Owner's Manual
NOTE: Any changes you make to any of the network connection profiles do not take effect until you click either Apply or
OK.
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Connecting to an Advanced Network or Creating an Ad Hoc
Network Using DW WLAN Card Utility: DW WLAN Card User
Guide
Overview
Available Advanced Network Authentication Protocols
Creating Advanced Network Connection Profiles
Obtaining Certificates
Saving Preferred Network Connection Profiles to a File
Importing a Preferred Network Connection Profiles File
Overview
The Wireless Network Connection Settings component of DW WLAN Card Utility enables you to easily connect to an advanced
network or to create an ad hoc network that uses WEP security. You can use this tool, rather than Wireless Network Wizard,
to connect to a basic network as well.
For the purposes of this user guide, an advanced network is defined as an infrastructure network that uses some form of EAP
(also called 802.1X) or CCKM authentication.
To connect to a network, you must first create a network connection profile (see
Creating Advanced Network Connection
Profiles). The profile includes the network name and the security settings required by the network. You can save the network
connection profiles to a file and later import the file. For instructions, see
Saving Preferred Network Connection Profiles to a
File and Importing a Preferred Network Connection Profiles File.
When you create a network connection profile for an infrastructure network, your computer adds the profile to the top of the
Preferred network connections list on the Wireless Networks tab of the Broadcom Wireless Utility and automatically attempts
to connect to the network using that profile. If the network is in 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. You can arrange the profiles in the order you prefer by moving any connection profile
up or down in the list. To attempt to connect to a network that is not at the top of the list, you can use the Connect
command on the menu that is available when you right-click the name of the network.
You can tell if you have successfully connected to a network by the appearance of the network type icon. The infrastructure
icon
changes to .
The various elements in Wireless Network Connection Settings are keyed to the type of network authentication, EAP method,
and inner EAP method that you select and whether the This is an ad hoc network check box is cleared or selected. For
example, if you select Open authentication, the EAP method and Inner EAP method elements are unavailable, but the
Network Key tab is available. If you select 802.1X authentication, the EAP method element is available, and the Inner
EAP method element is either available or not, depending on the type of EAP method you select. If you select the This is an
ad hoc network check box, the items in the Network authentication list are limited to Open and Shared.
The colored square to the left of the tab label indicates if user action is necessary. If the square is red, user action is
required. When you take the required action, the color of the square changes to green.
See
Available Advanced Network Authentication Protocols for guidance in selecting the appropriate authentication method,
EAP method, and inner EAP method for your network.