ZyXEL Communications ZYAIR G-300 User Manual Download

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ZyAIR G-300

Wireless LAN PCI Adapter

User's Guide

Version 2.00

October 2004

Summary of Contents for ZYAIR G-300

Page 1: ...ZyAIR G 300 Wireless LAN PCI Adapter User s Guide Version 2 00 October 2004 ...

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 or software described herein Neither does it convey any license under its patent rights nor the patents rights of others ZyXEL further reserves the right to make changes in any products described her...

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 warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose ZyXEL shall in no event be held liable for indirect or consequential damages of any kind of character to the purchaser To obtai...

Page 4: ...ompliance 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 the supplier Any repairs or alterations made by the user to this equipment or equipment malfunctions may give the telecommunications company cause to request the user to disconnect the equipment For ...

Page 5: ...uipment does cause harmful interference to radio television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures 1 Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna 2 Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver 3 Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different...

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Page 7: ...CA sales zyxel com 1 714 632 0858 ftp us zyxel com ZyXEL Communications Inc 1130 N Miller St Anaheim CA 92806 2001 U S A support zyxel de 49 2405 6909 0 www zyxel de GERMANY sales zyxel de 49 2405 6909 99 ZyXEL Deutschland GmbH Adenauerstr 20 A2 D 52146 Wuerselen Germany 33 0 4 72 52 97 97 FRANCE info zyxel fr 33 0 4 72 52 19 20 www zyxel fr ZyXEL France 1 rue des Vergers Bat 1 C 69760 Limonest Fr...

Page 8: ...LOCATION SALES E MAIL FAX1 FTP SITE REGULAR MAIL support zyxel se 46 31 744 7700 www zyxel se SWEDEN sales zyxel se 46 31 744 7701 ZyXEL Communications A S Sjöporten 4 41764 Göteborg Sweden FINLAND support zyxel fi 358 9 4780 8411 www zyxel fi ZyXEL Communications Oy Malminkaari 10 00700 Helsinki Finland ...

Page 9: ...y Installation 1 1 1 3 Configuration Methods 1 1 1 4 Windows XP Users Only 1 2 1 5 Accessing the ZyAIR Utility 1 2 Chapter 2 Using the ZyAIR Utility 2 1 2 1 About Wireless LAN Network 2 1 2 1 1 Channel 2 1 2 1 2 SSID 2 1 2 1 3 Transmission Rate 2 1 2 1 4 Wireless Network Application 2 1 2 1 5 Roaming 2 3 2 1 6 Profile 2 4 2 1 7 Threshold Controls 2 4 2 2 Wireless LAN Security 2 5 2 2 1 Authenticat...

Page 10: ...ntenance 3 1 3 1 Removing the ZyAIR Utility 3 1 3 2 Upgrading the ZyAIR Utility 3 1 Chapter 4 Troubleshooting 4 1 4 1 Problems Starting the ZyAIR Utility Program 4 1 4 2 Problems Communicating With Other Computers 4 1 4 3 Problem with the Link Status 4 2 Appendix A Disable Windows XP Wireless LAN Configuration Tool A Appendix B Management with Wireless Zero Configuration I Appendix C Types of EAP ...

Page 11: ...2 5 RTS Threshold 2 4 Figure 2 6 Wireless LAN Security Levels 2 5 Figure 2 7 WPA PSK Authentication 2 8 Figure 2 8 WPA with RADIUS Application Example 2 9 Figure 2 9 Configuration 2 10 Figure 2 10 Configuration Advanced 2 12 Figure 2 11 Configuration Privacy Configuration Security 2 14 Figure 2 12 Configuration Privacy Configuration Certification 2 17 Figure 2 13 Site Survey 2 19 Figure 2 14 ZyAIR...

Page 12: ... Advanced 2 12 Table 2 3 Configuration Privacy Configuration Security 2 14 Table 2 4 Configuration Privacy Configuration Certification 2 17 Table 2 5 Site Survey 2 19 Table 2 6 ZyAIR Utility About 2 21 Table 4 1 Troubleshooting Starting ZyAIR Utility Program 4 1 Table 4 2 Troubleshooting Communication Problems 4 1 Table 4 3 Troubleshooting Link Quality 4 2 ...

Page 13: ...IR G 300 Wireless LAN PCI adapter is referred to as the ZyAIR in this guide The ZyAIR G 300 Wireless LAN Utility may be referred to as the ZyAIR Utility in this guide Related Documentation Support Disk Refer to the included CD for support documents and device drivers Quick Installation Guide Our Quick Installation Guide is designed to help you get your ZyAIR up and running right away It contains a...

