Copyright © 2000 Proxim, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. All rights reserved. This manual and the software described in it are copyrighted with all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of Proxim, Incorporated. Trademarks RangeLAN, the RangeLAN logo, RangeLAN2, and Proxim are trademarks of Proxim, Inc.
Warranty Return Policy If you have a problem with your RangeLAN2 product, please call Proxim Technical Support at (408) 731-2640. Proxim Technical Support will assist with resolving any technical difficulties you may have with your Proxim product. After calling Proxim Technical Support, if your product is found to be defective, you may return the product to Proxim after obtaining an RMA (Return Materials Authorization) number from Proxim Customer Service.
Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................. 1 RangeLAN2 7400 Series PC Card Family ............................................... 2 The RangeLAN2 Product Line ................................................................ 3 The Product Package ................................................................................ 4 System Requirements ............................................................................... 6 2.
5. Wireless Topologies .................................................. 45 Ad Hoc .................................................................................................... 45 Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 46 Guidelines for Roaming ...................................................................... 50 6. Understanding RangeLAN2 ..................................... 51 RangeLAN2 Software Parameters ...................
A. RangeLAN2 Utilities ................................................. 77 The RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool and RL2SETUP . 77 Diagnostics ............................................................................................. 77 Site Survey ............................................................................................. 79 Point to Point Site Survey ................................................................... 80 Master Search .........................................
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1. Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the RangeLAN2 7420 Series PC Card Wireless LAN Adapter. As with all members of the RangeLAN2 family, the RangeLAN2 7420 Series PC Card is a long range, high performance, wireless LAN adapter card with minimal power requirements. Setting it apart from the competition is its durability and the capability for you to choose the antenna best suited for your host and application. The RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card was designed to be a “plug-andplay” product.
RangeLAN2 7400 Series PC Card Family The RangeLAN2 7420 Series PC Card is a member of the RangeLAN2 7400 Series PC Card family that includes the following products: ❑ RangeLAN2 7401 is Proxim’s original 7400 PC Card that ships with a dipole antenna. ❑ RangeLAN2 7402 is Proxim’s original 7400 PC Card that ships with a snap-on antenna. ❑ RangeLAN2 7410 is the RangeLAN2 CE PC Card designed for use in Windows CE handheld devices. The 7410 ships with a snap-on antenna.
The RangeLAN2 Product Line The RangeLAN2 7420 Series PC Card is part of a line of highperformance products that provides a complete wireless networking solution, including the following products: ❑ RangeLAN2 7100 is a wireless LAN adapter that fits into a standard PC/AT ISA bus slot. ❑ RangeLAN2 7110 is a wireless LAN adapter that fits into a standard PCI bus slot. ❑ RangeLAN2 7510/752x Access Points allow easy expandibility of a wireless network by increasing range and facilitating mobility applications.
The Product Package Each RangeLAN2 7420 package comes with: ❑ A standard PC Card (PCMCIA Type II). ❑ An antenna unit (a flexible snap-on antenna and/or a tethered dipole antenna). These antennas work interchangeably with the 7420 PC Card, and may be ordered with the card or separately. ❑ Four 3 1/2" disks -- one containing DOS drivers and utilities, one containing Windows 95 & 98 drivers and utilities, one containing Windows 2000 drivers and utilities, and one containing Windows NT drivers and utilities.
2 by proxim RANGELAN2 7400 High Performance Wireless LAN Adapter for PCMCIA Type II Equipped Portahles User's Guide Figure 1 RangeLAN2 7420 Components Note: In addition to the driver diskettes provided, the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card also operates in devices running Windows CE. Devices running Windows CE 3.0 Professional Edition (Windows CE OS 2.11) ship with the RangeLAN2 driver already installed. In addition, users of select devices running Windows CE 2.
System Requirements To begin using the RangeLAN2 7420 Series PC Card, you need the following minimum requirements: ❑ A computer with a PCMCIA Type II slot. The computer must have either Card and Socket Services version 2.1 or higher or an Intel 82365SL or compatible PCMCIA controller chip. ❑ Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows CE, or a network operating system that uses ODI or NDIS drivers like NetWare 3.1x/4.x, Personal NetWare, or Windows for Workgroups.
