Wireless USB Adapter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome....................................................................................1
Features .................................................................................1
Installation of the USB Adapter to your Computer...............2
Hardware Installation ..............................................................2
Driver Installation.....................................................................2
Windows 98 Driver Installation...............................................2
Windows ME Driver Installation..............................................7
Windows 2000 Driver Installation.........................................12
Windows XP Driver Installation ............................................18
Configuration Utility...............................................................23
Install the Configuration Utility..............................................23
Using the Configuration Utility..............................................28
Status................................................................................28
Statistics............................................................................31
Site Survey........................................................................32
Encryption.........................................................................33
Advanced..........................................................................36
Version..............................................................................37
The Configuration Utility for Windows XP ............................38
Legal Notice............................................................................40
IC Notice:.................................................................................41
FCC Information.....................................................................41
Precautions! ...........................................................................43
One Year Limited Warranty ...................................................46
Appendix: Glossary...............................................................48
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Wireless USB Adapter
Welcome
Congratulations on your purchase of
PCW100 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter. This USB Adapter
is designed and engineered to exacting standards for reliability,
long life and outstanding performance.
Features
§ Complies with the IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence
Spread Spectrum
§ Complies with USB specification 1.0
§ Supports 1, 2, 5.5 and 11Mbps data rates
§ Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 64-bit and 128-bit
data encryption
§ USB-powered with no external power supply needed
§ Dipole antenna
§ Driver supports Microsoft® Windows® 98, 2000,
Millennium, and XP.
Uniden® is a registered trademark of Uniden America Corporation.
and Your Gateway To The Evolution are a trademarks of Uniden America Corporation.
Windows® 98/2000, Millennium, and XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft® in the United States and/or other countries.
Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Information is subject to change without notice.
Wireless USB Adapter
Installation of the USB Adapter to
your Computer
Hardware Installation
§ Power On your computer.
§ Connect the USB cord to the PCW100 Wireless
USB Adapter and to the USB port of your computer
§ The hardware installation has been completed.
Driver Installation
Windows 98 Driver Installation
1. Turn On your computer and insert the CD into your
CD-ROM drive, if you have not done so already.
Windows 98 automatically recognizes a new USB Device.
Click the Next button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
2. Select “Search for the best driver for your device” and
click the Next button to continue.
3. Make sure “Specify a location” is selected and click the
Browse button. At this point, Windows will ask you to
browse for the folder. Simply select the CD-ROM drive in
which the driver is located, click on the Win98 folder and
click the OK button or you can type in “F:\Win98” (where
“F” represents the letter of your CD-ROM drive). Click the
Next button to continue
Wireless USB Adapter
4. Windows is now ready to install the driver. Click the Next
button to continue.
5. Windows has completed installing the driver. Click the
Finish button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
6. To finish installing the USB adapter, you must restart your
computer. Click the Yes button to restart your computer.
Wireless USB Adapter
7. To verify the drivers were set up correctly, after your
computer restarts, place the cursor over the My
Computer icon and right click your mouse. Select
Properties then select Device Manager and double click
on Network adapters. You will find the PCW100
Wireless 802.11b USB Adapter, if it is installed
successfully. The USB adapter driver installation is
complete. Click Cancel to dismiss this screen.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Windows ME Driver Installation
1. Turn On your computer and insert the CD into your
CD-ROM drive, if you have not done so already.
Windows automatically recognizes a new USB Device.
Select “Specify the location of the driver”. Click the
Next button to continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
2. At this point, the following screen will appear. Make sure
“Search for the best driver for your device” and
“Specify a location” are selected. Click the Browse
button. Select the CD-ROM drive in which the driver is
located. Now search for the WinME (Windows ME)
folder and click on it or you can type in “F:\WinME\”
(where “F” represents the letter of your CD-ROM drive).
Click the Next button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
3. Windows is now ready to install the driver. Click the
Next button to continue.
4. Windows will indicate that the installation has been
completed. Click the Finish button to continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
5. To finish installing the new hardware, you must restart
your computer. Click the Yes button to restart your
computer.
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Wireless USB Adapter
6. To verify the drivers were setup correctly, after your
computer restarts, place the cursor over the My
Computer icon and right click your mouse. Select
Properties then select Device Manager and double click
on Network adapters. You will find the PCW100
Wireless 802.11b USB Adapter if it is installed
successfully. The USB adapter driver installation is
complete. Click Cancel to dismiss this screen.
Wireless USB Adapter
Windows 2000 Driver Installation
1. Turn On your computer and insert the CD into your
CD-ROM drive, if you have not done so already.
Windows 2000 automatically recognizes the USB adapter.
Click the Next button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
2. Select “Search for a suitable driver for my device” and
click the Next button to continue.
3. Make sure “Specify a location” is selected and click the
Next button to continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
4. At this point, the following screen will appear.
Simply select the CD-ROM drive in which the driver is
located, click on the Win2000 (Windows 2000) folder or
you can type in “F:\Win2000\” (where “F” represents the
letter of your CD-ROM drive). Click the Next button to
continue.
5. Windows will search for the driver. Once the driver is
located, the following screen will appear. Click the Next
button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
6. The Digital Signature Not Found screen is a notification
by Windows 2000. However, this does not mean that
there is a problem. The PCW100 has been tested
extensively and has been found to work with Windows
2000. Click the Yes button to continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
7. Windows has completed installing the driver. Click the
Finish button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
8. To verify the drivers were setup correctly, place the cursor
over the My Computer icon and right click your mouse.
Select Properties then select Hardware then Device
Manager and double click on Network adapters.
You will find the PCW100-Wireless 802.11b USB
Adapter, if it is installed successfully. The USB adapter
driver installation is complete.
Wireless USB Adapter
Windows XP Driver Installation
1. Turn On your computer and insert the CD into your
CD-ROM drive, if you have not done so already.
Windows XP will automatically recognize a new USB
Device. Select “Install from a list or specific location”
Click the Next button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
2. At this point, the following screen will appear. Make sure
“Include this location in the search” is selected and click
on the Browse button. Select the CD-ROM drive in which
the driver is located. Click on the WinXP (Windows XP)
folder or you can type in “E:\WinXP” (where “E” represents
the letter of your CD-ROM drive.) Click the Next button to
continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
3. Windows will notify you that the software has not passed
Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with
Windows XP. However, this does not mean that there is
a problem. The PCW100 has been tested extensively
and has been found to work with Windows XP. Click the
Continue Anyway button.
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Wireless USB Adapter
4. Windows has completed installing the driver. Click the
Finish button to continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
5. To verify the drivers were setup correctly, place the cursor
over the My Computer icon and right click your mouse.
Select Properties then select Hardware and then
Device Manager and double click on Network adapters.
You will find the PCW100 Wireless 802.11b USB
Adapter if it is installed successfully. The USB adapter
driver installation is complete.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Configuration Utility
The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you
further customization of the USB adapter and your wireless
network. It is useful for operation with Windows 98,
Windows ME, and Windows 2000, but is not needed for
Windows XP. If you are using Windows XP, please see the
instructions starting on page 38.
Install the Configuration Utility
1. Click on the Install Configuration Utility button from the
start page folder of your CD-ROM.
Wireless USB Adapter
2. The InstallShield Wizard will automatically launch.
Click the Next button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
3. At this point, Windows will ask for the destination folder.
Click the Next button to continue.
Wireless USB Adapter
4. The following screen will appear. The default will
automatically show in the Program Folders field, do not
change this unless you are an advanced user. Click the
Next button to continue.
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Wireless USB Adapter
5. Windows has completed installing the driver. Click the
Finish button to continue.
6. You are now ready to use the utility software. From the
Start menu, select Wireless 802.11 USB Utility and
then click Configuration & Monitor Utility. A Wireless
802.11 LAN icon will appear in the system tray.
Wireless USB Adapter
Using the Configuration Utility
Status
The Status screen provides information on the current link
between the USB adapter and the wireless Infrastructure
(Access Point).
7. Click on the icon. Windows will bring you to the
PCW100 Wireless 802.11b USB Adapter Utility screen.
This utility is divided into six parts: Status, Statistics,
Site Survey, Encryption, Advanced and Version, as
described in the following sections.
The Status screen also allows you to customize the settings
for the USB adapter and your wireless network. Click
Change to edit the fields described below and then click
Submit to apply your changes.
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Wireless USB Adapter
The Operating Mode setting determines the architecture of
your wireless network. Select Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure
mode depending on your network type. The Ad-Hoc mode is
used for a simple Peer-to-Peer network, which allows the
sharing of local resources only between USB adapters without
a wireless access point. The Infrastructure mode allows a
wireless network to be integrated into an existing wired
network through an Access Point.
