ZyXEL Communications G210H 802.11b/g Wireless USB Adapter User Manual ZyXEL G 220F User s Guide V1 00 Oct 2004

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Date Submitted	2007-02-06 00:00:00
Date Available	2007-02-08 00:00:00
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Document Title	ZyXEL G-220F User’s Guide V1.00 (Oct 2004)
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Document Author:	Cindy Yang

ZyXEL G-210H
802.11b/g Wireless USB Adapter
User’s Guide
Version 1.0
Edition 1
1/2007
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by ZyXEL Communications Corporation.
The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any part or as a whole, transcribed,
stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, photocopying, manual, or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of ZyXEL Communications Corporation.
Published by ZyXEL Communications Corporation. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
ZyXEL does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of any products, or
software described herein. Neither does it convey any license under its patent rights nor the
patent rights of others. ZyXEL further reserves the right to make changes in any products
described herein without notice. This publication is subject to change without notice.
Trademarks
ZyNOS (ZyXEL Network Operating System) is a registered trademark of ZyXEL
Communications, Inc. Other trademarks mentioned in this publication are used for
identification purposes only and may be properties of their respective owners.
Certifications
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Statement
The device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference.
• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operations.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a commercial environment. 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.
Copyright
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio/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 the 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/TV technician for help.
Notice 1
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance
could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
This product has been designed for the WLAN 2.4 GHz network throughout the EC region and
Switzerland, with restrictions in France.
Caution
1 The 802.11g Wireless LAN Adapter has been tested to the FCC exposure requirements
(Specific Absorption Rate).
2 The equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an
uncontrolled environment, under 47 CFR 2.1093 paragraph (d)(2).
3 This Transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other
antenna or transmitter.
Viewing Certifications
1 Go to http://www.zyxel.com.
2 Select your product from the drop-down list box on the
ZyXEL home page to go to that product's page.
3 Select the certification you wish to view from this
page.
注意 !
Certifications
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
依據
低功率電波輻射性電機管理辦法
第十二條
經型式認證合格之低功率射頻電機，非經許可，公司、商號或使用
者均不得擅自變更頻率、加大功率或變更原設計之特性及功能。
第十四條
低功率射頻電機之使用不得影響飛航安全及干擾合法通信；經發現
有干擾現象時，應立即停用，並改善至無干擾時方得繼續使用。
前項合法通信，指依電信規定作業之無線電信。低功率射頻電機須忍
受合法通信或工業、科學及醫療用電波輻射性電機設備之干擾。
ZyXEL Limited Warranty
ZyXEL warrants to the original end user (purchaser) that this product is free from any defects
in materials or workmanship for a period of up to two (2) years from the date of purchase.
During the warranty period, and upon proof of purchase, should the product have indications
of failure due to faulty workmanship and/or materials, ZyXEL will, at its discretion, repair or
replace the defective products or components without charge for either parts or labor, and to
whatever extent it shall deem necessary to restore the product or components to proper
operating condition. Any replacement will consist of a new or re-manufactured functionally
equivalent product of equal or higher value, and will be solely at the discretion of ZyXEL.
This warranty shall not apply if the product has been modified, misused, tampered with,
damaged by an act of God, or subjected to abnormal working conditions.
Note
Repair or replacement, as provided under this warranty, is the exclusive remedy of the
purchaser. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, express or implied, including any
implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. ZyXEL shall in
no event be held liable for indirect or consequential damages of any kind to the purchaser.
To obtain the services of this warranty, contact ZyXEL's Service Center for your Return
Material Authorization number (RMA). Products must be returned Postage Prepaid. It is
recommended that the unit be insured when shipped. Any returned products without proof of
purchase or those with an out-dated warranty will be repaired or replaced (at the discretion of
ZyXEL) and the customer will be billed for parts and labor. All repaired or replaced products
will be shipped by ZyXEL to the corresponding return address, Postage Paid. This warranty
gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from country to
country.
Online Registration
Register your product online to receive e-mail notices of firmware upgrades and information
at www.zyxel.com.
ZyXEL Limited Warranty
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Customer Support
Please have the following information ready when you contact customer support.
•
•
•
•
Product model and serial number.
Warranty Information.
Date that you received your device.
Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it.
METHOD SUPPORT E-MAIL
TELEPHONEA
WEB SITE
FAX
FTP SITE
REGULAR MAIL
LOCATION
CORPORATE
HEADQUARTERS
(WORLDWIDE)
CZECH REPUBLIC
DENMARK
FINLAND
SALES E-MAIL
support@zyxel.com.tw +886-3-578-3942
sales@zyxel.com.tw
info@cz.zyxel.com
+420-241-091-350
info@cz.zyxel.com
+420-241-091-359
support@zyxel.dk
+45-39-55-07-00
sales@zyxel.dk
+45-39-55-07-07
support@zyxel.fi
+358-9-4780-8411
sales@zyxel.fi
+358-9-4780 8448
info@zyxel.fr
+33-4-72-52-97-97
HUNGARY
KAZAKHSTAN
ZyXEL Communications
Czech s.r.o.
Modranská 621
143 01 Praha 4 - Modrany
Ceská Republika
www.zyxel.dk
ZyXEL Communications A/S
Columbusvej
2860 Soeborg
Denmark
www.zyxel.fi
ZyXEL Communications Oy
Malminkaari 10
00700 Helsinki
Finland
www.zyxel.fr
ZyXEL France
1 rue des Vergers
Bat. 1 / C
69760 Limonest
France
www.zyxel.de
ZyXEL Deutschland GmbH.
Adenauerstr. 20/A2 D-52146
Wuerselen
Germany
www.zyxel.hu
ZyXEL Hungary
48, Zoldlomb Str.
H-1025, Budapest
Hungary
www.zyxel.kz
ZyXEL Kazakhstan
43, Dostyk ave.,Office 414
Dostyk Business Centre
050010, Almaty
Republic of Kazakhstan
ZyXEL Communications Inc.
1130 N. Miller St.
Anaheim
CA 92806-2001
U.S.A.
support@zyxel.de
+49-2405-6909-0
sales@zyxel.de
+49-2405-6909-99
support@zyxel.hu
+36-1-3361649
info@zyxel.hu
+36-1-3259100
http://zyxel.kz/support
+7-3272-590-698
sales@zyxel.kz
+7-3272-590-689
support@zyxel.com
1-800-255-4101
+1-714-632-0882
www.us.zyxel.com
sales@zyxel.com
+1-714-632-0858
ftp.us.zyxel.com
support@zyxel.no
+47-22-80-61-80
www.zyxel.no
sales@zyxel.no
+47-22-80-61-81
NORTH AMERICA
NORWAY
www.zyxel.cz
+33-4-72-52-19-20
FRANCE
GERMANY
+886-3-578-2439
www.zyxel.com
ZyXEL Communications Corp.
www.europe.zyxel.com 6 Innovation Road II
Science Park
ftp.zyxel.com
Hsinchu 300
Taiwan
ftp.europe.zyxel.com
ZyXEL Communications A/S
Nils Hansens vei 13
0667 Oslo
Norway
Customer Support
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
TELEPHONEA
WEB SITE
SALES E-MAIL
FAX
FTP SITE
info@pl.zyxel.com
+48 (22) 333 8250
www.pl.zyxel.com
ZyXEL Communications
ul. Okrzei 1A
03-715 Warszawa
Poland
www.zyxel.ru
ZyXEL Russia
Ostrovityanova 37a Str.
Moscow, 117279
Russia
www.zyxel.es
ZyXEL Communications
Arte, 21 5ª planta
28033 Madrid
Spain
www.zyxel.se
ZyXEL Communications A/S
Sjöporten 4, 41764 Göteborg
Sweden
www.ua.zyxel.com
ZyXEL Ukraine
13, Pimonenko Str.
Kiev, 04050
Ukraine
ZyXEL Communications UK
Ltd.,11 The Courtyard,
Eastern Road, Bracknell,
Berkshire, RG12 2XB,
United Kingdom (UK)
METHOD SUPPORT E-MAIL
REGULAR MAIL
LOCATION
POLAND
RUSSIA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
+48 (22) 333 8251
http://zyxel.ru/support
+7-095-542-89-29
sales@zyxel.ru
+7-095-542-89-25
support@zyxel.es
+34-902-195-420
sales@zyxel.es
+34-913-005-345
support@zyxel.se
+46-31-744-7700
sales@zyxel.se
+46-31-744-7701
support@ua.zyxel.com +380-44-247-69-78
UKRAINE
sales@ua.zyxel.com
+380-44-494-49-32
support@zyxel.co.uk
+44-1344 303044
08707 555779 (UK only)
www.zyxel.co.uk
sales@zyxel.co.uk
+44-1344 303034
ftp.zyxel.co.uk
UNITED KINGDOM
a. “+” is the (prefix) number you enter to make an international telephone call.
Customer Support
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Customer Support
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Table of Contents
Copyright .................................................................................................................. 3
Certifications ............................................................................................................ 3
ZyXEL Limited Warranty.......................................................................................... 5
Customer Support.................................................................................................... 6
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... 9
List of Figures ........................................................................................................ 13
List of Tables .......................................................................................................... 15
Preface .................................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 1
Getting Started ....................................................................................................... 19
1.1 About Your G-210H ..........................................................................................19
1.2 Application Overview ..........................................................................................19
1.2.1 Station Mode .............................................................................................19
1.2.1.1 Infrastructure ...................................................................................19
1.2.1.2 Ad-Hoc ............................................................................................20
1.3 G-210H Hardware and Utility Installation ...........................................................21
1.3.1 ZyXEL Utility Icon .....................................................................................21
1.4 Configuration Methods ......................................................................................21
1.4.1 Enabling WZC ...........................................................................................21
1.4.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility .....................................................................22
Chapter 2
Tutorial .................................................................................................................... 23
2.1 Connecting to a Wireless LAN ..........................................................................23
2.2 Creating and Using a Profile ..............................................................................25
Chapter 3
................................................................................................................................. 29
Wireless LAN Network ........................................................................................... 29
3.1 Wireless LAN Overview ....................................................................................29
3.2 Wireless LAN Security ......................................................................................30
3.2.1 Hide SSID .................................................................................................30
Table of Contents
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
3.2.2 MAC Address Filter ...................................................................................30
3.2.3 User Authentication and Encryption .........................................................30
3.2.3.1 WEP ................................................................................................31
3.2.3.2 IEEE 802.1x ....................................................................................31
3.2.3.3 WPA and WPA2 ..............................................................................32
Chapter 4
Wireless Station Mode Configuration .................................................................. 33
4.1 Wireless Station Mode Overview ......................................................................33
4.1.1 ZyXEL Utility Screen Summary ...............................................................33
4.2 The Link Info Screen ..........................................................................................34
4.3 The Site Survey Screen .....................................................................................35
4.3.1 Security Settings .......................................................................................36
4.3.1.1 WEP Encryption ..............................................................................36
4.3.1.2 WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK .....................................................................37
4.3.1.3 WPA/WPA2 .....................................................................................38
4.3.1.4 IEEE 802.1x ....................................................................................39
4.4 The Profile Screen .............................................................................................41
4.4.1 Adding a New Profile ................................................................................43
4.5 The Adapter Screen ...........................................................................................45
Chapter 5
................................................................................................................................. 47
Maintenance ........................................................................................................... 47
5.1 The About Screen .............................................................................................47
5.2 Uninstalling the ZyXEL Utility ............................................................................47
5.3 Upgrading the ZyXEL Utility ..............................................................................48
Chapter 6
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 49
6.1 Problems Starting the ZyXEL Utility ...................................................................49
6.2 Problem with the Link Quality .............................................................................49
6.3 Problems Communicating With Other Computers .............................................50
Appendix A
Product Specifications .......................................................................................... 51
Appendix B
Management with Wireless Zero Configuration .................................................. 53
Appendix C
Wireless Security ................................................................................................... 65
Appendix D
10
Table of Contents
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Setting up Your Computer’s IP Address.............................................................. 71
Index........................................................................................................................ 77
Table of Contents
11
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
12
Table of Contents
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
List of Figures
Figure 1 Application: Infrastructure ....................................................................... 20
Figure 2 Application: Ad-Hoc ................................................................................ 20
Figure 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon .............................................................. 21
Figure 4 Enable WZC ............................................................................................. 22
Figure 5 Infrastructure Network .............................................................................. 23
Figure 6 ZyXEL Utility: Site Survey ........................................................................ 24
Figure 7 ZyXEL Utility: Security Settings .............................................................. 24
Figure 8 ZyXEL Utility: Confirm Save ..................................................................... 25
Figure 9 ZyXEL Utility: Link Info ............................................................................ 25
Figure 10 ZyXEL Utility: Profile .............................................................................. 26
Figure 11 ZyXEL Utility: Add New Profile ............................................................... 26
Figure 12 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Security ................................................................ 27
Figure 13 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Activate ................................................................ 27
Figure 14 Example of a Wireless Network ............................................................. 29
Figure 15 ZyXEL Utility Menu Summary: Station Mode ........................................ 33
Figure 16 Station Mode: Link Info ......................................................................... 34
Figure 17 Station Mode: Site Survey ..................................................................... 35
Figure 18 Station Mode: Security Setting: WEP ................................................... 36
Figure 19 Station Mode: Security Setting: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK ......................... 37
Figure 20 Station Mode: Security Settings: WPA/WPA2 ........................................ 38
Figure 21 Station Mode: Security Setting: 802.1x ................................................. 40
Figure 22 Station Mode: Profile ............................................................................ 42
Figure 23 Station Mode: Profile: Add a New Profile .............................................. 43
Figure 24 Station Mode: Profile: Wireless Settings ............................................... 44
Figure 25 Station Mode: Profile: Security Settings ................................................ 45
Figure 26 Station Mode: Profile: Activate the Profile ............................................. 45
Figure 27 Station Mode: Adapter .......................................................................... 46
Figure 28 About ..................................................................................................... 47
Figure 29 Uninstall: Finish ..................................................................................... 48
Figure 30 Windows XP SP2: WZC Not Available .................................................. 53
Figure 31 Windows XP SP2: System Tray Icon ..................................................... 54
Figure 32 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection Status ....................... 54
Figure 33 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Network Connection Status ....................... 55
Figure 34 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection .................................. 55
Figure 35 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Network Connection Properties ................ 56
Figure 36 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection: WEP or WPA-PSK .. 57
Figure 37 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection: No Security ............ 57
Figure 38 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association ..................... 58
List of Figures
13
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 39 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Authentication ................. 59
Figure 40 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties ................................................ 60
Figure 41 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties ...................... 61
Figure 42 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks .................. 62
Figure 43 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks .................. 63
Figure 44 WPA-PSK Authentication ....................................................................... 69
Figure 45 WPA(2) with RADIUS Application Example ........................................... 70
Figure 46 Windows XP: Start Menu ....................................................................... 71
Figure 47 Windows XP: Control Panel ................................................................... 72
Figure 48 Windows XP: Control Panel: Network Connections: Properties ............ 72
Figure 49 Windows XP: Local Area Connection Properties ................................... 73
Figure 50 Windows XP: Advanced TCP/IP Settings .............................................. 74
Figure 51 Windows XP: Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties .............................. 75
14
List of Figures
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
List of Tables
Table 1 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon ............................................................... 21
Table 2 ZyXEL Utility Menu Summary: Station Mode ............................................ 33
Table 3 Station Mode: Link Info ............................................................................. 34
Table 4 Station Mode: Site Survey ........................................................................ 35
Table 5 Station Mode: Security Setting: WEP ....................................................... 36
Table 6 Station Mode: Security Setting: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK ............................ 38
Table 7 Station Mode: Security Setting: WPA/WPA2 ............................................. 39
Table 8 Station Mode: Security Settings: IEEE 802.1x .......................................... 40
Table 9 Station Mode: Profile ................................................................................ 42
Table 10 Station Mode: Profile: Add a New Profile ................................................ 43
Table 11 Station Mode: Adapter ............................................................................ 46
Table 12 About ...................................................................................................... 47
Table 13 Troubleshooting Starting ZyXEL Utility ................................................... 49
Table 14 Troubleshooting Link Quality .................................................................. 49
Table 15 Troubleshooting Communication Problem .............................................. 50
Table 16 Product Specifications ............................................................................ 51
Table 17 Windows XP SP2: System Tray Icon ...................................................... 54
Table 18 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection .................................. 56
Table 19 Windows XP: Wireless Networks ........................................................... 57
Table 20 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association ...................... 58
Table 21 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Authentication .................. 59
Table 22 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties ................................................ 60
Table 23 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties ....................... 61
Table 24 Comparison of EAP Authentication Types .............................................. 67
Table 25 Wireless Security Relational Matrix ........................................................ 70
List of Tables
15
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
16
List of Tables
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Preface
Congratulations on your purchase of the ZyXEL G-210H 802.11b/g Wireless USB Adapter
Your G-210H allows you to connect and access wireless networks. Your G-210H also allows
you to visually see the connection strength of the Access Point with its physical LED's.
Your G-210H is easy to install and configure.
About This User's Guide
This manual is designed to guide you through the configuration of your G-210H for its various
applications.
Related Documentation
• Supporting Disk
Refer to the included CD for support documents.
• Quick Start Guide
The Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away. It contains
hardware installation/connection information.
• ZyXEL Glossary and Web Site
Please refer to www.zyxel.com for an online glossary of networking terms and additional
support documentation.
User Guide Feedback
Help us help you. E-mail all User Guide-related comments, questions or suggestions for
improvement to techwriters@zyxel.com.tw or send regular mail to The Technical Writing
Team, ZyXEL Communications Corp., 6 Innovation Road II, Science-Based Industrial Park,
Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan. Thank you.
Syntax Conventions
• “Enter” means for you to type one or more characters. “Select” or “Choose” means for
you to use one predefined choice.
• Mouse action sequences are denoted using a comma. For example, “In Windows, click
Start, Settings and then Control Panel” means first click the Start button, then point
your mouse pointer to Settings and then click Control Panel.
• “e.g.,” is a shorthand for “for instance”, and “i.e.,” means “that is” or “in other words”.
• The ZyXEL G-210H 802.11b/g Wireless USB Adapter may be referred to as the
G-210H in this user’s guide.
Preface
17
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Graphics Icons Key
Wireless Access Point
Computer
Notebook Computer
Server
Modem or Router
Wireless Signal
Internet Cloud
18
Preface
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
CHAPTER 1
Getting Started
This chapter introduces the G-210H and prepares you to use the ZyXEL utility.
1.1 About Your G-210H
The G-210H is an IEEE 802.11b/g compliant wireless LAN adapter that connects to the USB
port on your computer and allows you to search for and connect to wireless networks. The
ZyXEL utility is a tool that helps you configure your G-210H. When connectced to the USB
port, you can search for the best direction to point the G-210H by simply looking at the
number of LED’s that illuminate.
For more information about using the G-210H when it is not connected to a computer, please
see the Quick Start Guide.
1.2 Application Overview
This section describes some network applications for the G-210H.
1.2.1 Station Mode
The G-210H is in wireless station mode by default. When the G-210H works as a wireless
station (wireless client), you can either set the network type to Infrastructure and connect to
an AP or use Ad-Hoc mode and connect to a peer computer (another wireless device in AdHoc mode).
1.2.1.1 Infrastructure
To connect to a network via an access point (AP), set the G-210H network type to
Infrastructure. Through the AP, you can access the Internet or the wired network behind the
AP.
Chapter 1 Getting Started
19
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 1 Application: Infrastructure
1.2.1.2 Ad-Hoc
To set up a small independent wireless workgroup without an AP, use Ad-Hoc.
