A profile is a saved group of network settings. Profiles are displayed in the Profile List in the wireless client manager General page. Profiles can be arranged in order of network connection priority. You can connect to one network using the first profile in the Profile List, then automatically connect to another network using the next profile. This allows you to stay connected while roaming freely from one wireless network to another. Although you can assign multiple profiles to a single network, you can only use one profile per connection. To add a new profile, use the Profile Wizard sequence of dialogs to configure the profile contents. The following example uses all of the Profile Wizard dialogs. Some settings may not be required for all profiles.
Refer to the following to setup profile connection preferences:
To access the profile connection preference option:
Enable Mixed-Cell (Requires Cisco CCX options): Select this Advanced Settings check box to allow the wireless LAN adapter to communicate with mixed cells. A mixed cell is a wireless network in which some devices use WEP and some do not. The option Enable Cisco-Client eXtentions in the Profile Wizard General Settings page must be enabled for mixed cell support.
To achieve the optimum transmit data rate it is important to identify the type of access point that the wireless adapter is connecting to. The Advanced Settings provide the mode selections to optimize your operating environment.
The following describes how the wireless preference modes operate using Infrastructure mode. The adapter can operate in three modes:
Connect to 802.11g and 802.11b: This is the default setting. The adapter will search for either 11g or 11b access points using data transmit rates of 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps. This connection defaults to 11g access points. The Available Networks list displays all 11b and 11g access points.
Connect to 802.11g only: The adapter will search for a 11g access point only using data transmit rates of 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps. The Available Networks list displays only 11g access points.
Connect to 802.11b only: The adapter will search for the best 11b and 11g access points using data rates of 1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps. The Available Networks list displays any 11b and 11g access point.
The following table shows compare the adapter wireless preference mode, and the transmit date rates using a specific type of access point. The wireless mode (Modulation type) options determine the discovered access points displayed in the Scan list (Available Networks dialog).
11b Access Point
Wireless Mode |
Scan List |
Connect |
Transmit Data Rates |
11g and 11b |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps |
11b only |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps |
11g only |
No |
No |
None |
11g (11g and 11b) Access Point
Wireless Mode |
Scan List |
Connect |
Transmit Data Rates |
11g and 11b |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*. |
11b only |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps |
11g only |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*. |
11g (11g only mode) Access Point**
Wireless Mode |
Scan List |
Connect |
Transmit Data Rates |
11g and 11b |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*. |
11b only |
No |
No |
None |
11g only |
Yes |
Yes |
1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*. |
Note: (*) depends on the signal strength and quality. Use RTS/CTS (Default setting) to avoid collisions in mixed mode environments where the 11g and 11b clients cannot hear each other. Use CTS-to-self to improve performance in mixed mode environments where 11g and 11b clients are in close proximity and can hear each other.
Note: (**) Because 11b clients cannot connect to this access point mixed mode protection (RTS/CTS or CTS-to-self) is not used.
The following summarizes how the modulation settings operate using ad hoc mode.
Ad Hoc Initiator |
Ad Hoc Joiner |
Action |
Comments |
11b-only |
11b-only |
Basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) |
11b-only |
11g-only |
Down scale basic rates, turn on protection* (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) |
11b and 11g |
|
11b and 11g |
Basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) |
11b and 11g |
|
11g-only |
11b-only |
Does not apply to Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG adapter. For other cards - down scale basic rates, turn on protection* (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) |
11b and 11g |
11g-only |
Basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps) |
11g-only |
|
11b and 11g |
Upscale) basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps) |
11g-only |
|
11b and 11g |
11b-only |
Basic rates, turn on protection* (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps) |
11b and 11g |
11g-only |
Downscale basic rates, turn on protection* depends on initiator (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps) |
11b and 11g |
|
11b and 11g |
Basic rates, turn on protection* depends on initiator (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps) |
11b and 11g |
Note: (*) See Viewing Adapter Advanced Settings in Windows - Use "RTS/CTS enable" (Default setting) to avoid collisions in mixed mode environments where the 11g and 11b clients cannot hear each other. Use "CTS-to-self enable" to improve performance in mixed mode environments where 11g and 11b clients are in close proximity and can hear each other.
The following describes how the wireless preference modes operate using Ad Hoc mode. The adapter can operate in three modes:
When different modulation settings are used in ad hoc mode, they influence the computer in the following ways:
A station in an ad hoc network constantly adapts itself to the current
situation in the ad hoc network as far as other stations capabilities are
concerned. Updating of the supported transmit data rates is done in the
following way:
Only the basic rates change. Supported rates of a station never change. At
all times the basic rates advertised by stations in an ad hoc network should
be the same, and should reflect the set of basic rates supported by every
station in this ad hoc network. Since basic rates is the actual information
used by a station to decide if it can join the ad hoc network then this is
enough to determine if a station can or cannot connect to this ad hoc
network.
