Component description 
I then described the two versions of the ORiNOCO (formally WaveLAN) wireless system. Both contained computer and network components. This included the IEEE 802.11b compliant PC Cards for the client computer and the access point network node. Both the 2 MHz and 11 MHz PC Cards are configured in this manner. The darker end of the PC Card contains the antenna and connection LED indicators. There are two LED indicators and provide active indication of Power and Transmit/Receive activity. These LED indicators are the starting point for troubleshooting the PC Card after installation. Continuous green light on the Power LED indicates standard operational mode. The Transmit/Receive LED indicates normal operation by blinking regularly when there is traffic. The T/R LED is off when there is no traffic. Both LEDs flicker when the laptop and card are in a Power Management mode. This is a power saving feature. More on power consumption later. 

If both LEDs blink once every 10 seconds, then the WaveLAN card works fine, but can not succeed in establishing a connection. This is an indication of one or more problems with the network connection. Troubleshooting here entails checking and verifying the WaveLAN Network Name assigned, or, verifying the correct value of encryption keys, or, verifying whether the network infrastructure is down, or, changing the WaveLAN card configuration, or, changing the configuration of the card to run in "Ad-hoc Demo mode". 

If both LEDs are off, then the indication is that the WaveLAN card may be mis-configured, or there is a device conflict in the laptop. It is a good idea to visit the WaveLAN website to check the latest driver version is being used. 
 
The ISA adapter I/O card is used to insert the WaveLAN PC Card in a desktop computer. It’s installation is straight forward. Simply insert a WaveLAN PC Card in the card slot in the I/O adapter and then insert the I/O card in an available ISA slot on the computer motherboard. Again, the black portion of the PC Card extends beyond the back of the computer. The setup process follows standard Windows 95/98 network interface card procedures using the WaveLAN Software CD-ROM setup disk. It might be a good idea to use the WaveLAN Range Extender Antenna to insure the wireless signal reaches all points. 

The WavePOINT II Starter Kit includes one WavePOINT Access Point unit also. This component, is required as part of the network access for the wireless nodes. This is Lucent’s second generation wireless bridge for Ethernet connections to networks. This unit contains two PC Card slots giving the ability to double network capacity by setting each card with a different frequency channel. Two of these components in two separate networks can provide a wireless backbone bridge between the two networks, cutting the expense of installing a backbone cable. The WaveLAN Range Extender Antenna is definitely required as part of the Access Point equipment. 

Installation 
The installation was a "No Problem" install. Lucent has provided a QIG (Quick Installation Guide) that is laid out to lead the installation process. The guide provides three basic networking scenarios as examples of how to use the wireless technology. One is called an Ad-hoc Wireless workgroup. In this scenario, each node in the network is wireless. It could be Windows 95/98 or NT and function as a peer-to-peer workgroup. One way to use this scheme is when two or more users are traveling and need to get together. This could also be the method of connecting multiple computers at home or in the home office. Each uses the wireless connection to network to each other. The second scenario concerns adding the wireless node to an existing LAN (Local Area Network). This is the scheme I am using in my home office. The third scenario uses the wireless connection as the bridge between two separate networks. I am going to attempt to do this in my home network next. 

The Lucent QIG covers the WaveLAN PC Card features in a summary manner with diagrams to acquaint users with the device. The dark area in Figure 1 contains the integrated antennas, Transmit/Receive and Power LEDs and a connect plug-in for the External Antenna. I am using the WaveLAN/IEEE Turbo 11 Mb Silver Label PC Card. This card has built-in 64-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) data encryption. 

The accompanying WaveLAN software CD-ROM contained the install setup utility (Install Wizard), card drivers, and the full documentation for the products. The documentation is formatted as Adobe Acrobat Reader and requires the file from the CD-ROM or from the computer as a previous install. 

Driver updates and other software can be downloaded from <http://www.wavelan.com>. 
 
Both the PC Card and Access Point documentation are on the CD-ROM. The "docs" and "software" folders are divided into separate folders on the CD-ROM and cover other operating systems as well as Windows 95/98. The Access Point documentation provides utilities which can be installed on the client computer to check signal strength against distance and obstructions. More on this later. 

