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Using the Control Center
The Control Center taskbar icon displays the following information:
•  Link  quality  of  the  WLAN  Adapter  (Excellent,  Good,  Fair,  Poor,  Not 
Linked)
•  W h e t h e r  t h e  W L A N A d a p t e r  i s  c o n n e c t e d  t o  a  n e t w o r k  ( B l u e : 
Connected, Gray: Not Connected)
Taskbar Icon and Status 
Wireless Status Icons (on the taskbar)
Excellent link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure)
Good link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure) 
Fair link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure) 
Poor link quality and connected to Internet (Infrastructure) 
Not linked but connected to Internet (Infrastructure) 
Excellent link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)
Good link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)
Fair link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)
Poor link quality but not connected to Internet (Infrastructure)
Not linked and not connected to Internet (Infrastructure) 
ASUS WLAN Control Center
ASUS WLAN Control Center is an application which makes it easier to launch 
WLAN applications and activate network location settings. The WLAN Control 
Center starts automatically when system boots. When WLAN Control Center is 
running, you can see a Control Center icon on the Windows taskbar.
Starting the Control Center
•  Select ASUS  WLAN  Control  Center  in  Windows  Start 
menu, or
•  Double-click the ASUS WLAN Control Center icon on the desktop.
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Taskbar icon - Left-click menu
Left-click the taskbar icon to show the following 
menu items:
• Wireless  Radio  On – Click  to turn 
the wireless radio ON.
• Wireless  Radio  Off – Click  to turn 
the wireless radio OFF.
• Search & Connect – Click toview the 
properties of available access points.
• Wireless  Option (Windows®  XP  only)  – Click  to choose  Windows®  Wireless  Zero  Configuration  (WZC)  service  or  ASUS  utilities  to 
configure your WLAN Adapter.
Taskbar Icon - Launch Wireless Settings
Double-click the taskbar ico n to launch the Wireless Settings utility. to launch the Wireless Settings utility.
Taskbar icon - Right-click menu
Right-click the taskbar icon to show the following menu items:
• Wireless Settings – Click to launch Wireless Settings application.
• Activate Configuration – Click to choose a preset profile.
• Mobile Manager – Click to launch Mobile Manager application.
• Site Monitor –  Click to launch the Site Monitor application.
• Preferences – Click to customize the Control Center program. You can 
create a Control Center shortcut on the desktop and decide whether to 
start Control Center when system boots.
• About Control Center-Shows the version of Control Center.
• Exit – Click to close the Control Center program.
Taskbar Left-Click Menu 
						

							
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Status - Status
You can view the information about the 
WLAN Adapter  from  the  Status  menu. 
The status fields are blank if the WLAN 
Adapter  is  not  installed.  You  can  turn 
off  the  WLAN  Adapter  by  clicking  the  
“Disable Radio” button.
Association State
Displays  the  connection  status  as 
follows:
   Connected - The adapter is now associated with one wireless LAN device. When operating in 
Infrastructure mode, this field shows the MAC address of the access point with which the WLAN 
Adapter  is  communicating.  When  operating  in Ad  Hoc mode,  this  field  shows  the  virtual  MAC 
address used by computers participating in the Ad Hoc  network. 
ASUS Wireless Settings Utility
Wireless Settings is an application for managing the WLAN Adapter. Use Wireless 
Settings to view or modify the configuration settings, or to monitor the operational 
status  of  your  WLAN  Adapter.  When  Wireless  Settings  is  launched,  you  can 
see  the  tabbed  property  sheets  which  categorize  the  configuration  options  into 
groups.
Starting Wireless Settings
• Open the Windows Control Panel, then double-click the ASUS WLAN 
Adapter Settings icon.
or
• Click  the  Windows Start button,  select Programs  |  ASUS  Utility  | 
WLAN card | Wireless Settings.
or
• Right-click  the Control  Center  icon on  the  Windows  taskbar  and 
select Wireless Settings.
NOTE:  If  you  have  more  than  one  ASUS  WLAN  device  installed  on  your 
computer,  you  may  see  a  device  selection  window  when  you  launch  the  
“Wireless Settings” utility. Select the device you want when such situation 
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    Scanning... : The station is trying to authenticate and associate with an access point or Ad Hoc 
node.
   Disconnected: The WLAN Adapter is installed to the system, but not yet connected to a wireless 
device.
SSID: Displays the Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the device that the adapter 
is either associated or intending to join.
MAC  address: Shows  the  hardware  address  of  the  WLAN Adapter.  MAC 
address is a unique identifier for networking devices (typically written as twelve 
hexadecimal digits from 0 through 9 and A through F separated by colons, i.e. 
00:E0:18:F0:05:C0).
Current  Channel: Displays  the  radio  channel  to  which  the  adapter 
is  currently  tuned.  This  number  changes  as  the  radio  scans  the  available 
channels.
Current Data Rate: Displays the current data rate in megabits per second 
(Mbps).
Radio State: Shows the wireless radio status: ON or OFF.
Radio On - When the wireless radio is turned ON, the icon on the right 
appears in the upper left of the Status page. 
Radio Off- When the wireless radio is turned OFF, the icon on the right 
appears in the upper left of the Status page. 
Buttons
Rescan – Make the WLAN Adapter rescan all available devices. If the current 
link quality or signal strength is poor, rescanning can be used to push the radio 
off a weak access point and search for a better link with another access point. 
This function usually takes several seconds.
Change SSID – Click this button to set the SSID to that of the AP you want to 
connect.
Search & Connect – Click this button to connect to an available wireless AP.
NOTE:  For  802.11n  performance,  select  40MHz  bandwidth  in  wireless 
router. Channel option depends on the bandwidth that you select. 
						

							
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Save Configuration
W h e n  y o u  m a k e  s e t t i n g s  f o r  a 
certain  working  environment,  you 
may need to save your settings to a 
profile  so  that  you  can  easily  switch 
to  the  settings  without  repeating  the 
configurations.  For  example,  you 
can  set  profiles  for  work,  home  and 
other situations. When you travel from home to work, choose the "office" profile  
that  contains  all  your  settings  for  office  use.  When  you  travel  back  home, 
choose the “home” profile.
Activate Configuration
Auto  roaming  is  enabled  by  default  and 
makes  the  adapter  automatically  switch  to 
APs  of  better  signal.  You  can  uncheck  it  if 
you want to connect to a specified AP using 
a particular profile. 
Status - Connection
You can view the current link statistics about 
the  WLAN Adapter.  These  statistics  are 
updated once per second and are valid if the 
WLAN Adapter is correctly installed. 
Frame Sent/Received
Transmitted - The number of frames that 
were transmitted.
Received - The number of frames that were received.
Frame Error 
Transmitted - The number of frames that were not successfully transmitted. 
Received - The number of frames that were not successfully received.
Connection Quality
Signal  Strength  -  Shows  the  link  quality  of  the  access  point  or Ad  Hoc  node 
the  WLAN  Adapter  is  currently  connected  to.  Ratings  are:  Excellent,  Good, 
Fair, and Poor.
Overall Connection Quality
The  overall  connection  quality  is  derived  from  the  current  signal  strength.  A 
graphic chart uses percentage to show signal quality. 
						

							
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Status - IP Config
IP  Config  tab  shows  all  the  current 
host  and  WLAN  Adapter  information 
including  host  name,  DNS  servers, 
IP  address,  subnet  mask  and  default 
gateway.
Button
IP Release - If you want to remove the 
current  IP  address,  click  this  button  to 
release the IP address from DHCP server.
IP Renew - If you want to obtain a new IP address from DHCP server, click this 
button to renew the IP address.
Ping - Click this button to open “Ping” tab which is used to ping the devices in 
your network. 
NOTE:  The  IP  Release  and  IP  Renew  buttons  can  only  be  used  on  the 
WLAN Adapter which gets IP address from DHCP server.
Status - Ping
Click  the  "Ping"  button  in  Status-IP 
Config tab to open this page. The Ping 
tab allows you to verify the accessibility 
of other computers or network devices. 
To ping a connection:
1.  Type  the  IP  address  of  the  device  you want to verify in the IP Address field.
2.  C o n f i g u r e  t h e  p i n g  s e s s i o n  b y assigning  the  ping  packet  size  and number of packet to send, and the timeout value (in milliseconds).
3.  Click the “Ping” button.
During the ping session, the Ping button Changes into a Stop button. To cancel 
the ping session, click the “Stop” button.
The  session  field  displays  information  on  the  verified  connection  including  the 
roundtrip time (minimum, maximum, and average) and packets sent, received, 
and lost after a ping session.
Click the “Clear” button to clear the session field. 
						

							
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Config - Basic
This  page  enables  you  to  change  the 
WLAN Adapter configurations.
Network Type
Infrastructure  –  Infrastructure  means 
to establish a connection with an access 
point.  Once  connected,  the  access 
point  allows  you  to  access  wireless 
LAN  and  wired  LAN  (Ethernet).  The 
C h a n n e l  f i e l d  t u r n s  t o A u t o  i f  t h e 
connection is based on Infrastructure.
Ad  Hoc  –  Ad  Hoc  means  to  communicate  directly  with  other  wireless  clients 
without  using  an  access  point.  An  “Ad  Hoc”  network  can  be  setup  quickly 
and  easily  without  pre-planning,  for  example,  sharing  meeting  notes  between 
attendants in a meeting room.
Network Name (SSID)
SSID  stands  for  “Service  Set  Identifier”,  which  is  a  string  used  to  identify  a 
wireless  LAN.  Use  the  SSID  to  connect  with  a  known  access  point.  You  can 
enter a new SSID or select one from the drop-down list box. If you get connected 
by  designating  the  SSID,  you  are  only  to  connect  the AP  with  the  SSID  you 
assigned. If the AP is removed from the network, your WLAN Adapter does not 
roam  automatically  to  other APs.  SSIDs  must  all  be  printable  characters  and 
having a maximum of 32 case sensitive characters, such as “ Wireless”.
Channel
The  Channel  field  is  for  setting  radio  channel.  Your  WLAN Adapter  can 
automatically select the correct channel to communicate with a wireless device, 
and the parameter is fixed to "Auto" in both Infrastructure and Ad Hoc mode.
The  available  radio  channels  depend  on  the  regulations  in  your  country.  For 
the  United  States  (FCC)  and  Canada  (IC),  channel  1  to  11  are  supported.  For 
Europe (ETSI), channel 1 to 13 are supported. For Japan (MKK), channel 1 to 
14 are supported.
Click Apply to save and activate the new configurations. 
						

							
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Others
Encryption – Click this link to show the "Encryption" tab.
Advanced  –  Click  this  link  to  show  the  "Advanced"  tab.  In  most  cases,  the 
default values do not have to be changed.
Troubleshooting – Click on this to show the Troubleshooting utility.
Config - Advanced
Click Advanced  link  on  Config-Basic 
page  to  show  this  tab.  This  tab  allows 
you to set up additional parameters for 
the  wireless  Adapter.  We  recommend 
using  the  default  values  for  all  items  in 
this window. 
RTS Threshold (0-2347)
The  RTS/CTS  (Request  to  Send/Clear 
to  Send)  function  is  used  to  minimize  collisions  among  wireless  stations. 
When RTS/CTS is enabled, the router refrains from sending a data frame until 
another  RTS/CTS  handshake  is  completed.  Enable  RTS/CTS  by  setting  a 
specific packet size threshold. The default value (2346) is recommended. 
Fragmentation Threshold (256-2346)
Fragmentation is used to divide 802.11 frames into smaller pieces (fragments) 
that  are  sent  separately  to  the  destination.  Enable  fragmentation  by  setting 
a  specific  packet  size  threshold.  If  there  is  an  excessive  number  of  collisions 
on  the  WLAN,  experiment  with  different  fragmentation  values  to  increase  the 
reliability of frame transmissions. The default value (2000) is recommended for 
normal use. 
						

							
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Network Authentication
Since  there  is  no  precise  bound  in 
wireless  LANs,  the  WLAN  users  need 
t o  i m p l e m e n t  c e r t a i n  m e c h a n i s m 
t o  p r o v i d e  s e c u r i t y  s o l u t i o n .  T h e 
A u t h e n t i c a t i o n  p o l i c i e s  i n  t h i s  t a b 
provide  protection  of  different  levels 
such  as  Open,  Shared,  WPA-PSK,  
WPA, WPA2 and WPA2-PSK.
Open -  Select  this  option  to  make  the 
n e t w o r k  o p e r a t e  o n  O p e n  S y s t e m 
mode,  which  use  no  authentication  algorithm.  Open  stations  and  APs  can 
authenticate with each other without checking any WEP Key, even if there is.
Shared - Select this option to make the network operate on Shared key mode. 
In a Share Key Authentication system, four-step exchange of frames is required 
to validate that the station is using the same WEP Key as the access point.
WPA-PSK/  WPA2-PSK -  Select  this  option  to  enable  WPA  Pre-Shared  Key 
under Infrastructure mode. It enables communication between your client and 
APs using WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption mode.
WPA/  WPA2  - The  network  is  operating  in  IEEE  802.1x  authentication  mode. 
This  mode  is  for  environments  with  RADIUS  (Remote  Access  Dial-in  User 
Service).  In  a  RADIUS  environment,  five  Extensible  Authentication  Protocol 
(EAP) are supported, including PEAP, TLS/Smart Card, TTLS, LEAP and Md5-
Challenge.
Config - Encryption
This  page  enables  you  to  configure  the  Wireless  LAN  Adapter  encryption 
settings.  For  data  confidentiality  in  a  wireless  environment,  IEEE  802.11 
specifies  a  Wired  Equivalent  Privacy  (WEP)  algorithm  to  offer  transmission 
privacy.  The  WEP  uses  keys  to  encrypt  and  decrypt  data  packets.  The 
encryption process can scramble frame bits to avoid disclosure to others. The 
WPA/WPA2    is  improved  security  system  for  802.11  which  are  developed  to 
overcome the weakness of the WEP protocol. 
						

							
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Data encryption
For  Open  and  Shared  authentication  mode,  the  configuration  options  of 
encryption  type  are  Disabled  and  WEP.  For  WPA,  WPA-PSK,  WPA2  and 
WPA2-PSK  authentication  mode,  Temporal  Key  Integrity  Protocol  (TKIP) 
encryption and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption are supported.
Disabled - Disable the encryption function.
WEP - WEP Key is used to encrypt your data before it is transmitted over air. 
You  can  only  connect  and  communicate  with  wireless  devices  that  use  the 
same WEP keys.
TKIP  - TKIP  uses  an  encryption  algorithm  method  that  is  more  stringent  than 
the WEP algorithm. It also uses existing WLAN calculation facilities to perform 
encryption. TKIP verifies the security configuration after the encryption keys are 
determined.
AES: AES  is  a  symmetric  128-bit  block  encryption  technique  that  works 
simultaneously on multiple network layers.
Wireless Network Key
This option is enabled only if you select WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK authentication 
mode.  Select  “TKIP”  or  “AES”  in  the  encryption  filed  as  encryption  mode  to 
begin the encryption proceed. Note: 8 to 64 characters are required in this field.
Wireless Network Key (WEP)
This  option  is  configurable  only  if  you  enable  WEP  in  Network Authentication 
field.  The  WEP  Key  is  a  64  bits  (5  byte)  or  128  bits  (13  byte)  Hexadecimal 
digits which is used to encrypt and decrypt data packets.
Key Format
You  can  select  to  enter  Hexadecimal  digits  (0~9,  a~f,  and  A~F)  or  ASCII 
characters to setup keys by defining the Key Format.
Key Length
For 64 bits encryption, each key contains 10 hex digits or 5 ASCII characters. 
For 128 bits encryption, each key contains 26 hex digits or 13 ASCII characters.
Two ways to assign WEP keys
1.  Manual  Assignment  -  When  you  select  this  option,  the  cursor  appears 
in  the  field  for  Key  1.  For  64-bit  encryption,  you  are  required  to  enter  four 
WEP  Keys.  Each  Key  contains  exactly  10  hex  digits  (0~9,  a~f,  and A~F). 
For 128-bit encryption, you are required to enter four WEP Keys. Each Key 
contains exactly 26 hex digits (0~9, a~f, and A~F).