ActionTec 802CAT1 manual

U ser Manual 11 Mbps Wi r eless PC C ard[...]

i T able of C ont en ts 1I nt ro duc tion 1 P ackage Contents 1 M inimum System Requir ements 1 T echnical Suppor t 2 2S etting Up the Wir eless PC Card 3 C onnecting the PC Card 3 3U sing the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility 9 Opening the Monitor Utility Window 9 U sing the Wireless LAN Monit or 10 Windows XP 18 4U sing the Wireless LAN C onfig . Util[...]

ii Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual[...]

1 Intr oduc tion Thank you for pur chasing the Ac t ion te c 11 Mbps W ireless PC Card. This easy-to- set-up , easy-to-use PC Card is perfect for the mobile home or small offic e comput- er user , and features the latest in wireless networking t echnology . I f you want t o take y our c omputing to the next lev el, the Ac t ion te c 11 Mbps W ir el[...]

2 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual T echnical Suppor t Ac t i o n te c Electronics prides itself on making durable, high-quality , high-perfor m- ance pr oducts. If you need assistance, the Act i o n te c T echnical S upport Depar tment is av ailable 24 hours a day , every day , to pr ovide professional support. Ac tion tec Electr[...]

3 S etting Up the Wi r eless PC Car d The instructions that follow parallel the steps co ntained in the Ac t ion te c Installation B uddy ™ ,w hich pr ovides a v isual guide to setting up the Pc car d. I t is rec ommended the user run the Installation Buddy first, before attempting an y other proc edures. To set up the PC Car d, it must be c onne[...]

4 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual 3. In the next w indo w , click in the c heck bo x next to Wi re less PC Card and click N ext . 4. The next window appears. R ead the onscreen instructions, then click N ext . 5. Wh en the next window appears, read the information co ncerning the items needed to set up the PC Car d, then click N [...]

5 Chapter 2 S etting Up the W ireless PC Car d 6. If Ac t i o n t e c was chosen in step 2, the follo wing w indow appears. R ead the instructions concerning the gatewa y , rout er , or acc ess point, then click N ext . If Other Brand was chosen in step 2, the following w indow appears. R ead the instructions concerning the gatewa y , rout er , or [...]

6 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual 8. Wh en the next window appears, check that the light on the end of the PC Card is gl ow ing solid g reen, then click N ext . 9. As shown in the next w indow , select whether W indo ws XP is used on the co mputer by clicking Ye s or No .T h e n, click N ext . 10. If Ye s (W indows XP is running [...]

7 Chapter 2 S etting Up the W ireless PC Car d 11. The next window appears, as well as the “N etwo rk Connections ” w indo w on the desktop . In the N etwork C onnections window , double-click on the Wi re less Netw ork Connection , then click N ext in the Installation Buddy . 12. Wh en the next window appears, follow the onscr een instructions[...]

8 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual 13. Wh en the PC Card has finished c onnecting, a “Congratulations” w indow appears. Click N ext thr ough the following w indows, then click Finish . The W ireless PC Car d is co nnected to , and c onfigured with, the compute r , and is co nnected to the wireless network.[...]

9 U sing the W ireless L AN Monitor Utility ☛ Im por tant :I f the icon in the picture belo w appears in the Sy stem T ray , use this Utility . If another icon appears, see page 19. To monit or the wireless network to whic h the W ireless PC Card is c onnected, as well as ch eck or adjust w ireless netw ork settings, use the Wir eless LAN M onito[...]

10 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual U sing the Wir eless LAN Monitor Af te r double-clicking on the W ireless LAN Monit or icon, the W ir eless LAN Mo nitor appears. There ar e six tabs at the top of the w indow: Status , Statist ics , Site Sur vey , Encr y ption , Ad v anced , and In fo .T o select a particular tab, click on it. [...]

11 Chapter 3 U sing the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Inf r astructure - W hen Infrastructure is selected, the PC Card is connect ed to a ro uter , gateway , or acc ess point. Ad Ho c - When Ad Ho c is selected, the PC Card is connect ed to another c om- puter . Channel The Channel te xt bo x displa ys the channel in which the PC Car d is currently [...]

12 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual Statistics Clicking Statistics in the W ireless LAN M onitor window causes the “Statistics ” tab to a p pear . This tab contains various Tx (transmit cell) and Rx (A TM cell) statistics for the wi re less connection. Clicking R eset sets all the statistics displa yed back to z er o , and sta[...]

13 Chapter 3 U sing the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Site Survey Clicking Sur ve y S it e in the W ireless LAN M onitor window causes the “S urvey Si te” tab to appear . In the tab ’ s large text bo x, a list of all w ireless networks the PC Car d can detect appears, along w ith the particular network’ s BSSID (MA C address), SSID name, sig[...]

