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2 Wireless 

LAN 

Basics 

 

The Wireless LAN defined by IEEE 802.11b standard committee could be 

configured as:   

 Ad Hoc wireless LAN 

or

 

 Infrastructure wireless LAN

 

 

Ad Hoc

 wireless network is a group of PCs installed with the Wireless PCMCIA 

card, e.g. VCTnet AirXpress PC11B, or USB Wireless Network Adapter, e.g. VCTnet 
Airpress UC11B, to compose a Basic Service Set (BSS). The PCs in the same BBS 
communicate with each other directly with the WLAN devices.     
 

 

 

STA 1

STA 2

STA 3

Figure 2-1 Ad Hoc wireless network 

 

The most obvious differentiation between 

Infrastructure

 wireless network and 

Ad Hoc

 wireless network is that the notebooks in 

Infrastructure

 wireless network can 

make use of the resource in the Internet through 

Access Point

.  

 

STA 3

STA 1

STA 2

Access Point

Internet

 

Figure 2-2 Infrastructure wireless network 

 

To set up your notebook’s network as the type of “

Ad Hoc

” or “

Infrastructure

” 

wireless network depends completely on your requirement. Generally, if your network 
environment has an 

Access Point

, we recommend that you set it as “

Infrastructure

” 

to connect to the 

Internet

 

 

Summary of Contents for VCTnet AirXpress UC11B

Page 1: ...VCTnet AirXpress UC11B USB Wireless Network Adapter Installation and Getting Started Guide Version 2 00 ...

Page 2: ...nd are used only for explanation and to the owner s benefit Disclaimer The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice Zida Technologies Ltd assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this manual Safety Before installing and operating the products please read through this Manual first 2 ...

Page 3: ... Installation 8 4 1 Install VCTnet AirXpress UC11B under Windows 98 ME 10 4 2 Install VCTnet AirXpress UC11B under Windows 2000 18 4 3 Install VCTnet AirXpress UC11B under Windows XP 25 4 4 Configuration Utility under Windows 98 ME 2K XP 38 Appendix A Technical Specifications 45 Appendix B FCC Information 46 Appendix C Regulatory Information 47 Appendix D Quick Troubleshooting Guide 48 3 ...

Page 4: ...WLANs transmit and receive data over the air minimizing the need for wired connections Thus WLANs combine data connectivity with user mobility and through simplified configuration enable movable LANs This wireless networking solution has been designed for both large and small businesses and it is scalable so that you can easily add more users and new network features as your business grows This ma...

Page 5: ...N devices STA 1 STA 2 STA 3 Figure 2 1 Ad Hoc wireless network The most obvious differentiation between Infrastructure wireless network and Ad Hoc wireless network is that the notebooks in Infrastructure wireless network can make use of the resource in the Internet through Access Point STA 3 STA 1 STA 2 Access Point Internet Figure 2 2 Infrastructure wireless network To set up your notebook s netw...

Page 6: ...the unit Antenna ACT LED USB Port Power LED Antenna it helps to receive and transmit the RF Signal With adjusting the position of the antenna it would improve signal quality ACT LED this LED will blink when data is being transmitted or received Power LED this LED lights up when power is connected USB Port to plug the attached USB cable to the Adapter and the other end of the USB cable to the USB p...

Page 7: ...urface such as chassis of monitor to have better reception Step 1 Remove the adhesive strip of velcro and attach it to the wall or the vertical surface where the Wireless Network Adapter will mount on Step 2 To install the UC11B Adapter to the Wall Mount Kit just simply slide the UC11B Adapter into the Wall Mount Kit as the direction shown Wall Mount Kit of the UC11B USB Wireless Network Adapter 7...

Page 8: ...on tool from the CD to finish the driver installation before you plug the UC11B wireless network adapter into the computer To use the UC11B the system must be has an available USB port All drivers and the supporting software for the UC11B must be installed and configured Ask your system administrator for the following information which you may need during driver installation Your Wireless LAN SSID...

Page 9: ...ses are easy to set up and do not require additional network management software In networks with dynamic IP addressing a DHCP server in the network dynamically assigns IP addresses to all its clients every time they log onto the network Network using dynamic IP addresses require setting up and running a DHCP Server Installation Menu After you insert the VCTnet CD the welcome screen will appear No...

Page 10: ... UC11B under Windows 98 ME Step 1 Insert the VCTnet CD and the welcome menu will appear If the welcome menu window doesn t appear automatically you can browse the CD content and run setup exe manually under the UC11B directory 10 ...

Page 11: ...Network Adapter It opens the AirXpress Wireless LAN selection screen click on Install UC11B Driver and Utilities to start the installation process When prompt for File Download click the Open button to start the Install Shield 11 ...

Page 12: ...Once InstallShield Wizard dialog box is shown Click the NEXT button to continue Step 2 Click Yes to accept the software license agreement 12 ...