2. Installing the RangeLAN2 Hardware This chapter provides guidelines for installing the RangeLAN2 7420 Series PC Card and antenna. Install the hardware before installing the network driver software. Installing the RangeLAN2 7420 Card The exact installation procedure for the card varies depending on the model of computer you are using. The computer must have a Type II PCMCIA slot.
Figure 3 RangeLAN2 7422 Installation with Snap-On Antenna Attaching the Snap-On Antenna The flexible snap-on antenna plugs directly into the PCMCIA card and extends less than one inch. Attach the antenna’s male connector to the gold-plated female connector on the card, as shown in Figure 4 below. Note that when connecting the antenna to the card, the Proxim logo on the antenna should be facing the same direction as the RangeLAN2 label on the card.
Figure 4 Attaching the Snap-On Antenna (Back of Card and Back of Antenna Shown) Detaching the Snap-On Antenna Proxim recommends that you leave the snap-on antenna attached to the card at all times to increase connector life. However, you can remove the antenna by firmly holding the card in one hand and gently pulling on the antenna with the other. Attaching the Dipole Antenna Follow these steps to attach the dipole antenna to the PC Card: 1. Shut down your laptop computer. 2.
4. Insert the PC Card into one of your laptop or notebook computer’s PCMCIA slots. If you cannot identify a PCMCIA slot, refer to the documentation that came with your PC for more information. 5. Insert the antenna into the mounting clip included in the product package. 6. Determine the best location for the mounting clip on the laptop cover. Keep in mind the following considerations: ❑ The distance between the clip and the PCMCIA slot cannot exceed the length of the antenna cable.
Figure 5 Attaching the Dipole Antenna Figure 6 The Mounting Clip (Shown Mounted on a Notebook Cover) 11
Storage Position of the Dipole Antenna When not in use, rotate the antenna 90 degrees for storage. However, be careful not to rotate the antenna more than 180 degrees in either direction to avoid creating twists or knots in the antenna cable.
3. Windows Installation Procedure This chapter describes the installation of the Windows 95, 98, 2000, and NT driver software and utilities once the hardware is installed. Installing the Windows 95/98 Drivers & Tools The RangeLAN2 Windows 95/98 driver installs just as any other network card driver under Windows 95 or Windows 98.
Insert the RangeLAN2 Windows 95/98 driver diskette into the disk drive and click . Follow the on-screen instructions to allow the Add New Hardware Wizard to search for the best driver for this device. When prompted, check the box labeled “Floppy disk drives” so that the wizard will search the disk drive for the RangeLAN2 driver, as shown below.
Click to continue and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card. Note: Windows will install the 7420 PC Card as a “Proxim RangeLAN2 7400 PC Card Adapter.” Proxim’s RangeLAN2 7400 and 7420 Series PC Cards use the same network drivers.
Choose “Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer” and click . Insert the RangeLAN2 Windows 95/98 driver diskette into the disk drive and follow the on-screen instructions. If you have the B version of Windows 95, the Update Device Driver Wizard will appear, as shown below.
Insert the RangeLAN2 Windows 95/98 driver diskette into the disk drive and click . Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card. Note: Windows will install the 7420 PC Card as a “Proxim RangeLAN2 7400 PC Card Adapter.” Proxim’s RangeLAN2 7400 and 7420 Series PC Cards use the same network drivers.
If you do not have a CD-ROM drive or do not have the Windows 95 or 98 CD available, it is possible that the computer has Windows cabinet files (CABS) already installed. If the computer has the Windows CABS files on its hard drive, point the installation program to the Windows CABS directory which is typically located in “C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS,” as shown in the example below. The computer will copy all of the Windows files required to complete the installation of the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card.
Note that you may be prompted to enter the location of the file “RL2API.INF” during the installation. This file is located on the RangeLAN2 Windows 95/98 driver diskette. Direct the installation wizard to search the floppy disk drive if you are prompted for this file. Restart your computer when prompted to do so by the Add New Hardware Wizard or the Update Device Driver Wizard. The RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card should now be successfully installed.
Click the button to display the adapter’s Properties screen. The Device status should read “This device is working properly,” as shown below.
If the card is not listed within the Device Manager, then the card has not been properly installed. If the card’s Device Manager entry has a yellow “!” next to it or the Device status field reports that the card is not working properly, then either the card has not been installed properly or the computer has a system conflict. You may also receive a RangeLAN2 Status Monitor error message if the card is not working properly.
If you already have existing network components installed when loading the RangeLAN2 Windows 95/98 driver, the 7420 PC Card will bind to existing networking clients and protocols and add Client for Microsoft Networks and the TCP/IP protocol, if they are not already loaded. If no network components exist before the RangeLAN2 driver is installed, the driver will add Client for Microsoft Networks and the TCP/IP protocol, as shown below.
The installation procedure will also install the RangeLAN2 Utilities and a protocol called the RangeLAN2 Driver API. This protocol must be installed in order for the RangeLAN2 Utilities to run under Windows 95 and 98. The utilities are added to a new folder under the Start Menu’s Programs group called RangeLAN2 Utilities. This folder contains the RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool and the RangeLAN2 Status Monitor.
Note: By default, Windows 95/98 will hide some of these file types. Confirm that you have configured Windows 95/ 98 to show all files before assuming that these files are not present. The “Hidden Files” option is available under the Folder Options heading of the Windows Explorer’s View Menu. ❑ Restart the computer. ❑ Reinstall the driver following the instructions given earlier this chapter. ❑ Reset the required networking parameters from within the Control Panel’s Network icon (such as an IP Address).
4. The Found New Hardware Wizard will automatically detect the card, as shown below. Click to continue. 5. Select “Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended)” and click , as shown below.
6. Place a check mark next to the “Floppy Disk Drives” option and click , as shown below. 7. The New Hardware Wizard will prompt you once it has located the RangeLAN2 driver. Click to install the driver. 8. Click to continue if the New Hardware Wizard prompts you that the RangeLAN2 driver does not contain a Microsoft Digital Signature. 9. Click if prompted to insert the Proxim RangeLAN2 CD-ROM and direct Windows to search for the RL2API.
10. Click to close the New Hardware Wizard. 11. Restart the computer when prompted. 12. Logon to Windows 2000. The RangeLAN2 Card should now be installed and functioning properly. In addition, the RangeLAN2 Tools should also be installed. The tools are added to a new folder under Start Menu/Programs called RangeLAN2 Tools. This folder contains the RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool and the RangeLAN2 Status Monitor, which is a program icon that loads in the Windows System Tray.
If you receive an error message stating that the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card is not properly installed following the restart in Step #11 above, confirm that there is a “Proxim RangeLAN2 7400 PC Card Network Adapter” entry under the Device Manager’s Network Adapters heading. To open the Device Manager, double-click the System icon in the Control Panel and click the button found under the Hardware tab.
Reinstalling the Windows 2000 Driver If at any time you need to reinstall the Windows 2000 driver, follow these steps: 1. Right-click the RangeLAN2 Status Monitor icon located in the Windows System Tray to launch the Status Monitor information screen. Click to close the Status Monitor application. 2. Open the Control Panel and double-click the System icon. 3. Select the Hardware tab. 4. Click the button. 5.
Installing the Windows NT 4.0 Driver & Tools Since Windows NT 4.0 is not a plug and play operating system, the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card will not be auto-detected when first inserted into the PCMCIA slot. Also, because Windows NT configures devices during boot-up, it is important to have the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card inserted in the PCMCIA slot before the computer is turned on. To install the driver, go to the Network icon in the Control Panel and choose the Adapter tab, as shown below.
Click the button and choose the option from the “Select Network Adapter” dialog box, as shown below. Insert the Proxim RangeLAN2 NT driver diskette into the disk drive when prompted, as shown below.
Windows NT will create an OEM Option list. Choose “Proxim RangeLAN2 7400 PCMCIA Adapter” from the list and click as shown below. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. When prompted to select a Bus Type and Number, choose PCMCIA and Bus Number 0, as shown below.
