ZyXEL Communications M-302 User Manual
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ZyXEL Communications M-302 User Manual

802.11g wireless mimo pci card
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M-302
802.11g Wireless MIMO PCI card
User's Guide
Version 2.00
Edition 1
4/2006

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  • Page 1 M-302 802.11g Wireless MIMO PCI card User’s Guide Version 2.00 Edition 1 4/2006...

  • Page 3: Copyright

    ZyXEL Communications Corporation. Published by ZyXEL Communications Corporation. All rights reserved.

  • Page 4: Certifications

    M-302 User’s Guide Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Statement This device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference. • This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operations.
  • Page 5 M-302 User’s Guide Certifications...

  • Page 6: Safety Warnings

    M-302 User’s Guide For your safety, be sure to read and follow all warning notices and instructions. • Do NOT open the device or unit. Opening or removing covers can expose you to dangerous high voltage points or other risks. ONLY qualified service personnel can service the device.

  • Page 7: Zyxel Limited Warranty

    M-302 User’s Guide ZyXEL Limited Warranty ZyXEL warrants to the original end user (purchaser) that this product is free from any defects in materials or workmanship for a period of up to two years from the date of purchase. During...

  • Page 8: Customer Support

    M-302 User’s Guide Please have the following information ready when you contact customer support. • Product model and serial number. • Warranty Information. • Date that you received your device. • Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it.
  • Page 9 +34-913-005-345 +46-31-744-7700 www.zyxel.se +46-31-744-7701 www.ua.zyxel.com +380-44-494-49-32 +44-1344 303044 www.zyxel.co.uk 08707 555779 (UK only) +44-1344 303034 ftp.zyxel.co.uk M-302 User’s Guide REGULAR MAIL ZyXEL Communications ul. Okrzei 1A 03-715 Warszawa Poland ZyXEL Russia Ostrovityanova 37a Str. Moscow, 117279 Russia ZyXEL Communications Arte, 21 5ª planta...
  • Page 10 M-302 User’s Guide Customer Support...

  • Page 11: Table Of Contents

    1.1 About Your M-302 1.1.1 Application Overview ...20 1.1.1.1 Infrastructure ...20 1.1.1.2 Ad-Hoc ...21 1.2 M-302 Hardware and Utility Installation ...22 1.3 ZyXEL Utility Icon ...22 1.4 Configuration Methods ...22 1.5 Enabling WZC ...23 1.5.1 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility ...23 Chapter 2 Tutorial ...
  • Page 12 M-302 User’s Guide 3.2.1.2 IEEE 802.1x ...33 3.2.1.3 WPA ...33 Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility Configuration ... 35 4.1 ZyXEL Utility Screen ...35 4.2 The Link Info Screen ...35 4.2.1 Trend Chart ...37 4.3 The Site Survey Screen ...37 4.3.1 Security Settings ...39 4.3.1.1 WEP Encryption ...39...

  • Page 13: List Of Figures

    M-302 User’s Guide List of Figures Figure 1 The M-302 ... 19 Figure 2 Application: Infrastructure ... 21 Figure 3 Application: Ad-Hoc ... 21 Figure 4 ZyXEL utility: System Tray Icon ... 22 Figure 5 Enable WZC ... 23 Figure 6 Enable ZyXEL Utility ... 23 Figure 7 ZyXEL Utility: Site Survey ...
  • Page 14 M-302 User’s Guide Figure 39 Uninstall: Finish ... 54 Figure 40 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection Status ... 60 Figure 41 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection Properties ... 60 Figure 42 Windows XP SP2: WZC Not Available ... 61 Figure 43 Windows XP SP2: System Tray Icon ...

  • Page 15: List Of Tables

    M-302 User’s Guide List of Tables Table 1 External View ... 20 Table 2 Light Description ... 20 Table 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon ... 22 Table 4 ZyXEL Utility: Menu Screen ... 35 Table 5 Link Info ... 36 Table 6 Link Info: Trend Chart ...
  • Page 16 M-302 User’s Guide List of Tables...