Page 13: ...plete the Setup process The PC will then restart Step 5 After the computer restarts just plug the USB cable into the USB port of your PC Windows 98 will automatically detect the UC11B briefly opens a New Hardware Found window and starts collecting information for a driver information database 13 ...

Page 14: ...fter the hardware wizard finds the installation files it displays the search results Click Next to allow windows to copy the necessary files Step 7 Windows start copying the necessary files into your system 14 ...

Page 15: ...ard window appears noting that Windows has finished installing the software that your new hardware device requires Click Finish Step 9 The Restart Computer dialog appears remove the VCTnet CD and click Yes to restart the computer 15 ...

Page 16: ...e My Computer icon on your desktop In My Computer window double click the Control Panel icon In Control Panel window double click the Network icon Step 11 Highlight the TCP IP 11Mbps Wireless LAN USB Dongle for setting the IP address Click Properties 16 ...

Page 17: ...f you choose the static IP setup please enter the IP address and Subnet mask You should ask your network administrator for an address and then type it into the blank boxes as below Then click OK to return to the Network dialog box Then click OK button to set the value Static Setting Example Dynamic Setting Example 17 ...

Page 18: ...11B under Windows 2000 Step 1 Insert the VCTnet CD and the welcome menu window will appear If the welcome menu window doesn t appear automatically you can browse the CD content and run setup exe manually under the UC11B directory 18 ...

Page 19: ...Network Adapter It opens the AirXpress Wireless LAN selection screen click on Install UC11B Driver and Utilities to start the installation process When prompt for File Download click the Open button to start the Install Shield 19 ...

Page 20: ...The InstallShield Wizard dialog box appears as shown below Click NEXT to continue Step 2 Click Yes to accept the Software License Agreement 20 ...

Page 21: ...llation process Step 4 After the computer restarts just plug the USB cable into the USB port of your PC Windows 2000 will automatically detect the USB Dongle a New Hardware Found window pops up Click Yes in the Digital Signature dialog box 21 ...

Page 22: ...Step 5 Then click Start menu and select Settings Choose the Control Panel Double click the Network and Dial up Connections icon in the Control Panel Step 6 Click the local area connection icon 22 ...

Page 23: ...Step 7 Double click the Properties button to configuration network protocol Step 8 Select Internet Protocol TCP IP and click Properties 23 ...

Page 24: ...the static IP setup please enter the IP address and subnet mask You should ask your network administrator for an address and then type it into the provided fields Then click OK to return to the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box Then click OK button to set the value Static setting example Dynamic setting example 24 ...

Page 25: ... under Windows XP Step 1 Insert the VCTnet CD and the welcome menu window will appear If the auto run welcome menu window doesn t appear automatically you can browse the CD content and run setup exe manually under the UC11B directory 25 ...

Page 26: ...Network Adapter It opens the AirXpress Wireless LAN selection screen click on Install UC11B Driver and Utilities to start the installation process When prompt for File Download click the Open button to start the Install Shield 26 ...

Page 27: ...It opens the InstallShield Wizard dialog box as shown below Click NEXT to continue Step 2 Click Yes to accept the Software License Agreement 27 ...

Page 28: ...rts just plug the USB cable into the USB port of your PC When Windows XP is ready to configure the new hardware it opens the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box asking what do you want Windows to do Select Install the software automatically Recommended and click Next 28 ...

Page 29: ...Windows XP starts to search the driver automatically and copy the necessary files Step 5 When prompt for Hardware Installation click Continue Anyway to continue the process 29 ...

Page 30: ...Wizard window appears stating that Windows has finished installing the software that your new hardware device requires Click Finish to end the process Step 7 After the computer restarts the Network Setup Wizard appears Click Next 30 ...

Page 31: ...nternet If this computer is part of a home or small office network that connects to the Internet through another computer on the network or using a residential gateway you can choose This computer connects to the Internet through another computer on my network or through a residential gateway or other In this case choose This computer connects to the Internet through another computer on my network...

Page 32: ...re that you use a specific computer name Check with your ISP to see if they require a specific computer name The computer description is a short explanation of the computer Type the computer name and computer description then click Next tep 11 Type the Workgroup name then click Next S Step 12 Click Next 32 ...

Page 33: ...The Network Setup Wizard will perform the necessary setup It could take up to a few minutes to finish the setup Step 13 Select the Just finish the wizard and click Next 33 ...

Page 34: ...ess Step 15 Restart the computer Step 16 After the computer restarts click Start menu and select Control Panel Double click the Network Connections icon in the Control Panel Step 17 Double click the 11Mbps Wireless LAN USB Dongle local area 34 ...

Page 35: ...connection icon Step 18 Double click Properties to configuration network protocol Step 19 Select Internet Protocol TCP IP and click Properties 35 ...

