[hogggy]

I have installed a Senao cd plus ext2 wireless PCMCIA card that unfortunately came without an installation CD. I downloaded and installed the drivers, and the Device Manager shows that the card is working.

However, without the CD, I am unable to launch the Client Utility that would let me specify SSID, Channel, IP Addresses, etc. and of course I am unable to make a connection. (Card is configured for channel 12 instead of 11). Is there a way to accomplish this without the cd?

[Northwind_Dagas]

Windows XP has built in capabilities to handle those settings.

According to the manual, the driver for this card should include the utility. Are you sure you have the right driver? I found this page with the driver, as well as the user manual: http://www.engeniustech.com/datacom/...ls.aspx?id=150

[hogggy]

I understand Windows XP has built in capabilities to handle these settings and a client utility should not be necessary. But I have been unable to bring up anything that permits me to manual insert settings such as SSID, IP Addresses, etc. I downloaded drivers from the site you posted and installed them but the result was the same.

Thanks for the information.

[Northwind_Dagas]

Sorry for the confusion. To configure IP address, go to Network Connections, right-click on the wireless network adapter, then select properties. Double click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). However, this is usually not necessary as most wireless routers issue an IP address. Also, same goes for the SSID and channel--those are configured on the router.

[hogggy]

Sorry for the confusion. To configure IP address, go to Network Connections, right-click on the wireless network adapter, then select properties. Double click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). However, this is usually not necessary as most wireless routers issue an IP address. Also, same goes for the SSID and channel--those are configured on the router.

I think I'm getting closer to the actual problem but not the solution. When I bring up the wireless network connection box and click on the "configure" button to configure my specific adapter, the next box, which is the "Network Adapter PC Card Properties" box, says the card is working properly. However, when I click the "Advanced" tab, which is supposed to be the location for entering the SSID, "Infrastructure Mode", etc, there is not any place to make these inputs.

And my configuration process comes to a blind end. I appreciate your help so far and hope you can indulge me a bit more. Thank you.

[Northwind_Dagas]

Okay, I think I understand what you are doing. Instead of clicking on Configure, you need to select the Wireless Networks tab at the top of the Wireless Network Connection box. THIS is where you configure connections.

[hogggy]

Okay, I think I understand what you are doing. Instead of clicking on Configure, you need to select the Wireless Networks tab at the top of the Wireless Network Connection box. THIS is where you configure connections.

Well, I selected "Wireless Networks" and it brought up the PROPERTIES for the Wireless System I'm trying to connect to. The SSID is showing, although it is greyed out, and Network Authentication is showing as "OPEN" and Data Encryption is "DISABLED". The next tab, "AUTHENTICATION" is not functional because encryption is not enabled. The next tab, "ADVANCED" has an unchecked box for "INTERNET CONNECTION SHARING". The connection is also firewalled.

So it appears that the SSID is selected, IP Address is selected to obtain automatically, but I have a status icon in the SYSTRAY that is red and it shows the channel selected as channel 12. I think the solution may hinge on the ability to change this to channel 11 but I can't find a way to change it. If I were to put the card into another laptop, I don't suppose any changes I made there would stay when I re-inserted it to the laptop I'm working on?

I also have an internal wireless card and when I bring up the wireless network connection properties box, and select the "CONFIGURE" tab next to the adapter name, it brings up "Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter Properties" box. By selecting "ADVANCED" here, it brings up PROPERTY panel, and one of the items listed is IBSS Channel Number. This can be highlighted and permits me to change the channel number. For some reason, this item is not listed when I go through the same process for my IEEE 802.11b WLan Adapter Card.

I know this is getting complicated and long winded. Thanks for staying with me on this.

[Northwind_Dagas]

The channel is a function of the network you are trying to connect too, not a setting on the card. Now, I'm not sure of where you are, but channel 12 is not used in the US (I believe it's not approved by the FCC) but is IS used outside the US. Wireless network cards sold in the US do not support channel 12. This may be where the problem lies. If the router/access point is set to channel 12, and the network card doesn't support it, you won't be able to connect. Do you have the ability to make changes to the router/access point configuration?

[hogggy]

The channel is a function of the network you are trying to connect too, not a setting on the card. Now, I'm not sure of where you are, but channel 12 is not used in the US (I believe it's not approved by the FCC) but is IS used outside the US. Wireless network cards sold in the US do not support channel 12. This may be where the problem lies. If the router/access point is set to channel 12, and the network card doesn't support it, you won't be able to connect. Do you have the ability to make changes to the router/access point configuration?

I'm in Texas in an RV Park and the wireless network I am trying to connect to is on Channel 11. I can access the wireless system through my internal card which is showing channel 11 but the signal is very weak. The router/access point is a function of the RV Park wireless system but it is set to channel 11.

So why the PCMCIA WLAN card is showing Channel 12 is beyond me.