ZyXEL Communications G-102 User Manual
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ZyXEL Communications G-102 User Manual

802.11g wireless cardbus card
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ZyXEL G-102
802.11g Wireless CardBus Card
User's Guide
Version 1.0
September 2004

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Summary of Contents for ZyXEL Communications G-102

  • Page 1 ZyXEL G-102 802.11g Wireless CardBus Card User's Guide Version 1.0 September 2004...

  • Page 2: Copyright

    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.

  • Page 3: Zyxel Limited Warranty

    Any returned products without proof of purchase or those with an out-dated warranty will be repaired or replaced (at the discretion of ZyXEL) and the customer will be billed for parts and labor. All repaired or replaced products will be shipped by ZyXEL to the corresponding return address, Postage Paid.

  • Page 4: Information For Canadian Users

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Information for Canadian Users The Industry Canada label identifies certified equipment. This certification means that the equipment meets certain telecommunications network protective operation and safety requirements. The Industry Canada does not guarantee that the equipment will operate to a user's satisfaction.
  • Page 5 1. This Transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. Certifications Refer to the product page at www.zyxel.com. Refer to the Quick Start Guide for model specific FCC statement(s) and the procedure to view the product’s certification(s).

  • Page 6: Customer Support

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide When contacting your Customer Support Representative, please have the following information ready: Product model and serial number. Warranty Information. Date you received your product. Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it.
  • Page 7 Customer Support TELEPHONE WEB SITE FTP SITE +46 31 744 7700 www.zyxel.se +46 31 744 7701 +358-9-4780-8411 www.zyxel.fi ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide REGULAR MAIL ZyXEL Communications A/S Sjöporten 4, 41764 Göteborg Sweden ZyXEL Communications Oy Malminkaari 10 00700 Helsinki Finland...

  • Page 9: Table Of Contents

    List of Tables ...xii Preface...xiii Chapter 1 Getting Started ...1-1 About Your ZyXEL G-102 ...1-1 ZyXEL G-102 Hardware and Utility Installation...1-1 Ways to Configure the ZyXEL G-102...1-1 Disable Windows XP Wireless LAN Configuration Tool ...1-2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility...1-5 Chapter 2 Wireless LAN Network...2-1 Overview ...2-1...
  • Page 10 The About Screen ...4-1 Uninstalling the ZyXEL Utility ...4-2 Upgrading the ZyXEL Utility...4-2 Chapter 5 Troubleshooting ...5-1 Problems Starting the ZyXEL Utility Program...5-1 Problem with the Link Status ...5-2 Problems Communicating With Other Computers...5-2 Appendix A Product Specifications... i Appendix B Types of EAP Authentication ...iii Appendix C Index ...

  • Page 11: List Of Figures

    Figure 1-2 Windows XP: Wireless Network Connection Status ...1-3 Figure 1-3 Windows XP: Connect to Wireless Network...1-4 Figure 1-4 Windows XP: Wireless Network Connection Properties...1-5 Figure 1-5 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon ...1-5 Figure 2-1 IBSS Example ...2-2 Figure 2-2 BSS Example...2-3 Figure 2-3 Infrastructure Network Example ...2-3...
  • Page 12 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide List of Tables Table 1-1 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon...1-6 Table 3-1 Link Info ...3-2 Table 3-2 Link Info: Trend Chart...3-3 Table 3-3 Site Survey...3-4 Table 3-4 Site Survey: Security Settings: WEP ...3-6 Table 3-5 Site Survey: Security Settings: WPA-PSK ...3-8 Table 3-6 Site Survey: Security Settings: WPA ...3-9...

  • Page 13: Preface

    Refer to the included CD for support documents and device drivers. Quick Start Guide Our Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get your ZyXEL G-102 up and running right away. It contains a detailed easy-to-follow connection diagram and information on installing your ZyXEL G-102.
  • Page 14 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Graphics Icons Key Notebook computer Computer Wireless Access Point Modem Wireless Signal Server Switch Router Telephone Preface...

  • Page 15: Chapter 1 Getting Started

    This chapter introduces the ZyXEL G-102 and prepares you to use the ZyXEL Utility. About Your ZyXEL G-102 The ZyXEL G-102 is an IEEE 802.11g compliant wireless LAN adapter. With the ZyXEL G-102, you can enjoy the wireless mobility within the coverage area.

  • Page 16: Disable Windows Xp Wireless Lan Configuration Tool

    Disable Windows XP Wireless LAN Configuration Tool Windows XP includes a configuration tool for wireless devices. Follow the steps below to disable the configuration tool in Windows XP after you install the ZyXEL Utility. The screen varies depending on the version of Windows XP service pack.