Page 36: ...tic IP setup then please enter the IP address and Subnet masking You should ask your network administrator for an address and then type it into the fields provided Then click OK to return to the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog Then click OK button to set the value Static setting example 36 ...

Page 37: ...Dynamic setting example 37 ...

Page 38: ...s Tab State The field shows the association state to available Access Point with BSSID MAC address of the Access Point When the state is Associated it means normal operation in infrastructure mode and the UC11B is connected to an Access Point Disable Radio The USB Dongle s RF radio function can be disabled by clicking this Disable Radio button Rescan When the Rescan button is clicked the UC11B wil...

Page 39: ...for a better Access Point if the Link Quality becomes Poor Link Quality is a measurement of receiving and transmitting errors over the radio Configuration Tab The Configuration Tab contains several fields where operating parameters of the driver can be viewed or changed Changes to any of the parameters in this panel can be applied to the driver without a need to restart the computer Profile Name E...

Page 40: ...unication is done from Client to Client without the use of an Access Point 802 11 Ad Hoc network uses the same SSID for establishing the wireless connection In this mode you have to set the Channel number you want to use Peer to Peer Channel When you choose Peer to Peer as the Network Type you have to set the channel number you want to use Transmit Rate The transmission rate at which client of AP ...

Page 41: ...e driver and registry each key must consist of hex digits which means that only digit 0 9 and letter A F are valid entries You can set this to disable 64 bits or 128 bits Encryption WEP Disabled The default is Disabled Enter Passphrase to Generate Keys Automatically 64 bit 128bit You can type a string that you can remember easily in the blank and the WEP Keys will be generated automatically There ...

Page 42: ...ecimal In Alphanumeric you can type the keys between A Z and numbers arbitrarily But in the Hexadecimal you must type the Hexadecimal symbols In 64 bit the Alphanumeric has 5 characters and the Hexadecimal has 10 digits And in the 128 bit the Alphanumeric has 13 characters and the Hexadecimal has 26 digits You can choose any WEP Key from Key 1 to Key 4 42 ...

Page 43: ...43 ...

Page 44: ...d The keys are also written to the registry for permanent storage About Tab About Tab shows the product version including the detail of Driver Configuration Utility and NIC firmware version Users must use this version number when reporting their problems for technical support 44 ...

Page 45: ...835 GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Antenna system External patch antenna Mobility Seamless roaming across cell boundaries with handover Power Specifications Operating Voltage 5VDC Continuous Transmitting 380 mA max Continuous Receiving 320 mA max Specific Features Supported bit rates 1 2 5 5 11Mbps Number of Channels North America CH1 CH11 ETSI CH1 CH13 France CH10 CH13 Japan CH1 CH14 45 ...

Page 46: ...erference to radio communication However there is no grantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment dose cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving ...

Page 47: ...FCC This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 This device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation Europe R TTE Directive This device complies with the specifications listed below ETS 301 489 1 17 General EMC requirements for Radio equipment ETS 300 328 Technical ...

Page 48: ...ed Suggestion It means there is no wireless link 1 Make sure there is any 802 11b device in the servicing area 2 Double click the icon to pop up the configuration window a Make sure they are sharing the same SSID and channel If not you could press the Site Survey Re Scan to search another nodes in the vicinity Then you can select one of them to join b Make sure they are operating under same authen...

Page 49: ...aring function is enabled You could enable the function by checking the icon of My Computer Control Panel Network file and printer sharing I want to be able to give others to access to my files Symptom The computer will be down as the USB Wireless Network Adapter is live pulled out and plugged in under Win98 environment Suggestion Before you live plug in the USB Wireless Network Adapter be sure th...

Page 50: ... Protocol a method in which IP addresses are assigned by server dynamically to clients on the network DHCP is used for Dynamic IP Addressing and requires a dedicated DHCP server on the network Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum This is the method the wireless cards use to transmit data over the frequency spectrum The other method is frequency hopping Direct sequence spreads the data over one frequenc...

Page 51: ...rial Scientific and Medical band Spectrum in the vicinity of 2 4 GHz in particular is being made available worldwide This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place convenient high speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe Local Area Network LAN A LAN is a group of computers each equipped with the appropriate network adapter card connected by cable air that share ...

Page 52: ...s a management information block Static IP Addressing A method of assigning IP addresses to clients on the network In networks with Static IP address the network administrator manually assigns an IP address to each computer Once a Static IP address is assigned a computer uses the same IP address every time it reboots and logs on to the network unless it is manually changed Transmission Control Pro...

Page 53: ...ncy RF and infrared are the commonly used types of wireless transmission Most wireless LANs use spread spectrum technology It offers limited bandwidth usually under 11Mbps and users share the bandwidth with other devices in the spectrum however users can operate a spread spectrum device without licensing from the Federal Communications Commission FCC 53 ...

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