ZyXEL Communications N220 User Manual
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ZyXEL Communications N220 User Manual

ZyXEL Communications N220 User Manual

Wireless n-lite usb adapter
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N220
Wireless N-lite USB Adapter
Version 1.0
Edition 1, 07/2010
www.zyxel.com
www.zyxel.com
Copyright © 2010
ZyXEL Communications Corporation

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  • Page 1 N220 Wireless N-lite USB Adapter Version 1.0 Edition 1, 07/2010 www.zyxel.com www.zyxel.com Copyright © 2010 ZyXEL Communications Corporation...

  • Page 3: About This User's Guide

    About This User's Guide About This User's Guide Intended Audience This manual is intended for people who want to configure the N220 using the ZyXEL utility. Tips for Reading User’s Guides On-Screen When reading a ZyXEL User’s Guide On-Screen, keep the following in mind: •...
  • Page 4 Please have the following information ready when you contact the vendor. • Product model and serial number. • Date that you received your device. • Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 5: Document Conventions

    Syntax Conventions • The N220 may be referred to as the “N220”, the “device”, the “system” or the “product” in this User’s Guide. • Product labels, screen names, field labels and field choices are all in bold font.
  • Page 6 Document Conventions Icons Used in Figures Figures in this User’s Guide may use the following generic icons. Wireless Access Point Computer Notebook computer Server Modem Telephone Internet Wireless Signal N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 7: Safety Warnings

    Your product is marked with this symbol, which is known as the WEEE mark. WEEE stands for Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment. It means that used electrical and electronic products should not be mixed with general waste. Used electrical and electronic equipment should be treated separately. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 8 Safety Warnings N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 9: Contents Overview

    Contents Overview Contents Overview Introduction and Configuration .................... 17 Getting Started ........................... 19 Wireless LANs ........................... 27 ZyXEL Utility ..........................39 Troubleshooting and Specifications ..................53 Troubleshooting ......................... 55 Product Specifications ....................... 59 Appendices and Index ......................63 N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 10 Contents Overview N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 11: Table Of Contents

    2.4.1 Push Button Configuration ..................26 2.4.2 PIN Configuration ....................... 26 2.4.3 How WPS Works ......................28 2.4.4 Limitations of WPS ..................... 31 Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility - Mac OS X ......................33 3.1 Overview ..........................33 N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 12 4.3 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility ....................54 4.4 Link Quality .......................... 54 4.5 Problems Communicating with Other Computers ............... 55 Chapter 5 Product Specifications ......................57 Appendix A Wireless LANs ....................61 Appendix B Legal Information ....................77 Index............................81 N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 13: Chapter 1 Getting Started

    Getting Started 1.1 Overview The ZyXEL N220 Wireless N-lite USB Adapter brings you a better Internet experience over existing IEEE 802.11 b/g/n networks. With data rates of up to 150 Mbps, you can enjoy a breathtaking high-speed connection at home or in the office.

  • Page 14: Features

    IEEE 802.11b/g wireless networks. The N220 is WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) compliant. WPS allows you to easily set up a secure connection with another WPS-enabled device. The N220 is a USB adapter which connects to an empty USB port on your computer. Figure 1 The N220 The following table describes the N220.

  • Page 15: Hardware Installation

    USB port on the computer. The N220’s LED (light) turns on if it is properly inserted. Note: Never bend, twist or force the N220 into the port. If there is not enough space to attach the N220, use the included USB cable.

  • Page 16: Installing The Zyxel Utility

    Chapter 1 Getting Started 1.4.2 Installing the ZyXEL Utility To install the ZyXEL Utility: Make sure the N220 is disconnected from your computer before you begin the installation process. Open the ZyXEL_USB.dmg file on the included disc. Inside the ZyXEL_USB.dmg, open the folder for your version of Mac OS X. For example, if you are using 10.5 then open the USBWireless-10.5 folder.
  • Page 17 Applications folder and a link to it is created in your System Preferences > Accounts > [Admin Account] > Login Items. This is a monitoring application that detects the N220 whenever you connect it to your computer and which then automatically opens the ZyXEL Utility.

  • Page 18: Uninstalling The Zyxel Utility

    10.5, then you want to open the USBWireless-10.5 folder. Double-click the USBWireless-Leopard-Uninstall.pkg to run the installation program and follow the on-screen instructions. After uninstalling the ZyXEL Utility and device driver, you must restart your computer. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 19: Device Applications

    (another wireless device in Ad-Hoc mode). Infrastructure To connect to a network via an access point (AP), set the N220 network type to Infrastructure. Through the AP, you can access the Internet or the wired network behind it.
  • Page 20 To set up a small independent wireless workgroup without an AP, use Ad-Hoc. Ad-Hoc does not require an AP or a wired network. Two or more wireless clients communicate directly with each other. Note: Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is not available in ad-hoc mode. Figure 3 Application: Ad-Hoc N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 21: Chapter 2 Wireless Lans

    Authentication is the process of confirming a client’s or user’s digital identity when they connect to a network. Turning off authentication means disabling all security protocols and opening your network to anyone with the means to connect to it. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 22: Before You Begin

    (AP) to interact with other devices (such as the printer) or with the Internet Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines. • Every device in the same wireless network must use the same SSID. The SSID is the name of the wireless network. It stands for Service Set IDentity. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 23: Wireless Lan Security

    Note: You can use only WEP encryption if you set the N220 to Ad-hoc mode. See the appendices for more detailed information about wireless security. 2.3.1 User Authentication and Encryption You can make every user log in to the wireless network before they can use it.
  • Page 24 WEP keys in the other WLAN adapter(s). • Enter the WEP keys manually. Your N220 allows you to configure up to four 64-bit or 128-bit WEP keys. Only one key is used as the default key at any one time.

  • Page 25: Wifi Protected Setup

    WEP is less secure than WPA or WPA2. 2.4 WiFi Protected Setup Your N220 supports WiFi Protected Setup (WPS), which is an easy way to set up a secure wireless network. WPS is an industry standard specification, defined by the WiFi Alliance.

  • Page 26: Push Button Configuration

    WPS in range of each other. However, you need to log into the configuration interfaces of both devices to use the PIN method. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 27 On a computer connected to the wireless client, try to connect to the Internet. If you can connect, WPS was successful. If you cannot connect, check the list of associated wireless clients in the AP’s configuration utility. If you see the wireless client in the list, WPS was successful. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 28: How Wps Works

    Authentication Protocol) tunnel and sends the network name (SSID) and the WPA- PSK or WPA2-PSK pre-shared key to the enrollee. Whether WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK is used depends on the standards supported by the devices. If the registrar is N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 29 WPS, it becomes “configured”. A configured wireless client can still act as enrollee or registrar in subsequent WPS connections, but a configured access point can no longer act as enrollee. It will be the registrar in all N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 30: Example Wps Network Setup

    In this case, AP1 must be the registrar, since it is configured (it already has security information for the network). AP1 supplies the existing security information to Client 2. Figure 8 WPS: Example Network Step 2 REGISTRAR EXISTING CONNECTION CLIENT 1 ENROLLEE CLIENT 2 N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 31: Limitations Of Wps

    For instance, if you have two enrollees and one registrar you must set up the first enrollee (by pressing the WPS button on the registrar and the first enrollee, for example), then check that it successfully enrolled, then set up the second device in the same way. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 32 Check the MAC addresses of your wireless clients (usually printed on a label on the bottom of the device). If there is an unknown MAC address you can remove it or reset the AP. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 33: Zyxel Utility - Mac Os X

    H A P T E R ZyXEL Utility - Mac OS X 3.1 Overview This chapter shows you how to use the ZyXEL utility to configure your N220 using the Macintosh operating system, Mac OS X. 3.1.1 What You Can Do in This Chapter •...

  • Page 34: Before You Begin

    DESCRIPTION Profile Use this screen to add, delete, edit or activate a profile with a set of wireless and security settings. Link Status Use this screen to see your current connection status, configuration and data rate statistics. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 35: The Profile Screen

    Statistics Use this screen to view advanced information on wireless network traffic. Advanced Use this screen to configure advanced settings on your N220. Use this screen to configure the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Security) settings on your N220. About Use this screen to find the utility and driver version.
  • Page 36 Click this to alter the settings of a selected profile. Delete Click this to remove a selected profile from the list. Activate Click this to select the profile to use. Alternatively, double-click the profile’s name in the list. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 37: The Profile - System Configuration Screen

    Select this to have the N220 never go into sleep mode. (Constantly Awake Mode) Power Saving Select this to have the N220 go into sleep mode when it is not Mode transmitting data. Network Type Select Infrastructure to connect to a wireless access point, or select 802.11 Ad Hoc to connect to another wireless-enabled computer.

  • Page 38: The Profile - Authentication And Security Screen

    Table 5 ZyXEL Utility: Profile - System Configuration (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION RTS Threshold Select the packet size above which the N220 transmits an RTS (Request To Send) message. Fragment Select the packet size above which the N220 fragments (breaks up) the Threshold packet into smaller pieces.

  • Page 39: Zyxel Utility

    Equivalent Privacy security (Shared) for data encryption. • When you select Shared in the Authentication Type field, this displays WEP and the N220 uses Wired Equivalent Privacy security for data encryption. • When you select WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK in the Authentication Type field, select TKIP to use the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol.

  • Page 40: The Link Status Screen

    Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility - Mac OS X 3.6 The Link Status Screen This screen allows you to view the status of the N220’s wireless connection with an AP or peer computer. Figure 14 ZyXEL Utility: Link Status The following table describes the labels in this screen.

  • Page 41: The Site Survey Screen

    This shows the strength of the antenna’s signal. The signal strength depends mainly on the antenna output power and the distance between your N220 and the AP or peer computer. Noise Level This indicates the relative interfence from other nearby wireless devices as a percentage.
  • Page 42 This field displays the network type (Infrastructure or Ad Hoc) of the wireless device. RESCAN Click this to update the list. CONNECT Click this to connect to the highlighted wireless network. ADD PROFILE Click this to go to the Add Profile: System Configuration screen. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 43: The Statistics Screen

    Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility - Mac OS X 3.8 The Statistics Screen This screen allows you to view statistics on network traffic between the N220 and the associated AP or peer computer. This screen is primarily for troubleshooting purposes. Figure 16 ZyXEL Utility: Statistics The following table describes the labels in this screen.
  • Page 44 Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility - Mac OS X Table 9 ZyXEL Utility: Statistics (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Frames This displays the number of frames transmitted by the N220 that did Failed to not receive an acknowledgement response from the other wireless Receive ACK device.

  • Page 45: The Advanced Screen

    This indicates the N220’s wireless network mode. TX Rate This field displays the maximum rate at which data is sent by the N220 over the wireless network. Auto indicates that the network speed is chosen automatically by the N220 based on its current connection.

  • Page 46: The Wps Screen

    This field indicates the type of encryption used by the AP. WPS Profile List This section displays a profile created explicitly for use with WPS in Registrar mode. The N220 creates the profile on the fly as it is needed. When in Enrollee mode, this section displays connection profile settings.
  • Page 47 PIN Code This field displays a randomly generated 8-digit personal identification code for your N220. In Enrollee mode it is not editable but it can be renewed; in Registrar mode it can be edited. Click the Renew button to randomly generate a new PIN code.

  • Page 48: The Information Screen

    Note: Leave this option selected at all times to ensure a stable connection. Automatically Select this option to have the N220 automatically scan for and then select the AP select a WPS-compatible AP while making a WPS connection. 3.10.1 The Information Screen While in the WPS screen, you can view information about any AP in the WPS AP List.

  • Page 49: The Profile Details Screen

    Select an authentication type to use for creating secure connections, or Type use the default as selected by the N220. Encryption Type Select an encryption type to use for creating secure connections, or use the default as selected by the N220.

  • Page 50: The About Screen

    Click this button to close this dialoge without saving and return to the previous screen. 3.11 The About Screen This screen shows you the driver, utility version, and MAC address of your N220. Figure 21 ZyXEL Utility: About N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 51 Table 14 Mac OS X: About LABEL DESCRIPTION Wireless Utility This section displays the version number and release date of the N220’s wireless utility application. NIC Driver This section displays the version number and release date of the N220’s device driver.
  • Page 52 Chapter 3 ZyXEL Utility - Mac OS X N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 53: Chapter 4 Troubleshooting

    • Problems Communicating with Other Computers 4.2 Power, Hardware Connections, and LEDs The N220 does not turn on. None of the LEDs turn on. Make sure the N220 is correctly installed. Restart the computer to which the N220 is attached.

  • Page 54: Accessing The Zyxel Utility

    4.3 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility I cannot access the ZyXEL Utility Make sure the N220 is properly inserted and the LEDs are on. Install the N220 on another computer. If the error persists, you may have a hardware problem. In this case, you should contact your vendor.

  • Page 55: Problems Communicating With Other Computers

    • Make sure that the AP and the associated computers are turned on and working properly. • Make sure the N220 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 56 Chapter 4 Troubleshooting N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 57: Product Specifications

    H A P T E R Product Specifications Table 15 Product Specifications PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL Product Name N220 Wireless N-lite USB Adapter Interface USB 2.0 Standards IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g IEEE 802.11n Operating Frequency 2.4GHZ Antenna Type Chip Operating Temperature...
  • Page 58 Dynamically shifts between 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9 and 6 Mbps network speed. Operation Frequency 2.412GHz~2.472GHz Operation Channels N. America &Taiwan 2.412GHz~ 2.462GHz 1-11 Euro ETSI 2.412GHz~ 2.472GHz 1-13 IEEE 802.11n Downstream data rate 150 Mbps Upstream data rate 150 Mbps Operation Frequency 2.412GHz~ 2.472GHz 1-13 N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 59 Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit) Windows XP (32- and 64-bit) Windows 2000 Mac OS X (10.3/10.4/10.5) WIRELESS FEATURES Wireless Security WEP 64bit, 128bit, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, WPA2-PSK 802.1x (EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-PEAP), WPS. Note: EAP-TTLS is not supported in Windows Vista N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 60 Chapter 5 Product Specifications Table 15 Product Specifications (continued) Wireless QoS Wi-Fi Multi Media (WMM) Wi-Fi Protected Setup Push button configuration (WPS) Use device's PIN Use AP or Router's PIN Other WMM power-saving support Compatible with Windows Zero Configuration N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 61: Appendix A Wireless Lans

    Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS). The following diagram shows an example of notebook computers using wireless adapters to form an ad-hoc wireless LAN. Figure 22 Peer-to-Peer Communication in an Ad-hoc Network N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 62 Appendix A Wireless LANs A Basic Service Set (BSS) exists when all communications between wireless clients or between a wireless client and a wired network client go through one access point (AP). Intra-BSS traffic is traffic between wireless clients in the BSS. When Intra-BSS is enabled, wireless client A and B can access the wired network and communicate with each other.
  • Page 63 Adjacent channels partially overlap however. To avoid interference due to overlap, your AP should be on a channel at least five channels away from a channel that an N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 64 You should only configure RTS/CTS if the possibility of hidden nodes exists on your network and the "cost" of resending large frames is more than the extra network overhead involved in the RTS (Request To Send)/CTS (Clear to Send) handshake. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 65: Fragmentation Threshold

    Use the dynamic setting to automatically use short preamble when all wireless devices on the network support it, otherwise the N220 uses long preamble. Note: The wireless devices MUST use the same preamble mode in order to communicate.

  • Page 66: Wireless Security Overview

    Wireless security is vital to your network to protect wireless communication between wireless clients, access points and the wired network. Wireless security methods available on the N220 are data encryption, wireless client authentication, restricting access by device MAC address and hiding the N220 identity.
  • Page 67 Appendix A Wireless LANs Note: You must enable the same wireless security settings on the N220 and on all wireless clients that you want to associate with it. IEEE 802.1x In June 2001, the IEEE 802.1x standard was designed to extend the features of IEEE 802.11 to support extended authentication as well as providing additional...
  • Page 68 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). A certificate (also called digital IDs) can be used to authenticate users and a CA issues certificates and guarantees the identity of each certificate owner. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 69 However, PEAP only supports EAP methods, such as EAP-MD5, EAP-MSCHAPv2 and EAP-GTC (EAP-Generic Token Card), for client authentication. EAP-GTC is implemented only by Cisco. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 70: Wpa And Wpa2

    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 or WPA2 and WEP are improved data encryption and user authentication. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 71 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. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 72 (default is 1812), and the RADIUS shared secret. A WPA(2) application example with an external RADIUS server looks as follows. "A" is the RADIUS server. "DS" is the distribution system. The AP passes the wireless client's authentication request to the RADIUS server. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 73 The AP checks each wireless client's password and allows it to join the network only if the password matches. The AP and wireless clients generate a common PMK (Pairwise Master Key). The key itself is not sent over the network, but is derived from the PSK and the SSID. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 74 Enable without Dynamic WEP Open Enable with Dynamic WEP Key Enable without Dynamic WEP Disable Shared Enable with Dynamic WEP Key Enable without Dynamic WEP Disable TKIP/AES Enable WPA-PSK TKIP/AES Disable WPA2 TKIP/AES Enable WPA2-PSK TKIP/AES Disable N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 75 Types of Antennas for WLAN There are two types of antennas used for wireless LAN applications. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 76 For omni-directional antennas mounted on a wall or ceiling, point the antenna down. For a single AP application, place omni-directional antennas as close to the center of the coverage area as possible. For directional antennas, point the antenna in the direction of the desired coverage area. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 77: Appendix B Legal Information

    ZyXEL Communications Corporation. Published by ZyXEL Communications Corporation. All rights reserved. Disclaimers ZyXEL does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of any products, or software described herein.
  • Page 78 This device generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
  • Page 79 Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. This device has been designed for the WLAN 2.4 GHz network throughout the EC region and Switzerland, with restrictions in France. N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 80 Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. Viewing Certifications Go to http://www.zyxel.com. Select your product on the ZyXEL home page to go to that product's page. Select the certification you wish to view from this page. N220 User’s Guide...

  • Page 81: Index

    Basic Service Set, See BSS Extended Service Set, See ESS FCC interference statement fragmentation threshold 25, 69 CCMP frequency 23, 58 Certificate Authority See CA. certifications notices viewing getting started channel 23, 63 N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 82 Service Set Identity (SSID) SSID 22, 55 syntax conventions Message Integrity Check (MIC) 25, 71 temperature Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) 25, 71 trademarks network overlap user authentication Pairwise Master Key (PMK) 71, 73 passphrase password peer computer physical specifications N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 83 RADIUS application example WPA2 25, 70 user authentication vs WPA2-PSK wireless client supplicant with RADIUS application example WPA2-Pre-Shared Key 25, 71 WPA2-PSK 25, 71, 72 application example WPA-PSK 25, 71, 72 application example N220 User’s Guide...
  • Page 84 Index N220 User’s Guide...

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