User Manual

FCC ID: NDD9571280514

Users Manual

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FCCID_590555

802.11g Wireless LAN PCI Card



        User Manual




             Version: 1.0
          (September, 2005)


                                 COPYRIGHT
Copyright ©2005/2006 by this company. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system,
or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of this company

This company makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied,
with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties,
merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Any software described in this
manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their
purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the
entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential
damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further, this company reserves the
right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents
hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.




All brand and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.


             Federal Communication Commission
                    Interference Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:


1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
2. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
3. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
   receiver is connected.
4. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio technician for help.


FCC Caution

This equipment must be installed and operated in accordance with provided
instructions and a minimum 20 cm spacing must be provided between computer
mounted antenna and person’s body (excluding extremities of hands, wrist and feet)
during wireless modes of operation.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.

Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the authority to operate equipment.


Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Radiation Exposure Statement

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure set forth for an uncontrolled
environment. In order to avoid the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency
exposure limits, human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than 20cm (8 inches)
during normal operation.

The antenna(s) used for this transmitter must not be co-located or operating in
conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.


R&TTE Compliance Statement

This equipment complies with all the requirements of DIRECTIVE 1999/5/EC OF THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL of March 9, 1999 on radio
equipment and telecommunication terminal Equipment and the mutual recognition of
their conformity (R&TTE)
The R&TTE Directive repeals and replaces in the directive 98/13/EEC
(Telecommunications Terminal Equipment and Satellite Earth Station Equipment) As
of April 8, 2000.


Safety

This equipment is designed with the utmost care for the safety of those who install and
use it. However, special attention must be paid to the dangers of electric shock and
static electricity when working with electrical equipment. All guidelines of this and of
the computer manufacture must therefore be allowed at all times to ensure the safe
use of the equipment.


EU Countries Intended for Use

The ETSI version of this device is intended for home and office use in Austria,
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The ETSI version of this device is also authorized for use in EFTA member states:
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.


EU Countries Not intended for use

None.


                                                        CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1
  1.1    Features ......................................................................................................................... 2
  1.2    Specifications................................................................................................................ 2
  1.3    Package Contents .......................................................................................................... 3
2 INSTALLATION PROCEDURE ..................................................... 4
3 CONFIGURATION UTILITY ......................................................... 7
  3.1    Site Survey .................................................................................................................... 9
  3.2    Profile.......................................................................................................................... 10
        3.2.1 Configure the Profile .....................................................................................11
               3.2.1.1     Configuration ..................................................................................................................11
               3.2.1.2     Authentication and Security ........................................................................................... 13
               3.2.1.3     802.1x Setting-Certification ........................................................................................... 17
               3.2.1.4     802.1x Setting-CA Server............................................................................................... 18
  3.3    Link Status .................................................................................................................. 19
  3.4    Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 21
  3.5    Advance ...................................................................................................................... 21
  3.6    About........................................................................................................................... 24
  3.7    Turbo Mode................................................................................................................. 24
  3.8    WMM Function .......................................................................................................... 25
4 TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................. 27


1 Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the 802.11g Wireless LAN PCI Card. This card complies with IEEE 802.11g
standard, which supports up to 54Mbps high-speed wireless network connections. It can also work with
IEEE 802.11b devices. When the card connects to 11b devices, the link speed will be up to 11Mbps.

This card enables higher data throughput than the IEEE 802.11g standard (up to 54Mbps). It supports
specific ways to increase the data transfer rate at a time; compress the data and decrease the waiting
time to send the next data to the Routers or APs. This feature is called Turbo Mode. When the card is
connecting to the Routers or APs with the proprietary Turbo Mode feature, the wireless network will be
more effective.

For WLAN security issues, this card supports 64/128-bit WEP data encryption that protects your
wireless network from eavesdropping. It also supports WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) feature that
combines IEEE 802.1x and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) technologies. Client users are
required to authorize before accessing to APs or AP Routers, and the data transmitted in the network is
encrypted/decrypted by a dynamically changed secret key. Furthermore, this card supports WPA2
function, WPA2 provides a stronger encryption mechanism through AES (Advanced Encryption
Standard), which is a requirement for some corporate and government users.