  • Page 17: Related Documentation

    Settings and then click Control Panel. • “e.g.,” is a shorthand for “for instance”, and “i.e.,” means “that is” or “in other words”. • The M-302 802.11g Wireless MIMO PCI card may be referred to as the M-302 in this user’s guide.

  • Page 18: Graphics Icons Key

    M-302 User’s Guide Graphics Icons Key Wireless Access Point Server Internet Cloud Computer Notebook Computer Modem Wireless Signal Printer Preface...

  • Page 19: Chapter 1 Getting Started

    This chapter introduces the M-302 and prepares you to use the ZyXEL utility. The ZyXEL utility is a tool that helps you configure your M-302. See the appendix for detailed product specifications. 1.1 About Your M-302 The M-302 is an IEEE 802.11b/g compliant wireless Local Area Network (LAN) adapter.

  • Page 20: Application Overview

    This section describes some network applications for the M-302. 1.1.1.1 Infrastructure To connect to a network via an Access Point (AP), set the M-302 network type to Infrastructure. Through the AP, you can access the Internet or the wired network behind the...

  • Page 21: Ad-Hoc

    If you want to set up a small independent wireless workgroup without an AP, use Ad-Hoc mode. Ad-Hoc mode does not require an AP or a wired network. Two or more wireless clients communicate directly with each other. Figure 3 Application: Ad-Hoc Chapter 1 Getting Started M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 22: M-302 Hardware And Utility Installation

    When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables the Windows XP wireless configuration tool. The color of the ZyXEL utility system tray icon indicates the status of the M-302. Refer to the following table for details. Table 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon...

  • Page 23: Enabling Wzc

    Enabling WZC Note: When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables WZC. If you want to use WZC to configure the M-302, you need to disable the ZyXEL utility by right-clicking the utility icon ( my wireless network settings.
  • Page 24 M-302 User’s Guide Chapter 1 Getting Started...

  • Page 25: Chapter 2 Tutorial

    Site Survey screen. 1 Open the ZyXEL utility and click the Site Survey tab to open the screen shown next. Chapter 2 Tutorial M-302 User’s Guide H A P T E R Tutorial...

  • Page 26: Figure 7 Zyxel Utility: Site Survey

    M-302 User’s Guide Figure 7 ZyXEL Utility: Site Survey 2 The wireless client automatically searches for available wireless networks. Click Scan if you want to search again. If no entry displays in the Available Network List, that means there is no wireless network available within range. Make sure the AP or peer computer is turned on, or move the wireless client closer to the AP or peer computer.

  • Page 27: Creating And Using A Profile

    This example illustrates how to set up a profile and connect the wireless client to an access point configured for WPA-PSK security. In this example, the AP’s SSID is “SSID_Example3” and its pre-shared key is “ThisismyWPA-PSKpre-sharedkey”. You have chosen the Profile Name “PN_Example3” Chapter 2 Tutorial M-302 User’s Guide http://www.zyxel.com or the URL of any other...

  • Page 28: Figure 11 Zyxel Utility: Profile

    M-302 User’s Guide 1 Open the ZyXEL utility and click the Profile tab to open the screen shown next. Click Add to configure a new profile. Figure 11 ZyXEL Utility: Profile 2 The Add New Profile screen appears. The wireless client automatically searches for available wireless networks, which are displayed in the Scan Info box.

  • Page 29: Figure 14 Zyxel Utility: Profile Encryption

    8 Click Activate Now to use the new profile immediately. Otherwise, click the Activate Later button to go back to the Profile List screen. If you clicked Activate Later you can select the profile from the list in the Profile screen and click Connect to activate it. Chapter 2 Tutorial M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 30: Figure 17 Zyxel Utility: Profile Success

    M-302 User’s Guide Note: Only one profile can be activated and used at any given time. Figure 17 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Success 9 When you activate the new profile, the ZyXEL Utility goes to the Link Info screen while it connects to the AP using your settings. When the wireless link is established, the ZyXEL Utility icon in the system tray turns green and the Link Info screen displays details of the active connection.

