54 Mbps Wireless PC Card Model #: 802CTG User Manual Solutions for the Digital LifeTM Table of Contents 1 Introduction Package Contents Minimum System Requirements Features Getting to Know the PC Card Technical Support 1 1 1 2 2 3 2 Setting Up the PC Card 3 Using the Wireless Configuration Utility Opening the Utility Window Using the Wireless Configuration Utility 5 11 11 12 4 Troubleshooting and FAQs Troubleshooting Frequently Asked Questions 23 23 24 A Specifications General Wireless Operating Range LED Indicators Environmental 27 27 27 28 28 Glossary Notices Regulatory Compliance Notices Modifications Miscellaneous Legal Notices 29 33 33 33 34 Limited Warranty 35 i Introduction 1 Thank you for purchasing the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card. The PC Card provides a single PC card solution for connecting to version "b" (11 Mbps 802.11b) and version "g" (54 Mbps 802.11g) wireless networks. This easy-to-use product is perfect for the home office or small business. If you want to take your computing to the next level, the Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card is sure to be one of the keys to your success. Package Contents s s s Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card Installation CD (includes user manual) Start Here guide Minimum System Requirements A laptop computer with the following: s CD-ROM drive, available Type II 32-bit CardBus slot, and at least 500 kb of free disk space s Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), Millennium Edition (Me), 2000, or XP TCP/IP network protocol installed s s s 200 MHz (or faster) processor 64 Mb of RAM 1 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Features s s s IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g standards conformity 11 and 54 Mbps wireless network compatibility 64-, 128-, and 256-bit WEP wireless security support (256-bit WEP supported only with 256-bit WEP compatible access points and wireless gateways/ routers) s s s WEP, WPA, WPA_PSK, and 802.1x support 32-bit CardBus performance PC Card hot swapability with Plug-and-Play connectivity support Getting to Know the PC Card This section contains a quick description of the PC Card's external features. Activity Light The Activity light displays the PC Card's current send/receive status. When the Activity light blinks green, data is being sent or received via the PC Card. Power Light The Power light displays the PC Card's current power status. If the Power light glows steadily orange, the PC Card has power supplied to it. If the Power light remains off after the operating system of the computer has rebooted after setting up the PC Card, the drivers are not loaded or installed. 2 Chapter 1 Introduction Technical Support Actiontec Electronics prides itself on making durable, high-quality, high-performance products. If you need assistance, the Actiontec Technical Support Department is available all day every day to provide professional support. Actiontec Electronics, Inc. 760 N. Mary Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Technical Support Phone: (USA) 1-888-436-0657 (UK) 0845-65-80411 E-mail: http://support.actiontec.com/email_support/support_form.php Internet: www.actiontec.com/support 3 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual This page left intentionally blank. 4 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual This page left intentionally blank. 4 Setting Up the PC Card 2 The instructions that follow in this chapter parallel the steps contained in the Actiontec Connection 1-2-3® setup utility, which provides a visual, step-by-step guide to setting up the PC Card. It is recommended the user run Connection 1-2-3 first, before attempting any other procedures. To set up the PC Card, the drivers must be loaded, the PC Card inserted into the PCMCIA slot of the computer, and then the PC Card configured. Also, make sure there is an available wireless signal (through an access point or another computer) to which the PC Card can connect. 1. Insert the Installation CD in the CD-ROM drive of the laptop computer. Connection 1-2-3 starts automatically. Temporary files and drivers for the PC Card are loaded onto the hard drive, then the first Connection 1-2-3 screen appears. Read the onscreen instructions, then click Next. Note: If Connection 1-2-3 does not start automatically, click Start from the desktop, then select Run. Type d:\c123.exe (with "d" representing the drive letter of the computer's CDROM drive) in the "Open" text box, and click OK. 5 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 2. Get the PC Card from the Quick Start Kit, then click Next. 3. Find the PCMCIA (PC Card) slot on the computer. This slot is usually located on the left or right side of the computer. Click Next. 6 Chapter 2 Setting Up the PC Card 4. Insert the PC Card in the PCMCIA slot. Make sure the Card's label is facing up, and the gold-plated end is inserted first. Click Next. 5. Connection 1-2-3 detects the PC Card. 7 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual 6. The PC Card is detected. Click Next. 7. The PC Card connects to the closest available wireless network. Read the onscreen instructions, then click Next. Note: If more than one access point is nearby, the PC Card may connect to an access point other than the one the user expects. See Chapter 3, "Using the Wireless Configuration Utility," on page 11 to learn how to connect to particular access point. 8 Chapter 2 Setting Up the PC Card 8. Click Finish, then reboot the computer. The PC Card is installed, configured, connected to a wireless network, and ready for use. 9 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual This page left intentionally blank. 10 Using the Wireless Configuration Utility 3 To monitor the wireless network to which the PC Card is connected, as well as check or adjust wireless network settings, use the Wireless Configuration Utility. This utility offers the ability to check wireless network signal strength, connect to a wireless network using an encryption scheme, and many other options. Opening the Utility Window To open the Utility, go to the right-hand corner of the desktop. In the System Tray (where the clock is located), double-click on the Actiontec Wireless Configuration Utility icon (shown in the red circle, below) The Wireless Configuration window appears on the desktop. 