  • Page 17: Figure 1-2 Windows Xp: Wireless Network Connection Status

    Double-click on the icon for wireless network connection to display a status window as shown next. Figure 1-2 Windows XP: Wireless Network Connection Status Step 4. Click Properties and click the Wireless Networks tab. Then skip to Step 6. Getting Started ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide...

  • Page 18: Figure 1-3 Windows Xp: Connect To Wireless Network

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Step 5. When a Wireless Network Connection window displays, click Advanced…. Figure 1-3 Windows XP: Connect to Wireless Network Getting Started...

  • Page 19: Accessing The Zyxel Utility

    When the ZyXEL Utility system tray icon displays, the ZyXEL G-102 is installed Figure 1-5 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon The color of the ZyXEL Utility system tray icon indicates the status of the ZyXEL G-102. Refer to the following table for details.

  • Page 20: Table 1-1 Zyxel Utility: System Tray Icon

    The ZyXEL G-102 is connected to a wireless network. Double click on the ZyXEL Wireless LAN Utility icon in the system tray to open the ZyXEL Utility. The ZyXEL Utility screens are similar in all Microsoft Windows versions. Screens for Windows 2000 are shown.

  • Page 21: Chapter 2 Wireless Lan Network

    Mbps, 48 Mbps, and 54 Mbps. In most networking scenarios, the factory default Fully Auto setting proves the most efficient. This setting allows your ZyXEL G-102 to operate at the maximum transmission (data) rate. When the communication quality drops below a certain level, the ZyXEL G-102 automatically switches to a lower transmission (data) rate.

  • Page 22: Wireless Network Application

    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 ZyXEL G-102 operation mode to Infrastructure (BSS). An AP acts as a bridge between the wireless stations and the wired network.

  • Page 23: Roaming

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide 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 stations or devices connected to the wired network.

  • Page 24: Wireless Lan Security

    The following figure depicts a roaming example. When wireless station B moves to position X, the ZyXEL G-102 in wireless station B automatically switches the channel to the one used by access point 2 in order to stay connected to the network.

  • Page 25: Data Encryption With Wep

    ZyXEL Utility and entering them manually as the WEP keys in the other WLAN adapter(s). • Enter the WEP keys manually. Your ZyXEL G-102 allows you to configure up to four 64-bit, 128-bit or 256-bit WEP keys and only one key is used as the default key at any one time. 2.2.2 IEEE 802.1x The IEEE 802.1x standard outlines enhanced security methods for both the authentication of wireless...

  • Page 26: Wpa

    The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server and an intermediary AP(s) that supports IEEE802.1x. The ZyXEL G-102 supports EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS and EAP-PEAP. Refer to the Types of EAP Authentication appendix for descriptions. For EAP-TLS authentication type, you must first have a wired connection to the network and obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).

  • Page 27: Wpa-Psk Application Example

    Step 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 generate unique Wireless LAN Network ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide...

  • Page 28: Fragmentation Threshold

    A Fragmentation Threshold is the maximum data fragment size (between 256 and 2432 bytes) that can be sent in the wireless network before the ZyXEL G-102 will fragment the packet into smaller data frames. A large Fragmentation Threshold is recommended for networks not prone to interference while you should set a smaller threshold for busy networks or networks that are prone to interference.

  • Page 29: Authentication Type

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide they do not know if the channel is currently being used. Therefore, they are considered hidden from each other. Figure 2-8 RTS Threshold When station A sends data to the AP, it might not know that the station B is already using the channel. If these two stations send data at the same time, collisions may occur when both sets of data arrive at the AP at the same time, resulting in a loss of messages for both stations.
  • Page 30 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Open authentication mode is implemented for ease-of-use and when security is not an issue. The wireless station and the AP do not share a secret key. Thus the wireless stations can associate with any AP and listen to any data transmitted plaintext.

  • Page 31: Chapter 3 Using The Zyxel Utility

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Chapter 3 Using the ZyXEL Utility This chapter shows you how to configure the ZyXEL G-102 using the ZyXEL Utility. The following screenshots are all extracted from ZyXEL G-162 cardbus adapter, which applies the same installation process as G-102.

  • Page 32: Table 3-1 Link Info

    ZyXEL G-102 is associated. AP MAC Address This field displays the MAC address of the wireless device to which the ZyXEL G-102 is associated. This field displays the network type (Infrastructure(BSS) or Ad Hoc) of the wireless Network Type network.

