User's Manual

2
Functional Overview
The WLAN PCMCIA is designed to operate in the 2.4GHz ISM
frequency band, channels 1 to 11, as specified by the FCC in
the USA. The Card will also operate on channels 12 through
14, where permitted by local regulatory authorities. Radio
equipment must be certified in a country prior to use. Refer to
Table 3 for a list of countries and agencies that have approved
the ISL37101P-EVAL for operation.
The Intersil PRISM Chip Set allows for high level integration
for reduced size, increased throughput, improved radio
performance and faster time to market. The WLAN PCMCIA
implements Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum DSSS
technology providing superior noise and signal jamming
immunity including less severe impact from unintentional
radiators such as microwave ovens. The user can connect
the PCMCIA in an ad-hoc peer to peer networking scheme,
allowing for instant network setup in any office environment.
By using an access point, the wireless LAN can be set up to
allow for a greater number of users to interconnect, and to
increase the coverage area. With a portal (i.e., Access Point),
the wireless LAN can be easily connected into an existing
wired LAN, allowing for easy expansion of the service.
Compared to the PRISM II chip set, the PRISM 3 generation
offers:
• Front end designed for maximum range
• Higher level of chip integration and less peripheral
components to reduce material costs (3-chip solution)
• Support of optional IEEE 802.11 Short Preamble for
significantly increased data throughput with room for
additional user defined functions
• Has a PCMCIA interface / Type 3A form factor
A complete Reference Design for the ISL37101P is available
to ensure minimum time-to-market. This information contains
details for manufacturing a PCMCIA WLAN assembly,
including Gerber PC board files, an accurate Bill of Material
with component sourcing and complete mechanical drawings
and a complete Radio Description and test plan.
Related Literature
• Tech Brief TB337, Intersil Corporation, “A Brief Tutorial on
Spread Spectrum and Packet Radio”[1].
• Application Note AN9861, Intersil Corporation,
“ISL37101P-EVAL PRISM 3 11 Mb PCMCIA Wireless
LAN Radio Description” [2].
• Tech Brief TB382, Intersil Corporation, “Measurement of
WLAN Receiver Sensitivity” [3].
• Application Note AN9850, Intersil Corporation,
“Complementary Code Keying Made Simple” [4].
• Application Note AN9829, Intersil Corporation, “Brief
Tutorial on IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs” [5].
• Application Note AN9820, Intersil Corporation, “A
Condensed Review of Spread Spectrum Techniques for
ISM Band Systems” [6].
The ISL3871 Media Access Controller
(MAC) Protocol Handler
The ISL3871 MAC/Baseband Processor and its firmware are
responsible for running the IEEE 802.11 protocol in the
WLAN card. This section describes the features of IEEE
802.11 that are implemented.
The functions supported by the STA (station) Firmware are:
• CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision
Avoidance) with Random Backoff
• WEP Security
• Short/Long Preamble with multirate
• RTS/CTS Handshake (Ready To Send/Clear To Send)
and NAV Management (Network Allocation Vector)
• MAC Level Acknowledgments (Media Access Control)
• Re-Transmission of Unacknowledged Frames
• Duplicate Detection and Rejection
• Broadcast and Multicast Frames
• Fragmentation and Re-Assembly
• Power Management (Planned)
• Timestamp Synchronization
• DCF (Distributed Coordination Function)
• PCF (Point Coordination Function)
• Beacon Generation in an Ad-Hoc Network
• Probe Response Generation in an Ad-Hoc Network
Card Information Structure
The standard Intersil WLAN PCMCIA will be supplied with
information embedded in the Card Information Structure
(CIS) shown in Table 2. It should be noted that in most
systems this information is displayed when the card is
inserted. Customization of the CIS for specific customer
requirements is available upon request, to enable customer
information to be displayed when the card is inserted.
TABLE 2. CIS Embedded Information
FUNCTION NAME CONTENT
Manufacturer Intersil
Product PRISM 3 PCMCIA Adapter
Part Number ISL37101P
Revision String Eval-Rev-A
Revision # 1.0
Manufacturer ID 000B
Device ID 7101
ISL37101P-EVAL