When you use the devices such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, televisions, VCRs and
MP3 players, how can you speed up the audio, video and voice data to pass through the wireless
network? IEEE 802.11e Quality of Service (QoS) (The Wi-Fi Alliance defined WMM as a profile of the
IEEE 802.11e) extensions for 802.11 networks will help to define the priorities of the data traffics by the
data categories to provide enhanced multimedia support. This card supports the advanced technology
for sure.

The power consumption of the card is also very low. This card provides several levels of power saving
modes allowing user customizes the way of saving the power from his/her portable or handheld
devices.

This card is cost-effective, together with the versatile features; it is the best solution for you to build your
wireless network.




                                                       1


1.1 Features
   •   Works with both IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g products.
   •   High-speed transfer data rate - up to 54Mbps.
   •   Supports Turbo Mode to enhance the data transfer speed within the specific wireless
       network.
   •   Supports WMM function to meet the multi-media data bandwidth requirement.
   •   Supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA (TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2 (AES with IEEE 802.1x)
       functions for high level of security.
   •   Detachable antenna with long length cable provides convenience to locate the antenna.
   •   Automatic fallback increases data security and reliability.

   •   Supports the most popular operating system: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP.
   •   Supports 32-bit PCI interface.



1.2 Specifications
   •   Standard: IEEE 802.11b/g

   •   Interface: 32-bit PCI
   •   Frequency Band: 2.4000 ~ 2.4835GHz (Industrial Scientific Medical Band)
   •   Modulation: OFDM with BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM (11g)

                     BPSK, QPSK, CCK (11b)
   •   Data Rate: 54/48/36/24/18/12/11/9/6/5.5/2/1Mbps auto fallback
   •   Security: 64/128-bit WEP Data Encryption, WPA (TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2 (AES with
       IEEE 802.1x)
       Note: WPA2 is enabled in Windows 2000/XP.
   •   Antenna: External detachable dipole antenna (Connector: RP-SMA connector, Cable Length:
       94 cm)
   •   Drivers: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP
   •   LEDs: Link, TX/RX

   •   Transmit Power: 16dBm~18dBm
   •   Dimension: 19(H) x 130(W) x 121(D) mm
   •   Weight: 46g

   •   Temperature: 32~131°F (0 ~ 55°C)
   •   Humidity: Max. 95% (NonCondensing)
   •   Certification: FCC, CE




                                                 2


1.3 Package Contents
Before you begin the installation, please check the items of your package. The package should include
the following items:

     •    One PCI Card

     •    One CD (Driver/Utility/User’s Manual.)

     •    One Quick Guide

If any of the above items is missing, contact your supplier as soon as possible.




                                                   3


2 Installation Procedure
Before you proceed with the installation, please notice following descriptions.

Note1: The following installation was operated under Windows XP.           (Procedures are similar for
       Windows 98SE/Me/2000.)

Note2: If you have installed the Wireless PCI Card driver & utility before, please uninstall the old
        version first.

I. Install the Hardware

A. Turn off your computer and remove its cover.
B. Insert the PCI card to an available PCI slot firmly.
C. Secure this card to the rear of the computer chassis and put back the cover.
D. Secure the antenna to the antenna connector of the card.
E. Turn on the computer.



II. Install the Driver and Utility
A. “Found New Hardware Wizard” is displayed after the PCI card is installed and the computer is
   restarted. Click “Cancel”.




                                                     4


B. Insert the Installation CD to your CD-ROM Drive. Execute the “setup” program.




C. Click “Yes” to process the installation if you accept the license agreement.




D. The system starts to install the software of the card.




                                                   5


E. The system will automatically detect the card and display “Hardware Installation” screen. Click
   “Continue Anyway” to continue.




F. Please click “Finish” to complete the installation.




                                                    6


3 Configuration Utility
The Configuration Utility is a powerful application that helps you configure the PCI card and monitor the
link status and the statistics during the communication process.

When the card is installed, the configuration utility will be displayed automatically. This card will auto
connect to wireless device which has better signal strength and no wireless security setting.




The Configuration Utility appears as an icon on the system tray of Windows while the card is running.
You can open the utility by double-click on the icon.




Right click the icon, there are some items for you to operate the configuration utility.
     Lauch Config Utilities
     Select “Lauch Config Utilities” to open the Configuration Utility tool.
     Use Zero Configuration as Configuration Utility
     Select “Use Zero Configuration as Configuration Utility” to use Windows XP built-in wireless
     configuration utility (Windows Zero Configuration) to configure the card.
     Exit
     Select “Exit” to close the Configuration Utility tool.




                                                     7


In Windows XP, there is a “Windows Zero Configuration Tool” for you to setup wireless clients. By
default, this “Windows Zero Configuration Tool” is enabled. If you want to use the Utility for the card,
please follow one of the ways as below.

First Way

Right click the icon in the system tray and select “Use RaConfig as Configuration Utility”.




Second Way

A. Right-click the icon and select “View Available Wireless Networks”.




B. Click “Advanced”.




C. Uncheck “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings” to enable the utility for the card.




                                                    8


Note: If “Wireless Zero Configuration” is enabled, you can only configure the advance setting or check
the link status and statistics from the configuration utility of the card.



3.1     Site Survey
When you open the Configuration Utility, the system will scan all the channels to find all the access
points/stations within the accessible range of your card and automatically connect to the wireless
device with the highest signal strength. From the “Site Survey”, all the networks nearby will be listed.
You can change the connection to another networks or add one of the networks to your own profile list.




                                                   9


Parameter                           Description
Available Networks                  This list shows all available wireless networks within range of your
                                    card. It also displays the information of the networks including the
                                    SSID, BSSID, Signal Strength, Channel, Encryption,
                                    Authentication and Network Type. If you want to connect to any
                                    networks on the list, double-click the item on the list, and the card
                                    will automatically connect to the selected network.


Rescan Button                       Click “Rescan” button to collect the new information of all the
                                    wireless networks nearby.


Connect Button                      Click “Connect” to connect to the selected network.


Add to Profile Button               Add the selected network to Profiles list.



3.2     Profile
The “Profiles List” is for you to manage the networks you connect to frequently. You are able to
Add/Delete/Edit/Activate a profile.




                                                  10


Parameter                     Description
Profiles List                 The profiles list display all the profiles and the relative settings of
                              the profiles including Profile Name, SSID, Channel, etc.
                                   This sign indicates the activated profile is been connecting.
                                   This sign indicates the activated profile is not been
                              connecting.


Add/Delete/Edit Button        Click these buttons to add/delete/edit the selected profiles.


Activate Button               Click “Activate” to connect to the selected profile. When a profile is
                              activated, the card will be initially connected to the profile.




3.2.1 Configure the Profile




3.2.1.1   Configuration
Parameter                     Description
Profile Name                  Define a recognizable profile name for you to identify the different
                              networks.


SSID                          The SSID (up to 32 printable ASCII characters) is the unique
                              name identified in a WLAN. The ID prevents the unintentional
                              merging of two co-located WLANs.

                              You may specify a SSID for the card and then only the device with
                              the same SSID can interconnect to the card. If you want to add the
                              network nearby to the profile list, pull down the menu, all the
                              networks will be listed for you to add one of them to the profile list.

                                             11


Parameter                 Description
PSM (Power Saving Mode)   The power saving function is only available when the network type
                          is in Infrastructure.
                          CAM (Constantly Awake Mode) – The card will always set in
                          active mode.

                          PSM (Power Saving Mode) – Enable the card in the power
                          saving mode when it is idle.


Network Type              Infrastructure – This operation mode requires the presence of an
                          802.11 Access Point. All communication is done via the Access
                          Point or Router.

                          Ad-Hoc – Select this mode if you want to connect to another
                          wireless stations in the Wireless LAN network without through an
                          Access Point or Router.


TX Power                  If you want to lower the transmit power of the card for saving the
                          power of the system, you can select the lower percentages from
                          the list. The lower power will cause the lower signal strength and
                          the coverage range.


Ad Hoc Wireless Mode      When the card is set in Ad Hoc (Peer to Peer Mode), you can
                          designate the wireless connection mode for the Ad Hoc network.
                          802.11 B only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
                          and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11b wireless
                          stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.

                          802.11 B/G mix – If you have a mix of 802.11b and 802.11g
                          wireless stations in your network, it is recommended to setting the
                          card to this mode. This mode is also the default setting.