  • Page 33: Trend Chart

    This field displays the current data receiving rate in kilobits per second (Kbps). The Site Survey Screen Use the Site Survey screen to scan for and connect to a wireless network automatically. Using the ZyXEL Utility ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide DESCRIPTION...

  • Page 34: Figure 3-3 Site Survey

    DESCRIPTION Available Network List The device information in bold indicates the wireless network to which the ZyXEL G-102 is associated. Click a column heading to sort the entries. A triangle indicates ascending or descending sort order. Using the ZyXEL Utility...

  • Page 35: Connecting To A Network

    If the wireless security is activated for the selected wireless network, the Security Settings screen displays. You must set the related fields in the Security Settings screen to the same Using the ZyXEL Utility Table 3-3 Site Survey DESCRIPTION ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide...

  • Page 36: Security Settings

    Link Info screen. 3.2.2 Security Settings When you configure the ZyXEL G-102 to connect to a network with wireless security activated and the security settings are disabled on the ZyXEL G-102, the screen varies according to the encryption method used by the selected network.
  • Page 37 (for example, MyKey111122223333444455556678) for ASCII key type. The values for the WEP keys must be set up exactly the same on Save Click Save to save the changes back to ZyXEL G-102 and display the Link Info screen. Otherwise, click the close ( Survey screen.

  • Page 38: Figure 3-5 Site Survey: Security Settings: Wpa-Psk

    Type a passphrase from 8 to 63 case-sensitive ASCII characters (including spaces and symbols). Click Save to save the changes back to ZyXEL G-102 and display the Link Info Save screen. Otherwise, click the close ( the Site Survey screen.

  • Page 39: Figure 3-6 Site Survey: Security Settings: Wpa

    This is the user name that you or an administrator set up on a RADIUS server. Password This field is not available when you select EAP-TLS in the Authentication Type field. Enter the password associated with the user name above. Using the ZyXEL Utility ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide DESCRIPTION...
  • Page 40 Use the drop-down list box to select a PEAP protocol. Options are EAP-GTC and MS CHAP v2. Save Click Save to save the changes back to ZyXEL G-102 and display the Link Info screen. Otherwise, click the close ( the Site Survey screen.

  • Page 41: Figure 3-7 Site Survey: Security Settings: 802.1X

    Browse to locate it. 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. Using the ZyXEL Utility ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide DESCRIPTION 3-11...

  • Page 42: The Profile Screen

    The Profile Screen Click the Profile tab in the ZyXEL Utility program to display the Profile screen as shown next. The profile function allows you to save the wireless network settings in this screen, or use one of the pre- configured network profiles.

  • Page 43: Figure 3-8 Profile

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Figure 3-8 Profile The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 3-8 Profile LABEL DESCRIPTION Profile List Click a column heading to sort the entries. A triangle indicates ascending or descending sort order. Using the ZyXEL Utility...

  • Page 44: Adding A New Profile

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide LABEL denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode and the wireless security is activated. denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode but the wireless security is deactivated. denotes that the wireless device is in Ad-Hoc mode and the wireless security is activated.

  • Page 45: Figure 3-9 Profile: Add New Profile

    To associate to an ad-hoc network, you must enter the same SSID as the peer ad-hoc computer. Otherwise, leave this field blank or enter any to have the ZyXEL G-102 associate to or roam between any infrastructure wireless networks.
  • Page 46 Click Scan to search for available wireless devices within transmission range. Select Select an available wireless device in the table and click Select to add it to this profile. Whenever you activate this profile, the ZyXEL G-102 associates to the selected wireless network only. Step 2.

  • Page 47: Figure 3-10 Profile: Select A Channel

    WEP encryption method. Otherwise, select Disabled to allow the ZyXEL G-102 to communicate with the access points or other peer wireless computers without any data encryption and skip to Step 5.

  • Page 48: Figure 3-11 Profile: Wireless Settings

    The screen varies depending on the encryption method you select in the previous screen. The settings must be exactly the same on the APs or other peer wireless computers as they are on the ZyXEL G-102. Refer to Section 3.2.2 for detailed information on wireless security configuration.

  • Page 49: Figure 3-12 Profile: Security Settings

    Click Save to save and go to the next screen. Click Back to return to the previous screen. Otherwise, click Exit to go back to the Profile screen without saving. Using the ZyXEL Utility ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide 3-19...

  • Page 50: Figure 3-13 Profile: Confirm New Settings

    Step 6. To use this network profile, click the Activate Now button. Otherwise, click the Activate Later button. Once you activate a profile, the ZyXEL Utility will use that profile the next time it 3-20 is started. Using the ZyXEL Utility...

