MyEssentials ME1002-NB, User Manual

Page 1: ...Wireless G Notebook Card User Manual ME1002 NB ...

Page 2: ...ge Contents 8 3 Installing and Setting up the Card 9 Step 1 Install 9 Step 2 Connect 10 Step 3 Configure 12 4 Using the MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility 13 Accessing the MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility from the Windows System Tray 13 Available Networks 14 Network Status and Solution Tips 16 Setting Wireless Network Profiles 16 Securing your Wi Fi Network 17 Configuring your MyEsse...

Page 3: ...hare documents music video and digital pictures Store retrieve and copy files from one computer to another Simultaneously play games online check Internet email and chat Advantages of a Wireless Network Here are some of the advantages of setting up a MyEssentials wireless network Mobility you ll no longer need a dedicated computer room now you can work on a networked laptop or desktop computer any...

Page 4: ...nge please contact MyEssentials Technical Support Note While some of the items listed below can affect network performance they will not prohibit your wireless network from functioning if you are concerned that your network is not operating at its maximum effectiveness this checklist may help 1 Placement of your Wireless Router or Access Point Place your wireless router or access point the central...

Page 5: ...ss network is impaired after attending to the above issues and you have a cordless phone Try moving cordless phones away from the wireless router or access point and your wireless enabled computers Unplug and remove the battery from any cordless phone that operates on the 2 4GHz band check manufacturer s information If this fixes the problem your phone may be interfering If your phone supports cha...

Page 6: ... wireless networking products use the detailed Site Survey and wireless channel information included in your User Manual 5 Secure Connections VPNs and AOL Secure connections typically require a user name and password and are used where security is important Secure connections include Virtual Private Network VPN connections often used to connect remotely to an office network The Bring Your Own Acce...

Page 7: ...ower Options item in the Control Panel If you continue to have difficulty with Secure Connections VPNs and AOL please review steps 1 4 in the previous pages to be sure you have addressed these issues These guidelines should allow you to cover the maximum possible area with your wireless router For more information regarding our networking products visit our website at www MyEssentialssupport com o...

Page 8: ...802 11b Wi Fi products 2 4GHz ISM Industrial Science and Medical band operation Integrated easy to use Wireless Configuration Utility CardBus interface for operation in virtually any notebook computer WPA WPA2 64 bit WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy or 128 bit encryption Wireless access to networked resources Support for both Infrastructure and Ad Hoc peer to peer networking modes Data rate of up to 5...

Page 9: ...d with other products that display the 54g mark Difficult to wire environments Enables networking in buildings with solid or finished walls or open areas where wiring is difficult to install Frequently changing environments Adapts easily in offices or environments that frequently rearrange or change locations Temporary LANs for special projects or peak time Sets up temporary networks such as at tr...

Page 10: ...to 400 ft 231m wireless performance may vary depending on the networking environment a c b a Link LED Lights up when the Card links to a wireless network b Activity LED Lights up when the Card is active c Card Connector Part of the Card that fits into your computer s CardBus slot System Requirements PC compatible laptop with one available CardBus slot Windows 98SE Me 2000 XP Package Contents Wirel...

Page 11: ...e If the MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility setup screen does not appear within 20 seconds access your CD ROM drive double click on the My Computer icon and then double click on the CD ROM drive into which you have placed the installation CD Double click on the folder named Files then double click on the icon named setup exe 1 4 The installer will now start The wizard will then prompt you to...

Page 12: ...ert the Card label side UP into your computer s CardBus slot until it stops Click OK The power light on the top of the Card will light when the Card is inserted properly Note If your system did not prompt you to insert your Card after the installation is completed please do so now Note If you are using the Windows XP operating system you will not be prompted to reboot until after the drivers are i...

Page 13: ...are for the MyEssentials Wireless G Notebook Card Select the Install the software automatically Recommended option Click Next 2 3 Hardware installation is now complete Click Finish to close the wizard 2 4 MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility installation is now complete Click Finish to close the wizard ...

Page 14: ... Utility screen will appear Select a network to which to connect from the Available Networks list and click Connect Note In order to see your available networks you must be near a working wireless router or access point 3 3 The MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility icon can also be found on the system tray Note Double clicking on the MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility icon on the system t...

Page 15: ...Windows System Tray To access the WNU simply place your mouse pointer and right click over the WNU icon on the Windows task tray If the icon is not present click on Start Programs MyEssentials MyEssentials Wireless Utility The WNU s default screen is the Current Status tab The Current Status tab displays the current Network Status and Available Networks 13 2 1 3 4 5 6 section Using the MyEssential...

Page 16: ...In the event of a connectivity problem this window can be used to determine the problem s source e g computer router or Internet modem Available Networks This window displays the available networks at the current location as well as their SSID Signal Strength Security Type Channel and Network Type Lost Wireless Connection If the current wireless connection is lost a window will pop up and the WNU ...

Page 17: ... 4 5 6 section Using the MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility Connection Failure Other options will appear during attempts to reconnect To stop connecting click Stop and to reattempt connection click Retry ...

Page 18: ...n will be the Current Status tab and the Network Status section determines which connections are good and or faulty The WNU also features a Solution Tips section that provides troubleshooting guidelines Setting Wireless Network Profiles The My Connections tab on the WNU allows you to add edit and delete connection profiles It also displays signal strength security and network type ...

