Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter Quick Installation Guide
Quick Installation Guide Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 11 Mbps Wireless USB Adapter
Copyright © 2003 by Accton Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Accton Technology Corporation. Accton makes no warranties with respect to this documentation and disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability, quality, or fitness for any particular purpose. The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Contents Introduction System Requirements Package Checklist Applications 1 1 1 2 Hardware Description LED Indicator Multi-choice Mounting Clip 3 3 3 Hardware Installation Attaching the Clip (Optional) Attaching the Magnets (Optional) Attaching the Velcro (Optional) Attaching the USB Cable 3 3 4 4 4 Driver Installation Windows 95/98/Me/2000 Driver Installation Setting Wireless Properties Windows XP Driver Installation 5 5 7 18 Configuration and Diagnostics Installing the Utility in Windows 95, 98, Me
Contents Network Configuration and Planning Network Topologies Ad Hoc Wireless LAN Infrastructure Wireless LAN Setting the Communication Domain 28 28 28 29 30 Troubleshooting USB Adapter Installation Problems Network Connection Problems 31 31 31 Compliances Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement CSA Statement (Canada) VCCI Class B Compliance (Japan) CE Mark Declaration of Conformance for EMI and Safety (EEC) 33 33 34 34 34 Product Specifications General Specifications 36 36 Termino
Introduction Accton’s Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter (WN3501C) is an 11 Mbps wireless network adapter that seamlessly integrates with existing Ethernet networks to support applications such as mobile users or temporary conferences. The adapter is fully compliant with 2.4 GHz DSSS CSMA/CA wireless networking as defined in IEEE 802.11b. This solution offers fast, reliable wireless connectivity with considerable cost savings over wired LANs (which include long-term maintenance overhead for cabling).
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter Please inform your dealer if there are any incorrect, missing or damaged parts. If possible, retain the carton, including the original packing materials. Use them again to repack the product if there is a need to return it for repair.
Hardware Description Accton’s Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter supports an 11 Mbps half-duplex connection to Ethernet networks. This adapter is fully compliant with 2.4 GHz DSSS CSMA/CA wireless networking as defined in IEEE 802.11b. It can be installed in any notebook or desktop with a USB port. Support is provided for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP. LED Indicator The Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter includes an LED indicator, as described in the following table.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 2. Press the two lugs into the slots until they click into place. 3. To remove the clip, push in one of the lugs and pull the clip away from the WN3501C body. The other lug should slip free. Attaching the Magnets (Optional) 1. Peel the protective paper off the magnets and place the sticky side of the magnets into the circular holes at the rear of the clip. 2. Press firmly. Warning: Sticking magnets to a notebook screen will damage the screen.
Driver Installation The CD-ROM that comes with the package contains the software/drivers for the Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter. New or updated drivers can be downloaded from Accton’s web site at: http://www.acctontech.com. For installation in Windows 95/98/Me/2000 see the following section. For Window XP installations, please skip to “Windows XP Driver Installation” on page 22 for instructions.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 4. Click the Easy button for automatic installation, and then click Next. or Click on Advanced for Infrastruture or Ad Hoc network environments. SSID: The Service Set ID. This should be set to the same value as other wireless devices in your network. Channel: The radio channel through which the Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter communicates with PCs in its BSS.
Setting Wireless Properties 5. Click Next to copy files from the CD. Windows 98 may ask you for the Windows 98 CD. If so, remove the Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter CD, insert the Windows 98 CD and click OK. 6. Click Finish to complete the driver installation. You may be asked to restart the computer. Click Yes. Setting Wireless Properties 1. Click Start/Settings/Control Panel. Double-click the Network icon. 2.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 3. If you want to add more protocols after installation, go to the Configuration tab and click Add. 4. Double-click Protocol and add the network protocols you wish to use. If you install TCP/IP, be sure to set the appropriate Gateway, DNS Server, and Domain for your network. If you install an IPX/SPX compatible protocol, then you also need to install the Client for NetWare Networks. 5. Click File and Print Sharing, and check the boxes as required. 6.
Setting Wireless Properties 7. On the Advanced tab you will find a list of properties. The 802.11 Power Save option allows you to enable the power saving mode for reducing power loading.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 8. To communicate with Accton 11 Mbps Wireless devices, set the Authentication Type to Shared Key. Products from some other vendors may use the setting Open System. Use the same setting as the other devices in your network. 9. Select the basic communication rate from the drop-down list for your wireless PC card.
