ActionTec 11 Mbps Wireless Access Point, User Manual

Page 1: ...User Manual 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter ...

Page 2: ... 11 Using the Wireless LAN Monitor 12 Windows XP 20 4 Using the Wireless LAN Config Utility 21 Opening the Configuration Utility Window 21 Using the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility 22 Windows XP 28 A Reference 29 Locating Computer Information 29 Locating Windows Operating System Files 30 B Specifications 33 General 33 Wireless Operating Range 33 Environmental 34 C Glossary 35 Notices 39 Regulat...

Page 3: ...ii Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter User Manual ...

Page 4: ...ts Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter USB cable Installation CD includes user manual Quick start guide Warranty and registration card Minimum System Requirements Computer with CD ROM drive USB connection and at least 500 Kbytes of free disk space Microsoft Windows 98 98 Second Edition SE Millennium Edition Me 2000 or XP TCP IP network protocol installed on each computer Safety Precaution Use o...

Page 5: ...rable high perform ance products If you need assistance the Actiontec Technical Support Department is available to provide professional support Actiontec Electronics Inc 760 N Mary Avenue Sunnyvale CA 94085 Technical Support Phone 1 888 436 0657 US or 0845 65 80411 UK E mail techsupp actiontec com Internet www actiontec com support ...

Page 6: ...nd configured with a computer and then connected to a wireless network To do this use the following procedure Connecting the Adapter 1 Insert the Actiontec Installation Buddy CD ROM in the CD ROM drive of the computer The Installation Buddy will start automatically Wait until the fol lowing window appears read the onscreen instructions then click Next 2 The next window appears Select the kind of r...

Page 7: ...ars Select the type of Adapter used A or B by click ing on the check box that corresponds to the Adapter type then click Next Note The rest of this procedure is based on the A option cho sen in the the window above If the B option Adapter is being connected the procedure is nearly identical the only changes are in the pictures in the windows of the hardware used ...

Page 8: ... appears read the information concerning the items needed to set up the Adapter then click Next Note If the B option was chosen in step 4 the picture in the window below will be different 7 If Actiontec was chosen in step 2 the following window appears Read the instructions concerning the gateway router or access point then click Next ...

Page 9: ...cess point then click Next 8 When the next window appears plug the rectangular end of the USB Cable into a USB Port on the front or back of the computer Click Next Note If the B option was chosen in step 4 the picture in the window below will be different Note A USB port is shaped like a thin rectangle about 1 4 inch by 1 2 inch and may be vertically or horizontally oriented ...

Page 10: ... USB Cable in the port on the front of the Adapter then click Next Note If the B option was chosen in step 4 the picture in the window below will be different 10 As shown in the next window select whether Windows XP is used on the computer connected to the Adapter by clicking Yes or No Then click Next ...

Page 11: ...e user to click Start Settings and Network Connections from the desktop Then click Next in the Installation Buddy If No was selected in step 10 go to step 14 12 The next window appears as well as the Network Connections window on the desktop In the Network Connections window double click on the Wireless Network Connection then click Next in the Installation Buddy ...

Page 12: ...the onscreen instructions In the Connect to Wireless Networks window on the desktop select the wireless network the Adapter will connect to then click Next in the Installation Buddy 14 The next window appears as the Installation Buddy connects the Adapter to the wireless network ...

Page 13: ... User Manual 13 When the Adapter has finished connecting a Congratulations window appears Click Next through the following windows then click Finish The Adapter is connected to and configured with a computer and connected to a wireless network ...

Page 14: ...check wireless network signal strength con nect to a wireless network using an encryption scheme and many other options Note The Utility is used only on computers running Windows 98 98 SE Me or 2000 If the computer being used runs Windows XP see Windows XP on page 20 Opening the Monitor Utility Window To open the Utility go to the right hand corner of the desktop In the System Tray where the clock...

Page 15: ...lose the Monitor window click Exit Status The Status tab shown in the figure above features a number of settings and sta tistics related to the wireless network connection Some of the settings can be changed To do this click Change which activates the configurable settings After making changes click Submit to save the changes or Cancel to cancel the changes Operating Mode The Operating Mode text b...

Page 16: ...n the text box TX Rate The TX Rate text box sets the rate of packets being sent across the Adapter s wireless connection Options include 5 5 Mbps 11 Mbps and Auto Radio The Radio text box displays the state of the Adapter s wireless capability Selecting On turns the Adapter s wireless capability on selecting Off turns the wireless capability off Status The Status text box contains the status of th...

