XH8135

DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

Installation Guide
V1.0 – Last Updated on 15/08/03 by David Chanson – © Copyright 2003- DSE(NZ)Ltd
 Co p yr i gh t

Copyright 2003 by DSE(NZ)Ltd - all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any
language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
DSE(NZ)Ltd.

Di s c l a i m e r

DSE(NZ)Ltd makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect

to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for
any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should
the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not DSE(NZ)Ltd, its
distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any
incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further,
DSE(NZ)Ltd reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time
in the contents hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.

All brand and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.

W a r n i ng

This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference
in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

1
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 PACKAGE CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... 3
1.2 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................. 3
2 FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS ...................................................................................... 4

3 HARDWARE INSTALLATION ........................................................................................... 5

3.1 IMPORTANT ANTISTATIC PRECAUTIONS ........................................................................... 5
3.2 PCI CARD INSTALLATION ................................................................................................ 6
4 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ............................................................................................ 7
4.1 W INDOWS 98SE DRIVER INSTALLATION ......................................................................... 7
4.2 W INDOWS 2000 DRIVER INSTALLATION ........................................................................ 10
4.3 W INDOWS XP DRIVER INSTALLATION ........................................................................... 13
4.4 LINUX DRIVER INSTALLATION ........................................................................................ 16
5 USING THE CONFIGURATION UTILITY ........................................................................ 17
5.1 PROFILE ...................................................................................................................... 18
5.1.1 System Configuration ......................................................................................... 18
5.1.2 Authentication & Security ................................................................................... 20
5.2 LINK STATUS ............................................................................................................... 23
5.3 SITE SURVEY............................................................................................................... 24
5.4 STATISTICS ................................................................................................................. 25
5.5 ABOUT ........................................................................................................................ 26
6 SUPPORT......................................................................................................................... 27

7 WARRANTY ..................................................................................................................... 27

8 GLOSSARY OF TERMS .................................................................................................. 28

2
1 Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the DSE WLAN IEEE 802.11b PCI Card. It provides an easy way to
add wireless functionality to your desktop PC without clustering your desk. It’s a cost effective,
easy to install solution to set up a wireless network for sharing Internet access, files, music,
printers and a whole lot more. It is fully interoperable with other WiFi certified 802.11b products
for complete compatibility. Featuring an industry standard R-SMA connector, the supplied
antenna simply unscrews allowing you to add a Wireless Booster or higher gain antenna. This
leads to greater range and/or a more pinpointed coverage to ensure the signal reaches only
those who need it.

1.1 Package Contents

Carefully unpack and remove the contents. If any of the following items are missing or damaged,
contact the Dick Smith Electronics store you purchased the device from.

• 1 x XH8135 DSE WLAN 802.11b PCI Card

• Installation CD

• This installation guide

1.2 Minimum System Requirements

• Pentium class computer, 90 MHz or higher

• Microsoft Windows 98SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Linux Kernel
2.4.19+

• Available PCI slot

3
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

2 Features & Specifications

• IEEE 80211 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum(DSSS) high rate compatible

• Auto fallback data rate under noisy environment

• Supports 64/128 Bit WEP encryption for security

• Power saving mode in infrastructure mode to minimize power consumption when

needed

• Detachable and reversible dipole antenna

• Supports PCI V.2.2 standard

• Easy-to-Use Graphical Configuration utility saves detailed connectivity profiles for

frequently accessed networks

• Radio: Complies with IEEE 802.11b

• Frequency Band: 2400~2483.5MHz (for US, Canada, and ETSI), 2400~2497MHz (for
Japan)

• Modulation Type: CCK, BPSK, QPSK

• Operating Channels: IEEE 802.11b compliant, 11 channels (US, Canada), 13

channels (ETSI), 14 channels (Japan)

• Radio Technology: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum

• Data Rate: up to 1 / 2 / 5.5 / 11 Mbps

• Receive sensitivity: Min. -80dBm for 11Mbps (@BER 10E-5), Min. -82dBm for
5.5/2/1 Mbps (@BER 10E-5)

• Output Power: > +15dBm

• Typical Operating Ranges: 30M@11Mbps / 50M@5.5Mbps / 100M@2Mbps /

120M@1Mbps

• Antenna Type: Detachable and reversible dipole 3dBi antenna with SMA connector

• Current Consumption: Universal bus, Tx mode 350 mA (Max.), Rx mode 150 mA

(Max.)

• Bus Type: 32bit PCI 2.2

4
3 Hardware installation

The following section outlines the steps you will need to take to install the card.

Important Note: Before you install the card, you must install the drivers first, please go to
section 4 and come back to this section when it is time to insert the card into the PCI slot.

3.1 Important Antistatic Precautions

This card is a highly complicated computer peripheral. Please familiarise yourself with the
following important Antistatic handling precautions.
CAUTION: Static electricity can permanently damage electronic
components in the computer. Prevent electrostatic damage to the
system by following static electricity precautions every time you
open the computer case. The use of an antistatic wrist strap is
highly recommended and may significantly reduce the risk of static
damage. A suitable antistatic strap is available from your nearest
Dick Smith Electronics store. If an antistatic strap is not available, at
least earth yourself by touching the metal computer chassis while
handing the card outside of it's protective packaging. Wherever
possible, do not touch the copper tracks and or other components
on the card. Carefully follow these static electricity precautions:
Avoid static-causing surfaces such as plastic and packing
foam in your work area.
Remove parts from their antistatic bags and or packaging
only when you are ready to use them.
Do not lay parts on the outside of antistatic bags because
only the inside provides antistatic protection.
Always hold expansion cards by their edges and their
metal mounting bracket.
Avoid touching components on the cards and the edge connectors that connect to
expansion slots.
Never slide cards or other parts over any surface.

WARNING - Damage to computer components (or the system itself) due to improper
antistatic handling precautions is not covered by warranty.

5
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

3.2 PCI card installation

Important Note: Please make sure that you have installed the drivers as explained in section 4
before plugging the card into the PCI slot.

If this is the first time you have installed a computer card, please take the time to carefully
familiarise yourself with these important procedures BEFORE you commence.
1. Shut down your computer and switch the power off.
2. Unplug the power cord for your computer from the electrical outlet.
3. Remove the cover from your systems chassis (see your PC manufacturer’s manual).

4. Unscrew the “Retaining Screw” and remove and discard the “Expansion Slot Cover” from
any unused PCI slot (PCI slots are usually white in colour).
5. Gently and evenly insert the card into your empty PCI slot.

6. Make sure the card is firmly seated, and then secure the card with the “Retaining
Screw”
7. Replace the cover of your computer system.
8. Connect the necessary cables (antenna, video, audio, etc…) to the card.
9. Restart your computer.

6
4 Software installation

This section contains the installation procedures for various operating systems. Please note that
the screenshots may be different to what you will see on your screen.

4.1 Windows 98SE Driver Installation

Important Note: Please make sure that you have installed the drivers as explained in this
section before plugging the card into the PCI slot.

1. Insert the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. The installation screen should appear
automatically. If it doesn’t, double-click on the file Setup.exe located on the CD. Click
on Install Windows Drivers.

2. Click Next.

7
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

3. Click Yes.

4. You will be asked to restart your PC. Click Finish and the PC will restart.

5. Turn off your PC and insert the card into a free PCI slot. See section 3 on how to install
the PCI card.

6. Once the PC has rebooted, you may be asked to insert your Windows 98 CD.

7. Windows will install the necessary files and will ask you to reboot.

8
8. Once the PC has rebooted, click OK when the following screen appears.

9. If you do not have a DHCP server that allocates IP addresses automatically, make sure
that the IP address of your PC is set to be on the same sub-net as your current wireless
network.

9
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

4.2 Windows 2000 Driver Installation

Important Note: Please make sure that you have installed the drivers as explained in this
section before plugging the card into the PCI slot.

1. Insert the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. The installation screen should appear
automatically. If it doesn’t, double-click on the file Setup.exe located on the CD. Click
on Install Windows Drivers.

2. Click Next.

10
3. Click Yes.

4. Click Finish.

5. Turn off your PC and insert the card into a free PCI slot. See section 3 on how to install
the PCI card.

11
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

6. Once the PC has rebooted, click OK when the following screen appears. Click Yes.

7. Then click OK.

8. If you do not have a DHCP server that allocates IP addresses automatically, make sure
that the IP address of your PC is set to be on the same sub-net as your current wireless
network.

12
4.3 Windows XP Driver Installation

Important Note: Please make sure that you have installed the drivers as explained in this
section before plugging the card into the PCI slot.

1. Insert the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. The installation screen should appear
automatically. If it doesn’t, double-click on the file Setup.exe located on the CD. Click
on Install Windows Drivers.

2. Click Next.

13
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

3. Click Yes.

4. Click Finish.

5. Turn off your PC and insert the card into a free PCI slot. See section 3 on how to install
the PCI card.

14
6. Once the PC has rebooted, the following screen will appear. Click Next to install the
software automatically.