                          802.11 G only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
                          and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11g wireless
                          stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.


Preamble                  The preamble defines the length of the CRC block for
                          communication among wireless devices. This option is only active
                          in the Ad Hoc network.

                          There are two modes including Auto and Long Preamble. If
                          “Auto“ mode is selected, the card will auto switch the preamble
                          mode depending on the wireless devices the card is connecting
                          to.




                                        12


Parameter                      Description
RTS Threshold                  Minimum packet size required for an RTS (Request To Send). For
                               packets smaller than this threshold, an RTS is not sent and the
                               packet is transmitted directly to the wireless network. Select a
                               setting within a range of 0 to 2347 bytes. Minor change is
                               recommended.


Fragment Threshold             The value defines the maximum size of packets; any packet size
                               larger than the value will be fragmented. If you have decreased
                               this value and experience high packet error rates, you can
                               increase it again, but it will likely decrease overall network
                               performance. Select a setting within a range of 256 to 2346 bytes.
                               Minor change is recommended.


Channel                        This setting is only available for Ad Hoc mode. Select the number
                               of the radio channel used for the networking. The channel setting
                               should be the same with the network you are connecting to.




3.2.1.2   Authentication and Security
Parameter                      Description
Authentication Type            This setting has to be consistent with the wireless networks that
                               the card intends to connect.
                               Open – No authentication is needed among the wireless network.

                               Shared – Only wireless devices using a shared key (WEP Key
                               identified) are allowed to connecting each other.

                                             13


Parameter             Description
Authentication Type   LEAP – LEAP is a pre-EAP, Cisco-proprietary protocol, with many
                      of the features of EAP protocols. Cisco controls the ability of other
                      vendors to implement this protocol, so it should be selected for
                      use only when limited vendor choice for client, access-point, and
                      server products is not a concern. When you have set up LEAP
                      authentication, you have to enter the user name and password of
                      your computer.

                      WPA – WPA provides a scheme of mutual authentication using
                      either IEEE 802.1x/Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
                      authentication or pre-shared key (PSK) technology. It provides a
                      high level of assurance to enterprises, small businesses and
                      home users that data will remain protected and that only
                      authorized users may access their networks. For enterprises that
                      have already deployed IEEE 802.1x authentication, WPA offers
                      the advantage of leveraging existing authentication databases
                      and infrastructure.

                      WPA-PSK – It is a special mode designed for home and small
                      business users who do not have access to network authentication
                      servers. In this mode, known as Pre-Shared Key, the user
                      manually enters the starting password in their access point or
                      gateway, as well as in each wireless stations in the network.
                      WPA-PSK takes over automatically from that point, keeping
                      unauthorized users that don't have the matching password from
                      joining the network, while encrypting the data traveling between
                      authorized devices.

                      WPA2 – Like WPA, WPA2 supports IEEE 802.1x/EAP
                      authentication or PSK technology. It also includes a new
                      advanced encryption mechanism using the Advanced Encryption
                      Standard (AES). AES is required to the corporate user or
                      government users. The difference between WPA and WPA2 is that
                      WPA2 provides data encryption via the AES. In contrast, WPA
                      uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP).

                      WPA2-PSK – WPA2-PSK is also for home and small business.
                      The difference between WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK is that
                      WPA2-PSK provides data encryption via the AES. In contrast,
                      WPA-PSK uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP).


802.1x Setting        When you have set the Authentication Type to Open, Shared,
                      WPA or WPA2, you can also enable IEEE 802.1x setting to use
                      the authentication server or certification server to authenticate
                      client users.


                                    14


Parameter            Description
Encryption Mode      None – Disable the encryption mode.

                     WEP – Enable the WEP Data Encryption. When the item is
                     selected, you have to continue setting the WEP Encryption keys.

                     TKIP – TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) changes the
                     temporal key every 10,000 packets (a packet is a kind of message
                     transmitted over a network.) This insures much greater security
                     than the standard WEP security.

                     AES – AES has been developed to ensure the highest degree of
                     security and authenticity for digital information and it is the most
                     advanced solution defined by IEEE 802.11i for the security in the
                     wireless network.

                     Note: All devices in the network should use the same encryption
                     method to ensure the communication.


WPA Pre-Shared Key   The WPA-PSK key can be from 8 to 64 characters and can be
                     letters or numbers. This same key must be used on all of the
                     wireless stations in the network.


WEP Key              The WEP keys are used to encrypt data transmitted in the
(Key1 ~ Key4)        wireless network. There are two types of key length: 64-bit and
                     128-bit. Select the default encryption key from Key 1 to Key 4 by
                     selected the radio button.

                     Fill the text box by following the rules below.
                     64-bit – Input 10-digit Hex values (in the “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9”
                     range) or 5-digit ASCII characters (including “a-z” and “0-9”) as
                     the encryption keys. For example: “0123456aef“ or “test1”.

                     128-bit – Input 26-digit Hex values (in the “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9”
                     range) or 13-digit ASCII characters (including “a-z” and “0-9”) as
                     the encryption keys. For example:
                     “01234567890123456789abcdef“ or “administrator”.




                                   15


The IEEE 802.1X specification describes a protocol that can be used for authenticating both clients and
servers on a network. The authentication algorithms and methods are those provided by the Extensible
Authentication Protocol (EAP), a method of authentication that has been in use for a number of years
on networks that provide Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) support as many internet service providers and
enterprises do.

When an AP acting as an authenticator detects a wireless station on the LAN, it sends an EAP-Request
for the user's identity to the device. (EAP, or the Extensible Authentication Protocol, is an authentication
protocol that runs before network layer protocols transmit data over the link.) In turn, the device
responds with its identity, and the AP relays this identity to an authentication server, which is typically
an external RADIUS server.

An example for MD5 Authentication

                 IEEE 802.1x                     RADIUS                   RADIUS
                Access Client                     Client             3
                                                                           Server
                                          1




                                                 Access Point
                                          2                          4

                                                                           Windows 2000 IAS
                                                                           (Internet Authentication
                                                                            Service)
                   (1) Client requests to login the        (3) Send username, password to
                       network.                                RADIUS server.

                   (2) Login with username,                (4) Approve or deny user
                       password.                               login to the LAN.


                                                      16


3.2.1.3    802.1x Setting-Certification
Parameter                        Description
Authentication Type              The EAP authentication protocols this card has supported are
                                 included as follows. This setting has to be consistent with the
                                 wireless APs or Routers that the card intends to connect.

                                 PEAP &TTLS – PEAP and TTLS are similar and easier than TLS
                                 in that they specify a stand-alone authentication protocol be used
                                 within an encrypted tunnel. TTLS supports any protocol within its
                                 tunnel, including CHAP, MS-CHAP, MS-CHAPv2, PAP and
                                 EAP-MD5. PEAP specifies that an EAP-compliant authentication
                                 protocol must be used; this card supports EAP-MSCHAP v2,
                                 EAP-TLS/Smart card and Generic Token Card. The client
                                 certificate is optional required for the authentication.

                                 TLS/Smart Card –TLS is the most secure of the EAP protocols
                                 but not easy to use. It requires that digital certificates be
                                 exchanged in the authentication phase. The server presents a
                                 certificate to the client. After validating the server’s certificate, the
                                 client presents a client certificate to the server for validation.

                                 MD5-Challenge – MD5-Challenge is the easiest EAP Type. It
                                 requires the wireless station to enter a set of user name and
                                 password as the identity to RADIUS Server.


Session Resumption               There are “Disabled”, “Reauthentication”, “Roaming”, “SameSsid”
                                 and “Always” selections for you to choose whether to recovery the
                                 session in different status.


Identity                         Enter the name as the identity for the server.


Password                         Enter the password as the identity for the server.

Use Client Certificate           A client certificate is required for TLS, and is optional for TTLS and
                                 PEAP. This forces a client certificate to be selected from the
                                 appropriate Windows Certificate Store and made available to the
                                 RADIUS server for certification.




                                                17


Parameter                      Description
Tunneled Authentication
     Protocol                  When the authentication type is PEAP or TTLS, select a protocol
                               to be used to build the encrypted tunnel.


     Identity                  This is the protected user EAP Identity used for authentication.
                               The identity specified may contain up to 63 ASCII characters, is
                               case sensitive and takes the form of a Network Access Identifier,
                               consisting of <name of the user>@<user’s home realm>. The
                               user’s home realm is optional and indicates the routing domain.

