To set the advanced properties of your WLAN card, open the Properties window
to the Advanced tab.
To view the value of a property, click the name of the property in the Property
list. The property value is displayed in the Value box. To
change the value, click an option in the Value list or type
a new value, as appropriate (selection options are different for different properties).
The available properties and their respective settings are described below.
NOTE:
Some of the properties may not be available on your model of the Dell Wireless WLAN Card.
The 802.11h+d property configures the advanced radio control of the WLAN card
by an associated access point.
The controls are enabled when the 802.11h+d property is set to Loose 11h, Loose 11h+d, or Strict 11h.
When the setting is Strict 11h, the Dell Wireless WLAN Card associates only to access points supporting
IEEE 802.11h protocols when operating in regions with special restrictions on
radio operation. When the setting is Loose 11h, the WLAN card
does not restrict associations based on the access point IEEE 802.11h support.
When the setting is Loose 11h+d, the Dell Wireless WLAN Card
does not restrict associations based on the access point IEEE 802.11h
or IEEE 802.11d support.
Antenna Diversity is a function included in most wireless LAN equipment that
has two antennas, Main and Aux. When set to Auto, Antenna Diversity monitors
the signal from each antenna and automatically switches to the one with the
better signal.
The Band Preference property is available only on Dell Wireless WLAN Card models that have dual-band capability.
Band Preference allows users to specify the IEEE 802.11 band preference while roaming .
This allows the wireless client to associate with another AP based on band preference even
if the signal from the currently associated AP is strong enough to sustain the
association .
None (default). Roams without regard to the frequency band of the available APs.
Bluetooth Collaboration enables general purpose input/output transmit suppression
protocol between the IEEE 802.11 media access control (MAC) and an external
Bluetooth chip to minimize transmit interference. Bluetooth Collaboration is
enabled by default.
If this property is set to Enabled, whenever your computer is connected to
an Ethernet port and the link state is good, the computer automatically turns
off the IEEE 802.11 radio. This conserves IP address allocation, reduces security
risks, resolves dual interface routing issues, and prolongs battery life.
This property must be set to Enabled for you to use the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility
or Wireless Network Wizard to create or connect to an ad hoc
network.
Your network administrator may require this property to be set to
Disabled for security reasons.
A mechanism of prefixing each OFDM data frame
with a request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) complimentary code keying (CCK)
frame sequence. The duration fields of the RTS and CTS frames should allow the
IEEE 802.11b node to correctly set its network allocation vector (NAV) and avoid
collisions with the subsequent OFDM frames. As required for Wi-Fi®, protection
mechanisms are enabled automatically whenever an IEEE 802.11b STA joins the
BSS. If no IEEE 802.11b STA joins, then no protection mechanism is used and
full IEEE 802.11g performance is attained.
Some older APs may have implementations that deviate from IEEE 802.11 standards.
Setting this property to Broader Compatibility enables your
Dell Wireless WLAN Card to better communicate with such APs, but at the expense
of some performance loss. The default setting is Higher Performance.
Locally Administered MAC Address is used to override the MAC address of the
Dell Wireless WLAN Card. The Locally Administered MAC Address is a user-defined
MAC address that is used in place of the MAC address originally assigned to
the network adapter. Every adapter in the network must have its own unique MAC
address. This locally administered address consists of a 12-digit hexadecimal
number.
Value. Assigns a unique node address for the adapter.
Not Present (Default). Uses the factory-assigned node
address on the adapter.
The appropriate assigned ranges and exceptions for the locally administered
address include the following:
The range is 00:00:00:00:00:01 to FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FD.
Do not use a multicast address (least significant bit of the high byte
= 1).
Users who purchased their Dell Wireless WLAN Card in the United States have USA
as the default location; users who purchased their Dell Wireless WLAN Card in Japan have
Japan as their default location. For all other users, the Location
property is not available. See Radio Approvals
for additional information.
When the Manage Wireless Settings property is
enabled, the Let this tool manage
your wireless network settings check box on the Wireless
Networks tab of the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility is selected.