The Channel setting specifies the channel used in wireless
communication and should be set to the same channel as the
other points in the wireless network.
Note: You do not need to set the channel when using
Infrastructure mode.
The Service Set Identifier (SSID) is the unique name shared
among all points in a wireless network. The SSID must be
identical for all points in the network. It is case sensitive and
must not exceed 32 characters. In Infrastructure mode, you
may instruct the adapter to select the first available Access
Point by entering an SSID of “ANY” (all upper case).
You should not use an SSID of “ANY” in Ad-Hoc mode.
The Tx Rate field shows the current transmission rate for the
USB adapter. There are four fixed rates: 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps,
5.5 Mbps and 11 Mbps . To optimize performance and range,
the Tx Rate should be set to Auto, which will automatically
adjust the transmission speed for best performance and
longest range.
The MAC Address field shows the MAC Address of the USB
adapter. The Status, Signal Strength, and Link Quality
fields indicate how well your USB adapter is communicating
with other wireless devices.
Wireless USB Adapter
Note: If you experience difficulty in transfering data
between computers, you should try the following steps:
• Reposition either or both computers or Access Point
(if one is being used).
• Keep in mind that closer is not necessarily better for
devices of this type. If the devices are too close
together, move them apart.
• If you have a consistent problem with many or all
wireless devices on your network, you should consider
using a different wireless channel for your network
operations.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Statistics
The Statistics screen displays the number of packets
transmitted and received (both successfully and
unsuccessfully). The packets are divided into Data,
Management and Rejected Packets.
Wireless USB Adapter
Site Survey
The Site Survey screen shows all wireless networks that can
be reached by your PCW100 Wireless 802.11b USB
Adapter.
The Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID) is a unique
identifier for each node.
The SSID field identifies the network of which that node is a
member.
The Signal, Channel, and Encryption fields show the signal
strength, channel, and encryption mode of each point.
The BSS field indicates whether the node is in Ad-Hoc or
Infrastructure mode.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Encryption
To make your network more secure, you may choose to use
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). Your PCW100 Wireless
802.11b USB Adapter supports both 64-bit WEP and 128-bit
WEP.
After selecting the Encryption mode (64-bit or 128-bit), you
must complete the 4 Encryption Keys. This can be done
one of three ways: Automatically by entering a Pass Phrase,
manually by entering a Hexadecimal characters or manually
by entering Alpha-Numeric characters.
Entering a Pass Phrase is the easiest way to enable your
64-bit/128-bit WEP Encryption. A Pass Phrase is similar to a
password. Once you enter the Pass Phrase into the Pass
Phrase field, the program will automatically convert the Pass
Phrase into a hexadecimal format for the 4 Keys.
Wireless USB Adapter
You can also choose to manually enter either Hexadecimal
numbers or Alpha-Numeric characters, simply by selecting
the manual configuration desired (Hexadecimal or
Alpha-Numeric) and enter the characters for the for Keys.
Hexadecimal characters consist of letters “A” through “F” and
numbers “0” through “9”.
Note: 64-bit WEP encryption consists of 10 hexadecimal
characters and 5 alpha characters.
128- bit WEP encryption consists of 26 hexadecimal
characters and 13 alpha characters
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Wireless USB Adapter
Once you have set up WEP encryption, you have additional
options for how you connect with other Access Points and
Clients.
The bottom section of the Encryption page allows you to
adjust the following settings:
Default Key: Allows you to select different Keys.
Authentication Type: Gives you the option of how you
access different networks. Using the Shared Key option
restricts you to only access networks configured to your WEP
Key. Using the Open System option, allow you to access
networks without WEP. The default is Auto, which allows
access to both encrypted and open systems.
Note: The Hexadecimal Key must be identical to all Access
Points and Clients on the network in order for this device to
connect to the wireless LAN.
Wireless USB Adapter
Advanced
The Advanced screen allows you to set the Preamble Type,
Fragmentation Threshold and RTS/CTS Threshold.
These settings are for very advanced users, and should not be
adjusted without a thorough understanding of the 802.11b
protocol.
The default settings are shown above. It is highly
recommended that the defaults be used.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Version
The Version screen shows the release information for the
Configuration Utility.
Wireless USB Adapter
The Configuration Utility for Windows XP
1. If you are using Windows XP, you do not need to install
the Configuration Utility from the CD-ROM.
