Conceptronic C54U manual

1 C54U Conceptronic Wireless 54Mbps USB Stick Adapter Manual Rev. 040207v1[...]

2 Contents P ACKAGE C ONTENTS ................................................................... 3 I NTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 4 P RODUCT F EATURES ................................................................... 5 LED S .................................................................[...]

3 Package Contents Contents of Package: • C54U USB Wireless 54Mbps USB Stick Adapter • USB Extension Cable • Manual and Drivers on CD • Hardware Installation Guide (printed) If any of the above items is m issing, please contact your reseller. System Requirements: • A computer with an available USB slot • Windows XP, Windows 2000, Window[...]

4 Introduction The C54U Wireless USB Stick A dapter is an advanced IEEE 802.11g compatible, high-performance wireless ada pter that supports data transfer speeds of up to 54 Mbps. Amazingly compact, the C54U is literally small enough to fit in your pocket. USB technology makes installation an d configuration quick and easy. The C 5 4 U i s a n i d [...]

5 Product Features • Adheres to 802.11g standard in providing high data wireless transfer rates of up to 54 Mbps. • Operation in the 2.4GHz Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) frequency band • Orthogonal Frequency Division Multi plexing (OFDM) – a new technique for transmitting high speed data over a radio wave. • Dynam[...]

6 Wireless Basics The C54U is based on industry standards to provide easy-to-u se and compatible high-speed wireless connectivity within your home or business. Strictly adhering to IEEE 802.11g, the C54U will allow you to access the data you want, when and where you want it. No longer will you be limited to one location or forced to run new wiring [...]

7 Furthermore, IEEE standardization mand ates interoperability of all WLAN devices that conform to the 802.11g set of standards. Installation Speed and Simplicity - Installing a wireless LAN system can be fast and easy and can eliminate the need to pull cable through walls and ceilings. Installation Flexibility - Wireless technology allows the netw[...]

8 Keep in mind, however, that the nu mber and thickness of walls, ceilings or other objects that the wireless signals mu st pass through may limit range. Typical ranges vary depending on t he types of materials and background RF ( r a d i o f r e q u e n c y ) n o i s e i n y o u r h o m e o r b u s i n e s s . T h e k e y t o m a x i m i z i n g r[...]

9 Getting Started To begin, select the type of wireless network you will be b uilding. We will discuss the following types of networ ks in this section: 1. A Home Internet Network with A Residential Gateway/Router 2. A Home Internet Networ k with Multiple IP Addresses 3. An Ad Hoc Network 4. An Ad Hoc Network with Internet Sharing Please select, fr[...]

10 1. A Home Internet Network wi th A Residential Gateway/Router (Network administrators with Dynamic IPs can also foll ow these instructions.) If you have two or more computers (lap tops or desktops) and want to share files, printers, and Internet access using a DHCP-capable Resid ential Gateway/Router – or - if you want to connect to an Etherne[...]

11 This type of installation requires th at you provide a dynamic IP address for each computer on your network. You will need a DHCP-capable Residential Gateway/Router for your network. To complete the installation, please follow these steps: 1. Connect the Router/Gateway to a Broadband connection (e.g., a Cable modem o r a DSL modem.) 2. Connect t[...]

12 2. A Home Internet Networ k with Multiple IP Addresses (Network administr ators with Static IPs can also follow these instruc t ions.) If you have two or more computers (lap tops or desktops) and want to share files, printers, and Internet access using multiple IP addresses that you have purchased from your Internet Service Provider -or- you wan[...]

13 1. Connect the Wireless Access Point to a Broadband connection (i.e., a Cable modem or a DSL modem.) 2. Install the C54U Wireless USB Stick Adapter in the computer(s) on your wireless network 3. Check the Device Manag er to confirm that the wireless adapter is installed correctly. Please refer to the Networking Basics sectio n in this manual ent[...]

14 3. An Ad Hoc Network If you have two or more computers (desktops or laptops) and want to share files and printers, but no Internet connection, please complete the following instructions. When your Ad Hoc net work is complete it may look similar to this: ( Requirements: Wireless network adapters for all computers in the ad-hoc network.) To comple[...]

15 4. Check the Wireless Co nfiguration for each wireless adapter. Please refer to the Networking Basics section in this manual entitled: Checking the Wireless Configuration. 5. Learn to share printers a nd files. Please refer to the Networking Basics section in this manual entitled: Adding and Sharing Printers in Windows XP. 4. An Ad Hoc Networ k [...]

16 Sharing (ICS) utility provided with Wi ndows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME or Windows 98SE. Please follow your software documentation to properly configure the Internet sharing software after you install you r wireless networking adapters. To install your wireless network ad apter follow the instructions on the next page. If the Internet Sharing [...]

17 First Time Setup Insert the C54U CD-ROM into Your Computer 1. You will need a computer with an available USB port for connection to your C54U Wireless USB Stick Adapter. 2. Your C54U supports the Wireless Encryption Pro tocol (WEP). If the network you are going to connect to uses WEP, you will ne ed the WEP keys that are in use for your n etwork[...]

18 4. Click Install driver & Utility item. This wil l initiate the C54U Wireless USB Stick Adapter Utility Install Shield. 5. Click Next.[...]

19 6. Next, the Wizard will ask you to choose a destination folder for Conceptronic 54Mbps Wireless Utility. Browse to select a folder, or accept the default destination and simply click Nex t . 7. You will then be asked to select a program fold er so that the Wizard can add program icons. Again, you may choose another folder or accept the default [...]

20 8. Click Yes to install C54U Driver. 9. That’s it – you’ve finished inst alling the WLAN Monitor. Choose to restart your computer now or wait until later. Click Finish .[...]

21 Installing the C54U Wireless USB Stick Adapter in Your Computer 1. Insert end of the USB extension cable into your C54U, and insert the other end into your computer 2. When you restart your comp uter this Found New Hardware Wizard (Windows2000) screen may appear: After you’ve continued in windows XP, 2000, ME , or 98, the configuration utility[...]

22 Uninstalling Uninstalling the software involves two steps. The first is to uninstall the Configuration Utility. The second is to uninstall the drivers. To uninstall the WLAN adapter utility simply click Uninstall under Programs/Conceptronic 54Mbps Wireless Utility/Uninstall . To uninstall the driver, right-click on My Computer .[...]

23 Left-click on Properties to bring up the System Properties screen.[...]

24 Click on the Hardware tab. then, click on Device Manager[...]

25 Click on Network adapters . Right click on the “Conceptronic Wireless 54Mbps Card Adapter” icon.[...]

26 Click on Uninstall . You will then see a Confirm Device Removal sc reen. Click OK to complete uninstallation.[...]

27 Connecting to a Network If you are using Windows 2000 , 98, ME, or NT, the Configuration Utility program for the C54U is called Conceptronic 54Mbps Wireless Utility . Once you have installed WLAN Utility (the configuration utility), you can read this section of the manual to find out how to connect to a wireless network using WLAN Utility. Scree[...]

28 Configuration The Configuration tab is the most important and useful of the four; it allows you to choose, add, and dele te networks. You may also modify properties of your C54U to allow connection to encryption-protected networks. On the left-hand side of the screen is a list of available WLANs. To con nect to a WLAN, select it by clicking on i[...]

29 In the Wireless Network Properties screen you may change the name of Wireless network name . There are four types of Authentication Modes , Open System , Shared, WPA and WPA-PSK . You may also enter wireless network encryption keys by checking Net work Authentication (Shared mode) or Data encryption (WEP enabled) . If WEB enabled, you may enter [...]

30 Click on IP & Proxy Setting to set the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway manually instead of obtaining the IP address automatically through the Dynamic Configuration Host Protocol (DCHP) server. You may also set the DNS server address settings and WI NS address settings. If the network you are using is a co mputer-to-computer netw[...]

31 Status Click on the Status tab to check on the perf ormance of the network you have selected to connect with. The Connection status (connected or disconnected), SSID , BSSID, Network type (infrastructure), Frequency, Data Encryption (enabled or disabled), Speed (of the wireless connection), Authentication State , and Signal Strength (a colored b[...]

32 Under the Option Tab general settings and advanced settings are shown. Options Under General Setting , check “ Auto launch when Windows starts up ” so that WLAN automatically launches when Windows starts up. Check “ Enabl e IP Setting in Profile ” to enable the IP settings made unde r IP Config in the Wireless Network Properties screen o[...]

33 The About Tab gives the utility version number of the WLAN utility. About Click the About tab to determine the Utility and Driver version for your C54U.[...]

34 Using the Configuration Utility for Windows XP The WLAN Monitor Configuration Util ity supports Windows XP; however, Windows XP has its own utility for wireless devices. In order to use the WLAN Monitor Configur ation Utility as described in the last section you must disable the utility built into Windows XP. Right click on the wireless icon in [...]

35 The following demonstrates how to manage wireless network connections with the Windows XP built-in utilit y. Creating a connection Right click on “My Network Places” to obtain a drop-d own menu with Properties listed. Left-click on Properties to obtain the Network Connections screen . Right-click on the “Wireless Network Connection” icon[...]

36 Left-click on Properties to bring up the screen below.[...]

37 Select the Wireless Networks tab. Under Available Networks, click on the Access Point with which y ou wish to establish a connection. In the example above, a network called TSD1 . Click Configure to bring up the following screen .[...]

38 Enter the appropriate settings and click OK to return to the Wireless Connection screen.[...]

39 The access point “tsd1” has been added to the network under Preferred Networks . The Network Connections window now sh ows the wireless network connection as “ Enabled” .[...]

40 Troubleshooting This chapter provides solutions to problems that can occur during the installation and operation of C54U. Read the following descriptions if you are having problems. 1. Checking the Installation of the Dri vers for the Wireless Adapter Go to Start . Right-click on My Computer . Click Properties .[...]

41 Select the Hardware Tab . Click Device Manager .[...]

42 Click on Network adapters . Right-click on Conceptronic Wireless 54Mbps USB Adapter . Select Properties to check that the drivers are installed properly.[...]

43 Look under Device Status to check that the device is working properly. Click OK .[...]

44 2. The computer does not recognize the C54U. • Make sure that C54U is properl y seated in the computer’s PCI slot. • If Windows does not detect the hardware upon insertion of the Adapter make sure to completely remove drivers t hat were previously installed. To remove the drivers, do the following: A. Under Tools > select Folder Options[...]

45 4. The wireless client cannot access the Internet in the Infrastructure mode. • Make sure the wireless client is associated and joined with the correct Access Point. To check this connection: Right-click on the Networking Icon in the taskbar> select View Available Wireless Networks . The Connect to Wireless Network screen will appear. Pleas[...]

46 example: if one computer has a n IP Address of 10.0.0.2, the other computers should hav e IP Addresses that are sequential, like 10.0.0.3 and 10.0.0.4. The subnet mask must be the same for all the computers on the network.) To check the IP Addr ess assigned to the wireless card, double-click on the Network Connection Icon in the taskbar > sel[...]

47 Technical Specifications Standards • IEEE 802.11b (up to 11 Mbps) • IEEE 802.11g (up to 54 Mbps) Supported OS • Windows XP • Windows 2000 • Windows ME • Windows 98SE Frequency Range • 2400-2483.5 MHz ISM band (IEEE 802.11b) • 2400-2472MHz Ism band (IEEE 802.1 1g) Data Rates • 1, 2, 5.5, 11 Mbps (IEEE 802.11b) • 6, 9, 12, 18, [...]

48 • 64, 128, 152-bit WEP (Wired Equiv alent Privacy) Encryption Media Access Control • CSMA/CA with ACK Current Consumption • Sleep mode - 40mW • Transmit mode - 2310mW • Receive mode – 1320mW Operating Voltage • 5V ± -10% Network Architecture • Infrastructure Mode (Communications to wired networks via Access Points with Roaming) [...]