Sercomm PC801AN IEEE802.11n Draft Wireless card User Manual

Sercomm Corporation IEEE802.11n Draft Wireless card

Manual

IEEE802.11n Draft Wireless PC card User Guide
i Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Package Contents ..............................................................................................................1 LEDs...................................................................................................................................1 Operation ...........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 INITIAL INSTALLATION..............................................................................2 Requirements.....................................................................................................................2 Procedure...........................................................................................................................2 CHAPTER 3 USING THE WINDOWS UTILITY................................................................5 Overview ............................................................................................................................5 System Tray Icon...............................................................................................................5 Auto Connect.....................................................................................................................6 Site Survey Screen.............................................................................................................6 Profile Manager Screen ....................................................................................................8 Network Status Screen....................................................................................................12 About Screen....................................................................................................................13 APPENDIX A SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................14 Wireless Adapter.............................................................................................................14 APPENDIX B ABOUT WIRELESS LANS..........................................................................15 Modes ...............................................................................................................................15 BSS/ESS............................................................................................................................15 Channels...........................................................................................................................16 WEP & WPA-PSK..........................................................................................................16 Wireless LAN Configuration..........................................................................................16 P/N: 956YDM0001 Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved. Document Version: 1.0 (January, 2007) All trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
1 Chapter 1 Introduction This Chapter provides an overview of the Wireless Adapter's features and capabilities. Congratulations on the purchase of your new Wireless Adapter. The Wireless Adapter provides a wireless network interface for your Notebook. Package Contents The following items should be included: • The Wireless Adapter Unit • 2 Antenna • Quick Start Guide • CD-ROM containing the on-line manual. If any of the above items are damaged or missing, please contact your dealer immediately. LEDs Wireless Adapter The Wireless Adapter has a single Link/Activity LED. Link/Act LED • On - Associated with the network. • Off - Not associated with the network. • Blinking - Data being transferred. Operation You should install the supplied software on the CD-ROM before inserting the Wireless adapter. 1
2 Chapter 2 Initial Installation This Chapter covers the software installation of the Wireless Adapter. Requirements • Windows 2000/XP. • CD-ROM drive. • IEEE802.11n, IEEE802.11b or IEEE802.11g wireless LAN. Procedure You should install the supplied software BEFORE inserting the Wireless Adapter. 1. Insert the CD-ROM into the drive on your PC. 2. The installation program should start automatically. If it does not, run the SETUP.EXE program. 3. Select the desired installation language on the screen. Figure 1: Start Installation 4. On the screen above, click "Next" to start the installation. 5. Step though the procedure. 6. After the installation is complete, select Yes, I want to shutdown my computer now and then click "Finish". 2
Initial Installation 3 Figure 2: Installation Screen 7. Insert the Card into your computer. • Remove the cover on one side of the computer. • Find an empty PCI expansion slot inside the computer. • Press the Card firmly into the slot. • Connect the supplied antenna cable to the port on the Card. • Replace the computer’s cover and power it on. 8. The Windows "New Hardware" wizard will then start. • Select Install the software automatically to allow it to complete the installation of the Windows driver • If using Windows XP, you may see a warning screen like the example below. If you do see this screen, just click "Continue Anyway" Figure 3: Windows XP Warning 9. When the Windows wizard is complete, you will now have a new icon in your system tray, as shown below. Figure 4: System Tray Icon
Wireless Adapter User Guide 4 Wireless Adapter Icon Table Connection to the Wireless Adapter is established. The length of green color indicates the signal strength. No connection to the Wireless Adapter. The Wireless Adapter is unplugged. 10. You can double- click this icon to configure the Wireless interface. See the following chapter for details.