Instead, right-click the Wireless Network Connection
icon on the system tray after installing the driver.
2. The Connect to Wireless Network screen will appear.
Select a network from the list and click Connect to
continue.
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• Indoor Environment*
Wireless USB Adapter
3. If the chosen network requires WEP encryption, you will
have to enter the WEP key for your network in the
Network key field as shown in the screen below.
4. Once your connection is achieved, you will see the
following message.
For more information about the Windows XP wireless
networking utility, search the Windows XP help files using the
keyword “wireless”.
Wireless USB Adapter
Specifications
Wireless Data
Rates:
Frequency Band: 2.4 GHz Direct Sequence Spread
Operating Range:
• Outdoor
Environment*
Encryption: 64-bit WEP data encryption
Network Interface: USB 1.0
Provided drivers: Microsoft Windows 98, NT, Me, 2000, XP
Dimensions: 107 x 87 x 24mm
Weight: 67 g
Status LED: Wireless Link and USB Link
Electromagnetic
Compliance:
Environmental
Specifications:
Warranty: Limited 1-year warranty
*Performance may vary depending upon the environment.
11, 5.5, 2, 1 Mbps (Auto Rate Sensing)
Spectrum (DSSS)
@ 1 Mbps 500 ft. (152m)
@ 2 Mbps 400 ft. (122m)
@ 5.5 Mbps 268 ft. (82m)
@ 11 Mbps 175 ft. (53m)
@ 1 Mbps 1650 ft. (503m)
@ 2 Mbps 1320 ft. (402m)
@ 5.5 Mbps 1200 ft. (365m)
@ 11 Mbps 850 ft. (259m)
128-bit WEP data encryption
FCC Part 15 Sub Class B
Operating temperature: 32° - 131° F (0°
to 55° C)
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Wireless USB Adapter
Legal Notice
Statement of Conditions
Uniden reserves the right to make changes to the products
described in this document without notice.
Uniden does not assume liability due to the user or application
of the product(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein.
IC Notice:
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003.
FCC Information
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Compliance
Notice: Radio Frequency Notice
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation
is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits 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 in accordance with 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
Wireless USB Adapter
will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined 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: (1) Reorient or relocate the
receiving antenna, (2) Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver, (3) Connect the equipment into an
outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected, (4) Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV
technician for help.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Radiation
Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits
set forth for an uncontrolled environment. In order to avoid
the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency exposure
limits, human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than
20 cm (8 inches) during normal operation.
The FCC Wants You To Know
Changes or modifications to this product not expressly
approved by Uniden, or operation of this product in any way
other than as detailed by the owner’s manual, could void your
authority to operate this product and will void any warranty.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Precautions!
Before you read anything else, please observe the following:
Warning!
Uniden America Corporation DOES NOT represent this unit to
be waterproof. To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock, or
damage to the unit, DO NOT expose this unit to rain or
moisture.
Important Safety Instruction
When using your product, these basic safety precautions
should always be followed to reduce the risk of fire, electrical
shock, and injury to persons:
1. Read and understand all instructions.
2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the
product.
3. Do not use this product near water; for example, near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink or laundry tub, in a wet
basement, or near a swimming pool.
4. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or
table. The product may fall, causing serious damage to
the unit.
5. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom
are provided for ventilation. To protect the product from
overheating, these openings must not be blocked or
covered. This product should never be placed near or
over a radiator or heat register. This product should not
be placed in a built-in installation unless proper
ventilation is provided.
6. If this product includes a cable, do not allow anything to
rest on it and do not locate this product where the cable
will be damaged by persons walking on it.
Wireless USB Adapter
7. Do not overload wall outlets and extension cords, as this
can result in the risk of fire or electrical shock.
8. Never push objects of any kind into this product through
cabinet slots, as they may touch dangerous voltage
points or short out parts that could result in a risk of fire
or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the
product.
9. To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not disassemble
this product. Take it to qualified service personnel when
service or repair work is required. Opening or removing
covers may expose you to dangerous voltages or other
risks. Incorrect reassembly can cause electric shock
when the appliance is subsequently used.
10. Unplug this product and refer servicing to qualified
service personnel under the following conditions:
A. If liquid has been spilled into the product.
B. If the product has been exposed to rain or water.
C. If the product does not operate normally when
following the operating instructions. (Adjust only those
controls that are covered by the operating instructions.