Mixed mode stations (802.11g and 802.11b) are able to join any ad hoc network they hear.
Joining an ad hoc network
Initiating an ad hoc network
When initiating a mixed mode ad hoc network the default rates for mixed mode is: 1, 2, 5.5, 11, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps with rates 1, 2 as basic. When other stations join in, the basic rates are down scaled if required. Protection is on when 11b station are joining.
Joining an ad hoc network
In this mode you can only join an ad hoc network that advertises only basic
data rates of 1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps. So, the list of potential ad hoc
networks will include 11b and 11b and 11g, but not 11g. Supported rates
remain unchanged, and basic rates are adapted to match those advertised by
the ad hoc network which you are joining in the beacons.
Initiating an ad hoc network
When initiating an 11b only ad hoc network, the following rates 1, 2, 5.5 and 11 Mbps, with 1 and 2 as basic. As other stations join in they down scale their basic rates if required. Protection (RTS/CTS or CTS-to-self) is on.
Initiate an ad hoc network as an 11g only (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps). Support joining and down scaling in the same way as in Mixed mode. When initiating such an ad hoc network the advertised rates are: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 with 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12 and 24 Mbps as basic.
11g only stations are able to join any ad hoc network they hear.
Joining an ad hoc network
The basic rates in this case are taken from the beacons.
Initiating an ad hoc network
When initiating an 11g only ad hoc network the advertised rates are: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps with 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12 and 24 Mbps as basic.
When other stations join in, the basic rates are down scaled if required. Protection (RTS/CTS or CTS-to-self) is on when 11b station is joining.
To add a new profile, use the Profile Wizard sequence of dialogs to configure the profile contents. The following example uses all of the Profile Wizard dialogs, although some of the settings may not be required.
To create a new profile and connect to a network:
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NOTE: If this is the first time you have created a profile, click the profile named Default in the Profile List, click the Edit button and rename the default profile in the Profile Name field on the General page. |
General Settings
Security Settings
Password Protection Settings
Connect to the Network
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NOTE: A password protected profile can be imported and exported, however, before editing the profile, the password must be entered. Refer to Setting a Profile Password for more information. |
To import profiles:
To export profiles:
To set a password for an existing profile:
To password protect a new profile:
The Enable Auto-Import feature allows a network administrator to distribute a profile automatically to computers connected to a network. The Enable Auto-Import box is located on the Profile Wizard dialogs. When the checkbox is checked the profile must be copied to a specific directory on the host computer, from there it can be distributed to multiple computers. Once the profile is received by the remote computer it will automatically be available for use from the Scan profile list. If an attempt is made to edit a distributed profile that is password protected, a password prompt will appear.
Automatically importing WLAN profiles is accomplished by monitoring the import folder on your hard disk for new profile files. Only profiles that have the Enable Auto-Import box checked on the Profile Wizard dialogs can be automatically imported. If a profile of the same name already exists in the Profile List, a dialog is displayed from which you can either reject the import, or accept in which case the existing profile will be replaced. All imported profiles will be placed at the bottom of the Profile List, and the profile file will be immediately deleted after the import whether the import was successful or not.
Step 1: To export an "Enabled Auto-Import" profile from the profile list:
Step 2: Export the profile from the profile list to a folder on your computer.
From the General page, click the Networks tab.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the profile to export from the export profile list.
Click the Browse button and select a folder to save the profiles in. Click OK to return to the previous dialog.
Click the Export button to start exporting the profile.
Click OK twice to return to the Networks dialog.
Step 3: Copy (not drag-and-drop) the exported profile from its folder (see step 7) to the following directory, Programs Files\Intel\PROSetWireless\PROSet\Import. The profile is now ready to distribute to other computers. Once the profile is received by the remote computer it will automatically be available for use from the profile list.
To edit an existing profile:
To delete a profile:
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NOTE: You cannot delete all profiles from the profile list. There must always be one profile displayed in the list. |
To connect to an available network without a profile:
If the wireless adapter receives a blank network name (SSID) from a stealth access point, both the blank SSID and <no profile> display in the available networks list. To associate with a stealth access point, a new profile must first be created before connection. After connection both the blank SSID and the associated SSID can be viewed in the available networks list.
To connect to an access point that transmits a blank network name (SSID) in the Available Networks list:
To load a profile from the Task Tray:
Please read all restrictions and disclaimers.