NETGEAR WG511U user manual Two Basic Operating Modes, Observing Location and Range Guidelines

User’s Manual for the NETGEAR Double 108 Mbps Wireless PC Card 32-bit CardBus WG511U

•Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, 2000, Me, 98SE or 98

•Some versions of Windows may ask for the original Windows operating system installation files to complete the installation of the WG511U driver software.

Observing Location and Range Guidelines

Computers can connect over wireless networks indoors at a range which vary significantly based on the physical location of the computer with the NETGEAR Double 108 Mbps Wireless PC Card

32-bit CardBus WG511U. For best results, avoid potential sources of interference, such as:

•Large metal surfaces

•Microwaves

•2.4 GHz Cordless phones

In general, wireless devices can communicate through walls. However, if the walls are constructed with concrete, or have metal, or metal mesh, the effective range will decrease if such materials are between the devices.

Two Basic Operating Modes

The WG511U Wireless PC Card can operate in the following two basic modes:

•Infrastructure Mode: An 802.11 networking framework in which devices and computers communicate with each other by first going through an access point (AP). For example, this mode is used when computers in a house connect to an Access Point that is attached to a router which lets multiple computers share a single Cable or DSL broadband Internet connection.

•Ad-Hoc Mode: An 802.11 networking framework in which devices or computers communicate directly with each other, without the use of an AP. For example, Ad-Hoc Mode is used when two Windows computers are configured with file and print sharing enabled and you want to exchange files directly between them.

Both of these configuration options are available with the WG511U Wireless PC Card. Infrastructure configuration procedures for basic network connectivity are covered below. Advanced infrastructure configuration procedures and ad-hoc configuration are covered in Chapter 4, “Netgear Smart Wireless Wizard” of this manual.

3-2 Basic Setup

August 2004