User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual Aironet WIreless LAN Adapter Products supported: PC4500 and PC4800 DOC-710-004239-B0 Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc. • 3875 Embassy Parkway Akron, Ohio 44333-8357 www.aironet.
Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the written permission of Aironet. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Aironet makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this manual and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.
Table of Contents About the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual ....................................... vii Typographical Conventions................................... ix Section 1 Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter .............................................................. 1-1 Safety Information .............................................. 1-2 Radio Characteristics ......................................... 1-5 Direct Sequence Radio Technology ...................
ODI Driver Installation ...................................... 3-11 General Information.......................................... 3-12 Driver Keywords and Settings .......................... 3-14 Section 4 Utilities ....................................................................... 4-1 Site Survey and Link Test .................................. 4-1 Link Test Command in WinDGS ........................ 4-5 Loading New Firmware Versions ...............................
Edit Parameters ......................................................... B-5 System Parameters ............................................ B-6 Network Parameters ........................................... B-9 RF Network Parameters ..................................... B-9 Advanced (Infrastructure) ................................. B-11 Advanced (Ad Hoc/IBSS) ................................. B-13 Appendix C Manufacturers Federal Communication Commission Declaration of Conformity Statement ..............
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List of Figures Figure 1.1 - Ad Hoc Wireless LAN ............................... 1-11 Figure 1.2 - Wireless Infrastructure .............................. 1-12 Figure 1.3 - Wireless Infrastructure with Workstations Accessing a Wired LAN ............................ 1-13 Figure 1.4 - Extended Infrastructure Using Repeaters. 1-14 Figure 1.5 - Minimal Overlap Coverage Option............ 1-15 Figure 1.6 - Heavy Overlap Coverage Option .............. 1-16 Figure 1.
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List of Tables Table 3.1 Table 3.2 Table 3.3 Table 3.4 Table 3.5 Table 3.6 Table 3.7 Table 3.8 Table 3.9 Table 3.10 Table 3.11 Table 3.12 Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Table A.1 Table A.2 Table A.3 Table A.4 - Driver Disk Structure................................... 3-2 Minimum PROTOCOL.INI Driver Settings .. 3-8 Minimum AWCPKT.INI Driver Settings ..... 3-10 Minimum NET.CFG Driver Settings .......... 3-12 General Network Keywords ...................... 3-16 Advanced Network Keywords ...................
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About the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual About the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual This guide covers the installation, configuration, control, and maintenance of your Aironet 4000 Series PC Card Wireless LAN Adapter. Please read Sections 2 and 3 before attempting to install or use the hardware and software described in this guide.
About the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual Appendix A – Specifications – provides radio and physical specifications. Appendix B – Using the WinDGS Utility – provides detailed descriptions on using the WinDGS utility. Appendix C – Channels – provides channel identifiers and channel center frequencies for various area regulatory agencies. Appendix D – Declaration of Conformity – provides conformity information about the 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter.
About the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual Typographical Conventions When reading the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual, it is important to understand the symbol and formatting conventions used in the documentation. The following symbols are used in the guide. Convention Type of Information Indicates a note which contains important information. A caution message that appears before procedures which, if not observed, could result in loss of data or damage to the equipment.