     Password                  The password used for authentication. It may contain up to 63
                               ASCII characters and is case sensitive.




3.2.1.4   802.1x Setting-CA Server
Parameter                      Description
Use Certificate Chain          When the EAP authentication type such as TLS, TTLS or PEAP is
                               selected and required a certification to tell the client what server
                               credentials to accept from the authentication server in order to
                               verify the server, you have to enable this function.


Certificate Issuer             Choose the server from the list to issue the certificate. If “Any
                               Trusted CA” is selected, any CA included in the list (provided by
                               the Microsoft Certificate Store) is permitted.




                                             18


Parameter                           Description
Allow Intermediate Certificates     A server designates an issuer as a trusted root authority by
                                    placing the issuer's self-signed certificate, which contains the
                                    issuer's public key, into the trusted root certification authority
                                    certificate store of the host computer. Intermediate or subordinate
                                    certification authorities are trusted only if they have a valid
                                    certification path from a trusted root certification authority.

Server Name                         Enter the authentication server name.


Server name must match exactly      When selected, the server name must match exactly the server
                                    name found on the certificate.


Domain name must end in             When selected, the server name field identifies a domain. The
specified name                      certificate must use a server name belonging to this domain or to
                                    one of its sub-domains (e.g. zeelans.com, where the server is
                                    blueberry.zeelans.com) but it may be any name used in the
                                    certificate name field.



3.3     Link Status
From the “Link Status” option, you can view all the information of the network you are connecting to.




                                                  19


Parameter                Description
Status                   Display the SSID and MAC ID of the network the card is
                         connecting to.


Extra Info               Display the link status.


Channel                  Display the number of the radio channel and the frequency used
                         for the networking.


Link Speed (Mbps)        Display the transmission and reception rate of the network. The
                         maximum transmission rate is 54Mbps.


Throughput (Kbits/sec)   Display the speed of data transmitted and received.


Link Quality             This bar indicates the quality of the link. The higher the
                         percentage, the better the quality.


dBm                      If you want to know the signal strength in the unit of dBm, select
                         this check box.


Signal Strength          This bar shows the signal strength level. The higher percentage
                         shown in the bar, the more radio signal been received by the card.
                         This indicator helps to find the proper position of the wireless
                         device for quality network operation.


Noise Level              Display the noise level in the wireless environment.




                                       20


3.4     Statistics
This option enables you to view the statistic information of the connection including transmit statistics
and receive statistics. You may reset the counters by clicking ”Reset Counter”.




3.5     Advance
This option enables you to configure more advanced settings, for example: wireless mode, protection
mode and etc.




                                                    21


Parameter                         Description
Wireless Mode                     802.11 B/G mix – If you have a mix of 802.11b and 802.11g
                                  wireless stations in your network, it is recommended to setting the
                                  card to this mode. This mode is also the default setting.

                                  802.11 B only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
                                  and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11b wireless
                                  stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.

                                  802.11 G only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
                                  and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11g wireless
                                  stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.


Select Your Country Region Code The available channel differs from different countries. For
                                example: USA (FCC) is channel 1-11, Europe (ETSI) is channel
                                1-13. The operating frequency channel will be restricted to the
                                country user located before importing. If you are in different
                                country, you have to adjust the channel setting to comply the
                                regulation of the country.


B/G Protection                    If you have a mix of 802.11b and 802.11g wireless stations in the
                                  network, it is recommended to enable the protection mechanism.
                                  This mechanism can decrease the rate of data collision between
                                  802.11b and 802.11g wireless stations. When the protection mode
                                  is enabled, the throughput of the card will be a little lower due to
                                  many of frame traffic should be transmitted.
                                  Auto – Based on the status of the network and automatically
                                  disable/enable protection mode.

                                  On – Always enable the protection mode.

                                  Off – Always disable the protection mode.


Tx Rate                           There are several options including
                                  Auto/1/2/5.5/11/6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54Mbps for you to select.
                                  When the “Auto” is selected, the device will choose the most
                                  suitable transmission rate automatically. The higher data rate you
                                  designated in the network, the shorter distance is allowed
                                  between the card and the wireless stations.

