User manual LINKSYS WPC54A

[. . . ] Instant WirelessTM Series Wireless PC Card Use this Guide to install: WPC54A User Guide COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS Copyright © 2002 Linksys, All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective proprietors. LIMITED WARRANTY Linksys guarantees that every Wireless PC Card is free from physical defects in material and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase, when used within the limits set forth in the Specifications chapter of this User Guide. [. . . ] If the Network PC Card does not function after attempting the above steps, remove the card and do the following: · Uninstall the driver software from your PC. · Restart your PC and repeat the hardware and software installation as specified in this User Guide. I cannot communicate with the other computers linked via the Ethernet in the Infrastructure configuration. · Make sure that your Wireless PC Card is configured on the same channel and with the same security options as the other computers in the Infrastructure configuration. Figure 7-9 26 27 Instant WirelessTM Series Frequently Asked Questions Can I run an application from a remote computer over the wireless network?This will depend on whether or not the application is designed to be used over a network. Consult the application's user guide to determine if it supports operation over a network. Yes, as long as the game supports multiple players over a LAN (local area network). The IEEE 802. 11a Wireless LAN standards subcommittee, which is formulating a standard for the industry. The objective is to enable wireless LAN hardware from different manufacturers to communicate. The product supports the following IEEE 802. 11a functions: · OFDM protocol · Multi-Channel Roaming · Automatic Rate Selection · RTS/CTS feature · Fragmentation What is Ad-hoc?An Ad-hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with a WLAN adapter, connected as an independent wireless LAN. Ad-hoc wireless LAN is applicable at a departmental scale for a branch or SOHO operation. An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration. Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access to a central database, or wireless application for mobile workers. Roaming is the ability of a portable computer user to communicate continuously while moving freely throughout an area greater than that covered by a single Access Point. Before using the roaming function, the workstation must make sure that it is the same channel number with the Access Point of dedicated coverage area. Wireless PC Card To achieve true seamless connectivity, the wireless LAN must incorporate a number of different functions. Each node and Access Point, for example, must always acknowledge receipt of each message. Each node must maintain contact with the wireless network even when not actually transmitting data. Achieving these functions simultaneously requires a dynamic RF networking technology that links Access Points and nodes. In such a system, the user's end node undertakes a search for the best possible access to the system. First, it evaluates such factors as signal strength and quality, as well as the message load currently being carried by each Access Point and the distance of each Access Point to the wired backbone. Based on that information, the node next selects the right Access Point and registers its address. [. . . ] It is designed to trade off bandwidth efficiency for reliability, integrity, and security. In other words, more bandwidth is consumed than in the case of narrowband transmission, but the trade off produces a signal that is, in effect, louder and thus easier to detect, provided that the receiver knows the parameters of the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not tuned to the right frequency, a spread-spectrum signal looks like background noise. There are two main alternatives, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). [. . . ]