About the User’s Guide and Technical Reference Manual x
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Section 1 Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter The Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter is a PC Card radio module that provides transparent wireless data communications between fixed, portable, or mobile devices and other wireless devices or a wired network infrastructure (Ethernet or Token Ring). Host devices can be any device equipped with a PC Card Type II or Type III slot.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Safety Information The FCC with its action in ET Docket 96-8 has adopted a safety standard for human exposure to radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic energy emitted by FCC certified equipment. The Aironet products meet the uncontrolled environmental limits found in OET-65 and ANSI C95.1, 1991.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Snap-On Antenna Always orient antenna such that it is at least 5 cm (2 inches) away from your body. Dipole Antenna Always orient antenna such that it is at least 15 cm (6 inches) away from your body. High Gain Antennas High gain wall mount or mast mount antennas are designed to be professionally installed and should be located at a minimum distance of 30 cm (12 inches) or more from your body.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Other Devices in the Wireless Network Refer to the User’s Guide and Technical Reference manual for the Access Point, Universal Client, or Bridge for additional information.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Radio Characteristics The PC Card operates in the 2.4 GHz license-free Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band. Data is transmitted over a half-duplex radio channel operating up to 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) for the PC4500 or up to 11 Mbps for the PC4800.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Protocols Supported The Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter can be used in a variety of infrastructure configurations. Aironet Access Points (AP4500 and AP4800) provide connections to Ethernet or Token Ring Networks. When using the Aironet standard device drivers, the PC Card is fully compliant with the following protocols and wired networks: Drivers Operating System ODI DOS based driver for Novell NetWare NDIS2 MS DOS, Windows 3.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Here are some operating and environmental conditions that need to be considered: • Data Rates. Sensitivity and range are inversely proportional to data bit rates. The maximum radio range is achieved at the lowest workable data rate. There will be a decrease in receiver threshold sensitivity as the radio data rate increases. • Antenna Type and Placement. Proper antenna configuration is a critical factor in maximizing radio range.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Link Test The link test tool is used to determine RF coverage. The test results help the installer eliminate low RF signal level area that can result in loss of connection. Radio Antenna The Snap-On Diversity antenna comes standard with the PC Card and provides omni-directional coverage. A benefit of the diversity antenna system is improved coverage.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Terminology When configuring your system, and when reading this manual, keep in mind the following terminology: Association – Each root unit or repeater in the infrastructure contains an association table that controls the routing of packets between the Access Point and the wireless infrastructure. The association table maintains entries for all the nodes situated below the Access Point on the infrastructure including repeaters and client nodes.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Power Saving Protocol (PSP) and Non-Power Saving Protocol – The Power Saving Protocol allows computers (usually portable computers) to power up only part of the time to conserve energy. If a client node is using the Power Saving Protocol to communicate with the network, the Aironet Access Point must be aware of this mode and implement additional features such as message store and forward.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter System Configurations The Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter can be used in a variety of network system configurations. Aironet Access Points (AP4500 or AP4800) provide connections to your Ethernet or Token Ring networks or act as repeaters increasing wireless communication range. The maximum communication range is based on how you configure your wireless infrastructure.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Figure 1.2 - Wireless Infrastructure Access Point (Root Unit) Workstation Workstation In a wireless infrastructure, an Aironet Access Point is used as a stand-alone root unit. The root unit is not attached to any wired LAN (such as an Ethernet or Token Ring LAN), but functions as a hub linking all stations together. This configuration is similar to the ad hoc network, except the Aironet Access Point serves as the focal point for communications.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Figure 1.3 - Wireless Infrastructure with Workstations Accessing a Wired LAN File Server Wired LAN Aironet Access Point (Root Unit) Workstation Aironet Access Point (Root Unit) Workstation Workstation A Micro-Cellular Network can be created by placing two or more Aironet Access Points on a LAN. The Aironet roaming protocols allow remote workstations to move from one microcell domain to another. The process is seamless and transparent.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Figure 1.4 - Extended Infrastructure Using Repeaters File Server Wired LAN Aironet Access Point (Root Unit) Workstation Workstation Aironet Access Point (Repeater) Workstation An Aironet Access Point can be configured as a standalone repeater to extend the range of your infrastructure, or to overcome an RF blocking obstacle.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Coverage Options The system architecture options of the wireless station and Access Points provide for a variety of coverage alternatives and flexibility. The system can be designed to provide a wide coverage area with minimal overlap (Figure 1.5) or coverage with heavy overlap (Figure 1.6). The latter improves system performance and protection against downtime in the event of a component failure. Figure 1.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Figure 1.6 - Heavy Overlap Coverage Option Wired LAN By arranging the Access Points so the overlap in coverage area is nearly maximized, a large number of mobile stations can be supported in the same wireless infrastructure. However, units in overlapping coverage areas on the same frequency will detect adjacent cell traffic and delay transmissions that would cause collisions. This reduces the aggregate radio system throughput.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter Figure 1.7 - Multiple Overlapping Systems Coverage Option Wired LAN 2 Wired LAN 1 Multiple systems can operate in the same vicinity. The architecture provides multiple channels, which can exist in the same area with virtually no interference to each other.
Welcome to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter 1-18
Installing the Hardware Section 2 Installing the Hardware This section describes the procedures for installing the Wireless LAN Adapter.
Installing the Hardware Before You Start For the PC Card to be used with a computing device (desktop personal computer, notebook, laptop computer, portable or hand-held device), the device must be equipped with an internal or external PC Card Type II or Type III slot. All drivers and supporting software (card and socket services) for the PC Card slot must be loaded and configured. Please follow the manufacturers guidelines for installing the software as well as installing the PC4500 or PC4800.
Installing the Hardware Figure 2.1 - Overview of the 4000 Series PC Card MicroMate Antenna Connectors J1 J2 Antenna Connectors The PC Card has two female MicroMate antenna connectors on one end. All antennas and cables attached to the PC Card must be equipped with male MicroMate connectors. The two antenna connectors allow a Diversity Antenna or two separate antennas to be attached to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter.
Installing the Hardware Standard Antennas The Snap-On Diversity antenna comes with the PC4500 and PC4800 and attaches directly to the PC Card. Its small size allows mobile communication in a small area (ad hoc network) where a larger antenna would be awkward or interfere with the use of the PC or terminal. The design of the Snap-On and Remote Diversity antennas take full advantage of the PC Card’s ability to detect and use the strongest signal.
Installing the Hardware Attaching the Antenna CAUTION:The Snap-On antenna should never be placed in contact with metal surfaces while in use. Attaching the Snap-On Antenna NOTE: Wireless LAN Adapter Card comes with the antenna attached. If you need to change the antenna, the Adapter should be removed from the PC Card slot before removing or attaching an antenna. 1. Hold the antenna so the connector and guide pin leads line up with the connector and slots on the PC Card.
Installing the Hardware Detaching the Antenna CAUTION: The Snap-On antenna should never be placed in contact with metal surfaces while in use. Detaching the Snap-On Antenna 1. Remove the PC Card from the PC Card slot. 2. Grasp the center of the antenna with the thumb and forefinger. 3. Gently pull the antenna away from the PC Card until it comes free. CAUTION: Do not bend or twist the antenna away from the PC Card body. Do not pry or use tools to remove the antenna. Detaching a Remote Antenna 1.
Installing the Hardware Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter Before you begin, examine the PC Card. One end is a dual row 68-pin PC Card connector. This side will be inserted into the PC Card slot with the Aironet logo on the PC Card and the Snap-On antenna facing up. The card is keyed so it can be inserted only one way into the PC Card slot. CAUTION: The following procedures and physical connections apply generally to normal and conventional PC Card slots.
Installing the Hardware 2-8
Installing the Software Section 3 Installing the Software The PC Card is supplied with PACKET, NDIS2, NDIS3 and ODI drivers allowing operation under DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Novell Netware. The PC Card is fully IEEE 802.11 compliant. Driver Overview The PC Card is shipped with two diskettes: • WinDGS diagnostics diskette • Aironet driver diskette This section covers the drivers. The utilities are discussed in Section 4 – Utilities.
Installing the Software The driver disk shipped with the Wireless LAN Adapter is organized as follows: Table 3.1 - Driver Disk Structure README.TXT Contains latest information about the disk contents DIAG Directory containing utilities FLSH3545.COM PC card flash firmware 45C???.BIN Latest firmware release NDIS2 Directory containing NDIS2 driver files AWC2N45C.DOS NDIS2 driver OEMSETUP.INF NDIS2 compatible install file for MicroSoft Windows for Workgroups PROTOCOL.
Installing the Software NDIS3 (PC4500) Directory containing NDIS3 driver files PC4500.INF WIN95/98 install file PC4500.SYS NDIS3 driver PC4500.DLL NDIS3 library VXD4500.VXD Virtual device driver for Aironet WinDGS utility OEMSETUP.INF WIN NT install file ODI Directory containing ODI driver files AWCO45C.COM PC4500 DOS based ODI driver NET.CFG The required configuration file for ODI. The NET.CFG file on the drive diskette contains sample entries for operation in Infrastructure Mode.
Installing the Software Windows 95 or Windows 98 NDIS3 Installation To complete the installation of the PC Card under Windows 95 or Windows 98, make sure that the PC Card driver is installed and PC Card 32-bit support is enabled. NOTE: To find out more about PC Card and PC Card 32bit support, follow the instructions found in the Windows 95 Help menu section titled Enabling 32-bit PC card support (under PCMCIA). 1. Power on your computer and boot Windows. 2.