When enabled, this property enables the wireless
client to either turn off the radio or to not scan when the wireless client
network is unassociated or when the computer is in the IDLE state.
The Power Save Mode property is used to put the wireless client computer
into the IEEE 802.11 Power Save mode. When the Power Save Mode property is enabled, the radio is periodically
powered down to conserve power. When the radio is in Power Save Mode, packets
are stored in the AP until the radio
comes on. The Fast setting allows full throughput with power savings.
When the value of this property is set to Disabled, the radio is turned off.
It may be necessary at times to turn off the radio to comply with restrictions
prohibiting the emission of radio signals, such as during takeoff and landing
onboard a commercial aircraft. Changing the value to Enabled turns the radio
back on. Certain computers may have other more convenient methods for turning
the radio on and off. Refer to operating manual that came with the computer
to see if such features exist.
This property allows you to specify the rate (in Mbit/s)
at which data is transmitted. The possible values are: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11,
18, 24, 36 48, and 54 . The default is set to Use best Rate. This setting automatically
adjusts the transmission rate to the optimal rate based on the capabilities
of the other wireless clients and access points.
NOTE:
The default value for this property is set for maximum performance. Therefore,
it is not recommended for home users to change the value. Only network
administrators or technicians with wireless LAN experience should attempt
to make any changes.
This property allows you to specify the rate (in Mbit/s)
at which data is transmitted for IEEE 802.11a operation. The possible values
are: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54. The default is set to Use best Rate.
NOTE:
The default value for this property is set for maximum performance. Therefore,
it is not recommended for home users to change the value. Only network
administrators or technicians with wireless LAN experience should attempt
to make any changes.
This property allows you to specify the rate (in Mbit/s)
at which data is transmitted for IEEE 802.11b/g operation. The possible values
are: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 18, 24, 36 48, and 54 . The default is set to Use
best Rate.
NOTE:
The default value for this property is set for maximum performance. Therefore,
it is not recommended for home users to change the value. Only network
administrators or technicians with wireless LAN experience should attempt
to make any changes.
The maximum size in bytes at which packets are fragmented and transmitted a
piece at a time instead of all at once. Available values range from 256 to 2346.
The default value is 2346.
If the number of frames in the data packet is at or above the RTS Threshold,
a request to send/clear to send handshake is turned on before sending the data
packet. The default value is 2347. The range is 0 to 2347.
If you used the Wireless Network Wizard or the Wireless Network Connection Settings
tool to connect to wireless networks, each network that you have connected to is listed under
Preferred network connections on the Wireless Networks
tab of the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility.
Each time you start your computer, the computer automatically attempts to connect
to the network at the top of the list.
If that network is within range, the connection is made.
If it is not within range, your computer attempts to connect to the next network on the list,
and continues the process until it finds a network that is within range.
You can move any preferred network up or down the list.
If the SSID Autopromote property is disabled, you can manually override the automatic network
connection process and connect to the network of your choice, regardless of its position on the
list (see "Utility Controls").
If the SSID Autopromote property is enabled, you cannot manually override the automatic connection process.
Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM™).
The WMM property enables quality of service for audio, video,
and voice applications over a wireless network by prioritizing streams of content
and optimizing the way the network allocates bandwidth among competing applications.
Auto (default). With WMM set to Auto, when the wireless client connects to the AP,
and the AP has Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (UAPSD) enabled,
the wireless client is allowed to enter Power Save mode.
Enabled. The wireless client enters Power Save mode for WMM associations independent of whether the AP has UAPSD enabled or disabled.
Disabled. The wireless client does not have WMM association.
The WZC IBSS Channel Number property selects the independent basic service set (IBSS) channel number on
which to operate when WZC is managing your wireless networks.
The default setting is 11.
If the WZC Managed Ethernet property enabled, Wireless Zero Configuration Service (WZC)
is enabled to manage 802.1x connections for
Ethernet devices in your computer. This setting only applies if the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility
is enabled to manage your Dell Wireless WLAN Card.
Xpress™ Technology is a proprietary frame bursting technology
that improves throughput by repackaging data so that more data can be sent in
each frame. Xpress™ Technology is disabled by default.
