National Datacomm InstantWave NWH630 User Manual

High Speed
PCI/PC Card
11Mbps Wireless LAN
User’s Guide
P/N: 85-506300-10
Rev. X1
March 2000
National Datacomm Corporation
4F, No. 24-2, Industry East 4th road
Science Park, Hsin-Chu
Taiwan, R.O.C.
Technical Support
E-mail: [email protected]
NDC World Wide Web
www.ndc.com.tw
FCC WARNING
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
!
!
!
!
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
You are cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void your authority to operate the
equipment.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
1.
This device may not cause harmful interference, and
2.
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation
ii InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
•
One Diskette for Windows NT
•
This User’s Guide
The PC Card package should contain the following items:
•
One PC Card
•
One CD ROM (Windows Driver and Utility program)
•
One Diskette for Windows NT
•
This User’s Guide
FCC Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an
uncontrolled environment.
This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 20cm
between the radiator and your body.
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card iii
GETTING STARTED ........................................................................................... 6
HARDWARE INSTALLATION................................................................................... 6
PCI Card Installation....................................................................................... 6
PC Card Installation ........................................................................................ 6
LEDS .................................................................................................................... 7
DRIVER INSTALLATION/UNINSTALLATION ............................................................ 8
Installation in Windows 95............................................................................... 8
Uninstalling the Adapter from Windows 95 ................................................... 11
Installation in Windows 98............................................................................. 12
Uninstalling the Adapter from Windows 98 ................................................... 13
Installation in Windows NT 4.0 ...................................................................... 14
Uninstalling the Adapter from Windows NT 4.0 ............................................ 15
THE INSTANTWAVE WINDOWS UTILITY PROGRAM ........................... 16
INSTANTWAVE UTILITY INSTALLATION.............................................................. 16
UNINSTALLING THE UTILITY PROGRAM .............................................................. 17
SOFTWARE UPGRADE PROCEDURES ........................................................ 18
TROUBLESHOOTING....................................................................................... 19
WINDOWS 95/98 ................................................................................................. 19
Installation Problems ..................................................................................... 19
WINDOWS NT 4.0 ............................................................................................... 20
Installation Problems ..................................................................................... 20
GENERAL ............................................................................................................ 21
Utility Error Messages ................................................................................... 21
Operational Problems .................................................................................... 21
TECHNICAL SUPPORT .................................................................................... 23
NDC LIMITED WARRANTY............................................................................ 24
iv InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card v
vi InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
InstantWave Family
The InstantWave PCI and PC Card are part of the InstantWave family of easy to
use high performance wireless communication products. The family products
include:
• InstantWave High Speed PC Card (NWH610)
• InstantWave High Speed PCI Card (NWH630)
• InstantWave High Speed Access Point (NWH660)
System Requirements
Hardware Platform
A station must be an x86 compatible PC with a PCI bus or PCMCIA interface.
The minimum system configuration is the same as that required to run MS
Windows (Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0).
Software Environment
The stations operate in conjunction with most of the MS Windows (Windows 95,
98, NT 4.0), Novell NetWare series.
2 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
wireless network appear exactly as they would on a regular wired network. The
wireless operation of the network is totally transparent. Figure 1 depicts a typical
Ad-Hoc network scenario.
Wireless Stations
FIGURE 1. AN AD-HOC NETWORK
Infrastructure Network
An Infrastructure network is formed by several stations and one Access Point(AP),
with the stations within range of the AP. Figure 2 depicts a typical Infrastructure
network topology.
Wired Computers
Server
Access Point
Wireless Computers (PCI/PC Card)
FIGURE 2. AN INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 3
FIGURE 3. A WIRELESS CELL (GROUP)
Domain Name/ESSID
A domain is usually defined by the network administrator as a segment/subnet of a
large network and may be made up of overlapping wireless cells. Wireless nodes
can roam freely within the same domain without disconnecting from the network.
Figure 4 depicts a common wireless network setup.
Server
Access Point
FIGURE 4. ROAMING IN THE SAME DOMAIN
Roaming
The convenience of a mobile PC is the ability to move freely. The concept is
similar to that of a cellular phone moving from one base station to another.
InstantWave offers built-in high performance seamless roaming capabilities.
Carrier Set
InstantWave products use the unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) band
to communicate through radio waves. Different countries offer different radio
frequencies to be used as the ISM band. There are four frequency bands defined
by 802.11b: Japan (2.471GHz – 2.497 GHz), USA, Canada, and Europe (2.4
GHz – 2.4835 GHz), Spain (2.445 GHz – 2.475 GHz), France (2.4465 GHz –
2.4835 GHz). If a user wants to use InstantWave in a country not listed above,
he/she needs to check with their government’s regulating body to find the correct
frequency band to use. All InstantWave products are supplied preset to the country
of sale’s frequency band.
4 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 5
step2.
power cord from the wall socket
Remove the computer’s cover
step3.
Select a free PCI Bus expansion slot and remove the slot cover
step4.
Carefully install the card in the expansion slot by firmly pressing until
the card is snugly seated. Be sure the card is fully home. Fasten the
retaining bracket with the screw from the slot cover
step5.
Replace the computer cover and reconnect the previously disconnected
cables
step6.
Screw the antenna into the InstantWave card (Figure 5).
FIGURE 5. CONNECTING THE ADAPTER CARD ANTENNA
step7.
Repeat the above procedure to fit an InstantWave card into each of the
other computers to be networked
PC Card Installation
The PC Card fits into a Type II or Type III PCMCIA slot. The antenna is encased
in a plastic case, in line with the main body of the PC card, such that it extends
outside the PCMCIA slot when the card is inserted. The slot must allow for a card
extension of up to 30mm as specified in the PC Card specifications.
6 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 7
Check the
version number
FIGURE 6. SYSTEM PROPERTIES
On the General card you will find the Windows 95 version number:
•
If the version number is 4.00.950 or 4.00.950a you are running the
original version of Windows 95. The InstantWave driver is
not supported
•
For version 4.00.950 B or later, go to procedure A
Procedure A (For Windows 95 4.00.950 B and 4.00.950 C)
step1.
Turn on the power and start Windows 95
step2.
Windows 95 will detect the adapter and the Update Device Driver
Wizard dialog box will open (Figure 7).
8 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
FIGURE 7. UPDATE DEVICE DRIVER WIZARD-1
step3.
step4.
Insert the InstantWave CD-ROM in the CD drive and click Next
The Update Device Driver Wizard will indicate that Windows 95 found
the driver in the root directory of the CD-ROM (Figure 8). Click
Finish
.
FIGURE 8. UPDATE DEVICE DRIVER WIZARD-2
step5.
The installer will copy the driver files into the system. There is a
known problem with the Windows 95 OSR2 device installer. The
installer may default to the wrong source location. Typically, the
installer source path defaults to the Windows installation location. The
user should manually redirect the installer to the correct source location.
The following dialog boxes will be displayed
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 9
FIGURE 10. COPYING FILES
step6.
Click OK on each screen. After the driver files have been copied, setup
is complete
step7.
After the InstantWave Utility files have been copied, the Network
Identification dialog box will open. Enter a unique computer name and
the Domain Name (ESSID) of the network to which the wireless
adapter will connect
step8.
Click Next. The Network Properties dialog box will open.
step9.
Select the Network Type. If the station is connected to an Access Point,
Infrastructure mode must be specified. Select Ad Hoc mode to make a
peer to peer connection to other wireless stations. When security is
enabled, a Security ID is requested. The longest string for the Security
ID is eight characters. All the wireless devices must have the same
Security ID in order to communicate with each other. Click Finish
Depending on your current installation of Windows 95, the setup
program may ask you to insert the Windows 95 CD-ROM
The System Settings Change dialog box will ask you if you want to
restart your computer. Remove the CD-ROM from the drive and click
Yes
After rebooting, the system will automatically install the InstantWave
Utility Program and execute it. The user can monitor the wireless
LAN’s status and configure the adapter’s properties via this program.
step10.
step11.
step12.
10 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
2.
the adapter again
You want to remove the device
The uninstallation process is as follows:
To completely remove the adapter and driver from your system you will need to
physically remove the adapter (with the system powered off). The removal
procedure is the reverse of the Hardware Installation procedure on page 6. Restart
the computer and then proceed as follows:
step1.
In Control Panel click the Network icon
step2.
Highlight the InstantWave adapter driver entry
step3.
Click the Remove button to remove the old InstantWave adapter driver
step4.
Click OK. The system will ask you to restart the PC. Click Yes
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 11
step3.
step4.
FIGURE 11. ADD NEW HARDWARE WIZARD-1
Click Next
FIGURE 12. ADD NEW HARDWARE WIZARD-2
Choose Search for the best driver for your device (Figure 12). Click
Next to open the following screen (Figure 13)
12 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
step5.
step6.
step7.
Insert the InstantWave CD-ROM and click Next
The Add New Hardware Wizard will indicate that Windows 98 found
the driver in the root directory of the CD-ROM (Figure 14).
Click Next
FIGURE 14. ADD NEW HARDWARE WIZARD-4
Go to step 7, and follow steps 7 to 13
The default network protocol for Windows 98 is TCP/IP. If other network
protocols are required they can be added via Control Panel/Network.
Uninstalling the Adapter from Windows 98
step1.
Click Start/Settings/Control Panel, and double-click the Network icon,
then highlight the InstantWave adapter driver entry
step2.
Click the Remove button to remove the old InstantWave adapter driver
step3.
Click OK. The system will ask you to restart the PC. Click Yes
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 13
step5.
Insert the Windows NT driver diskette into drive a (or b) and then type
a:\winnt (or b:\winnt)
step6.
Click OK. The Select OEM Option dialog box will open.
step7.
Select the correct adapter and click OK. If PC Card is selected, the
dialog box for setting the Interrupt number and I/O address will be
shown. Users can specify a different Interrupt number and I/O address
for this adapter if there is a conflict with an existing card in the
computer
step8.
Click OK. The InstantWave PCI Adapter Setup dialog box will open.
Select the Network Type and Carrier Set. If the station is connected to
an Access Point, Infrastructure mode must be specified. Select Ad Hoc
mode to make a peer to peer connection to other wireless stations. If
the country of operation is different from the country in which the
product was purchased, the user can change the carrier set. All wireless
stations and Access Points must use the same Carrier Set in order to
communicate. The Domain name should be the same as the network
domain to which the station will be connected
step9.
Click OK. The Roaming dialog box will open.
step10.
When Roaming is enabled, the station is allowed to roam to another
Access Point under the same Domain Name whenever the radio signal
quality of the currently connected AP is below an acceptable level.
Click OK. The Security dialog box will appear.
14 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
step14.
If the user needs to bind the adapter to TCP/IP, then the TCP/IP
protocols must be added
step15.
The Network Settings Change dialog box will ask you to restart the
computer. Remove the floppy disk from the floppy drive and click Yes
to complete the installation
step16.
Owing to Windows NT constraints, the InstantWave Windows Utility
Program will not be automatically installed. The user needs to install
this program by following the procedure described on page 16
Uninstalling the Adapter from Windows NT 4.0
step1.
Click Start/Settings/Control Panel, and double-click the Network icon.
step2.
Highlight the InstantWave adapter driver entry and click Remove
step3.
Click Close. The system will ask you to restart the PC. Click Yes
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 15
capability (Enable/Disable). The Network Watcher tool allows users to view
existing groups (Group ID/BSSID. See an explanation of this term on page 4) of
wireless cells in a Domain. It provides the option to join a particular group in the
network.
Tools are also provided for viewing the network in terms of radio signal quality,
and for monitoring the station data throughput.
InstantWave Utility Installation
Insert the InstantWave Utility program setup CD-ROM
step1.
From the Start menu, select Run, and type: d:\utility\setup.exe
step2.
Click the OK button to start the setup program. The InstantWave
Welcome screen will appear. After reading the installation description,
click Next to advance to the Choose Destination Location dialog box.
From the Choose Destination Location dialog box, click Next to copy
the program files to the default location, C:\Program Files\InstantWave,
or click Browse to choose another location
step3.
step4.
The setup program will copy the necessary files into the specified
directory. File copying progress will be displayed in the InstantWave
utility setup screen. Check I would like to launch InstantWave Utility,
and click OK. The InstantWave Information dialog box will be
displayed
step5.
Click OK to complete the installation. The InstantWave Utility toolbar
will open.
16 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
step2.
step3.
Click Add/Remove Programs and select InstantWave Utility
Click the Remove button
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 17
After removing the old InstantWave adapter driver, follow the installation
procedure for your operating system. For Windows 95 4.00.950 B and 4.00.950 C
go to page 8, for Windows 98 go to page 12, and for Windows NT 4.0 go to page
14.
InstantWave Utility Upgrade
step1.
step2.
Click Control Panel. Click Add/Remove Programs, and remove the
old InstantWave Utility from the program list
Follow the InstantWave Utility Installation procedure on page 16 to
install the new InstantWave Utility
18 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
1.
2.
3.
•
Power off the computer
Remove and reinsert the wireless adapter
Reboot the computer and re-install the adapter driver
A previous adapter installation was aborted by the user, or by Windows
1.
2.
3.
Look in Control Panel/System/Device Manager/?Unknown Devices for a Wireless adapter entry
If an entry exists, delete it from the list, and exit the
Control Panel/System folder
Reboot the computer and re-install the adapter driver
The InstantWave adapter driver cannot be started. Windows displayed a driver
startup problem message window
•
IRQ conflict with other device
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Open Control Panel/System/Device Manager/Network
Adapters. You will see an exclamation sign displayed on
the wireless adapter icon
Highlight the wireless LAN adapter entry and click on the
Properties button
Select the Resources tab. You will see a device conflict
message displayed in the Conflicting Device list
Uncheck Use automatic settings, and click on the Change
Setting button
Select a new IRQ value. When the Conflicting Device list
confirms there are no conflicts, click OK to close the
windows
Reboot the computer
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 19
Installation Problems
Windows NT 4.0 could not find the adapter
•
The adapter is not properly inserted in the slot
1. Power off the computer
2. Remove and reinsert the wireless adapter
3. Reboot the computer and re-install the adapter driver
•
A previous adapter installation was aborted by the user, or by Windows NT
4.0
1. Look in Control Panel/Network/Adapters
2. If an InstantWave adapter entry exists, remove it from the
list and exit the Control Panel/Network dialog box
3. Reboot the computer and re-install the adapter driver
The InstantWave adapter driver cannot be started and the adapter LEDs are not
flashing
•
More than one driver is present in the Network setup folder
1. Click Control Panel/Network/Adapters
2. If there is more than one entry for the same InstantWave
adapter, remove them all
3. Reboot Windows NT
4. Reinstall the InstantWave adapter driver
20 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
power down the PC and insert the PCI card, then reboot the
computer
Adapter is not responding
•
The card is in the system. The wireless adapter driver is not functioning.
Follow the Installation Problems section of troubleshooting to resolve driver
startup problems
•
The green PC feature is setup to cut the system power to the adapter slot when
it is in ‘PC Sleep’ mode. The Windows Utility will temporarily lose contact
with the adapter during Sleep mode
Re-starting the Windows Utility after the PC is out of Sleep
mode will bring back the adapter. The long-term solution to
this problem is to disable (through the PC BIOS) the PC Sleep
function
Operational Problems
The Wireless adapter appears to be functioning. The Tx/Rx LEDs are flashing.
However, no network PC can be found when run in Infrastructure Wireless
Network mode
• Station is having difficulties finding an AP to join
1. Use Network Watcher to scan for all APs in the same
wireless domain
2. Select the first AP that has its signal quality displayed in
green, and join to it
3. If all the APs’ signal quality indicator shows yellow, or no
AP is on the list, you may be too far away from any AP to
be associated. Move closer to an AP
• You have only one AP, and the PC is not placed too far from it, but the PC
still has difficulties finding the AP
1. Check that the antennas are properly connected to the AP
and the station
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 21
2.
Arrange the antenna position to get the best radio signal
quality
Transmission or reception throughput is low during network file accessing
• Many stations are connected to the same group and heavily utilizing the
network
1. On an Infrastructure wireless network, use Network
Watcher to find, and connect to, a different AP with only a
few PC connections
2. In an Ad-Hoc environment, form your own wireless group
with a different wireless domain name to start a different
channel hopping pattern
Ad-Hoc stations can't join each other
• Two stations started at the same time
Reboot one station
•
Different Domain Name (ESSID)
Change the ESSID, using the InstantWave utility program, to
match that of the other stations on the Ad-hoc network
OR
Go to Control Panel/Network/InstantWaveAdapter
/Properties/Advanced/ESSID, and change it there
22 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
[email protected] (US only)
[email protected] (Europe and Asia Pacific)
For other information about NDC, please visit us at:
www.sohoware.com
www.ndc.com.tw
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 23
period, NDC will, at its option and expense, repair or replace it, or deliver to the
purchaser an equivalent product or part at no additional charge except as set forth
below. Repair parts and replacement products are furnished on an exchange basis
and will be either reconditioned or new. All replaced products and parts will
become the property of NDC. Any replaced or repaired product or part has a
ninety (90) day warranty or the remainder of the initial warranty period, whichever
is longer.
NDC shall not be liable under this warranty if its testing and examination disclose
that the alleged defect in the product does not exist or was caused by the
purchaser’s, or any third party’s misuse, neglect, improper installation or testing,
unauthorized attempt to repair or modify, or any other cause beyond the range of
the intended use, or by accident, fire, lightning, or other hazard.
Software
Software and documentation materials are supplied “as is” without warranty as to
their performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. However,
the diskette media containing the software are covered by a 90-day warranty that
protects the purchaser against failure within that period.
Limited Warranty Service Procedures
Any product (1) received in error, (2) in a defective or non-functioning condition,
or (3) exhibiting a defect under normal working conditions, can be returned to
NDC by following these steps:
You must prepare:
! dated proof of purchase
! product model number & quantity
! product serial number
! precise reason for return
24 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
Warning
NDC is not responsible for the integrity of any data on storage equipment (hard
drives, tape drives, floppy diskettes, etc.). We strongly recommend that our
customers back their data up before sending such equipment in for diagnosis or
repair.
Services after Warranty Period
After the warranty period expires, all products can be repaired for a reasonable
service charge. The shipping charges to and from the NDC facility will be borne
by the purchaser.
Return for Credit
In the case of a DOA (Dead on Arrival) or a shipping error, a return for credit will
automatically be applied to the purchaser’s account, unless otherwise requested.
Limitation of Liability
All expressed and implied warranties of a product’s merchantability, or of its
fitness for a particular purpose, are limited in duration to the applicable period as
set forth in this limited warranty, and no warranty will be considered valid after its
expiration date.
If this product does not function as warranted, your sole remedy shall be repair or
replacement as provided for above. In no case shall NDC be liable for any
incidental, consequential, special, or indirect damages resulting from loss of data,
loss of profits, or loss of use, even if NDC or an authorized NDC distributor/dealer
has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other
party.
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 25
Manufacturer’s : NATIONAL DATACOMM CORPORATION
Name
Manufacturer’s : 2F, NO. 28, INDUSTRY EAST 9TH ROAD
Address
SCIENCE PARK, HSINCHU,
TAIWAN, R.O.C.
is hereby confirmed to comply with the requirements set out in the Council
Directive on the Approximation of the Laws of the Member States relating to
Electromagnetic Compatibility (89/ 336/ EEC).
The product meets or exceeds the following EMC standards:
Europe:
ETS 300-328, ETS 300-339, ETS 300-826
France:
SP/DGPT/ATAS/23, ETS 300-328, ETS 300-339
The manufacturer/importer is responsible for this declaration:
Company Name
: NDC (EUROPE) CO., LTD
Company Address : 1, EARLSFORT CENTRE,
HATCH STREET,
DUBLIN 2, IRELAND
Person authorized to make this declaration:
Name
: CHANG-HUA CHIANG
Position/Title : MANAGING DIRECTOR
Date
Legal Signature
26 InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card
Glossary.......................................... 3
Group ID ........................................ 4
Infrastructure Network ................... 3
Installation
in Windows 95............................ 8
in Windows 98.......................... 12
in Windows NT 4.0................... 14
PC Card....................................... 6
from Windows NT 4.0 .............. 15
the Utility Program.................... 17
Upgrades....................................... 18
InstantWave Utility ................... 18
PCI/PC Card.............................. 18
Utility Installation......................... 16
Wireless Cell................................... 4
Wireless Network Type ................ 16
InstantWave High Speed PCI/PC Card 27