14 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual Encryption Clicking Encr y ption in the W ireless LAN Mo nitor window causes the ‘Encr y ption ” tab to appear . If changing settings in this tab, make sure t o click Sub mit after making all changes. Encr yption T ypes Clicking the arrow ne xt to the “Encry ption ” te xt bo x rev eals a[...]

15 Chapter 3 U sing the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility D efault K ey Wh e n 64 Bit or 128 Bit encr y ption is selected, the “Default K ey” text bo x activat es. Click the arrow ne xt to the te xt bo x to r eveal a list bo x with four options: Ke y #1 , Ke y #2 , Ke y #3 ,a nd Ke y #4 .S ome networks use a default key when using encr yp- tion (rat[...]

16 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual Adv anced Clicking Adv anced in the W ir eless LAN M onitor window causes the “ Advanc ed” tab to appear . The settings in this tab should be changed only if the user is ve r y familiar with w ireless networking c oncepts. Pr eamble T ype A preamble is a signal which synchr onizes transmissi[...]

17 Chapter 3 U sing the Wireless LAN Monitor Utility Powe r S a ve Clicking in this bo x enables Pow e r Save mode. A ctivat e P ower Sa v e when using the PC Card with a laptop running on battery power t o minimize the PC Card’ s pow er load. Info Clicking Info in the W ireless LAN M onitor window causes the “Info ” tab to appear . In this t[...]

18 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual W indo ws XP Wh en using the PC Card with a comput er running W indows XP , the W ireless LAN Ut ility Monit or is not used. Instead, W indo ws XP handles the operation of the w ireless network nativ ely (that is, w ithin the W indo ws XP operating system itself ). Clicking the network icon in t[...]

19 U sing the W ireless LAN C onfigur a tion Utility ☛ Im por tant :I f the icon in the picture belo w appears in the Sy stem T ray , use this Utility . If another icon appears, see page 9. To monit or the wireless network to which the PC Car d is c onnected, as well as check or adjust wireless network settings, use the W ir eless LAN C onfigurat[...]

20 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual U sing the Wir eless LAN Configur ation Utility Af te r clicking on A dvanc ed Configuration, the W ireless LAN C onfiguration Utility appears. There ar e four tabs at the top of the w indow: Status , Co nfigur ation , Encr y pti on , and Ab ou t .T o select a particular tab, click on it. T o cl[...]

21 Chapter 4 U sing the Wireless LAN C onfigura tion Utility C urrent Channel The Cu rr ent Channel te xt box displa ys the channel in whic h the PC Card is currently operating. Throughput (bytes/sec) The TX and RX te xt bo x es display the transmit cell and A TM cell thr oughput rates. Disable/Enable Radio The Disable/Enable Radio button controls [...]

22 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual C onfiguration The Configuration tab features a n umber of settings related t o the network con- nection. T o change any of the setting s, click OK , after making changes. Click Defaults to r eset all settings to default, Un d o to r eset the changes to what they we re when the U tility was open[...]

23 Chapter 4 U sing the Wireless LAN C onfigura tion Utility Tr ansmit Rate The Tr ansmit Rate te xt box sets the rate of packets being sent across the PC Card’ s wireless connection.Options include 5.5 Mbps ,1 1 Mbps , and Ful l y Au t o m a t i c . Ad Hoc Channel The Ad Ho c Channel te xt bo x displays the c hannel number of the A d H oc net- w[...]

24 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual Encr yption ( WEP security) Clicking the arrow ne xt to the “Encry ption ” te xt bo x rev eals a list bo x with three options: Disabled , 64 Bit , and 128 Bit . D isabled - If joining a w ireless network with no encr y ption, select this option. 64 Bit - If joining a wireless network with 64[...]

25 Chapter 4 U sing the Wireless LAN C onfigura tion Utility About Clicking Ab ou t in the W ireless LAN Configuration U tility w indow causes the “Link” tab to appear . In this tab, the PC Card’ s N etwork Driv er V ersion, Configuration Utility V ersion, NIC Firmwar e V ersion, and MA C A ddress ar e display ed.[...]

26 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual W indo ws XP Wh en using the PC Card with a comput er running W indows XP , the W ireless LAN Ut ility Monit or is not used. Instead, W indo ws XP handles the operation of the w ireless network nativ ely (that is, w ithin the W indo ws XP operating system itself ). Clicking the network icon in t[...]

27 Refer enc e This appendix contains information about various topics, including acc essing information about your W indows compute r . Lo cating C omputer Information The following proc edure is valid for W indows 98 , 98 SE ,M e , NT 4.0 , 2000 and XP . 1. Fr om the desktop , rig ht-click on My Co mputer . 2. Select Prop er t ies from the menu t[...]

28 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual Lo cating Windows Oper ating S y stem F iles If the operating system files reside on the har d drive of the computer , follow the instructions below to locat e them. If the files are not on the har d drive, the y must be loaded from the installation disks. W indo ws 98 , 98 SE 1. Fr om the deskt[...]

