Asus DSL-N11 Network Router User guide

User Guide

®

E2949

E2949

Third Edition V3

December 2006

ii

Copyright © 2006 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS

OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF

MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS

DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,

INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,

LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),

EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY

DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR

INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,

AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO

RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS

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Contents

About this guide ......................................................................................... iv

WiFi-AP Solo specifications summary ...................................................... v

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-2

1.2 Features ........................................................................................ 1-2

1.3 LED and antenna port .................................................................. 1-4

1.4 Choosing an appropriate wireless network ............................... 1-5

1.4.1 Access Point Mode (AP Mode) ....................................... 1-6

1.4.2 Infrastructure mode ......................................................... 1-7

1.4.3 Ad-hoc mode ................................................................... 1-7

Chapter 2: Installation

2.1 Installation .................................................................................... 2-2

2.1.1 System requirements ...................................................... 2-2

2.1.2 Installing the antenna ...................................................... 2-2

2.1.3 Signal range .................................................................... 2-3

2.2 Driver and utilities installation .................................................... 2-4

Chapter 3: Setting up

3.1 About the setup utilities .............................................................. 3-2

3.2 Setting up with WiFi-AP Solo Wizard ......................................... 3-3

3.2.1 Setting up the AP Mode ................................................. 3-4

3.2.2 Setting up infrastructure of the station mode ................. 3-6

3.3 Setting up via setup utility .......................................................... 3-7

3.3.1 How to launch the WiFi-AP Solo ..................................... 3-7

3.3.2 Utility Windows ............................................................... 3-7

3.3.3 Setting up AP Mode ..................................................... 3-12

3.3.4 Setting up the station mode .......................................... 3-14

3.4 Setting up wireless security ...................................................... 3-17

Glossary

Glossary .................................................................................................... 4-2

Appendix

Wireless LAN Channels ...........................................................................A-2

Safety Statements .....................................................................................A-4

iii

iv

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need to install and configure your

ASUS WiFi-AP Solo wireless solution.

How this guide is organized

This guide contains the following parts:

• Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter describes the general features of the ASUS WiFi-AP Solo wireless solution. The chapter also presents the LED indications, and recommended WiFi-AP Solo network settings.

• Chapter 2: Installation

This chapter provides step by step instructions on installing the wireless LAN adapter drivers and software applications using the support CD.

• Chapter 3: Setting up

This chapter provides information on how to set up the WiFi-AP Solo in your home or office network using the setup wizard.

• Glossary

This chapter provides definition for the technical terms used in this manual.

• Appendix

The Appendix lists the wireless LAN channels available for use in your country or location and safety statements.

Conventions used in this guide

To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.

DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task.

IMPORTANT: Information that you MUST follow to complete a task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to aid in completing a task.

WiFi-AP Solo specifications summary

Standard

Data rate

Security

Network architechture types

Frequency band

Operating range

IEEE 802.11b/g

802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps

802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps

Access Point mode:

WEP

WPA

WPA2

Access point mode

Station mode: Infrastructure mode and Ad-Hoc mode

2.4~2.5GHz

802.11g

802.11b

Indoor: 80ft (30m)

Outdoor: 200ft (60m) LOS*

Indoor: 130ft (40m)

Outdoor: 1000ft (310m) LOS*

The range varies in different environments up to 64 stations Number of connected devices (AP mode)

Antenna

LED

Support OS

Compatibility

ASUS special features

Software support

ASUS WiFi-AP Solo omni-directional antenna

Green data transmission (AIR) LED

Windows® 2003, XP, XP-64bit, 2003-64bit

Fully compatible with IEEE802.11b/g standard products

Supports ASUS EZ WiFi mode: Running wireless network in sleep mode (only on ASUS Digital Home motherboards except for P5LD2-VM DH and N4L-VM DH)

ASUS WiFi-AP Solo Wizard

ASUS WiFi-AP Solo

* The Vista driver is ready when the Windows

driver.

® Vista Operating System (OS)

is launched. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest

* LOS=Light of Sight

* The specifications are subject to change without notice.

v

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Chapter 1

This chapter describes the general features of the ASUS WiFi-AP Solo wireless solution. The chapter also presents the LED indications, and recommended WiFi-AP Solo network settings.

Product introduction

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1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for choosing the ASUS WiFi-AP Solo wireless solution!

The WiFi-AP Solo is an easy-to-use wireless local area network (WLAN) adapter designed for home or office use. The WiFi-AP Solo is backward compatible with the earlier IEEE 802.11b standard allowing seamless integration of both wireless

LAN standards in a single network.

The WiFi-AP Solo also supports several wireless network configuration including

Infrastructure, Ad-hoc, and Access Point. This gives you flexibility to your existing or future wireless network configurations.

To provide efficient security to your wireless communication, WiFi-AP Solo employs both 64-bit/128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected

Access (WPA/WPA2) encryptions.

With these and many more, ASUS WiFi-AP Solo is sure to keep you ahead in the world of wireless computing.