Setting Wireless Properties 10. The Beacon Period (20-1000 kµs) option allows the wireless devices to maintain contact with each other. The beacon signal may also carry power-management information.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 11. Set the Channel to the same radio channel as that used by the other wireless clients in your group. However, if you are connecting to a network via an access point, the adapter will automatically set the channel to the same as that used by the access point.
Setting Wireless Properties 12. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is implemented in the adapter to prevent unauthorized access. For more secure data transmissions, set encryption to 128-bit or 64-bit. The 128-bit setting gives a higher level of security. The setting must be the same for all clients in your wireless network. (Default: None) To completely configure WEP you must use the Configuration Utility. See “Encryption” on page 29.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 13. Set the ESSID identifier to the same as that used by the ad hoc workgroup or access point to which you want to connect. (The Accton access point default is WLAN.) If you will be roaming among multiple access points with different BSS IDs, a value of ANY will allow connection to any ESSID. 14. Set the Fragmentation Threshold. (The default 2,346 means Disabled.) See “Terminology” on page 42 for a description of Fragmentation Threshold.
Setting Wireless Properties 15. Enable the International Roaming for mobile workers roaming in an infrastructure network. More than one access point may be configured with the same SSID to create an Extended Service Set (ESS). See “Roaming Wireless PCs” on page 34 for details.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 16. Set the station operation mode to 802.11 Ad Hoc for network configurations that do not have an access point, or to Infrastructure for connecting to an access point.
Setting Wireless Properties 17. The access points and client card drivers have a radio setting for RF Preamble. Enabling it can boost your throughput. Preamble Type offers a drop-down list with three options: Auto, Long, or Short. If you are not sure whether all the clients and access point radios in your wireless network support the Short RF preamble, then leave this setting on Auto.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 18. Rate is the data transmission/reception rate setting. It can be set to Auto, 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, or 11 Mbps. Usually this should be set to Auto. In a radio frequency hostile environment, a lower rate can provide more stable transmission quality.
Setting Wireless Properties 19. The access point sends Request to Send (RTS) frames to a particular receiving station to negotiate the sending of a data frame. After receiving an RTS frame, the station sends a CTS (Clear to Send) frame to acknowledge the right of the sending station to send data frames. The access points contending for the medium may not be aware of each other. The RTS/CTS mechanism can solve this “Hidden Node Problem.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 20. The WEP encryption implemented in Accton’s Wireless USB adapter is based on the RC4 encryption algorithm. The security keys are four 10 digit keys for the 64-bit WEP setting, and one 26-digit key for the 128-bit WEP setting. WEP must be set in the configuration utility and all changes can be made there. (See “Using the Wireless USB Utility in Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and XP” on page 25.
Setting Wireless Properties 21. “WEP Key to use” shows the key that will be used (WEP KEY #1~#4 as shown on the previous screen) for encryption. 22. Click OK to exit the open screens and click Yes to restart the computer if asked to do so.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter Windows XP Driver Installation 1. Insert the installation CD into your PC’s CD-ROM drive. 2. Plug the Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter into your PC’s USB port. 3. Windows XP will automatically detect the new hardware and prompt you to install the driver. 4. Check “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)” and click Next.
Windows XP Driver Installation 5. Check “Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install” and click Next. 6. Click Have Disk, and the Install From Disk screen will open. 7. Type E:\driver\usb\setup (assuming your CD drive is E:) and click OK.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter 8. Though the software is fully compatible with Windows XP, it has not yet been Logo tested by Microsoft. On the Hardware Installation screen click Continue Anyway. 9. After the software has been installed, click Finish to complete the driver installation.
Configuration and Diagnostics For Windows 95, 98, Me, and 2000, Accton’s Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter provides optional management software for quick network configuration and easy diagnostics. Installing the Utility in Windows 95, 98, Me, and 2000 To install the utility software: 1. Insert the CD-ROM into your PC’s CD drive. 2. Click Start/Run 3. Type “E:\autorun.exe” (assuming your CD drive is E:) and click OK. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter The configuration utility includes the following tools: Status – Allows you to monitor network status and configure wireless adapter parameters. Statistics – Shows wireless adapter statistics. Site Survey – Scans/Shows all the access points in range. Encryption – Provides WEP security control. Advanced – Allows you to configure the advanced settings. Version – Shows the version information.