                                  When the wireless mode is “802.11 B only”, the maximum data
                                  rate is 11Mbps (11b) so that there are only “Auto/1/2/5.5/11Mbps”
                                  options you can select.

Tx BURST                          Tx Burst enables the card to deliver the better throughput in the
                                  same period and environment.

                                                22


Parameter                         Description
Enable TCP Window Size            The TCP Window is the amount of data a sender can send on a
                                  particular connection before it gets an acknowledgment back from
                                  the receiver that it has gotten some of it. When the Router or AP
                                  the card is connecting to have set up the TCP Window, you can
                                  enable the parameter to meet the data size for the Router or AP
                                  connection. The larger TCP Window the better performance.


Fast Roaming at -70dBm            When you want to fast roaming to the network nearby without
                                  intercepting the wireless connection especially the card is applied
                                  to the multimedia application or a voice call, you can enable the
                                  parameter. The card will fast roaming to the near network when
                                  the receive sensitivity (signal strength) is lower to the value you
                                  have set up.


Turn Off RF Button                If you want to turn off the radio of the card temporarily, click this
                                  button. To turn on the radio, click this button again.


CCX 2.0                           CCX 2.0 (Cisco Compatible Extensions) is developed by Cisco for
                                  the radio monitoring and fast roaming.


LEAP Turn on CCKM                 During normal operation, LEAP-enabled client devices mutually
                                  authenticate with a new access point by performing a complete
                                  LEAP authentication, including communication with the main
                                  RADIUS server.

                                  When you configure your wireless LAN for fast re-association,
                                  however, LEAP-enabled client devices roam from one access
                                  point to another without involving the main server. Using Cisco
                                  Centralized Key Management (CCKM), an access point
                                  configured to provide Wireless Domain Services (WDS) takes the
                                  place of the RADIUS server and authenticates the client so
                                  quickly that there is no perceptible delay in voice or other
                                  time-sensitive applications.

Enable Radio Measurement          When this parameter is enabled, the Cisco AP can run the radio
                                  monitoring through the associated CCX-compliant clients to
                                  continuously monitor the WLAN radio environment and discover
                                  any new APs that are transmitting beacons.

Non-Serving Channel               The Cisco AP can perform monitoring measurements through the
Measurements                      CCX-compliant clients on the non-serving channels when this
                                  parameter is enabled.


Limit xxx milliseconds (0-2000)   It limits the channel measurement time. The default value is 250
                                  milliseconds.

                                                 23


3.6     About
By choosing this option, you can click the hyperlink to connect the website for the information of the
wireless chipset vendor and review basic information about the Utility such as the Driver, Utility and
EEPROM Version. The MAC Address of the card is displayed in the screen as well.




3.7     Turbo Mode
This card supports specific ways to increase the data transfer rate at a time; compress the data and
decrease the waiting time to send the next data to the Routers or APs, this feature (known as Turbo
Mode) enables higher throughput than IEEE 802.11g standard (Up to 54Mbps).

When the card is connecting to the Routers or APs with the proprietary Turbo Mode feature, the Turbo
Mode will be enabled automatically without any configuration.




                                                   24


3.8     WMM Function
In addition to the Turbo Mode, this card also supports WMM function. When you use the devices such
as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, televisions, VCRs and MP3 players, IEEE 802.11e
Quality of Service (QoS) (The Wi-Fi Alliance defined WMM as a profile of the IEEE 802.11e) extensions
for 802.11 networks will help to define the priorities of the data traffics by the data categories to provide
enhanced multimedia support.

When the card is connected to the AP or Router with WMM function, you can enable the function of the
card by following the steps below.

A. In the Desktop of the computer, right click “My Network Places” and select “Properties”.




                                                     25


B. Right Click the “Wireless Network Connection” and select “Properties”.

C. Click “Configure…”.




D. Select “Advanced” page, enable the “WMM Capable”.




                                                 26


4 Troubleshooting

This chapter provides solutions to problems usually encountered during the installation and operation
of the adapter.

1. What is the IEEE 802.11g standard?
    802.11g is the new IEEE standard for high-speed wireless LAN communications that provides for
    up to 54 Mbps data rate in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11g is quickly becoming the next mainstream
    wireless LAN technology for the home, office and public networks.
    802.11g defines the use of the same OFDM modulation technique specified in IEEE 802.11a for
    the 5 GHz frequency band and applies it in the same 2.4 GHz frequency band as IEEE 802.11b.
    The 802.11g standard requires backward compatibility with 802.11b.

