Gateway 300x User Guide

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Introduction to networking
Determining if wireless Ethernet is already installed on your computers
To determine if wireless Ethernet is already installed on your computer:
1
Click 
Start
, then click 
Control Panel
. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control 
Panel is in Category View, click 
Performance and Maintenance
.
2
Click/Double-click 
System
, click the 
Hardware
 tab, then click 
Device Manager
. The Device 
Manager window opens.
3
Click the plus (+) in front of 
Network adapters
. The wireless Ethernet device installed 
in your computer is listed. If one is not listed, you must install one.
Important 
IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g use the same radio frequency. 
IEEE 802.11a uses a different radio frequency than IEEE 802.11b 
and IEEE 802.11g. All wireless Ethernet components must use the 
same frequency. A combination of IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.11b 
or IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.11g components will not work. Some 
wireless devices can broadcast and receive signals on both 
frequencies.
A mixture of IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g components will result 
in your network running at the speed of the slower IEEE 802.11b 
components.
Tips & Tricks 
When buying your access point, be sure the model includes 
everything your network needs, including:
802.11g support - for next-generation, high-speed wireless 
communications
Internet security features - such as a firewall to protect your network 
from unwanted intruders
Wireless security features - such as 128-bit WEP encryption
4-port switch - to eliminate the need for additional network hardware
DHCP server/dynamic IP address assignment - to automatically 
configure network and IP addresses