Chapter Basic Setup, Verifying System Requirements | NETGEAR WPN111

Chapter 3

Basic Setup

This chapter describes how to install your NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter WPN111 and set up basic wireless connectivity on your Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Advanced wireless network configuration is covered in Chapter 4, “Configuration” in this manual.

Note: Indoors, computers can easily connect to 802.11 wireless networks at distances of several hundred feet. Because walls do not always block wireless signals, others outside your immediate area could access your network. It is important to take appropriate steps to secure your network from unauthorized access. The NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter WPN111 provides highly effective security features which are covered in “Enabling Wireless Security Features” on page 4-7in this manual. Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.

What You Need Before You Begin

You need to verify your computer meets the minimum system requirements and identify the wireless network configuration settings of the WLAN where you will connect before you can configure your wireless USB adapter and connect.

Verifying System Requirements

Before installing the NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter WPN111, please make sure that these minimum requirements have been met:

•You must have a PC with a Pentium® 300 MHz or higher compatible processor with an available USB 2.0 or 1.1 port.

Note: If you do not have a USB 2.0 port on your PC, the throughput of the WPN111 will be limited to the 14 Mbps of the USB 1.1 standard.

•A CD-ROM drive.

•5 Mbytes of free hard disk space.

B a sic S e tu p

3 -1

202-10076-01

Image 17

NETGEAR WPN111 user manual Chapter Basic Setup, What You Need Before You Begin, Verifying System Requirements

Contents

NETGEAR, I n c Technical Support FCC Information to User Ta n d a rd s Teste d to C om p ly Contents Troubleshooting Index Viii Audience, Scope, Conventions Chapter About This Manual How to Print this Manual About the WPN111 Key FeaturesChapter Introduction What’s in the Box? Road Map for ‘How to Get There From Here’ Wire le ss On n e ct to a E n tify th e Wire le ss n e tworkWire le ss n etwork To le a rn a b ou t wire le ss Ve rify m y n e twork Ca b le or D S L se rvice Twork Ctiva te m yCon n e ction Rovid e rs For you r ve rsion of W in d ows Rowse r su ch a s Twork Con n e ct to th e wire le ss Wire d n etwork Wire le ss a n dE P C I a m u sin g to Igh b orh ood Com b in e d Wire le ss a n d Com p u te r su p p ort grou p sTwork n e e d s to b e D P rin t S h a rin g Verifying System Requirements Chapter Basic SetupWhat You Need Before You Begin Observing Location and Range Guidelines Two Basic Operating Modes Basic Installation Instructions WPN111 Default Wireless Configuration Settings Sta llS h ie ld W iza rd For Windows XP Users Installing a WPN111Click Install Driver and Utility Ort, you V1 typ eIs 1 4 M b p s wh e re a s th e With a W in d ows X P L ogo te stin g Ste p s, click th e H e lp b u tton in th e W P N 1 1 Th e se 202-10076-01 N 1 1 1 R e sou rce C D Sta llS h ie ld W iza rd For Windows 2000 Users Installing a WPN111 Ort is 4 8 0 M b p s N 1 1 1 S yste m Tra y I con Ou n d N e w H a rd wa re W iza rdSp e e d is 1 Tility Or re se t WPN111 Wireless Connection IndicatorsInterpreting the LED on the WPN111 Interpreting System Tray Icon Colors Using Configuration Profiles Chapter ConfigurationUnderstanding the Configuration Options Run the WPN111 Configuration Utility Connecting to an Access Point in Infrastructure ModeHow to Configure an Infrastructure Mode Profile Save your settings in a Profile Configure the wireless Network settings Verify wireless connectivity to your network Connecting to Another PC in Ad-hoc ModeHow to Configure an Ad-hoc Mode Profile Windows Run program dialog box Configure the PC network settings Ping test results How to Start a Computer-to-Computer Ad-Hoc Network Enabling Wireless Security Features Configure the Security settings How to Configure WEP Encryption Security How to Configure WPA-PSK Encryption Security Advanced Security Statistics Advanced Settings Advanced Settings 202-10076-01 Basic Tips Chapter Troubleshooting General Questions Frequently Asked Questions New Hardware Wizard appears after installation has completed Rou b le s h ootin g Appendix a Technical Specifications Ch n ica l S p e cifica tion s Infrastructure Mode Appendix B Wireless Networking BasicsWireless Networking Overview Wireless Channels Ad Hoc Mode Peer-to-Peer WorkgroupNetwork Name Extended Service Set Identification Essid 802.11b/g Wireless Channels For U S Re qu e n cy G H z 5 5 2 5 5 2For C a n a d a W for E u rop e WPN111 user can use thirteen channels in non-turbomode 160 Wireless Security Overview152 WEP Overview WEP Authentication802.1x Cisco Leap Authentication Open System Steps Bit WEP WEP Keys WEP Key Configuration How to Use WEP Parameters 802.1x Port Based Network Access Control Figure B-4 802.1x authentication WPA Wireless Security How Does WPA Compare to WEP? How Does WPA Compare to Ieee 802.11i? What are the Key Features of WPA Security? Figure B-5 WPA Overview Figure B-6 WPA/802.1x Authentication Sequence 202-10076-01 Michael WPA Data Encryption Key ManagementTemporal Key Integrity Protocol Tkip AES Support Is WPA Perfect?Product Support for WPA Wireless network adapters Wireless client programs 202-10076-01 Configuring Windows 98 and Me for TCP/IP Networking Appendix C Preparing Your PCs for Network AccessInstall or Verify Windows Networking Components Preparing Your Computers for TCP/IP Networking Re p a rin g Y ou r P C s for N e twork a cce ss Locate your Network Neighborhood icon Choose Settings, and then Control PanelEnabling Dhcp in Windows 98 and Me Primary Network Logon is set to Windows logon Verifying TCP/IP Properties Selecting Windows’ Internet Access Method Configuring Windows 2000 or XP for TCP/IP Networking Dhcp Configuration of TCP/IP in Windows XP Dhcp Configuration of TCP/IP in Windows XP or TCP/IP details are presented on Support tab Verify that Obtain an IP address Dhcp Configuration of TCP/IP in Windows Obtain an IP address automatically is selected Verifying TCP/IP Properties for Windows XP or 202-10076-01 Glossary DSL Internet service provider Ssid Wins 202-10076-01 Numerics Index