Network Control Panel Applet (NCPA)

Use the Network Control Panel Applet (NCPA) to view and edit Spectrum24 Network Interface Card (NIC) settings. The NCPA displays when a NIC is installed. Access NCPA through the Windows Control Panel.

When a NIC is installed, the system displays an Easy Installation wizard allowing users to set the 802.11 ESS ID. Click the Advanced button to display the following Advanced property pages.

Mobile Unit Settings

Mobile IP Settings

Encryption (Mobile Unit Authentication Options)

WLAN Adapter (Spectrum24 Adapter Settings)


Mobile Unit Settings

Click the Mobile Unit tab in the Advanced Properties window to launch the Mobile Unit Settings property page. Use the Mobile Unit Settings property page to configure NIC network address settings and power management parameters. These values control how the NIC associates and consumes power while in MU mode.

Network Address Settings

•	The ESS ID is the 802.11 Extended Service Set Identifier. The ESS ID is a 32-character string (maximum) identifying the wireless local area network. If the ESS ID is unknown, ask the IS department for assistance. The ESS ID assigned to the NIC has to match the AP ESS ID for the NIC to communicate with the AP. Users can set this value during Easy Installation.

•	The Mandatory BSS ID is the IEEE MAC address of the AP where the NIC is required to associate. The adapter associates to this AP only when communicating on the network. Enter 00:00:00:00:00:00 to associate to an AP that has a compatible ESS ID.

Power Parameters

A Spectrum24 NIC has two primary power consumption modes, Continuous Access Mode (CAM) and Power Save Poll (PSP) mode. CAM yields the best performance but uses the most power. CAM mode is the preferred mode for systems running on AC power. PSP saves significant amounts of power over CAM. PSP is the preferred mode for systems running on battery power.

Users control the power modes in the Mobile Unit property page by adjusting the sliding scale in the Power Management field. A display below the sliding scale describes the anticipated performance of the selected power level.


Mobile IP Settings

Click the Mobile IP tab within the Advanced Properties window to view the Mobile IP property page. Use the Mobile IP property page to configure the NIC to support the roaming across routers function. Mobile IP enables an MU to communicate with other hosts using only its home IP address after changing its point-of-attachment to the internet/intranet. Mobile IP enables an MU to change its AP association without restarting applications or disrupting host communications.

To configure an MU for Mobile IP support:

•	Check the Enable Mobile IP checkbox to enable Mobile IP support.

•	Enter the Home Agent IP Address of an AP on the home subnet. This enables the MU to register with a foreign subnet AP and tell the AP where the MU home AP is located.

•	Use the Registration Timeout pull-down menu to select a timeout value. When the MU registers with a foreign subnet AP the registration is required to take place within the time specified. The default registration time is 60 seconds. If the MU does not register with the foreign subnet AP within the specified time, the foreign subnet AP removes the MU from its list of registered MUs.

•	Enter the Mobile Home MD5 Key matching the MD5 key on the AP of the home subnet. Use this password to protect the registration packets from being tampered when forwarded to the home agent AP.

•	Use the Delay Time pull-down menu to select the time an MU waits for a response from a foreign subnet AP when trying to register with that AP. An MU attempts to register with an AP three times before stopping.

Note:  In Windows CE, all of the data fields in the Mobile IP property page are grayed out and not available for configuration.


Encryption (Mobile Unit Authentication Options)

Click the Encryption tab in the Advanced Properties window to view the Encryption property page. Use the Encryption property page to configure WLAN Adapter data packet encryption settings.

Select the following encryption options from the Encryption Algorithm pull-down menu:

•	Open System - Use the Open Systems option as the default setting when no data packet encryption is needed over the network. Click OK to enable Open System encryption.

•	Shared Key - Select Shared Key to enable a 40-bit encryption shared key between the MU and the AP to encrypt and decrypt WLAN data packets. Enter four encryption keys in the fields provided in the Shared Encryption Keys field. Key values are ten characters in length and are hex digit 0-9 or A-F. Encryption key values are hidden from view. When entering a key value ***** characters appear. Select the Use Key # radio button matching the key index on the AP. Click Reset Keys to reset the key values back to the factory default keys. Shared key provides 802.11 Wired Equivalency Protection (WEP).

Note:  In Windows CE, all of the data fields in the Encryption property page are grayed out and not available for configuration.


WLAN Adapter (Spectrum24 Adapter Settings)

Click the WLAN Adapter tab within the Advanced Properties window to view the WLAN Adapter property page. Use the WLAN Adapter property page to configure hardware and radio settings.

Use the WLAN Adapter Settings property page to configure the following NIC settings:

•	Use the Card Type pull-down menu to specify the type of card in the system, PC Card or PCI Adapter.

•	Check the Diversity Antenna setting if dual antenna support is required. Diversity improves communication in highly reflective environments. Do not check diversity if a secondary antenna is not used. Using diversity without dual antennas can cause poor wireless network performance.

Note:  In Windows CE, additional Interrupt, IO Port Address and Memory Base Address fields appear in the WLAN Adapter property page. These fields require values be entered and saved for the handheld computer device to function properly.


Easy Installation

Use the Easy Installation wizard to install and configure the Spectrum24 WLAN NIC. Enter an ESS ID matching the Access Point (AP) ID in the ESS ID entry field to enable the NIC to communicate with the AP.

The ESS ID is the 802.11 Extended Service Set Identifier. The ESS ID is a 32-character string (maximum) identifying the wireless local area network. Ask the Information Services (IS) department to help identify the ESS ID if necessary. The ESS ID assigned to the NIC has to match the AP ESS ID for the NIC to communicate with the AP.

Advanced Settings

Only system administrators need to modify the advanced settings. Click the Advanced Settings button to view and edit the advanced property pages. The Advanced property pages control all aspects of the Spectrum24 NIC. Advanced functions include:

•	Mobile IP settings

•	Advanced MU settings

•	Wireless encryption settings

•	WLAN adapter hardware settings

Note:  The Easy Setup and Advanced property pages appear different for each operating system.