ZyXEL Communications G-170S User Manual
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ZyXEL Communications G-170S User Manual

ZyXEL Communications G-170S User Manual

802.11g wireless cardbus card
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ZyXEL G-170S
802.11g Wireless CardBus Card
User's Guide
Version 1.00
Edition 1
3/2006

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  • Page 1 ZyXEL G-170S 802.11g Wireless CardBus Card User’s Guide Version 1.00 Edition 1 3/2006...

  • Page 3: 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 patent rights of others.

  • Page 4: Federal Communications Commission (Fcc) Interference Statement

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Statement The 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 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Certifications 1 Go to www.zyxel.com. 2 Select your product from the drop-down list box on the ZyXEL home page to go to that product's page. 3 Select the certification you wish to view from this page. 注意 ! 依據...

  • Page 6: Zyxel Limited Warranty

    ZyXEL G-170S 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 (2) years from the date of purchase.

  • Page 7: Customer Support

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Customer Support 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 8 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide METHOD SUPPORT E-MAIL TELEPHONE WEB SITE REGULAR MAIL SALES E-MAIL FTP SITE LOCATION info@pl.zyxel.com +48-22-5286603 www.pl.zyxel.com ZyXEL Communications ul.Emilli Plater 53 POLAND +48-22-5206701 00-113 Warszawa Poland http://zyxel.ru/support +7-095-542-89-29 www.zyxel.ru ZyXEL Russia Ostrovityanova 37a Str. RUSSIA sales@zyxel.ru...

  • Page 9: Table Of Contents

    1.1 About Your G-170S ..................19 1.1.1 Application Overview ................19 1.1.1.1 Infrastructure ...................19 1.1.1.2 Ad-Hoc ....................20 1.2 G-170S Hardware and Utility Installation ............21 1.3 Configuration Methods ..................21 1.4 Windows XP Users Only ..................21 1.5 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility ................22 1.6 ZyXEL Utility Screen Summary ................22 1.7 Connecting to a Wireless LAN ................23...
  • Page 10 4.2 Uninstalling the ZyXEL Utility ................51 4.3 Upgrading the ZyXEL Utility ................52 Chapter 5 Troubleshooting ....................55 5.1 Problems Starting the ZyXEL Utility ..............55 5.2 Problem with the Link Quality ................55 5.3 Problems Communicating With Other Computers ..........56 Appendix A Product Specifications ..................
  • Page 11 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Index........................77 Table of Contents...
  • Page 12 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table of Contents...

  • Page 13: List Of Figures

    Figure 2 Application: Ad-Hoc ................20 Figure 3 Enable WZC ..................... 21 Figure 4 Enable ZyXEL Utility ................21 Figure 5 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon .............. 22 Figure 6 Menu Summary ..................22 Figure 7 ZyXEL Utility: Site Survey ............... 24 Figure 8 ZyXEL Utility: Security Settings ..............
  • Page 14 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Figure 39 Windows XP SP2: Wireless Network Connection: No Security ..... 63 Figure 40 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association ..... 64 Figure 41 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Authentication ....65 Figure 42 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties ..........66 Figure 43 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties ......

  • Page 15: List Of Tables

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide List of Tables Table 1 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon ............... 22 Table 2 ZyXEL Utility: Menu Screen Summary ............. 23 Table 3 Link Info ....................33 Table 4 Link Info: Trend Chart ................35 Table 5 Site Survey ....................35 Table 6 Security Settings: WEP ................
  • Page 16 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide List of Tables...

  • Page 17: Preface

    Congratulations on your purchase of the ZyXEL G-170S 802.11g Wireless CardBus Card. Your G-170S is easy to install and configure. About This User's Guide This manual is designed to guide you through the configuration of your G-170S for its various applications. Related Documentation •...
  • Page 18 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Graphics Icons Key Wireless Access Point Computer Notebook Computer Server Modem Wireless Signal Telephone Switch Router Internet Cloud Preface...

  • Page 19: Chapter 1 Getting Started

    This section describes some network applications for the G-170S. 1.1.1.1 Infrastructure To connect to a network via an Access Point (AP), set the G-170S network type to Infrastructure. Through the AP, you can access the Internet or the wired network behind the...

  • Page 20: Ad-Hoc

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Figure 1 Application: Infrastructure 1.1.1.2 Ad-Hoc In case you prefer 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 can communicate directly to each other.

  • Page 21: G-170S Hardware And Utility Installation

    To configure your G-170S, use one of the following applications: • Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) (recommended for Windows XP) • ZyXEL Utility (This guide shows you how to configure the G-170S using the ZyXEL utility) • Odyssey Client Manager (not supplied) Refer to the Odyssey Client Manager documentation for more information.

  • Page 22: Accessing The Zyxel Utility

    When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables the Windows XP wireless configuration tool. Figure 5 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon The color of the ZyXEL utility system tray icon indicates the status of the G-170S. Refer to the following table for details. Table 1 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon...

  • Page 23: Connecting To A Wireless Lan

    Site Survey screen. 1 Make sure a wireless network is available and within range. 2 Open the ZyXEL utility and click the Site Survey tab to open the screen as shown next. 3 Click Scan to search for available wireless networks.

  • Page 24: Figure 7 Zyxel Utility: Site Survey

    Figure 8 ZyXEL Utility: Security Settings 6 Verify that you have successfully connected to the selected network and check the network information in the Link Info screen. If the G-170S is not connected to a network, the fields in this screen are blank.

  • Page 25: Figure 9 Zyxel Utility: Link Info

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Figure 9 ZyXEL Utility: Link Info Chapter 1 Getting Started...
  • Page 26 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Chapter 1 Getting Started...

  • Page 27: Wireless Lan Network

    (data) rate. 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps are used often in networking environments where the range of the wireless connection is more important than speed. Note: Your G-170S can transmit at up to 108 Mbps when connected to an AP or wireless router with the Super G feature enabled.

  • Page 28: Super G

    WLAN adapter(s). • Enter the WEP keys manually. Your G-170S allows you to configure up to four 64-bit, 128-bit or 152-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...

  • Page 29: Eap Authentication

    RADIUS server perform authentication. The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server and an intermediary AP(s) that supports IEEE 802.1x. The G-170S supports EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS and EAP-PEAP. Refer to Appendix C on page 71 for descriptions.

  • Page 30: User Authentication

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide The encryption mechanisms used for WPA(2) and WPA(2)-PSK are the same. The only difference between the two is that WPA(2)-PSK uses a simple common password, instead of user-specific credentials. The common-password approach makes WPA(2)-PSK susceptible to brute-force password-guessing attacks but it’s still an improvement over WEP as it employs a...

  • Page 31: Wpa(2) With Radius Application Example

    AP. This requires you to enable the wireless LAN security and use same settings on both the wireless station and the AP. • Auto Switch authentication mode allows the G-170S 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 32: Preamble Type

    All IEEE 802.11b/g compliant wireless adapters support long preamble, but not all support short preamble. Select Auto to have the G-170S automatically use short preamble when access point or wireless stations support it; otherwise the G-170S uses long preamble.

  • Page 33: Zyxel Utility Configuration

    (SSID) field displays the name of the wireless device to which the G-170S is associated. AP MAC Address This field displays the MAC address of the wireless device to which the G-170S is associated. Network Type This field displays the network type (Infrastructure or Ad Hoc) of the wireless network.

  • Page 34: Trend Chart

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table 3 Link Info (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Transmission Rate This field displays the current transmission rate of the G-170S in megabits per second (Mbps). Security This field displays whether data encryption is activated (WEP (WEP or 802.1x), TKIP (WPA/WPA-PSK/WPA2/WPA2-PSK), AES (WPA/WPA-PSK/WPA2/WPA2- PSK)) or inactive (DISABLE).

  • Page 35: The Site Survey Screen

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 4 Link Info: Trend Chart LABEL DESCRIPTION Transmit This field displays the current data transmission rate in kilobits per second (Kbps). Receive This field displays the current data receiving rate in kilobits per second (Kbps).

  • Page 36: Connecting To A Wlan Network

    Link Info screen. 3.2.2 Security Settings When you configure the G-170S to connect to a network with wireless security activated and the security settings are disabled on the G-170S, the screen varies according to the encryption method used by the selected network.

  • Page 37: Wep Encryption

    Pass Phrase Enter a passphrase of up to 63 case-sensitive printable characters. As you enter the passphrase, the G-170S automatically generates four different WEP keys and displays it in the key field below. Refer to Section 2.2.1 on page 28 for more information.

  • Page 38: Wpa/Wpa2

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table 6 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 39: Wpa-Psk/Wpa2-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 G-170S. Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).

  • Page 40: 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 G-170S. Note: You must first have a wired connection to a network and obtain the certificate(s) from a certificate authority (CA).

  • Page 41: Confirm Save Screen

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table 9 Security Settings: 802.1x LABEL DESCRIPTION Server CA Select a certificate authority (CA) that you trust and accept any certificates signed by the CA. Otherwise, select Trust Any to accept certificates from any CA. PEAP Inner EAP This field is only available when you select PEAP in the Authentication Type field.

