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Appendix B: Wireless Security
Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks

Wireless-G CompactFlash Card

WPA Pre-Shared Key

. If you do not have a RADIUS server, select the type of algorithm, TKIP or AES, enter a 

password in the Pre-Shared key field of 8-64 characters, and enter a Group Key Renewal period time 
between 0 and 99,999 seconds, which instructs the Router or other device how often it should change the 
encryption keys.

WPA RADIUS

. WPA used in coordination with a RADIUS server. (This should only be used when a RADIUS 

server is connected to the Router or other device.) First, select the type of WPA algorithm, 

TKIP

 or 

AES

. Enter 

the RADIUS server’s IP Address and port number, along with a key shared between the device and the server. 
Last, enter a Group Key Renewal period, which instructs the device how often it should change the encryption 
keys.

RADIUS

. WEP used in coordination with a RADIUS server. (This should only be used when a RADIUS server is 

connected to the Router or other device.) First, enter the RADIUS server’s IP Address and port number, along 
with a key shared between the device and the server. Then, select a WEP key and a level of WEP encryption, 
and either generate a WEP key through the Passphrase or enter the WEP key manually.

Implementing encryption may have a negative impact on your network’s performance, but if you are transmitting 
sensitive data over your network, encryption should be used. 

These security recommendations should help keep your mind at ease while you are enjoying the most flexible 
and convenient technology Linksys has to offer.

Summary of Contents for 1017935 - Wireless-G CompactFlash Card

Page 1: ...A Division of Cisco Systems Inc Model No CompactFlash Card Wireless G WCF54G User Guide WIRELESS GHz 2 4802 11g ...

Page 2: ...al terms that are presented like this Also each figure diagram screenshot or other image is provided with a figure number and description like this Figure numbers and descriptions can also be found in the List of Figures section This exclamation point means there is a caution or warning and is something that could damage your property or the CompactFlash Card word definition This checkmark means t...

Page 3: ...cting to a Wireless Network 10 Overview 10 Connect to a Wireless Network 10 Chapter 6 Configuring the Wireless G CompactFlash Card with the Wireless Network Monitor 17 Overview 17 Wireless Network Monitor 17 Appendix A Troubleshooting 25 Common Problems and Solutions 25 Frequently Asked Questions 25 Appendix B Wireless Security 28 Security Precautions 28 Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks 2...

Page 4: ... 4 4 Wireless Network Monitor Icon 9 Figure 5 1 Wireless Network Monitor Icon 10 Figure 5 2 Status Screen 10 Figure 5 3 Configure Wireless Networks 11 Figure 5 4 Settings 11 Figure 5 5 Configure Network Authentication 12 Figure 5 6 PDA Connected 12 Figure 5 7 Configure Wireless Networks 13 Figure 5 8 Add Edit Configuration 13 Figure 5 9 SSID 14 Figure 5 10 Wireless Security WEP 14 Figure 5 11 Powe...

Page 5: ...n 19 Figure 6 8 Contact Screen 20 Figure 6 9 Site Survey Screen 20 Figure 6 10 Select Profile Screen 21 Figure 6 11 Add Edit Configuration Screen 21 Figure 6 12 SSID Screen 22 Figure 6 13 Wireless Security WEP Screen 22 Figure 6 14 Power Management Screen 23 Figure 6 15 SSID Channel Screen 23 Figure 6 16 Wireless Security WEP Screen 24 ...

Page 6: ...and convention centers Use the instructions in this Guide to help you connect the CompactFlash Card set it up and configure it to communicate with your PDA and PC These instructions should be all you need to get the most out of the CompactFlash Card What s in this Guide This user guide covers the steps for setting up and using the Dual Band Wireless A G Notebook Adapter Chapter 1 Introduction This...

Page 7: ...res you can take to help protect your wireless network Appendix C Windows Help This appendix describes how you can use Windows Help for instructions about networking such as installing the TCP IP protocol Appendix D Glossary This appendix gives a brief glossary of terms frequently used in networking Appendix E Specifications This appendix provides the CompactFlash Card s technical specifications A...

Page 8: ...nt Panel The CompactFlash Card s LEDs where information about network activity is displayed are located on the front panel Power Green The Power LED lights up when the CompactFlash Card is powered on Link Green If the Link LED is flickering the CompactFlash Card is actively sending or receiving data to or from one of the devices on the network Figure 2 1 Front Panel ...

