Chapter 4 Wireless Technology
191
Note
Most modern routers and USB wireless network adapters will automatically
confi gure most of the values using the default settings. Review the manufacturer’s
installation procedures before attempting to install any devices or running the
installation CD/DVD.
Part I—Installing a USB Wireless Network Adapter
Procedure
1. ______ Gather all required materials and report to your assigned workstation.
2. ______ Boot the computer and verify it is in working order.
3. _____ Review the manufacturer’s installation manual for the USB wireless
network adapter. You may have a “Quick Start” guide or need to
open the CD/DVD that came with the device to view the installation
manual. Typically, you install the software for the wireless device
before installing the device. A typical installation consists of inserting
the device’s CD/DVD and having the disc automatically detected
and its installation program started. A series of windows will
appear prompting you for information while the device drivers are
automatically installed. At the end of the software installation process,
you will be prompted to insert the USB wireless network adapter.
4. ______ Insert the USB wireless network adapter. It should automatically be
detected and configured by the operating system.
5. ______ After successfully installing the USB network adapter, an icon should
appear in the taskbar representing the wireless network device.
6. ______ Verify that the USB wireless adapter card has been installed
successfully by opening Device Manager. If you see a red X or a
yellow exclamation mark (!) beside the device, there is a problem.
Some older wireless device drivers are not compatible with
Windows Vista or Windows 7. If there is a problem, check the
manufacturer’s Web site for troubleshooting information. Also,
check the manufacturer’s Web site for the very latest drivers.
7. ______ Call your instructor to inspect your USB wireless network adapter
installation.
Part II—Confi guring a Wireless Network Router
The screen captures used in this portion of the lab activity are based
on a Cisco Linksys router and may not necessarily match your router
configuration screens. However, they will be somewhat similar.
The wireless router CD/DVD will have a wizard program to assist
you in the automatic configuration of the router. Because of the
discovery-type protocols widely used today, the router cannot only
discover information about your Internet provider, it can automatically
configure your Internet connection in most cases. You will very
seldom need to manually configure the wireless router, but you will
still have the manual configuration option available to you.