11 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Using the Wireless Configuration Utility After double-clicking on the Wireless Configuration icon, the "Actiontec 54Mbps Wireless PC Card Utility" window appears. There are three tabs at the top of the window: Main, Security, and About. To select a particular tab, click on it. To close the window, click the "x" in the upper right corner of the window, or click Cancel. Main The Main tab (shown in the figure above) gives an overview of the current wireless connection. Within this tab, the user can connect to another available wireless network, scan for additional wireless networks, and modify the settings for the currently selected network. Status The Status text box, at the top of the Main tab, displays the state of the wireless connection. It can contain one of the following entries: Driver not loaded - If this entry appears in the Status text box, the PC Card is not inserted in the laptop, or the driver is not installed. 12 Chapter 3 Using the Wireless Configuration Utility Not connected to network - If this entry appears in the Status text box, the PC Card is not connected to the selected wireless network. Connecting to network - If this entry appears in the Status text box, the PC Card is in the process of connecting to a wireless network. Connected to network - If this entry appears in the Status text box, the PC Card is connected to a wireless network. Scanning network - If this entry appears in the Status text box, the PC Card is scanning for available wireless networks. External Configuration Activating this option (by clicking in the check box) turns off the Wireless Configuration Utility. Activate this option if configuring the PC Card with another configuration utility, such as Windows XP's built-in Zero Configuration Utility. Note: The Zero Configuration Utility is available in Windows XP only, and is automatically disabled when the Wireless Configuration Utility is running. Activating External Configuration causes the Zero Configuration Utility to start up. Available Networks The list box in the Main tab displays the available wireless networks. For each wireless network, the following attributes are displayed: SSID - The name of the wireless network access point or base station. This name may not be unique. One of three icons is displayed next to the SSID: a check mark, which indicates the network is available to join; a lock, which indicates the network is running behind some type of wireless encryption; and a Do Not Enter sign (a red circle with a white bar), which indicates a hidden network not broadcasting its SSID (all hidden networks have listed SSIDs of "Hidden Network"). Mode - One of two connection types: Infrastructure, for connecting to access points, or Ad Hoc, for connecting to another wirelessly-enabled computer. Channel - The channel number on which the wireless network is broadcasting. 13 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Signal - The quality or strength of the wireless signal; this can be Best, Good, Normal, Poor, or Bad, in descending order of quality. BSS ID - The unique ID of the access point or base station. Connect Clicking this button causes the PC Card to attempt to connect to the wireless network selected in the Available Networks list box. If a WEP key has not already been defined, the WEP Configuration window will appear, prompting the user to enter the proper WEP keys (see "WEP Configuration" on page 19 for more information). Modify Clicking this button causes the "New Configuration" window to appear. Here, the user can modify the settings of the currently selected wireless network. The window has two tabs: New Connection and Advanced. 14 Chapter 3 Using the Wireless Configuration Utility New Connection - In this tab, the connection's basic settings can be modified. The tab's options are as follows: s In the Preferred SSID text box, enter the name of the network (up to 32 characters in length). s There are two choices in the BSS Type list box (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box): "Infrastructure" and "Ad Hoc." Select Infrastructure to connect to an access point or wireless gateway/router. Select "Ad Hoc" to connect directly to another computer in peer-to-peer mode (without going through an access point). s In the Tx Rate text box, select the preferred rate of transmission (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box). These values depend on the values entered in the "BSS Type" and "Mode" text boxes. It is recommended to leave the default values intact. s In the Channel list box (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box), select the preferred channel. It is recommended to leave the default value intact. s There are two choices in the Power Mode list box (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box): "No Power Save," which disables any power saving while using the PC Card, and "Max Power Save," which turns off the PC Card's receiver and transmitter when not in use. It is recommended to leave the default values intact. s In the Tx Power Level list box (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box), select the preferred packet transmission power level: "Low Power" (6% of full power), "Medium-Low Power" (12%), "Medium Power" (25%), "Medium-High Power" (50%), or "High Power" (100%). It is recommended to leave the default values intact. s In the Mode list box (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box), select the preferred 802.11 operating mode, depending on the type of network being connected to: "B-Only Mode," "B-Plus Mode," "B&G Mode," and "G-Only Mode." It is recommended to leave the default values intact. s In the Profile list box (revealed by clicking on the down arrow next to the text box), select the preferred profile. A profile is a set of saved connection settings. To save a profile, enter a profile name in the list box and click Save. To load an existing profile, select a profile name from the list box and click Load. To delete an existing profile, select it, then click Delete. 15 Actiontec 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual Advanced - In this tab, the connection's advanced settings can be modified. The tab's options are as follows: s There are two options in the Threshold section: "Fragment Threshold," which sets the maximum fragment length (in bytes) to any even number between 256 and 4096; and "RTS Threshold," which sets the maximum packet length for sending an RTS frame (in bytes) to a value greater than zero. It is recommended to leave the default values intact. There are two options in the Preamble section: "Long Preamble" or " ...