Page 9: ...4 Chapter 2 Getting to Know the Wireless G CompactFlash Card The Front Panel Wireless G CompactFlash Card ...

Page 10: ...n should appear automatically on your monitor If this screen does not appear automatically you can access it by clicking the Start button and choosing Run In the drop down box type d setup exe if d is the letter of your CD ROM drive and click OK Click the Install button to continue this Setup Wizard Clicking the User Guide button opened this Guide To exit this Setup Wizard click the Exit button 3 ...

Page 11: ...sked if you want to install the Linksys Wireless G CompactFlash Card using the default application install directory click Yes to continue 5 A screen will appear to show that the application is being installed Do NOT cancel Figure 3 5 Application Being Installed Figure 3 4 Click Yes ...

Page 12: ...sked to check your mobile device screen to see if additional steps are necessary to complete this installation click OK 7 The Congratulations screen will appear when the installation is complete Click Exit to exit the Setup Wizard Figure 3 6 Mobile Device Figure 3 7 Congratulations ...

Page 13: ...ard software before installing the Card Installing the Card 1 After installing the Setup Wizard software the Installation has completed successfully screen will appear on your PDA Click OK 2 Disconnect the PDA from your PC 3 Insert the Wireless CompactFlash Card into your PDA Figure 4 1 Successful Installation IMPORTANT Make sure that the Setup Wizard software is installed before installing the Ca...

Page 14: ...ses on your wireless network then click the radio button next to Use specific IP address and complete the IP address Subnet mask and Default gateway fields Click the OK button to close the screen 5 The Wireless Network Monitor icon will appear on the desktop of your PDA Uninstalling the Card To uninstall the Card on your PDA click Start Settings then click Remove Programs Select Linksys Wireless G...

Page 15: ...o a wireless network Connect to a Wireless Network 1 On your PDA s desktop click the Wireless Network Monitor icon at the bottom of the desktop 2 The Status screen will appear Click Configure Wireless Networks near the bottom of the screen 3 Continue to the section for the Pocket PC operating system that your PDA uses Figure 5 1 Wireless Network Monitor Icon Figure 5 2 Status Screen ...

Page 16: ...PC 2003 1 Select your wireless network from the list and click Connect 2 On the Settings screen if your wireless network does not have Wireless Security WEP click OK then go to step D If your wireless network has Wireless Security WEP click Authentication Figure 5 3 Configure Wireless Networks Figure 5 4 Settings ...

Page 17: ...he box for Data encryption WEP Enabled and uncheck the box for The Key is provided for me automatically Enter the Network key in the field and click OK 4 The next screen will show that the PDA is connected to the wireless network Click OK The installation of the Wireless G CompactFlash Card is complete Figure 5 5 Configure Network Authentication Figure 5 6 PDA Connected ...

Page 18: ... Card Pocket PC 2002 1 When the Configure Wireless Networks screen appears select the Default profile and click Edit 2 On the Add Edit Configuration screen select Access Point from the drop down menu for Wireless Mode Click Next Figure 5 7 Configure Wireless Networks Figure 5 8 Add Edit Configuration ...

Page 19: ...ame of your wireless network in the SSID field You can click Scan to search for an existing wireless network name Click Next 4 If your wireless network has Wireless Security WEP check Wireless Security WEP Then select Use Hexadecimal 0 9 A F and enter the WEP key in a Key field Click Next Figure 5 9 SSID Figure 5 10 Wireless Security WEP ...

Page 20: ...mode The lower power consumption may also lower the wireless performance To enable Power Management select On To disable Power Management select Off Then click Finish 6 You will return to the Select Profile screen Click OK The installation of the Wireless G CompactFlash Card is complete Figure 5 11 Power Management Figure 5 12 Select Profile ...

Page 21: ...16 Chapter 5 Connecting to a Wireless Network Connect to a Wireless Network Wireless G CompactFlash Card ...

Page 22: ...your wireless connection SSID The network name Connection The strength of the wireless connection is displayed Base Station The MAC Address of the device you are connected to Channel The wireless network channel between 1 and 11 in North America will be displayed Encryption The Wireless Security WEP option is displayed Three options are available Select from Tools Advanced Configure Wireless Netwo...

Page 23: ...gement mode Select Disabled or Automatic Cell Size The smaller the cell size system the modem will hand over quicker to the access point than in a large cell size system Select from Large Medium Small Minicell Microcell Tx Power You can select the power output used to transmit data Select from 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Tx Rates You can select the rates that the device will use to transmit data Select fr...

Page 24: ... Address The IP address of the Card is displayed Subnet Mask The Subnet Mask of the Card is displayed DHCP Server The assigned IP Subnet Mask Gateway and DNS address of your network s server Gateway The network s Gateway IP address is displayed DNS The Domain Name Server DNS address of the Card is displayed IP Forwarding Table Destination The destination IP address is displayed Mask The Subnet Mas...

Page 25: ...wireless network select Site Survey To view more information on an wireless network select the wireless network then click Open The SNR Signal Noise Channel and Privacy of the wireless network will be displayed SNR SNR signal to noise ratio is the ratio of the amplitude of a data signal to the amplitude of noise in a transmission channel SNR is displayed in decibels dB Signal Noise The transmissio...

Page 26: ... a profile to connect select a profile then click OK To create a new profile enter a profile name then click Add To edit a profile select the profile then click Edit To delete a profile select the profile then click Delete Add Edit Configuration Profile Name Enter a name for your profile Wireless Mode Select from Access Point Peer to Peer Group or Act as a BaseStation Access Point If you want to c...

Page 27: ... Hexadecimal 0 9 A F and enter the WEP key For 64 bit encryption enter exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in a Key field For 128 bit encryption enter 26 hexadecimal characters Hexadecimal characters are the numbers 0 9 and the letters a f If your network uses Alphanumeric characters select Use Alphanumeric Characters For 64 bit encryption enter any 5 characters in a Key field For 128 bit encryption...

Page 28: ... To enable power management select On To disable Power Management select Off Click Finish then you will return to the Select Profile screen Click OK Peer to Peer and Act as a BaseStation Enter the SSID or network name used by your network Select the channel used by your network The choice is 1 11 in North America Click Next to continue Click Back to return to the previous screen Figure 6 14 Power ...

Page 29: ...cimal 0 9 A F and enter the WEP key For 64 bit encryption enter exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in a Key field For 128 bit encryption enter 26 hexadecimal characters Hexadecimal characters are the numbers 0 9 and the letters a f If your network uses Alphanumeric characters select Use Alphanumeric Characters For 64 bit encryption enter any 5 characters in a Key field For 128 bit encryption enter ...

Page 30: ...software from your PC and PDA device Restart your PC and repeat the software and hardware installation as specified in this User Guide 3 3 I cannot communicate with the Access Point in the Infrastructure network Make sure that the Access Point is powered on Make sure that your Wireless CompactFlash Card is configured with the same channel SSID and WEP settings as the Access Point Frequently Asked ...

Page 31: ...ons Each node and Access Point for example must always acknowledge receipt of each message Each node must maintain contact with the wireless network even when not actually transmitting data Achieving these functions simultaneously requires a dynamic RF networking technology that links Access Points and nodes In such a system the user s end node undertakes a search for the best possible access to t...

Page 32: ...d Equivalent Privacy a data privacy mechanism based on a 40 bit shared key algorithm as described in the IEEE 802 11b standard What is ad hoc mode When a wireless network is set to ad hoc mode the wireless equipped computers are configured to communicate directly with each other The ad hoc wireless network will not communicate with any wired network What is infrastructure mode When a wireless netw...

Page 33: ... 7 Change the WEP encryption keys periodically To ensure network security steps one through five should be followed at least Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks Wireless networks are easy to find Hackers know that in order to join a wireless network wireless networking products first listen for beacon messages These messages can be easily decrypted and contain much of the network s informati...

Page 34: ...resses This makes it harder for a hacker to access your network with a random MAC Address WEP Encryption Wired Equivalent Privacy WEP is often looked upon as a cure all for wireless security concerns This is overstating WEP s ability Again this can only provide enough security to make a hacker s job more difficult There are several ways that WEP can be maximized 1 Use the highest level of encrypti...

Page 35: ... with a key shared between the device and the server Last enter a Group Key Renewal period which instructs the device how often it should change the encryption keys RADIUS WEP used in coordination with a RADIUS server This should only be used when a RADIUS server is connected to the Router or other device First enter the RADIUS server s IP Address and port number along with a key shared between th...

