xh8135

XH8135 DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

Installation Guide

V1.0 – Last Updated on 15/08/03 by David Chanson – © Copyright 2003- DSE(NZ)Ltd

1

Co p yr i g h t

Copyright �

2003 by DSE(NZ)Ltd - all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of DSE(NZ)Ltd.

Di s c l a i m er

DSE(NZ)Ltd makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not DSE(NZ)Ltd, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further, DSE(NZ)Ltd reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.

All brand and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

War n i n g

This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

2

Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3

1.1 PACKAGE CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... 3 1.2 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................. 3

2 FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS...................................................................................... 4

3 HARDWARE INSTALLATION ........................................................................................... 5

3.1 IMPORTANT ANTISTATIC PRECAUTIONS ........................................................................... 5 3.2 PCI CARD INSTALLATION ................................................................................................ 6

4 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ............................................................................................ 7

4.1 WINDOWS 98SE DRIVER INSTALLATION ......................................................................... 7 4.2 WINDOWS 2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION ........................................................................ 10 4.3 WINDOWS XP DRIVER INSTALLATION ........................................................................... 13 4.4 LINUX DRIVER INSTALLATION ........................................................................................ 16

5 USING THE CONFIGURATION UTILITY ........................................................................ 17

5.1 PROFILE ...................................................................................................................... 18 5.1.1 System Configuration ......................................................................................... 18 5.1.2 Authentication & Security ................................................................................... 20

5.2 LINK STATUS ............................................................................................................... 23 5.3 SITE SURVEY............................................................................................................... 24 5.4 STATISTICS ................................................................................................................. 25 5.5 ABOUT ........................................................................................................................ 26

6 SUPPORT......................................................................................................................... 27

7 WARRANTY ..................................................................................................................... 27

8 GLOSSARY OF TERMS .................................................................................................. 28

3

1 Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the DSE WLAN IEEE 802.11b PCI Card. It provides an easy way to add wireless functionality to your desktop PC without clustering your desk. It’s a cost effective, easy to install solution to set up a wireless network for sharing Internet access, files, music, printers and a whole lot more. It is fully interoperable with other WiFi certified 802.11b products for complete compatibility. Featuring an industry standard R-SMA connector, the supplied antenna simply unscrews allowing you to add a Wireless Booster or higher gain antenna. This leads to greater range and/or a more pinpointed coverage to ensure the signal reaches only those who need it.

1.1 Package Contents

Carefully unpack and remove the contents. If any of the following items are missing or damaged, contact the Dick Smith Electronics store you purchased the device from.

• 1 x XH8135 DSE WLAN 802.11b PCI Card

• Installation CD

• This installation guide

1.2 Minimum System Requirements

• Pentium class computer, 90 MHz or higher

• Microsoft Windows 98SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Linux Kernel 2.4.19+

• Available PCI slot


4

2 Features & Specifications

• IEEE 80211 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum(DSSS) high rate compatible

• Auto fallback data rate under noisy environment

• Supports 64/128 Bit WEP encryption for security

• Power saving mode in infrastructure mode to minimize power consumption when needed

• Detachable and reversible dipole antenna

• Supports PCI V.2.2 standard

• Easy-to-Use Graphical Configuration utility saves detailed connectivity profiles for frequently accessed networks

• Radio: Complies with IEEE 802.11b

• Frequency Band: 2400~2483.5MHz (for US, Canada, and ETSI), 2400~2497MHz (for Japan)

• Modulation Type: CCK, BPSK, QPSK

• Operating Channels: IEEE 802.11b compliant, 11 channels (US, Canada), 13 channels (ETSI), 14 channels (Japan)

• Radio Technology: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

• Data Rate: up to 1 / 2 / 5.5 / 11 Mbps

• Receive sensitivity: Min. -80dBm for 11Mbps (@BER 10E-5), Min. -82dBm for 5.5/2/1 Mbps (@BER 10E-5)

• Output Power: > +15dBm

• Typical Operating Ranges: 30M@11Mbps / [email protected] / 100M@2Mbps / 120M@1Mbps

• Antenna Type: Detachable and reversible dipole 3dBi antenna with SMA connector

• Current Consumption: Universal bus, Tx mode 350 mA (Max.), Rx mode 150 mA (Max.)