1.2 Features

ASUS EZ WiFi mode

Users will be able to play LAN games, connect to the Internet, access and share printers, and use Skype from anywhere within the range.

WiFi-AP Solo can provide these functions even when the PC is in the sleep mode.

Hence, users can use Skype instead of the traditional long distance telephone service.

The ASUS EZ WiFi mode will work only on PCs with ASUS Digital Home motherboards, except for P5LD2-VM DH and N4L-VM DH motherboards.

No hardware installation

Because the WiFi-AP Solo wireless LAN adapter comes embedded in your ASUS motherboard, no hardware installation is needed. Just install the drivers and utilities from the motherboard support CD and start computing wirelessly in no time.

54Mbps speed advantage

With data transmission rate up to five times faster than IEEE 802.11b standards, the WiFi-AP Solo breaks the wireless data transmission speed barrier to give you faster Internet connection and file sharing capabilities.

Easy integration

The WiFi-AP Solo is compatible with all IEEE 802.11b devices so you can still use your IEEE 802.11b devices in the WiFi-AP Solo network.

Access point mode function

In AP Mode, WiFi-AP Solo can support up to 64 stations with wireless LAN adapters making it an ideal solution for homes and offices with single Internet connection or network printer.

Moveable omni-directional antenna

A moveable, omni-directional antenna comes with your WiFi-AP Solo to maximize your wireless coverage.

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1.3 LED and antenna port

The WiFi-AP Solo comes with a green data transmission LED (AIR) and an antenna port located at the motherboard rear panel.

Antenna port

AIR LED

• The location of the WiFi-AP Solo data transmission LED and antenna port may vary on motherboard models.

• The back I/O may vary depending on the models.

LED indicators

Refer to the table below for LED indications.

LED

Air LED

Status

On

Off

Blinking quickly

Blinking slowly

Indication

Power on but no data activity.

Power off or no wireless connection.

Transmitting and/or receiving data.

Site survey.

1.4 Choosing an appropriate wireless network

You can use the ASUS WiFi-AP Solo in various wireless network configurations. It is recommended that you select the most appropriate configuration for your home or office network before setting up the WiFi-AP Solo.

The following pictures and descriptions are for reference only and may not exactly match your actual network configuration.

Select Mode

AP Mode

Station Mode

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1.4.1 Access Point Mode (AP Mode)

If you wish to share the Internet access with the wireless stations in your environment, you can configure the WiFi-AP Solo in an access point mode (AP

Mode). In this mode, the WiFi-AP Solo becomes the wireless access point that provides local area network and Internet access for your wireless stations.

The requirement of using AP Mode function is an onboard Ethernet LAN adapter with the driver properly installed.

The AP Mode feature is ideal for home/SOHO networks with several computers, a shared printer, and a shared Internet connection.

˝

Internet ADSL or Cable

Modem (if any)

Printer 1

WiFi-AP Solo

MODE

Station 1

Station 2

Station 3

Station 4

1.4.2 Station mode

The station mode is centered on a wireless access point (AP) that provides Internet access and LAN communication for the wireless stations. In station mode, the wireless

LAN stations communicate with each other via the wireless AP.

In this mode, your WiFi-AP Solo acts as a wireless adapter. It communicates with the LAN computers and accesses Internet through the wireless AP.

Internet

˝

ADSL or Cable

Modem (if any)

Access Point

Station 1

WiFi-AP Solo

Station 2

In the station mode, use the Windows

®

WiFi-AP Solo.

Zero Configuration to set up your

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Chapter 2

This chapter provides step by step instructions on installing the WiFi-AP Solo drivers and utilities to your computer. This part also provides information on installing the antenna.

Installation

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2.1 Installation

2.1.1 System requirements

Before installing the WiFi-AP Solo drivers and utilities, make sure that your system meets the following requirements.

• ASUS motherboard with WiFi-AP Solo onboard solution

• Intel

®

Pentium™ 4

• Minimum 128MB system memory

• Operating system: Windows

®

XP/ XP-64bit/ Server 2003/

Server 2003 64-bit

• Optical drive for utilities and driver installation

2.1.2 Installing the antenna

The WiFi-AP Solo wireless solution comes with an omni-directional and moveable antenna to maximize the WiFi-AP Solo coverage.

To install the antenna:

1. Locate the wireless LAN antenna port on the motherboard rear panel.

2. Connect the antenna twiston connector (female) to the wireless LAN antenna port

(male).

3. Place the antenna at an elevated location to enhance your wireless LAN coverage.

The antenna may differ depending on the model.

Do not place the antenna under your table or in a closed compartment.

2.1.3 Signal range

The signal range of WiFi-AP Solo depends on the operating environment.

Obstacles such as walls and metal barriers could reflect or absorb radio signals.

Devices such as microwave stove can also greatly interfere with the wireless network.

Signal range:

802.11g: Indoor 80ft (30m), outdoor (LOS, Light-Of-Sight) 200ft (60m)

802.11b: Indoor 130ft (40m), outdoor (LOS, Light-Of-Sight) 1000ft (310m)

By default, the device automatically adjusts the data rate and the closer the wireless station is, the better signal and transmit speed it receives. To improve your wireless transmission, move your wireless stations closer to the WiFi-AP Solo.

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2.2 Driver and utilities installation

• The contents of the motherboard support CD are subject to change without notice. Visit the ASUS website for driver/utilities updates.

• If you use a Windows ® operating system, your computer auto-detects the

WiFi-AP Solo when system boots and displays an Add New Hardware

Wizard window. Click Cancel then proceed with the following instructions.

To install the WiFi-AP Solo driver and utilities:

1. Place the motherboard support CD to the optical drive.

2. The CD automatically displays the Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer. Click the wireless driver and follow screen instructions to install the

WiFi-AP Solo driver.

3. Select the driver / utility menu in the support CD and click to install the WiFi-

AP Solo utility.

If Autorun is disabled in your computer, locate the Wireless folder under the root directory of the support CD, then double click the Setup.exe file to begin installation.

To use soft AP function, you may need to install Ethernet adapter driver.

Chapter 3

This chapter provides information on how to set up the WiFi-AP Solo in your home or office network.

Setting up

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3.1 About the setup utilities

After you have installed the WiFi-AP Solo drivers and utilities to your system, you are now ready to setup the WiFi-AP Solo in your network.

Make sure that you have selected the most appropriate configuration for your wireless network before you proceed. Refer to section 1.4 for details.

Make sure you have connected the supplied antenna to the antenna connector on the motherboard, or the WiFi-AP Solo may not be able to detect other wireless devices in your environment.

The WiFi-AP Solo provides two configuration approaches: the setup wizard and the setup utility. The former scheme provides an easy approach to the most frequently used functions while the latter allows configuring all the functions, including the advanced settings.

For normal users, the setup wizard helps to:

1. configure the WiFi-AP Solo as an access point, or wireless station.

For advanced users, the setup utility helps to:

1. configure the WiFi-AP Solo as an access point, or wireless station;

2. enable or disable the WiFi-AP Solo; and

3. show statistics.

3.2 Setting up with WiFi-AP Solo Wizard

You can create your own wireless local area network (WLAN) in your home using the WiFi-AP Solo Access Point Mode (AP Mode) feature. Create your own WLAN if:

1. your computer is connected to the Internet; and

2. the operating system of your computer is Windows

2003/ Server 2003 64-bit.

® XP/ XP 64-bit/ Server

Install the WiFi-AP Solo software from the support CD.

WiFi-AP Solo

Setup Wizard

After completing the installation, the WiFi-

AP Solo Setup Wizard will run automatically.

AP Mode

To use AP Mode, refer to

Section 1.4.1.

Station Mode

To use Station Mode, refer to

Section 1.4.2.

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3.2.1 Setting up the AP Mode

1. To launch the WiFi-AP Solo setup wizard, right-click the system tray icon and select WiFi-AP Solo

Wizard.

2. Select Access Point and click Next.

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3. The system automatically generates an SSID for the AP mode. You can rename the

SSID, if desired.

4. Select a Network Security level for your AP mode. The configurable options are

None, Share-WEP, WPA-

PSK, and WPA2-PSK. Refer to section 3.4 for detailed security information. Select an appropriate level and click

Next.

5. If you select Share-WEP, WPA-

PSK, or WPA2-PSK in Step

4, you are required to input a password. You can choose to configure the password in either

ASCII or HEX mode. If you choose HEX mode, input 10 hex digits for 64-bit encrytion, or 26 hex digits for 128-bit encryption.

Click Next to continue.

6. Select your Internet connection and click Next.

7. The AP mode configuration is complete. Record the setup information on your note and click Finish to quit the ASUS

WiFi-AP Solo wizard.

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3.2.2 Setting up the station mode

In the Infrastructure mode, you can connect to the LAN or Internet, or both, through a wireless AP.

1. To launch the WiFi-AP Solo setup wizard, right-click the system tray icon and select ASUS WiFi-AP Solo Wizard.

2. Select Station and click Next.

3. Click Finish.

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3. Double-click the wireless icon on the task bar to configure the Windows

®

Configuration.

Wireless Zero

Refer to Section 3.3.4 Setting up the station mode for how to use the

Windows ® Wireless Zero Configuration.

3.3 Setting up via setup utility

3.3.1 How to launch Wifi-AP Solo utility

You can launch Wifi-AP Solo either from the Windows ® Program menu or the tray icon.

The tray icon is an optional quick launch to be enabled by a user.

Windows

®

Program Menu

It is the absolute way to launch the WiFi-AP Solo from the program folder.

We recommend that you uninstall the WiFi-AP Solo utility by clicking Start >

Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.

Tray Icon

The tray icon will be not be shown until you enable the Show Tray Icon from the WiFi-AP

Solo. When the WiFi-AP Solo icon is shown on the system tray, you could double-click the icon to launch the WiFi-AP Solo Wizard.

3.3.2 Utility Windows

•

Global Control Bar

Each control items on the Global Control Bar directly affects the adapter of the management GUI.

•

Show Tray Icon

When this item is checked, the WiFi-AP Solo icon will appear on the system tray located at the right and lower corner of your Windows screen.

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• Radio Off

When this item is checked, the radio is turned off to save power. When the radio is off, the links with other wireless network nodes are disconnected.

• Disable Adapter

When this item is checked, the wireless

LAN adapter is disabled to increase performance in terms of better system resource management and CPU utilization.

If the wireless configuration is in AP mode, checking Radio Off will cause the sub-network belonging to the AP to disconnect with the Internet/intranet.

Status page

• Manufacturer: ASUS

• NDIS Driver Version

• Short Radio Header

• Data Encryption: Current encryption mode.

• Authentication: authentication state

• Channel Set: selected channel plan currently. Please reference Appendix-A with the detail comparisons.

• MAC Address: MAC address of this adapter.

• Data Rate: wireless LAN transition speed

• Channel (Frequency): current channel number

• Status: wireless network status

• Network Name (SSID): name of connecting access point

• Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID)

• Network Type: indicate current network configuration type

• Power Save Mode: current setting power save mode

• Associated AP MAC: MAC address of connecting access point

• Associated AP IP: IP address of connecting access point

• Up Time

Config page

This page displays the basic information of the WiFi-AP Solo:

Statistics page

You could watch the Tx/Rx status of current wireless connection. It provides a statistic analysis of packet transition.

Advanced page

This page presents all the access points in the system.

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) page

This page is enabled when the WiFi-AP Solo is switched to AP mode. This page allows you to configure your Internet connection which you wish to share.

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3.3.3 Setting up AP Mode

Open the setup utility by double-clicking the utility icon on the desktop. The setup utility contains six buttons - Status, Config,

Survey, Statistics, Advanced and ICS in the left column. The Survey button is greyed out in AP mode and the ICS button is disabled when in the station mode.

1. Open the setup utility and click

Config button. Click the AP/

Station Mode switch button - To

Access Point Mode. The WiFi-

AP Solo is switched to AP mode in several seconds.

2. Click ICS button to configure your

Internet connection which you wish to share. Select the correct connection and click Apply button.

3. Click Config button and enter the Network Monitor tab. Click

Config button to enter the

Wireless Network Properties page of the AP mode.

4. You are directed to the Wireless

Network Properties page to set up the AP mode. In this page, you can change the SSID, select the communication channel and specify the network security. When configuration is complete, click OK to apply the settings and return to the setup wizard.

5. The AP mode configuration is finished. You can view in the

Association Table of the Config page all the wireless stations that have connected to the WiFi-AP

Solo (AP mode).

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3.3.4 Setting up the station mode

Open the setup utility by double-clicking the utility icon on the desktop. A message pops up asking you to set up the station mode via the Windows

Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) service.

®

The actual screens of Windows

®

Wireless Zero Configuration service may differ according to the Operating System (OS) of your computer.

To configure the Windows

®

Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) service, follow the instruction below to make the settings.

1. Double-click the wireless network icon on the task bar to view available networks.Select the AP and click Connect.

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2. A window prompts out asking you for the key if you have set up encryption on your wireless router, input the keys and click

Connect. The connection is complete.

To set up the wireless connection properties, right-click the wireless icon on the task bar and select Open Network Connection. Then right-click the network connection icon and select Properties to open the Wireless Network Connection

Status page.

1. The General page shows status, duration, speed, and signal strength. Signal strength is represented by green bars with

5 bars indicating excellent signal and 1 bar meaning poor signal.

2. Select “Wireless Networks” tab to show Preferred networks.

Use the Add button to add the

“SSID” of available networks and set the connection preference order with the Move up and

Move down buttons. The radio tower with a signal icon identifies the currently connected access point. Click Properties to set the authentication of the wireless connection.

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3. The Authentication page allows you to add security settings.

Read Windows help for more information.

4. The Advanced page allows you to set firewall and sharing.

Read Windows help for more information.

In the station mode, the Windows ® Zero Configuration does not support WPA2

PSK and cannot connect the access point with WPA2 PSK. Visit the Microsoft download center to download the WPA2 package.

3.4 Setting up wireless security

To protect your wireless network, you need to setup a security mechanism on your

WiFi-AP Solo. Under AP mode, only Open, Shared, and WPA-PSK are supported.

Under Station mode, all the security modes listed below are supported.

Network authentication

Network authentication uses certain types of mechanism to identify authenticated wireless clients. WiFi-AP Solo supports the following authentication methods:

Open: This option disables authentication protection for your wireless network.

Under the Open mode, any IEEE802.11b/g wireless client can connect to your wireless network.

Shared: Shared means using the same WEP keys for authentication and encryption.

802.1X: 802.1X uses RADIUS (Remote Access Dial-Up User Service) server to authenticate wireless clients with a user name and password. It can authenticate user with different levels of access right.

WPA: WPA stands for WiFi-Protected Access. WPA provides two security modes for Home/SOHO user and enterprise network. The former solution adopts Pre-Shared Key for authentication, and the later uses the existing

802.1X RADIUS server in the enterprise network to process the authentication requests.

WPA - PSK: WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key) is the solution for home and SOHO users who have no 802.11X authentication server within the

LAN. To setup WPA-PSK, you need to input a passphrase and let the system generate the key. Combination of letters, numbers and non alphnumeric charecters is recommended for ensuring security.

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Encryption

Encryption is used to convert plain text data into unreadable codes with certain type of algorithm before capsulation for wireless transmission. WiFi-AP Solo supports the following encryption methods:

WEP: WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. It uses 64 or 128-bit static keys. You can let the system generate the WEP keys by inputting a

Passphrase.

TKIP: Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) dynamically generates unique keys to encypt every data packet in a wireless session.

AES: Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a dependable encryption adopted in WPA2 or IEEE802.11i standard. It offers stronger protection and greatly increases the complexity of wireless encryption.

TKIP + AES: For a network where WPA clients (using TKIP encryption) and WPA2 clients (using AES encryption) co-exit. Select this option to enable both.

Glossary

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Access Point (AP)

A networking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks. Access

Points combined with a distributed system support the creation of multiple radio cells that enable roaming throughout a facility.

Ad Hoc

A wireless network composed solely of stations within mutual communication range of each other (no Access Point).

Basic Rate Set

This option allows you to specify the data transmission rate.

Basic Service Area (BSS)

A set of stations controlled by a single coordination function.

Broadband

A type of data transmission in which a single medium (such as cable) carries several channels of data at once.

Channel

An instance of medium use for the purpose of passing protocol data units that may be used simultaneously, in the same volume of space, with other instances of medium use (on other channels) by other instances of the same physical layer, with an acceptably low frame error ratio due to mutual interference.

Client

A client is the desktop or mobile PC that is connected to your network.

COFDM (for 802.11a or 802.11g)

Signal power alone is not enough to maintain 802.11b-like distances in an

802.11a/g environment. To compensate, a new physical-layer encoding technology was designed that departs from the traditional direct-sequence technology being deployed today. This technology is called COFDM (coded OFDM). COFDM was developed specifically for indoor wireless use and offers performance much superior to that of spread-spectrum solutions. COFDM works by breaking one high-speed data carrier into several lower-speed subcarriers, which are then transmitted in parallel. Each high-speed carrier is 20 MHz wide and is broken up into 52 subchannels, each approximately 300 KHz wide. COFDM uses 48 of these subchannels for data, while the remaining four are used for error correction.

COFDM delivers higher data rates and a high degree of multipath reflection recovery, thanks to its encoding scheme and error correction.

Each subchannel in the COFDM implementation is about 300 KHz wide. At the low end of the speed gradient, BPSK (binary phase shift keying) is used to encode 125

Kbps of data per channel, resulting in a 6,000-Kbps, or 6 Mbps, data rate. Using quadrature phase shift keying, you can double the amount of data encoded to 250

Kbps per channel, yielding a 12-Mbps data rate. And by using 16-level quadrature amplitude modulation encoding 4 bits per hertz, you can achieve a data rate of

24 Mbps. The 802.11a/g standard specifies that all 802.11a/g-compliant products must support these basic data rates. The standard also lets the vendor extend the modulation scheme beyond 24 Mbps. Remember, the more bits per cycle (hertz) that are encoded, the more susceptible the signal will be to interference and fading, and ultimately, the shorter the range, unless power output is increased.

Default Key

This option allows you to select the default WEP key. This option allows you to use WEP keys without having to remember or write them down. The WEP keys generated using the Pass Phrase is compatible with other WLAN products. The

Pass Phrase option is not as secure as manual assignment.

Device Name

Also known as DHCP client ID or network name. Sometimes provided by an ISP when using DHCP to assign addresses.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

This protocol allows a computer (or many computers on your network) to be automatically assigned a single IP address from a DHCP server.

DNS Server Address (Domain Name System)

DNS allows Internet host computers to have a domain name and one or more IP addresses. A DNS server keeps a database of host computers and their respective domain names and IP addresses, so that when a user enters a domain name into the Internet browser, the user is sent to the proper IP address. The DNS server address used by the computers on your home network is the location of the DNS server your ISP has assigned.

DSL Modem (Digital Subscriber Line)

A DSL modem uses your existing phone lines to transmit data at high speeds.

Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (for 802.11b)

Spread spectrum (broadband) uses a narrowband signal to spread the transmission over a segment of the radio frequency band or spectrum. Direct-sequence is a spread spectrum technique where the transmitted signal is spread over a particular frequency range.

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Direct-sequence systems communicate by continuously transmitting a redundant pattern of bits called a chipping sequence. Each bit of transmitted data is mapped into chips and rearranged into a pseudorandom spreading code to form the chipping sequence. The chipping sequence is combined with a transmitted data stream to produce the output signal.

Wireless mobile clients receiving a direct-sequence transmission use the spreading code to map the chips within the chipping sequence back into bits to recreate the original data transmitted by the wireless device. Intercepting and decoding a directsequence transmission requires a predefined algorithm to associate the spreading code used by the transmitting wireless device to the receiving wireless mobile client.

This algorithm is established by IEEE 802.11b specifications. The bit redundancy within the chipping sequence enables the receiving wireless mobile client to recreate the original data pattern, even if bits in the chipping sequence are corrupted by interference. The ratio of chips per bit is called the spreading ratio.

A high spreading ratio increases the resistance of the signal to interference. A low spreading ratio increases the bandwidth available to the user. The wireless device uses a constant chip rate of 11Mchips/s for all data rates, but uses different modulation schemes to encode more bits per chip at the higher data rates. The wireless device is capable of an 11 Mbps data transmission rate, but the coverage area is less than a 1 or 2 Mbps wireless device since coverage area decreases as bandwidth increases.

Encryption

This provides wireless data transmissions with a level of security. This option allows you to specify a 64-bit or a 128-bit WEP key. A 64-bit encryption contains

10 hexadecimal digits or 5 ASCII characters. A 128-bit encryption contains 26 hexadecimal digits or 13 ASCII characters.

64-bit and 40-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method and can interoperate on wireless networks. This lower level of WEP encryption uses a 40-bit (10 hexadecimal digits assigned by the user) secret key and a 24-bit Initialization

Vector assigned by the device. 104-bit and 128-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method.

All wireless clients in a network must have identical WEP keys with the access point to establish connection. Keep a record of the WEP encryption keys.

Extended Service Set (ESS)

A set of one or more interconnected basic service set (BSSs) and integrated local area networks (LANs) can be configured as an Extended Service Set.

ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier)

You must have the same ESSID entered into the gateway and each of its wireless clients. The ESSID is a unique identifier for your wireless network.

Ethernet

The most widely used LAN access method, which is defined by the IEEE 802.3 standard. Ethernet is normally a shared media LAN meaning all devices on the network segment share total bandwidth. Ethernet networks operate at 10Mbps using CSMA/CD to run over 10-BaseT cables.

Firewall

A firewall determines which information passes in and out of a network. NAT can create a natural firewall by hiding a local network’s IP addresses from the Internet.

A Firewall prevents anyone outside of your network from accessing your computer and possibly damaging or viewing your files.

Gateway

A network point that manages all the data traffic of your network, as well as to the

Internet and connects one network to another.

IEEE

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE sets standards for networking, including Ethernet LANs. IEEE standards ensure interoperability between systems of the same type.

IEEE 802.11

IEEE 802.xx is a set of specifications for LANs from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Most wired networks conform to 802.3, the specification for CSMA/CD based Ethernet networks or 802.5, the specification for token ring networks. 802.11 defines the standard for wireless LANs encompassing three incompatible (non-interoperable) technologies: Frequency Hopping Spread

Spectrum (FHSS), Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), and Infrared.

802.11 specifies a carrier sense media access control and physical layer specifications for 1 and 2 Mbps wireless LANs.

IEEE 802.11a

Compared with 802.11b: The 802.11b standard was designed to operate in the 2.4-GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band using direct-sequence spread-spectrum technology. The 802.11a standard, on the other hand, was designed to operate in the more recently allocated 5-GHz UNII (Unlicensed

National Information Infrastructure) band. And unlike 802.11b, the 802.11a standard departs from the traditional spread-spectrum technology, instead using a frequency division multiplexing scheme that's intended to be friendlier to office environments.

Ethernet analog to 802.11b, which supports data rates of up to 11 Mbps. Like

Ethernet and Fast Ethernet, 802.11b and 802.11a use an identical MAC (Media

Access Control). However, while Fast Ethernet uses the same physical-layer encoding scheme, called OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing).

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The 802.11b spectrum is plagued by saturation from wireless phones, microwave ovens and other emerging wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth. In contrast,

802.11a spectrum is relatively free of interference.

The 802.11a standard gains some of its performance from the higher frequencies at which it operates. The laws of information theory tie frequency, radiated power and distance together in an inverse relationship. Thus, moving up to the 5-GHz spectrum from 2.4 GHz will lead to shorter distances, given the same radiated power and encoding scheme.

Compared with 802.11g: 802.11a is a standard for access points and radio NICs that is ahead of 802.11g in the market by about six months. 802.11a operates in the

5GHz frequency band with twelve separate non-overlapping channels. As a result, you can have up to twelve access points set to different channels in the same area without them interfering with each other. This makes access point channel assignment much easier and significantly increases the throughput the wireless

LAN can deliver within a given area. In addition, RF interference is much less likely because of the less-crowded 5 GHz band.

IEEE 802.11b

In 1997, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) adopted the

802.11 standard for wireless devices operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. This standard includes provisions for three radio technologies: direct sequence spread spectrum, frequency hopping spread spectrum, and infrared. Devices that comply with the 802.11 standard operate at a data rate of either 1 or 2 Mbps.

In 1999, the IEEE created the 802.11b standard. 802.11b is essentially identical to the 802.11 standard except 802.11b provides for data rates of up to 11 Mbps for direct sequence spread spectrum devices. Under 802.11b, direct sequence devices can operate at 11 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, or 1 Mbps. This provides interoperability with existing 802.11 direct sequence devices that operate only at 2

Mbps.

Direct sequence spread spectrum devices spread a radio signal over a range of frequencies. The IEEE 802.11b specification allocates the 2.4 GHz frequency band into 14 overlapping operating Channels. Each Channel corresponds to a different set of frequencies.

IEEE 802.11g

802.11g is a new extension to 802.11b (used in majority of wireless LANs today) that broadens 802.11b's data rates to 54 Mbps within the 2.4 GHz band using

OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) technology. 802.11g allows backward compatibility with 802.11b devices but only at 11 Mbps or lower, depending on the range and presence of obstructions.

Infrastructure

A wireless network centered about an access point. In this environment, the access point not only provides communication with the wired network but also mediates wireless network traffic in the immediate neighborhood.

IP (Internet Protocol)

The TCP/IP standard protocol that defines the IP datagram as the unit of information passed across an Internet and provides the basis for connectionless packet delivery service. IP includes the ICMP control and error message protocol as an integral part. It provides the functional equivalent of ISO OSI Network

Services.

IP Address

An IP address is a 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent across the Internet. An IP address has two parts: the identifier of a particular network on the Internet and an identifier of the particular device (which can be a server or a workstation) within that network.

ISM Bands (Industrial, Scientific, and Medicine Bands)

Radio frequency bands that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized for wireless LANs. The ISM bands are located at 902 MHz, 2.400 GHz, and 5.7 GHz.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

An organization that provides access to the Internet. Small ISPs provide service via modem and ISDN while the larger ones also offer private line hookups (T1, fractional T1, etc.).

LAN (Local Area Network)

A communications network that serves users within a defined geographical area.

The benefits include the sharing of Internet access, files and equipment like printers and storage devices. Special network cabling (10 Base-T) is often used to connect the PCs together.

MAC Address (Media Access Control)

A MAC address is the hardware address of a device connected to a network.

NAT (Network Address Translation)

NAT masks a local network’s group of IP addresses from the external network, allowing a local network of computers to share a single ISP account. This process allows all of the computers on your home network to use one IP address. This will enable access to the Internet from any computer on your home network without having to purchase more IP addresses from your ISP.

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NIC (Network Interface Card)

A network adapter inserted into a computer so that the computer can be connected to a network. It is responsible for converting data from stored in the computer to the form transmitted or received.

Packet

A basic message unit for communication across a network. A packet usually includes routing information, data, and sometimes error detection information.

Pass Phrase

The Wireless Settings utility uses an algorithm to generate four WEP keys based on the typed combination.

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol)

PPP is a protocol for communication between computers using a serial interface, typically a personal computer connected by phone line to a server.

PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet)

Point-to-Point Protocol is a method of secure data transmission. PPP using

Ethernet to connect to an ISP.

Preamble

Allows you to set the preamble mode for a network to Long, Short, or Auto. The default preamble mode is Long.

Radio Frequency (RF) Terms: GHz, MHz, Hz

The international unit for measuring frequency is Hertz (Hz), equivalent to the older unit of cycles per second. One megahertz (MHz) is one million Hertz. One gigahertz (GHz) is one billion Hertz. The standard US electrical power frequency is

60 Hz, the AM broadcast radio frequency band is 0.55-1.6 MHz, the FM broadcast radio frequency band is 88-108 MHz, and wireless 802.11 LANs operate at 2.4

GHz.

SSID (Service Set Identifier)

SSID is a group name shared by every member of a wireless network. Only client

PCs with the same SSID are allowed to establish a connection. Enabling the

Response to Broadcast SSID requests option allows the device to broadcast its SSID in a wireless network. This allows other wireless devices to scan and establish communication with the device. Unchecking this option hides the SSID to prevent other wireless devices from recognizing and connecting to the device.

Station

Any device containing IEEE 802.11 wireless medium access conformity.

Subnet Mask

A subnet mask is a set of four numbers configured like an IP address. It is used to create IP address numbers used only within a particular network.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

The standard transport level protocol that provides the full duplex, stream service on which many application protocols depend. TCP allows a process or one machine to send a stream of data to a process on another. Software implementing

TCP usually resides in the operating system and uses the IP to transmit information across the network.

WAN (Wide Area Network)

A system of LANs, connected together. A network that connects computers located in separate areas, (i.e., different buildings, cities, countries). The Internet is a wide area network.

WECA (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance)

An industry group that certifies cross-vender interoperability and compatibility of IEEE 802.11b wireless networking products and to promote that standard for enterprise, small business, and home environments.

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is an improved security system for 802.11. It is part of the 802.11i draft security standard. WPA encompasses TKIP (Temporal Key

Integrity Protocol) along with MIC (Message Integrity Check) and other fixes to

WEP such as Weak IV (Initialization Vector) filtering and Random IV generation.

TKIP uses 802.1x to deploy and change temporary keys as opposed to static

WEP keys once used in the past. It is a significant improvement over WEP. WPA is part of a complete security solution. WPA also requires authentication servers in enterprise security solutions.

WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)

This is a group of computers and other devices connected wirelessly in a small area. A wireless network is referred to as LAN or WLAN.

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Appendix

The Appendix lists the wireless LAN channels available for use in your country or location, and safety warning statements

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Wireless LAN channels

The IEEE 802.11b/g standard for wireless LAN allocated the 2.4 GHz frequency band into 13 overlapping operating channels. Each channel corresponds to a different set of frequencies. The table below shows the center frequencies of each channel.

Channel

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Center

Frequency

2.412 GHz

2.417 GHz

2.422 GHz

2.427 GHz

2.432 GHz

2.437 GHz

2.442 GHz

Channel

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Center

Frequency

2.447 GHz

2.452 GHz

2.457 GHz

2.462 GHz

2.467 GHz

2.472 GHz

2.484 GHz

If several Wi-Fi devices are operating in the same vicinity, the distance between the center frequencies of channels used must be at least 25MHz to avoid interference.

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The number of channels available for the wireless LAN adapter varies by country/ region. Refer to the table below to determine the number of channels available in your location.

Country/Region (Regulating Body)

Australia (ACA)

Belgium (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Bulgaria (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Canada (CSA/cUL 950 3rd Edition)

China (MII)

Cyprus (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Czech Republic (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Denmark (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Finland (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

France (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Germany (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Greece (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Hong Kong (OFTA)

(continued next page)

Available Channels

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 11

Channels 1 to 11

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Country/Region (Regulating Body)

Hungary (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Iceland (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Ireland (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Italy (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Japan (TELEC)

Luxembourg (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Malaysia (SIRIM/CMC)

Mexico

Netherlands Antilles (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Netherlands/Holland (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

New Zealand (PTC)

Norway (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Portugal (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Korea (KS)

Spain (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Sweden (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Switzerland (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

Taiwan (DGT)

Turkey (TTAS)

United Kingdom (RTT&E/EMC/LVD)

United States (FCC)

Channels 1, 6 and 11 are independent and do not overlap each other. We recommended that you tune your wireless LAN adapter to these channels.

Available Channels

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 14

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 9 to 11

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 11

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 13

Channels 1 to 11

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Safety statements

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with FCC Rules Part 15. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference, and

• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

CAUTION! You are cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void your authority to operate the equipment.

Reprinted from the Code of Federal Regulations #47, part 15.193, 1993.

Washington DC: Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records

Administration, U.S. Government Printing Office.

Regulatory Information/Disclaimers

Installation and use of this Wireless LAN device must be in strict accordance with the instructions included in the user documentation provided with the product. Any changes or modifications (including the antennas) made to this device that are not expressly approved by the manufacturer may void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or television interference caused by unauthorized modification of this device, or the substitution of the connecting cables and equipment other than manufacturer specified. It is the responsibility of the user to correct any interference caused by such unauthorized modification, substitution or attachment. Manufacturer and its authorized resellers or distributors will assume no liability for any damage or violation of government regulations arising from failing to comply with these guidelines.

CAUTION! To maintain compliance with FCC’s RF exposure guidelines, this equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance [20cm] between the radiator and your body. Use on the supplied antenna. Unauthorized antenna, modification, or attachments could damage the transmitter and may violate FCC regulations.

Safety Information

In order to maintain compliance with the FCC RF exposure guidelines, this equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance [20cm] between the radiator and your body. Use only with supplied antenna.

Unauthorized antenna, modification, or attachments could damage the transmitter and may violate FCC regulations.

CAUTION! Any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authorization to use this device.

MPE Statement

Your device contains a low power transmitter. When device is transmitted it sends out Radio Frequency (RF) signal.

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Caution Statement of the FCC Radio Frequency Exposure

This Wireless LAN radio device has been evaluated under FCC Bulletin OET

65C and found compliant to the requirements as set forth in CFR 47 Sections

2.1091 and 15.247(b)(5) addressing RF Exposure from radio frequency devices.

The radiation output power of this Wireless LAN device is far below the FCC radio frequency exposure limits. Nevertheless, this device shall be used in such a manner that the potential for human contact during normal operation – as a mobile or portable device but use in a body-worn way is strictly prohibit. When using this device, a certain separation distance between antenna and nearby persons has to be kept to ensure RF exposure compliance. In order to comply with the RF exposure limits established in the ANSI C95.1 standards, the distance between the antennas and the user should not be less than [20cm].

RF Exposure

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