      The standard specifically calls for:
      A. A new physical layer for the 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) in the 2.4 GHz frequency
         band, known as the extended rate PHY (ERP). The ERP adds OFDM as a mandatory new
         coding scheme for 6, 12 and 24 Mbps (mandatory speeds), and 18, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps
         (optional speeds). The ERP includes the modulation schemes found in 802.11b including
         CCK for 11 and 5.5 Mbps and Barker code modulation for 2 and 1 Mbps.
      B. A protection mechanism called RTS/CTS that governs how 802.11g devices and 802.11b
         devices interoperate.

2. What is the IEEE 802.11b standard?
    The IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN standard subcommittee, which formulates the standard for the
    industry. The objective is to enable wireless LAN hardware from different manufactures to
    communicate.

3. What does IEEE 802.11 feature support?
    The product supports the following IEEE 802.11 functions:

          CSMA/CA plus Acknowledge Protocol
          Multi-Channel Roaming
          Automatic Rate Selection
          RTS/CTS Feature
          Fragmentation
          Power Management

4. What is Ad-hoc?
    An Ad-hoc integrated wireless LAN is a group of computers, each has a Wireless LAN adapter,
    Connected as an independent wireless LAN. Ad hoc wireless LAN is applicable at a
    departmental scale for a branch or SOHO operation.

5. What is Infrastructure?
    An integrated wireless and wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration.
    Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access to central database, or
    wireless application for mobile workers.

                                                  27


6. What is BSS ID?
    A specific Ad hoc LAN is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Computers in a BSS must be
    configured with the same BSS ID.

7. What is WEP?
    WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 40 bit shared key
    algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802 .11 standard.

8. What is TKIP?
    TKIP is a quick-fix method to quickly overcome the inherent weaknesses in WEP security,
    especially the reuse of encryption keys. TKIP is involved in the IEEE 802.11i WLAN security
    standard, and the specification might be officially released by early 2003.

9. What is AES?
    AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), a chip-based security, has been developed to ensure the
    highest degree of security and authenticity for digital information, wherever and however
    communicated or stored, while making more efficient use of hardware and/or software than
    previous encryption standards. It is also included in IEEE 802.11i standard. Compare with AES,
    TKIP is a temporary protocol for replacing WEP security until manufacturers implement AES at
    the hardware level.

10. Can Wireless products support printer sharing?
      Wireless products perform the same function as LAN products. Therefore, Wireless products can
      work with Netware, Windows 2000, or other LAN operating systems to support printer or file
      sharing.

11. Would the information be intercepted while transmitting on air?
     WLAN features two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as with Direct Sequence
     Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security feature of scrambling. On the software
     side, WLAN series offer the encryption function (WEP) to enhance security and Access Control.
     Users can set it up depending upon their needs.

12. What is DSSS?What is FHSS?And what are their differences?
     Frequency-hopping spread-spectrum (FHSS) uses a narrowband carrier that changes frequency
     in a pattern that is known to both transmitter and receiver. Properly synchronized, the net effect
     is to maintain a single logical channel. To an unintended receiver, FHSS appears to be
     short-duration impulse noise. Direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) generates a redundant
     bit pattern for each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code). The
     longer the chip is, the greater the probability that the original data can be recovered. Even if one
     or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmission, statistical techniques embedded in the
     radio can recover the original data without-the need for retransmission. To an unintended
     receiver, DSSS appears as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most
     narrowband receivers.




                                                   28


13. What is Spread Spectrum?
     Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency technique developed by the military
     for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communication systems. It is designed to trade off
     bandwidth efficiency for reliability, integrity, and security. In other words, more bandwidth is
     consumed than in the case of narrowband transmission, but the trade off produces a signal that
     is, in effect, louder and thus easier to detect, provided that the receiver knows the parameters of
     the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not tuned to the right frequency, a
     spread –spectrum signal looks like background noise. There are two main alternatives, Direct
     Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).




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Document Created: 2005-09-21 16:07:11
Document Modified: 2005-09-21 16:07:11

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