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Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 About the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor .................................................. 4 Wireless LAN Basics .............................................................................................................. 5 Installation ............................................................................................
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Introduction The NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor is a Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) product. DSSS is a spread spectrum network operating between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz. This provides a high-capacity network within either large or small environments using multiple access points. Based on IEEE 802.11b, Wireless LAN (WLAN) products can perform at speeds of up to 11 Mbps. This technology works by using multiple frequencies in the 2.4 GHz range utilizing Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (
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About the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor The NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor allows USB equipped host systems to configure, connect to and establish a wireless network. Features Include: IEEE 802.11b compatibility providing wireless Ethernet connectivity at speeds of up to 11 Mbps. Dynamic scaling of the connection speed between 11, 5.5, 2, and 1 Mbps to match the wireless network conditions. Wireless security with 64-bit and 128-bit WEP data encryption. Support for
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Wireless LAN Basics In order to set up and use your NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor, you should have some basic understanding of both wired and wireless network technology and the various functions of the device. WLAN devices use electromagnetic waves within a broad, unlicensed range of the radio spectrum to transmit and receive Frequency Modulation (FM) radio signals. WLAN devices generate a carrier wave and modulate this signal using various techniques. In this way, digital data can
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11 Mbps Operation The NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor supports a maximum 11 Mbps data transfer rate. When the adaptors transmit (TX) rate is set to Auto, the adaptor automatically shifts to a 5.5, 2 or 1 Mbps data rate when unable to maintain a high quality connection at 11 Mbps. When the adaptor detects improved signal strength, it shifts to an increased data rate, up to the maximum 11 Mbps. The following factors can dynamically alter the data rate: signal strength between the acces
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Antenna Position: Where possible, keep your adaptors and access points at least 1 or 2 metres away from devices that generate strong radio-frequency or electromagnetic signals, such as microwaves, computer monitors, cellular telephones and electric motors. Use the utilities included with your product to measure the best reception (signal quality/strength) achieved when repositioning the antenna. Should the signal be inadequate in an area where you wish to use your wireless network, consider ad
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Installation The physical installation for the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor amounts to simply plugging the unit's USB cable into an available USB port on a USB enabled computer. The NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor should then be located such that the minimum number of obstructions such as walls, floors, ceilings, and office equipment are between it and the nearest access point. Preparation Before beginning the installation, verify the hardware package contains the NetComm
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Driver Installation & Configuration The Wireless LAN USB Card is supplied with a Windows driver and a Monitor Utility. The utility should be installed at the same time as the Windows USB driver and is used to view and edit Wireless LAN Card settings. After following the driver installation instructions for your operating system, refer to the section on Wireless LAN Card Utility for utility installation instructions. Before installing the Wireless LAN USB Card Windows driver: Verify the Wireles
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Removing a Wireless LAN Driver in Windows 98/ME/2000 To remove an existing Wireless LAN driver in Windows 98 or Windows Millennium (ME). Note: Windows 2000 automatically removes devices from the hardware profile if they are not present when Windows starts. It is not necessary to remove the driver files. If you wish to use the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor again, Windows 2000 will automatically re-install the drivers when you reconnect the adaptor. 1. Click Start, select Settings and
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9. Select the Search for a suitable driver for my device checkbox. Click Next. 10. Specify the location of the driver files in the Optional search locations field. Click Next. 11. Type in the location of the driver or browse for D:\Drivers\Win2000, where D:\ is the letter of your CD ROM drive and click Next to continue. 12. Click Next when Windows locates the driver files. Note: The Microsoft Digital 'Signature Not Found' dialog box could appear at this point in the installation. A Microsoft dig
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Updating a Wireless LAN Driver in Windows XP To update an existing Wireless LAN driver in Windows XP: 1. Click Start and Control Panel. 2. Double-click on the System icon (select Switch to Classic View if necessary) and select the Hardware tab. 3. Click on the Device Manager button. 4. Double-click on Network Adapters. 5. Right-click on the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor. 6. Select Properties. The NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor Properties dialog box displays. 7. Select the
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Configuring you Wireless LAN Card Utility The Wireless LAN Card Utility is used to configure and monitor the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor for all Windows operating systems. It functions in the same way for Windows 98, Millennium (ME) and Windows 2000. Note: Users of Microsoft Windows XP do not need to use this Utility as Windows XP has inbuilt support for WLAN devices and will automatically configure them where possible. You may still install the Wireless LAN Utility, as it may be u
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The Adaptor is displayed at the top. If more than one Adaptor is installed on the computer, one of the installed Adaptors can be chosen using the pull-down menu at the right of the field. The Wireless LAN Card Utility includes seven tabs: Monitor, Statistics, Site Survey, Encryption, Advanced, Profiles and Info. Monitor As you enter the Monitor screen, you will see the current settings are displayed in a light grey colour. Click the Change button if you want to change any setting. After you have
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Radio: This function is to turn on or off communication to and from the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor. Other information: This dialog box shows the Status, Signal Strength and Link Quality of the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor. The Status will show different information when you select the following operating modes: Ad-Hoc Mode: The status bar will show Ready and the linked BSSID, the Signal Strength and the Link quality will not be active. Infrastructure Mode: The status
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Statistics The following screen shows various statistics of the Data transmitting and receiving status. You can click the Clear button to reset statistics counter. Site Survey The screen shows all the information of Access Point and the Ad-Hoc wireless stations round your NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor. The information of the Site Survey includes BSSID, SSID, Signal, Channel used, Encryption status and the operating type mode. Double-click the BSSID to choose the SSID that you want to
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Encryption This function is used to protect wireless communication from eavesdropping. A secondary function of WEP is to prevent unauthorized access to a wireless network, and it can be achieved by using the Encryption function. Encryption Type: The Encryption has two types, 64-bit and 128-bit. Select the level of encryption that you wish to use. WEP Key #1 ~ #4: Type into these fields the encryption (decryption) key that you want to use. You may enter up to four keys (Key #1 to Key #4) for use
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Authentication Type: Open System: This system is the most popular. Open systems do not perform any checks on a workstation before allowing it to attempt an association on the wireless network. Put simply, each time a workstation ask "will you authenticate me?", it will be answered with "Yes". However, after the workstation is associated, all the data transferred would be encrypted if WEP was required in the WLAN. If WEP was not being used, the data frames would all be sent unencrypted. This do
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Advanced The Advanced screen shows the advanced settings of the Wireless LAN Card Utility, and it includes Preamble Type, Fragmentation Threshold, and RTS / CTS Threshold. Preamble Type: The preamble is to limit the packet size of the data transmitted. It is recommended that the short preamble is selected when the link quality is bad, thereby preventing wasted time when resending any lost packets. The default setting is Auto. Fragmentation Threshold: This option controls the way the transmitting
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802.11 Power Save: Enable this option to reduce the power of the NetComm NP7042 - Wireless LAN USB Adaptor. Click on Submit button to save all the settings. Profile The Profile screen shows the existing profile information. You can create your profile name, just click the New button and type the profile that you want to use; otherwise, it will be set to default. After changing the settings on the Monitor, an "*" sign will appear by the current profile name to indicate that changes have occured.