5 Chapter 3 Using the Windows Utility This Chapter provides Setup details for the AP mode of the Wireless Adapter. Overview If using Windows, you can use the supplied utility to configure the Wireless interface. To Use the supplied Windows utility for Configuration • Right-click the System Tray icon • From the pop-up menu, select "Restore". This Chapter assumes you are using the supplied WLan Application utility. System Tray Icon If the WLan Application program is running, you can double-click the icon in the System Tray to open the application. If the program is not running, you can start it using the option in the Start menu created by the installation. For the Wireless Adapter, this will be Start - Programs - SerComm – PC801An - WLan Application. Status Information The menu options available from the System Tray icon are: • Restore - This will display the main screen. • Radio Off - The wireless adapter is not associated with the network when the radio is off. • Exit - Terminate the connection to the Wireless Adapter. Figure 5: Wireless Adapter menu 3
Wireless Adapter User Guide 6 Connecting to a Wireless Network Double-click the Icon to open the Site Survey screen, when you can select the Wireless network you wish to join. Auto Connect Normally, this option should be enabled. The adapter will then connect to an available network which was connected successfully last time. There are various methods to specify the required network. • On the Profile Manager tab, select the desired profile in the list, and click the Apply Profile button. • On the Site Survey tab, either double-click the network in the list, or select the network and click the Connect button. Site Survey Screen This screen is displayed when you double-click the system tray icon. You can also click the Site Survey Tab in the screen. Figure 6: Site Survey Screen Data - Site Survey Screen Display PC To PC (Ad-Hoc) Select this check box to display ad-hoc (computer-to-computer) networks. Display 802.11b Access Points Select this check box to display 802.11b (infrastructure) networks.
Using the Windows Utility 7 Display 802.11a Access Points Select this check box to display 802.11a (infrastructure) networks. Display 802.11g Access Points Select this check box to display 802.11g (infrastructure) networks. Network Name Available wireless networks are listed. MAC Address This is the MAC address of the Access Point (or Wireless station, if the network is an Ad-hoc network). Security Data encryption and authentication methods used on the wireless network CH. The channel used by the Wireless network. Signal This is displayed as percentage (0 ~ 100%). Frequency The Wireless band used by this Wireless network. Network Type This will indicate "Infrastructure" (displayed device is an Access Point) or "Ad-hoc". (displayed device is a Wireless station) Status The area to the left of the "Rescan" button shows the current status. In the example above, it shows "Connected". Rescan Click this button to rescan for all Wireless networks. Wireless Network Sequence (order) You can click the headings (ex. Network Name, MAC Address, Security…) of the Wireless network table to arrange the Wireless network in the desired order. To Connect to a Wireless Network • Double-click on the desired network. • Click the name of the wireless network to which you want to connect, and then click Connect. Note that once you are connected to a Wireless network, the Site Survey screen will identify the current wireless network with a blue icon, as shown below. Figure 7: Site Survey Screen - Connected
Wireless Adapter User Guide 8 Profile Manager Screen This screen is accessed by clicking the Profile Manager tab on the main screen. Figure 10: Profile Manager Screen Data - Profile Manager Screen Profile Name Enter or select a suitable name for this profile. Each profile must have a unique name. Network Name (SSID) If the desired wireless network is currently available, you can select its SSID. Otherwise, type in the SSID of the desired wireless network. Advanced Settings On the resulting sub-screen, enter the required data for the advanced settings. Network Type Select the desired option: • Infrastructure - Select this to connect to an Access point. • Ad-Hoc - Select this if you are connecting directly to another computer. Wireless Mode Select the desired wireless mode to which you want to connect. Prefer Channel Select the channel you would like to use.
Using the Windows Utility 9 Authentication Mode You MUST select the option to match the Wireless LAN you wish to join. The available options are: • Open System - Broadcast signals are not encrypted. This method can be used only with no encryption or with WEP. • Shared Key - Broadcast signals are encrypted using WEP. This method can only be used with WEP. • Auto Switch - This is another WEP system; it will select either Open System or Shared Key as required. • WPA-PSK - PSK means "Pre-shared Key". You must enter this Passphrase value; it is used for both authentication and encryption. • WPA2-PSK - This is a further development of WPA-PSK, and offers even greater security. You must enter this Passphrase value; it is used for both authentication and encryption. • WPA Radius - This version of WPA requires a Radius Server on your LAN to provide the client authentication according to the 802.1x standard. Data transmissions are encrypted using the WPA standard. • WPA2 Radius - This version of WPA2 requires a Radius Server on your LAN to provide the client authentication according to the 802.1x standard. Data transmissions are encrypted using the WPA2 standard. Encryption Method The available options depend on the Authentication method selected above. The possible options are: • Security Off - No data encryption is used. • WEP - If selected, you must enter the WEP data shown below. This WEP data must match the Access Point or other Wireless stations. • AES, TKIP - These options are available with WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA-Radius and WPA2-Radius. Select the correct option. Create with Passphrase Enable this check box and enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box, select the desired encryption to automatically configure the WEP Key. Enter Key Manually Enable this check box and select the desired key in the drop-down list. Then enter the key values you wish to use and select the desired encryption. Other stations must have matching key values. Passphrase For WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK modes, you need to enter the desired value (8~63 characters). Data is encrypted using a 256Bit key derived from this key. Other Wireless Stations must use the same key. Confirm For WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK modes, re-enter the value in this field. 802.1x Authentication Protocol For WPA Radius and WPA2 Radius modes, select the desired option in the drop-down list.