Page 14: ...ZyAIR G 300 User s Guide xiv Preface Wireless Access Point Computer Notebook computer Server Modem Wireless Signal Telephone Switch Router ...

Page 15: ...her programs A built in antenna Plug and play installation for Windows ME Windows 2000 and Windows XP Driver and utility support for Windows 98 Second Edition Windows ME Windows 2000 and Windows XP 1 2 ZyAIR Hardware and Utility Installation Follow the instructions in the Quick Installation Guide to install the ZyAIR Utility and make hardware connections 1 3 Configuration Methods To configure your...

Page 16: ...ty system tray icon displays the ZyAIR is installed properly Figure 1 1 ZyAIR Utility System Tray Icon The color of the ZyAIR Utility system tray icon indicates the status of the ZyAIR Refer to the following table for details Table 1 1 ZyAIR Utility System Tray Icon COLOR DESCRIPTION Blue The ZyAIR is connected to a wireless network Yellow The ZyAIR has a weak connection to a wireless network Red ...

Page 17: ...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 2 1 4 Wireless Network Application Wireless LAN works in either of the two modes ad hoc and infrastructure To connect to a wired network w...

Page 18: ...s clients are connected using a single AP you have a Basic Service Set BSS Figure 2 2 BSS Example A series of overlapping BSS and a network medium such as an Ethernet forms an Extended Service Set ESS or infrastructure network All communication is done through the AP which relays data packets to other wireless clients or devices connected to the wired network Wireless clients can then access resou...

Page 19: ...ninterrupted connection to the network This is roaming As the wireless station moves from place to place it is responsible for choosing the most appropriate AP depending on the signal strength network utilization or other factors The following figure depicts a roaming example When Wireless Client B moves to position X the ZyAIR in Wireless Client B automatically switches the channel to the one use...

Page 20: ... RTS Threshold A hidden node occurs when two stations are within range of the same access point but are not within range of each other The following figure illustrates a hidden node Both stations are within range of the access point AP or wireless gateway but out of range of each other so they cannot hear each other that is they do not know if the channel is currently being used Therefore they are...

Page 21: ...end handshake will never occur as data frames will be fragmented before they reach RTS Threshold size Enabling the RTS threshold causes redundant network overhead that may affect throughput performance 2 2 Wireless LAN Security Wireless LAN security is vital to your network to protect wireless communication between wireless stations and the wired network The figure below shows the possible wireles...

Page 22: ...security methods for both the authentication of wireless stations and encryption key management Authentication can be done using an external RADIUS server EAP Authentication EAP Extensible Authentication Protocol is an authentication protocol that runs on top of the IEEE 802 1x transport mechanism in order to support multiple types of user authentication By using EAP to interact with an EAP compat...

Page 23: ...and resending them The MIC provides a strong mathematical function in which the receiver and the transmitter each compute and then compare the MIC If they do not match it is assumed that the data has been tampered with and the packet is dropped By generating unique data encryption keys for every data packet and by creating an integrity checking mechanism MIC TKIP makes it much more difficult to de...

Page 24: ... the distribution system 1 The AP passes the wireless client s authentication request to the RADIUS server 2 The RADIUS server then checks the user s identification against its database and grants or denies network access accordingly 3 The RADIUS server distributes a Pairwise Master Key PMK key to the AP that then sets up a key hierarchy and management system using the pair wise key to dynamically...

Page 25: ...ZyAIR G 300 User s Guide Using the ZyAIR Utility 2 9 Figure 2 8 WPA with RADIUS Application Example 2 3 The Configuration Screen Click the Configuration tab to display the screen as shown next ...

Page 26: ...ile select the profile file name from the drop down list box Once you activate a profile the ZyAIR Utility will use that profile the next time it is started If you do not activate a profile the ZyAIR Utility reverts to use the default profile Save Enter a descriptive name in the Profile field and click Save to save the current configuration settings this screen Delete Select a profile from the dro...

Page 27: ... Channel This field is activated if you select Ad Hoc in the Network Type field Select the channel number from the drop down list box To associate to a peer ad hoc computer you must use the same channel as the peer ad hoc computer Transmit Rate Select a transmission rate from the drop down list box The default is Auto Default Click Default to return the field settings under Configuration back to t...

Page 28: ...dvanced Configuration Screen In the Configuration screen click Advanced to display the pop up screen as shown Figure 2 10 Configuration Advanced The following table describes the labels in this screen Table 2 2 Configuration Advanced LABAL DESCRIPTION Power Save Enable Select this check box to reduce power consumption especially for laptop computers This forces the ZyAIR to go to sleep mode when i...

Page 29: ...ize that can be sent Nitro Time This is the time interval in usec between packet bursts This allows your ZyAIR to operate in a network with IEEE802 11b wireless LAN devices and still take advantage of higher transmission rates with IEEE802 11g standard OK Click OK to save the settings Cancel Click Cancel to discard all changes and close this screen 2 3 2 The Security Screen You can configure the Z...

Page 30: ...llowing table describes the labels in this screen Table 2 3 Configuration Privacy Configuration Security LABEL DESCRIPTION Privacy Authentication Mode Select an authentication mode Choices are Open Share WPA and WPA PSK Encryption Mode Select an encryption method Choices are WEP TKIP and AES IEEE 802 1X Authentication ...

Page 31: ... Key Index Select the number 1 to 4 of a key you wish to configure Key Length Specify the key length Select 64 bits or 128 bits Network Key Enter the WEP keys in the fields provided If you select 64 bits in the Key Length field Enter either 10 hexadecimal digits in the range of A F a f and 0 9 e g 11AA22BB33 for HEX key type or Enter 5 ASCII characters case sensitive ranging from a z A Z and 0 9 e...

Page 32: ... ASCII characters including spaces and symbols Confirm Network Key Enter the PSK again for confirmation OK Click OK to save the changes Cancel Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the screen 2 3 3 The Certificate Screen If you set the ZyAIR to use an EAP type TLS PEAP or LEAP configure the Certificate screen Click the Certificate tab in the Privacy Configuration screen to display the scre...

Page 33: ... Privacy Configuration Certification LABEL DESCRIPTION Certificate Information Specify the certificate s in the fields You must first have a wired connection to a network and obtain the certificate s from a certificate authority CA Consult your network administrator for more information User Certificate This field is applicable for TLS authentication mode Select a certificate you have enrolled ...

Page 34: ... modes User Name Enter the user name This is the user name that you or an administrator set up on a RADIUS server Password Enter the password associated with the user name above Login Information These fields are applicable for PEAP and TLS authentication modes Server Name Enter the name of the RADIUS server Login Name Enter the user name This is the user name that you or an administrator set up o...

Page 35: ...ield displays the channel number used by each wireless device Network Type This field displays the wireless network type Infrastructure or Ad Hoc of the wireless device Security This field shows whether the data encryption or user authentication is activated or inactive Signal This field displays the signal strength of each wireless device in percentage Rates This field displays the transmission r...

Page 36: ... network either click an entry in the table to select a wireless network and then click Connect or double click an entry 3 If the Security field is WEP or WPA for the selected wireless network you must also set up network security in the Privacy Configuration screens Refer to Section 2 3 2 and Section 2 3 3 for more information 4 Verify that you have successfully connected to the selected network ...

Page 37: ...This field displays the version number of the ZyAIR Utility Network Driver Version This field displays the version number of the Windows driver for the ZyAIR NIC Firmware Version This field displays the firmware version and the MAC address of the ZyAIR Frequency Domain This field displays the regional code This field displays MKK Japan ETSI Europe or FCC North America If you set your ZyAIR in Ad H...

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Page 39: ...lity software Figure 3 1 Confirm Uninstallation 4 Click Finish and restart the computer when prompted 3 2 Upgrading the ZyAIR Utility To perform the upgrade follow the steps below 1 Download the latest version of the utility from the ZyXEL web site and save the file on your computer 2 Follow the steps in the Removing the ZyAIR Utility section to remove the current ZyAIR Utility from your computer ...

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Page 41: ... Adapter Steps may vary depending on the version of Windows Install the ZyAIR in another computer Cannot start the ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility If the error persists you may have a hardware problem In this case you should contact your local vendor 4 2 Problems Communicating With Other Computers Table 4 2 Troubleshooting Communication Problems PROBLEM CORRECTIVE ACTION The ZyAIR computer cannot commu...

Page 42: ...d encryption mode Verify the settings in the Privacy Configuration screens 4 3 Problem with the Link Status Table 4 3 Troubleshooting Link Quality PROBLEM CORRECTIVE ACTION The link quality and or signal strength is poor all the time Search and connect to another AP with a better link quality using the Site Survey screen Move your computer closer to the AP or the peer computer s within the transmi...

Page 43: ... devices Follow the steps below to disable the configuration tool in Windows XP after you install the ZyAIR Utility The screen varies depending on the version of Windows XP service pack Via the Wireless Network System Tray Icon If the network icon for wireless connections is not present in the system tray see the next section 1 Double click the network icon for wireless connections in the system t...

Page 44: ...Diagram 2 Windows XP SP1 Wireless Network Connection Windows XP SP2 When a Wireless Network Connection window displays click Change advanced settings under Related Tasks and then the Wireless Networks tab Diagram 3 Windows XP SP2 Wireless Network Connection B Disable Windows XP Wireless LAN Configuration Tool ...

Page 45: ...ess LAN Configuration Tool C 3 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 Diagram 4 Windows XP SP1 Wireless Network Connection Properties ...

Page 46: ...less LAN Configuration Tool Diagram 5 Windows XP SP2 Wireless Network Connection Properties Via the Control Panel 1 If the icon for the wireless network connection is not in the system tray click Start Control Panel and double click Network Connections ...

Page 47: ... E 2 Double click on the icon for wireless network connection to display a status window as shown next Diagram 6 Windows XP SP1 Wireless Network Connection Status Diagram 7 Windows XP SP2 Wireless Network Connection Status 3 Click Properties and click the Wireless Networks tab ...

Page 48: ...eless LAN Configuration Tool 4 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 Diagram 8 Windows XP SP1 Wireless Network Connection Properties ...

Page 49: ...ZyAIR G 300 User s Guide Disable Windows XP Wireless LAN Configuration Tool G Diagram 9 Windows XP SP2 Wireless Network Connection Properties ...

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Page 51: ...he support patch for WPA from the Microsoft web site Windows XP SP2 screen shots are shown unless otherwise specified Click the help icon in most screens move the cursor to the item that you want the information about and click to view the help Activating Wireless Zero Configuration Make sure the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected in the Wireless Network Co...

Page 52: ...es the status of the ZyAIR Refer to the following table for details Chart 1 Windows XP SP2 System Tray Icon ICON DESCRIPTION The ZyAIR is connected to a wireless network The ZyAIR is in the process of connecting to a wireless network The connection to a wireless network is limited because the network did not assign a network address to the computer The ZyAIR is not connected to a wireless network ...

Page 53: ... Zero Configuration K Diagram 12 Windows XP SP2 Wireless Network Connection Status Windows XP SP1 In the Wireless Network Connection Status screen click Properties and the Wireless Networks tab to open the Wireless Network Connection Properties screen ...

Page 54: ...agram 13 Windows XP SP1 Wireless Network Connection Status 3 Windows XP SP2 Click Refresh network list to reload and search for available wireless devices within transmission range Select a wireless network in the list and click Connect to join the selected wireless network ...

Page 55: ...notes that the wireless security is activated for the wireless network This denotes that this wireless network is your preferred network Ordering your preferred networks is important because the ZyAIR tries to associate to the preferred network first in the order that you specify Refer to the section on security settings for detailed information This denotes the signal strength of the wireless net...

Page 56: ...iscussed later for more information Diagram 15 Windows XP SP1 Wireless Network Connection Properties 4 Windows XP SP2 If the wireless security is activated for the selected wireless network the Wireless Network Connection screen displays You must set the related fields in the Wireless Network Connection screen to the same security settings as the associated AP Refer to the section on security sett...

Page 57: ...ble describes the connection icons Chart 3 Windows XP Wireless Networks ICON DESCRIPTION This denotes the wireless network is an available wireless network This denotes the ZyAIR is associated to the wireless network This denotes the wireless network is not available Security Settings When you configure ZyAIR to connect to a secure network but the security settings are not yet enabled on the ZyAIR...

Page 58: ... SSID Service Set IDentifier of each wireless network Network Authentication This field automatically shows the authentication method Share Open WPA or WPA PSK used by the selected network Refer to Section 0 for more information Data Encryption This field automatically shows the encryption type TKIP WEP or Disable used by the selected network Network Key Enter the passphrase pre shared key or WEP ...

Page 59: ...cted The key is provided for me automatically If this check box is selected the wireless AP assigns the ZyAIR a key This is a computer to computer ad hoc network wireless access points are not used If this check box is selected you are connecting to another computer directly OK Click OK to save your changes Cancel Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have made Authe...

Page 60: ...s active If the network authentication is set to Open in the previous screen you can choose to disable or enable this feature EAP Type Select the type of EAP authentication Options are Protected EAP PEAP and Smart Card or other Certificate Properties Click this button to open the properties screen and configure certificates The screen varies depending on what you select in the EAP type field Authe...

Page 61: ...ess to the network as a guest when a user is not logged on or computer information is not available OK Click OK to save your changes Cancel Click Cancel to close this screen without saving any changes you may have made Authentication Properties Select an EAP authentication type in the Wireless network properties Authentication screen and click the Properties button to display the following screen ...