Using the Wireless USB Utility in Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and XP Channel – If you are setting up an ad hoc wireless LAN (see page 32), set the channel number to the same radio channel as that used by the other wireless clients in your group. However, if you are connecting to a network via an access point, then the channel is automatically set to the channel of the access point to which the adapter connects. Note: The Channel can only be set when the Operating Mode is 802.11 Ad Hoc.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter Site Survey The Site Survey screen displays all access points in the wireless LAN. You can choose one of them to connect to by double-clicking on an entry.
Using the Wireless USB Utility in Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and XP Encryption Encryption – Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is implemented in the adapter to prevent unauthorized access. For more secure data transmissions, set encryption to 128-bit or 64-bit. The 128-bit setting gives a higher level of security. The setting must be the same for all clients in your wireless network.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter Note: A Passphrase string can consist of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. Or 1. Check Manual Entry and enter hexadecimal numbers into one of the key fields. Each bit key must be in hexadecimal numerals (0~9, A~F, e.g., D7 0A 9C 7F E5). 2. Click Apply. Authentication Type – You may choose Open System, Shared Key or Auto. (Default: Shared Key) If Shared Key is enabled, one shared key should be defined in the Default Key ID.
Using the Wireless USB Utility in Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and XP Version This screen displays the driver, firmware, and utility version numbers.
Network Configuration and Planning Accton’s Cheetah Wireless Solution supports a stand-alone wireless network configuration, as well as an integrated configuration with 10 Mbps Ethernet LANs. For a list of the maximum distances between the AP/Bridge and wireless clients, refer to page 36.
Network Topologies Infrastructure Wireless LAN The WN3501C can also provide access to a wired LAN for wireless workstations. An integrated wired and wireless LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration. A Basic Service Set (BSS) consists of a group of wireless PC users, and an access point that is directly connected to the wired LAN.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter Setting the Communication Domain Stationary Wireless PCs The Basic Service Set (BSS) is the communication domain for each access point. For wireless PCs that do not need to support roaming, set the domain identifier (SSID) for the wireless adapter to the BSS ID of the access point to which you want to connect. Check with your administrator for the BSS ID of the access point to which he wants you to connect.
Troubleshooting USB Adapter Installation Problems If your computer cannot find the Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter or the network driver does not install correctly, check the following items: • Make sure the adapter is connected to the USB port. • Try the adapter in another USB port. If this also fails, try using another WN3501C wireless adapter that is known to operate correctly. • Make sure your computer is using the latest BIOS.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter If your wireless station cannot communicate with a computer on the Ethernet LAN when configured for Infrastructure mode, check the following: • Make sure the access point that the station is associated with is powered on. • Check that the wireless settings (i.e., WEP, SSID, Channel) match the access point or other stations to which you are attempting to connect.
Compliances Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement 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. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Cheetah Wireless-3501C USB Adapter CSA Statement (Canada) This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of Industry Canada. Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radio-électriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe B prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par l’Industrie.
Compliances • Immunity to conducted disturbances, Induced by radio-frequency fields: EN 61000-4-6:1996 (0.
Product Specifications General Specifications Functional Criteria Data Rate 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps, Auto Transmission Mode Half duplex Network Connection IEEE 802.11b wireless Operating Range Max. distance at 11 Mbps: 128 m (422 ft) Max. distance at 5.5 Mbps: 152m (502 ft) Max. distance at 2 Mbps: 167 m (551 ft) Max. distance at 1 Mbps: 250 m (825 ft) Radio Signal Signal Type Operating Frequency Direct Sequence Spread-Spectrum (DSSS) USA, Canada: 2.412~2.462 GHz Europe (ETSI): 2.412~2.472 GHz Japan: 2.
General Specifications Standards Conformance Wireless Standard IEEE 802.11b USB USB specification revision 1.1 Compliances FCC Class B ARIB STD33, T66 UL1950/CSA22.2 NO.
Terminology The following is a list of terminology used in this document. Access Point – An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks. Ad Hoc – An ad hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with LAN adapters, connected as an independent wireless LAN. BSS – BSS stands for “Basic Service Set.” It is an access point and all the LAN PCs that are associated with it. CSMA/CA – Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance.
WN3501C F1.
