The Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility starts automatically every time
you start your computer. When the system startup process is complete, the utility
icon appears in the system tray of the Windows® task bar at the bottom right
of your screen. The appearance of the utility icon varies, depending on the
strength of the signal being received from the associated network. If the utility
icon is not in the system tray, you can have it appear by selecting Show
wireless configuration icon in systray from the Wireless Networks
tab in the Utility box that appears when the utility is open.
To open the utility in the Windows® 2000 environment
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it will
be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
To open the utility in the Windows XP environment
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control Panel.
If you are looking at the Category View of Control Panel, click Switch
to Classic View. If you are looking at the Classic View of Control Panel,
go to the next step.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it will
be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400 client
utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
On the Wireless Networks tab, click Open Network Properties.
If the Wireless Networks tab of the Properties box is not
on top, click the Wireless Networks tab.
Verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings
box is selected. If it is not, select it.
Adding a new network to
the list of preferred networks
Your computer automatically connects to the network at the top of the Preferred
networks list. You must configure a network profile for each network that
you want to add to the Preferred networks list.
To add a new network to the list of preferred networks, first check to see
if the new network is listed in the Available networks list of the Wireless
Networks tab of the utility. If it is, follow the applicable instructions
below according to which operating system your computer is running and whether
or not the network requires a WEP key.
If the network you want to add to the Preferred networks list is not
listed in the Available networks list, follow the applicable instructions
below according to which operating system your computer is running and whether
or not the network requires a WEP key.
Viewing the link status of your wireless
connection
To view the link status (Windows 2000 environment)
Open the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
Click the Link Status tab in the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility
box.
To view the link status (Windows XP environment)
Open the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control
Panel.
If you are looking at the Category View of Control Panel, click Switch
to Classic View. If you are looking at the Classic View of Control
Panel, go to the next step.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
Click the Link Status tab in the Utility box.
The quality of the connection (signal strength and noise) of the particular
network you are connected to is indicated by the horizontal bars and the decibel
level values that are displayed at the bottom of the Link Status tab.
The connection quality is also indicated by the appearance of the utility icon
in the desk top system tray.
The description of the signal strength appears when you hover the cursor over
the icon.
The table below shows the quality level and suggested action for improving
the signal quality for each icon image that may be displayed. If the signal
strength indications are anything other than very good or excellent, you should
take the appropriate suggested action.
Four vertical green bars indicate that the signal strength
is very good or excellent.
Three vertical green bars indicate that the signal is good.
Three vertical yellow bars indicate that the signal strength is low.
Suggested action: Move closer to the access point.
Two red vertical red bars indicates that the signal strength is very
low. Suggested action: Move closer to the access point.
Uncolored vertical bars indicate that there is no signal being
received. Probable causes:
The computer is trying to establish an initial connection but has
not yet succeeded.
You may have moved out of range of the access point.
Suggested action:
Wait
Move closer to the access point.
Uncolored vertical bars with a superimposed red letter x indicate that
there is no radio connection. Probable cause: The radio is disabled.
Suggested action: Enable the radio. To enable the radio, right-click
the utility icon in the
system tray and click Enable Radio.
Viewing or modifying
the wireless network properties
To view or modify the wireless network properties (Windows 2000 environment)
Open the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
If it is not already on top, click the Wireless Networks tab.
Select the network from the Preferred networks list and click Properties.
From the Wireless Network Properties box, you can enable or disable
WEP data encryption and change the network name and network key (see Completing
the setup for instructions).
To view or modify the wireless network properties (Windows XP environment)
Open the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control Panel.
If you are looking at the Category View of Control Panel, click
Switch to Classic View.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
On the Wireless Networks tab, click Open Network Properties.
If the Wireless Networks tab of the connection Properties
box is not on top, click the Wireless Networks tab.
Verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings
box is selected. If it is not, select it.
Select the network from the Preferred networks list and click Properties.
From the Properties box, you can enable or disable WEP data encryption
and change the network name and the network key (see Completing
the setup for instructions).
Setting up an ad hoc (peer-to-peer)
group network for connecting to the Internet
To connect the computers in an ad hoc group network to the Internet, you must
install the Windows Internet connection sharing (ICS) component. ICS installation
is not required, however, for communication among a group of computers that
have a Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card installed in each computer. You
must also add an ad hoc network to the Preferred networks list on the
Wireless Networks tab of the NetworkProperties box (see
Opening theDell TrueMobile WLAN Card
Utility).
Select one of your desktop computers to serve as the host computer (all other
computers are called clients). The host computer must be running either the
Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating system. The host computer is the only
computer that connects directly to the Internet. Dell recommends that the host
computer be the desktop computer having the fastest microprocessor and the most
memory.
NOTEInternet connection sharing requires that the host computer have either
a modem or another network adapter in addition to a wireless network adapter.
The modem or the additional network adapter is used to access the Internet.
Your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card is used to share the Internet connections
with other clients.
Setting up Internet connection sharing (ICS) on the host computer
To set up ICS in the Windows XP environment
Connect the host computer to the Internet.
From the host computer, click the Start button.
Click Help and Support.
Perform a search on Internet Connection Sharing.
From the Pick a task list, click Enable Internet Connection
Sharing on a Network Connection.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete setting up ICS.
To set up ICS in the Windows 2000 environment
Connect the host computer to the Internet.
From the host computer, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click Network and Dial-up Connections.
If the host computer is connected to the Internet using a dial-up
connection, double-click Dial-up Connection, click Properties,
click Sharing, and then ensure that both Enabled Internet
Connection Sharing for this connection and Enabled on-demand dialing
are selected.
If the host computer is connected to the Internet using a cable or DSL
modem, double-click Local Area Connection.
In the Local Area Connection Status box, click Properties.
Click the Sharing tab and select Enable Internet Connection
Sharing for this connection.
Click OK
Adding an ad hoc network
You can add an ad hoc network (for peer-to-peer communicating) that either
requires a WEP key or does not. Instructions for adding and configuring an ad
hoc network for both types of ad hoc networks are provided below:
Adding
an ad hoc network that does not require a WEP key (Windows 2000 environment)
To add an ad hoc network to the Preferred networks list, open the
Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
If the Wireless Networks tab is not already on top, click the Wireless
Networks tab.
Click Add.
Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
Select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network: wireless
access points are not used box.
Click OK.
Click Apply in the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility box.
The network name and icon appear at the top of the Preferred networks
list.
Click Refresh to activate the ad hoc network (wait up to 1 minute
for the network connection to be made). To verify that your computer is connected
to the added network, reopen the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility
and click the Wireless Networks tab. If you see a bubble on top of
the icon for the added network,
your computer is connected to that network.
Adding an ad
hoc network that requires a WEP key (Windows 2000 environment)
To add an ad hoc network to the Preferred networks list, open the
Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
If the Wireless Networks tab is not already on top, click the Wireless
Networks tab.
Click Add.
Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
Select the Data encryption (WEP enabled) box.
Clear the The key is provided for me automatically box.
Type the network key in the Network key box.
NOTEYou do not need to select the Key format or the Key length
before typing the network key. These settings automatically change to the
appropriate setting as you type the network key.
Select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network: wireless
access points are not used box.
Click OK.
Click Apply in the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility box.
The network name and icon appear at the top of the Preferred networks list.
Click Refresh to activate the ad hoc network (wait up to 1 minute
for the network connection to be made). To verify that your computer is connected
to the added network, reopen the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility
and click the Wireless Networks tab. If you see a bubble on top of
the icon for the added network,
your computer is connected to that network. .
Adding
an ad hoc network that does not require a WEP key (Windows XP environment)
To add an ad hoc network to the Preferred networks list, open the
Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control Panel.
If you are looking at the Category View of Control Panel, click
Switch to Classic View.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
On the Wireless Networks tab, click Open NetworkProperties.
If the Wireless Networks tab is not already on top, click the Wireless
Networks tab.
Verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings
box is selected. If it is not, select it.
Click Add.
Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
Select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless
access points are not used box. Clear the Data encryption (WEP enabled)
and the The Key is provided for me automatically boxes if they are
selected.
Click OK.
On the Wireless Networks tab of the connection Properties
box, click Advanced, select Computer-to-computer (ad hoc) networks
only, and click Close.
Click OK. The ad hoc network you added appears at the top of the
Preferred networks list.
To verify that your computer is connected to the added ad hoc network, reopen
the Network Properties box and click the Wireless Networks tab.
Your computer is connected to the added network when you see a blue bubble
on top of the icon for your
ad hoc network.
Adding an ad
hoc network that requires a WEP key (Windows XP environment)
To add an ad hoc network to the Preferred networks list, open the
Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control Panel.
If you are looking at the Category View of Control Panel, click
Switch to Classic View.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
On the Wireless Networks tab, click Open NetworkProperties.
If the Wireless Networks tab is not already on top, click the Wireless
Networks tab.
Verify that the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings
box is selected. If it is not, select it.
Click Add.
On the Association tab of the Wireless network properties
box, select the Data encryption (WEP enabled) box.
Type the network name in the Network name (SSID) box.
Clear the The key is provided for me automatically box.
Type the network key in the Network key box and again in the Confirm
network key box.
Select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless
access points are not used box.
Click OK.
On the Wireless Networks tab of the connection Properties
box, click Advanced, select Computer-to-computer (ad hoc) networks
only, and click Close.
Click OK. The ad hoc network you added appears at the top of the
Preferred networks list.
To verify that your computer is connected to the added ad hoc network, reopen
the Network Properties box and click the Wireless Networks tab.
Your computer is connected to the added network when you see a blue bubble
on top of the icon for your
ad hoc network.
Disabling the radio
To disable the radio on your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card, right-click
the utility icon in the system
tray and click Disable Radio. To enable the radio, right-click the icon
and click Enable Radio.
Diagnostics
You can run a number of diagnostics on your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card
to verify its operational and functional status. NOTEYour network connection
is lost when you run the diagnostics. When the test run is over, your network
connection is automatically reestablished.
Diagnostics (Windows 2000 environment)
To begin running the diagnostics, open the Dell TrueMobileWLAN
Card Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
Click the Diagnostics tab.
To see a description of the test, click each test and look in the Status
area.
All tests are selected by default. To run an individual test or some but
not all of the tests, clear the check box for those tests that you do not
want to run.
Click Run.
If your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card fails any of the diagnostics tests,
see the Troubleshooting section.
Diagnostics (Windows XP environment)
To begin running the diagnostics, open the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card
Utility.
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control Panel.
If you are looking at the Category View of Control Panel, click
Switch to Classic View.
Double-click the utility icon
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it
will be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
Click the Diagnostics tab.
To see a description of the test, click each test and look in the Status
area.
All tests are selected by default. To run an individual test or some but
not all of the tests, clear the check box for those tests that you do not
want to run.
Click Run Tests.
If your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card fails any of the diagnostics tests,
see the Troubleshooting section.
(depending on the type of Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card you purchased, it will
be titled either TrueMobile 1300 client utility, TrueMobile 1400
client utility, or TrueMobile 1180 client utility).
in the desk top system tray.
The description of the signal strength appears when you hover the cursor over
the icon.
for the added network,
your computer is connected to that network.
