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Using Wireless Profiles in Intel(R)
PROSet
Connecting to a Network if a Blank
SSID displays
Connecting to a Network without a Profile
Profile Connection Preferences
Loading a Profile from the Task Tray
A
profile is a saved group of network settings. Profiles are displayed
in the Profile List in the Intel(R) PROSet 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.
Profile general settings include, the network name (SSID),
channel, security settings, and TCP/IP settings. The Networks tab allows you
to add, edit and delete profiles.
Creating a New Profile
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.
To create a new profile and connect to a network:
- Select the wireless adapter in the left-side pane.
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Add button. The General Settings dialog displays.
 |
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. |
Step 1 of 4: General Settings
- Enter a profile name in the Profile Name field.
- Enter the network SSID, in the Network Name (SSID) field.
- Click the operating mode to use, Infrastructure or Ad hoc.
- The Mandatory AP option is only used if Infrastructure mode is selected. Use this option to connect
to a specific access point. Click the Mandatory AP button, enter the Ethernet address for the access point. Click OK to save the setting and return to the General Settings page.
- Click the Configure TCP/IP and VPN settings checkbox to
access the TCP/IP and VPN settings. If these settings are not required,
leave the box unchecked, proceed to step 9.
- Check the Enable Auto-Import check box to allow this profile to be imported. Refer
to Automatic Profile Distribution for more information.
- Click Next.
Step 2 of 4: TCP/IP and VPN Client Settings
- Use these options to configure TCP/IP and VPN settings for a VPN profile. Click Next when finished.
Step 3 of 4: Security Settings
- Select Open or Shared in the Network Authentication
drop-down menu. Open, does not use any authentication method. Shared uses
the WEP key as the authentication method.
- Click the Enable data encryption (WEP) checkbox to configure WEP encryption settings.
- Click the Password protect this profile checkbox to assign a password to the profile.
- Click Next.
Step 4 of 4: Password Protection Settings
- Click the Password protect this profile checkbox.
- Enter a password in the Password field.
- Reenter the same password in the Confirm New Password field.
- Click the Back button to change or verify the settings or click Finish
when you have completed the profile settings and return to the Networks page.
- Click the new profile name shown in the Profile
List. Use the up and down arrows to position the priority of the new
profile in the priority list.
- C
lick the Advanced button to set the network connection preferences.
Click the Connect button to connect to the network.
Click OK to close the
Intel(R) PROSet
dialog.
Creating a VPN Profile
To create a VPN profile:
- Select the wireless adapter in the left-side pane.
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Select the profile to add VPN settings to from the Profile List.
- Click the Edit button and the General page appears.
- Click the Network tab.
- Click the Configure button for the TCP/IP Settings. Make sure that Obtain
an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS address automatically is selected.
- Click the Close button to close the dialog.
- Click the Configure button for the VPN Client Settings.
- Click Enable VPN for this profile checkbox.
- Select the VPN client software from the Available VPN Clients drop-down menu.
- Select the VPN profile if your VPN client software displays the VPN tunnel name.
- Click the Close button to close the dialog.
- Click OK on any of the pages to save all the settings and return to the Networks page.
- Click the VPN profile name shown in the Profile List.
Use the up and down arrows to position the priority of new profile in the priority list.
- Click the Connect button to connect to the network. The VPN profile name displays a connect
icon. Note: There must be an IP address assigned b
efore the VPN client software can be launched.
Click the Details button to verify that an IP address has been assigned.
Follow the on-screen instructions and enter your credentials before
connecting.
Click OK to close the
Intel(R) PROSet
dialog.
Importing and Exporting Profiles
Note: A password protected profile can
be imported and exported, however, before editing the profile, the password must
be entered.
To import profiles:
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Advanced button.
- Click the Import/Export button.
- Click the Import button.
- Locate the profile to import on your hard disk or enter the profile name in the File name field.
The profile extension is .profile.
- C
lick the Import to import the profile into the Profile List.
Click OK twice to return to the General page.
Click OK to close the
Intel(R) PROSet
dialog.
To export profiles:
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Advanced button.
- Click the profiles to export from the export profile list.
- Click the Browse button and select a directory to save the profiles in. Click OK
to return to the previous dialog.
- C
lick the Export button to start exporting the profiles.
Click OK twice to return to the General dialog.
Click OK to close the
Intel(R) PROSet
dialog.
Automatic Profile Distribution
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 checked
on the Profile Wizard dialog 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.
To distribute a profile to other computers on a network:
- Select a profile to be edited from the Profile List in the Networks page, and click the Edit
button or click the Add button to create a new profile using the Profile Wizard.
- Check the Enable Auto-Import checkbox on
the General page.
- Click OK (Edit a profile) or Finish (Add a profile) to save
the setting.
- Copy the profile to the Programs Files/Intel/PROSet/Import directory. The profile is now
ready to distribute to other computers.
Editing an Existing Profile
To edit an existing profile:
- Select the wireless adapter in the left-side pane.
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Edit button. The General page displays.
- Click on the General, Security, Network and Password tabs to make the necessary changes
for the network profile settings:
- Click OK on any of the pages to save all the settings and return to the Networks page.
- Click the new profile name shown in the Profile List.
Use the up and down arrows to position the priority of new profile in the priority list.
- C
lick the Advanced button to set the network connection preferences.
Click the Connect button to connect to the network.
Click OK to close the Intel(R) PROSet
dialog.
Deleting a Profile
To delete a profile:
- Select the wireless adapter in the left-side pane.
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the profile to be deleted from the Profile List.
- Click the Delete button.
- Click Yes to permanently delete the profile.
C
onnecting to a Network
without a Profile
To connect to an available network without a profile:
- Select the wireless adapter in the left-side pane.
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Scan button.
- Select the network profile name with <no profile> shown,
and click the Connect button.
- Click the No, connect me directly without creating a profile option. Note,
you can click Yes, create a profile for this network now to create a profile
to be used later.
- Click OK to connect.
Connecting to a
Network if a Blank SSID displays
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:
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Scan button.
Select the network name with a blank SSID and
<no profile> shown in the Available Networks list.
Click the Connect button.
Click the Yes, create a profile for this network now
option.
The Profile Wizard dialog displays. Enter a profile
name and Network Name (SSID) and security setting
s
if required. Click Finish
to save the profile settings and return to the Networks page.
Select the new profile from the profile list and click Connect.
Profile Connection Preferences
To access the profile connection preference option:
- From the General page, click the Networks tab.
- Click the Advanced button.
- Under the Auto-connection heading, click the one of the following options:
- Connect to available networks using profiles only (Default setting): Use the profiles
in the Profile List to connect to any available network.
- Connect to any available network if no matching profile is found: Connect to any
available network without using a profile from the Profile List.
- Click OK to save the setting and return to the previous dialog.
Loading a Profile from the Task Tray
To load a profile from the Task Tray:
- Right-click Intel(R) PROSet icon in the task tray.
- Select the Intel PRO/Wireless LAN 7100 3B Mini PCI Adapter or the Intel PRO/Wireless LAN
2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter.
- Click Select Profile and select the profile to be launched.
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Copyright (c) 2003 Intel Corporation.