Page 19: ...u choose to connect to a secure network determine the type of security WPA or WEP and use the appropriate field in the dialog box Note Types of security Note When you select a network using encryption you will first see the simple security screen Click the Advanced button to see other security options below ...

Page 20: ...e of publication four encryption methods are available Encryption Methods Name 64 Bit Wired Equivalent Privacy 128 Bit Wired Equivalent Privacy Wi Fi Protected Access TKIP Wi Fi Protected Access 2 Acronym 64 bit WEP 128 bit WEP WPA TKIP AES or just WPA WPA2 AES or just WPA2 Security Good Better Best Best Features Static keys Static keys Dynamic key encryption and mutual authentication Dynamic key ...

Page 21: ...rt both 64 bit WEP and 128 bit encryption Encryption Keys After selecting either the 64 bit WEP or 128 bit encryption mode it is critical that you generate an encryption key If the encryption key is not consistent throughout the entire wireless network your wireless networking devices will be unable to communicate with one another You can enter your key by typing in the hex key A hex hexadecimal k...

Page 22: ...PA WPA uses both Temporal Key Integrity Protocol TKIP and AES for encryption Setting up your MyEssentials Wireless Router to use Security To start using security you first must enable WEP or WPA for your wireless router or access point For MyEssentials Wireless Routers these security features can be configured by using the web based interface See your wireless router s or access point s manual for...

Page 23: ... standard By default wireless security is disabled To enable security you first must determine which standard is used by the router or access point See your wireless router s or access point s manual for directions on how to access the security settings To access the security settings on your Card click the My Connections tab and point to the connection for which you want to change security settin...

Page 24: ...key 3 Click Save to finish Encryption in the wireless router or access point is now set Each of your computers on your wireless network must now be configured with the same security settings WARNING If you are using a wireless client to turn on the security settings in your wireless router or access point you will temporarily lose your wireless connection until you activate security on your wirele...

Page 25: ...28 bit WEP key 3 Click Save to finish Encryption in the wireless router or access point is now set Each of the computers on your wireless network must now be configured with the same security settings WARNING If you are using a wireless client to turn on the security settings in your wireless router or access point you will temporarily lose your wireless connection until you activate security on y...

Page 26: ...fice networking 1 From the Network Authentication drop down menu select WPA PSK no server 2 Enter your network key This can be from eight to 63 characters and can be letters numbers or symbols This same key must be used on all of the clients network cards that you want to include in your wireless network 3 Click Save to finish You must now set all clients network cards to match these settings ...

Page 27: ...Wireless Networking Utility Options The Options tab on the WNU provides the user the ability to customize his or her WNU settings Wireless Networking Utility Help The WNU Help tab provides users with access to online and telephone support as well as advanced diagnostic tools ...

Page 28: ... Diagnostic Tools The Advanced Diagnostic Tools section is the central control panel for all the settings of the hardware and software components of the wireless network It provides an array of tests and connectivity services to ensure optimal network performance ...

Page 29: ...uter and the modem All the modem s LEDs are functioning correctly If not see your modem s user manual Reboot the router Reboot the modem If you continue to have issues please contact MyEssentials Technical Support If you are not using a MyEssentials Wireless Router consult that router manufacturer s user guide 2 Open your wireless utility software by clicking on the icon in the system tray at the ...

Page 30: ...e to access the Internet after connecting to the wireless network please contact MyEssentials Technical Support The name of your wireless network DOES NOT appear in the list of Available Networks If the correct network name is not listed check the SSID settings to see if they match The SSID is case sensitive and the spelling on each computer must be exactly the same in order for the Card to connec...

Page 31: ... Computer icon on your desktop Choose Properties and navigate to the Device Manager and see if your CardBus Card is listed without any errors If an error is indicated contact MyEssentials Technical Support Link LED is blinking slowly I cannot connect to a wireless network or the Internet If your Card appears to be functioning properly but you cannot connect to a network or you have a red wireless ...

Page 32: ...imes slow Wireless technology is radio based which means connectivity and the throughput performance between devices decreases when the distance between devices increases Other factors that will cause signal degradation metal is generally the worst culprit are obstructions such as walls and metal appliances As a result the typical indoor range of your wireless devices will be between 100 to 200 fe...

Page 33: ... on your region see your router s or access point s user manual for instructions on how to choose other channels Limiting the wireless transmit rate Limiting the wireless transmit rate can help improve the maximum wireless range and connection stability Most wireless cards have the ability to limit the transmission rate To change this property go to the Windows Control Panel open Network Connectio...

Page 34: ...onfigure my wireless network Once the box is unchecked click OK to close the window You are now using the MyEssentials Wireless Networking Utility to configure the Wireless Card Card does not perform or connection is unstable when computer has a second built in wireless network card such as a mini PCI or Intel Centrino This condition occurs if your computer has a built in wireless card while your ...

Page 35: ...ion Troubleshooting Technical Support You can find technical support information at www MyEssentialssupport com through the tech support area If you want to contact technical support by phone please call US 1 866 761 4608 ...

Page 36: ...ntial for human contact during normal operation In order to avoid the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency exposure limits human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than 20cm 8 inches during normal operation Federal Communications Commission Notice This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules...

Page 37: ...Essentials serial number has been removed or defaced THE WARRANTY AND REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHERS WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED MYESSENTIALS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE No MyEssentials dealer agent or employee is authorized to mak...

Page 38: ...Tech Support US 1 866 761 4608 2006 Belkin Corporation All rights reserved All trade names are registered trademarks of respective manufacturers listed Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries ...