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Installing the Hardware

2-2

Before You  Start

For the Wireless LAN Adapter to be used with a computing 
device, the device must be equipped with a PC/AT, ISA, or 
PCI slot. Please follow the manufacturers guidelines for 
installing the software as well as installing the Wireless LAN 
Adapter.

After unpacking the Wireless LAN Adapter, make sure the 
following items are present and in good condition:

Wireless LAN Adapter (ISA or PCI)

Standard 2 dBi dipole antenna

Software Driver Diskette

If any item is damaged or missing, contact your Aironet sup-
plier. Save all shipping and packing material in order to 
repack the unit should service be required.

NOTE: Any remote antenna and its associated wiring are 
ordered and packed separately.

Summary of Contents for ISA3500

Page 1: ...s Communications Inc 3875 Embassy Parkway Akron Ohio 44333 8357 www aironet com User s Guide and Technical Reference Manual Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter Products supported ISA3500 and PCI3500 DOC 710 004491 A0 ISA PCI ...

Page 2: ...rranties with respect to the contents of this manual and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose 1999 Aironet Wireless Communications Inc All rights reserved LM3500TM AP3500TM PC3500TM MC3500TM UC3500TM ISA3500TM PCI3500TM BR100TM BR500TM BRE100TM BRE500TM and AironetTM are trademarks of Aironet Wireless Communications Inc O...

Page 3: ...teristics 1 4 Frequency Hopping Radio Technology 1 4 Data Transparency and Protocols 1 4 Protocols Supported 1 5 Radio Ranges 1 5 Site Survey 1 5 Link Test 1 7 Security Features 1 7 Terminology 1 8 System Configurations 1 10 Coverage Options 1 14 Section 2 Installing the Hardware 2 1 Before You Start 2 2 Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter 2 4 Installation 2 4 Configuring the DIP Switches ISA Only...

Page 4: ...Link Test 4 1 Using Windows 3 11 or DOS to Perform a Link Test Using Telnet 4 2 Using Windows 95 or Windows 98 to Perform a Link Test 4 4 Link Test Command in WinDGS 4 5 Linkscope 4 6 Loading New Firmware Versions 4 7 Upgrading Firmware for Windows 95 or Windows 98 4 7 Loading Firmware for Windows 3 11 and DOS 4 8 Section 5 Error Messages and Trouble Shooting 5 1 Indicator LEDs 5 1 If Your Radio F...

Page 5: ...r B 4 Save Properties Options B 5 Edit Parameters B 5 System Parameters B 6 Name B 6 SSID B 6 Network type Infrastructure Mode B 6 Network type Ad Hoc Mode B 7 Constant Awake Mode CAM B 7 Power Save Mode B 7 Fast Power Save Mode B 7 Network Parameters B 8 RF Network Parameters B 8 Advanced Infrastructure B 10 Specified Access Point B 10 RTS Threshold B 10 RTS Retry Limit B 11 Advanced Ad Hoc IBSS ...

Page 6: ...ormity Statement C 1 Department of Communications Canada Canadian Compliance Statement C 2 European Telecommunications Standards Institute Statement of Compliance Information to User C 3 Declaration of Conformity C 4 Appendix D Technical Support D 1 Communications D 1 Web Site D 1 ...

Page 7: ...rastructure with Workstations Accessing a Wired LAN 1 12 Figure 1 4 Extended Infrastructure Using Repeaters 1 13 Figure 1 5 Minimal Overlap Coverage Option 1 14 Figure 1 6 Heavy Overlap Coverage Option 1 15 Figure 1 7 Multiple Overlapping Systems Coverage Option 1 16 Figure 2 1 Overview of the Wireless LAN Adapter 2 3 ...

Page 8: ...k Keywords 3 18 Table 3 7 Fragmentation Keywords 3 19 Table 3 8 Power Management Keywords 3 20 Table 3 9 Scanning Keywords 3 22 Table 3 10 Infrastructure Keywords 3 23 Table 3 11 Ad Hoc Keywords 3 24 Table 3 12 Wireless LAN Adapter Keywords 3 25 Table 5 1 Green LED Operating Messages 5 2 Table 5 2 Amber LED Operating Messages 5 2 Table A 1 Supported Drivers A 1 Table A 2 Radio Specifications A 2 T...

Page 9: ...0 Series Card frequency hopping radio technology and the various configurations you can use when operating the 3500 Series Card in your infrastructure Section 2 Installing the Hardware describes the physi cal installation of the Wireless LAN Adapter and antenna ISA Only Section 3 Installing the Software describes installation and configuration of the various network drivers Section 4 Utilities pro...

Page 10: ...g the WinDGS Utility provides detailed descriptions on using the WinDGS utility Appendix C Channels provides channel identifiers and channel center frequencies for various area regulatory agencies Appendix D Declaration of Conformity provides conformity information about the Wireless LAN Adapter Appendix E Technical Support provides contact information for Aironet ...

Page 11: ...e symbol and formatting conventions used in the documentation The fol lowing symbols are used in the guide Convention Type of Information Indicates a note which contains important information A caution message that appears before procedures which if not observed could result in loss of data or damage to the equipment Bold type An action you must perform such as type or select ...

Page 12: ...About the User s Guide and Technical Reference Manual x ...

Page 13: ...ess data communications between fixed portable or mobile devices and other wireless devices or a wired network infrastructure Ethernet or Token Ring Host devices can be any device equipped with a PC AT PC XT ISA Industry Standard Architecture or 32 bit PCI Periph eral Component Interconnect slot The Wireless LAN Adapter is fully compatible when used in a device supporting Plug and Play technology ...

Page 14: ...n this manual will result in the user exposure to be substantially below the FCC recommended limits Do not touch or move antenna s while the unit is transmitting or receiving Do not hold any component containing the radio such that the antenna is very close or touching any exposed parts of the body especially the face or eyes while transmitting Do not operate a portable transmitter near unshielded...

Page 15: ...ntennas are designed to be professionally installed and should be located at a minimum distance of 30 cm 12 inches or more from your body Please contact your professional installer VAR or antenna manufacturer for proper installation requirements Other Devices in the Wireless Network Refer to the User s Guide or Technical Reference Manual for the Access Point Universal Client or Bridge for addition...

Page 16: ...ti jamming and low probability of intercept radio systems The signal is transmitted over a wide frequency range using multiple frequencies This protects the data transmission from inter ference Data Transparency and Protocols The Aironet 3500 Series Wireless LAN Adapter transports data packets transparently as they move through the wireless infrastructure The Wireless LAN Adapter operates similarl...

Page 17: ...his section provides general guidelines on factors that influence network performance see Section 4 Site Survey and Link Test Site Survey Because of differences in component configuration placement and physical environment every network application is a unique installation Before installing the system users should perform a site survey in order to determine the optimum utilization of networking co...

Page 18: ...urations along with guidelines on selecting antennas for specific environments see the Aironet Antenna Guide document number 710 003725 Physical Environments Clear or open areas provide better radio range than closed or filled areas Also the less cluttered the work environment the greater the range Obstructions A physical obstruction such as metal shelving or a steel pillar can hinder the performa...

Page 19: ...Security Features The Aironet 3500 Series Wireless LAN Adapter employs Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology previ ously developed for military anti jamming and low proba bility of intercept radio systems The Aironet Access Point must be set to the same Service Set Identifier SSID as all other Aironet devices on the wireless infrastructure Units with a different SSID will not be able to dir...

Page 20: ...nt node that is located at the end of the Network Tree Infrastructure The wireless infrastructure is the communications system that combines Access Points mobile nodes and fixed nodes Access Points within the infrastructure can be either root units which are physically wired to the LAN backbone or can act as wireless repeat ers Other RF enabled devices serve as fixed nodes or mobile client nodes P...

Page 21: ... line PSP should not be used Repeater A repeater is an Access Point that extends the radio range of the infrastructure A repeater is not physically attached to the wired LAN but communicates via radio to another Access Point which is either a root unit or another repeater Root Unit The root unit is an Access Point that is located at the top or starting point of a wireless infrastructure A root uni...

Page 22: ... range The maximum communica tion range is based on how you configure your wireless infrastructure Examples of some common system configurations are shown on the pages that follow along with a description of each Figure 1 1 Ad Hoc Wireless LAN An ad hoc wireless LAN is the simplest wireless LAN con figuration In a wireless LAN using an ad hoc network oper ating system such as Windows for Workgroup...

Page 23: ... LAN such as an Ethernet or Token Ring LAN but functions as a hub linking all stations together This configuration is similar to the ad hoc network except the Aironet Access Point serves as the focal point for communi cations This increases the effective communication range over the ad hoc LAN since both stations are not required to be in direct communication range of each other Workstation Access...

Page 24: ...the file server or host is maintained without disruption This configuration is useful with portable or mobile stations allowing them to be directly connected to the wired network even while mov ing about roaming When an infrastructure is configured using multiple Aironet Access Points and or repeaters a mobile station is automatically associated and re associ ated to the Aironet Access Point which...

Page 25: ...ic between the Aironet 3500 Series Wireless LAN Adapter equipped workstations and devices and the wired LAN by sending packets to either another repeater or to another Aironet Access Point attached to the wired LAN The data is sent through whichever route provides the greatest performance for the client Multiple repeater hops can be supported in the path to the wired LAN File Server Wired LAN Work...

Page 26: ...gure 1 5 Minimal Overlap Coverage Option By arranging the Access Points so the overlap in coverage area is minimized a large area can be covered with minimal system cost The total bandwidth available to each mobile station will depend on the amount of data each mobile sta tion desires to transfer and the number of stations located in each cell Seamless roaming is supported as a mobile sta tion mov...

Page 27: ... will detect adjacent cell traffic and delay trans missions that cause collisions This reduces the aggregate radio system throughput Heavy cell overlap is not recom mended for maximum system throughput Due to the redun dancy in coverage overlap system access is not lost in the event of an Access Point failure Upon failure of the Access Point the station will automatically roam to an operational Ac...

Page 28: ... same vicinity The architecture provides multiple channels which can exist in the same area with virtually no interference to each other In this mode each system must be configured with different Service Set Identifiers SSID and different channels which prevent clients from roaming to Access Points of a different wireless system Wired LAN 1 Wired LAN 2 ...

Page 29: ... This section describes the procedures for installing the Wireless LAN Adapter Here s what you ll find in this section Before You Start Installing the Wireless LAN Adapter Configuring the DIP Switches ISA Only Attaching the Antenna Viewing the Indicator Displays ...

Page 30: ... the Wireless LAN Adapter After unpacking the Wireless LAN Adapter make sure the following items are present and in good condition Wireless LAN Adapter ISA or PCI Standard 2 dBi dipole antenna Software Driver Diskette If any item is damaged or missing contact your Aironet sup plier Save all shipping and packing material in order to repack the unit should service be required NOTE Any remote antenna...

Page 31: ... Overview of the Wireless LAN Adapter PnP Non PnP IRQ Level and Base Address DIP Switches Status and Activity LEDs Antenna Connector Antenna Connector ISA Card Edge Connector ISA3500 PCI3500 PCI Card Edge Connector Status and Activity LEDs ...

Page 32: ...ion 1 Power off all computer system components 2 Remove the CPU cover 3 Remove the screw from the top of the CPU back panel This screw is used to hold the metal bracket on the back panel CAUTION Static electricity can be destructive Discharge by touching a metal part of a grounded unit before removing the Wireless LAN Adapter from the anti static packaging 4 Tilt the Wireless LAN Adapter to allow ...

Page 33: ...nto an empty slot until its connector is firmly seated CAUTION Do not force the Wireless LAN Adapter into the slot Forcing it will damage both the Wireless LAN Adapter and the slot If the Wireless LAN Adapter does not go in easily remove the card and re insert ISA ...

Page 34: ...Installing the Hardware 2 6 6 Reinstall the screw to the top of the CPU back panel PCI ...

Page 35: ...P Base Address and Interrupt Levels IRQ The switches have been factory set for PnP before shipment this is the recommended setting Expansion cards cannot share the same Base Address or IRQ Check the switch settings on the ISA3500 to ensure they do not conflict with other expansion cards in the com puter IRQ Level Base Address PnP Defaults ON 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...

Page 36: ... be set to any boundary between 0xC000 and 0xDE00 The default factory setting is 0xD000 The Base Address is controlled through DIP switches 4 and 5 NOTE When PnP is selected the information in the table below will read Don t Care DIP Switch 6 On Non PnP Off PnP DIP Switch Base Address 5 4 On On 140 On Off 180 Off On 300 Off Off 340 ...

Page 37: ...table below shows the switch position settings required for different IRQ levels NOTE When PnP is selected the information in the table below will read Don t Care DIP Switch IRQ Level 3 2 1 On On On 5 On On Off 7 On Off On 9 On Off Off 10 Off On On 11 Off On Off 12 Off Off On 14 Off Off Off 15 ...

Page 38: ... attach the antenna to the antenna connector on the Wireless LAN Adapter NOTE Do not over tighten finger tight is sufficient Position the antenna vertically for best omni directional signal reception NOTE Due to FCC and DOC Regulations the antenna connector on the Wireless LAN Adapter is of reverse polarity to the standard TNC connectors ...

Page 39: ...dicator Used to indicate radio traffic activity The light is normally off but will blink amber whenever a packet is received or transmitted over the radio When the Wireless LAN Adapter is initially powered up the displays will blink amber and then green in sequence If a power on test fails the status indicator will go solid and the unit will stop functioning See Table 2 1 for a detailed expla nati...

Page 40: ... Node Blinking Fast Blinking Fast No nodes associated Associated Operational Blinking Slow Blinking when transmitting and or receiving One or more nodes associated Firmware Upgrade Solid Solid Firmware upgrading Bad Firmware 3 blinks pause Need new firmware to load Bad Configuration 1 blink pause 2 blinks pause Host sent bad parameters ...

Page 41: ... Wireless LAN Adapter is fully IEEE 802 11 compliant Driver Overview The Wireless LAN Adapter is shipped with two diskettes WinDGS diagnostics diskette Aironet driver diskette This section covers the drivers The utilities are discussed in Section 4 Utilities The DOS Windows 3 x and Windows for Workgroups based drivers must have a configuration file created or edited with an ASCII text editor Insta...

Page 42: ...ile for MicroSoft Windows for Workgroups PROTOCOL INI The required configuration file for the NDIS2 driver The PROTOCOL INI file on the diskette provides sample entries for operation in Infrastructure Mode PROTOCOL AHC Sample PROTOCOL INI file with entries for Ad Hoc Mode PKT Directory containing DOS packet driver files AWCP35C COM DOS based packet driver AWCPKT INI The required configuration file...

Page 43: ...00 DLL NDIS3 library VXD3500 VXD Virtual device driver for Aironet WinDGS utility OEMSETUP INF WIN NT install file ODI Directory containing ODI driver files AWCO35C COM DOS based ODI driver NET CFG The required configuration file for ODI The NET CFG file on the drive diskette contains sample entries for operation in Infrastructure Mode ...

Page 44: ...splay the New Hardware Found dia log box 3 When prompted for the manufacturer s disk insert the disk provided with the adapter into the appropri ate drive 4 Type A NDIS3 at the prompt and press Enter 5 Select the appropriate Infrastructure Mode and enter the SSID of the wireless network 6 Select the Bitrate parameters 7 Press Enter 8 Windows will prompt for the system disks Enter the correct netwo...

Page 45: ...ion 2 Insert the Wireless LAN Adapter into one of the slots NOTE PnP must be enabled See Configuring the DIP Switches ISA Only in Section 2 3 Power up the Windows NT workstation 4 From the control panel select the Network icon 8 Insert the driver disk provided with the adapter into the appropriate drive 9 Type A NDIS3 at the prompt and press Enter For Windows NT 4 xxx For Windows NT 3 51 5 Select ...

Page 46: ...appropriate parameters such as Infrastruc ture Mode SSID and Bitrate 12 Verify that the Interrupt and IO Base Address do not conflict with other devices resources 13 Select OK 14 Select Close 15 Add all other related network information if applicable IP address DHCP DNS GATEWAY 16 Select Yes to restart the workstation ...

Page 47: ... in the list 8 Under Add Adapter choose the appropriate Wireless LAN Adapter If it is not on the menu list choose Unlisted or Updated Network Driver The Install Driver pop up window will ask you for the Aironet driver disk 9 Place the driver disk in drive A 10 Type A NDIS2 at the prompt and press Enter 11 Choose the correct Aironet Adapter and click OK 12 If the chosen adapter is displayed in the ...

Page 48: ...ettings Additional variables defined in the following section may also be used 1 Power on your computer 2 Copy the NDIS2 AWC2N35C DOS from the Aironet Device Driver diskette to the directory containing the network files 3 Copy the PROTOCOL INI file to the network directory or merge statements from the Aironet supplied file into your existing PROTOCOL INI file Infrastructure Mode Ad Hoc Mode AW2N35...

Page 49: ...ile After the line containing Device PROTMAN DOS add Device drive path AWC2N35C DOS 5 To modify the system parameters edit the PROTO COL INI file in the network directory For a list of param eters which can be modified see Table 3 2 6 Reboot your computer ...

Page 50: ...reless LAN Adapter can be installed in a DOS environment using DOS IP stack products such as FTP software 1 Power on your computer 2 Copy the PKT AWCP35C COM file from the Aironet Device Driver diskette to the directory containing the network files 3 Copy the AWCPKT INI file from the Aironet Device Driver diskette to the directory containing the Packet driver Infrastructure Mode Ad Hoc Mode AWCPKT...

Page 51: ...dit the AWCPKT INI file For a list of parameters which can be modified see Table 3 3 5 Load the driver by typing AWCP35C cinuw int_number at the DOS prompt i e AWCP35C 0x65 and press Enter NOTE To unload the driver type AWCP35C u int_number i e AWCP35C u 0x65 6 Load the DOS IP stack ...

Page 52: ...merge the Aironet supplied NET CFG file into your existing NET CFG file in the network directory 4 Modify the Wireless LAN Adapter system parameters by editing the NET CFG file For a list of parameters which can be modified see Table 3 4 5 Run the batch files created by the NetWare installation disks or manually load the driver from AUTOEXEC BAT or the command line This can be done by running LSL ...

Page 53: ...orted Blank lines are supported Comments begin with semi colon and may appear any where on a line Keywords can be upper or lower case and may be sur rounded by white space if desired Any parameter that begins with 0x will be assumed to be hexadecimal Any parameter that begins with a digit excluding the 0x case will be assumed to be deci mal Any parameter that begins with quotes will be assumed to ...

Page 54: ... itself can occur between the quotes NOTE If double quotes are used for a delimiter a single quote may appear in the string and vise versa If the string begins with an alphabetic character and contains no special characters the quotes may be omitted For numeric parameters the value can be hexadecimal or decimal Hexadecimal numbers must be preceded with the characters 0x but all characters can be u...

Page 55: ...ry data packets up to 16 times before discarding the frame Retry RTS sequence up to 16 times before discarding the frame RTS exchange on all frames greater than 300 bytes Fragment frames longer than 700 bytes Kill fragmented transmit packets if not delivered in 5 seconds Kill fragmented receive frames if not complete after 10 seconds Active scanning with 3 Kµsec energy detect time and 20 Kµsec pro...

Page 56: ...n the regulatory body that controls the radio spec trum in the location in which the unit is used DATA RETRY 8 32 Optional specifies the number of times a packet will be retried before the packet is dropped and a trans mit error is reported to the driver default is 16 DIVERSITY ON OFF Optional specifies the transmit diversity method to be used by the Wireless LAN Adapter default is OFF INFRASTRUCT...

Page 57: ...ulticast Optional forces association to one of the specified Access Points SPECIFIED AP 3 Any IEEE MAC address except broadcast and multicast Optional forces association to one of the specified Access Points SPECIFIED AP 4 Any IEEE MAC address except broadcast and multicast Optional forces association to one of the specified Access Points SSID 1 1 to 32 character string This parameter must match t...

Page 58: ...very will be used Packets longer than this value will be deliv ered using RTS CTS handshaking default is 300 TXMSDULIFETIME 0 0xFFFF Optional specifies the maximum time to attempt packet delivery default is 5 000 Kµsec 5 seconds RXMSDULIFETIME 0 0xFFFF Optional specifies the maximum time for receiving a fragmented packet default is 10 000 Kµsec 10 seconds TXPOWERLEVEL 0 250 Optional selects the ne...

Page 59: ... made with the following group of variables Table 3 7 Fragmentation Keywords Keywords Value Description FRAGTHRESHOLD 256 2312 must be even Optional specifies the fragmenta tion size in bytes Frames longer than this value will be transmitted using multiple packets default is 700 ...

Page 60: ... Awake Mode default is 5 This value is only used when start ing a new network When joining a network the value currently in use will be adopted SLEEPFORDTIM ON OFF Optional infrastructure with PSP or Fast PSP Modes only if ON the node is allowed to sleep through DTIMs for extra power saving Broadcast and multicast traffic may be missed default is OFF LISTENTIME 0 0xFFFF Optional infrastructure wit...

Page 61: ...LISTENDECAY 0 0xFFFF Optional infrastructure with PSP or Fast PSP Modes only rate at which the listen interval grows The number of times to use the current listen interval before doubling it Listen interval will begin at FASTLINSTENTIME and eventu ally decay to LISTENTIME default is 2 FASTLISTENDELAY 0 0xFFFF Optional infrastructure with PSP or Fast PSP Modes only time to delay immediately after a...

Page 62: ...ten for RF energy following a probe default is 3 Kµsec PROBERESPONSETO 0 0xFFFF Optional for active scanning mode determines the amount of time to wait for a probe response after energy is detected on a channel default is 20 Kµsec STATIONARY ON OFF YES NO Optional indicates whether or not the station is mobile default is OFF PROBEDELAY 0 0xFFFF Optional indicates how long to wait on a frequency be...

Page 63: ...sable default is 10 000 Kµsec 10 sec SPECIFIEDAPTO 0 0xFFFF Optional time in Kµsec to attempt to associate to a specified Access Point before searching for any avail able Access Points with matching SSID default is 10 000 Kµsec 10 sec AUTHTIMEOUT 0 0xFFFF Optional time to attempt to authen ticate to an Access Point default is 2 000 Kµsec 2 sec AUTHTYPE OFF OPEN HAREDKEY ENCRYP TONLY Optional deter...

Page 64: ...t starts a network This is the channel identifier specify ing the frequency to communicate on For all other nodes the radio will scan for the proper frequency Default is 0 which will cause the radio to pick a default channel appropriate for its programmed carrier set Any other value 1 14 will be validated against the programmed carrier set and rejected if invalid ATIMDURATION Between 0 and less th...

Page 65: ...es the hardware interrupt the PC Card will use The Interrupt must be unique i e not used by another device in the machine This can be used to over ride a card service assignment If card services are not used this will default to 11 IRQ Same as INT SOCKET 0 7 Optional If card services are used this keyword is ignored If card ser vices are not used this is the PC Card socket the PC Card is inserted ...

Page 66: ...Installing the Software 3 26 ...

Page 67: ... necessary to conduct a test that will accurately model the intended use of the system It is important to perform a site survey using equipment which is similar to that implemented Items to be surveyed are Transmit power Antenna s type s Antenna s location s Packet fragment size Interference The site survey should be conducted with all variables set to the operational values It should also be perf...

Page 68: ...ty is an estimate of the signal strength recorded at the time of packet reception by the radio Using Windows 3 11 or DOS to Perform a Link Test Using Telnet Link test using telnet is a useful tool for determining Coverage range of an Access Point Communication range of stations mobile stations To perform the link test using a telnet session 1 Install the drivers 2 Configure the drivers for network...

Page 69: ...2 Begin traversing the area around the Aironet Access Point to determine its coverage If logging and notes are not possible with the telnet applica tion maintain a manual log The telnet session packets are interspersed with test packets which may have the effect of increasing the round trip time for some frames The link test will show progress changes as the test is being conducted The first time ...

Page 70: ...Utilities 4 4 Using Windows 95 or Windows 98 to Perform a Link Test You may use either Telnet The link test or site survey commands in WinDGS Linkscope ...

Page 71: ...es the number of packets the link test will attempt to send The display will show the number of packets of the specified size that are successfully transmitted and received This parame ter is ignored if Continuous Link Test is selected Packet Size This parameter specifies the size of the data packet to be sent to the Aironet Access Point Be aware that the TCP IP stack that comes with Windows 95 wi...

Page 72: ... Signal Strength Linkscope determines the performance of the RF link between a Wireless LAN Adapter and an Aironet Access Point Any Windows 95 Windows 98 or Windows NT unit associated to an Aironet Access Point can run the linkscope test Signal strength is displayed along the vertical axis of the graphical display Signal quality is displayed along the horizontal axis The combined result is represe...

Page 73: ...ing Firmware for Windows 95 Windows 98 or Windows NT The WinDGS program is used to load new firmware To load new firmware 1 Make sure the Wireless LAN Adapter is up and running 2 Select Commands 3 Select Load New Firmware 4 Select Look In Use the drop down button to select the appropriate path and image file 5 Select Open This will flash the card with the selected image ...

Page 74: ... address for a block of 64 con secutive 16 bit I O ports Make sure the block of I O addresses does not overlap the address of another device in the machine This can be used to override a card service assignment If card services are not used this will default to 0x140 s Optional If card services are used this parameter is ignored If card services are not used this is the PC Card socket the PC Card ...

Page 75: ...EDs The Wireless LAN Adapter has two indicator LEDs green and amber located on the back of the card The green indicator is the Link Integrity Power LED It lights when the card is receiving power and flashes slowly when the Wireless LAN Adapter is linked with the network The amber indicator is the Link Activity LED It flashes when the Wireless LAN Adapter is receiving or transmitting data or in a p...

Page 76: ...rror Blinking Quickly Power on self test OK scanning for network Blinking Slowly Associated with an infrastructure network Amber LED Green LED Condition Blinking Continuously on or flashing slowly Wireless LAN Adapter is transmitting or receiving data while associated with an Access Point Blinking in a Pattern Continuously on Indicates an error condition ...

Page 77: ... inserted in the slot Make sure the receiving equipment is turned on and operating Make sure the receiving equipment is properly con nected to the host computer Check that all parameters are set properly for both the Wireless LAN Adapter and the Aironet Access Point If the radio fails to establish contact contact Aironet Technical Support for additional assistance Phone 330 664 7903 Fax 330 664 79...

Page 78: ...Error Messages and Trouble Shooting 5 4 ...

Page 79: ...x A Wireless LAN Adapter Specifications LAN Drivers Supported Table A 1 Supported Drivers Protocol Operating System ODI DOS based driver for Novell Netware NDIS 2 MS DOS Windows 3 xx NDIS 3 Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT Packet MS DOS Windows 3 xx ...

Page 80: ...00 2497 North American ETSI and Japan channel coverage factory configurable FCC ID LOZ102034 ISA FCC approval LOZ102035 PCI Channeling 1 MHz increments Programmable for IEEE 802 11 Type of Modulation 2 GFSK 1 Mb 4 GFSK 2 Mb IEEE 802 11 FHSS Power Output North American Configuration 100 mW Meets FCC Part 15 247 requirements Antenna Type 1 External 2 dBi Dipole Mating Antenna Connector R TNC ...

Page 81: ... Power Transmit Mode Current 800 mA Item Description ISA PCI Size 16 1 cm x 8 1 cm x 1 3 cm 6 3 in x 3 2 in x 5 in 14 7 cm x 8 1 cm x 1 3 cm 5 8 in x 3 2 in x 5 in Weight 13 Kg 4 6 oz Operating Temperature 0 C to 70 C minimum 32 F to 158 F Storage Temperature 40 C to 85 C 40 F to 185 F Humidity Non Condensing 95 ESD 15kV human body model Connectors ISA or PCI card edge Status Indicators Green and ...

Page 82: ...Wireless LAN Adapter Specifications A 4 ...

Page 83: ...5 Windows 98 or Windows NT operating system environ ment Commands Menu The Commands Menu includes Select Card Loading New Firmware Edit Properties Statistics Status Link test Site Survey Radio Off On Exit Select Card This allows another installed Aironet Wireless LAN Adapter to be chosen The property screens will change to reflect the parameters specific to each card type ...

Page 84: ... Statistics The Statistics screen shows the current statistics from the Wireless LAN Adapter Statistics are updated at the rate specified by the Screen Update Timer Clear the current statistics by clicking on Reset Exit the Statistics screen by clicking on OK or by clicking on the X in the upper right hand corner of the dialog box Status The Status screen shows the current status from the Wire les...

Page 85: ...Survey See Section 4 Utilities for information on using site survey Radio Off On Radio Off On allows you to selectively turn off or on the power to the radio Turning the radio off prevents all RF energy from being transmitted by the Wireless LAN Adapter Exit Closes all windows and exits WinDGS ...

Page 86: ...ted in the status and statistics screens via the Screen Update Timer You can also set the Save Properties Options which controls what is done with changes to the current settings Screen Update Timer The Screen Update Timer controls how often the statistics and status screens are updated The screen can be updated in one second increments from once a second to once every 60 seconds The default is on...

Page 87: ...l be restored the next time you reboot Save Properties to the Adapter This option saves the current configuration to non volatile memory in the adapter Always Prompt the User This option will prompt the user to save the current settings to the Registry If the box is not checked the operation will default to Save Properties to the Registry Edit Parameters The Wireless LAN Adapter Parameters include...

Page 88: ...to memorize every MAC address The name can be up to 16 characters SSID The Service Set Identifier SSID controls access to a given wireless network This value MUST match the SSID of any all Access Points that you want to commu nicate with If the value does not match access to the system is not granted The SSID can be up to 32 char acters case sensitive Network type Infrastructure Mode This mode is ...

Page 89: ...d for devices where high availability is desired Power Save Mode Power Save Mode is recommended for devices where power consumption is a major concern such as small battery powered devices Power Save Mode causes the Access Point to buffer incoming messages The Wire less LAN Adapter must wake up periodically and poll the Access Point to see if there are any buffered mes sages waiting The Wireless L...

Page 90: ...network or you may disrupt other net work devices For this reason it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you use the factory MAC address The MAC address is 12 hexadecimal digits You do not need to use delimiters but you can use spaces or the colon character RF Network Parameters RF Network Parameters include Fragment Threshold This parameter defines a thresh old above which the RF packet will be split up...

Page 91: ...ta rate used to transfer all management frames by the cli ent device when associated within a given Basic Ser vice Set BSS When operating in Infrastructure Mode this parameter should be set to correspond to the Access Point setting When operating in Ad Hoc Mode all stations should have the same setting The allowable selections for the 3500 Series parameters are 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps Supported Data Rate...

Page 92: ...ss Point Setting a Specified Access Point will slow down the roaming process Thus for normal operation for the majority of users leave this field blank RTS Threshold This parameter controls what size data packet the low level RF protocol issues to an RTS packet There are several trade offs to consider when setting this parameter Setting this parameter to a small value causes RTS packets to be sent...

Page 93: ...untered but will make the system more immune to interference and collisions Refer to the IEEE 802 11 Standard for more information on the RTS CTS mechanism Advanced Ad Hoc IBSS In Ad Hoc Mode you can also modify the following parameters Channel Beacon Period Wake Duration Channel This parameter specifies the channel identifier the unit will use if it must start its own network For all other situ a...

Page 94: ...ation that can hear the beacon packet can then synchronize their internal timer so that it can hop at the correct time The default beacon period is one half of the dwell period so two beacons are transmitted per hop dwell period default is 100 Kµsec Refer to the IEEE 802 11 Standard for more information on the timing and scanning Wake Duration This parameter specifies the amount of time per Hop Dw...

Page 95: ...s operated in a residential environment This equip ment generates uses and radiates radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and o...

Page 96: ...anada Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause harm ful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation The device is certified to the requirements of RSS 139 1 for 2 4 GHz spread spectrum devices The use of this device in a system operating either partially or completely outdoors...

Page 97: ...s Wideband Data Transmission Systems referred in CEPT recommendation T R 10 01 This type accepted equipment is designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful ...

Page 98: ...P RDR 167 394122 BCL EC 98 176 72 23 EEC Standards which Conformity is Declared Manufacturer Aironet Wireless Communication 3875 Embassy Parkway Akron OH 44333 Michael Smedley Director Manufacturing Engineering Aironet Wireless Communications Inc EN 55022 B EN 55011 B EN 50082 1 EN 60950 The undersigned hereby declares the above specified equipment conforms to the above Directives and standards Mo...

Page 99: ...o contact the Aironet Technical Support group Telephone 330 664 7903 Fax 330 664 7990 e mail techsupp aironet com Web Site For additional product information and technical support including the capability to download new firm ware and drivers use the Aironet web site at http www aironet com ...

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