  • Page 31: Wireless Lan Network

    Like radio stations or television channels, each wireless network uses a specific channel, or frequency, to send and receive information. Chapter 3 Wireless LAN Network H A P T E R Wireless LAN Network M-302 User’s Guide Figure 3 on...

  • Page 32: Wireless Lan Security

    WLAN adapter(s). • Enter the WEP keys manually. Your M-302 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. Chapter 3 Wireless LAN Network...

  • Page 33: Authentication Type

    AP or peer computer. • Auto authentication mode allows the M-302 to switch between the open system and shared key modes automatically. Use the auto mode if you do not know the authentication mode of the other wireless stations.
  • Page 34 M-302 User’s Guide Select WEP only when the AP and/or wireless clients do not support WPA. WEP is less secure than WPA. Chapter 3 Wireless LAN Network...

  • Page 35: Zyxel Utility Configuration

    ZyXEL Utility Configuration This chapter shows you how to configure your M-302. 4.1 ZyXEL Utility Screen This section describes the ZyXEL utility screens. Figure 19 ZyXEL Utility: Menu Screen The following table describes the menus. Table 4 ZyXEL Utility: Menu Screen...

  • Page 36: Figure 20 Link Info

    This field displays the name of the wireless device to which the M-302 is associated. AP MAC Address This field displays the MAC address of the AP or peer computer to which the M-302 is associated. Network Type This field displays the network type (Infrastructure or Ad-Hoc) of the wireless network.

  • Page 37: Trend Chart

    (Kbps). Signal Strength The status bar shows the strength of the signal. The signal strength depends mainly on the antenna output power and the distance between the M-302 and the AP or peer computer. Link Quality The status bar shows the quality of the wireless connection. This refers to the percentage of packets delivered successfully.

  • Page 38: Figure 22 Site Survey

    M-302 User’s Guide Figure 22 Site Survey The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 7 Site Survey LABEL DESCRIPTION Available Network Click a column heading to sort the entries. List SSID This field displays the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) of each wireless device.

  • Page 39: Security Settings

    This field displays the time when the wireless device is scanned. 4.3.1 Security Settings When you configure the M-302 to connect to a network with wireless security activated and the security settings are disabled on the M-302, the screen varies according to the encryption method used by the selected network.

  • Page 40: Wpa

    M-302 User’s Guide Table 8 Security Settings: WEP (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Key x (where x is a Select this option if you want to manually enter the WEP keys. Enter the WEP key number between 1 in the field provided.

  • Page 41: Wpa-Psk

    Certificate This field is only available when you select TLS in the Authentication Type field. Select a certificate used by the authentication server to authenticate the M-302. Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and Server CA Select a certificate authority (CA) that you trust and accept any certificates signed by that CA.

  • Page 42: Ieee 802.1X

    Certificate This field is only available when you select TLS in the Authentication Type field. Select a certificate used by the authentication server to authenticate the M-302. Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and Section 3.2.1.3 on page 33 for more information.

  • Page 43: Confirm Save Screen

    PSK) or inactive (DISABLE). Back Click Back to return to the previous screen. Save Click Save to save the changes back to the M-302 and display the Link Info screen. Exit Click Exit to discard changes and return to the Site Survey screen.

  • Page 44: The Profile Screen

    If the specified network is not available, the M-302 will remain disconnected. If you do not configure and activate a profile, each time you start the M-302 it uses the default profile to connect to any available network with security disabled.

  • Page 45: Adding A New Profile

    Select an available wireless device in the Scan Info table and click Select, or enter the SSID of the wireless device to which you want to associate in this field manually. Otherwise, enter Any to have the M-302 associate to or roam between any infrastructure wireless networks.

  • Page 46: Figure 30 Profile: Wireless Setting: Select A Channel

    Click Scan to search for available wireless devices within transmission range. Select an available wireless device in the table and click Select to add it to this profile. Whenever you activate this profile, the M-302 associates to the selected wireless network only. Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility Configuration...

  • Page 47: Figure 31 Profile: Security Setting: Encryption Type

    Ad-Hoc network type in the first screen, you can only use WEP encryption method. Otherwise, select DISABLE to allow the M-302 to communicate with the access points or other peer wireless computers without any data encryption and skip to step 5.

  • Page 48: Figure 33 Profile: Wireless Protocol

    Infrastructure network type, specify a wireless protocol. Select 802.11b to have the M-302 connect to an IEEE 802.11b wireless device. Select 802.11g to have the M-302 connect to an IEEE 802.11g wireless device. Select both to have the M-302 connect to either an IEEE 802.11g or IEEE 802.11b wireless device.

  • Page 49: The Adapter Screen

    Figure 35 Profile: Activate the Profile 4.5 The Adapter Screen To set the advanced features on the M-302, click the Adapter tab. Figure 36 Adapter Screen Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility Configuration M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 50: Table 16 Adapter Screen

    Select Maximum Power Saving or Fast Power Saving to save power (especially Mode for notebook computers). This forces the M-302 to go to sleep mode when it is not transmitting data. When you select Continuous Access Mode, the M-302 will never go to sleep mode.

  • Page 51: The About Screen

    This chapter describes how to uninstall or upgrade the ZyXEL utility. 5.1 The About Screen The About screen displays driver and utility version numbers of the M-302. To display the screen as shown below, click the about ( Figure 37 About Screen The following table describes the read-only fields in this screen.

  • Page 52: Upgrading The Zyxel Utility

    5 Double-click on the setup program for the new utility to start the ZyXEL utility installation. 6 Insert the M-302 and check the version numbers in the About screen to make sure the new utility is installed properly. Section 5.2 on page 53).

  • Page 53: Uninstalling The Zyxel Utility

    Use the Device Manager to check for possible hardware conflicts. Click Start, LAN utility Settings, Control Panel, System, Hardware and Device Manager. Verify the status of the M-302 under Network Adapter. (Steps may vary depending on the version of Windows). Install the M-302 in another computer.

  • Page 54: Problems Communicating With Other Computers

    Make sure that the AP and the associated computers are turned on and working properly. Make sure the M-302 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 55: Chapter 6 Troubleshooting

    M-302 User’s Guide Chapter 6 Troubleshooting...
  • Page 56 M-302 User’s Guide Chapter 6 Troubleshooting...

  • Page 57: Product Specifications

    Modulation Output Power RX Sensitivity SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS Appendix A P P E N D I X Product Specifications M-302 802.11g Wireless MIMO PCI card 3.3V 32-bit CardBus card IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g (Infrastructure mode only) Infrastructure Ad-Hoc 64/128/152-bit WEP Encryption WPA/WPA-PSK IEEE 802.1x...
  • Page 58 M-302 User’s Guide Table 21 Product Specifications (continued) Device Drivers Roaming Windows 2000, Windows XP IEEE 802.11b/g compliant 64/128/152-bit WEP encryption Appendix A...

  • Page 59: Management With Wireless Zero Configuration

    1 click Start, Control Panel and double-click Network Connections. 2 Double-click on the icon for wireless network connection to display a status window as shown below. 3 Click Properties and click the Wireless Networks tab. Appendix B M-302 User’s Guide P P E N D I X Configuration...

  • Page 60: Figure 40 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Network Connection Status

    M-302 User’s Guide Figure 40 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection Status 4 In the Wireless Network Connection Properties window, make sure the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is selected. Click OK. Figure 41 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection Properties...

  • Page 61: Figure 42 Windows Xp Sp2: Wzc Not Available

    The ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter 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 ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter is not connected to a wireless network. Appendix B M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 62: Figure 44 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Network Connection Status

    M-302 User’s Guide 2 Windows XP SP2: In the Wireless Network Connection Status screen, click View Wireless Networks to open the Wireless Network Connection screen. Figure 44 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 63: Figure 46 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Network Connection

    Configure and set the related fields to the same security settings as the associated AP to add the selected network into the Preferred networks table. Click OK to join the selected wireless network. Refer to the section on security settings (discussed later) for more information. Appendix B M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 64: Figure 47 Windows Xp Sp1: Wireless Network Connection Properties

    M-302 User’s Guide Figure 47 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Network Connection Properties 4 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 and click Connect.

