11 Mbps Wireless LAN PC Card User Guide Fully featured wireless local area networking made simple Version 2.0.3 http://www.3com.com/ http://support.3com.com/warrantyregistration/register.pl Published December 2001 Version 2.0.3.1 3Com Corporation 5400 Bayfront Plaza Santa Clara, California 95052-8145 Copyright © 2001, 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. 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If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation, it is furnished under a license agreement included with the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation, or on the removable media in a directory file named LICENSE.TXT or !LICENSE.TXT. If you are unable to locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND If you are a United States government agency, then this documentation and the software described herein are provided to you subject to the following: All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense. Software is delivered as "Commercial Computer Software" as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014 (June 1995) or as a "commercial item" as defined in FAR 2.101(a) and as such is provided with only such rights as are provided in 3Com's standard commercial license for the Software. Technical data is provided with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252.227-7015 (Nov 1995) or FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987), whichever is applicable. You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in conjunction with, this User Guide. Unless otherwise indicated, 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States and may or may not be registered in other countries. 3Com, AirConnect, and XJACK are registered trademarks and the 3Com logo is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS: This product or software contains encryption code which may not be exported or transferred from the US or Canada without an approved US Department of Commerce export license. CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION How Does a Wireless LAN Work? Network Association 7 Roaming 7 Security 7 Ad Hoc Networks 7 Setting Up a 3Com Wireless LAN All Wireless Networks 8 Wired/Wireless Networks 9 Product Registration and Support 7 8 9 2 INSTALLING THE WIRELESS CLIENT Requirements 11 Inserting the PC Card 11 Using the XJACK Antenna 12 Installing the Software 13 Windows Wizard Installation 13 Install Files 13 Set Up the PC Card 14 Install Utilities 14 Windows NT Installation with Networking Installed Installing Under Service Pack 4 15 Installing Under Service Pack 5 and Above 15 Install Files 15 Install CardWizard 16 Set Up the PC Card 17 Install Utilities 17 Confirming the Installation 18 Custom Installation Options 18 WLAN Service Area 18 Security Settings 18 Installing the Documentation 19 14 3 USING THE WIRELESS LAN About the 3Com Icon 22 Interpreting Status Icons 22 Using the 3Com WLAN Configuration Utility Using 3Com Administrator Utilities 26 25 4 SETTING THE WIRELESS CLIENT CONFIGURATION Changing Network and Security Settings 27 Network Settings 27 Security Settings 28 40-bit Shared Key (Wi-Fi) Encryption Settings 128-bit Shared Key (WiFi) Encryption Settings 128-bit Dynamic Security Link Authentication 128-bit Dynamic Security Link Settings 30 Setting up Auto Network Connect 31 Setting up an Ad Hoc Network 31 Starting an Ad Hoc Network Session 31 Joining an Ad Hoc Network Session 32 Ending an Ad Hoc Network Session 32 Changing Power, Traffic, and Address Settings 33 Changing Your Password 34 Running Diagnostics 34 Viewing Configuration Information 34 29 29 30 5 TROUBLESHOOTING Diagnosing Problems 37 Using the Tools Window 39 Uninstalling the Card 39 Uninstalling Software Utilities 40 Updating PC Card Driver Software 40 Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 98 SE Windows Millenium Edition (Windows Me) 41 Windows 2000 42 Windows NT 43 Upgrading PC Card Firmware 44 40 A WINDOWS NT INSTALLATION WITHOUT NETWORKING INSTALLED Installation Under Service Pack 4 45 Installation Under Service Pack 5 and Above Install Files and Networking 45 Install CardWizard 47 Set Up the PC Card 47 Install Utilities 48 45 B WINDOWS NT INSTALLATION WITH SOFTEX CARD EXECUTIVE Install with Networking 49 Softex 2.8.2 and Above 49 Older Softex Versions 50 Install Without Networking 52 Softex 2.8.2 and Above 52 Older Softex Versions 53 C TECHNICAL SUPPORT Online Technical Services 55 World Wide Web Site 55 3Com Knowledgebase Web Services 55 3Com FTP Site 55 Support from Your Network Supplier 56 Support from 3Com 56 Returning Products for Repair 58 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE INFORMATION 1 INTRODUCTION 3Com wireless technology brings the benefits of a local area network (LAN) to your office without the restraints and expense of network wiring. If your office already has an Ethernet LAN, the 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN can extend the network without adding more wires. How Does a Wireless LAN Work? Network Association In a traditional LAN, computers communicate through wires. Instead of wires, a wireless LAN uses radio signals to communicate. Computers that are equipped for wireless LAN communication are called wireless LAN clients. The wireless communication is called network association. Clients associate through one or more access points, which are wireless base stations that act as wireless hubs. An access point can be connected to a wired network device such as an Ethernet hub, switch, or router to give clients access to the wired network where they can share files and printers and gain access to the Internet. Roaming If the office space is large, you can set up multiple access points on the same network to increase coverage. When a wireless client begins to lose the signal as it moves away from an access point, it can reassociate seamlessly with another access point. This is called roaming. You can set up