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Wireless USB Adapter

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Click here to get the User Guide
Click here to get the Quick Install
Click here to get the Drivers
Click here to get the Utility Program

Getting Started

Questions, Answers and common Troubleshooting tips for the Network Everywhere Wireless USB Adapter are shown below. Follow the checklist to make sure that your hardware is installed properly. If you have suggestions or ideas for setup tips & hints, please let us know.

General Troubleshooting Tips

Wireless LAN Monitor. If you have configured your adapter via Networking Properties, load the Wireless LAN Monitor to verify your settings. Ensure that all settings match those of other wireless points on your network.

Signal Loss. There is no way to know the exact range of your wireless network without testing. Leaded glass, metal, reinforced concrete floors and walls may inhibit the signal and reduce range. Start with your Access Point and your wireless PC or Laptop in the same room and move away in small increments to determine the maximum range in your environment.

Factory Defaults. If you want to start over and set your Wireless USB Network Adapter to the factory defaults, load the Configuration Utility and click on the Restore Defaults button.

Does my Wireless USB Network Adapter support Printer sharing? Wireless adapters perform the same function as LAN products.

Some General Questions and Facts about the Wireless USB Adapter

Q: What is an Access Point?
A: Your Access Point is a transparent Media Access Control (MAC) bridge that provides access for wireless stations to a wired local area network (LAN). With an Access Point, wireless workstations can be added quickly and easily to an existing wired network.

Q: Can my Wireless USB Network Adapter use DHCP?
A: Yes. The Wireless USB Network Adapter supports all Ethernet Protocols in accordance with IEEE 802.11b.

Q: How will I be notified of new Wireless USB Network Adapter firmware upgrades?
A: All Network Everywhere firmware upgrades are posted on this website, where they can be downloaded for free.

Q. What is WEP?
A: There are two levels of WEP Encryption - 64 and 128 bit. You may also have heard the number 40-bit used in conjunction with WEP Encryption. 40-bit WEP and 64-bit WEP are two different names for the same encryption method. This level of WEP encryption has been called 40-bit because it uses a 40-bit secret key along with a 24-bit Initialization Vector (40 + 24 = 64). Because there has been no official standardization of these terms, wireless vendors may use either name.

Q: Can I put a larger external antennae on my Wireless USB Network Adapter?
A: No. The NWU11B is a sealed unit. Any attempt to modify the device will void your warranty.

Q: I have excellent signal strength, but I cannot see my network.
A: WEP is probably enabled on your Access Point, but not on your adapter. Ensure that the same Passphrase or Key are being used on both devices.

Q: What is Infrastructure Mode?
A: An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration. Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access to central database, or wireless application for mobile workers.

Q: Can I use wireless adapters from other vendors in my wireless network?
A: Yes. Any wireless adapter that adheres to the IEEE 802.3b standard will function with your NWU11B Wireless USB Network Adapter.

Q: What is Ad Hoc Mode?
A: An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with a Wireless LAN adapter, connected as an independent wireless LAN. Ad hoc wireless LANs are applicable at a departmental scale or SOHO operation. They operate on a peer-to-peer basis.

Q: What is Roaming?
A: And how does it work? 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. In such a system, the users end node undertakes a search for the best possible access to the system. First, it evaluates such factors as signal strength and quality. Based on that information the node next selects the stongest Access Point and registers its address. Communications between end node and host computer can then be transmitted up and down the backbone. When a node no longer receives acknowledgment from its original access point, it undertakes a new search. Upon finding a new access point, it then reregisters, and the communication process continues.

Q: What is an SSID?
A: An Infrastructure configuration, which could also support roaming capability for mobile workers. More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set (ESS). Users within an ESS could Roam freely between Access Points while served as a continuous connection to the network wireless stations and Access Points within an ESS must be configured with the same ESS ID, but should have different radio channels.

Q: What is the ISM band?
A: The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S. have set aside bandwidth for unlicensed use in the so-called ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band. Spectrum in the vicinity of 2.4GHz, in particular, is being made available worldwide. This presents a truly revolutionary opportunity to place convenient high-speed wireless capabilities in the hands of users around the globe.

Q. What is the IEEE 802.11 standard?
A: The IEEE 802.11 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.

Q: Can my wireless information be intercepted?
A: Network Everywhere' wireless adapter features two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security feature of scrambling. On software side, the encryption function (WEP) may be enabled to enhance security.

Advanced Features

Fragmentation Threshold:
If you experience a high packet error rate try to slightly increase your Fragmentation Threshold. Default is set to the maximum of 2432. Setting the Fragmentation Threshold too low may result in very poor performance.

RTS Threshold:
This parameter controls what size data packet the low level RF protocol issues to an RTS packet. Default is 2346. 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.

Preamble Mode:
Default is Long. Long Preamble allows extra time for the Digital Decoder to process the packets.

Shared Key:
This is 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.

Open System (default):
Sender and 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. Even if the secret key is discovered, only a small amount of data may be decrypted.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) Troubleshooting:
Configuring WEP encryption can be confusing, especially when using multiple WLAN products from different vendors. This article will offer some simple suggestions to aid your WEP configuration. A short description of the methods of WEP Encryption will help to avoid some of this confusion.

There are two levels of WEP Encryption - 64 and 128 bit. You may also have heard the number 40-bit used in conjunction with WEP Encryption. 40-bit WEP and 64-bit WEP are two different names for the same encryption method. This level of WEP encryption has been called 40-bit because it uses a 40-bit secret key along with a 24-bit Initialization Vector (40 + 24 = 64).Because there has been no official standardization of these terms, wireless vendors may use either name. For the purposes of this document, the term 64-bit will be used to refer to this level of encryption.

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