• Bus Type: 32bit PCI 2.2

5

3 Hardware installation

The following section outlines the steps you will need to take to install the card.

Important Note: Before you install the card, you must install the drivers first, please go to section 4 and come back to this section when it is time to insert the card into the PCI slot.

3.1 Important Antistatic Precautions

This card is a highly complicated computer peripheral. Please familiarise yourself with the following important Antistatic handling precautions.

CAUTION: Static electricity can permanently damage electronic components in the computer. Prevent electrostatic damage to the system by following static electricity precautions every time you open the computer case. The use of an antistatic wrist strap is highly recommended and may significantly reduce the risk of static damage. A suitable antistatic strap is available from your nearest Dick Smith Electronics store. If an antistatic strap is not available, at least earth yourself by touching the metal computer chassis while handing the card outside of it's protective packaging. Wherever possible, do not touch the copper tracks and or other components on the card. Carefully follow these static electricity precautions:

ü Avoid static-causing surfaces such as plastic and packing foam in your work area.

ü Remove parts from their antistatic bags and or packaging only when you are ready to use them.

ü Do not lay parts on the outside of antistatic bags because only the inside provides antistatic protection.

ü Always hold expansion cards by their edges and their metal mounting bracket.

ü Avoid touching components on the cards and the edge connectors that connect to expansion slots.

ü Never slide cards or other parts over any surface.

WARNING - Damage to computer components (or the system itself) due to improper antistatic handling precautions is not covered by warranty.


6

3.2 PCI card installation

Important Note: Please make sure that you have installed the drivers as explained in section 4 before plugging the card into the PCI slot.

If this is the first time you have installed a computer card, please take the time to carefully familiarise yourself with these important procedures BEFORE you commence.

1. Shut down your computer and switch the power off.

2. Unplug the power cord for your computer from the electrical outlet.

3. Remove the cover from your systems chassis (see your PC manufacturer’s manual).

4. Unscrew the “Retaining Screw” and remove and discard the “Expansion Slot Cover” from any unused PCI slot (PCI slots are usually white in colour).

5. Gently and evenly insert the card into your empty PCI slot.

6. Make sure the card is firmly seated, and then secure the card with the “ Retaining Screw”

7. Replace the cover of your computer system.

8. Connect the necessary cables (antenna, video, audio, etc…) to the card.

9. Restart your computer.

7

4 Software installation

This section contains the installation procedures for various operating systems. Please note that the screenshots may be different to what you will see on your screen.

4.1 Windows 98SE Driver Installation

Important Note: Please make sure that you have installed the drivers as explained in this section before plugging the card into the PCI slot.

1. Insert the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. The installation screen should appear automatically. If it doesn’t, double-click on the file Setup.exe located on the CD. Click on Install Windows Drivers.

2. Click Next.


8

3. Click Yes.

4. You will be asked to restart your PC. Click Finish and the PC will restart.

5. Turn off your PC and insert the card into a free PCI slot. See section 3 on how to install the PCI card.

6. Once the PC has rebooted, you may be asked to insert your Windows 98 CD.

7. Windows will install the necessary files and will ask you to reboot.

9

8. Once the PC has rebooted, click OK when the following screen appears.

9. If you do not have a DHCP server that allocates IP addresses automatically, make sure that the IP address of your PC is set to be on the same sub-net as your current wireless network.


10

4.2 Windows 2000 Driver Installation



2. Click Next.

11

3. Click Yes.

4. Click Finish.



12

6. Once the PC has rebooted, click OK when the following screen appears. Click Yes.

7. Then click OK.


13

4.3 Windows XP Driver Installation



2. Click Next.


14

3. Click Yes.

4. Click Finish.


15

6. Once the PC has rebooted, the following screen will appear. Click Next to install the software automatically.

7. Click Continue Anyway.


16

8. Then click OK.

9. Click Finish.


4.4 Linux Driver Installation

The drivers and instructions for Linux can be found in D:\drivers\linux folder (where D is the letter of your CD-ROM drive).

17

5 Using the Configuration Utility

The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you to further customize the WLAN Card and your wireless network.

