Data Sheet

Cisco Aironet 802.11A/B/G Wireless CardBus Adapter

The Cisco

®

Aironet

®

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter provides high-performance

54-Mbps connectivity in the 2.4- and 5-GHz bands.

Whether configured to support single 802.11b coverage, single 802.11g coverage, single 802.11a coverage, dual-mode 802.11a/g coverage, or trimode 802.11a/b/g coverage, the Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter is Wi-Fi-compliant and combines the freedom of wireless connectivity with 802.11i/Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) encryption for the performance, security, and manageability that businesses require (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter

Enterprise-Class Security Solution

Designed with enterprise-class security requirements in mind, the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g

Wireless CardBus Adapter uses the 802.1X standard for port-based network access. A full array of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) types for user-based authentication, together with enterprise-caliber Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, provide full 802.11i support.

The adapter supports WPA2, the Wi-Fi Alliance certification for interoperable, standards-based wireless LAN security.

Support for Management Frame Protection (MFP) is now available on the Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter. MFP adds security to the MAC management layer of 802.11 connectivity by cryptographically hashing the management frames and generating a Message Integrity Check (MIC) during network connection.

The Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter supports the most common 802.1X authentication types, including EAP-Flexible Authentication via Secure Tunneling (EAP-FAST),

Cisco LEAP, EAP-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), Protected Extensible Authentication

Protocol-Generic Token Card (PEAP-GTC), and PEAP-Microsoft Challenge Handshake

Authentication Protocol version 2 (PEAP-MSCHAPv2). A wide selection of RADIUS servers, such as the Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) and Cisco Access Registrar server, can be used for enterprise-class centralized user management that includes:

● Strong, mutual authentication to help ensure that only legitimate clients associate with legitimate and authorized network RADIUS servers via authorized access points

●

Dynamic per-user, per-session encryption keys that automatically change on a configurable basis to protect the privacy of transmitted data

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Data Sheet

●

Stronger encryption keys provided by Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) enhancements such as message integrity check (MIC), per-packet keys via initialization vector hashing, and broadcast key rotation

●

RADIUS accounting records for all authentication attempts

● IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 AES support

For more information on wireless security, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/securewireless .

Enhanced Client Network Management Features

A new and improved set of client utilities includes the Cisco Aironet Desktop Utility, System Tray

Utility, and Client Administration Utility. Together, these utilities provide an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for easy configuration, monitoring, and management of the Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter. Enhanced client network management features include:

●

Profile manager: Allows users to create specific profile settings for various environments, making it simple for telecommuters and business travelers to move from one environment to another (Figure 2).

● Customized profile settings: Lets users individually select the channel, service set identifier (SSID), Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key, and authentication method for different locations.

●

Cisco EAP authentication status screen: Provides status updates regarding the Cisco

EAP authentication process.

●

Auto-selection of profiles: Provides automatic selection of established profiles, including those configured for EAP authentication, without requiring storage of the EAP username and password in the profile.

● System tray icon: Provides easy access to wireless LAN connection information and one click access to common actions such as manual selection a profile or turning the radio on or off.

●

Cisco Aironet Client Monitor: Provides a subset of Cisco Aironet Desktop Utility features, such as status information about the client adapter and access to basic tasks (selecting a profile, for example). This application runs from the system tray icon.

●

Troubleshooting utility: Provides step-by-step details on the process of connecting to an access point, as well as highlights on why a connection failed.

● Support for the most popular enterprise operating systems: Windows XP and

Windows 2000.

●

Cisco Aironet Client Adapter installation wizard for Windows: Provides for easy installation of the client firmware, drivers, and utilities. The wizard offers several installation options, install client utilities and driver; install driver only; or make driver installation diskette(s). For ease of use, the installation wizard image file is a self-extracting (.exe) file.

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Data Sheet

Features And Benefits

Table 1 lists the features and benefits of the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter.

Table 1. Product Features and Benefits

Feature

Cisco Secure Wireless

Solution

Enhanced Client

Network Management

Features

EAP Single Sign-on

Benefit

IEEE 802.1X support, including Cisco LEAP, PEAP-GTC, PEAP-MSCHAPv2, EAP-FAST and EAP-TLS for mutual authentication with dynamic per-user, per-session encryption keys via TKIP enhancements. Full support for WPA and WPA2.. Full support for Management

Frame Protection (MFP)

Bundled with comprehensive, easy-to-use client network management utilities to provide a secure, intuitive, and convenient way to manage and configure the adapter.

Site Survey Utility

Cisco Wireless Domain

Services (WDS)

Fast Secure Roaming

Convenient option to use login credentials for LEAP sign-on on the user’s network, eliminating the need to enter a second set of credentials.

The site survey utility can assist in conducting site surveys, as well as troubleshooting existing RF wireless LANs. The utility operates at the RF level and is used to determine the best placement and coverage (overlap) for the network's infrastructure devices.

Cisco WDS is a collection of Cisco IOS

®

Software features that enhance wireless LAN client mobility and simplify wireless LAN deployment and management. Cisco WDS includes radio management aggregation, fast secure roaming, client tracking, and WAN link remote site survivability.

Allows authenticated client devices to roam securely from one access point to another, within or across subnets, without any perceptible delay during reassociation. Provides support for latency-sensitive applications such as voice over IP (VoIP), enterprise resource planning

(ERP), and Citrix.

Product Specifications

Table 2 lists product specifications for the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter.

Table 2. Product Specifications

Feature

Form Factor

Interface

Data Rates Supported

Network Standard

Operating Voltage

LED

Media Access Protocol

Wireless Medium

Modulation

Description

CardBus Type II

● 32-bit CardBus with standard 68-pin connector

● PC-Card Rev. 7.0-compliant

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps

IEEE 802.11a/b/g

3.3V (±0.3V)

Status (green) and Activity (amber)

Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)

802.11g:

● Direct Sequence-Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Orthogonal Frequency Divisional

Multiplexing (OFDM)

802.11a:

● OFDM

DSSS

● Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) @ 1 Mbps

● Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) @ 2 Mbps

● Complementary Code Keying (CCK) @ 5.5 and 11 Mbps

OFDM

● BPSK @ 6 and 9 Mbps

● QPSK @ 12 and 18 Mbps

● 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) @ 24 and 36 Mbps

● 64-QAM @ 48 and 54 Mbps

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Feature

Frequency Bands

Delay Spread

Receive Sensitivity

802.11g (typical)

Receive Sensitivity

802.11a (typical)

Description

● 2.40 to 2.4897 GHz

● 5.15 to 5.35 GHz (FCC UNII 1 and UNII 2)

● 5.725 to 5.85 GHz (FCC UNII 3)

● 5.15 to 5.35 GHz (ETSI)

● 5.47 to 5.725 (ETSI)

● 5.15 to 5.25 GHz (Japan)

● 350 ns @ 1 Mbps

● 300 ns @ 2 Mbps

● 200 ns @ 5.5 Mbps

● 400 ns @ 6 Mbps

● 250 ns @ 9 Mbps

● 130 ns @ 11 Mbps

● 250 ns @ 12 Mbps

● 220 ns @ 18 Mbps

● 160 ns @ 24 Mbps

● 100 ns @ 36 Mbps

● 90 ns @ 48 Mbps

● 70 ns @ 54 Mbps

● –94 dBm @ 1 Mbps

● –93 dBm @ 2 Mbps

● –92 dBm @ 5.5 Mbps

● –86 dBm @ 6 Mbps

● –86 dBm @ 9 Mbps

● –90 dBm @ 11 Mbps

● –86 dBm @ 12 Mbps

● –86 dBm @ 18 Mbps

● –84 dBm @ 24 Mbps

● –80 dBm @ 36 Mbps

● –75 dBm @ 48 Mbps

● –71 dBm @ 54 Mbps

5150 to 5250 MHz

● –87 dBm @ 6 Mbps

● –87 dBm @ 9 Mbps

● –87 dBm @ 12 Mbps

● –87 dBm @ 18 Mbps

● –82 dBm @ 24 Mbps

● –79 dBm @ 36 Mbps

● –74 dBm @ 48 Mbps

● –72 dBm @ 54 Mbps

Data Sheet

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Data Sheet

Feature Description

Available Transmit Power

Settings

(Maximum power setting will vary according to individual country regulations.)

802.11b/g:

● 20 dBm (100 mW)

@ 1, 2, 5.5, and 11

Mbps

● 18 dBm (63 mW) @

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11,

12, 18, and 24

Mbps

● 17 dBm (50 mW) @

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11,

12, 18, 24, and 36

Mbps

● 15 dBm (30 mW) @

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11,

12, 18, 24, 36, and

48 Mbps

● 13 dBm (20 mW) @

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11,

12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

● 10 dBm (10 mW) @

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11,

12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

5250 to 5350 MHz

● –89 dBm @ 6

Mbps

● –89 dBm @ 9

Mbps

● –89 dBm @ 12

Mbps

● –85 dBm @ 18

Mbps

● –82 dBm @ 24

Mbps

● –79 dBm @ 36

Mbps

● –74 dBm @ 48

Mbps

● –72 dBm @ 54

Mbps

Power Consumption

Steady State

802.11a

802.11b

802.11g

5725 to 5805 MHz

● –84 dBm @ 6

Mbps

● –84 dBm @ 9

Mbps

● –84 dBm @ 12

Mbps

● –83 dBm @ 18

Mbps

● –82 dBm @ 24

Mbps

● –79 dBm @ 36

Mbps

● –72 dBm @ 48

Mbps

● –65 dBm @ 54

Mbps

5.470 to 5.725 GHz

● –87 dBm @ 6

Mbps

● –87 dBm @ 9

Mbps

● –87 dBm @ 12

Mbps

● –87 dBm @ 18

Mbps

● –82 dBm @ 24

Mbps

● –79 dBm @ 36

Mbps

● –74 dBm @ 48

Mbps

● –72 dBm @ 54

Mbps

802.11a:

● 16 dBm (40 mW) @ 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 Mbps

● 14 dBm (25 mW) @ 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 36 Mbps

● 13 dBm (20 mW) @ 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

● 11 dBm (13 mW) @ 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

● 10 dBm (10 mW) @ 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps

Range

(Typical with Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless

CardBus Adapter at maximum transmit power communicating with a Cisco

Aironet 1231 Access Point configured with a 2.2-dBi dipole antenna for

802.11b/g, and a 6-dBi gain patch for 802.11a.)

Indoor (typical)

● 54 Mbps

● 18 Mbps

● 11 Mbps

● 6 Mbps

● 1 Mbps

Transmit:

● 554 mA maximum

● 539 mA maximum

● 530 mA maximum

Receive:

● 318 mA maximum

● 327 mA maximum

● 282 mA maximum

Standby:

● 203 mA average

● 203 mA average

● 203 mA average

Range

(Typical with Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless

CardBus Adapter at maximum transmit power communicating with a Cisco

Aironet 1231 Access Point configured with a 2.2-dBi dipole antenna for

802.11b/g, and a 6-dBi gain patch for 802.11a.)

