Aironet Client Utility (ACU)
Create and select profiles

The profile manager feature within ACU allows the creation and management of up to 16 profiles for the client adapter. These profiles enable use of the client adapter in different locations, each of which requires different configuration settings. For example, profiles can be created for the office, at home, and public areas such as airports. Once the profiles are created, a user can easily switch between them without having to reconfigure the client adapter each time a new location is entered.

Profiles are stored in the part of the registry reserved for the client adapter driver and, therefore, are tied to radio type. Consequently, if profiles are set up for a 340 series PC card that is later upgraded to a 350 series PC card, all of the profiles will be lost. Similarly, all profiles are lost if the adapter software components are uninstalled. To prevent lost profiles, Cisco recommends that the profiles be backed up by using the import/export feature of the profile manager.

To open the profile manager, double-click the Aironet Client Utility (ACU) icon on the desktop. Then click the Profile Manager icon or select Profile Manager from the Commands drop-down menu. The Profile Manager screen appears . The Profile manager allows the tasks shown in Figure that are related to the management of profiles.

Follow the steps in Figure to create a new profile.

To specify the profile that the client adapter is to use, open ACU; click the Select Profile icon or select Select Profile from the Commands drop-down menu. The Select Profile screen appears . The choices are as follows:

  • Click the Use Selected Profile option to select one profile for the client adapter to use. If this option is chosen, the desired profile must be selected from the drop-down box.
  • Click the Use Auto Profile Selection to enable the client adapter's driver to automatically select a profile from the list of profiles that were set up to be included in auto profile selection. Auto profile is covered in the next section.
  • Click the Use Another Application to Configure My Wireless Settings to enable an application other than ACU to configure the client adapter. Examples of such applications include Windows XP.

Click OK or Apply to save the selection. The client adapter starts using a profile based on the option selected above. Aironet Client Monitor (ACM) can also be used to select the active profile.