29 App endix A Reference 4. Click the down ar row next to the “Look in ” t ext bo x and select My Co mputer from the list that appears. 5. Click Searc h N o w . 6a. Wi ndows Me :W hen the search is c omplet e, note the direct or y path that appears most often in the “I n Folder” column. For e xample: C:WINDO WS OPTIONSINST ALL . 6b . Wi [...]

30 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless PC C ard User Manual W indo ws XP 1. Fr om the desktop , click Start . 2. Select Searc h , then Fo r Files and Folders . 3. The “Searc h R esults” w indo w appears. In the panel at left titled “W hat do you want to sear ch for?” , click All files and folders . 4. A nother panel, titled “Search b y an y or [...]

31 Specifica tions G eneral Model Number Gxxxxxxx-00 ( Ac t ion te c W ireless USB A dapter) Standards IEEE 802.11b ( W ireless) Cer tification FCC, CE Fr equenc y Band 2.4000 GHz ~ 2.4835 GHz Inter face USB Data Rate Up to 11Mbps Data Encr yption 64 bit/128 bit WEP Dimensions Wir eless Oper ating Range Indoors 40~100M (145~330 ft.) Outdoors 100~30[...]

32 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless USB A dapter User Manual En vironmental Po wer Input USB pow er only Operating T emperature 0 º C to 55 º C (32 º F t o 131 º F) Storage T emperature -20 º C t o 70 º C (-4 º F to 158 º F) Operating Humidity 0% to 70%, non-condensing Storage Humidity 0% to 95%, non-condensing[...]

33 Glossar y Acc ess Point A dev ice that allo ws wireless clients to c onnect to one another . An acc ess point can also act as a bridge between w ireless clients and a “w ired” network, such as an Ethernet network. W ireless clients can be mo ved an ywher e within the cov er- age area of the access point and re main connect ed to the netw ork[...]

34 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless USB A dapter User Manual Fi rew a ll Pr ev ents users outside the netw ork from ac cessing and/or damaging files or co mputers on the network. Gat ew a y A dev ice that manages the data traffic of a network, as well as data traffic to and from the I nternet. IP (Internet Pr otocol) A ddress A series of four numbers [...]

35 App endix C Glossary Subnet Mask A set of four numbers c onfigured lik e an IP address used t o creat e IP address nu mbers used w ithin a particular network only . T CP/IP ( T ransmission Con trol Pr otocol/Internet P rotocol) The standard pr otoc ol for data transmission over the I nternet. W AN ( Wide Area Netw ork) A network co nnecting comp[...]

36 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless USB A dapter User Manual[...]

37 Notic es Regulatory Complianc e Notices Class B Equipment This equipment has been tested and found t o comply with the limits for a Class B digital dev ice, pursuant to P ar t 15 of the FCC R ules. These limits are designed to pro vide reasonable prot ection against harmful interference in a r esidential installa- tion. This equipment generates,[...]

38 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless USB A dapter User Manual 2. This dev ice m ust accept an y interference r eceiv ed, including interfer ence that may cause un wanted operation. ☞ No te :T o comply with FCC RF exposure c ompliance r equire- ments, the antenna used for this transmitter must be installed to pro vide a separ ation distance of at leas[...]

39 Limited W arran ty Har d ware : Ac t ion te c Electronics, Inc., warrants to the end user (“C ustomer”) that this hard ware pr oduct will be free from defects in w orkmanship and materials, under normal use and ser vice, for twelv e (12) months from the date of purchase from Ac t ion te c Electronics or its authorized reseller . Ac t ion te [...]

40 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless USB A dapter User Manual THIS A CTION TEC ELECTR ONICS PR ODUCT MA Y INCL UDE OR BE BUNDLED WITH THIRD-P AR TY SOFTW ARE, THE USE OF WHICH IS GO VERNED BY A SEP A- RA TE END-USER LICENSE A GREEMENT . THIS A CTION TEC ELECTR ONICS W ARRANTY DOES NOT APPL Y T O SUCH THIRD- PA R TY SOFTW ARE. FOR THE APPLICABLE W ARRAN[...]

41 Limited W arranty NEITHER ASSUMES NOR A UTHORIZES ANY O THER PERSON T O ASSUME FOR IT ANY O THER LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE, INST ALLA TION, MAIN- TEN ANCE OR USE OF ITS PR ODUCTS. A CTION TEC ELECTRONICS SHALL NO T BE LIABLE UNDER THIS W ARRANTY IF ITS TESTING AND EXAMIN A TION DISCLOSE THA T THE ALLEGED DEFECT OR MALFUNCTION IN THE [...]

42 Ac tion tec 11 Mbps W ireless USB A dapter User Manual Gov erning Law :T his Limited W arrant y shall be gov erned by the la ws of the State of California, U .S.A., ex cluding its co nflicts of laws and principles, and ex cluding the U nited N ations Con v ention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.[...]