Improper adjustment of other controls may result in
damage and will often require extensive repair work by
a qualified technician.)
D. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has
been damaged.
E. If the product exhibits a distinct change in
performance.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Important Electrical Considerations
Unplug all electrical appliances when you know an electrical
storm is approaching. Lightning can pass through your
household wiring and damage any device connected to it. This
product is no exception.
Warning!
Please do not attempt to unplug any appliance during an
electrical storm.
Wireless USB Adapter
One Year Limited Warranty
Important: Evidence of original purchase is required for
warranty service.
WARRANTOR: UNIDEN AMERICA CORPORATION
(“Uniden”)
ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY: Uniden warrants, for one year,
to the original retail owner, this Uniden Product to be free from
defects in materials and craftsmanship with only the limitations
or exclusions set out below.
WARRANTY DURATION: This warranty to the original user
shall terminate and be of no further effect twelve (12) months
after the date of original retail sale. The warranty is invalid if
the Product is (A) damaged or not maintained as reasonable
or necessary, (B) modified, altered, or used as part of any
conversion kits, subassemblies, or any configurations not sold
by Uniden, (C) improperly installed, (D) serviced or repaired by
someone other than an authorized Uniden service center for a
defect or malfunction covered by this warranty, (E) used in any
conjunction with equipment or parts or as part of any system
not manufactured by Uniden, or (F) installed or programmed
by anyone other than as detailed by the owner’s manual for
this product.
STATEMENT OF REMEDY: In the event that the product does
not conform to this warranty at any time while this warranty is
in effect, warrantor will either, at its option, repair or replace
the defective unit and return it to you without charge for parts,
service, or any other cost (except shipping and handling)
incurred by warrantor or its representatives in connection with
the performance of this warranty. Warrantor, at its option, may
replace the unit with a new or refurbished unit. THE LIMITED
WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE IS THE SOLE AND
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Wireless USB Adapter
ENTIRE WARRANTY PERTAINING TO THE PRODUCT AND
IS IN LIEU OF AND EXCLUDES ALL OTHER WARRANTIES
OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, WHETHER EXPRESS,
IMPLIED OR ARISING BY OPERATION OF LAW,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT
COVER OR PROVIDE FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OR
PAYMENT
OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
Some states do not allow this exclusion or limitation of
incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation
or exclusion may not apply to you.
LEGAL REMEDIES: This warranty gives you specific legal
rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from
state to state. This warranty is void outside the United States
of America.
PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING PERFORMANCE OF
WARRANTY: If, after following the instructions in the owner’s
manual you are certain that the Product is defective, pack the
Product carefully (preferably in its original packaging).
The Product should include all parts and accessories originally
packaged with the Product. Include evidence of original
purchase and a note describing the defect that has caused
you to return it. The Product should be shipped freight prepaid,
by traceable means, to warrantor at:
Uniden America Corporation
Parts and Service Division
4700 Amon Carter Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76155
(800) 775-9060
Wireless USB Adapter
Appendix: Glossary
Ad.Hoc – Ad.Hoc mode allows computers equipped with wireless
transmitters and receivers to communicate directly with each other, eliminating
the need for an access point.
Adapter – Printed circuit board that plugs into a PC to add to capabilities or
connectivity to a PC. In a networked environment, a network interface card
(NIC) is the typical adapter that allows the PC or server to connect to the
intranet and/or Internet.
Backbone – The part of a network that connects most of the systems and
networks together and handles the most data.
Bandwidth – The transmission capacity of a given facility, in terms of how
much data the facility can transmit in a fixed amount of time; expressed in bits
per second (bps).
Bit – A binary digit. The value 0 or 1 used in the binary numbering system.
Also, the smallest form of data.
Boot – To cause the computer to start executing instructions.
Personal computers contain built-in instructions in ROM chip that are
automatically executed on startup. These instructions search for the
operating system, load it, and pass control to it.
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Bridge – A device that interconnects different networks together.
Broadband – A data-transmission scheme in which multiple signals share
the bandwidth of a single medium. This allows the transmission of voice,
data, and video signals over that medium. Cable television uses broadband
techniques to deliver dozens of channels over one cable.
Browser – A browser is an application program that provides a way to look
at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web or PC.
The word “browser” seems to have originated prior to the Web as a generic
term for user interfaces that let you browse text files online.
