How to Use a Netgear Wireless PC Card

A wireless PC card, also called a wireless adapter, is a hardware component designed for laptops that enables you to access high-speed, wireless networks within range of the card through your laptop. Although most new laptops come equipped with an internal wireless adapter, some laptops do not, in which case you must separately purchase a wireless PC card. If you have purchased a Netgear PC card, such as the WG511T model, you must learn how to install the wireless PC card and how to configure it to access wireless networks.

Things You'll Need

• Netgear setup CD A wireless access point ("WAP") (wireless router or Wi-Fi hot spot)

Instructions

1. Install the Netgear software. Insert the software CD into the CD-ROM drive of your laptop and wait for the installation wizard to automatically load. If the CD does not automatically load, open Windows Explorer to browse the CD and double-click the "autorun.exe" file. On the main page of the installation wizard, select "Install Driver and Utility" to begin the installation process and follow the on-screen instructions. Click "Finish" when prompted, then restart your computer to complete installation.

2. Insert the PC card. After you have installed the driver and utility, insert the PC card, face up, into one of your laptop's CardBus slots (usually found on the side of the laptop). Wait for the "Found New Hardware Wizard" screen to appear, then click the "Install the software automatically" radio button and click "Next." After you select your country, you will see the Netgear utility icon appear in your system tray. This icon will allow you to access and configure your wireless PC card's settings.

3. Use the Netgear utility to configure the PC card to connect to a wireless network. Double-click the Netgear icon in your system tray to open the Netgear utility. The Netgear utility will allow you to configure a connection to a wireless network within range of your wireless PC card. To log on to a wireless network for which you already know the SSID (the network name), select the "Settings" tab, type in the SSID, select the type of security setting the network uses (WEP, WPA or WPA-PSK), if any, and enter the password/passcode. If you do not know the SSID of the network you wish to access, or if you want to see all available networks in range of your wireless PC card, or if you are trying to use a public wireless access point, such as a Wi-Fi hot spot, you can make the Netgear wireless PC card scan for available wireless networks in its range. To do this, click the "Networks" tab, scroll through the drop-down menu of available wireless networks, and select one of the wireless networks. If a network is password-protected, you must know and enter its password in order to connect to it. Click "Apply" to connect to the network.

4. Test your wireless connection. Once you click the "Apply" button after you finish configuring your wireless card, determine whether or not you are connected to the Internet. To do this, watch the status bar at the bottom of the Netgear utility screen, which will tell you the strength of your signal and your signal speed. You can also check the color of the Netgear utility icon in your system tray to determine if you are connected to the network. If the icon is red, you are not connected. If it is green, you have successfully connected to the network.

5. Save your configurations. Using the Netgear utility, you can name and save the configurations of several networks so that you do not have to re-enter the information. To do this, simply click the "Save Profile" button on the "Settings" tab after you have entered all of the necessary network information.

Tips & Warnings

• In order to access the Internet, you must have a wireless PC card and have access to a wireless network. A wireless PC card is not a self-contained network. It is essentially just an antenna---its purpose is only to receive and transmit signals to and from a "wireless access point" (WAP), a hub that communicates to wireless devices, allowing them to log on to its wireless network. A WAP can be a wireless router in your home or office, or it can be a Wi-Fi hot spot (a "lilly pad" of wireless routers) offered by a coffee shop, library, school, or other establishment. Wireless networks are either secured (a password or passcode is required to access the network) or unsecured (no password or passcode is required). To log on to a secured network, you must know the type of security it uses (WEP, WPA, or WPA-PSK) and you must know its password/passcode. Otherwise, you will not be able to access the network. The Netgear utility will indicate whether an available wireless network is secured or unsecured by showing a lock icon that is opened or closed. You can choose to disable Netgear's utility and use the Windows Wireless Connection tool to configure and monitor your wireless connection. If you have a 108Mbps Netgear wireless PC card, but the Netgear utility program indicates that your actual connection speed is 54Mbps, this is because the wireless access point your card is connecting to is capable only of transmitting a maximum of 54Mbps.

• You should not use your wireless PC card to access another person's unsecured wireless network without her knowledge and permission.

Resources

• Netgear WG511T Wireless Adapter
• Netgear Wireless PC Card - Technical Support