Installing the Software Choosing the adapter from the Network Icon and selecting Properties will allow the setting of additional parameters. See Driver Keywords and Settings for information on these settings.
Installing the Software Windows NT NDIS3 Installation To complete the installation of the PC Card using Windows NT, verify PCMCIA card and socket services are enabled using Devices in the Control Panel. 1. Shutdown the Windows NT workstation. 2. Insert the Wireless LAN Adapter into one of the PC Card slots. 3. Power up the Windows NT workstation. 4. From the control panel, select the Network icon. For Windows NT 4.xxx For Windows NT 3.51 5. Select Adapters. Select Add Adapters. 6. Select Add.
Installing the Software 13. Select OK. 14. Select Close. 15. Add all other related network information if applicable (IP address, DHCP, DNS, GATEWAY). 16. Select Yes to restart the workstation.
Installing the Software Windows for Workgroups NDIS2 Installation 1. Power on your computer and start Windows for Workgroups. 2. Go to the Network program group and click on Network Set-Up. 3. Under Network Setup, choose Networks..... 4. Under Networks choose Install Microsoft Windows Network. Select OK. 5. Under Network Setup, choose Drivers.... 6. Under Network Drivers, choose Add Adapters. 7. If the drivers were already copied to the hard disk, they will be displayed in the list. 8.
Installing the Software DOS NDIS2 Installation The Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter can be installed in a NetBIOS compliant DOS environment such as MicroSoft LAN Manager or PC LAN. The installation of this driver includes creating or editing a configuration file (PROTOCOL.INI). It is required that this file contains the following lines: Table 3.2 - Minimum PROTOCOL.
Installing the Software 4. Modify the CONFIG.SYS file. After the line containing: Device=PROTMAN.DOS, add Device=[drive:] [path] AWC2N45C.DOS. 5. To modify the PC Card system parameters, edit the PROTOCOL.INI file in the network directory. For a list of parameters which can be modified, see Table 3.2. 6. Reboot your computer.
Installing the Software DOS Packet Driver Installation The installation of this driver includes creating or editing a configuration file (AWCPKT.INI). It is required that this file contain the following lines: Table 3.3 - Minimum AWCPKT.
Installing the Software 4. If you would like to modify the PC Card system parameters, edit the AWCPKT.INI file. For a list of parameters which can be modified, see Table 3.3. 5. Load the driver by typing AWCP45C [-cinuw] at the DOS prompt (i.e. AWCP45C 0x65) and press Enter. NOTE: To unload the driver, type AWCP45C –u (i.e. AWCP45C –u 0x65). 6. Load the DOS IP stack.
Installing the Software ODI Driver Installation The PC Card can be installed in an ODI compliant DOS environment such as Novell NetWare. Table 3.4 - Minimum NET.CFG Driver Settings Infrastructure Mode Link Driver AWCO45C If INFRASTRUCTURE is omitted the default will be “ON” SSID = “your_SSID_here” CHANNEL = (only required in ad hoc mode) 1. Power on your computer. 2. Copy the \ODI\AWCO45C.COM driver from the Aironet Driver diskette to the directory containing the network files. 3.
Installing the Software General Information • AWCPKT.INI file must have a section header of [AWCPKT]. • PROTOCOL.INI file can have any section header, but the section must contain the keyword and parameter DRIVERNAME=ìAWC2N45C$î. • NET.CFG file must have a section header of [Link Driver AWCO45C]. NOTE: These lines may appear anywhere within a section. Only the sections that contain these lines will be parsed. • Multiple sections are supported. • Blank lines are supported.
Installing the Software NOTE: PROTOCOL.INI does not support some of the white space characters in a quoted string. If a string begins with an alphabetic character and contains no special characters, the quotes may be omitted. • For Packet string parameters, the string can be enclosed with double quotes or single quotes. If a string is quoted, any character except a “null” and the quote delimiter itself can occur between the quotes.
Installing the Software Driver Keywords and Settings The default PC Card configuration is set to: • Constant Awake Mode • Infrastructure Mode – This allows association with any Aironet Access Point matching the SSID supplied by the user • The factory supplied network address • Receive directed packets to this address as well as multicasts and broadcasts • Retry data packets up to 16 times before discarding the frame • Retry RTS sequence up to 16 times before discarding the frame • RTS exchange
Installing the Software The following tables contain keywords and parameter settings common to both the NDIS2 PROTOCOL.INI, ODI NET.CFG, and the PKT AWCPKT.INI configuration files. Basic system operation can be adjusted with the following parameters. Table 3.5 - General Network Keywords Keywords Value Description INFRASTRUCTURE ON, YES OFF, NO Optional – specifies whether system operation uses an infrastructure or peer-to-peer/ad hoc network (default is ON, YES).
Installing the Software Network performance can be optimized with the following variables. Table 3.6 - Advanced Network Keywords Keywords Value Description LONGRETRYLIMIT 0 – 255 Optional – specifies the number of times an unfragmented packet will be retried before the packet is dropped and a transmit error is reported to driver (default is 16).
Installing the Software Additional system performance adjustments can be made with the following group of variables. Table 3.7 - Fragmentation Keywords Keywords Value Description FRAGTHRESHOLD 256 – 2312 (must be even) Optional – specifies the fragmentation size in bytes. Frames longer than this value will be transmitted using multiple packets (default is 700).
Installing the Software The Wireless LAN Adapter power management can be adjusted with the following group of variables. Table 3.8 - Power Management Keywords Keywords Value Description POWERSAVEMODE CAM, PSP, FASTPSP Optional – specifies a particular operational mode (default is CAM). CAM = Constant Awake Mode PSP = Power Save Mode FASTPSP = Fast Power Save Mode Note: In Ad Hoc Mode, ATIMDURATION must also be set. ATIMDURATION Between 0 and less than the beacon interval.
Installing the Software Table 3.8 - Power Management Keywords (Continued) Keywords Value Description FASTLISTENTIME 0 – 0xFFFF Determines how often to awaken for beacons. Note that the PC Card will always awaken to receive DTIMs when in Fastpsp Mode (default is 100 Kµsec). LISTENDECAY 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – infrastructure with PSP or Fast PSP Modes only – rate at which the listen interval grows. The number of times to use the current listen interval before doubling it.
Installing the Software Additional system performance adjustments can be made with the following group of variables. Table 3.9 - Scanning Keywords Keywords Value Description SCANMODE ACTIVE, PASSIVE, ADVANCED Optional – parameter to determine the current scanning mode to be used by the PC Card (default is ACTIVE). BEACONLISTENTO 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – for passive scanning mode, determines the amount of time (Kµsec) to listen for a beacon on each channel (default is 40 Kµsec).
Installing the Software Additional system performance adjustments can be made with the following parameters. Table 3.10 - Infrastructure Keywords Keywords Value Description SSID 1 to 32 character string This parameter must match the SSID of the system for proper infrastructure operation. BEACONLOSTTIME 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – determines the interval of consecutively missed beacons which will cause a re-scan (default is 500 Kµsec).
Installing the Software Table 3.10 - Infrastructure Keywords (Continued) Keywords Value Description SPECIFIEDAPTO 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – time in Kµsec to attempt to associate to a specified Access Point before searching for any available Access Points (with matching SSID) (default is 10,000 Kµsec [10 sec]). AUTHTIMEOUT 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – time to attempt to authenticate to an Access Point (default is 2,000 Kµsec [2 sec]).
Installing the Software Ad hoc system operation is accomplished with the following group of variables. Table 3.11 - Ad Hoc Keywords Keywords Value Description JOINNETTO 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – determines the amount of time that an ad hoc station will scan before starting its own network (default is 10,000 Kµsec [10 sec]). BEACONPERIOD 0 – 0xFFFF Optional – specifies the beaconing interval in Kµsec. (default is 100 Kµsec).
Installing the Software The following is a list of keywords that will control the host system hardware resources the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter requires. NOTE: At a minimum, the PC Card requires 64 consecutive 16-bit I/O ports, one non-sharable Interrupt and one PC Card type II slot. If you are using card services, these resources will be assigned for you.
Installing the Software Table 3.12 - PC Card Keywords Keywords PORTBASE Value 0 – 0xFFFF PORT INT Description Optional – specifies the starting address for a block of 64 consecutive 16-bit I/O ports. Make sure the block of I/O addresses does not overlap the address of another device in the machine. This can be used to override a card service assignment. If card services are not used, this will default to 0x140. Only valid in NET.CFG file (same as PORTBASE).
