background image

 

 

ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide 

Using the ZyAIR Utility 

 

3-5 

3.4.1 SSID  

The SSID (Service Set Identity) is a unique name shared among all wireless devices in a wireless network. 
Wireless devices must have the same SSID to communicate with each other. 

3.4.2 Channel 

A range of radio frequencies used by IEEE 802.11b wireless devices is called a channel.  

3.4.3  Transmission Rate (Tx Rate) 

ZyAIR provides various transmission (data) rate options for you to select. Options include 

Fully Auto

1 M 

bit/sec

2 M bit/sec

5.5M bit/sec

 and 

11M bit/sec

. In most networking scenarios, the factory default 

Fully 

Auto

 setting proves the most efficient. This setting allows your ZyAIR to operate at the maximum 

transmission (data) rate. When the communication quality drops below a certain level, the ZyAIR 
automatically switches to a lower transmission (data) rate. Transmission at lower data speeds is usually 
more reliable. However, when the communication quality improves again, the ZyAIR gradually increases 
the transmission (data) rate again until it reaches the highest available transmission rate. 
If you wish to balance speed versus reliability, you can select any of the above options

 11M bit/sec

 or 

5.5M bit/sec

 is used in a networking environment where you are certain that all wireless devices can 

communicate at the highest transmission (data) rate. 

1M bit/sec

 or 

2M bit/sec

 are used often in networking 

environments where the range of the wireless connection is more important than speed. 

3.5 Wireless 

Network 

Type 

Wireless LAN works in either of the two modes: ad-hoc and infrastructure. 
To connect to a wired network within a coverage area using Access Points (APs), set the ZyAIR operation 
mode to 

Infrastructure(BSS)

. An AP acts as a bridge between the wireless stations and the wired network.  

In case you do not wish to connect to a wired network, but prefer to set up a small independent wireless 
workgroup without an AP, use the 

Ad-hoc (IBSS) 

(Independent Basic Service Set) mode. 

3.5.1  Ad-Hoc (IBSS)  

Ad-hoc mode does not require an AP or a wired network. Two or more wireless clients communicate 
directly to each other. An ad-hoc network may sometimes be referred to as an Independent Basic Service 
Set (IBSS). 

Summary of Contents for ZyAIR B-620

Page 1: ...ZyAIR B 620 Mini PCI 11M Wireless LAN Card User s Guide Version 1 0 May 2003...

Page 2: ...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...

Page 3: ...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...

Page 4: ...mpliance with the above conditions may not prevent degradation of service in some situations Repairs to certified equipment should be made by an authorized Canadian maintenance facility designated by...

Page 5: ...couraged 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 Con...

Page 6: ...o longer considered valid and the FCC ID can not be used on the final product In these circumstances the OEM integrator will be responsible for re evaluating the end product including the transmitter...

Page 7: ...com WORLDWIDE sales zyxel com tw 886 3 578 2439 ftp europe zyxel com ZyXEL Communications Corp 6 Innovation Road II Science Based Industrial Park Hsinchu 300 Taiwan support zyxel com 1 714 632 0882 80...

Page 8: ......

Page 9: ...g the ZyAIR Utility 3 1 3 2 Viewing Current Configuration 3 1 3 2 1 Common Screen Command Buttons 3 3 3 3 The About Screen 3 3 3 4 Wireless LAN Parameters 3 4 3 4 1 SSID 3 5 3 4 2 Channel 3 5 3 4 3 Tr...

Page 10: ...2 Authentication Mode 5 2 5 1 3 Preamble Type 5 2 5 2 The Advanced Screen 5 2 Chapter 6 Removing and Upgrading the ZyAIR Utility 6 1 6 1 Removing the ZyAIR Utility 6 1 6 2 Upgrading the ZyAIR Utility...

Page 11: ...gure 2 4 Windows XP Wireless Network Connection Properties 2 3 Figure 3 1 ZyAIR Utility System Tray Icon 3 1 Figure 3 2 ZyAIR Utility Link Info 3 2 Figure 3 3 ZyAIR Utility About 3 4 Figure 3 4 Ad hoc...

Page 12: ...Utility About 3 4 Table 3 5 ZyAIR Utility Site Survey 3 9 Table 3 6 Color Indicator for Link Quality Link Strength 3 10 Table 3 7 ZyAIR Utility Configuration 3 11 Table 4 1 ZyAIR Utility WEP Encrypti...

Page 13: ...Quick Installation Guide Our Quick Installation Guide is designed to help you get your ZyAIR up and running right away It contains a detailed easy to follow connection diagram and information on inst...

Page 14: ......

Page 15: ...e on a handheld or notebook computer upon entering a patient s room It allows flexible workgroups a lower total cost of ownership for networks that are frequently reconfigured Conference room users ca...

Page 16: ...ample 2 1 3 2 Infrastructure When wireless clients wish to access and share resources on the wired network they should use infrastructure mode Wireless clients may move from one coverage area to anoth...

Page 17: ...ZyAIR B 620 User s Guide Wireless Network Basics 1 3 Figure 1 3 Infrastructure Application Example...

Page 18: ......

Page 19: ...ZyAIR Utility to configure the ZyAIR Follow the steps below to disable the configuration tool in Windows XP after you install the ZyAIR Utility Step 1 Double click on the network icon for wireless con...

Page 20: ...connection to display a status window as shown next Figure 2 2 Windows XP Wireless Network Connection Status Step 4 Click Properties and click the Wireless Networks tab Then skip to Step 6 Step 5 Whe...