Outdoor (typical)

● 54 Mbps

● 18 Mbps

● 11 Mbps

● 6 Mbps

● 1 Mbps

Safety ● UL 60950

● CSA 22.2 No. 60950

● IEC 60950

● EN 60950

802.11a

● 45 ft (13 m)

● 110 ft (33 m)

● 165 ft (50 m)

● 600 ft (183 m)

● 1000 ft (304 m)

802.11b/g

● 90 ft (27 m)

● 180 ft (54m)

● 160 ft (48 m)

● 300 ft (91 m)

● 410 ft (124 m)

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Data Sheet

Feature

Radio Approvals

EMI and Susceptibility

(Class B)

Other

Power Management

Antenna

Security Architecture

Drivers

Dimensions (WxDxH)

Weight

Environmental

Warranty

Wi-Fi Certification

Description

● FCC Part 15.401-15.407

● RSS-210 (Canada)

● EN 301.893 (Europe)

● ARIB STD-T71 (Japan)

● AS 4268.2 (Australia)

● FCC Part 15.247

● RSS-210 (Canada)

● EN 300.328 (Europe)

● TELEC 33 and 66 (Japan)

● AS/NZS 3548 (Australia and New Zealand)

● FCC Part 15.107 and 15.109

● ICES-003 (Canada)

● VCCI (Japan)

● EN 301.489-1 and -17 (Europe)

● IEEE 802.11a/b/g

● Cisco Compatible Wireless (based on Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) v1.0, v2.0, v3.0, v4.0, v5.0)

● Wi-Fi

● WHQL

● FCC Bulletin OET-65C

● RSS-102

Power management levels available:

● CAM (Constantly Awake Mode)

● Fast PSP (Power Save Mode)

● Max PSP (Maximum Power Savings)

Integrated dual-band 2.4/5-GHz, 1-dBi, effective-gain antenna on a two-meter cable

Cisco Secure Wireless Solution supporting WPA and WPA2, including:

Authentication

● 802.1X support, including Cisco LEAP, EAP-FAST, PEAP-GTC, PEAP-MSCHAPv2), and

EAP-TLS to yield mutual authentication and dynamic per-user, per-session encryption keys

(WPA and WPA2)

● MAC address and standard 802.11 authentication mechanisms

Encryption

● AES-Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol

(CCMP) encryption (WPA2)

● TKIP encryption enhancements: key hashing (per-packet keying), message integrity check

(MIC), and broadcast key rotation via Cisco TKIP or WPA TKIP

● Support for static and dynamic IEEE 802.11 WEP keys of 40 and 128 bits

Advanced Security

● Support for Management Frame Protection (MFP)

Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000

2.05 in. (52.08 mm) x 4.46 in. (113.35 mm) x 0.19 in. (4.80 mm)

1.6 oz (44.0 g)

Nonoperating (storage) temperature:

● 0 to 85°C

Operating temperature:

● 0 to 70°C

Humidity (noncondensing):

● 10 to 90 percent

One year

System Requirements

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Data Sheet

Table 3 lists system requirements for the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter.

Table 3. System Requirements

Features

Compatible Interface

Supported Operating Systems

Description

32-bit CardBus with standard 68-pin connector

Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000

Ordering Information

Table 4 lists ordering information for the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter.

To place an order, visit the Cisco Ordering Website at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/ordering/index.shtml

.

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Data Sheet

Table 4. Ordering Information

Product Name

AIR-CB21AG-A-K9

AIR-CB21AG-A-K9-40

AIR-CB21AG-E-K9

AIR-CB21AG-W-K9

AIR-CB21AG-P-K9

Part Number

Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g CardBus Adapter; FCC configuration

Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g CardBus Adapter; FCC configuration (40-pack)

Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g CardBus Adapter; ETSI configuration

Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g CardBus Adapter; rest-of-world configuration

Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g CardBus Adapter; Japan2 configuration

Service And Support

Cisco offers a wide range of services programs to accelerate customer success. These innovative services programs are delivered through a unique combination of people, processes, tools, and partners, resulting in high levels of customer satisfaction. Cisco services help you protect your network investment, optimize network operations, and prepare your network for new applications to extend network intelligence and the power of your business. For more information about Cisco services, visit Cisco Technical Support Services or Cisco Advanced Services .

For More Information

For more information about the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/wireless or contact your local account representative.

Printed in USA

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C78-404876-01 10/07

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