Ad-Hoc does not require an AP or a wired network. Two or more wireless clients
communicate directly with each other.
Figure 2 Application: Ad-Hoc
20
Chapter 1 Getting Started
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
1.3 G-210H Hardware and Utility Installation
Follow the instructions in the Quick Start Guide to install the ZyXEL utility and make
hardware connections.
1.3.1 ZyXEL Utility Icon
After you install and start the ZyXEL utility, an icon for the ZyXEL utility appears in the
system tray.
Note: The ZyXEL utility system tray icon displays only when the G-210H is installed
properly.
Figure 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon
The color of the ZyXEL utility system tray icon indicates the status of the G-210H. Refer to
the following table for details.
Table 1 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon
COLOR
DESCRIPTION
Red
The G-210H is operating in wireless station mode but is not connected to a wireless
network.
Green
The G-210H is operating in wireless station mode and is connected to a wireless
network.
Pale Blue
The G-210H is operating in access point mode.
1.4 Configuration Methods
To configure your G-210H, use one of the following applications:
• Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) (the Windows XP wireless configuration tool)
• ZyXEL Utility (required when you want to use the G-210H as an access point)
1.4.1 Enabling WZC
Note: When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables WZC.
If you want to use WZC to configure the G-210H, you need to disable the ZyXEL utility by
right-clicking the utility icon (
) in the system tray and selecting Exit.
Chapter 1 Getting Started
21
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 4 Enable WZC
Refer to the appendices for information on how to use WZC to manage the G-210H.
To re-activate the ZyXEL utility, double-click the (
) icon on your desktop or click Start,
(All) Programs, ZyXEL G-210H Wireless Adapter Utility, ZyXEL G-210H Wireless
Adapter Software.
1.4.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility
Double-click on the ZyXEL wireless LAN utility icon in the system tray to open the ZyXEL
utility.
The ZyXEL utility screens are similar in all Microsoft Windows versions. Screens for
Windows XP are shown in this User’s Guide.
Note: Click the
window.
22
icon (located in the top right corner) to display the online help
Chapter 1 Getting Started
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
CHAPTER 2
Tutorial
The following sections show you how to join a wireless network using the ZyXEL utility, as in
the following diagrams. The wireless client is labeled C and the access point is labeled AP.
Figure 5 Infrastructure Network
There are three ways to connect the wireless client (the G-210H in station mode) to a network.
• Configure nothing and leave the wireless client to automatically scan for and connect to
any available network that has no wireless security configured.
• Manually connect to a network (see Section 2.1 on page 23).
• Configure a profile to have the wireless client automatically connect to a specific network
or peer computer (see Section 2.2 on page 25).
This chapter also includes a simple example of how to configure the G-210H as an AP using
the ZyXEL utility. See Section 2.3 on page 31 for more information.
2.1 Connecting to a Wireless LAN
This example illustrates how to manually connect your wireless client to an access point (AP)
configured for WPA-PSK security and connected to the Internet. Before you connect to the
access point, you must know its Service Set IDentity (SSID) and WPA-PSK pre-shared key. In
this example, the AP’s SSID is “SSID_Example3” and its pre-shared key is “ThisismyWPAPSKpre-sharedkey”.
After you install the ZyXEL utility and then insert the wireless client, follow the steps below
to connect to a network using the Site Survey screen.
1 Open the ZyXEL utility and click the Site Survey tab to open the screen shown next.
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Figure 6 ZyXEL Utility: Site Survey
2 The wireless client automatically searches for available wireless networks. Click Scan if
you want to search again. If no entry displays in the Available Network List, that means
there is no wireless network available within range. Make sure the AP or peer computer is
turned on, or move the wireless client closer to the AP or peer computer. See Table 4 on
page 35 for detailed field descriptions.
3 To connect to an AP or peer computer, either click an entry in the list and then click
Connect or double-click an entry (ZyXELUSA-X5 in this example).
4 When you try to connect to an AP with security configured, a window will pop up
prompting you to specify the security settings. Enter the pre-shared key and leave the
encryption type at the default setting.
Use the Next button to move on to the next screen. You can use the Back button at any
time to return to the previous screen, or the Exit button to return to the Site Survey
screen.
Figure 7 ZyXEL Utility: Security Settings
5 The Confirm Save window appears. Check your settings and click Save to continue.
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Figure 8 ZyXEL Utility: Confirm Save
6 The ZyXEL utility returns to the Link Info screen while it connects to the wireless
network using your settings. When the wireless link is established, the ZyXEL utility icon
in the system tray turns green and the Link Info screen displays details of the active
connection. Check the network information in the Link Info screen to verify that you
have successfully connected to the selected network. If the wireless client is not
connected to a network, the fields in this screen remain blank. See Table 3 on page 34 for
detailed field descriptions.
Figure 9 ZyXEL Utility: Link Info
7 Open your Internet browser and enter http://www.zyxel.com or the URL of any other web
site in the address bar. If you are able to access the web site, your wireless connection is
successfully configured. If you cannot access the web site, check the Troubleshooting
section of this User's Guide or contact your network administrator if necessary.
2.2 Creating and Using a Profile
A profile lets you automatically connect to the same wireless network every time you use the
ZyXEL utility. You can also configure different profiles for different networks, for example if
you connect a notebook computer to wireless networks at home and at work.
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This example illustrates how to set up a profile and connect the wireless client to an access
point configured for WPA-PSK security. In this example, the AP’s SSID is “SSID_Example3”
and its pre-shared key is “ThisismyWPA-PSKpre-sharedkey”. You have chosen the profile
name “PN_Example3”.
1 Open the ZyXEL utility and click the Profile tab to open the screen as shown. Click Add
to configure a new profile.
Figure 10 ZyXEL Utility: Profile
2 The Add New Profile screen appears. The wireless client automatically searches for
available wireless networks, which are displayed in the Scan Info box. You can also
configure your profile for a wireless network that is not in the list.
Figure 11 ZyXEL Utility: Add New Profile
3 Give the profile a descriptive name (of up to 32 printable ASCII characters). Select
Infrastructure and either manually enter or select the AP's SSID in the drop down
menu. Finally, choose whether or not you wish to have the G-210H be on the maximum
power output level *default* or Power Save mode then click Select.
4 Choose the same encryption method as the AP to which you want to connect (In this
example, WPA-PSK and TKIP). Then type in the appropriate Pre-Shared Key which in
this case is ThisismyWPA-PSKpre-sharedkey.
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Figure 12 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Security
5 Click Activate Now to use the new profile immediately. Otherwise, click the Activate
Later button to go back to the Profile List screen.
If you clicked Activate Later you can select the profile from the list in the Profile screen
and click Connect to activate it.
Note: Only one profile can be activated and used at any given time.
Figure 13 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Activate
6 When you activate the new profile, the ZyXEL utility goes to the Link Info screen while
it connects to the AP using your settings. When the wireless link is established, the
ZyXEL utility icon in the system tray turns green and the Link Info screen displays
details of the active connection.
7 Make sure the selected AP in the active profile is on and connected to the Internet. Open
your Internet browser, enter http://www.zyxel.com or the URL of any other web site in
the address bar and press ENTER. If you are able to access the web site, your new profile
is successfully configured.
8 If you cannot access the Internet, go back to the Profile screen. Select the profile you are
using and click Edit. Check the details you entered previously. Also, refer to the
Troubleshooting section of this User's Guide or contact your network administrator if
necessary.
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CHAPTER 3
Wireless LAN Network
This chapter provides background information on wireless LAN networks.
3.1 Wireless LAN Overview
The following figure provides an example of a wireless network with an AP. See Figure 2 on
page 20 for an Ad Hoc network example.
Figure 14 Example of a Wireless Network
The wireless network is the part in the blue circle. In this wireless network, devices A and B
are called wireless clients. The wireless clients use the access point (AP) to interact with other
devices (such as the printer) or with the Internet
Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines.
• Every device in the same wireless network must use the same SSID.
The SSID is the name of the wireless network. It stands for Service Set IDentity.
• If two wireless networks overlap, they should use a different channel.
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Like radio stations or television channels, each wireless network uses a specific channel,
or frequency, to send and receive information.
• Every device in the same wireless network must use security compatible with the AP or
peer computer.
Security stops unauthorized devices from using the wireless network. It can also protect
the information that is sent in the wireless network.
3.2 Wireless LAN Security
Wireless LAN security is vital to your network to protect wireless communications.
Configure the wireless LAN security using the Configuration or the Profile Security Setting
screen. If you do not enable any wireless security on your G-210H, the G-210H’s wireless
communications are accessible to any wireless networking device that is in the coverage area.
Note: You can only use WEP encryption if you set the G-210H to Ad-hoc.
See the appendices for more detailed information about wireless security.
3.2.1 Hide SSID
This type of security is fairly weak, because there are ways for unauthorized wireless devices
to get the SSID. In addition, unauthorized wireless devices can still see the information that is
sent in the wireless network.
3.2.2 MAC Address Filter
Every device that can use a wireless network has a unique identification number, called a
MAC address.1 A MAC address is usually written using twelve hexadecimal characters2; for
example, 00A0C5000002 or 00:A0:C5:00:00:02. To get the MAC address for each device in
the wireless network, see the device’s User’s Guide or other documentation.
This type of security does not protect the information that is sent in the wireless network.
Furthermore, there are ways for unauthorized wireless devices to get the MAC address of an
authorized device. Then, they can use that MAC address to access the wireless network.
3.2.3 User Authentication and Encryption
You can make every user log in to the wireless network before they can use it. This is called
user authentication. However, every wireless client in the wireless network has to support
IEEE 802.1x to do this.
30
1.
Some wireless devices, such as scanners, can detect wireless networks but cannot use wireless
networks. These kinds of wireless devices might not have MAC addresses.
2.
Hexadecimal characters are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, and F.
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Wireless networks can use encryption to protect the information that is sent in the wireless
network. Encryption is like a secret code. If you do not know the secret code, you cannot
understand the message.
3.2.3.1 WEP
3.2.3.1.1 Data Encryption
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption scrambles all data packets transmitted between
the G-210H and the AP or other wireless stations to keep network communications private.
Both the wireless stations and the access points must use the same WEP key for data
encryption and decryption.
There are two ways to create WEP keys in your G-210H.
• Automatic WEP key generation based on a “password phrase” called a passphrase. The
passphrase is case sensitive. You must use the same passphrase for all WLAN adapters
with this feature in the same WLAN.
For WLAN adapters without the passphrase feature, you can still take advantage of this
feature by writing down the four automatically generated WEP keys from the Security
Settings screen of the ZyXEL utility and entering them manually as the WEP keys in the
other WLAN adapter(s).
• Enter the WEP keys manually.
Your G-210H allows you to configure up to four 64-bit, 128-bit WEP keys and only one
key is used as the default key at any one time.
3.2.3.1.2 Authentication Type
The IEEE 802.11b/g standard describes a simple authentication method between the wireless
stations and AP. Two authentication types are defined: Open and Shared.
• Open mode is implemented for ease-of-use and when security is not an issue. The
wireless station and the AP or peer computer do not share a secret key. Thus the wireless
stations can associate with any AP or peer computer and listen to any transmitted data
that is not encrypted.
• Shared mode involves a shared secret key to authenticate the wireless station to the AP or
peer computer. This requires you to enable the wireless LAN security and use same
settings on both the wireless station and the AP or peer computer.
3.2.3.2 IEEE 802.1x
The IEEE 802.1x standard outlines enhanced security methods for both the authentication of
wireless stations and encryption key management. Authentication can be done using an
external RADIUS server.
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3.2.3.2.1 EAP Authentication
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an authentication protocol that runs on top of the
IEEE 802.1x transport mechanism in order to support multiple types of user authentication. By
using EAP to interact with an EAP-compatible RADIUS server, an access point helps a
wireless station and a RADIUS server perform authentication.
The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server and an intermediary AP(s)
that supports IEEE 802.1x. The G-210H supports EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS and EAP-PEAP.
Refer to Appendix C on page 65 for descriptions.
For EAP-TLS authentication type, you must first have a wired connection to the network and
obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA). A certificate (also called digital IDs)
can be used to authenticate users and a CA issues certificates and guarantees the identity of
each certificate owner.
3.2.3.3 WPA and WPA2
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a subset of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 (IEEE
802.11i) is a wireless security standard that defines stronger encryption, authentication and
key management than WPA.
Key differences between WPA(2) and WEP are improved data encryption and user
authentication.
Both WPA and WPA2 improve data encryption by using Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
(TKIP), Message Integrity Check (MIC) and IEEE 802.1x. WPA and WPA2 use Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES) in the Counter mode with Cipher block chaining Message
authentication code Protocol (CCMP) to offer stronger encryption than TKIP.
If both an AP and the wireless clients support WPA2 and you have an external RADIUS
server, use WPA2 for stronger data encryption. If you don't have an external RADIUS server,
you should use WPA2-PSK (WPA2-Pre-Shared Key) that only requires a single (identical)
password entered into each access point, wireless gateway and wireless client. As long as the
passwords match, a wireless client will be granted access to a WLAN.
If the AP or the wireless clients do not support WPA2, just use WPA or WPA-PSK depending
on whether you have an external RADIUS server or not.
Select WEP only when the AP and/or wireless clients do not support WPA or WPA2. WEP is
less secure than WPA or WPA2.
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CHAPTER 4
Wireless Station Mode
Configuration
This chapter shows you how to configure your G-210H in wireless station mode. See
Chapter 5 on page 47 for how to configure the G-210H in access point mode.
4.1 Wireless Station Mode Overview
The G-210H acts as a client bridge from the computer over to the Access Point in whats
known as station mode.
4.1.1 ZyXEL Utility Screen Summary
This section describes the ZyXEL utility screens when the G-210H is in station mode.
Figure 15 ZyXEL Utility Menu Summary: Station Mode
The following table describes the menus.
Table 2 ZyXEL Utility Menu Summary: Station Mode
TAB
DESCRIPTION
Station Mode
Link Info
Use this screen to see your current connection status, configuration and data rate
statistics.
Site Survey
Use this screen to
• scan for a wireless network
• configure wireless security (if activated on the selected network).
• connect to a wireless network.
Profile
Use this screen to add, delete, edit or activate a profile with a set of wireless and
security settings.
Adapter
Use this screen to configure a transfer rate and enable power saving.
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4.2 The Link Info Screen
When the ZyXEL utility starts, the Link Info screen displays, showing the current
configuration and connection status of your G-210H.
Figure 16 Station Mode: Link Info
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 3 Station Mode: Link Info
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Wireless Network
Status
34
Profile Name
This is the name of the profile you are currently using.
Network Name
(SSID)
The SSID identifies the wireless network to which a wireless station is associated.
This field displays the name of the wireless device to which the G-210H is
associated.
AP MAC Address
This field displays the MAC address of the AP or peer computer to which the G210H is associated.
Network Type
This field displays the network type (Infrastructure or Ad-Hoc) of the wireless
network.
Channel
This field displays the radio channel the G-210H is currently using.
Link Speed
This field displays the current maximum connection speed in Megabits per second
(Mbps).
Throughput
This field displays the current data transmission rates in kilobits per second (Kbps).
Total Transmit
This field displays the total number of data frames transmitted.
Total Receive
This field displays the total number of data frames received.
Signal Strength
The status bar shows the strength of the signal. The signal strength mainly
depends on the antenna output power and the distance between your G-210H and
the AP or peer computer.
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Table 3 Station Mode: Link Info (continued)
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Link Quality
The status bar shows the quality of wireless connection. This refers to the
percentage of packets transmitted successfully. If there are too many wireless
stations in a wireless network, collisions may occur which could result in a loss of
messages even though you have high signal strength.
Noise Level
This field displays the noise level that the G-210H is detecting while linked with the
connected AP.
4.3 The Site Survey Screen
Use the Site Survey screen to scan for and connect to a wireless network automatically.
Figure 17 Station Mode: Site Survey
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 4 Station Mode: Site Survey
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Available Network
List
Click a column heading to sort the entries.
denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode and the wireless
security is activated.
denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode but the wireless
security is deactivated.
or
SSID
denotes that the wireless device is in Ad-Hoc mode and the wireless
security is activated.
denotes that the wireless device is in Ad-Hoc mode but the wireless
security is deactivated.
This field displays the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) of each wireless device.
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Table 4 Station Mode: Site Survey (continued)
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Channel
This field displays the channel number used by each wireless device.
Signal
This field displays the signal strength of each wireless device.
Scan
Click Scan to search for available wireless devices within transmission range.
Connect
Click Connect to associate to the selected wireless device.
Add
Click Add to create a new profile.
Network Type
This field displays the network type (Infrastructure or Ad Hoc) of the wireless
device.
Channel
This field displays the channel number used by each wireless device.
Security
This field shows whether data encryption is activated (WEP (WEP or 802.1x),
WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, WPA2-PSK) or inactive (DISABLE).
MAC address
This field displays the MAC address of the wireless device.
4.3.1 Security Settings
When you configure the G-210H to connect to a network with wireless security activated and
the security settings are disabled on the G-210H, the screen varies according to the encryption
method used by the selected network.
4.3.1.1 WEP Encryption
Figure 18 Station Mode: Security Setting: WEP
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 5 Station Mode: Security Setting: WEP
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Security Settings
36
Authentication
Select an authentication method. Choices are AES or TKIP, please choose
according to the type selected on the Access Point.
Transmit Key
Select a default WEP key to use for data encryption. The key displays in the field
below.
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Table 5 Station Mode: Security Setting: WEP (continued)
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Key x (where x is a Enter the WEP key in the field provided.
number between 1 If you select 64 Bits in the WEP field.
and 4)
Enter either 10 hexadecimal digits in the range of “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9” (for
example, 11AA22BB33) for HEX key type.
or
Enter 5 ASCII characters (case sensitive) ranging from “a-z”, “A-Z” and “0-9”
(for example, MyKey) for ASCII key type.
If you select 128 Bits in the WEP field,
Enter either 26 hexadecimal digits in the range of “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9” (for
example, 00112233445566778899AABBCC) for HEX key type
or
Enter 13 ASCII characters (case sensitive) ranging from “a-z”, “A-Z” and “0-9”
(for example, MyKey12345678) for ASCII key type.
Note: The values for the WEP keys must be set up exactly the
same on all wireless devices in the same wireless LAN.
ASCII WEP keys are case sensitive.
Back
Click Back to go to the Site Survey screen to select and connect to another
network.
Save
Click Save to confirm your selections and advance to the next screen.
Exit
Click Exit to return to the Site Survey screen without saving.
4.3.1.2 WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
Figure 19 Station Mode: Security Setting: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
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The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 6 Station Mode: Security Setting: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Encryption
The encryption mechanisms used for WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK are
the same. The only difference between the two is that WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK uses
a simple common password, instead of user-specific credentials.
Select the encryption type (TKIP or AES) for data encryption.
Refer to Section 3.2.3 on page 30 for more information.
Pre-Shared Key
Type a pre-shared key (same as the AP or peer device) of between 8 and 63 casesensitive ASCII characters (including spaces and symbols) or 64 hexadecimal
characters.
Back
Click Back to go to the Site Survey screen to select and connect to another
network.
Save
Click Next to confirm your selections and advance to the next screen.
Exit
Click Exit to return to the Site Survey screen without saving.
4.3.1.3 WPA/WPA2
Figure 20 Station Mode: Security Settings: WPA/WPA2
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The following table describes the labels in these screens.
Table 7 Station Mode: Security Setting: WPA/WPA2
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Encryption
The encryption mechanisms used for WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK are
the same. The only difference between the two is that WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK uses
a simple common password, instead of user-specific credentials.