  • Page 65: Figure 48 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Network Connection: Wep Or Wpa-Psk

    ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter, you will see different screens according to the authentication and encryption methods used by the selected network. Association Select a network in the Preferred networks list and click Properties to view or configure security. Appendix B M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 66: Figure 50 Windows Xp: Wireless (Network) Properties: Association

    M-302 User’s Guide Figure 50 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 25 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association LABEL DESCRIPTION Network name This field displays the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) of each wireless network.

  • Page 67: Figure 51 Windows Xp: Wireless (Network) Properties: Authentication

    Click OK to save your changes. Cancel Click Cancel to leave this screen without saving any changes you may have made. Appendix B M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 68: Figure 52 Windows Xp: Protected Eap Properties

    M-302 User’s Guide Authentication Properties Select an EAP authentication type in the Wireless (network) properties: Authentication screen and click the Properties button to display the following screen. Protected EAP Properties Figure 52 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties The following table describes the labels in this screen.

  • Page 69: Figure 53 Windows Xp: Smart Card Or Other Certificate Properties

    Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and View Certificate Click this button if you want to verify the selected certificate. Appendix B obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA). Consult your network administrator for more information. M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 70: Figure 54 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks

    M-302 User’s Guide Table 28 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties LABEL DESCRIPTION Use a different Select the check box to use a different user name when the user name in the smart user name for the card or certificate is not the same as the user name in the domain that you are connection: logged on to.

  • Page 71: Figure 55 Windows Xp Sp1: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks

    M-302 User’s Guide Figure 55 Windows XP SP1: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks 2 Whenever the ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter tries to connect to a new network, the new network is added in the Preferred networks table automatically. Select a network and...
  • Page 72 M-302 User’s Guide Appendix B...

  • Page 73: Types Of Eap Authentication

    MD5 authentication method does not perform mutual authentication. Finally, MD5 authentication method does not support data encryption with dynamic session key. You must configure WEP encryption keys for data encryption. Appendix C M-302 User’s Guide P P E N D I X Wireless Security...

  • Page 74: Dynamic Wep Key Exchange

    M-302 User’s Guide EAP-TLS (Transport Layer Security) With EAP-TLS, digital certifications are needed by both the server and the wireless 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.

  • Page 75: Table 29 Comparison Of Eap Authentication Types

    AP and the wireless stations. This all happens in the background automatically. Appendix C EAP-MD5 EAP-TLS EAP-TTLS Optional None Strong Strong Easy Hard Moderate M-302 User’s Guide PEAP LEAP Optional Strong Moderate Moderate Moderate...

  • Page 76: User Authentication

    M-302 User’s Guide The Message Integrity Check (MIC) is designed to prevent an attacker from capturing data packets, altering them 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.

  • Page 77: Figure 56 Wpa-Psk Authentication

    AP and the wireless clients. Figure 57 WPA with RADIUS Application Example Appendix C M-302 User’s Guide...

  • Page 78: Security Parameters Summary

    M-302 User’s Guide Security Parameters Summary Refer to this table to see what other security parameters you should configure for each Authentication Method/ key management protocol type. MAC address filters are not dependent on how you configure these security features.

  • Page 79: Index

    Index current connection status Customer Support Disclaimer driver version Dynamic WEP Key Exchange EAP Authentication Encryption Encryption Type FCC Interference Statement getting started graphics icons key hardware connections IEEE 802.1x initialization vector (IV) installation M-302 User’s Guide Index...
  • Page 80 M-302 User’s Guide utility link information Message Integrity Check (MIC) 33, 75 MIMO 17, 19 network type Odyssey Client Manager open system authentication Pairwise Master Key (PMK) passphrase 32, 39 password phrase Power Saving Mode product specifications profile 36, 45...
  • Page 81 Windows XP wireless client wireless LAN introduction security Wireless LAN (WLAN) wireless network wireless standard WLAN Security parameters 33, 40, 75 WPA-PSK WZC (Wireless Zero Configuration) ZyXEL Utility accessing help opening system tray icon upgrade version Index M-302 User’s Guide...

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