Page 62: ...red connection to a network and obtain the certificate s from a certificate authority CA Consult your network administrator for more information Do not prompt user to authorize new server or trusted certification authorities Select this check box to authorize a new authentication server or trusted CA without prompting This field is available only if you installed the Windows XP server pack 2 Selec...

Page 63: ...operties LABEL DESCRIPTION Use my smart card Select this check box to use the smart card for authentication Use a certificate on this computer Select this check box to use a certificate on your computer for authentication Validate server certificate Select the check box to check the certificate of the authentication server Connect to these servers Select the check box and specify a domain in the f...

Page 64: ...lick this button if you want to verify the selected certificate Use a different user name for the connection Select the check box to use a different user name when the user name in the smart card or certificate is not the same as the user name in the domain that you are logged on to OK Click OK to save your changes Cancel Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have ma...

Page 65: ... with Wireless Zero Configuration W Diagram 22 Windows XP SP2 Wireless Networks Preferred Networks Windows XP SP1 In the Wireless Network Connection Status screen click Properties and the Wireless Networks tab to open the screen as shown ...

Page 66: ...s to connect to a new network the new network is added in the Preferred networks table automatically Select a network and click Move up or Move down to change it s order click Remove to delete it or click Properties to view the security authentication or connection information of the selected network Click Add to add a preferred network into the list manually ...

Page 67: ...stations for mutual authentication The server presents a certificate to the client After validating the identity of the server the client sends a different certificate to the server The exchange of certificates is done in the open before a secured tunnel is created This makes user identity vulnerable to passive attacks A digital certificate is an electronic ID card that authenticates the sender s ...

Page 68: ...ir is more practical The following table is a comparison of the features of five authentication types Comparison of EAP Authentication Types EAP MD5 EAP TLS EAP TTLS PEAP LEAP Mutual Authentication No Yes Yes Yes Yes Certificate Client No Yes Optional Optional No Certificate Server No Yes Yes Yes No Dynamic Key Exchange No Yes Yes Yes Yes Credential Integrity None Strong Strong Strong Moderate Dep...

Page 69: ... North America IEEE 802 11b 13 Channels Europe IEEE 802 11g 13 Channels Europe Data Rate IEEE 802 11b 11 5 5 2 1Mbps IEEE 802 11g 54 48 36 24 18 12 9 6 Mbps Modulation IEEE 802 11g Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing 64QAM 16QAM QPSK and BPSK IEEE 802311b Direct Spread Spectrum CCK DQPSK DBOSK Security 64 128 bit WEP WPA WPA PSK IEEE 802 1X EAP TLS PEAP and LEAP Operating Temperature 0 55 d...

Page 70: ...ZyAIR G 300 User s Guide Product Specifications BB Product Specifications Weight 80g Dimension 134mm L 121mm W 22mm H ...

Page 71: ...tion Problem 4 1 Ad hoc IBSS 4 2 Infrastructure 4 1 Configuration utility version 2 21 Connecting to a Network 2 20 Copyright ii Disclaimer ii Trademarks ii CTS Clear to Send 2 4 2 5 Customer Support vii D Data encryption 2 6 Disable Windows XP Wireless Support 1 1 E EAP Authentication MD5 Y PEAP Y TLS Y TTLS Y EAP type 2 15 encryption 2 19 Encryption 2 7 encryption method 2 14 ESS 2 2 Extended Se...

Page 72: ... PSK 2 15 problem description 4 1 Product specifications AA profile 2 10 Protected EAP See PEAP R radio frequency 2 1 Related Documentation xiii Roaming 2 3 Example 2 3 RTS Request To Send 2 4 2 5 RTS Threshold 2 4 2 13 RTS CTS handshake 2 5 S Security screen the 2 13 Service Set Identity See SSID Shared authentication mode 2 6 Site Survey 2 18 2 19 SSID 2 1 2 11 2 19 State 2 11 Syntax Conventions...

Page 73: ... XP Requirement A Wired Equivalent Privacy See WEP Wireless LAN Parameters Channel 2 1 Configuring 2 9 Network Type 2 1 SSID 2 1 Transmission Rate 2 1 Wireless LAN Security 2 5 Data Encryption with WEP 2 6 Wireless Network Basics A wireless network type 2 19 WPA 2 6 WPA with RADIUS Application 2 8 WPA PSK 2 7 WPA PSK Application 2 7 Z ZyAIR Utility 3 1 About 2 21 Before you upgrade 3 1 Removing 3 ...

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