Page 17: ...ing Statistics in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the Statistics tab to appear This tab contains various Tx transmit cell and Rx ATM cell statistics for the wireless connection Clicking Reset sets all the statistics displayed back to zero and starts the count again ...

Page 18: ... Site tab to appear In the tab s text box a list of all wireless networks the Adapter can detect appears along with the particular network s BSSID MAC address SSID name signal strength channel encryption state and BSS type of connection Infrastructure or Ad Hoc Clicking Re Scan causes the Adapter to refresh its list of detected networks ...

Page 19: ... box reveals a list box with three options Disabled 64 Bit and 128 Bit Disabled If joining a wireless network with no encryption select this option 64 Bit If joining a wireless network with 64 bit encryption select this option 128 Bit If joining a wireless network with 128 bit encryption select this option Key 1 Key 4 If joining a wireless network with 64 bit or 128 bit encryption enter the encryp...

Page 20: ...tional is selected other computers can connect to the Adapter without using the encryption scheme used on the wireless network to which the Adapter is currently connected Authentication Type When 64 Bit or 128 Bit encryption is selected the Authentication Type text box activates Click the arrow next to the text box to reveal a list box with three options Open System Shared Key and Optional Select ...

Page 21: ...mble is a signal which synchronizes transmissions between two or more systems This setting should remain at Auto Fragmentation Threshold Sets the amount of network resources used to recover packet errors If high packet error rates exist this setting can be decreased but network performance may degrade RTS CTS Threshold Sets the RTS CTS Request To Send Clear To Send threshold If the connection drop...

Page 22: ...de Activate Power Save when using the Adapter with a laptop running on battery power to minimize the Adapter s power load Info Clicking Info in the Wireless LAN Monitor window causes the Info tab to appear In this tab the Adapter s Driver Version Firmware Version Application Version and MAC Address are displayed ...

Page 23: ...atively that is within the Windows XP operating system itself Clicking the network icon in the System Tray generates the Wireless Network Connection X Status window with X representing the number of the connection if only one con nection is available no number will appear here Two tabs General and Support can be accessed from this window See the documen tation that came with Windows XP for more in...

Page 24: ... wireless network using an encryption scheme and many other options Note The Utility is used only on computers running Windows 98 98 SE Me or 2000 If the computer being used runs Windows XP see Windows XP on page 28 Opening the Configuration Utility Window To open the Utility go to the right hand corner of the desktop In the System Tray where the clock is located right click on the Actiontec Wirel...

Page 25: ... a number of settings and sta tistics related to the wireless connection Some of the settings can be changed To do this make changes to the configurable settings then click OK to save the changes or Cancel to cancel the changes State The State text box contains the status of the Adapter s wireless connection including whether the Adapter is associated with a wireless network and the MAC Media Acce...

Page 26: ...cell and ATM cell throughput rates Disable Enable Radio The Disable Enable Radio button controls the state of the Adapter s wireless capability Clicking this button causes the wireless radio to turn on and off Signal Strength Link Quality Each bar graph displays the relative strength or quality of the wireless signal and link Rescan Clicking this button resets all of the Status tab s statistics Th...

Page 27: ...any changes Profile The Profile text box displays the name of the current group of network settings If the settings were changed they can be saved under a Profile name A list of available profiles appears by clicking on the arrow button on the right side of the Profile text box Network Type The Network text box displays the the type of network to which the Adapter is connected Ad Hoc or Infrastruc...

Page 28: ... decrease This text box is active only if connected to an Ad Hoc wireless network Power Save Clicking in this check box enables Power Save mode Activate Power Save when using the Adapter with a laptop running on battery power to minimize the Adapter s power load Encryption Clicking Encryption in the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility window causes the Encryption tab to appear If changing settings ...

Page 29: ...radio button is activated the user enters the WEP keys manually selecting either Alphanumeric 5 characters or Hexadecimal 10 digits 0 9 A F depending on what kind of WEP the wireless network being joined is using Key 1 Key 4 If joining a wireless network with 64 bit or 128 bit encryption enter the encryption keys here These keys must be identical to the wireless network s encryption keys to join t...

Page 30: ...ration Utility About Clicking About in the Wireless LAN Configuration Utility window causes the Link tab to appear In this tab the Adapter s Network Driver Version Configuration Utility Version NIC Firmware Version and MAC Address are displayed ...

Page 31: ...atively that is within the Windows XP operating system itself Clicking the network icon in the System Tray generates the Wireless Network Connection X Status window with X representing the number of the connection if only one con nection is available no number will appear here Two tabs General and Support can be accessed from this window See the documen tation that came with Windows XP for more in...