  • Page 42: The Profile Screen

    If the specified network is not available, the G-170S will be disconnected. If you do not configure and activate a profile, each time you start the G-170S, the G-170S uses the default profile to connect to any available network with security disabled.

  • Page 43: Adding A New Profile

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 11 Profile Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Profile List Click a column heading to sort the entries. denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode and the wireless security is activated.

  • Page 44: Figure 21 Profile: Add 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 G-170S associate to or roam between any infrastructure wireless networks.

  • Page 45: Figure 22 Profile: Wireless Setting: Select A Channel

    LABEL DESCRIPTION Wireless Setting Wireless Mode Select 802.11g to have the G-170S connect to an IEEE 802.11g wireless device only and vice versa. Select 802.11b to have the G-170S connect to an IEEE 802.11b wireless device only and vice versa.

  • Page 46: Figure 23 Profile: Security Setting: Encryption Type

    Figure 24 Profile: Security Setting 5 Specify a wireless protocol. Select 802.11b to have the G-170S connect to an IEEE 802.11b wireless device. Select 802.11g to have the G-170S connect to an IEEE 802.11g wireless device. Select both to have the G-170S connect to either an IEEE 802.11g or IEEE 802.11b wireless device.

  • Page 47: Figure 25 Profile: Wireless Protocol

    7 To use this network profile, click the Activate Now button. Otherwise, click the Activate Later button. Note: Once you activate a profile, the ZyXEL utility will use that profile the next time it is started. Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility Configuration...

  • Page 48: The Adapter Screen

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Figure 27 Profile: Activate the Profile 3.4 The Adapter Screen To set the advanced features on the G-170S, click the Adapter tab. Figure 28 Adapter Screen The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 14 Adapter...
  • Page 49 Select Maximum Power Saving or Fast Power Saving to save power (especially Mode for notebook computers). This forces the G-170S to go to sleep mode when it is not transmitting data. When you select Continuous Access Mode, the G-170S will never go to sleep mode.
  • Page 50 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility Configuration...

  • Page 51: Chapter 4 Maintenance

    Maintenance This chapter describes how to uninstall or upgrade the ZyXEL utility. 4.1 The About Screen The About screen displays related version numbers of the G-170S. To display the screen as shown below, click the about ( ) button. Figure 29 About The following table describes the read-only fields in this screen.

  • Page 52: Upgrading The Zyxel Utility

    Note: Before you uninstall the ZyXEL utility, take note of your current wireless configurations. 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 Section 4.2 on page 51...
  • Page 53 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide 6 Insert the G-170S and check the version numbers in the About screen to make sure the new utility is installed properly. Chapter 4 Maintenance...
  • Page 54 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Chapter 4 Maintenance...

  • Page 55: Chapter 5 Troubleshooting

    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 G-170S under Network Adapter. (Steps may vary depending on the version of Windows). Install the G-170S in another computer.

  • Page 56: Problems Communicating With Other Computers

    Make sure that the AP and the associated computers are turned on and computer with the working properly. G-170S installed • Make sure the G-170S computer and the associated AP use the same SSID. cannot • Change the AP and the associated wireless clients to use another radio communicate with channel if interference is high.

  • Page 57: Product Specifications

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide P P E N D I X Product Specifications Table 19 Product Specifications PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL Product Name ZyXEL G-170S 802.11g Wireless CardBus Card Interface 3.3V 32-bit CardBus card Standards IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g Network Architectures...
  • Page 58 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table 19 Product Specifications (continued) Roaming IEEE 802.11b/g compliant 64/128/152-bit WEP encryption Appendix A Product Specifications...

  • Page 59: Management With Wireless Zero Configuration

    Management with Wireless Zero Configuration This appendix shows you how to manage your ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter using the Windows XP wireless zero configuration tool. Be sure you have the Windows XP service pack 2 installed on your computer. Otherwise, you should at least have the Windows XP service pack 1 already on your computer and download the support patch for WPA from the Microsoft web site.

  • Page 60: Figure 33 Windows Xp Sp2: System Tray Icon

    Wireless Network Connection Status screen. Figure 33 Windows XP SP2: System Tray Icon The type of the wireless network icon in Windows XP SP2 indicates the status of the ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter. Refer to the following table for details.

  • Page 61: Figure 35 Windows Xp Sp1: Wireless Network Connection Status

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide 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. Figure 35 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.

