54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Introduction Congratulations for purchasing of the 54Mbps Wireless PC Card! 1 Your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card provides a single PC Card solution for connecting to Wireless-B (802.11b) and WIreless-G (802.11-g) networks. Whichever standard you encounter, your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card is ready to connect. Just insert it into a CardBus slot and run the included Setup Wizard. All wireless communications can be protected by 64- or 128-bit Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) for the highest level of security. Product Features The following list summarizes the features of your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card: · Conforms to IEEE 802.11g and 802.11b standards. · High-speed wireless 54 Mbps throughput that is nearly 5 times faster than 802.11b products. · Backward compatible with 11 Mbps wireless products. · 64- or 128-bit WEP for the highest level of security. · 32-bit CardBus performance. · Supports PC Card hot-swapping with true Plug-and-Play connectivity. 3 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual · Low power consumption. Package Contents Before you begin the installation of your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card, make sure you have the following items: · Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. · An installation CD-ROM containing drivers. · This User Manual. · Program License Agreement. As you examine these items, look for any physical damage. Retain your proof of purchase and packing material in the event you need to return your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. Technical Support Actiontec Electronics prides itself on making high-quality, durable, high-performance products. If you need assistance, the Actiontec Technical Support Department is available every day from 6 A.M. to 11 P.M. (MST) to provide professional support. Actiontec Electronics, Inc. 760 N. Mary Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Technical Support Phone: 888-436-0657 E-mail: techsupp@actiontec.com Internet: www.actiontec.com/support 4 Installation This chapter describes how to install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. Please refer to the appropriate section: 2 · Microsoft Windows XP users: refer to "Windows XP Installation Instructions," below. · Microsoft Windows 2000 users: refer to "Windows 2000 Installation Instructions" on page 7. · Microsoft Windows ME users: refer to "Windows ME Installation Instructions" on page 12. · Microsoft Windows 98 and 98SE users: refer to "Windows 98 and 98SE Installation Instructions" on page 14. Windows XP Installation Instructions To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running Microsoft WIndows XP, use the following procedure: 1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your computer. 2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing your computer's PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up. 5 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, a sound should be heard, the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and the following screen appears. 4. Make sure that "Install the software automatically (Recommended)" is selected. 5. In your computer's CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied with your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. 6. Click the Next button. Windows may notify you that the software has not passed Windows Logo testing. If this screen does appear, then press the Continue Anyway button to continue. If this screen does not appear, then go to Step 8. 7. The wizard installs the software, then the following message appears. 6 Chapter 2 Installation 8. Click the Finish button. A pop-up message tells you that your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card is now ready to use. This completes the installation instructions for computers running Windows XP. Windows 2000 Installation Instructions To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running Microsoft WIndows 2000, use the following procedure: 1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your computer. 2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing your computer's PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up. 7 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, a beep should be heard, the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and the following screen appears. 4. Click the Next button. The following screen appears. 8 Chapter 2 Installation 5. Make sure that "Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended)" is selected. 6. In your computer's CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied with your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. 7. Click the Next button. The following screen asks where you want Windows to search for driver files. 9 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 8. Uncheck Floppy disk drives. Only CD-ROM drives should be checked. 9. Click the Next button. Windows finds the driver for your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card and displays the following screen. 10. Click the Next button. Windows may notify you that the software has 10 Chapter 2 Installation not passed Windows Logo testing. If this screen does not appear, then go to Step 12. 11. Click Yes to continue. The wizard installs the software, a beep sounds, and the following message appears. 12. Click the Finish button. This completes the installation instructions for computers running Windows 2000. 11 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Windows ME Installation Instructions To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running Microsoft WIndows ME, use the following procedure: 1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your computer. 2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing your computer's PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up. 3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, the Add New Hardware Wizard starts and the following screen appears. 12 Chapter 2 Installation 4. Make sure that "Automatic search for better driver (Recommended)" is selected. 5. In your computer's CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied with your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. 6. Click the Next button. A screen tells you that Windows has found the driver for the device, then Windows ME installs the driver files and displays the following screen. 7. Click the Finish button. The following screen asks whether you want to restart your computer at this time. 8. Remove the CD-ROM from your computer's CD-ROM drive and click Yes to restart your computer. This completes the installation instructions for computers running WIndows ME. 13 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Windows 98 and 98SE Installation Instructions To install the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card on a computer running Microsoft WIndows 98 or Windows 98SE, use the following procedure: 1. Locate an available Type II or Type III PCMCIA CardBus slot on your computer. 2. Hold the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card so its 68-pin connector is facing your computer's PCMCIA CardBus slot and its label is facing up. 3. Slide the 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card completely into the PCMCIA CardBus slot. When it is properly inserted, a beep should be heard, the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and the following screen appears. 14 Chapter 2 Installation 4. Click the Next button. The following screen appears. 5. Make sure that "Search for the best driver for your device (Recommended)" is selected. 6. In your computer's CD-ROM drive, insert the drivers CD supplied with your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. 15 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 7. Click the Next button. The following screen asks where you want Windows to search for driver files. 8. Uncheck every selection except CD-ROM drive. 9. Click the Next button. Windows finds the driver for your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card and displays the following screen. 16 Chapter 2 Installation 10. Click the Next button. Windows will install the software. During this step, WIndows may prompt you for the WIndows 98 CD-ROM. If it does, replace the drivers CD with your Windows 98 CD. After the files are copied, a beep sounds, and the following message appears. 11. Click the Finish button. The following screen asks whether you want to restart your computer at this time. 12. Remove the CD-ROM from your computer's CD-ROM drive and click Yes to restart your computer. This completes the installation instructions for computers running WIndows 98 or Windows 98SE. 17 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 18 Configuration This chapter describes how to configure your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. 3 Overview After you install your Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card, you are ready to configure it using the Actiontec configuration utility program. This program was automatically installed on your personal computer when you installed your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. Using this program, you can: · View status information about your network connection · View and change configurations · Enable or disable encryption · Perform IBSS channel selection · View and change domains Understanding the Actiontec Configuration Utility When your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card is inserted into your computer's CardBus slot, the Actiontec Client Utility driver loads automatically and a PC Card status icon appears in your System Tray at the bottom-right corner of your desktop. The icon uses a series of color-coded vertical bars to show the link status to the wireless network connection: Red indicates no or poor quality. Yellow indicates a usable but weak link. Green indicates a good or excellent link. 19 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual If you hold your mouse pointer over the icon, the transmit and receive rates appear, along with the name of the current configuration profile. You can also To configure your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card, you select the appropriate parameters in the Actiontec Configuration Utility screen. The next section described how to access this screen. Accessing the Actiontec Configuration Utility Screen To access the Actiontec Configuration Utility screen, double-click the PC Card status icon in your System Tray. The following main screen appears. This screen has tabs for selecting various operating parameters. · Status shows the status of your connection to the wireless network. Also, lets you control the radio-frequency from your 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card and rescan its connection to an Access Point. See page 22. · Configuration lets you specify a profile name, network name, and network type (Access Point or Peer-to-Peer). See page 24. · Encryption lets you enable or disable your 54 Mbps Wireless PC 20 Chapter 3 Configuration Card's encryption security feature. See page 27. · IBSS lets you select an IBSS channel. See page 29. · Domain lets you select IEEE 802.11d support and a country or domain. See page 31. · About shows version information for the network driver, configuration utility, and 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card firmware. Another way to access the parameters in the main screen is through a pop-up menu that appears when you click or right-click the vertical-bar icon in the System Tray (see the following figure). This pop-up menu provides commands that let you: · Turn the wireless radio On or Off · Remove the PC Card status icon from the System Tray. If you remove the icon, use the Windows Control Panel to configure your wireless network or restart the Configuration Utility from the Start Menu by selecting Programs and PRISM Wireless LAN. If you click Remove Status Icon, a checkbox lets you remove the status icon permanently from the System Tray. If you check the Remove Status Icon Permanently check box, the Configuration Utility does not run at Windows startup. To start it and restore the icon at startup, select Programs and PRISM Wireless LAN Configuration from the Start menu, click the icon to display the menu, choose Remove Status Icon, and uncheck the Remove Status Icon Permanently check box. · View your wireless network status (displays the Status tab in the 21 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual main screen) · View and change advanced configuration parameters (displays the Configuration tab in the main screen) · Enables or disables WEP encryption (displays the Encryption tab in the main screen) · View and change IBSS channel parameters (displays the IBSS tab in the main screen) · View and change country and domain parameters (displays the Domain tab in the main screen) · View version information about the utility (displays the About tab in the main screen) NOTE: Microsoft Windows XP provides a service called Wireless Zero Configuration to control wireless network devices. This service duplicates some services provided by the con ...