Page 32: ...the System Properties window appears select General The version of the operating system processor type and amount of RAM installed in the computer are listed here 4 Close the System Properties window 5 From the desktop double click on My Computer 6 Right click the icon representing your hard disk Local Disk C for exam ple Some computers have multiple hard disks 7 From the menu that appears select ...

Page 33: ... the down arrow next to the Look In text box and select My Computer from the list that appears 6 Click Find Now 7 When the search is complete note the directory path that appears most often in the In Folder column For example C WINDOWS SYSTEM 8 The Windows operating system files are located in this directory Write down the directory path for future reference 9 Close the Find All Files window Windo...

Page 34: ...is directory Write down the directory path for future reference 8 Close the Search Results window Windows NT 4 0 1 From the desktop click Start 2 When the menu appears select Find then Files or Folders 3 When the Find All Files window appears select Name Location 4 In the Named text box enter i386 5 Click the down arrow next to the Look In text box and select My Computer from the list that appears...

Page 35: ...of the criteria below appears In the Look in text box click the down arrow and select My Computer from the menu that appears 5 In the All or part of the file name text box enter i386 6 Click Search 7 When the search is complete note the directory path that appears most often in the In Folder column For example C WINDOWS Driver Cache 8 The Windows operating system files are located in this director...

Page 36: ...dards IEEE 802 11b Wireless Certification FCC CE Frequency Band 2 4000 GHz 2 4835 GHz Interface MiniUSB USB v1 1 Data Rate Up to 11Mbps Data Encryption 64 bit 128 bit WEP Cabling USB cable length 1M 3 3ft Dimensions 95mm x 65mm x 13mm Wireless Operating Range Indoors 40 100M 145 330 ft B ...

Page 37: ...ual Outdoors 100 300M 330 1000 ft Environmental Power Input USB power only Operating Temperature 0ºC to 55ºC 32ºF to 131ºF Storage Temperature 20ºC to 70ºC 4ºF to 158ºF Operating Humidity 0 to 70 non condensing Storage Humidity 0 to 95 non condensing ...

Page 38: ...ocol A protocol designed to automatically assign an IP address to every computer on a network DNS Domain Name System Server Address Allows Internet host computers to have a domain name and one or more IP addresses A DNS server keeps a database of host computers and their respective domain names and IP addresses so that when a user enters a domain name into a Web browser the user is sent to the pro...

Page 39: ...rovider A business that connects individuals or businesses to the Internet LAN Local Area Network A group of computers and devices connected together in a relatively small area such as a house or an office A home network is considered a LAN MAC Media Access Control Address The hardware address of a device connected to a network NAT Network Address Translation Allows all computers on a network to u...

Page 40: ...a Network A network connecting computers located in separate areas i e different build ings cities countries The Internet is a WAN WECA Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance An industry group that certifies cross vender interoperability and compatibility of IEEE 802 11b wireless networking products and promotes the standard for enterprise small business and home environments WLAN Wireless Local...

Page 41: ...38 Actiontec 11 Mbps Wireless PC Card User Manual ...

Page 42: ...mined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by implementing one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radi...

Page 43: ... require ments the antenna used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be co located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter For questions regarding your product or the FCC declaration contact Actiontec Electronics Inc 760 North Mary Ave Sunnyvale CA 94086 United States Tel 408 752 7700 Fax 4...

Page 44: ...ctronics warrants the media con taining software against failure during the warranty period The only updates that will be provided are at the sole discretion of Actiontec Electronics and will only be available for download at the Actiontec Web site www actiontec com Actiontec Electronics sole obligation under this express warranty shall be at Actiontec Electronics option and expense to refund the ...

Page 45: ...he repaired or replaced item will be shipped to Customer at Actiontec Electronics expense not later than thirty 30 days after Actiontec Electronics receives the defective product Return the product to In the United States Actiontec Electronics Inc 760 North Mary Avenue Sunnyvale CA 94085 Actiontec Electronics shall not be responsible for any software firmware informa tion memory data or Customer d...

Page 46: ...VISED OF THE POS SIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND LIMITS ITS LIABILITY TO REPAIR REPLACE MENT OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID AT ACTIONTEC ELECTRON ICS OPTION THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES WILL NOT BE AFFECTED IF ANY REMEDY PROVIDED HEREIN SHALL FAIL OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE Disclaimer Some countries states or provinces do not allow the exclusion or limi tation of implied warranties or...

Page 47: ... User Manual Governing Law This Limited Warranty shall be governed by the laws of the State of California U S A excluding its conflicts of laws and principles and excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ...