Owner's Manual

NOTE: See IBSS Allowed, IBSS 54g Protection Mode, IBSS Mode, and WZC IBSS Channel Number for more information
about ad hoc networks.
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Connecting to a Basic Network or Creating an Ad Hoc Network
Using Windows WZC: DW WLAN Card User Guide
Overview
Connecting to a Basic Network
Creating an Ad Hoc Network
Selecting Which Types of Networks to Access
Overview
Windows Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) Service is the native Windows XP tool for connecting to a basic network or
creating an ad hoc network. Windows 2000 users must use Wireless Network Wizard or DW WLAN Card Utility.
For the purposes of this user guide, a basic wireless network is defined as an infrastructure network that has any of the
following security settings:
• WPA-Personal (PSK) authentication
• WEP (open or shared authentication)
• None (no authentication)
An ad hoc network is a computer-to-computer network that can have either WEP security or no security.
An advanced network is an infrastructure network that uses some form of EAP authentication. To connect to an advanced
infrastructure network, see
Connecting to an Advanced Network or Creating an Ad Hoc Network Using DW WLAN Card Utility
or
Connecting to an Advanced Network Using Windows WZC.
To connect to a network or to create an ad hoc network, you must first create a network connection profile. The profile
includes the network name and the network security settings required (if any) by the network.
When you create a connection profile for an infrastructure network, your computer adds the profile to the top of the Preferred
networks list and automatically attempts to connect to the network using that profile. If the network is available (within
range), the connection is made. If the network is out of range, the profile is still added to the top of the list, but your
computer uses the next profile in the list to attempt a connection until it finds a listed network that is in range. Later, you can
control which type of profiles are listed by changing the network access settings (see
Selecting Which Types of Networks to
Access).
You can arrange the profiles in the order you prefer by moving any connection profile up or down in the list. By default,
infrastructure networks are preferred over ad hoc networks. Therefore, if you have created connection profiles for one or
more infrastructure networks, the connection profile for an ad hoc network is listed below the connection profiles for the
infrastructure networks. A connection profile for an ad hoc network cannot be moved above a profile for an infrastructure
network in the list. Therefore, to access the ad hoc network, you must change the access setting.
Connecting to a Basic Network
Before you proceed, be sure you have reviewed Before You Begin.
Connecting to a Network That Has No Security Settings