(c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2002. All rights reserved.
This document provides late-breaking or other information that supplements the Microsoft Broadband Networking printed User's Guide and the Broadband Network Utility Help file.
To learn more — including troubleshooting information, feature descriptions, and tips on using your network —
see the Broadband Network Utility Help.
To view the Broadband Network Utility Help
To check for software, firmware and driver updates and for late-breaking technical information, see the Microsoft Broadband Networking Web site.
If you are setting up a Microsoft Base Station, it is recommended that you disable any firewall software on your computer before running the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program. Doing so allows Setup to configure the base station. If you do not disable firewall software, Setup might not be able to detect and configure the base station, and you might not be able to complete Setup successfully.
If you are setting up a Microsoft Base Station, it is recommended that you disconnect any VPN connection between your computer and the Internet before running the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program. A VPN is an extension of a private network, and is often used to connect remotely through the Internet to corporate networks. The Setup program uses an active Internet connection to automatically detect the computer's current Internet settings and apply them to the base station. If you do not disconnect from a VPN, Setup might not be able to detect and configure the base station, and you might not be able to complete Setup successfully.
If your computer has a non-Microsoft wireless network adapter installed,
the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program cannot automatically configure the adapter.
Instead, you will need to manually configure your non-Microsoft adapter to work with your wireless network.
To configure the non-Microsoft adapter,
write down the wireless settings listed in Setup
(from the Set up your wireless network adapter screen),
start your adapter's setup or utility program, and enter these settings in that program.
You do not have to exit the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program
to run the adapter's setup or utility program.
To determine how to enter the settings, refer to your adapter's documentation.
After you configure the adapter to use your wireless network settings,
you can return to Setup to connect the adapter to your network.
If you have not yet installed your adapter, you should quit Setup,
install the adapter according to the instructions in your adapter's documentation,
and then rerun Setup.
An error message appears when the computer does not have a floppy disk drive installed
If you run the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program on a computer that does not have a floppy disk drive installed as logical drive A, Setup displays an error message that the drive is not ready for use. During a normal installation, Setup asks if you want to create a network setup floppy disk that contains your network settings. However, if no floppy disk drive is installed, an error message appears at the same step in Setup. To work around this issue, close the error message and continue with Setup. Make sure that you write down your network settings to use when you set up additional computers in your network.
In certain circumstances, Microsoft Windows XP attempts to reconnect to the Internet when you are connecting the Microsoft Base Station. This can occur when the Internet connection you have configured on Windows XP uses Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE). At one point in Setup, you must disconnect the Ethernet cable that connects your computer to your broadband modem. When you disconnect the Ethernet cable from your computer to connect it to the base station, Windows XP detects that the Internet connection is lost and tries to reestablish it. Windows XP displays a message indicating that it will attempt to reconnect to the Internet. If this occurs, click Cancel to stop reconnecting and then continue with Setup.
If you are using any Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) programs to establish an Internet connection, it is recommended that you quit such programs after you have completed the section of the Setup program that configures a Microsoft Base Station. Some Internet service providers use PPPoE with DSL connections. PPPoE connections are set up using a variety of programs. If you are not sure whether PPPoE is used with your connection, check with your ISP to see if PPPoE is used and how you should quit the PPPoE program. If you do not quit the PPPoE program, computers in your network might be unable to connect to the Internet.
After you connect the Microsoft Wireless USB Adapter when prompted by the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program, Microsoft Windows might not be able to detect the adapter. At the Setup screen that prompts you to connect the USB network adapter, the Next button might remain disabled and you might not be able to complete Setup successfully. In addition, Device Manager in the Windows Control Panel does not list the USB network adapter as a device.
This behavior can occur if Universal Serial Bus (USB) support is not enabled on your computer. To resolve this issue, click Cancel to quit Setup, and then check the status of the USB components in Device Manager.
To check the status of the USB components in Device Manager
Under Universal Serial Bus Controller, you should see the following components:
If a problem exists with a component or device, the device name is listed with a symbol indicating the nature of the problem.
A black exclamation point (!) on a yellow field indicates the device is in a problem state. A device in a problem state is not functioning. To troubleshoot, double-click the device name. On the device's Properties tab, check the troubleshooting instructions under Device status. Complete the troubleshooting steps before continuing.
A red "X" indicates a disabled device. A disabled device is a device that is physically present in the system and consuming resources, but does not have a protected-mode driver loaded. To troubleshoot, right-click the device name. On the shortcut menu, click either Enable Device or Properties, depending on your version of Microsoft Windows. If you click Properties, click Enable Device, and then click OK on the device's Properties tab.
A blue "i" on a white field indicates the resource settings for the device were manually selected. It does not indicate a problem state or disabled device.
After you make sure USB support is enabled on your computer, reconnect the Microsoft Wireless USB Adapter and rerun the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup program.
When you attempt to log on to the Base Station Management Tool to configure or monitor the Microsoft Base Station, you will see a message that another user is logged on. This results from a base station feature that allows one user at a time to connect to the base station for administration. You can change the interval (in minutes) before the base station disconnects an inactive user. If the base station does not detect activity over a connection for a user logged on to manage the base station, the base station automatically disconnects the user. In the Base Station Management Tool, this setting is on the Change Password page.
However, if you want to log on during the specified log off interval, you can reset the base station. To do so, use a pointed object and briefly press the Reset button on back of the base station. After the restart completes, log on to base station.
If you are unable to connect to the Internet, you might need to specify a MAC address setting for the Microsoft Base Station. A MAC address is a unique numerical identifier for a hardware device, such as a base station or adapter. Some ISPs record the MAC address of the adapter that you use when you first connect to the Internet. Depending on your ISP account, you might experience problems if you later use the base station’s default MAC address to connect to the Internet.
If your ISP requires that you use a MAC address for Internet access, use the Base Station Management Tool to clone (copy) the MAC address of the adapter installed in the computer where you initially connected to the Internet. When you clone the adapter MAC address, it replaces the base station WAN MAC address, so that each device on the network — including the base station — appears to have that MAC address. For information on how to clone the MAC address, see Chapter 6 of the User’s Guide for your Microsoft Base Station.
When you use the Base Station Management Tool to change a wireless security (WEP) key on the Microsoft Wireless Base Station, use a computer that connects to the base station through an Ethernet connection. Otherwise, if you use a wireless connection, there is a risk that the computer will be unable to connect to the base station after you change the wireless security key. If you do so, you will have to restore the base station's factory default settings, which removes the base station's current settings, and replaces them with the original factory settings. You will need to reenter the Internet connection settings provided by your Internet service provider, as well as any custom settings you have entered for your network.
If the wireless access feature is disabled on the Microsoft Wireless Base Station, specifying a wireless security (WEP) key enables the feature. In the Base Station Management Tool, the Enable wireless access check box on the Wireless page controls whether wireless access is enabled in the network. Specifying a WEP key on the separate Wireless Security page selects the Enable wireless access check box on the Wireless page.
When your Internet connection uses Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), you might lose your Internet connection. This occurs when the Microsoft Base Station does not automatically reestablish the connection after a period of inactivity. Related to this issue is an error in the time unit used in specifying this period of inactivity. In the Base Station Management Tool, the Wide Area Network (WAN) Settings page and the Help file indicate that settings for the Maximum idle time are in seconds. This is incorrect. The time period setting is in minutes, rather than seconds.
To work around these issues, do not enable the PPPoE idle time feature.
When you set up a virtual server on the Microsoft Base Station, users within your network cannot access it by domain name, like users outside your network — typically, from the Internet — do. For example, users outside the network might access the virtual server using a domain name, such as http://www.widgets.msn.com. However, users inside the network must use the virtual server's IP address, such as http://192.168.2.x, (where x is the last part of the local IP address). Examples of virtual servers are Web and FTP servers set up for use by remote users. Virtual servers are defined under Persistent Port Forwarding in the Base Station Management Tool.
With bridging mode, the base station acts as a bridge between two networks or segments of a network. If you experience problems with bridging mode, check for late-breaking technical information and base station firmware updates at the Microsoft Broadband Networking Web site.
When you refresh a page of the Base Station Management Tool, you might receive the following error message:
The page cannot be refreshed without resending the information. Click Retry.
To work around this issue, click Retry to close the error message dialog and refresh the page.
When you select or clear a check box on the MAC Filtering page of the Base Station Management Tool, the setting might not appear immediately. There might be a delay of several seconds. During this delay, you see no indication that any work is in progress.
There might be a delay when you are establishing a connection to the Microsoft Base Station after upgrading the base station's firmware. If this occurs, try to connect again. Repeat connection attempts for up to three minutes, then reset the base station. To do so, use a pointed object and briefly press the Reset button on back of the base station. After the restart completes, you should be able to successfully connect to the base station.
When you use the Netscape Navigator 4.7 browser to run the Base Station Management Tool, some pages might not display or function as expected. Examples of these problems include missing or incorrectly-positioned buttons, hyperlinks that work incorrectly, or check boxes that work incorrectly. To work around this issue, use another supported browser version to run the Base Station Management Tool, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later.
If you are running Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Second Edition, you might receive a Runtime Error! message. This issue can occur after the Microsoft Broadband Network Utility has been running for an extended period of time. The error indicates a problem with the program Netcenter.exe. To resolve this issue, click OK to close the error message dialog, close the Network Utility, restart your computer, and restart the Network Utility.
If you are running Microsoft Windows XP Professional and check the Network Connections option in the Windows Control Panel, you might see that the Broadband Connection on Microsoft Wireless Base Station item or the Internet Connection item is disabled. The status might appear even when the connection is active.
When using certain notebook computers equipped with the Microsoft Wireless Notebook Adapter, computer speakers can emit static when there is network activity using a wireless connection. This is a known issue for this release and is under investigation.
In the Microsoft Broadband Network Utility Help file, the Allow Specified Clients Association Permission Help topic should read as follows:
To allow specified clients association permission
In the Microsoft Broadband Network Utility Help file, the Use Keyboard Shortcuts for the Broadband Network Utility Help topic should read as follows:
| To do this | Press this |
| Open the Base Station Management Tool | CTRL+B |
| Open Broadband Network Utility Help | ALT+H, H |
| Open the options tool | ALT+T, O |
| Register your product | ALT+H, P |
| Refresh the network device list | F5 |
| Check the Web for product updates | ALT+H, U |
| View computer settings | CTRL+S |
| Open Help on the Web | ALT+H, W |
| Quit the Broadband Network Utility | ALT+F, X |
If you experience problems with wireless connectivity, here is additional information to help you in setting up and troubleshooting wireless connections. This information applies to wireless networks that use the Microsoft Wireless Base Station and the Microsoft Wireless USB Adapter. It also applies to computer-to-computer (ad hoc) networks that use the Microsoft Wireless USB Adapter.
For information about the channel number and how to set it, see the User’s Guide.
There might be a delay when you are establishing a connection between computers that use the Microsoft Wireless USB Adapter in a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network. Allow at least 2 minutes for the computers to connect.
The AOL cable Internet service does not support connection of multiple computers using base stations, routers, or gateways, such as the Microsoft Base Station.
To use the Microsoft Broadband Networking Wireless Base Station:
To use the Microsoft Broadband Networking Wireless USB Adapter:
To use the Microsoft Broadband Networking Wireless Notebook Adapter:
Additional requirements for using the Microsoft Broadband Networking Setup Wizard and Microsoft Broadband Network Utility:
* Setup features and functionality are limited on Windows 2000
Recommended:
Not all Internet service providers (ISPs) allow you to share a broadband connection. Please check with your ISP.
When using some Internet-based applications and services within a private network. Additional configuration might be required to make them work. In other cases, some applications might not work as expected. Examples of these applications include multiplayer games, online chat, and multimedia software. Symptoms of the problems vary, but include the following:
For this release, there are known compatibility issues with the following Internet-based applications and games:
For issues with Microsoft applications, make sure you have the latest version of Microsoft DirectX installed on your computer. For issues with games, make sure you have the latest updates available from the game publisher's Web site. To check for late-breaking compatibility information for Microsoft Broadband Networking products, see the Microsoft Broadband Networking Web site.
The Satellite Accelerator software used by the StarBand Model 360 Modem is not compatible with the Microsoft Base Station.