The WaveLAN PC Card is Plug and Play compatible in Windows 95/98, Windows CE (version 2.0/2.11 and up), Windows 2000, and Apple/Macintosh PowerBook systems. Once installed properly, the card can be removes and re-installed without problems. It is a good idea to power the system down before removing or inserting the card. 

I installed my wireless components with help from Malcolm Meyer, SAN TEL Company, a Lucent Partner, in my Toshiba Satellite CDT 2100 laptop. This laptop contains two Type II PC Card slots. The WaveLAN QIG install CD does a very good job of finding and installing the native Windows 98 PCMCIA drivers to activate the WaveLAN/IEEE Turbo 11 Mb PC Card. And, this card was installed after I had installed two other network/modem cards. There were no conflicts. The laptop functioned properly. 

Next, we installed the Access Point and tapped into its memory to set up the wireless connection. Remember that the Access Point has a PC Card NIC as well. I decided on giving the Access Point on of my static network IP addresses. Setting in the proper TCP/IP host and network IP addresses completed the setup. I am connected. We next set up a utility in the laptop that can determine the signal strength of the remote connection against the Access Point. The Access Point is plugged into my network hub and becomes another node on it. This way I can reach all of my network computers from the laptop. The Access Point can be set up as a static or dynamic TCP/IP address on the network. I set in a static IP address. 

The install process was now complete. 

Performance results 
My admittedly unscientific testing consists of moving the laptop down stairs to a comfortable chair and running it wireless back to the network. If the browser connects, then I have success. And, I have never failed to connect. 

The Access Point is in my upstairs office and the antenna is sitting on a copier table near a window that looks out to the street. It is 30 inches off the floor. Movement through the house provides me with a chance to observe the signal and its related measurements as the laptop passes behind walls, and floors. A utility that measures the link quality, signal strength, and packet delivery is included on the QIG setup CD. More on this utility later. 

I am able to run my IE browser without problem, logging and downloading URLs at will. This machine is my primary e-mail machine. I use Outlook 2000. I have never failed to connect to the network router for an Internet connection. I am using an ISDN 64 Kbps primary connection. Even when the WaveLAN card bumps back to the 5.5 Mbps or 2 Mbps rates, the through-put is more than adequate to cover my connection. 

The utility mentioned above is the WaveMANAGER/AP utility which allows one to check on remote connection capability, checking signal strength, link quality, and packet delivery.  This utility connects back to the Access Point and runs a continuous query between the remote (laptop) and the Access Point. Once installed, this utility queries the Access Point from the laptop. In its basic configuration, it provides Link Quality with a rating of Good, Adequate, or Poor. Each of these ratings are presented as a changeable window showing green for Good, yellow for Adequate, and red for Poor. A button labeled Advice brings an explanation help window. The other indication, labeled Levels at this mode is signal-to-noise ratio, which is shown as a green or yellow moving window and the SNR percentage. At the bottom of the page is a button showing Details, which opens two additional moving indicator windows with percentages in Levels and a Packets sent and received in the Levels area. The Levels indicators are Signal and Noise as moving tape windows and percentages. 

I have experienced a lost packets situation when I moved the laptop the furthest corner of the house downstairs, 45 feet with the laptop antenna pointed directly away from the Access Point antenna. This was through three walls and a floor with all kinds of electrical interference. Remember that the Acceptable range is still more than adequate for my Internet 64 Kbps connection. 

Cost of operation 
The Lucent wireless solution has an up front cost that must be considered for the Small Office, Home Office network. A Access Point II, one PC Card, I/O adapter starter kit costs about $1,100.00. Each additonal PC Card costs about $200.00 and each additional I/O adapter card cost about $69.00. This is a more expensive up front solution than a standard 10BaseT hubbed network, but the flexibility for the operating usage makes up for it. 

Conclusion 
I am satisfied with this performance. The Lucent wireless connection gives me great flexibility in moving about my house with my laptop. I can stay connected when other things are going on. Wireless networking capability meets many needs for the Small Office, Home Office situation. I am sold on wireless connections.