User Guide

Connecting to a Basic Network or Creating an Ad Hoc Network Using Windows WZC: Dell Wireless WLAN Card User Guide

  Overview

  Connecting to a Basic Network

  Creating an Ad Hoc Network

  Choosing Which Types of Networks to Access

Overview

Windows Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) Service is the native Windows XP tool for connecting to a basic network or creating an ad hoc network. Windows 2000 users must use the Wireless Network Wizard or the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility.

For the purposes of this user guide, a basic wireless network is defined as follows:

1. An infrastructure network that has any of the following security settings:
   • WPA-Personal (PSK) authentication
   • WEP (open or shared authentication)
   • None (no authentication)
2. An ad hoc network that has either WEP security settings or no security settings.

   NOTE: See 'IBSS Allowed," "IBSS 54g(tm) Protection Mode," and "IBSS Mode," and "WZC IBSS Channel Number" in "Setting Advanced Properties" for more information about ad hoc networks.

An advanced network is an infrastructure network that uses some form of EAP authentication. To connect to an advanced infrastructure network, see "Connecting to an Advanced Network Using the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility" or "Connecting to an Advanced Network Using Windows WZC."

To connect to a network or to create an ad hoc network, you must first create a network connection profile. The profile comprises the network name and the network security settings required (if any) by the network.

When you create a connection profile for an infrastructure network, your computer adds the profile to the top of the Preferred networks list and automatically attempts to connect to the network using that profile. If the network is in range, the connection is made. If the network is out of range, the profile is still added to the top of the list, but your computer uses the next profile in the list to attempt a connection until it finds a listed network that is in range. Later, you can control which type of profiles are listed by changing the network access settings (see "Choosing Which Types of Networks to Access").

You can arrange the profiles in the order you prefer by moving any connection profile up or down in the list. By default, infrastructure networks are preferred over ad hoc networks. Therefore, if you have created connection profiles for one or more infrastructure networks, the connection profile for an ad hoc network is listed below the connection profiles for the infrastructure networks. A connection profile for an ad hoc network cannot be moved above a profile for an infrastructure network in the list. Therefore, to access the ad hoc network, you must change the access setting.

Connecting to a Basic Network

Before you proceed, be sure you have reviewed "Before You Begin" in "Introduction."

Connecting to a Network That Has No Security Settings

1. Open Network Connections in Control Panel.
2. Right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties. On the Wireless Networks tab, verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected. If it is not, click to select the check box.
3. Click Add.
4. Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
5. Click Open in the Network Authentication list.
6. Click Disabled in the Data encryption list.
7. Click OK.

   NOTES: To automatically connect to your network when it is in range, select the Connect when this network is in range check box on the Connection tab. If the connection profile you are creating is for an ad hoc network, select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network: wireless access points are not used check box before clicking OK.

8. On the Wireless Networks tab, click OK.

Connecting to a Network That Has Security Settings

1. Open Network Connections in Control Panel.
2. Right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. On the Wireless Networks tab, verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected. If it is not, click to select the check box.
4. Click Add.
5. Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
6. Click either Open or WPA-PSK in the Network Authentication list, as appropriate for your network.
7. For open authentication, click WEP in the Data encryption list.

   NOTE: For WEP encryption, you must clear the The key is provided for me automatically check box before you type the network key.

   –or–

   For WPA-PSK authentication, click either TKIP or AES in the Data encryption list, as appropriate for your network.

8. Type the network key in the Network key box and again in the Confirm network key box.

   NOTE: For WEP encryption, the network key must be either exactly five or exactly 13 characters long, or exactly 10 or exactly 26 characters long using the numbers 0-9 and the letters a-f (letters can be uppercase or lowercase). For TKIP or AES encryption, the network key must be from eight to 26 characters long or 64 characters long using the numbers 0-9 and the letters a-f (letters can be uppercase or lowercase). The network key must exactly match the network key of the access point or ad hoc network.

9. Click OK.

   NOTE: If the connection profile you are creating is for an ad hoc network, select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network: wireless access points are not used check box before clicking OK.

10. On the Wireless Networks tab, click OK.

Creating an Ad Hoc Network

1. Open Network Connections in Control Panel.
2. Right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. On the Wireless Networks tab, verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected. If it is not, click to select the check box.
4. Click Add.
5. Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
6. Select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used check box.
7. Click Open in the Network Authentication list.
8. To create an ad hoc network with no security settings, click Disabled in the Data encryption list.

   –or–

   To create an ad hoc network that has WEP encryption, clear the The key is provided for me automatically check box, click WEP in the Data encryption list, and then type the network key in the Network key box and again in the Confirm network key box.

   NOTE: The network key must be either exactly five or exactly 13 characters long, or exactly 10 or exactly 26 characters long using the numbers 0-9 and the letters a-f (letters can be uppercase or lowercase).

9. Click OK.
10. On the Wireless Networks tab, click OK.

Choosing Which Types of Networks to Access

1. Open Network Connections in Control Panel.
2. Right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. On the Wireless Networks tab, click Advanced.
4. Under Networks to access, click the option you prefer, and then click Close.
5. On the Wireless Networks tab, click OK.

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