Cable Modem – A device that connects a computer to the cable television
network, which in turn connects to the Internet. Once connected, cable
modem users have a continuous connection to the Internet. Cable modems
feature asymmetric transfer rates: around 36 Mbps downstream (from the
Internet to the computer), and from 200 Kbps to 2 Mbps upstream (from the
computer to the Internet).
Data Packet – One frame in a packet-switched message. Most data
communication is based on dividing the transmitted message into packets.
For example, an Ethernet packet can be from 64 to 1518 bytes in length.
Default Gateway – The routing device used to forward all traffic that is
not addressed to a station within the local subnet.
Wireless USB Adapter
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) – A protocol that
lets network administrators centrally manage and automate the assignment of
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in an organization’s network. Using the
Internet’s set of protocol (TCP/IP), each machine that can connect to the
Internet needs a unique IP address. When an organization sets up its
computer users with a connection to the Internet, an IP address must be
assigned to each machine. Without DHCP, the IP address must be entered
manually at each computer and, if computers move to another location in
another part of the network, a new IP address must be entered. DHCP lets a
network administrator supervise and distribute IP addresses from a central
point and automatically sends a new IP address when a computer is plugged
into a different place in the network.
DHCP uses the concept of a “lease” or amount of time that a given IP address
will be valid for a computer. The lease time can vary depending on how long
a user is likely to require the Internet connection at a particular location.
It’s especially useful in education and other environments where users change
frequently. Using very short leases, DHCP can dynamically reconfigure
networks in which there are more computers than there are available
IP addresses.
DHCP supports static addresses for computers containing Web servers that
need a permanent IP address.
DNS – The Domain Name System (DNS) is the way that Internet domain
names are located and translated into an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember “handle” for an
Internet address.
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Domain – A sub network comprised of a group of clients and servers under
the control of one security database. Dividing LANs into domains improves
performance and security.
Download – To receive a file transmitted over a network.
In a communications session, download means receive, and upload
means transmit.
Driver – A workstation or server software module that provides an interface
between a network interface card and the upper-layer protocol software
running in the computer; it is designed for a specific NIC, and is installed
during the initial installation of a network-compatible client or server operating
system.
DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) – DSSS generates a
redundant bit pattern for each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a
chip (or chipping code). The longer the chip, the greater the probability that
the original data can be recovered. Even if one or more bits in the chip are
damaged during transmission, statistical techniques embedded in the radio
can recover the original data without the need for retransmission.
To an unintended receiver, DSSS appears as low power wideband noise and
is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband receivers.
Dynamic IP Address – An IP address that is automatically assigned to
a client station in a TCP/IP network, typically by a DHCP server.
Network devices that serve multiple users, such as servers and printers, are
usually assigned static IP addresses.
Wireless USB Adapter
Dynamic Routing – The ability for a router to forward data via a different
route based on the current conditions of the communications circuit.
For example, it can adjust for overloaded traffic or failing lines and is much
more flexible than static routing, which uses a fixed forwarding path.
Ethernet – IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data is
placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium. Has a
transfer rate of 10 Mbps. Forms the underlying transport vehicle used by
several upper-level protocols, including TCP/IP and XNS.
Fast Ethernet – A 100 Mbps technology based on the 10Base-T Ethernet
CSMA/CD network access method.
Firewall – A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network
gateway server, which protects the resources of a network from users from
other networks. (The term also implies the security policy that is used with
the programs.) An enterprise with an intranet that allows its workers access
to the wider Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its
own private data resources and for controlling what outside resources to
which its own users have access. A firewall, working closely with a router,
examines each network packet to determine whether to forward it toward its
destination.
Firmware – Programming that is inserted into programmable read-only
memory, thus becoming a permanent part of a computing device.
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Wireless USB Adapter
Fragmentation – Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting
over a network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet.
Hardware – Hardware is the physical aspect of computers,
telecommunications, and other information technology devices. The term
arose as a way to distinguish the “box” and the electronic circuitry and
components of a computer from the program you put in it to make it do things.
The program came to be known as the software.
Hub – The device that serves as the central location for attaching wires from
workstations. Can be passive, where there is no amplification of the signals;
or active, where the hubs are used like repeaters to provide an extension of
the cable that connects to a workstation.
IEEE – The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE
fosters the development of standards that often become national and
international standards. The organization publishes a number of journals,
has many local chapters, and has several large societies in special areas,
such as the IEEE Computer Society.
IEEE 802.11 – Industry standard that enables wireless LAN hardware from
different manufacturers to communicate.