Page 36: ...etwork Adapter A device that adds network functionality to your PC Ad hoc A group of wireless devices communicating directly with each other peer to peer without the use of an access point AES Advanced Encryption Standard A security method that uses symmetric 128 bit block data encryption Backbone The part of a network that connects most of the systems and networks together and handles the most da...

Page 37: ...sting of a website FTP server or e mail server with a fixed domain name e g www xyz com and a dynamic IP address Default Gateway A device that forwards Internet traffic from your local area network DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol A networking protocol that allows administrators to assign temporary IP addresses to network computers by leasing an IP address to a user for a limited amount of...

Page 38: ...trieved from a common transmission medium Finger A program that tells you the name associated with an e mail address Firewall A set of related programs located at a network gateway server that protects the resources of a network from users from other networks Firmware The programming code that runs a networking device Fragmentation Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a netw...

Page 39: ...d password system MAC Media Access Control Address The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking device Mbps MegaBits Per Second One million bits per second a unit of measurement for data transmission mIRC An Internet Relay Chat program that runs under Windows Multicasting Sending data to a group of destinations at once NAT Network Address Translation NAT technology translates ...

Page 40: ...oadband connection that provides authentication username and password in addition to data transport PPTP Point to Point Tunneling Protocol A VPN protocol that allows the Point to Point Protocol PPP to be tunneled through an IP network This protocol is also used as a type of broadband connection in Europe Preamble Part of the wireless signal that synchronizes network traffic RADIUS Remote Authentic...

Page 41: ...k via a fixed path STUN Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs A protocol that enables specialized applications such as Internet phone calls video and audio to travel between your local network and the Internet STUN is a specific type of NAT traversal Subnet Mask An address code that determines the size of the network Switch 1 A data switch that connects computing devices to host computers allowing ...

Page 42: ...Resource Locator The address of a file located on the Internet VPN Virtual Private Network A security measure to protect data as it leaves one network and goes to another over the Internet WAN Wide Area Network The Internet WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy A method of encrypting network data transmitted on a wireless network for greater security WINIPCFG A Windows 98 and Me utility that displays the I...

Page 43: ...mp Range 802 11b 20dBm Typical Normal Temp Range TX Peak 350mA 54Mbps RX Peak 270mA 54Mbps Security Features WEP Encryption WEP key bits 64 128 Dimensions 1 69 x 0 27 x 2 32 43 mm x 6 9 mm x 59mm Unit Weight 0 86 oz 0 025 kg Certifications FCC Operating Temp 0ºC to 50ºC 32ºF to 122ºF Storage Temp 20ºC to 70ºC 4ºF to 158ºF Operating Humidity 5 to 95 Non Condensing Storage Humidity 5 to 95 Non Conde...

Page 44: ...ONS AND WARRANTIES INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF NON INFRINGEMENT ARE DISCLAIMED Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts so the above limitation may not apply to You This warranty gives You specific legal rights and You may also have other rights which vary by jurisdiction This warranty does not apply if the Product a has been altered except by Linksys...

Page 45: ...eorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment or devices Connect the equipment to an outlet other than the receiver s Consult a dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for assistance FCC Radiation Exposure Statement This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment This equipment should be installed a...

Page 46: ...oup déclare que le produit est conforme aux conditions essentielles et aux dispositions relatives à la directive 1999 5 EC Belgique Dans le cas d une utilisation privée à l extérieur d un bâtiment au dessus d un espace public aucun enregistrement n est nécessaire pour une distance de moins de 300m Pour une distance supérieure à 300m un enregistrement auprès de l IBPT est requise Pour une utilisati...

Page 47: ... notify the customer as soon as possible Also you will be advised of your right to file a complaint with the FCC if you believe it is necessary The telephone company may make changes in its facilities equipment operations or procedures that could affect the operation of the equipment If this happens the telephone company will provide advance notice in order for you to make the necessary modificati...

Page 48: ...orking with Linksys products Give our advice line a call at 800 546 5797 LINKSYS Or fax your request in to 949 823 3002 If you experience problems with any Linksys product you can call us at 800 326 7114 Don t wish to call You can e mail us at support linksys com If any Linksys product proves defective during its warranty period you can call the Linksys Return Merchandise Authorization department ...

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