After the Configuration Utility has been installed, an icon will be placed in the system tray when the WLAN Card is inserted.

The utility has five tabs: Profile, Link Status, Site Survey, Statistics, and About.

Important Note: You should change all your configuration settings for your WLAN Card using this utility and not the Network Properties section in Control Panel. Use the Network properties to set the IP address of your PC.


18

5.1 Profile

This screen allows you to add, delete, edit and activate profiles. It shows the network profile settings used in various locations, such as your office, your home, the factory, or the airport. In each profile, you can specify a network type, network name, WEP and security setting parameters required for that operating location.

The Edit Profile screen appears when you click on ADD or EDIT. There are two tabs: System Configuration and Authentication & Security.

5.1.1 System Configuration

Several WLAN settings can be changed here.

Profile Name: The name of the profile.

SSID: All wireless devices within the ESS or extended wireless LAN use the SSID. This can be any alphanumeric value of up to 32 characters long. Use this to prevent cross communication between two or more WLAN in one area. The SSID should be changed in order to provide some minimum security.

Power Save Mode

CAM: CAM (Constant Awake Mode) is the normal mode for desktop machines or other machines where power consumption is not an issue. It keeps the radio powered up continuously, so there is little latency for responding to messages.

Max_PSP: Maximum Power Save.

Fast_PSP: Fast Awake.

Network Type: Can be set to Ad Hoc or Infrastructure.

Ad Hoc: An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adaptors, connected as an independent wireless LAN.

Infrastructure: An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration.

19

Transmit rate: By default, the unit adaptively selects the highest possible rate for transmission. Select the basic rates to be used among the following options: Auto, 1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps. For most networks, the default setting Auto will be the best choice. When Auto (Rate Fall Back) is enabled the transmission rate will select the optimum rate. If obstacles or interference are present, the system will automatically fall back to a lower rate.

Use Short Preamble: Preamble is the first sub-field of PPDU, which is the appropriate frame format for transmission to PHY (Physical layer). There are two options, Short Preamble and Long Preamble. The Short Preamble option improves throughput performance.

RTS Threshold: The RTS Threshold sets an upper threshold at which point the device will issue an RTS packet. The RTS (Request To Send) packet is used for the purpose of avoiding data collisions on the wireless LAN. There are several trade offs to consider when setting this parameter. Setting this parameter to a small value causes RTS packets to be sent more often, consuming more of the available bandwidth, therefore reducing the apparent throughput of other network packets. However, the more often RTS packets are sent, the quicker the system can recover from interference or collisions. Refer to the IEEE 802.11 Standard for more information on the RTS/CTS mechanism.

Fragment Threshold: Fragment Threshold defines a threshold above which the wireless packet will be split up or fragmented. For a fragmented packet, if transmission of part of it were to be interfered with, only the portion that was unsuccessfully transmitted would need to be resent. Throughput will generally be lower for fragmented packets, since the fixed packet overhead consumes a higher portion of the RF bandwidth.


20

5.1.2 Authentication & Security

Security settings can be changed here.

NOTE: Before you can set WEP from the configuration utility in Windows XP, you need to tell Windows XP not to configure the wireless network settings for you. You can do that by clicking on Start, then Control Panels, double-click on the Network Connections icon and double-click on the Wireless Network Connection icon. Click on the Properties button and select the Wireless Networks tab. Then remove the tick associated with Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings as shown below and click OK. You can then go back to the configuration utility and set WEP.

Encryption: A way of coding the information in a file or e-mail message so that if it is intercepted by a third party as it travels over a network it cannot be read. Only the person or persons who have the right type of decoding software can unscramble the message.

WEP: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is an optional feature of the IEEE 802.11 standard that is used to provide data confidentiality and is equivalent to that of a wired LAN that does not use crypto techniques to improve security.

By default, WEP is disabled. We strongly recommend that you do not enable WEP while you install the WLAN adaptors. When you have your WLAN working well without WEP, you can then enable WEP.

21

You can change several settings when WEP is enabled.

Authentication Type: you can choose between Open System and Shared Key.