Wireless Adapter User Guide 10 Configure WPA Radius For WPA Radius and WPA2 Radius modes, click this button to open a sub-window where you can enter details of the Radius Server. To add a profile 1. On the Profile Manager tab, complete the settings on this screen. 2. Verify that the settings you configured are correct. 3. Click Save Profile. To export profiles 1. On the Profile Manager tab, click Export Profiles. The Save As dialog box appears. 2. Type a name for the profile that you are saving, and then verify that the file name extension is set to .cfg. 3. Click Save. To import profiles 1. On the Profile Manager tab, click Import Profiles. The open dialog box appears. 2. Select the profile set that you want to import. 3. Click Open. To delete a profile 1. On the Profile Manager tab, select the profile that you want to delete. 2. Click Delete Profile. To edit a profile 1. On the Profile Manager tab, select the profile that you want to edit. 2. Change the profile settings as necessary. 3. Click Save Profile. To enable a profile 1. In the list of available profiles, click the profile that you want to enable. 2. Click Apply Profile.
Using the Windows Utility 11 Advanced Settings Screen Once you have created a profile, as described above, the Advanced Settings tab will be available on the Profile Manager screen. Figure 8: Advanced Settings Screen Data - Advanced Settings Screen Do not change settings Enable this check box if you don’t want to modify the settings in this screen. Preamble (2.4GHz) Normally, this should be left at "Auto". Transmit Rate Use this to manually set the speed, if desired. The default is "Auto". Fragment Threshold The default value is 2346. In some cases, you may be able to improve performance by adjusting this value. RTS/CTS Threshold The default value is 2346. In some cases, you may be able to improve performance by adjusting this value. 802.11n Enable 802.11n Network Enable this if you want to use the 802.11n network. Channel Width Select the desired channel width. Guard Interval Use this to manually set the interval, if desired. The default is "Auto". Extension Channel Select the desired channel. Antenna Selection Select the desired option. The default is set to "Auto".
Wireless Adapter User Guide 12 Network Status Screen This screen displays the status of the current wireless link. Clicking the Network Status tab will display a screen like the following. Figure 9: Network Status Screen You may have to wait a few seconds for the screen to be populated. Data - Network Status Screen Link Information Current Status It will indicate the current link status. Network SSID It shows the SSID or network name of the selected wireless network. Network BSSID It shows the MAC address of the access point. Network Type This will indicate "Infrastructure" or "Ad-hoc". Security Mode It shows the wireless security that the wireless network is using. Tx/Rx Speed It shows the current wireless connection speed. Internet Protocol DHCP Option It shows if the IP address was automatically obtained from a DHCP server. IP Address It shows the current IP address on the wireless interface. Subnet Mask Subnet mask for the current IP address. Default Gateway Gateway IP address associated with the current IP address. DHCP Server It shows the IP address of the DHCP Server.