Select the encryption type (TKIP or AES) for data encryption.
Refer to Section 3.2.3 on page 30 for more information.
Authentication
Type
The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server or AP.
Select an authentication method from the drop down list. Options are TLS, TTLS
and PEAP.
Session
Resumption
Select either Enable or Disable depending on whether or not you wish for the
utility to reconnect your session to the server when your session is over.
Login Name
Enter a user name.
This is the user name that you or an administrator set up on a RADIUS server.
Password
This field is not available when you select TLS in the Authentication Type field.
Enter the password associated with the user name above.
Certificate
This field is only available when you select TLS in the Authentication Type field.
Click Browse to select a certificate.
Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and
obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).
Consult your network administrator for more information.
Server CA
Select a certificate authority (CA) from the drop-down box to have the G-210H trust
certificates from that CA only. Select Trust Any to accept certificates from any CA.
PEAP Inner EAP
This field is only available when you select PEAP in the Authentication Type field.
The PEAP method used by the RADIUS server or AP for client authentication are
EAP_TLS and EAP MS CHAP v2.
Back
Click Back to go to the Site Survey screen to select and connect to another
network.
Save
Click Save to confirm your selections and advance to the next screen. Refer to
Section 4.3.2 on page 47.
Exit
Click Exit to return to the Site Survey screen without saving.
4.3.1.4 IEEE 802.1x
Configure IEEE 802.1x security with various authentication methods in this screen.
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Figure 21 Station Mode: Security Setting: 802.1x
The following table describes the labels in these screens.
Table 8 Station Mode: Security Settings: IEEE 802.1x
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Authentication
Type
The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server or AP.
Select an authentication method from the drop down list. Options are TLS, TTLS
and PEAP.
Session
Resumption
Select either Enable or Disable depending on whether or not you wish for the
utility to reconnect your session to the server when your session is over.
Login Name
Enter a user name.
This is the user name that you or an administrator set up on a RADIUS server.
Password
This field is not available when you select TLS in the Authentication Type field.
Enter the password associated with the user name above.
Certificate
This field is only available when you select TLS in the Authentication Type field.
Click Browse to select a certificate.
Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and
obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).
Consult your network administrator for more information.
Server CA
40
Select a certificate authority (CA) from the drop-down box to have the G-210H trust
certificates from that CA only. Select Trust Any to accept certificates from any CA.
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Table 8 Station Mode: Security Settings: IEEE 802.1x
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
PEAP Inner EAP
This field is only available when you select PEAP in the Authentication Type field.
The PEAP method used by the RADIUS server or AP for client authentication is
MS CHAP v2.
Validate Server
Certificate
Check this box to open up the rest of the Certificate selection menu.
Certificate Issuer
Must Be
From the drop down menu, please select the appropriate certificate issuer or if you
are uncertain, then select Any Trusted CA
Server Name Must You must specify the name of the server that the certificate is connecting to.
Be
Please type in the server name and then select the appropriate bullet below when
finished typing the name in.
Back
Click Back to go to the Site Survey screen to select and connect to another
network.
Save
Click Save to confirm your selections and advance to the next screen. Refer to
Section 4.3.2 on page 47.
Exit
Click Exit to return to the Site Survey screen without saving.
4.4 The Profile Screen
A profile is a set of wireless parameters that you need to connect to a wireless network. With a
profile activated, each time you start the G-210H, it automatically scans for the specific SSID
and joins that network with the pre-defined wireless security settings. If the specified network
is not available, the G-210H cannot connect to a network.
If you do not configure and activate a profile, each time you start the G-210H, the G-210H
uses the default profile to connect to any available network that has no security enabled.
The default profile is a profile that allows you to connect to any SSID that has no security
enabled.
Click the Profile tab in the ZyXEL utility program to display the Profile screen as shown next.
The profile function allows you to save the wireless network settings in this screen, or use one
of the pre-configured network profiles.
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Figure 22 Station Mode: Profile
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 9 Station Mode: Profile
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Profile List
Click a column heading to sort the entries.
denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode and the wireless
security is activated.
denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode but the wireless
security is deactivated.
or
42
denotes that the wireless device is in Ad-hoc mode and the wireless
security is activated.
denotes that the wireless device is in Ad-hoc mode but the wireless security
is deactivated.
Profile Name
This is the name of the pre-configured profile.
SSID
This is the SSID of the wireless network to which the selected profile associate.
Connect
To use and activate a previously saved network profile, select a pre-configured
profile name in the table and click Connect.
Add
To add a new profile into the table, click Add.
Delete
To delete an existing wireless network configuration, select a profile in the table
and click Delete.
Edit
To edit an existing wireless network configuration, select a profile in the table and
click Edit.
Network Type
This field displays the network type (Infrastructure or Ad-hoc) of the profile.
Channel
This field displays the channel number used by the profile.
Security
This field shows whether data encryption is activated (WEP, WPA, WPA-PSK,
WPA2, WPA2-PSK, 802.1x) or inactive (DISABLE).
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4.4.1 Adding a New Profile
Follow the steps below to add a new profile.
1 Click Add in the Profile screen. An Add New Profile screen displays as shown next.
Click Next to continue.
Figure 23 Station Mode: Profile: Add a New Profile
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 10 Station Mode: Profile: Add a New Profile
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Add New Profile
Profile Name
Enter a descriptive name in this field.
SSID
Select an available wireless device in the Scan Info table and click Select, or enter
the SSID of the wireless device to which you want to associate in this field
manually. Otherwise, enter Any to have the G-210H associate to any AP or roam
between any infrastructure wireless networks.
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Table 10 Station Mode: Profile: Add a New Profile (continued)
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Network Type
Select Infrastructure to associate to an AP. Select Ad-hoc to associate to a peer
computer.
Power Saving
Mode
Choose from Constantly Awake Mode (CAM) or Power Saving Mode depending
on the type of usage you would like the computer to be in while connecting using
this profile.
Security
Please choose from the appropriate security for the Access Point. Follow the
subsequent screens accordingly.
Next
Click Next to go to the next screen.
Save
Click Save to confirm your selections and advance to the next screen. Refer to
Section 4.3.2 on page 47.
Exit
Click Exit to go back to the previous screen without saving.
2 If you select the Infrastructure network type in the previous screen, skip to step 3. If you
select the Ad-Hoc network type in the previous screen, a screen displays as follows.
Select a wireless frequency and channel number and click Next to continue.
Note: To associate to an Ad-hoc network, you must use the same channel and
wireless frequency as the peer computer.
Figure 24 Station Mode: Profile: Wireless Settings
3 The screen varies depending on the encryption method you select in the previous screen.
The settings must be exactly the same on the APs or other peer wireless computers as
they are on the G-210H. Refer to Section 4.3.1 on page 36 for detailed information on
wireless security configuration.
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Figure 25 Station Mode: Profile: Security Settings
4 To use this network profile, click the Activate Now button. Otherwise, click the Activate
Later button. You can activate only one profile at a time.
Note: Once you activate a profile, the ZyXEL utility will use that profile the next time it
is started.
Figure 26 Station Mode: Profile: Activate the Profile
4.5 The Adapter Screen
To set the other advanced features on the G-210H, click the Adapter tab.
Chapter 4 Wireless Station Mode Configuration
45
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 27 Station Mode: Adapter
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 11 Station Mode: Adapter
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Adapter Setting
Transfer Rate
In most networking scenarios, the factory default Auto setting is the most efficient
and allows your G-210H to operate at the highest possible transmission (data)
rate.
If you want to select a specific transmission rate, select one that the AP or peer
wireless device supports.
Note: With USB1.0/1.1, the G-210H can only transmit at up to
11Mbps.
Wireless Mode
Select the wireless mode you wish to have the G-210H transmit in. Available
options are to be transmitting in 802.11B/G Mixed mode which will
alternate between 802.11B and 802.11G depending on the network
environment, or 802.11B Only which will force the G-210H to broadcast in
802.11B network only.
46
11B/G Protection
The factory default setting is on Auto which is the most efficient and will allow your
G-210H to automatically configure the network settings to best navigate through
interfering networks.
Enable Tx Burst
Transmission bursting is a method that can boost performance by pushing high
number of frames of data per transmission packet. Check this box to enable this
feature.
Fast Roaming at
Fast Roaming is a feature that allows your G-210H to search for Access Points
while you’re moving at a faster rate. Select at which dBm you wish for this feature
to activate with the drop down menu
Enable WMM
WMM is the WiFi standard for wireless Quality of Service. Click on this button and
then select from the two available check boxes Direct Link and WMM-Power
Save Enable.
Save
Click Save to save the changes to the G-210H.
Chapter 4 Wireless Station Mode Configuration
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
CHAPTER 5
Maintenance
This chapter describes how to uninstall or upgrade the ZyXEL utility.
5.1 The About Screen
The About screen displays driver and utility version numbers of the G-210H. To display the
screen shown below, click the about (
) button.
Figure 28 About
The following table describes the read-only fields in this screen.
Table 12 About
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Driver Version
This field displays the version number of the G-210H driver.
Utility Version
This field displays the version number of the ZyXEL utility.
5.2 Uninstalling the ZyXEL Utility
Follow the steps below to remove (or uninstall) the ZyXEL utility from your computer.
1 Click Start, (All) Programs, ZyXEL G-210H Wireless USB Adapter Utility,
Uninstall ZyXEL G-210H Wireless USB Adapter Utility.
Chapter 5
47
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
2 Click Finish to complete uninstalling the software and restart the computer when
prompted.
Figure 29 Uninstall: Finish
5.3 Upgrading the ZyXEL Utility
Note: Before you uninstall the ZyXEL utility, take note of your current wireless
configurations.
To perform the upgrade, follow the steps below.
1 Download the latest version of the utility from the ZyXEL web site and save the file on
your computer.
2 Follow the steps in Section 5.2 on page 47 to remove the current ZyXEL utility from your
computer.