Installing the Software 3-28
Utilities Section 4 Utilities This section describes procedures for using utilities and updating firmware depending on the operating system used. See Appendix B for detailed configuration procedures for WinDGS using Windows 95 or Windows 98. Here’s what you will find in this section: • Using the utilities • Loading new firmware versions Site Survey and Link Test In order to perform a meaningful site survey, it is necessary to conduct a test that will accurately model the intended use of the system.
Utilities The link test tool helps determine the RF network coverage. The results of the link test will help eliminate low RF signal level areas that can result in loss of connection between the PC Card and the Aironet Access Point. It is important to remember the information being displayed is from the Aironet Access Point viewpoint. Therefore, packets sent are from the Aironet Access Point to the PC Card client. Packets received are from the PC Card to the Aironet Access Point.
Utilities 8. Start a telnet session on the mobile station to the Aironet Access Point. Depending on the system in use, the telnet application may have logging and note taking capability. If so, enable these modes. 9. Navigate through the Aironet Access Point menu to the link test option. See the appropriate Access Point Technical Reference Manual for more information. 10. Set up the test options to accurately model the system. 11. Set the test for continuous operation with a 1 second delay. 12.
Utilities Using Windows 95 or Windows 98 to Perform a Link Test You may use either: • Telnet • The link test or site survey commands in WinDGS • Linkscope 4-4
Utilities Link Test Command in WinDGS WinDGS may be used to assess the performance of RF links. TCP/IP protocol must be installed to run this link test. See the Help section of Windows 95/98/NT for more information on installing and setting up TCP/IP. An IP address must also be configured for the Access Point. 1.
Utilities 2. Once the parameters have been entered, click on the Start button at the bottom of the dialog box to start the link test. When the link test is running, necessary statistics will be displayed and updated periodically. 3. To stop the link test, click on Stop, OK, or Cancel at the bottom of the dialog box. Once the link test has sent the number of packets specified, the Stop button will toggle back to a Start button.
Utilities Signal strength is displayed along the vertical axis of the graphical display. Signal quality is displayed along the horizontal axis. The combined result is represented by a diagonal line. The Aironet Access Point associating with the PC Card is indicated along the bottom of the display as well as its MAC address. For more information on the Aironet Access Point testing procedures, see the appropriate Access Point Technical Reference Manual.
Utilities Loading New Firmware Versions The firmware is contained in the card’s flash memory. Flash memory allows for easy updating of the firmware as necessary. Upgrading Firmware for Windows 95 or Windows 98 The WinDGS program is used to load new firmware. To load new firmware: 1. Make sure the PC Card is up and running. 2. Select Commands. 3. Select Load New Firmware. 4. Select Look In....Use the drop down button to select the appropriate path and image file. 5. Select Open.
Utilities Loading Firmware for Windows 3.11 and DOS The FLSH3545.COM program is used to load new firmware to systems operating under DOS and Windows 3.11. To load new firmware: 1. Before upgrading the firmware, uninstall the driver or reboot the computer and do not load the driver during the boot process. 2. Type FLSH3545 at the DOS prompt. 3. Enter the option (see Table below). NOTE: If using card and socket services, no options should be required. 4. Type the filename of the new firmware. 5.
Utilities 4-10
Error Messages and Trouble Shooting Section 5 Error Messages and Trouble Shooting The Wireless LAN Adapter provides LED messages and error codes. This section provides the general procedures for correcting common problems encountered when installing the PC Card system. Indicator LEDs The PC Card has two indicator LEDs (green and amber) located on the face of the card. The green indicator is the Link Integrity/Power LED.
Error Messages and Trouble Shooting Table 5.1 – Green LED Operating Messages Green LED Condition Off No power or error Flashing Quickly Power on, self-test OK, scanning for network Flashing Slowly Associated with an infrastructure network Table 5.
Error Messages and Trouble Shooting If Your Radio Fails to Establish Contact • Change your location or the location of the antenna by a few feet and try again. • Make sure the antenna is securely attached. • Make sure the PC Card is securely inserted in the PC Card slot. • Make sure the receiving equipment is turned on and operating. • Make sure the receiving equipment is properly connected to the host computer.
Error Messages and Trouble Shooting 5-4
PC Card Specifications Appendix A PC Card Specifications LAN Drivers Supported Table A.1 – Supported Drivers Protocol Operating System ODI DOS based driver for Novell Netware NDIS 2 MS DOS, Windows 3.xx NDIS 3 Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT Packet MS DOS, Windows 3.
PC Card Specifications Radio Specifications Table A.2 – Radio Specifications Item Specification Description Radio Type Direct Sequence 2.4 GHz ISM Band Operating Frequency 2400-2497 North American, ETSI, and Japan channel coverage, factory configurable FCC ID LOZ102034 (4500) FCC approval LOZ102035 (4800) Channeling 5 MHz increments Programmable for IEEE 802.11 Type of Modulation BPSK 1 Mbit/s (4500) QPSK 2 Mbit/s Nominal 10 MHz BW (-6 db) BPSK 1 Mbit/s (4800) QPSK 2 Mbit/s CCK 5.
PC Card Specifications Power Requirements Table A.3 – Power Requirements Specification Value Operational Voltage 5.0V ±0.25 Volts Receive Mode Current 260 mA (4500) 280 mA (4800) High Power Transmit Mode Current 490 mA (4500) 490 mA (4800) Sleep Mode Current 5 mA Physical Specifications Table A.4 – Physical Characteristics Item Description Size 3.37" L x 2.13" W x .20" H (8.56 cm L x 5.41 cm W x .51 cm H) Enclosure PC Card Type II Weight 2 oz.
PC Card Specifications Mechanical Description Figure A.1 – Mechanical Outline 3.370 RF CONN. (2) .750 J2 2.126 J1 LED LOC'N (2) .196 J1 and J2 provided for diversity antenna connections. If a special single-coax diversity antenna is required, use J1 exclusively.
Using the WinDGS Utility Appendix B Using the WinDGS Utility WinDGS is used to perform user level diagnostics on your Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Card in the Windows 95 or Windows NT operating system environment. Commands Menu The Commands Menu includes: • Select Card • Loading New Firmware • Edit Properties • Statistics • Status • Link Test • Site Survey • Radio Off/On • Exit Select Card This allows another installed Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Card to be chosen.
Commands Menu Load New Firmware See Section 4 – Utilities for more information on loading and upgrading firmware versions. Edit Properties WinDGS allows you to change the configuration parameters of your currently installed Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter. Depending on the preferences you have set, WinDGS can save the current properties to the registry. See Save Properties Options for more information. Statistics The Statistics screen shows the current statistics from the PC Card.
Commands Menu Link Test See Section 4 – Utilities for information on using link test. Site Survey See Section 4 – Utilities for information on using site survey. Radio Off/On Radio Off/On allows you to selectively turn off or on the power to the radio. Turning the radio off prevents all RF energy from being transmitted by the PC Card. Exit Closes all windows and exits WinDGS.
Commands Menu Options Menu The Options Menu includes: • Preferences • Screen Update Timer • Save Properties Options Preferences The WinDGS Preferences allow you to customize various parameters that control the operation of WinDGS. For example, you can set the rate at which the values are updated in the status and statistics screens via the Screen Update Timer. You can also set the Save Properties Options, which controls what is done with changes to the current settings.
Edit Parameters Save Properties Options Use Save Properties Options to select the default operations for saving the current adapter configuration. Choose either: • Save Properties to the Registry: This option allows you to save the configuration to the Windows Registry. The configuration will be restored the next time you reboot. • Save Properties to the Adapter: This option saves the current configuration to non-volatile memory in the adapter.
Edit Parameters System Parameters System parameters include: • Name • SSID • Network Type (Infrastructure or Ad Hoc) • Constant Awake Mode (CAM) • Power Save Mode • Fast Power Save Mode • Maximum Power Save Mode Name The station name is displayed in the table of connected devices on the Access Point. It provides a logical name to determine which machines are connected without having to memorize every MAC address. The name can be up to 16 characters.
Edit Parameters Network type (Ad Hoc Mode) This mode is used to set up a small, temporary network between two or more computers. For example, you might set up an ad hoc network between computers in a conference room so users can share information in a meeting. Constant Awake Mode (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.
Edit Parameters Maximum Power Save Mode Maximum Power Save Mode (Max PSP Mode) can only be used in conjunction with PS or Fast PSP Modes.This mode allows the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter to conserve the most power while still maintaining an infrastructure connection. Using Max PSP Mode conserves power but will reduce throughput.