7. Click Continue Anyway.

15
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

8. Then click OK.

9. Click Finish.

10. If you do not have a DHCP server that allocates IP addresses automatically, make sure
that the IP address of your PC is set to be on the same sub-net as your current wireless
network.

4.4 Linux Driver Installation

The drivers and instructions for Linux can be found in D:\drivers\linux folder (where D is the letter
of your CD-ROM drive).

16
5 Using the Configuration Utility

The Configuration Utility is provided to allow you to further customize the WLAN Card and your
wireless network.

After the Configuration Utility has been installed, an icon will be placed in the system tray when
the WLAN Card is inserted.

The utility has five tabs: Profile, Link Status, Site Survey, Statistics, and About.

Important Note: You should change all your configuration settings for your WLAN Card using
this utility and not the Network Properties section in Control Panel. Use the Network properties to
set the IP address of your PC.

17
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

5.1 Profile

This screen allows you to add, delete, edit and activate profiles. It shows the network profile
settings used in various locations, such as your office, your home, the factory, or the airport. In
each profile, you can specify a network type, network name, WEP and security setting
parameters required for that operating location.

The Edit Profile screen appears when you click on ADD or EDIT. There are two tabs: System
Configuration and Authentication & Security.

5.1.1 System Configuration

Several WLAN settings can be changed here.

Profile Name: The name of the profile.

SSID: All wireless devices within the ESS or extended wireless LAN use the SSID. This can be
any alphanumeric value of up to 32 characters long. Use this to prevent cross communication
between two or more WLAN in one area. The SSID should be changed in order to provide some
minimum security.

Power Save Mode

CAM: CAM (Constant Awake Mode) is the normal mode for desktop machines or other
machines where power consumption is not an issue. It keeps the radio powered up
continuously, so there is little latency for responding to messages.

Max_PSP: Maximum Power Save.

Fast_PSP: Fast Awake.

Network Type: Can be set to Ad Hoc or Infrastructure.

Ad Hoc: An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adaptors,
connected as an independent wireless LAN.

Infrastructure: An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration.

18
Transmit rate: By default, the unit adaptively selects the highest possible rate for transmission.
Select the basic rates to be used among the following options: Auto, 1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps. For
most networks, the default setting Auto will be the best choice. When Auto (Rate Fall Back) is
enabled the transmission rate will select the optimum rate. If obstacles or interference are
present, the system will automatically fall back to a lower rate.

Use Short Preamble: Preamble is the first sub-field of PPDU, which is the appropriate frame
format for transmission to PHY (Physical layer). There are two options, Short Preamble and
Long Preamble. The Short Preamble option improves throughput performance.

RTS Threshold: The RTS Threshold sets an upper threshold at which point the device will
issue an RTS packet. The RTS (Request To Send) packet is used for the purpose of avoiding
data collisions on the wireless LAN. There are several trade offs to consider when setting this
parameter. Setting this parameter to a small value causes RTS packets to be sent more often,
consuming more of the available bandwidth, therefore reducing the apparent throughput of
other network packets. However, the more often RTS packets are sent, the quicker the system
can recover from interference or collisions. Refer to the IEEE 802.11 Standard for more
information on the RTS/CTS mechanism.

Fragment Threshold: Fragment Threshold defines a threshold above which the wireless
packet will be split up or fragmented. For a fragmented packet, if transmission of part of it were
to be interfered with, only the portion that was unsuccessfully transmitted would need to be
resent. Throughput will generally be lower for fragmented packets, since the fixed packet
overhead consumes a higher portion of the RF bandwidth.

19
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

5.1.2 Authentication & Security

Security settings can be changed here.

NOTE: Before you can set WEP from the configuration utility in Windows XP, you need to tell
Windows XP not to configure the wireless network settings for you. You can do that by clicking
on Start, then Control Panels, double-click on the Network Connections icon and
double-click on the Wireless Network Connection icon. Click on the Properties button and
select the Wireless Networks tab. Then remove the tick associated with Use Windows to
configure my wireless network settings as shown below and click OK. You can then go back
to the configuration utility and set WEP.

Encryption: A way of coding the information in a file or e-mail message so that if it is intercepted
by a third party as it travels over a network it cannot be read. Only the person or persons who
have the right type of decoding software can unscramble the message.

WEP: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is an optional feature of the IEEE 802.11 standard that is
used to provide data confidentiality and is equivalent to that of a wired LAN that does not use
crypto techniques to improve security.

By default, WEP is disabled. We strongly recommend that you do not enable WEP while you
install the WLAN adaptors. When you have your WLAN working well without WEP, you can then
enable WEP.