3 Restart your computer when prompted.
4 Disconnect the G-210H from your computer.
5 Double-click on the setup program for the new utility to start the ZyXEL utility
installation.
6 Insert the G-210H and check the version numbers in the About screen to make sure the
new utility is installed properly.
48
Chapter 5 Maintenance
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
CHAPTER 6
Troubleshooting
This chapter covers potential problems and the possible remedies. After each problem
description, some instructions are provided to help you to diagnose and to solve the problem.
6.1 Problems Starting the ZyXEL Utility
Table 13 Troubleshooting Starting ZyXEL Utility
PROBLEM
CORRECTIVE ACTION
Cannot start the
ZyXEL Wireless
LAN utility
Make sure the G-210H is properly inserted and the LED is on. Refer to the Quick
Start Guide for the LED descriptions.
Use the Device Manager to check for possible hardware conflicts. Click Start,
Settings, Control Panel, System, Hardware and Device Manager. Verify the
status of the G-210H under Network Adapter. (Steps may vary depending on the
version of Windows).
Install the G-210H in another computer.
If the error persists, you may have a hardware problem. In this case, you should
contact your local vendor.
The ZyXEL utility
icon does not
display.
Uninstall the utility from the computer, and try reinstalling it from the accompanying
CD once more. If the error persists, please contact our technical support staff.
6.2 Problem with the Link Quality
Table 14 Troubleshooting Link Quality
PROBLEM
CORRECTIVE ACTION
The link quality
and/or signal
strength is poor all
the time.
Search and connect to another AP with a better link quality using the Site Survey
screen.
Move your computer closer to the AP or the peer computer(s) within the
transmission range.
There may be too much radio interference (for example microwave or another AP
using the same channel) around your wireless network. Lower the output power of
each AP.
Make sure there are not too many wireless stations connected to a wireless
network.
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
49
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
6.3 Problems Communicating With Other Computers
Table 15 Troubleshooting Communication Problem
50
PROBLEM
CORRECTIVE ACTION
The G-210H
installed cannot
communicate with
the other
computer(s).
In Infrastructure Mode
• Make sure that the AP and the associated computers are turned on and
working properly.
• Make sure the G-210H computer and the associated AP use the same SSID.
• Change the AP and the associated wireless clients to use another radio
channel if interference is high.
• Make sure that the computer and the AP share the same security option and
key. Verify the settings in the Profile Security Setting screen.
• If you are using WPA(2) or WPA(2)-PSK security, try changing your encryption
type from TKIP to AES or vice versa.
In Ad-Hoc (IBSS) Mode
• Verify that the peer computer(s) is turned on.
• Make sure the G-210H computer and the peer computer(s) are using the same
SSID and channel.
• Make sure that the computer and the peer computer(s) share the same
security settings.
• Change the wireless clients to use another radio channel if interference is high.
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
APPENDIX A
Product Specifications
Table 16 Product Specifications
PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
Product Name
ZyXEL G-210H 802.11g High Power Wireless USB Adapter
Interface
USB 2.0 compatible
Standards
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11g
Antenna Configuration
5dBi Directional Diversity Antenna
Network Architectures
Infrastructure
Ad-Hoc
Operating Frequencies
IEEE 802.11b/g: 2.4 - 2.4835GHz
Operating Channels
IEEE 802.11b: 11 channels (North America)
IEEE 802.11g: 11 channels (North America)
IEEE 802.11b: 13 channels (Europe)
IEEE 802.11g: 13 channels (Europe)
IEEE 802.11b: 13 channels (Japan)
IEEE 802.11g: 13 channels (Japan)
Data Rate
IEEE 802.11b: 11, 5.5, 2, 1Mbps
IEEE 802.11g: 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, 6 Mbps
Modulation
IEEE 802311b: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (CCK, DQPSK,
DBPSK).
IEEE 802.11g: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
Operating Temperature
0 ~ 55 degrees Centigrade
Storage Temperature
-20 ~ 70 degrees Centigrade
Operating Humidity
20 ~ 90% (non-condensing)
Storage Humidity
20 ~ 90% (non-condensing)
Power
TX power consumption: < 290mA
RX power consumption: < 220mA
Voltage
5V
Weight
35g
Dimension
(L) 111 mm × (W) 35 mm × (H) 12 mm
RADIO SPECIFICATIONS
Appendix A
Media Access Protocol
IEEE 802.11
Frequency
Industrial Scientific Medical Band
2.4 ~ 2.484 GHz (IEEE 802.11b/g)
Channels
1 ~ 11 channels (USA, Canada and Taiwan)
1 ~ 13 channels (Europe)
1 ~ 13 channels (Japan)
51
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Table 16 Product Specifications (continued)
Data Rate
54 Mbps with automatic fallback to 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9 and 6 Mbps
Modulation
IEEE 802.11b: CCK, DQPSK, DBPSK
IEEE 802.11g: OFDM
Output Power
IEEE 802.11b:
11dBm (+/- 1.5dBm) at 11Mbps
IEEE 802.11g:
14dBm (+/- 1dBm) at 54Mbps
RX Sensitivity
IEEE 802.11b: 11 Mbps: -85 dBm
IEEE 802.11g: 54 Mbps: -69 dBm
SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS
52
Device Drivers
Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 10.3 or Higher
Security
64/128-bit WEP
WPA/WPA-PSK/WPA2/WPA2-PSK
IEEE 802.1x
Roaming
IEEE 802.11b/g compliant
Appendix A
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
APPENDIX B
Management with Wireless Zero
Configuration
This appendix shows you how to manage your G-210H using the Windows XP Wireless Zero
Configuration tool.
Be sure you have the Windows XP service pack 2 installed on your computer. Otherwise, you
should at least have the Windows XP service pack 1 already on your computer and download
the support patch for WPA from the Microsoft web site.
Windows XP SP2 screen shots are shown unless otherwise specified. Click the help icon (
) in most screens, move the cursor to the item that you want the information about and click to
view the help.
Activating Windows Wireless Zero Configuration
Make sure the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is
selected in the Wireless Network Connection Properties screen. Refer to Appendix A on
page 45.
If you see the following screen, refer to article 871122 on the Microsoft web site for
information on starting WZC.
Figure 30 Windows XP SP2: WZC Not Available
Appendix B
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Connecting to a Wireless Network
1 Double-click the network icon for wireless connections in the system tray to open the
Wireless Network Connection Status screen.
Figure 31 Windows XP SP2: System Tray Icon
The type of the wireless network icon in Windows XP SP2 indicates the status of the G-210H.
Refer to the following table for details.
Table 17 Windows XP SP2: System Tray Icon
ICON
DESCRIPTION
The G-210H is connected to a wireless network.
The G-210H is in the process of connecting to a wireless network.
The connection to a wireless network is limited because the network did not assign a
network address to the computer.
The G-210H is not connected to a wireless network.
2 Windows XP SP2: In the Wireless Network Connection Status screen, click View
Wireless Networks to open the Wireless Network Connection screen.
Figure 32 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection Status
54
Appendix B
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Windows XP SP1: In the Wireless Network Connection Status screen, click Properties
and the Wireless Networks tab to open the Wireless Network Connection Properties
screen.
Figure 33 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Network Connection Status
3 Windows XP SP2: Click Refresh network list to reload and search for available wireless
devices within transmission range. Select a wireless network in the list and click Connect
to join the selected wireless network.
Figure 34 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection
Appendix B
55
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
The following table describes the icons in the wireless network list.
Table 18 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection
ICON
DESCRIPTION
This denotes that wireless security is activated for the wireless network.
This denotes that this wireless network is your preferred network. Ordering your preferred
networks is important because the G-210H tries to associate to the preferred network first
in the order that you specify. Refer to the section on ordering the preferred networks for
detailed information.
This denotes the signal strength of the wireless network.
Move your cursor to the icon to see details on the signal strength.
Windows XP SP1: Click Refresh to reload and search for available wireless devices
within transmission range. Select a wireless network in the Available networks list, click
Configure and set the related fields to the same security settings as the associated AP to
add the selected network into the Preferred networks table. Click OK to join the selected
wireless network. Refer to the section on security settings (discussed later) for more
information.
Figure 35 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Network Connection Properties
4 4.Windows XP SP2: If the wireless security is activated for the selected wireless network,
the Wireless Network Connection screen displays. You must set the related fields in the
Wireless Network Connection screen to the same security settings as the associated AP
and click Connect. Refer to the section about security settings for more information.
Otherwise click Cancel and connect to another wireless network without data encryption.
56
Appendix B
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
If there is no security activated for the selected wireless network, a warning screen
appears. Click Connect Anyway if wireless security is not your concern.
Figure 36 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection: WEP or WPA-PSK
Figure 37
Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection: No Security
5 Verify that you have successfully connected to the selected network and check the
connection status in the wireless network list or the connection icon in the Preferred
networks or Available networks list.
The following table describes the connection icons.
Table 19 Windows XP: Wireless Networks
ICON
DESCRIPTION
This denotes the wireless network is an available wireless network.
This denotes the G-210H is associated to the wireless network.
This denotes the wireless network is not available.
Security Settings
When you configure the G-210H to connect to a secure network but the security settings are
not yet enabled on the G-210H, you will see different screens according to the authentication
and encryption methods used by the selected network.
Association
Select a network in the Preferred networks list and click Properties to view or configure
security.
Appendix B
57
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 38 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 20 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Network name
(SSID)
This field displays the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) of each wireless network.
Network
Authentication
This field automatically shows the authentication method (Share, Open, WPA,
WPA2 or WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK) used by the selected network.
Data Encryption
This field automatically shows the encryption type (AES, TKIP, WEP or Disable)
used by the selected network.
Network Key
Enter the pre-shared key or WEP key.
The values for the keys must be set up exactly the same on all wireless devices in
the same wireless LAN.
Confirm network
key
Enter the key again for confirmation.
Key index
(advanced)
Select a default WEP key to use for data encryption.
This field is available only when the network use WEP encryption method and the
The key is provided for me automatically check box is not selected.
The key is
provided for me
automatically
If this check box is selected, the wireless AP assigns the G-210H a key.
If this check box is selected, you are connecting to another computer directly.
This is a
computer-tocomputer (ad hoc)
network; wireless
access points are
not used
58
OK
Click OK to save your changes.
Cancel
Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have made.
Appendix B
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Authentication
Click the Authentication tab in the Wireless (network) properties screen to display the
screen shown next. The fields on this screen are grayed out when the network is in Ad-Hoc
mode or data encryption is disabled.
Figure 39 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Authentication
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 21 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Authentication
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Enable IEEE
802.1x
authentication for
this network
This field displays whether the IEEE 802.1x authentication is active.
If the network authentication is set to Open in the previous screen, you can choose
to disable or enable this feature.
EAP Type
Select the type of EAP authentication. Options are Protected EAP (PEAP) and
Smart Card or other Certificate.
Properties
Appendix B
Click this button to open the properties screen and configure certificates. The
screen varies depending on what you select in the EAP type field.
Authenticate as
computer when
computer
information is
available
Select this check box to have the computer send its information to the network for
authentication when a user is not logged on.
Authenticate as
guest when user
or computer
information is
unavailable
Select this check box to have the computer access to the network as a guest when
a user is not logged on or computer information is not available.
OK
Click OK to save your changes.
Cancel
Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have made.
59
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Authentication Properties
Select an EAP authentication type in the Wireless (network) properties: Authentication
screen and click the Properties button to display the following screen.
Protected EAP Properties
Figure 40 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 22 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties
60
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Validate server
certificate
Select the check box to verify the certificate of the authentication server.
Connect to these
servers
Select the check box and specify a domain in the field below to have your
computer connect to a server which resides only within this domain.
Trusted Root
Certification
Authorities:
Select a trusted certification authority from the list below.
Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and
obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).
Consult your network administrator for more information.
Do not prompt
user to authorize
new server or
trusted
certification
authorities.
Select this check box to verify a new authentication server or trusted CA without
prompting.
This field is available only if you installed the Windows XP server pack 2.
Select
Authentication
Method:
Select an authentication method from the drop-down list box and click Configure
to do settings.
Appendix B
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Table 22 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Enable Fast
Reconnect
Select the check box to automatically reconnect to the network (without reauthentication) if the wireless connection goes down.
OK
Click OK to save your changes.
Cancel
Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have made.
Smart Card or other Certificate Properties
Figure 41 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties
The following table describes the labels in this screen.
Table 23 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Use my smart card Select this check box to use the smart card for authentication.
Appendix B
Use a certificate
on this computer
Select this check box to use a certificate on your computer for authentication.
Validate server
certificate
Select the check box to check the certificate of the authentication server.
Connect to these
servers
Select the check box and specify a domain in the field below to have your
computer connect to a server which resides only within this domain.
Trusted Root
Certification
Authorities:
Select a trusted certification authority from the list below.
View Certificate
Click this button if you want to verify the selected certificate.
Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and
obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).
Consult your network administrator for more information.
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Table 23 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties
LABEL
DESCRIPTION
Use a different
user name for the
connection:
Select the check box to use a different user name when the user name in the smart
card or certificate is not the same as the user name in the domain that you are
logged on to.
OK
Click OK to save your changes.
Cancel
Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have made.
Ordering the Preferred Networks
Follow the steps below to manage your preferred networks.
1 Windows XP SP2: Click Change the order of preferred networks in the Wireless
Network Connection screen (see Figure 34 on page 55). The screen displays as shown.
Figure 42 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks
Windows XP SP1: In the Wireless Network Connection Status screen, click Properties
and the Wireless Networks tab to open the screen as shown.
62
Appendix B
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 43 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks
2 Whenever the G-210H tries to connect to a new network, the new network is added in the
Preferred networks table automatically. Select a network and click Move up or Move
down to change it's order, click Remove to delete it or click Properties to view the
security, authentication or connection information of the selected network. Click Add to
add a preferred network into the list manually.
Appendix B
63
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
64
Appendix B
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
APPENDIX C
Wireless Security
Types of EAP Authentication
This section discusses some popular authentication types: EAP-MD5, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS,
PEAP and LEAP. Your wireless LAN device may not support all authentication types.
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an authentication protocol that runs on top of the
IEEE 802.1x transport mechanism in order to support multiple types of user authentication. By
using EAP to interact with an EAP-compatible RADIUS server, an access point helps a
wireless station and a RADIUS server perform authentication.
The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server and an intermediary AP(s)
that supports IEEE 802.1x.
For EAP-TLS authentication type, you must first have a wired connection to the network and
obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA). A certificate (also called digital IDs)
can be used to authenticate users and a CA issues certificates and guarantees the identity of
each certificate owner.
EAP-MD5 (Message-Digest Algorithm 5)
MD5 authentication is the simplest one-way authentication method. The authentication server
sends a challenge to the wireless station. The wireless station ‘proves’ that it knows the
password by encrypting the password with the challenge and sends back the information.
Password is not sent in plain text.
However, MD5 authentication has some weaknesses. Since the authentication server needs to
get the plaintext passwords, the passwords must be stored. Thus someone other than the
authentication server may access the password file. In addition, it is possible to impersonate an
authentication server as MD5 authentication method does not perform mutual authentication.
Finally, MD5 authentication method does not support data encryption with dynamic session
key. You must configure WEP encryption keys for data encryption.
Appendix C
65
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
EAP-TLS (Transport Layer Security)
With EAP-TLS, digital certifications are needed by both the server and the wireless stations
for mutual authentication. The server presents a certificate to the client. After validating the
identity of the server, the client sends a different certificate to the server. The exchange of
certificates is done in the open before a secured tunnel is created. This makes user identity
vulnerable to passive attacks. A digital certificate is an electronic ID card that authenticates the
sender’s identity. However, to implement EAP-TLS, you need a Certificate Authority (CA) to
handle certificates, which imposes a management overhead.
EAP-TTLS (Tunneled Transport Layer Service)
EAP-TTLS is an extension of the EAP-TLS authentication that uses certificates for only the
server-side authentications to establish a secure connection. Client authentication is then done
by sending username and password through the secure connection, thus client identity is
protected. For client authentication, EAP-TTLS supports EAP methods and legacy
authentication methods such as PAP, CHAP, MS-CHAP and MS-CHAP v2.
PEAP (Protected EAP)
Like EAP-TTLS, server-side certificate authentication is used to establish a secure connection,
then use simple username and password methods through the secured connection to
authenticate the clients, thus hiding client identity. However, PEAP only supports EAP
methods, such as EAP-MD5, EAP-MSCHAPv2 and EAP-GTC (EAP-Generic Token Card),
for client authentication. EAP-GTC is implemented only by Cisco.
LEAP
LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) is a Cisco implementation of IEEE
802.1x.
Dynamic WEP Key Exchange
The AP maps a unique key that is generated with the RADIUS server. This key expires when
the wireless connection times out, disconnects or reauthentication times out. A new WEP key
is generated each time reauthentication is performed.
If this feature is enabled, it is not necessary to configure a default encryption key in the
Wireless screen. You may still configure and store keys here, but they will not be used while
Dynamic WEP is enabled.
Note: EAP-MD5 cannot be used with Dynamic WEP Key Exchange
66
Appendix C
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
For added security, certificate-based authentications (EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS and PEAP) use
dynamic keys for data encryption. They are often deployed in corporate environments, but for
public deployment, a simple user name and password pair is more practical. The following
table is a comparison of the features of authentication types.
Table 24 Comparison of EAP Authentication Types
EAP-MD5
EAP-TLS
EAP-TTLS
PEAP
LEAP
Mutual Authentication
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Certificate – Client
No
Yes
Optional
Optional
No
Certificate – Server
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Dynamic Key Exchange
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Credential Integrity
None
Strong
Strong
Strong
Moderate
Deployment Difficulty
Easy
Hard
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Client Identity Protection
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
WPA and WPA2
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a subset of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 (IEEE
802.11i) is a wireless security standard that defines stronger encryption, authentication and
key management than WPA.
Key differences between WPA(2) and WEP are improved data encryption and user
authentication.
If both an AP and the wireless clients support WPA2 and you have an external RADIUS
server, use WPA2 for stronger data encryption. If you don't have an external RADIUS server,
you should use WPA2-PSK (WPA2-Pre-Shared Key) that only requires a single (identical)
password entered into each access point, wireless gateway and wireless client. As long as the
passwords match, a wireless client will be granted access to a WLAN.
If the AP or the wireless clients do not support WPA2, just use WPA or WPA-PSK depending
on whether you have an external RADIUS server or not.
Select WEP only when the AP and/or wireless clients do not support WPA or WPA2. WEP is
less secure than WPA or WPA2.
Encryption
Both WPA and WPA2 improve data encryption by using Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
(TKIP), Message Integrity Check (MIC) and IEEE 802.1x. WPA and WPA2 use Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES) in the Counter mode with Cipher block chaining Message
authentication code Protocol (CCMP) to offer stronger encryption than TKIP.
Appendix C
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
TKIP uses 128-bit keys that are dynamically generated and distributed by the authentication
server. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a block cipher that uses a 256-bit
mathematical algorithm called Rijndael. They both include a per-packet key mixing function,
a Message Integrity Check (MIC) named Michael, an extended initialization vector (IV) with
sequencing rules, and a re-keying mechanism.
WPA and WPA2 regularly change and rotate the encryption keys so that the same encryption
key is never used twice.
The RADIUS server distributes a Pairwise Master Key (PMK) key to the AP that then sets up
a key hierarchy and management system, using the PMK to dynamically generate unique data
encryption keys to encrypt every data packet that is wirelessly communicated between the AP
and the wireless stations. This all happens in the background automatically.
The Message Integrity Check (MIC) is designed to prevent an attacker from capturing data
packets, altering them and resending them. The MIC provides a strong mathematical function
in which the receiver and the transmitter each compute and then compare the MIC. If they do
not match, it is assumed that the data has been tampered with and the packet is dropped.
By generating unique data encryption keys for every data packet and by creating an integrity
checking mechanism (MIC), with TKIP and AES it is more difficult to decrypt data on a Wi-Fi
network than WEP and difficult for an intruder to break into the network.
The encryption mechanisms used for WPA(2) and WPA(2)-PSK are the same. The only
difference between the two is that WPA(2)-PSK uses a simple common password, instead of
user-specific credentials. The common-password approach makes WPA(2)-PSK susceptible to
brute-force password-guessing attacks but it’s still an improvement over WEP as it employs a
consistent, single, alphanumeric password to derive a PMK which is used to generate unique
temporal encryption keys. This prevent all wireless devices sharing the same encryption keys.
(a weakness of WEP)
User Authentication
WPA and WPA2 apply IEEE 802.1x and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to
authenticate wireless stations using an external RADIUS database. WPA2 reduces the number
of key exchange messages from six to four (CCMP 4-way handshake) and shortens the time
required to connect to a network. Other WPA2 authentication features that are different from
WPA include key caching and pre-authentication. These two features are optional and may not
be supported in all wireless devices.
Key caching allows a wireless client to store the PMK it derived through a successful
authentication with an AP. The wireless client uses the PMK when it tries to connect to the
same AP and does not need to go with the authentication process again.
Pre-authentication enables fast roaming by allowing the wireless client (already connecting to
an AP) to perform IEEE 802.1x authentication with another AP before connecting to it.
68
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WPA(2)-PSK Application Example
A WPA(2)s-PSK application looks as follows.
1 First enter identical passwords into the AP and all wireless clients. The Pre-Shared Key
(PSK) must consist of between 8 and 63 ASCII characters or 64 hexadecimal characters
(including spaces and symbols).
2 The AP checks each client's password and (only) allows it to join the network if it
matches its password.
3 The AP and wireless clients use the pre-shared key to generate a common PMK.
4 The AP and wireless clients use the TKIP or AES encryption process to encrypt data
exchanged between them.
Figure 44 WPA-PSK Authentication
WPA(2) with RADIUS Application Example
You need the IP address of the RADIUS server, its port number (default is 1812), and the
RADIUS shared secret. A WPA(2) application example with an external RADIUS server
looks as follows. "A" is the RADIUS server. "DS" is the distribution system.
1 The AP passes the wireless client's authentication request to the RADIUS server.
2 The RADIUS server then checks the user's identification against its database and grants
or denies network access accordingly.
3 The RADIUS server distributes a Pairwise Master Key (PMK) key to the AP that then
sets up a key hierarchy and management system, using the pair-wise key to dynamically
generate unique data encryption keys to encrypt every data packet that is wirelessly
communicated between the AP and the wireless clients.
Appendix C
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 45 WPA(2) with RADIUS Application Example
Security Parameters Summary
Refer to this table to see what other security parameters you should configure for each
Authentication Method/ key management protocol type. MAC address filters are not
dependent on how you configure these security features.
Table 25 Wireless Security Relational Matrix
AUTHENTICATION
ENCRYPTION ENTER
METHOD/ KEY
METHOD
MANUAL KEY
MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL
IEEE 802.1X
Open
Disable
None
No
Enable without Dynamic WEP Key
Open
Shared
70
WEP
WEP
No
Enable with Dynamic WEP Key
Yes
Enable without Dynamic WEP Key
Yes
Disable
No
Enable with Dynamic WEP Key
Yes
Enable without Dynamic WEP Key
Yes
Disable
WPA
TKIP/AES
No
Enable
WPA-PSK
TKIP/AES
Yes
Disable
WPA2
TKIP/AES
No
Enable
WPA2-PSK
TKIP/AES
Yes
Disable
Appendix C
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
APPENDIX D
Setting up Your Computer’s IP Address
All computers must have a 10M or 100M Ethernet adapter card and TCP/IP installed.
Windows 2000 and XP usually include TCP/IP.
Configure the TCP/IP settings in order to "communicate" with your network.
Windows 2000/XP
1 For Windows XP, click start, Control Panel. In Windows 2000/NT, click Start,
Settings, Control Panel.
Figure 46 Windows XP: Start Menu
2 For Windows XP, click Network Connections. For Windows 2000/NT, click Network
and Dial-up Connections.
Appendix D
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 47 Windows XP: Control Panel
3 Right-click Local Area Connection and then click Properties.
Figure 48 Windows XP: Control Panel: Network Connections: Properties
4 Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) (under the General tab in Win XP) and click
Properties.
72
Appendix D
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 49 Windows XP: Local Area Connection Properties
5 The Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties window opens (the General tab in Windows
XP).
•
•
Appendix D
If you have a dynamic IP address click Obtain an IP address
automatically.
If you have a static IP address click Use the following IP Address
and fill in the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway fields.
Click Advanced.
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Figure 50 Windows XP: Advanced TCP/IP Settings
6 If you do not know your gateway's IP address, remove any previously installed gateways
in the IP Settings tab and click OK.
Do one or more of the following if you want to configure additional IP addresses:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
In the IP Settings tab, in IP addresses, click Add.
In TCP/IP Address, type an IP address in IP address and a subnet
mask in Subnet mask, and then click Add.
Repeat the above two steps for each IP address you want to add.
Configure additional default gateways in the IP Settings tab by
clicking Add in Default gateways.
In TCP/IP Gateway Address, type the IP address of the default
gateway in Gateway. To manually configure a default metric (the
number of transmission hops), clear the Automatic metric check box
and type a metric in Metric.
Click Add.
Repeat the previous three steps for each default gateway you want to
add.
Click OK when finished.
7 In the Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties window (the General tab in Windows XP):
•
74
Click Obtain DNS server address automatically if you do not know
your DNS server IP address(es).
Appendix D
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
•
If you know your DNS server IP address(es), click Use the following
DNS server addresses, and type them in the Preferred DNS server
and Alternate DNS server fields.
If you have previously configured DNS servers, click Advanced and
then the DNS tab to order them.
Figure 51 Windows XP: Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties
8 Click OK to close the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties window.
9 Click OK to close the Local Area Connection Properties window.
10Restart your computer (if prompted).
Verifying Settings
1 Click Start, All Programs, Accessories and then Command Prompt.
2 In the Command Prompt window, type "ipconfig" and then press [ENTER]. You can
also open Network Connections, right-click a network connection, click Status and then
click the Support tab.
Appendix D
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
76
Appendix D
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Index
About 47
About your ZyXEL Device 19
Access point (AP) 19, 23, 29
Activating a profile 45
Adapter 45
Add new profile 43
Ad-Hoc 20, 44
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 32, 67
Advanced settings 45
antenna power output 51
AP. See also Access point.
Authentication method
open system 31
shared key 31
Authentication types 31
Available network list 35
Disclaimer 3
Driver version 47
Dynamic WEP Key Exchange 66
EAP Authentication 32
Encryption 67
FCC 3
CA (Certificate Authority) 39, 40, 66
CCMP (Cipher block Chaining Message authentication
code Protocol) 32
Certificate Authority 66
Certifications
viewing 4
Channel 34, 36, 44
channel 51
Configuration
current 34
Configuration method 21
configuration method
Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) 21
Connection status 34
Copyright 3
Customer Support 6
Getting started 19
Graphics icons key 18
Hardware connections 21
Hardware installation 21
Icons 18
IEEE 802.1x 31, 39
Independent wireless workgroup 20
Infrastructure mode 19
Initialization vector (IV) 68
Installation 21
Interference Statement 3
Data encryption 36
Index
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ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Link information 34
Link quality 35
Login name 39
Security
data encryption 31
security 52
Security Parameters 70
Signal strength 34, 36
Site survey 35
scan 36
security settings 36
SSID 29, 34, 35
hide 30
Support CD 17
Survey 35
Syntax conventions 17
System tray 21
Message Integrity Check (MIC) 32, 67
Network type 34
PA2-PSK 37
Pairwise Master Key (PMK) 68
Passphrase 31
Password phrase 31
Power Saving Mode 46
product specifications 51
Profile 34
activation 45
add new 42, 43
list 42
name 42
profile
delete 42
edit 42
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) 32, 67
Trademarks 3
Transfer rate 46
transmission rate 51
Transmit key 36
Troubleshooting 49
link status 49
network communication 50
starting ZyXEL Utility 49
Uninstalling ZyXEL Utility 47
Upgrading ZyXEL Utility 48
important step 48
USB connection 19
User authentication 30, 68
Quick Start Guide 17, 21
voltage 51
Radio interference 49
RADIUS server 32
Related Documentation 17
78
Index
ZyXEL G-210H User’s Guide
Web site 17
WEP
manual setup 37
passphrase 31
security 31
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) 31
WEP Encryption 36
WEP key 31
automatic 31
manual 31
Wi-Fi Protected Access 32, 67
Windows XP 21
Wireless
independent workgroup 20
Wireless channel 30
Wireless client 23
wireless client 29
Wireless frequency 44
Wireless LAN
introduction 29
overview 29
security 30
Wireless LAN (WLAN) 29
Wireless network 29
wireless standard 51
Wireless station mode
configuration 33
WLAN
Security parameters 70
WPA 32, 38, 67
WPA2 32, 38, 67
WPA2-Pre-Shared Key 32, 67
WPA2-PSK 32, 67
WPA-PSK 32, 37, 67
WZC (Wireless Zero Configuration) 21
system tray icon 21
upgrade 48
version 47
ZyXEL Limited Warranty
Note 5
ZyXEL Utility 21
accessing 22
disable 21
download 48
help 22
icon 21
installation 21
menu 33
opening 22
Index
79

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Metadata Date                   : 2007:01:29 18:01:59+08:00
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Title                           : ZyXEL G-220F User’s Guide V1.00 (Oct 2004)
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