Edit Parameters Network Parameters User modifiable parameters are limited to the choice of MAC Address: • Factory MAC Address: This is the default MAC address which is guaranteed to be unique. Unless you have a very good reason to define your own MAC address, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you use the factory MAC address. • User Defined MAC Address: If you must define your own MAC address, you can enter it here.
Edit Parameters • Data Retries: This parameter defines the number of times a packet will be re-sent if the initial transmission is unsuccessful. If the network protocol automatically retries itself, set this to a small value. A “bad” packet status will be sent up the protocol stack more quickly so the application can re-transmit the packet.
Edit Parameters Advanced (Infrastructure) The following parameters are contained in both the Infrastructure and Ad Hoc Modes: • Antenna Mode • Specified Access Point • RTS Threshold • RTS Retry Limit Antenna Mode Three options are available for the type of antenna you have connected to the Aironet 4000 Series Wireless LAN Adapter: • Antenna Diversity: This allows the PC Card to use the stronger signal from the two antenna ports.
Edit Parameters • Left Antenna Only (J2): Choose this option if the antenna you are using is connected to the left hand antenna port and you are not using the standard Snap-On antenna. This tells the PC Card not to attempt to communicate using the right hand antenna port since no antenna is connected to it. Specified Access Point This parameter is the MAC address of the preferred Access Point you want to associate with.
Edit Parameters RTS Retry Limit This parameter controls the number of times the PC Card will re-send the RTS packet if it does not receive a CTS from the previously sent RTS packet. Setting this to a large value will decrease the available bandwidth whenever interference is encountered, but will make the system more immune to interference and collisions. Refer to the IEEE 802.11 Standard for more information on the RTS/CTS mechanism.
Edit Parameters Beacon Period This parameter specifies the duration between beacon packets that are used by IEEE 802.11 systems to synchronize the “hops” (change to another frequency). The beacon packet contains timing information and hop pattern information that is broadcast over the airwaves. Any station that can hear the beacon packet can then synchronize their internal timer so that it can hop at the correct time.
Appendix C Appendix C Manufacturers Federal Communication Commission Declaration of Conformity Statement Models: PC4500, PC4800 Tested To Comply With FCC Standards Manufacturer: FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE Aironet Wireless Communications, Inc. 3875 Embassy Parkway Akron, OH 44333-8357 330-664-7900 This device complies with Part 15 rules.
Appendix C Department of Communications—Canada Canadian Compliance Statement This Class B Digital apparatus meets all the requirements of the Canadian Interference - Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numerique de la classe B respecte les exigences du Reglement sur le material broilleur du Canada. This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry of Canada.
Appendix C European Telecommunication Standards Institute Statement of Compliance Information to User This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the European Telecommunications Standard ETS 300.328. This standard covers Wideband Data Transmission Systems referred in CEPT recommendation T/R 10.01. This type accepted equipment is designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
Appendix C Declaration of Conformity Aironet Model Number: PC4500 Radio CE Type Certificate Number: Radio Type Approval Examiniation Number: Application of Council Directive: Application of Council Directive: BCL/EC/98-0309/B CPC/ARLAN/DK/9815 89/336/EEC 72/23/EEC Standards which Conformity is Declared: EN 55022 (B) EN 55011 (B) EN 50082-1 EN 60950 Manufacturer: Aironet Wireless Communication 3875 Embassy Parkway Akron, OH 44333 The undersigned hereby declares the above specified equipment conforms to
Appendix C Declaration of Conformity Aironet Model Number: PC4800 Radio CE Type Certificate Number: Radio Type Approval Examiniation Number: Application of Council Directive: Application of Council Directive: 89/336/EEC 72/23/EEC Standards which Conformity is Declared: EN 55022 (B) EN 55011 (B) EN 50082-1 EN 60950 Manufacturer: Aironet Wireless Communication 3875 Embassy Parkway Akron, OH 44333 The undersigned hereby declares the above specified equipment conforms to the above Directives and standards.
Appendix C C-6
Appendix D Appendix D Technical Support Communications Use the following information to contact the Aironet Technical Support group: Telephone - (330) 664-7903 Fax (330) 664-7990 e-mail techsupp@aironet.com Web Site For additional product information and technical support, including the capability to download new firmware and drivers, use the Aironet web site at: http://www.aironet.