  • Page 62: Figure 37 Windows Xp Sp1: Wireless Network Connection Properties

    This denotes that this wireless network is your preferred network. Ordering your preferred networks is important because the ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter tries to associate to the preferred network first in the order that you specify. Refer to the section on ordering the preferred networks for detailed information.

  • Page 63: Figure 38 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Network Connection: Wep Or Wpa-Psk

    This denotes the wireless network is not available. Security Settings When you configure the ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter to connect to a secure network but the security settings are not yet enabled on the ZyXEL wireless LAN adapter, you will see different screens according to the authentication and encryption methods used by the selected network.

  • Page 64: Figure 40 Windows Xp: Wireless (Network) Properties: Association

    This field is available only when the network use WEP encryption method and the The key is provided for me automatically check box is not selected. The key is If this check box is selected, the wireless AP assigns the ZyXEL wireless LAN provided for me adapter a key.

  • Page 65: Figure 41 Windows Xp: Wireless (Network) Properties: Authentication

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table 23 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Association (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION This is a If this check box is selected, you are connecting to another computer directly. computer-to- computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used Click OK to save your changes.

  • Page 66: Figure 42 Windows Xp: Protected Eap Properties

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Table 24 Windows XP: Wireless (network) properties: Authentication (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Authenticate as Select this check box to have the computer send its information to the network for computer when authentication when a user is not logged on.

  • Page 67: Figure 43 Windows Xp: Smart Card Or Other Certificate Properties

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 25 Windows XP: Protected EAP Properties LABEL DESCRIPTION Validate server Select the check box to verify the certificate of the authentication server. certificate Connect to these...

  • Page 68: Table 26 Windows Xp: Smart Card Or Other Certificate Properties

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 26 Windows XP: Smart Card or other Certificate Properties LABEL DESCRIPTION Use my smart card Select this check box to use the smart card for authentication.

  • Page 69: Figure 44 Windows Xp Sp2: Wireless Networks: Preferred Networks

    Wireless Networks tab to open the screen as shown. Figure 45 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 70 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Appendix B Management with Wireless Zero Configuration...

  • Page 71: Types Of Eap Authentication

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide P P E N D I X Types of EAP Authentication This appendix discusses some popular authentication types: EAP-MD5, EAP-TLS, EAP- TTLS, PEAP and LEAP. The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server or the AP. Consult your network administrator for more information.

  • Page 72: Table 27 Comparison Of Eap Authentication Types

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide PEAP (Protected EAP) Like EAP-TTLS, server-side certificate authentication is used to establish a secure connection, then use simple username and password methods through the secured connection to authenticate the clients, thus hiding client identity. However, PEAP only supports EAP methods, such as EAP-MD5, EAP-MSCHAPv2 and EAP-GTC (EAP-Generic Token Card), for client authentication.
  • Page 73 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide WPA(2) Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a subset of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 (IEEE 802.11i) is a wireless security standard that defines stronger encryption, authentication and key management than WPA. Key differences between WPA(2) and WEP are improved data encryption and user authentication.
  • Page 74 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide By generating unique data encryption keys for every data packet and by creating an integrity checking mechanism (MIC), with TKIP and AES it is more difficult to decrypt data on a Wi-Fi network than WEP and difficult for an intruder to break into the network.

  • Page 75: Figure 46 Wpa-Psk Authentication

    ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Figure 46 WPA-PSK Authentication WPA(2) with RADIUS Application Example You need the IP address of the RADIUS server, its port number (default is 1812), and the RADIUS shared secret. A WPA(2) application example with an external RADIUS server looks as follows.

  • Page 76: Table 28 Wireless Security Relational Matrix

    ZyXEL G-170S 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 77 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide Index Numerics 802.1x data encryption Denmark, Contact Information driver version Dynamic WEP Key Exchange About activating a profile Adapter Ad-Hoc Encryption 29, 73 Advanced Encryption Standard 29, 73 advanced settings antenna antenna power output authentication authentication method...
  • Page 78 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide link information radio interference real-time data traffic statistics Regular Mail Related Documentation Message Integrity Check Message Integrity Check (MIC) save power Scan Info security 28, 57 data encryption Security Parameters network type Service North America Contact Information...
  • Page 79 ZyXEL G-170S User’s Guide help opening system tray icon uninstalling ZyXEL Utility upgrade upgrading ZyXEL Utility version important step User Authentication 30, 74 voltage Web Site 28, 37 manual setup 28, 38 passphrase 28, 37 WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) Wi-Fi Protected Access...

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