When the installation is complete, the Card Setup screen will appear, as shown below. Note that the IRQ Level, I/O Base Address, and Memory Address must each be configured to a value which is not already in use or reserved by another device. Change any RangeLAN2 parameters as required by your wireless network configuration. Note that you can also change the RangeLAN2 parameters using the RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool, which is described later in this chapter and in Appendix A.
Install or configure any other required Network parameters, including Services or Protocols, and then click . Restart your computer when prompted to do so. After the computer restarts, the RangeLAN2 Windows NT driver should be loaded. To confirm that the driver has loaded correctly, open the PC Card icon in the Control Panel and view the properties for the “PROXIM LAN PC CARD” entry. The Device Status should read: “This device is working properly.
installed and started” or “The driver installed, started, and configured this device,” as shown below. If the Driver Status states: “The driver installed but did not start,” or “The driver did not start,” the card was not properly installed. The RangeLAN2 Status Monitor and the Windows NT Event Viewer will also report that an error has occurred if the card was not present or did not load properly during boot-up.
The utilities will be added to a new folder under the Start Menu’s Programs group called RangeLAN2 Utilities. This folder will contain the RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool and the RangeLAN2 Status Monitor. The RangeLAN2 Status Monitor will also be added to the StartUp folder and will be launched each time the operating system starts. See Appendix A for more information on the RangeLAN2 Utilities. Reinstalling the Windows NT 4.
❑ Reset the required RangeLAN2 parameters from within the Card Setup screen (located in the Control Panel’s Network icon) or from within the RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool. RangeLAN2 7420 Windows CE Driver A Windows CE driver is also available for the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card. Devices running Windows CE 3.0 Professional Edition (Windows CE OS 2.11) ship with the RangeLAN2 driver already installed. Simply insert the card and type “PROXIM” when prompted to identify the network card.
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4. DOS Installation This chapter describes the installation of the DOS driver software and utilities once the hardware is installed. Installing Drivers Using RL2SETUP If your Network Operating System (NOS) does not have an installation procedure, you may use RL2SETUP to install the ODI or NDIS driver software.
After configuring, choose to verify your selections do not conflict with other devices installed in the PC. Note: RL2SETUP may not run properly unless there are 512 Kbytes available DOS memory before the utility is executed. Also, note that RL2SETUP will load only if the RangeLAN2 driver is not already loaded in DOS memory. Installing Drivers Using the NOS Installation In general, most Network Operating Systems (NOS) have an installation procedure.
RL2PCM.COM is a DOS ODI driver. RL2PCM.DOS is a DOS real-mode NDIS 2 driver. If the installation procedure does not have an “OEM-supplied” option, choose a network interface card from the given list. This card’s ODI or NDIS driver will then be installed. After installation, you will need to manually search for all instances of this driver and replace them with either RL2PCM.COM if an ODI driver was installed or RL2PCM.DOS if an NDIS driver was installed.
socket A Sets the PCMCIA socket to A, B, C, or D. initialize_365 Y Determines whether or not to initialize the Intel 82365SL or compatible PCMCIA controller chip. inactivity_min 0 Sets the amount of inactivity time in minutes before which the driver will put the card into the doze mode. inactivity_sec 30 Sets the amount of inactivity time in seconds before which the driver will put the card into the doze mode. channel 1 Sets the Channel to be used when this machine is acting as the Master.
Port=0x270 Sets the I/O Port Address. Memory_address=D000 Sets the PCMCIA CIS memory space. Socket=A Sets the PCMCIA socket to A, B, C, or D. Initialize_365=Y Determines whether or not to initialize the Intel 82365SL or compatible PCMCIA controller chip. Inactivity_min=0 Sets the amount of inactivity time in minutes before which the driver will put the card into the doze mode. Inactivity_sec=30 Sets the amount of inactivity time in seconds before which the card will enter the doze mode.
MAC_optimize=1 Optimizes for the number of concurrent nodes. Choose Light (0) or Normal (1). Roam_config=1 Sets the roaming speed. Choose Fast (2), Normal (1), or Slow (0). Peer_to_peer=Y Turns on or off the ability to talk to other RangeLAN2 peers. When the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card is configured as a Master or Alternate Master, you will use the parameters Channel, Subchannel, Master_Name, and MAC_Optimize.
5. Wireless Topologies RangeLAN2 products look and operate similar to Ethernet products. The only difference is that a radio replaces the wire between various nodes. This means that all of your existing applications that operate over Ethernet will work with RangeLAN2 without any special wireless networking software. Wireless products are typically used in several network topologies described in this chapter.
Infrastructure Many companies have an existing Ethernet or wired LAN infrastructure and want to be able to extend that capability to wireless nodes. This is accomplished by attaching an Access Point to the wired LAN. This allows the wireless clients to access the network resources.
RangeLAN2 7510/752X RangeLAN2 7510/752X ((( ((( ) ))) ))) ))) ( ((( ))) ((( ( ((( ((( ) ) ))) ) ((( ))) ))) ))) ((( ( ( RangeLAN2 7510/752X RangeLAN2 7420 RangeLAN2 7420 Figure 10 Roaming - Light Overlap With RangeLAN2’s multi-channel architecture, Access Points can be placed within the same cell area to increase the aggregate throughput supported by the network. In addition, the overlapping cells offer redundancy of coverage required in networks where downtime is not tolerable.
RangeLAN2 7420 ))) ((( ((( ( RangeLAN2 7420 ))) ((( ))) ))) ) ) ((( ( RangeLAN2 7510/752X RangeLAN2 7510/752X RangeLAN2 7510/752X ( ))) ((( ))) ((( ) ) ((( ))) ((( ))) ( RangeLAN2 7510/752X RangeLAN2 7420 RangeLAN2 7420 Figure 11 Roaming - Heavy Overlap Each RangeLAN2 Access Point within a roaming network must be configured as a Master on a unique Channel/Subchannel pair, but all must have the same Domain number and Security ID.
The user can move freely between the RangeLAN2 Access Points in the network. When the roaming PC leaves the transmission range of one RangeLAN2 Access Point, the software automatically polls the other RangeLAN2 Access Point(s) in the same Domain to continue the network connection. See the previous illustrations for examples of networks set up with RangeLAN2 roaming Domains. Many more network configurations exist.
Guidelines for Roaming ❑ Roaming occurs between RangeLAN2 Access Points and Extension Points. It does not occur between RangeLAN2 Ethernet Adapters or RangeLAN2 adapter cards that are installed in network file servers. ❑ All RangeLAN2 Access Points must have the same Domain and Security ID. ❑ All RangeLAN2 Access Points should have a unique Channel/Subchannel pair. Preferably, they should have unique Channels. Use the Subchannel only when you have used all 15 Channels in the same coverage area.
6. Understanding RangeLAN2 This chapter lays the background for understanding the radio parameters that can be configured when a RangeLAN2 7420 is installed. Refer to Chapters 3 and 4 for instructions on installing the software driver. RangeLAN2 radios use a radio technology called frequency hopping spread spectrum. This means that the radio signal is constantly moving from one frequency to another while sending packets of data.
There must be at least one RangeLAN2 device on the network designated as the Master. In most network configurations, the RangeLAN2 Access Point should be the Master with all clients defined as Stations. In a roaming environment, all RangeLAN2 Access Points will be configured as Masters. The RangeLAN2 7420 clients are all configured as Stations and roam from one Master Access Point to another.
You may want to set everyone on your network to the same Domain. For larger wireless networks, use the Domain to establish roaming subnetworks throughout your building. For example, the Engineering Department may use Domain 2 and the Sales Department may use Domain 5. Then engineers can only roam within the geographical area mapped out by RangeLAN2 7510/752x Access Points with a Domain setting of 2. The Domain is a number between 0 and 15 with 0 as the default setting.
Channel does. Use a Subchannel if you need more than 15 Masters in the same area and, therefore, all the Channels are used. For example, you can use Channel 1, Subchannel 1 for Network A and Channel 1, Subchannel 2 for Network B. The two networks will not communicate with one another. They are, however, still sharing the 1.6 Mbps pipe since they are both using Channel 1. The Subchannels are designated 1 through 15, and 1 is the default setting.
The Security ID is a string of up to 20 alphanumeric characters. There are 1,048,576 unique choices for the Security ID. The default Security ID for all RangeLAN2 products is blank (an empty string). You may change the Security ID from within the Windows Site Survey & Configuration Tool or from within the RL2SETUP program. Refer to Appendix A for more information on how to set the Security ID. default=Normal MAC Optimize This parameter can help improve throughput for small networks.
In areas with many RangeLAN2 Access Points (or Extension Points) that provide heavy overlapping coverage, set this parameter to Fast to maintain high throughput for each of the wireless nodes. In most networks, set the Roam Config parameter to Normal. Wireless node throughput will not change noticeably, and an overabundance of Access Points is not required. If the wireless coverage area provided by RangeLAN2 Access Points (or Extension Points) is sparse, set the Roam Config parameter to Slow.
In general, Proxim recommends that you leave this parameter set to Yes unless Stations only need to communicate with the Master and will never need to communicate with each other. You need only set the Peer to Peer parameter on a Station or Alternate Master. Masters will ignore this parameter if it is set. Node Override The Node Override field allows you to change the MAC address that the RangeLAN2 card will broadcast during the current network session.
For Windows users, the Node Override parameter is only visible in the Advanced tab of the RangeLAN2 Card’s properties screen. PC Card Options The RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card uses some additional parameters and terms: Inactivity Timeout and Card and Socket Services. default=30 seconds Inactivity Timeout To conserve battery life, the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card has an inactivity doze mode.
7. Performance Hints This section offers several suggestions for how to improve the performance of a RangeLAN2 network. Running Large Executable Files Efficiently You may notice that certain executable files, such as a login program, can take a long time to start up if they must be downloaded from a server over the wireless connection. You can make this more efficient if you copy the file to your local hard disk.
1. Each wireless cell must have only one active Master. 2. The Master must be within range of the other wireless Stations on the network. 3. The Master should not be a node which will be moved or turned off like a laptop or a user’s personal computer. 4. In general, the RangeLAN2 Access Points are configured as Masters. This configuration allows wireless clients to roam between available Access Points. 5.
Microwave Ovens Microwave ovens operate in the same frequency band as RangeLAN2. Therefore, if you use a microwave within range of RangeLAN2 you may notice network performance degradation. However, both your microwave and your RangeLAN2 network will continue to function. Range Every environment is unique with different obstacles, barriers, materials, etc., and therefore, it is difficult to determine the exact range that will be achieved without testing.
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8. Troubleshooting The RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card is designed to be very easy to install and operate. However, if you experience any difficulties, use the information in this chapter to help diagnose and solve the problem. If you still cannot resolve the problem, contact Proxim Technical Support as described in Appendix E, “How to Reach Technical Support.
entry. If this entry does not exist, check the Other Devices category for a “PROXIM-LAN PC CARD” entry, as shown below. If this entry exists, highlight it and click . Close the Device Manager and open the PC Card icon in the Control Panel.
report that the slot containing the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card is empty. Remove the card and reinsert it. However, if the computer reports that there is a device in the slot, first highlight the entry and click before removing the card. You will be prompted by a dialog box when it is safe to remove the card. Remove the card and reinsert it. Windows 95/98 should now automatically detect the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card. Follow the instructions in Chapter 3 to install the RangeLAN2 driver.
Solution 3: If a yellow “!” appears next to the RangeLAN2 adapter’s Device Manager entry, then the card is not working properly. This is due either to an error during installation or to a system conflict. To identify the cause of the error, highlight the “Proxim RangeLAN2 7400 PC Card Adapter” entry and click the button. Next, click the Resources tab and determine if the card has been assigned any resources.
If the card has been assigned no resources, then there was an error during installation. Reinstall the RangeLAN2 driver following the instructions in Chapter 3. If the Proxim RangeLAN2 7400 PC Card Adapter Properties window indicates that the card has been assigned resource settings, then the card may not have loaded due to a resource conflict, as shown below.
A resource conflict occurs when another device is already using the Interrupt Request (IRQ), I/O Base Address, or Memory Range for which the RangeLAN2 PC Card is configured. The RangeLAN2 PC Card may use Interrupt Request (IRQ) 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 15. Highlight each resource entry for which there is a conflict and click the button to configure its value. For example, highlight the Interrupt Request entry and click
Scroll through the resource values for Interrupt Request, until you find an available setting for which “No devices are conflicting.” Repeat this action for the I/O Base Address and Memory Range entries, if applicable. Click when you have reconfigured the RangeLAN2 Card so that it is no longer conflicting with any other devices. If prompted, restart the computer for these changes to take effect. The PC Card should now function properly.
Solution 4: This error will appear if the RangeLAN2 PC Card is not working properly but the RangeLAN2 Utilities have been successfully installed. Most likely, this is due either to an error during installation or to a resource conflict. Refer to Solution 3 for more information about this. Windows NT 4.0 Installation Problems Chapter 3 describes how to install the RangeLAN2 driver in a computer running Windows NT 4.0.
After you have confirmed what resources are available, click the Adapters tab of the Control Panel’s Network icon and view the properties for the RangeLAN2 PC Card Adapter to return to the Card Setup screen. Change the IRQ Level, I/O Base Address, or Memory Address so the card does not conflict with other devices.
Hint: Generally, the IRQ Level will be the cause of the resource conflict. You may find that your computer has no free IRQ available for use. In this case, try setting the IRQ to a value of 3 or 4, which typically corresponds to COM2 or COM1, respectively. If there is no free IRQ, and you are actively using both COM1 and COM2 or other devices are using these resources, then you will need to remove and uninstall one of the other devices from the computer before the RangeLAN2 Card may be used.
Commonly Asked Technical Support Questions This section discusses some of the most common problems using the 7420 PC Card and offers possible solutions. Problem/Symptom Question Possible Solution/Answer Chapter in User's Guide Is my computer compatible with the RangeLAN2 7420 PC card? 1 If your computer was purchased with Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT pre-installed, the RangeLAN2 7420 card should be compatible. If your computer is running DOS, Windows 3.
Problem/Symptom Question Possible Solution/Answer The RangeLAN2 driver loads successfully, but I can't communicate with the network. You may not be synchronized with an Access Point or another RangeLAN2 device configured as a Master, or you may not be in range. Run the RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool to determine if you are in range. Also confirm that you have the same Domain and Security ID as the other RangeLAN2 devices on your network.
Problem/Symptom Question Possible Solution/Answer Chapter in User's Guide Why can't I synchronize with an Access Point? Your RangeLAN2 PC card may not have the same Domain and Security ID as the Access Point. Also, confirm that the Access Point is operational and has a solid green Status LED. 5, 6, Appendix A Why can't I communicate with other RangeLAN2 cards in an Ad Hoc wireless network? Your RangeLAN2 card may not have the same Domain and Security ID as the other RangeLAN2 devices on the network.
Problem/Symptom Question Possible Solution/Answer What should I do if I have an IRQ, I/O Port Address, or Memory Address conflicts while trying to install the PC Card in DOS or Windows 3.11? If you are using an expanded memory manager such as Microsoft's EMM386 or Quarterdeck's QEMM, you have to exclude the region in memory that is used by RangeLAN2 7420.
A. RangeLAN2 Utilities The RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool and RL2SETUP There are two different tools provided with the RangeLAN2 7420 PC Card for diagnostics, configuration, and site survey purposes. The RangeLAN2 Site Survey & Configuration Tool runs in Windows 95, 98, 2000, and NT, and the RL2SETUP program runs in DOS. The RL2SETUP program will only load if other DOS drivers are NOT already loaded in memory.
node address, ROM version, and synchronization status of the RangeLAN2 7420 card will be displayed. When the Windows tool launches, it will indicate whether it found the driver. The RangeLAN2 PC Card’s node address, ROM version, and synchronization status will be displayed.
Site Survey The purpose of the Site Survey tool is to enable users to configure their network with the appropriate number of Access Point and determine where each Access Point should be installed to provide the necessary overlapping coverage between wireless cells. Start the Site Survey tool by clicking the button on the Windows tool, or the button within the DOS tool’s screen.
You can sort the listed units by order of arrival or by node address of the packets. Additionally, the bottom of the screen shows how many units responded to this site survey, meaning how many are within range and on the same Domain and Security ID as the surveying unit. You may check the link between this machine and other displayed nodes by a click of the mouse on the icon to the left of the node address.