Infrastructure Mode – Allows all computers on a wired and wireless
network to share a peripheral, such as a printer or high speed Internet
Access.
Wireless USB Adapter
IP Address – In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol (IP)
today, and IP address is a 32-binary digit number that identifies each sender
or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the Internet. When
you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet Protocol part of
TCP/IP includes your IP address in the message (actually, in each of the
packets if more than one is required) and sends it to the IP address that is
obtained by looking up the domain name in the Uniform Resource Locator you
requested or in the e-mail address you’re sending a note to. At the other end,
the recipient can see the IP address of the Web page requestor or the e-mail
sender and can respond by sending another message using the IP address it
received.
IPCONFIG – A utility that provides for querying, defining and managing IP
addresses within a network. This utility is commonly used under Windows
NT and 2000, for configuring networks with a static IP address.
IPSec – IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) is a developing standard for
security at the network or packet-processing layer of network communication.
A big advantage of IPSec is that security arrangements can be handled
without requiring changes to individual user computers.
IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) – A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ
lines used to signal the CPU that a peripheral event has started or terminated.
Except for PCI devices, two devices cannot use the same line.
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Wireless USB Adapter
ISP – An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is a company that provides
individuals and companies access to the Internet and other related services
such as website building and virtual hosting.
LAN – A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated
devices that share a common communications line and typically share the
resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area
(for example, within an office building).
Latency – The time delay between when the first bit of a packet is received
and the last bit is forwarded.
Link Quality – Indicates the Quality of data being received.
MAC Address – The MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique
number assigned by the manufacturer to any Ethernet networking device,
such as a network adapter, that allows the network to identify it at the
hardware level.
Mbps (Megabits per Second) – One million bits per second; a unit of
measurement of the speed of data transmission.
NAT – NAT (Network Address Translation) is the translation of an Internet
Protocol address (IP address) used within one network to a different IP
address known within another network. One network is designated the inside
network and the other is the outside.
Wireless USB Adapter
Network – A system that transmits any combination of voice, video, and/or
data between users.
NIC (Network Interface Card) – A board installed in a computer system,
usually a PC, to provide network communication capabilities to and from that
computer system. Also called an adapter.
Packet Filtering – Discarding unwanted network traffic based on its
originating address or range of addresses or its type (e-mail, file transfer, etc.).
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) – A peripheral bus commonly used
in PCs, Macintoshes and workstations. It was designed primarily by Intel and
first appeared on PCs in late 1993. PCI provides a high-speed data path
between the CPU and peripheral devices (video, disk, network, etc.).
There are typically three of four PCI slots on the motherboard. In a Pentium
PC, there is generally a mix of PCI and ISA slots or PCI and EISA slots.
Early on, the PCI bus was known as a “local bus.”
PCI allows IRQs to be shared, which helps to solve the problem of limited
IRQs available on a PC. For example, if there were only one IRQ left over
after ISA devices were given their required IRQs, all PCI devices could share
it.
In a PCI-only machine, there cannot be insufficient IRQs, as all can be shared.
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Wireless USB Adapter
PCMCIA – The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a
credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer,
usually a notebook or laptop computer.
Peer-to-Peer Networking – Allows users to share local resources
between PCs without needing an access point or router.
Ping (Packet Internet Groper) – An Internet utility used to determine whether
a particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by
sending out a packet and waiting for a response.
Plug-and-Play – The ability of a computer system to configure expansion
boards and other devices automatically without requiring the user to turn off
the system during installation.
Port – A pathway into and out of the computer of a network device such as
a switch or router. For example, the serial and parallel ports on a personal
computer are external sockets for plugging in communications lines, modems,
and printers.
Wireless USB Adapter
PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) – A method used mostly by
DSL providers for connecting personal computers to a broadband modem for
Internet access. It is similar to how a dial-up connection works but at higher
speeds and quicker access.
PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) – A protocol (set of communication
rules) that allows corporations to extend their own corporate network through
private “tunnels” over the public Internet. Effectively, a corporation uses a
wide-area network as a single large local area network. A company no longer
needs to lease its own lines for wide-area communication but can securely
use the public networks. This kind of interconnection is known as a virtual
private network (VPN).
Print Server – A hardware device that enables a printer to be located
anywhere in the network.
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) – A simple routing protocol that is part of
the TCP/IP protocol suite. It determines a route based on the smallest hop
count between source and destination. RIP is a distance vector protocol that
routinely broadcasts routing information to its neighboring routers and is
known to waste bandwidth. AppleTalk, DECnet, TCP/IP, NetWare, and
VINES all use incompatible versions of RIP.
RJ-11 (Registered Jack-11) – A telephone connector that holds up to
six wires. The RJ-11 is the common connector used to plug a telephone
into a wall.
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Wireless USB Adapter
RJ-45 – A connector similar to a telephone connector that holds up to eight
wires, used for connecting Ethernet devices.
Router – Protocol-dependent device that connects sub networks together.
Routers are useful in breaking down a very large network into smaller sub
networks; they introduce longer delays and typically have much lower
throughput rates than bridges.
Server – Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user
access to files, printing, communications, and other services.
Signal Strength – Determines the strength of the signal for each
wireless channel.
Software – Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that
performs a particular task is called a “program.” The two major categories of
software are “system software” and “application software.” System software
is made up of control programs such as the operating system and database
management system (DBMS). Application software is any program that
processes data for the user.
A common misconception is that software is data. It is not, software tells the
hardware how to process the data.
SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) – Market segment of professionals who
work at home or in small offices.
Wireless USB Adapter
Static IP Address – A permanent IP address that is assigned to a node
in a TCP/IP network.
Static Routing – Forwarding data in a network via a fixed path.
Static routing cannot adjust to changing line conditions as can dynamic
routing.
Subnet Mask – The method used for splitting IP networks into a series of
subgroups, or subnets. The mask is a binary pattern that is matched up with
the IP address to form part of the host ID address field into a field for subnets.
Switch – 1. A data switch connects computing devices to host computers,
allowing a large number of devices to share a limited number of ports.
2. A device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an
electrical circuit.
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) – A method (protocol) used along with
the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data in the form of message units between
computers over the Internet. While IP takes care of handling the actual
delivery of the data, TCP keeps track of the individual units of data
(called packets) that a message is divided into for efficient routing through
the Internet.
TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the
basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. It can also be
used as a communication protocol in a private network (either an intranet or
an extranet). When you are set up with access to the Internet, your computer
uses the TCP/IP protocol.
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Wireless USB Adapter
TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) – A version of the TCP/IP FTP protocol
that has no directory or password capability.
Throughput – The amount of data moved successfully from one place to
another in a given time period.
Topology – A network’s topology is a logical characterization of how the
devices on the network are connected and the distances between them.
The most common network devices include hubs, switches, routers, and
gateways. Most large networks contain several levels of interconnection, the
most important of which include edge connections, backbone connections,
and wide-area connections.
Wireless USB Adapter
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) – A communications method (protocol) that
offers a limited amount of service when messages are exchanged between
computers in a network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP). UDP is an
alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and, together with IP, is
sometimes referred to as UDP/IP. Like the Transmission Control Protocol,
UDP uses the Internet Protocol to actually get a data unit (called a datagram)
from one computer to another. Unlike TCP, however, UDP does not provide
the service of dividing a message into packets (datagrams) and reassembling
it at the other end. Specifically, UDP doesn’t provide sequencing of the
packets that the data arrives in. This means that the application program that
uses UDP must be able to make sure that the entire message has arrived and
is in the right order. Network applications that want to save processing time
because they have very small data units to exchange (and therefore very little
message reassembling to do) may prefer UDP to TCP.
Upgrade – To replace existing software of firmware with a newer version.
Upload – To send a file transmitted over a network. In a communications
session, upload means transmit, and download means receive.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – The address that defines the route to a
file on the Web or any other Internet facility. URLs are typed into the browser
to access Web pages, and URLs are embedded within the pages themselves
to provide the hypertext links to other pages.
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VLAN (Virtual LAN) – A logical association that allows users to
communicate as if they were physically connected to a single LAN,
independent of the actual physical configuration of the network.
Virtual Server – Multiple servers that appear as one server, or one
system image, to the operating system or for network administration.
WAN – A communications network that covers a wide geographic area,
such as a state or country.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) – A data privacy mechanism based on
64-bit and 128-bit shared key algorithms, as described in the IEEE802.11
standard.
WINIPCFG – Configuration utility based on the Win32 API for querying,
defining, and managing IP addresses within a network. A commonly used
utility for configuring networks with static IP addresses.
Workgroup – Two or more individuals that share files and databases.
Wireless USB Adapter
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