is being transmitted.
Off There is currently no data traffic.
The Gigaset PC Card 54 was installed successfully on
your PC and is ready for operation.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Installation procedure
Please remember:
Do not insert the Gigaset PC Card 54 into a PCMCIA slot on your PC until the installation software prompts you to do so.
First, the software included in the scope of delivery must be installed. This software not
only includes the driver software for the device, it can also be used as a configuration
and monitoring tool, the Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor
Only this software has been written especially for the Gigaset PC Card 54. There are similar drivers available in the Windows driver database. But, as a rule, such drivers do not
fully cover all the features or function in a different manner.
Do not connect the Gigaset PC Card 54 to your PC until prompted by the installation program. If you connect the Gigaset PC Card 54 to your PC before installing the software,
Windows will automatically recognise the device and show the dialog box prompting for
the appropriate driver. Click on Cancel to close the dialogue. Remove the Gigaset PC
Card 54 from the PC and install the software.
Please remember:
You may require administrator rights for the installation process on your PC.
Information for users with Windows 98SE/ME:
If you are prompted to restart your computer during installation, click on Restart.
After this, installation continues automatically.You should now follow the instructions
and steps shown below.
Have your Windows Installation CD on hand. You may be prompted to insert it.
Running installation
ì Close all running programs.
ì Insert the CD-ROM supplied into the CD-ROM drive of your PC and wait until the wel-
come screen appears. If this screen does not appear automatically, start installation
manually:
– Open Windows Explorer.
– Select the CD-ROM drive.
– Double-click start.exe.
The language selection screen appears
ì Select the language.
You will now see a screen showing the contents of the CD-ROM.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Installation Install the software for your Gigaset PC Card 54.
User guide This opens the detailed operating instructions on
the CD-ROM. If you cannot open the detailed operating instructions on the CD-ROM, you will have to
install the free Adobe Reader.
Practical Tips and
Configuration Examples
Install Adobe Reader Install Adobe Reader, Version 6.
Browse CD If you are looking for a particular file on the
Back The program returns to the language selection
Exit This closes the program.
Here you will find solutions to various problems.
CD-ROM, you can display the CD-ROM contents
in an Explorer window.
screen.
ì Click on Installation.
Note:
The screens for the various operating systems differ only marginally. Installation is
largely automatic, apart from a few mouse clicks and restarts.
The InstallShield Wizard appears.
ì Click on Next to continue installation.
The licence agreement screen now appears.
ì If you accept the licence agreement, click on Yes.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
In the next screen, choose the directory for the installation.
ì Click on Browse, if you want to select another directory. Click on Next to continue
installation.
During installation, the InstallShield Wizard uses the screen Setup progress to show
which action is being carried out, and the progress is also displayed.
After this stage of installation is completed, a message appears prompting you to connect the Gigaset PC Card 54 to your PC.
Connecting the Gigaset PC Card 54
ì Insert the Gigaset PC Card 54 in the PCMCIA slot on your PC.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Installing driver software
Once the Gigaset PC Card 54 has been plugged in, installation continues automatically.
The operating system's automatic hardware recognition opens to install the drivers for
the Gigaset PC Card 54.
ì Depending on the other settings for your PC, an additional dialog box may appear.
Select the Install software automatically option, and click on Next.
If the window does not appear, the installation step described here is automatically carried out by the system.
Please remember:
u Under Windows 98SE / ME:You may be prompted to insert your Windows Installa-
tion CD to continue driver installation. Therefore you should have this CD handy
or enter the path name where the Windows installation files are stored on your PC.
u Restart your PC if you are prompted to do so.
u If your PC already contains more recent files, answer the question whether you
want to keep them with YES.
After installation, a message will appear prompting you to complete installation.
ì Click on Finish.
This closes the installation program. Depending on the Windows operating system version you are using, you may also be requested to restart your PC.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Checking installation
If installation was successful, you can now use the Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor. With
the Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor you can configure your Gigaset PC Card 54 and create a connection to other network adapters or an Access Point.
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor is represented by an icon in the status area of the
taskbar, this icon shows you if there is a connection to a connection partner and the
quality of the connection. In a wireless network using only Gigaset products and where
th e st and ard setting s we re used (e. g . no enc rypt ion ), t he c onn ect ion to an Ac cess Po int
is set up automatically during installation.
The following may be displayed in the status area of the taskbar:
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor icon is not displayed.
ü
ì First try to open the Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor
manually, see Chapter "Opening the monitor" on
page 18.
If this fails, then something went wrong during installation.
ì Deinstall the software, see Chapter "Uninstalling the
software" on page 36.
ì Then install the software again, see Chapter "Running
installation" on page 12.
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor icon is displayed in the
taskbar, with a red ball above the icon:
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor is installed; the Gigaset
PC Card 54 has not been inserted or inserted incorrectly.
ì Check that the card is correctly positioned.
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor icon is displayed in the
taskbar, with a red cross above the icon:
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor is installed and active;
there is no connection to the local network.
ì Turn to Chapter "Configuring Gigaset PC Card 54" on
page 18.
The icon is displayed in the taskbar, with a green ball above
the icon:
The Gigaset WLAN Adapter Monitor is installed and active;
there is no connection to the local network. The number of
bars displayed in the icon shows the connection quality.
You are advised to read Chapter "Notes on secure operation" on page 5.
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Installing the Gigaset PC Card 54
Displaying QuickInfo for the connection
If you point the mouse over the icon in the taskbar, you will see a small window that
displays the connection properties.
The following properties are shown:
u SSID (Service Set Identifier) in the Connection line
u the transmission rate (in Mbps) in the Speed line
u the transmission quality (in %) in the Link quality line
If there is no connection, you will see a red cross over the icon and in QuickInfo, Disconnected is displayed.
Reading the connection quality from the icon
The icon changes gradually depending on the current connection quality. The better the
connection quality, the higher the transmission speed
With reasonable to poor connection:
ì If possible, move your PC closer to the connection partner for greater field strength.
No WLAN available (red cross over bar)
There is no WLAN within range of your Gigaset PC Card 54 that you could
connect to.
ì Check the configuration of the Access Point and adjust the Gigaset PC
Card 54 settings accordingly.
Or
ì Change your location to reduce the distance to a connection partner.
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