20
You can change several settings when WEP is enabled.

Authentication Type: you can choose between Open System and Shared Key.

Open System: the default setting. It is when the sender and the recipient do not share a secret
key. Each party generates its own key-pair and asks the receiver to accept the (usually
randomly) generated key. Once accepted, this key is used for a short time only, then a new key
is generated and agreed upon. With this setting any station in the Wireless LAN can associate
with an Access Point to receive and to transmit data.

Shared Key: when both the sender and recipient share a secret key. Both units use this key for
an extended length of time, sometimes indefinitely. Any eavesdropper that discovers the key
may decipher all packets until the key is changed.
WEP Key type: Can be Hexadecimal (default type) or ASCII.

WEP Key length: Can be 64 or 128-bits. 64-Bit WEP uses a 10-digit key and a 128-Bit WEP
uses a 26-digit key.

Key 1 - Key 4: These four fields can be used to manually enter 4 encryption keys.

21
XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

22
5.2 Link Status
This screen shows the status of the WLAN connection. It displays the status, current channel,
current Tx rate, throughput, link quality and signal strength.

23
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

5.3 Site Survey

This screen shows the networks or access points you can connect to. It displays the SSID,
BSSID, signal strength, channel, encryption and network type.

24
5.4 Statistics

This screen shows network frames statistics.

25
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

5.5 About

This screen shows configuration utility and driver information in addition to the Mac Address of
the adaptor.

26
6 Support

Should you encounter problems with the installation of this device, please follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have installed the drivers before inserting the PCI card.

2. Check that the card is inserted properly in the PCI slot.

3. Try another PCI slot.

4. Disable WEP while installing and setting up the adaptor.

5. Make sure your computer has an IP address that is on the same subnet as your current
wireless network.

6. Contact the DSE Support Team

DSE support operates during normal business hours.
– Phone: 09-414-2836
– email: support@dse.co.nz
– or call into your nearest Dick Smith Electronics store

Note: Consumers are advised not to rely on our ability to provide support for Open Source,
GNU, Freeware or Shareware software, as this software is often under continual development.
We will however help where we can which may be limited to providing web links only. Windows
software that does not fall into the categories above is supported.

Please visit our website http://www.dse.co.nz from time to time as the most up-to-date drivers
and manuals will be posted there.

7 Warranty
This device is supplied with a 12-month, non-transferable end user warranty. In the unlikely
event that this device should fail within the warranty period, please return it, along with your
purchase receipt, to your nearest Dick Smith Electronics store.

Please Note:
Damage due to misuse, abuse or electromagnetic discharge (including, but not limited to
lightning, etc) is not covered by warranty.

27
 XH8135 – DSE PCI Card WLAN 802.11b

8 Glossary of terms
Access Point: An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless
networks together.

Ad-Hoc: An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers each with wireless adaptors,
connected as an independent wireless LAN.

Bit: A binary digit. The value - 0 or 1 used in the binary numbering system. Also, the smallest
form of data.

Backbone: The core infrastructure of a network, the portion of the network that transports
information from one central location to another central location. The information is then
off-loaded onto a local system.

BSS: Stands for Basic Service Set. An Access Point associated with several stations.

Domain: A subnetwork comprised of a group of clients and servers under the control of one
security database. Dividing LANs into domains improves performance and security.

DSSS: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum is very widely known and the most used of the
spread spectrum types, owing most of its popularity to its ease of implementation and high data
rates.

Encryption: A security method that applies a specific algorithm to data in order to alter the
data’s appearance and prevent other devices from reading the information.

ESS: Stands for Extended Service Set. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended
Service Set. An ESS is basically a roaming domain.

Ethernet: A popular local area data communications network, originally developed by Xerox
Corp., which accepts transmission from computers and terminals. Ethernet operates on 10
Mbps baseband transmission over shielded coaxial cable or over shielded twisted pair
telephone wire.

Fragmentation: Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a network medium
that cannot support the original size of the packet.

Infrastructure: An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration.

IRQ: Interrupt ReQuest, A hardware interrupt on a PC. There are 16 IRQ lines used to signal the
CPU that a peripheral event has started or terminated. In most cases, two devices cannot use
the same line.

Roaming: A function that allow one to travel with a mobile end system (wireless LAN mobile
station, for example) through the territory of domain (an ESS, for example) while continuously
connecting to the infrastructure.

RTS: Request to Send, An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station to the receiving
station requesting permission to transmit.

Throughput: The amount of data moved successfully from one place to another in a given time
period.

Tx Rate: Transmission Rate.

WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy. A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit or 128-bit shared
key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.

28