Page 21: ...P Wireless LAN 2 3 Step 6 In the Wireless Network Connection Properties window make sure the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is not selected Click OK Figure 2 4 Windows...

Page 22: ......

Page 23: ...ars in the system tray When the ZyAIR Utility system tray icon displays the ZyAIR is installed properly Figure 3 1 ZyAIR Utility System Tray Icon The color of the ZyAIR Utility system tray icon indica...

Page 24: ...ess card from the drop down list menu if you have more than one wireless cards in your computer Re Connect Click Re Connect to re establish connection to the wireless device whose SSID is shown in the...

Page 25: ...us bar and the percentage number or a number in dBm show the strength of the signal Percent dBm Click this button to display either percentages in the Link Quality and Link Strength fields or a number...

Page 26: ...out FIELD DESCRIPTION Driver Version This field displays the version number of the ZyAIR wireless card driver Utility Version This field displays the version number of the ZyAIR Utility Firmware Versi...

Page 27: ...sion data rate again until it reaches the highest available transmission rate If you wish to balance speed versus reliability you can select any of the above options 11M bit sec or 5 5M bit sec is use...

Page 28: ...ess clients are connected using a single AP you have a Basic Service Set BSS Figure 3 5 BSS Example A series of overlapping BSS and a network medium such as an Ethernet forms an Extended Service Set E...

Page 29: ...maintains uninterrupted connection to the network This is roaming As the wireless client moves from place to place it is responsible for choosing the most appropriate AP depending on the signal stren...

Page 30: ...ZyAIR B 620 User s Guide 3 8 Using the ZyAIR Utility Figure 3 7 Roaming Example 3 7 The Site Survey Screen Use the Site Survey screen to scan for and connect to a wireless network automatically...

Page 31: ...SSID or name of each wireless device BSSID This field displays the MAC address of the wireless device Channel This field displays the channel number used by each wireless device Signal This field dis...

Page 32: ...for all available wireless networks within range Step 2 To join a network either click an entry in the table to select a wireless network and then click Connect or double click an entry Step 3 If the...

Page 33: ...ed parameters Refer to the next section for Profile field descriptions Table 3 7 ZyAIR Utility Configuration FIELD DESCRIPTION Configuration Operating Mode Select Infrastructure BSS or Ad Hoc IBSS fro...

Page 34: ...go to sleep mode when it is not transmitting data When you select Disable the ZyAIR will never go to sleep mode Restore Default Click Restore Default to reset all fields back to factory default values...

Page 35: ...nfigured Profile To use a previously saved network profile select the profile file name from the drop down list box and click Activate 3 9 4 Deleting a Profile To delete an existing wireless network c...

Page 36: ......

Page 37: ...k is accessible to any wireless networking device that is in the coverage area 4 2 Data Encryption with WEP WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy encryption scrambles the data transmitted between the ZyAIR and...

Page 38: ...ct either 64 Bit or 128 Bit from the drop down list box to activate WEP encryption and then fill in the related fields Select Disable to deactivate the WEP data encryption WEP Key Entry The WEP keys a...

Page 39: ...anging from a z A Z and 0 9 e g MyKey for ASCII key type If you select 128 Bit in the Key Type field Enter either 26 hexadecimal digits in the range of A F a f and 0 9 for example 00112233445566778899...

Page 40: ......

Page 41: ...each other Therefore they are considered as hidden nodes from each other When a station starts data transmission with the access point it might not know that the other station is already using the wir...

Page 42: ...ny AP and listen to any data transmitted plaintext Shared authentication mode involves a shared secret key to authenticate the wireless station to the AP This requires you to enable a security feature...

Page 43: ...the fields in this screen Table 5 1 ZyAIR Utility Advanced FIELD DESCRIPTION Transmit Threshold Control Fragmentation Threshold The threshold number of bytes for the fragmentation boundary for directe...

Page 44: ...t the RTS CTS threshold Security Shared Mode Authenticate Access Point Select this checkbox to use a shared key to authenticate the access point Refer to Section 5 1 2 for more information Preamble Ty...

Page 45: ...mputer click Yes and then click Finish 6 2 Upgrading the ZyAIR Utility Before you uninstall the ZyAIR Utility save the current network configuration To perform the upgrade follow the steps below Step...

Page 46: ......

Page 47: ...t your local vendor The ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility displays only three tabs When the ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility displays only three tabs you are using the Windows XP wireless configuration tool at the...

Page 48: ...or the peer computer s within the transmission range There is too much radio interference for example microwave or another AP using the same channel around your wireless network Relocate or reduce the...

Page 49: ...nnecting to a Network 3 10 Copyright ii Disclaimer ii Trademarks ii CTS See Clear to Send Customer Support vii D data collision 5 1 Data encryption 4 1 Disable Windows XP Wireless Support 2 1 E ESS 3...

Page 50: ...n Speed 3 12 Transmission Speeds 3 5 Troubleshooting 7 1 Checking Hardware Conflict 7 1 Communication problems 7 1 Radio interference 7 2 Starting ZyAIR Utility 7 1 Survery 7 2 U Using the ZyAIR Utili...

Page 51: ...ZyAIR B 620 User s Guide Index C About 3 4 Before you upgrade 6 1 Link Info 3 2 Removing 6 1 Site Survey 3 9 Upgrading 6 1 WEP Encryption 4 2...

Page 52: ...yAIR Wireless LAN Utility Subject Author cindy Keywords Comments For ZyAIR B 120 and B 220 only ZyXEL logo Creation Date 5 28 2003 1 38 PM Change Number 12 Last Saved On 5 30 2003 1 25 PM Last Saved B...

Reviews: