VIA VNT6655AU User Manual
IEEE 802.11 b/g MiniPCI Wireless
User’s Manual
Version: 1.0 – January 2005
Copyright Statement
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior writing of the publisher.
TM
Windows
Pentium is a trademark of Intel.
All copyright reserved.
98SE/Me/2000/XP are trademarks of Microsoft® Corp.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction......................................................................................................4
1.1 Product Overview........................................................................................5
1.2 Main Feature of 802.11b/g MiniPCI adapter................................................6
1.3 System Requirements.................................................................................6
2 Wireless Network Concepts............................................................................7
2.1 Wireless LAN Network Modes.....................................................................8
2.2 Planning Your New Wireless Network.......................................................10
3 Installation Instructions ................................................................................14
4 Utility Configurations ....................................................................................18
4.1 Configuration for Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 ..........................................18
4.2 The WLAN Management Utility (Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000) .................19
4.3 Configuration for Windows XP...................................................................27
5 Uninstall..........................................................................................................30
5.1 Uninstall Driver and Utility .........................................................................30
Appendix A.. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .......................... .. .......................... .. .................32
Glossary..........................................................................................................32
1 Introduction
Congratulations on your decision to use wireless networking. The 802.11b/g
Wireless LAN Card is a high performance, IEEE Standard 802.11b/g
compatible, wireless networking card that installs into your PC’s slot to
support wireless LAN communications at speeds up to 54Mbps with other
PC’s located hundreds of feet apart.
Figure 1 Typical Wireless LAN Network
The 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Card allows reliable, secure and untethered
access to your data providing you with exciting new ways to adapt to your
lifestyle and needs. Without the limitations of wires, true mobility and data
access is seamless in your office or home office.
Data access from work, streaming audio MP3’s from a notebook to a stereo,
downloading Internet content wirelessly from a broadband connection,
watching TV on a notebook, are all possibilities with the 802.11b/g Wireless
LAN Card.
4
1.1 Product Overview
The 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Card gives you the freedom of secure highspeed communications with other PCs without the need for interconnecting
wires. You can even connect in to other LAN infrastructures such as your
company’s internal Ethernet LAN or your own home network. The antenna
and design of the Wireless LAN Card gives you unmatched sensitivity which
means your system will remain connected to other wireless PCs at high
speeds for longer distances.
The Wireless LAN Card operates according to the IEEE 802.11b/g Wireless
LAN specification, for wireless data communications at speeds up to 54Mbps
(Megabits per second). IEEE 802.11b/g operates on frequencies in the
2.4GHz range using OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing)
technology.
Backed by international standards and the IEEE organization, IT departments and
end-users alike benefit from the reliability and int eroperability of products based on
these standards. From an investment point of view, it makes good business sense
investing in technology that will be support worldwide for many years to come
(unlike technologies not backed by international communications standards). Whether
you are running a company or a home office, the Wireless LAN Card reduces, or
eliminates in some cases, the need to setup wired LAN networks in the of fice or home
office, eliminating costs associated with wiring rooms and buildings.
5
1.2 Main Feature of 802.11b/g MiniPCI adapter
• Up to 54Mbps data transfer rates for high-speed access to data
• Compatible with 802.11g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED equipment (2.4GHz operating
range)
• Plug-and-play with Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Secure data access, up to 128-bit WEP encryption protection
• Backward Complain with 802.11 b.
• Support both Ad Hoc Mode and Infrastructure Mode Access.
1.3 System Requirements
• PC with Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows XP
Operating Systems
• An available mini-PCI slot on computer.
• CD-ROM drive (for the drivers and configuration software)
• A minimum of 10 MB o f free disk space for installing the driver and utility
program.
• Another IEEE 802.11b or 802.11g compliant device installed in your
network.
6
2 Wireless Network Concepts
For the past few decades, wired Local Area Networks (LAN) or more
commonly know as Ethernet, have provided a seamless way of connecting
and communicating with multiple PCs, desktops, laptop/notebooks, servers
as well as a host of other peripherals, including printers, scanners, etc. LANs
have served us well in environments where users were not mobile or had little
need to access data other than in their office.
With the advent of notebook computers and an increasingly mobile computing
society, the need for wireless networking finds more applications with each
passing day. Wireless LANs have evolved to meet the needs of mobile
computing and are becoming very popular as compatibility, reliability and
familiarity increases and equipment costs decrease.