  • Page 51: The Adapter Screen

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Figure 3-14 Profile: Activate the Profile The Adapter Screen To set advanced features on the ZyXEL G-102, click the Adapter tab. Using the ZyXEL Utility 3-21...

  • Page 52: Figure 3-15 Adapter

    Select Enabled to save power (especially for notebook computers). This forces the Mode ZyXEL G-102 to go to sleep mode when it is not transmitting data. When you select Disabled, the ZyXEL G-102 will never go to sleep mode. 3-22...
  • Page 53 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Table 3-11 Adapter LABEL DESCRIPTION Save Click Save to save the changes back to ZyXEL G-102. Using the ZyXEL Utility 3-23...

  • Page 55: Chapter 4 Maintenance

    This chapter describes how to uninstall or upgrade the ZyXEL Utility. The About Screen The About screen displays related version numbers of the ZyXEL G-102. To display the screen as shown next, click the about ( ) button. The following table describes the read-only fields in this screen.

  • Page 56: Uninstalling The Zyxel Utility

    Before you uninstall the ZyXEL Utility, take note of the current network To perform the upgrade, follow the steps below. Step 1. Download the latest version of the utility from the ZyXEL web site and save the file on your computer. Step 2.

  • Page 57: Chapter 5 Troubleshooting

    Table 5-1 Troubleshooting Starting ZyXEL Utility Program PROBLEM Cannot start the ZyXEL Make sure the ZyXEL G-102 is properly inserted and the LED(s) is on. Refer Wireless LAN Utility to the Quick Start Guide for the LED descriptions. Use the Device Manager to check for possible hardware conflicts.

  • Page 58: Problem With The Link Status

    Make sure that the AP and the associated computers are turned on and working properly. Make sure the ZyXEL G-102 computer and the associated AP use the same SSID. Change the AP and the associated wireless clients to use another radio channel if interference is high.

  • Page 59: Appendix A Product Specifications

    Product Name ZyXEL G-102 802.11g Wireless CardBus Card Type 3.3V 32-bit Cardbus card IEEE 802.11b Standards IEEE 802.11g Infrastructure Network Architectures Ad-Hoc Operating Frequencies 2.412-2.483GHz IEEE 802.11b: 11 Channels (North America) IEEE 802.11g: 11 Channels (North America) Operating Channels IEEE 802.11b: 13 Channels (Europe) IEEE 802.11g: 13 Channels (Europe)
  • Page 60 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Media Access Protocol IEEE 802.11 Frequency 2.4 ~ 2.483GHz (Industrial Scientific Medical Band) 1~11 Channels (USA, Canada) Channels 1~13 Channels (Europe) 802.11g (OFDM): 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps Data Rate 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps 802.11g: OFDM with BPSK, QPSK and 16/64-QAM sub-carrier modulations...

  • Page 61: Appendix B Types Of Eap Authentication

    ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide Appendix B Types of EAP Authentication This appendix discusses the five popular EAP authentication types: EAP-MD5, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, PEAP and LEAP. The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server. Consult your network administrator for more information.
  • Page 62 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide LEAP LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) is a Cisco implementation of IEEE802.1x. For added security, certificate-based authentications (EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS and PEAP) use dynamic keys for data encryption. They are often deployed in corporate environments, but for public deployment, a simple user name and password pair is more practical.
  • Page 63 About ...4-1 About the ZyXEL Utility ...4-1 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility...1-5 Add a New Profile...3-14 Authentication Mode...2-10 Open...2-10 Shared ...2-10 Automatic WEP key generation...2-5 Basic Service Set... See BSS BSS ...2-2 CA...iii Certificate Authority ... See CA Communication Problem Ad-hoc(IBSS) ...5-3 Infrastructure...5-2...
  • Page 64 ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide MD5... iii Message Digest Algorithm 5 ... See MD5 Message Integrity Check ... 2-6 MIC... See Message Integrity Check Network Type ... 2-2 Ad-Hoc(IBSS) ... 2-2 Online Registration... iii Open authentication mode ... 2-10 passphrase... 2-5 PEAP ...
  • Page 65 Wireless LAN Security ...2-4 Data Encryption with WEP...2-5 Wireless Network Basics ...1-2 WPA...2-6 WPA with RADIUS Application ...2-8 Index ZyXEL G-102 User’s Guide WPA-PSK ...2-6 WPA-PSK Application ...2-7 ZyAIR Utility WEP Encryption... 3-8, 3-9, 3-11 ZyXEL Utility Before you upgrade ...4-2 Link Info ...3-1...

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G-102 - v1.0

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