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Adapter Settings

The Advanced tab displays the device properties for the WiFi adapter installed on your computer. This version of Intel® PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software is compatible with the following adapters:

How to Access

At the Intel® PROSet/Wireless WiFi Connection Utility, Advanced Menu click Adapter Settings. Select the Advanced tab.

WiFi Adapter Settings Description

Name

 Description

802.11n Channel Width (2.4 GHz)

Set high throughput channel width to maximize performance. Set the channel width to Auto or 20MHz. Use 20MHz if 802.11n channels are restricted. This setting applies to 802.11n capable adapters only.

NOTE: This setting does not apply to the following adapters:

  • Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (uses 20 MHz channel width only)

802.11n Channel Width (5.2 GHz)

Set high throughput channel width to maximize performance. Set the channel width to Auto or 20MHz. Use 20MHz if 802.11n channels are restricted. This setting applies to 802.11n capable adapters only.

NOTE: This setting does not apply to the following adapters:

  • Intel® WiFi Link 1000
  • Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN

802.11n Mode

The 802.11n standard builds on previous 802.11 standards by adding multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). MIMO increases data throughput to improve transfer rate. Select Enabled or Disabled to set the 802.11n mode of the WiFi adapter. Enabled is the default setting. This setting applies to 802.11n capable adapters only.

NOTE: To achieve transfer rates greater than 54 Mbps on 802.11n connections, WPA2*-AES security must be selected. No security (None) can be selected to enable network setup and troubleshooting.

An administrator can enable or disable support for high throughput mode to reduce power-consumption or conflicts with other bands or compatibility issues.

Ad Hoc Channel

Unless the other computers in the ad hoc network use a different channel from the default channel, there is no need to change the channel.

Value: Select the permitted operating channel from the list.

  • 802.11b/g: Select this option when 802.11b and 802.11g (2.4 GHz) ad hoc band frequency is used.
  • 802.11a: Select this option when 802.11a (5 GHz) ad hoc band frequency is used. This setting does not apply to the Intel® WiFi Link 1000 adapter.

NOTE: When an 802.11a channel is not displayed, initiating ad hoc networks is not supported for 802.11a channels.

Ad Hoc Power Management

Set power saving features for device to device (ad hoc) networks.

  • Disable: Select when connecting to ad hoc networks that contain stations that do not support ad hoc power management
  • Maximum Power Savings: Select to optimize battery life.
  • Noisy Environment: Select to optimize performance or connecting with multiple clients.

Ad Hoc QoS Mode

Quality of Service (QoS) control in ad hoc networks. QoS provides prioritization of traffic from the access point over a wireless LAN based on traffic classification. WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) is the QoS certification of the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA). When WMM is enabled, the WiFi adapter uses WMM to support priority tagging and queuing capabilities for Wi-Fi networks.

  • WMM Enabled (Default)
  • WMM Disabled

Fat Channel Intolerant

This setting communicates to surrounding networks that this WiFi adapter is not tolerant of 40MHz channels in the 2.4GHz band. The default setting is for this to be turned off (disabled), so that the adapter does not send this notification.

NOTE: This setting does not apply to the following adapters:

  • Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AG_
  • Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection

Mixed mode protection

Use to avoid data collisions in a mixed 802.11b and 802.11g environment. Request to Send/Clear to Send (RTS/CTS) should be used in an environment where clients may not hear each other. CTS-to-self can be used to gain more throughput in an environment where clients are in close proximity and can hear each other.

Power Management

Lets you select a balance between power consumption and WiFi adapter performance. The WiFi adapter power settings slider sets a balance between the computer's power source and the battery.

  • Use default value: (Default) Power settings are based on the computer's power source.
  • Manual: Adjust the slider for the desired setting. Use the lowest setting for maximum battery life. Use the highest setting for maximum performance.

NOTE: Power consumption savings vary based on Network (Infrastructure) settings.

Roaming Aggressiveness

This setting lets you define how aggressively your wireless client roams to improve connection to an access point.

  • Default: Balanced setting between not roaming and performance.
  • Lowest: Your wireless client will not roam. Only significant link quality degradation causes it to roam to another access point.
  • Highest: Your wireless client continuously tracks the link quality. If any degradation occurs, it tries to find and roam to a better access point.

Throughput Enhancement

Changes the value of the Packet Burst Control.

  • Enable: Select to enable throughput enhancement.
  • Disable: (Default) Select to disable throughput enhancement.

Transmit Power

Default Setting: Highest power setting.

Lowest: Minimum Coverage: Set the adapter to the lowest transmit power. Enables you to expand the number of coverage areas or confine a coverage area. Reduces the coverage area in high traffic areas to improve overall transmission quality and avoids congestion and interference with other devices.

Highest: Maximum Coverage: Set the adapter to a maximum transmit power level. Select for maximum performance and range in environments with limited additional WiFi radio devices.

NOTE: The optimal setting is for a user to always set the transmit power at the lowest possible level that is still compatible with the quality of their communication. This allows the maximum number of wireless devices to operate in dense areas and reduce interference with other devices that it shares the same radio spectrum with.

NOTE: This setting takes effect when either Network (Infrastructure) or Device to Device (ad hoc) mode is used.

Wireless Mode

Select which mode to use for connection to a wireless network:

  • 802.11a only: Connect the wireless WiFi adapter to 802.11a networks only. Not applicable for all adapters.
  • 802.11b only: Connect the wireless WiFi adapter to 802.11b networks only. Not applicable for all adapters.
  • 802.11g only: Connect the wireless WiFi adapter to 802.11g networks only.
  • 802.11a and 802.11g: Connect the WiFi adapter to 802.11a and 802.11g networks only. Not applicable for all adapters.
  • 802.11b and 802.11g: Connect the WiFi adapter to 802.11b and 802.11g networks only. Not applicable for all adapters.
  • 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g: (Default) - Connect to either 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g wireless networks. Not applicable for all adapters.

OK

Saves settings and returns to the previous page.

Cancel

Closes and cancels any changes.

Microsoft Windows* Advanced Options (Adapter Settings)

To access the Windows* XP Advanced options:

  1. Start Windows and log on with administrative privileges.
  2. From your desktop, right-click My Computer and click Properties.
  3. Click the Hardware tab.
  4. Click Device Manager.
  5. Double-click Network adapters.
  6. Right-click the name of the installed WiFi adapter that is in use.
  7. Click Properties.
  8. Select the Advanced tab.
  9. Select the property you want (for example, Mixed Mode Protection, Power Management).
  10. To select a new value or setting, click Use default value to clear the checkbox. Then select a new value or setting. To return to the default value, click the Use default value checkbox. (The Use default value box is not present for all properties, for example, Ad Hoc Channel. In this case, simply select the setting you want.)
  11. To save your settings and exit the window, click OK.

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