security to encrypt your wireless transmissions so that your data cannot be deciphered if it is intercepted, and to prevent access to the network by unauthorized clients. Wireless clients can associate among themselves at close range without an access point by using ad hoc (temporary) networks. You may wish to set up an ad hoc network, for example, if a group is working away from the office, or if a group in the office needs to share files apart from the LAN. Security Ad Hoc Networks 8 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Setting Up a 3Com Wireless LAN The type of network you decide to set up depends on the size of your office and whether or not you require connection to a wired LAN. You can also set up security for each of the different types of networks. Your set up will probably resemble one or more of the following examples. The simplest 3Com wireless LAN consists of several clients associating in an ad hoc network without an access point. All Wireless Networks A simple configuration consists of one access point and several clients. The clients can associate with the wireless network anywhere within the coverage area of the access point. The access point is not connected to any other network segments. For more complex requirements, you can configure several access points as separate networks at the same site. The access points use different network identifiers called wireless LAN service areas (WLAN service areas, also called Extended Service Set Identities or ESSID). Clients can roam within the coverage areas of access points that have the same WLAN service areas. They cannot roam to the coverage areas of access points that are configured with different WLAN service areas. PO WE R WI RE LE SS ET HE RN ET Product Registration and Support 9 Wired/Wireless Networks An access point can be connected to a wired LAN with an Ethernet cable to create a mixed wired/wireless network. In this configuration, the access point provides the link between the wired network and wireless clients. Clients can move freely throughout the service area of the access point and remain associated with the larger network for services such as printing and Internet access. Multiple access points can be connected to an existing LAN to provide complete wireless network coverage. Wireless clients can roam seamlessly between different access points with the same WLAN service areas and remain associated with the larger network. PO WE R PO WE R Product Registration and Support To register your product with 3Com, go to the following Web page: http://support.3com.com/warrantyregistration/frontpg.pl For support information, see "Technical Support" and go to the following Web page: http://support.3com.com W IRE LE SS ET HE RN ET W IRE LE SS ET HE RN ET 2 INSTALLING THE WIRELESS CLIENT Installing a wireless client consists of inserting the 3Com Wireless LAN PC Card with XJACK® Antenna in your computer and installing the software driver and utilities. If you have 3Com Administrator Utilities installed on a wireless client, you can manage access points or run a site survey. Requirements Before you start the installation, make sure that you have the following items: Operating System One of the following: n Windows 95 The 3Com wireless LAN PC Card runs under Windows 95 version B or higher. If you do not know which version of Windows 95 is installed on your computer, you can display it as follows: In the Control Panel, double-click System to display the System Properties dialog box. Click the General Tab to display the Windows 95 version information. Version B (also known as OSR 2) is identified as 4.00.950b. n n n n Windows 98 Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) Windows NT with Service Pack 4 or above Windows 2000 Web Browser Internet Explorer version 4 required. Internet Explorer version 5.5 recommended. You can download Internet Explorer from www.microsoft.com PC Card 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN PC Card with XJACK Antenna 3Com End User Utilities CD, which comes with the PC Card and contains utilities for users. 3Com Administrator Utilities CD, which comes with the 3Com 11 Mbps Wireless LAN Access Point and contains utilities for users and tools for administrators. The installation program may ask for the operating system installation media (usually a CD supplied with your computer) or for a path to the operating system files. If you have other networking software installed on your computer, the installation program may ask for its installation media. Installation Media One of the following 3Com CDs: n n Other Requirements n Inserting the PC Card 1 Turn on the computer. 2 Insert the 3Com PC Card into the PC Card slot until it seats snugly. 12 CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE WIRELESS CLIENT Arrows on the front of the card indicate the insertion point to the slot. Align the card properly before inserting it in the slot. CAUTION: Forcing the card into the slot can damage the computer or the card. Using the XJACK Antenna The XJACK antenna, which is attached to the end of the PC Card, has two positions: extended and retracted. The antenna works like a ball-point pen--press it to extend it, press it again to retract it. The antenna must be extended to make a network association. To prevent it from damage, the antenna should be retracted when not in use, when you are inserting the card in your computer, or when you are transporting the computer. CAUTION: Do not pull on the antenna to remove the card. The figure at left below shows the PC Card installed with its antenna retracted. The figure at right shows the antenna extended. To get the best reception: n Clear the area around the antenna of items that could block radio transmission, such as metal objects, electronic devices, and cordless telephones. Even a slight change in antenna orientation can affect the network association. If necessary, move your computer a few inches ...