Using the Windows Utility 13 Channel Performance Channel Performance It graphically presents the Transmission (Tx) rate and Receiving (Rx) rate over time. Signal Signal It graphically presents the Signal strength. About Screen This screen displays details of the traffic sent or received on the current Wireless network. Figure 10: About Screen This tab shows the following information: • Regional Domain • Firmware Version • Driver Version • MAC Address • SerComm DLL Version • SerComm Utility Version
14 Appendix A Specifications Wireless Adapter Model: PC801An Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Draft 802.11n compliant Computer Slot Type: PCI Card 20 MHz BW: 130, 117, 104, 78, 52, 39, 26, 13 40 MHz BW: 270, 243, 216, 162, 108, 81, 54, 27 (802.11n) 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, and 6 Mbps (802.11g) Data Rates: 11, 5.5, 2, 1 Mbps (802.11b) Operating Channels: 11 for North America, 13 for Europe and Japan Operating Frequency: 2.4 ~ 2.4835 GHz Modulation Technique: Draft 802.11n: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM 802.11g: OFDM 802.11b: CCK, QPSK, BPSK Media Access Protocol: CSMA/CA Operating Voltage: 3.3V±5% Transmit Power: Draft 802.11n: 16.5±2 dBm 802.11g: 13.5±2 dBm 802.11b: 16±2 dBm Security: WPA/WPA2; 128-bit TKIP/AES encryption, 64/128-bit WEP Shared-key encryption 802.1x, EAP-TLS and PEAP authentication OS Requirements Windows XP/2000 A
15 Appendix B About Wireless LANs This Appendix provides some background information about using Wireless LANs (WLANs). Modes Wireless LANs can work in either of two (2) modes: • Ad-hoc • Infrastructure Ad-hoc Mode Ad-hoc mode does not require an Access Point or a wired (Ethernet) LAN. Wireless Stations (e.g. notebook PCs with wireless cards) communicate directly with each other. Infrastructure Mode In Infrastructure Mode, one or more Access Points are used to connect Wireless Stations (e.g. Notebook PCs with wireless cards) to a wired (Ethernet) LAN. The Wireless Stations can then access all LAN resources. Access Points can only function in "Infrastructure" mode, and can communicate only with Wireless Stations which are set to "Infrastructure" mode. BSS/ESS BSS A group of Wireless Stations and a single Access Point, all using the same ID (SSID), form a Basic Service Set (BSS). Using the same SSID is essential. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to communicate with each other. ESS A group of Wireless Stations, and multiple Access Points, all using the same ID (ESSID), form an Extended Service Set (ESS). Different Access Points within an ESS can use different Channels. In fact, to reduce interference, it is recommended that adjacent Access Points SHOULD use different channels. As Wireless Stations are physically moved through the area covered by an ESS, they will automatically change to the Access Point which has the least interference or best performance. This capability is called Roaming. (Access Points do not have or require Roaming capabilities.) B
Wireless Adapter User Guide 16 Channels The Wireless Channel sets the radio frequency used for communication. • Access Points use a fixed Channel. You can select the Channel used. This allows you to choose a Channel which provides the least interference and best performance. In the USA and Canada, 11 channels are available. If using multiple Access Points, it is better if adjacent Access Points use different Channels to reduce interference. • In "Infrastructure" mode, Wireless Stations normally scan all Channels, looking for an Access Point. If more than one Access Point can be used, the one with the strongest signal is used. (This can only happen within an ESS.) • If using "Ad-hoc" mode (no Access Point), all Wireless stations should be set to use the same Channel. However, most Wireless stations will still scan all Channels to see if there is an existing "Ad-hoc" group they can join. WEP & WPA-PSK Both WEP and WPA-PSK are standards for encrypting data before it is transmitted. This is desirable because it is impossible to prevent snoopers from receiving any data which is transmitted by your Wireless Stations. But if the data is encrypted, then it is meaningless unless the receiver can decrypt it. WPA-PSK is a later standard than WEP, and is more secure. Wireless LAN Configuration To allow Wireless Stations to use the Access Point, the Wireless Stations and the Access Point must use the same settings, as follows: Mode On client Wireless Stations, the mode must be set to "Infrastructure". (The Access Point is always in "Infrastructure" mode.) SSID (ESSID) Wireless Stations should use the same SSID (ESSID) as the Access Point they wish to connect to. Alternatively, the SSID can be set to "any" or null (blank) to allow connection to any Access Point. Security The Wireless Stations and the Access Point must use the same settings for Wireless security (Disabled, WEP, WPA-PSK) WEP - If WEP is used, the WEP Key must be the same on the Wireless Stations and the Access Point. WEP Authentication ("Open System" or "Shared Key") must also be the same, unless the Access Point supports both methods simultaneously. WPA-PSK - If using WPA-PSK, the PSK (Pre-shared Key) must be entered on each Wireless station. The 256Bit encryption key is derived from the PSK, and changes frequently. WPA2-PSK - This is a later version of WPA (WPA-PSK). The major change is the use of AES (Advanced Encryption System) for protecting data. AES is very secure, considered to be unbreakable. The PSK (Pre-shared Key) must be entered on each Wireless station.
Appendix B - About Wireless LANs 17 Regulatory Approvals

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