Wireless LANs (WLAN) allow users to roam freely about a network taking
their computers with them while still maintaining a networking connection. In
essence, WLANs are an extension of wired LAN networks, where the critical
need is data access and mobility. The tradeoffs are slower speeds (although
quite satisfactory for Internet and email access) and limited roaming distance,
as dictated by the environment.
A basic WLAN network requires client nodes and access points, similar to a
LAN with its clients and infrastructure (switches, repeaters, etc.). The access
point is the connection to the wired LAN network or a designated computer
device performing the supervisory function, while client nodes are typically
WLAN adapters installed in peripheral computing devices, such as notebooks,
desktops, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and others. Once a WLAN is
setup, it acts like a wired LAN, using the same protocols designated for
communicating via the IEEE Ethernet standard.
7
2.1 Wireless LAN Network Modes
WLANs basically have two modes of operation:
• Ad-Hoc mode
• Infrastructure mode
Ad-Hoc Mode
An Ad-Hoc WLAN is created when two or more PCs equipped with Wireless
LAN Cards (WLAN clients) are configured to use the same radio channel and
Network Name in the same area and can communicate freely with each other,
without the need for an Access Point to a hard-wired LAN network. Only PCs
that use the same radio channel and network name can communicate over
the Ad-Hoc network. This type of a network is a peer-to-peer relationship
where each computer talks directly to one another with no one PC being
dominant.
8
Figure 2 Ad-Hoc Mode: Two or More PCs with 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Cards
Configured to Same Radio Channel and Network Name
Infrastructure Mode
When a WLAN access point is introduced into the WLAN, the access point
and its clients (each PC) comprise a Basic Service Set (BSS), whereby the
access point serves as the connection to the wired LAN for each client.
Clients within the same BSS do not directly communicate between each other;
rather they communicate to the AP that routes the data to the appropriate
destination.
The access point bridges both wired and wireless networks, allowing wired
and wireless client communication. This arrangement of WLAN access points
and clients is commonly referred to as Infrastructure mode. An access point
also extends the range of the WLAN, double over that of client only networks
because the access point is able to forward data within its BSS.
Infrastructure mode enables the network clients to freely roam, once an ESS
(Extended Service Set) is established.
With all clients using the same radio channel and ESS ID (sometimes referred
to as SSID which is a given name to the network), users are fully mobile
within the range of the access point signal. Access points should be situated
in location to deliver the largest range of signals, with minimal interference.
Best performance and signal quality is often affected by building structures,
walls, etc., and may require some trial-and-error to identify the best location
for access points.
9
Figure 3 Infrastructure Mode-Combination Wireless and Hardwired
LANs
2.2 Planning Your New Wireless Network
First, determine what components (WLAN cards, access points) and what
kind of network will be created (Ad-Hoc, Infrastructure mode). Then select
your network name (SSID), WEP key (security password) and channel
number (1 through 11 in US, 1 through 13 in Europe and 1 through 14 in
Japan). All members of the wireless LAN will have to configure their PCs to
the same SSID, WEP and Channel number to talk to each other. SSID, WEP
key and channel number are essential to understanding and creating a
successful wireless network.
These concepts are explained in the following paragraphs.
10
SSID
A wireless network requires a BSS or ESS to operate and a name associated
with it. SSID literally stands for a network name for use with that Service Set
of clients and access points if so set up. All computers must have the same
SSID as the network in order to communicate over the new network. The
SSID name can be any name such as “wireless_lan”, “Bob’s domain”, or
“AbCdE123”, and can include numbers as well as be case-sensitive. If the
exact SSID name is not used, then that wireless client cannot logon into that
network.
Operating Frequency (Channel)
IEEE 802.11b/g wireless LAN networks communicate using one of several
available channels (each with a different operating frequency) to reduce the
interference from other potential sources or users of that channel. Depending
on the country where the network is being set up, you may have a choice of
up to 14 channels available. In the US, channels 1 through 11 are defined for
use in the 2.4GHz spectrum used by 802.11b/g. In Europe, channels 12 and
13 are added, while Japan can have up to 14 channels. Channels 1, 6 and 11
are the most commonly used channels in the US.
For your network, choose a channel that offers little interference and
configure all users of this network to the same channel.
WEP Key
WEP provides for two levels of security encryption based on the length of bits
in a key called a Shared Key. A 40-bit key (which is 5 characters) provides
some security; this can be a key like “12345” or “MyLAN”. A 104-bit key is
also available and provides more robust security. A 13-character key is
required for 104-bit security. Keys can be in ASCII characters or Hexadecimal.
11
Loading...