Open System: the default setting. It is when the sender and the recipient do not share a secret key. Each party generates its own key-pair and asks the receiver to accept the (usually randomly) generated key. Once accepted, this key is used for a short time only, then a new key is generated and agreed upon. With this setting any station in the Wireless LAN can associate with an Access Point to receive and to transmit data.

Shared Key: when both the sender and recipient share a secret key. Both units use this key for an extended length of time, sometimes indefinitely. Any eavesdropper that discovers the key may decipher all packets until the key is changed.

WEP Key type: Can be Hexadecimal (default type) or ASCII.

WEP Key length: Can be 64 or 128-bits. 64-Bit WEP uses a 10-digit key and a 128-Bit WEP uses a 26-digit key.

Key 1 - Key 4: These four fields can be used to manually enter 4 encryption keys.


22

23

5.2 Link Status

This screen shows the status of the WLAN connection. It displays the status, current channel, current Tx rate, throughput, link quality and signal strength.


24

5.3 Site Survey

This screen shows the networks or access points you can connect to. It displays the SSID, BSSID, signal strength, channel, encryption and network type.

25

5.4 Statistics

This screen shows network frames statistics.


26

5.5 About

This screen shows configuration utility and driver information in addition to the Mac Address of the adaptor.

27

6 Support

Should you encounter problems with the installation of this device, please follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have installed the drivers before inserting the PCI card.

2. Check that the card is inserted properly in the PCI slot.

3. Try another PCI slot.

4. Disable WEP while installing and setting up the adaptor.

5. Make sure your computer has an IP address that is on the same subnet as your current wireless network.

6. Contact the DSE Support Team DSE support operates during normal business hours. – Phone: 09-414-2836 – email: [email protected] – or call into your nearest Dick Smith Electronics store

Note: Consumers are advised not to rely on our ability to provide support for Open Source, GNU, Freeware or Shareware software, as this software is often under continual development. We will however help where we can which may be limited to providing web links only. Windows software that does not fall into the categories above is supported.

Please visit our website http://www.dse.co.nz from time to time as the most up-to-date drivers and manuals will be posted there.

7 Warranty This device is supplied with a 12-month, non-transferable end user warranty. In the unlikely event that this device should fail within the warranty period, please return it, along with your purchase receipt, to your nearest Dick Smith Electronics store.

Please Note: Damage due to misuse, abuse or electromagnetic discharge (including, but not limited to lightning, etc) is not covered by warranty.


28

8 Glossary of terms

Access Point: An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks together.

Ad-Hoc: An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adaptors, connected as an independent wireless LAN.

Bit: A binary digit. The value - 0 or 1 used in the binary numbering system. Also, the smallest form of data.

Backbone: The core infrastructure of a network, the portion of the network that transports information from one central location to another central location. The information is then off-loaded onto a local system.

BSS: Stands for Basic Service Set. An Access Point associated with several stations.

Domain: A subnetwork comprised of a group of clients and servers under the control of one security database. Dividing LANs into domains improves performance and security.

DSSS: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum is very widely known and the most used of the spread spectrum types, owing most of its popularity to its ease of implementation and high data rates.

Encryption: A security method that applies a specific algorithm to data in order to alter the data’s appearance and prevent other devices from reading the information.

ESS: Stands for Extended Service Set. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set. An ESS is basically a roaming domain.

Ethernet: A popular local area data communications network, originally developed by Xerox Corp., which accepts transmission from computers and terminals. Ethernet operates on 10 Mbps baseband transmission over shielded coaxial cable or over shielded twisted pair telephone wire.

Fragmentation: Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet.

Infrastructure: An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration.

IRQ: Interrupt ReQuest, A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ lines used to signal the CPU that a peripheral event has started or terminated. In most cases, two devices cannot use the same line.

Roaming: A function that allow one to travel with a mobile end system (wireless LAN mobile station, for example) through the territory of domain (an ESS, for example) while continuously connecting to the infrastructure.

RTS: Request to Send, An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station to the receiving station requesting permission to transmit.

Throughput: The amount of data moved successfully from one place to another in a given time period.

Tx Rate: Transmission Rate.

WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy. A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit or 128-bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

Date post:	12-Nov-2014
Category:	Documents
Upload:	fostech
View:	261 times
Download:	2 times

xh8135

Documents