The Received Signal Strength, Packets per second, and Kilobytes per second are displayed giving you an indication of the link quality between the surveying machine and the node you selected. You can vary the packet sizes to simulate network performance. The Windows Site Survey & Configuration Tool has two additional features not included in RL2SETUP: a button and two options for Ping Type.
learn more about the site survey procedure, you should consider signing up for a RangeLAN2 Technical Training class in your area. Refer to Proxim’s web site at http://www.proxim.com/ for more information. Proxim recommends that you use the Driver-Level ping as a troubleshooting tool in existing RangeLAN2 installations.
Snoop If you want to see the activity in the frequency band in which RangeLAN2 operates, you can “snoop” the band. To do so, choose the button in Windows, or after from the RL2SETUP program. Both the peak and average activity levels on the different frequencies are displayed. If there are no other RangeLAN2 products running in an area, bars indicate potential sources of interference. If there are other RangeLAN2 products running in the area, you will see the frequency hops.
Configuration Changes Change the driver settings from the button of the Windows tool or from the button on the DOS tool. The RangeLAN2 parameters are described in Chapter 6. Note that only some of the RangeLAN2 parameters may be available within the configuration screen depending on the device’s Station Type.
Setting the RangeLAN2 Security ID As an added security measure, RangeLAN2 allows you to set a Security ID for each RangeLAN2 card installed on a network. All cards must have matching Security IDs in order to communicate. To set the RangeLAN2 Security ID, choose the button from the Windows tool or the button from within the button on RL2SETUP. To change the Security ID to the default setting, leave the Security ID field blank and choose .
RangeLAN2 Status Monitor In Windows 95, 98, 2000, and NT computers, the RangeLAN2 Status Monitor will be installed and loaded each time the operating system starts. The icon will change to indicate whether or not this node is within range of the Master. When within range of a RangeLAN2 Master, the icon will appear as shown below and report the synchronization status when the mouse cursor is placed over it.
You can also right click on this icon to get more information about the current synchronization status. The screen shot below is from the Windows 95, 98, and NT Status Monitor: The screen shot below is from the Windows 2000 Status Monitor: Double-clicking the icon with the left mouse button launches the Site Survey & Configuration Tool.
B. Glossary Access Point — An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks together. Bandwidth — The size (in Hertz) of the frequency range that a signal transmission occupies. Typical narrow band signals occupy a 25 KHz bandwidth. The RangeLAN2 signal occupies a 1 MHz bandwidth. Channel — In RangeLAN2 networks, the channel refers to the frequency hopping sequence the card follows.
C.
D. Specifications The following technical specification is for reference purposes only. Actual product's performance and compliance with local telecommunications regulations may vary from country to country. Proxim, Inc. will only ship products that are type approved in the destination country. Bus Interface PCMCIA 2.0, Type II slot Range Up to 500' Indoors Up to 1000' Outdoors Data Rate 1.
E.
Index A Ad Hoc 45 Add New Hardware Wizard 13–15 Alternate Master.
F FCC Warning ii, 90 H Hidden Files 24 I I/O Base Address 28, 68 Inactivity Timeout 42, 43, 58, 89 Infrastructure 46–49 Installation Antenna 7, 8, 9 Hardware 7 Interference 61 Interrupt Request (IRQ) 28, 68, 69, 72 K Kilobytes per second 81 L Link Quality 79 M MAC Optimize 42, 44, 55, 89 Master 48, 51, 59 Alternate 51, 59 Name 42, 43, 54 Master Search 82–83 Memory Range 28, 68 Microwave oven 61 Mobile IP 50 Mounting clip 10 Multipath 82 N NDIS. See Drivers: NDIS NET.
New Hardware Found wizard 15 Node address 78 Node Override 57–58 O ODI. See Drivers: ODI OEM Option list 32 P Packets per second 81 PC Card 58 PCMCIA. See PC Card PCMCIA slot 10 Peer to Peer 42, 44, 56, 89 Ping Type 81–82 Point to Point Site Survey 80–82 Power Output 90 PROTOCOL.
S Security ID 48, 50, 54, 85, 89 Show all files 24 Site Survey 79.