802.11g MIMO Wireless LAN PC Card User Manual Version: 1.
COPYRIGHT Copyright 2005/2006 by this company. All rights reserved.
Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment 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.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF Exposure Requirements SAR compliance has been established in the laptop computer(s) configurations with PCMCIA slot on the side near the center, as tested in the application for Certification, and can be used in laptop computer(s) with substantially similar physical dimensions, construction, and electrical and RF characteristics. Use in other devices such a PDAs or lappads is not authorized.
CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................. 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 Features ......................................................................................................................... 2 Specifications ................................................................................................................ 2 Package Contents ..........................................................................................................
1 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the 802.11g MIMO Wireless LAN PC Card. With the MIMO technology, this card enables you to connect to wireless networks at farther distances than before. The card has two antennas for signal reception and one antenna for high power signal transmission. Not only the connection distance is enhanced, but also the “dead spots” in the network will be reduced. In addition, the card remains backward compatible to 802.11b and 802.11g.
1.1 Features • • • • Works with both IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g products. High-speed transfer data rate - up to 54Mbps. Farther coverage, less dead spaces and higher throughput with MIMO technology. Supports Turbo Mode to enhance the data transfer speed within the specific wireless network. • Supports WMM (IEEE 802.11e QoS standard) function to meet the multi-media data bandwidth requirement. • Supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA (TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2 (AES with IEEE 802.
1.3 Package Contents Before you begin the installation, please check the items of your package. The package should include the following items: • • • One MIMO PC Card One CD (Driver/Utility/User’s Manual.) One Quick Guide If any of the above items is missing, contact your supplier as soon as possible.
2 Installation Procedure Before you proceed with the installation, please notice following descriptions. Note1: Please do not install the card into your laptop computer before installing the software program from the CD. Note2: The following installation was operated under Windows XP. Windows 98SE/Me/2000.) (Procedures are similar for Note3: If you have installed the MIMO Wireless LAN PC Card driver & utility before, please uninstall the old version first. A.
C. In Windows XP, there is a “Windows Zero Configuration Tool” for you to setup wireless cards. You can choose to configure the card through the Zero Configuration Tool or the Configuration Tool for the card. It is recommended to choose the Configure Tool for the card. Click “Next” to continue. D. If you need the card to operate with better performance, please choose the “Optimize for performance” to enable the Tx Burst mode.
F. The system will automatically detect the card and display “Hardware Installation” screen. Click “Continue Anyway” to continue. G. Please click “Finish” to complete the installation.
3 Configuration Utility The Configuration Utility is a powerful application that helps you configure the PC card and monitor the link status and the statistics during the communication process. When the card is installed, the configuration utility will be displayed automatically. This card will auto connect to wireless device which has better signal strength and no wireless security setting. The Configuration Utility appears as an icon on the system tray of Windows while the card is running.
In Windows XP, there is a “Windows Zero Configuration Tool” for you to setup wireless clients. If you want to switch the configuration utilities, please follow one of the ways as below. First Way Right click the icon in the system tray and select “Use RaConfig as Configuration Utility”. Second Way A. Right-click the icon and select “View Available Wireless Networks”. B. Click “Advanced”. C. Uncheck “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings” to enable the utility for the card.
Note: If “Wireless Zero Configuration” is enabled, you can only configure the advance setting or check the link status and statistics from the configuration utility of the card. 3.1 Site Survey When you open the Configuration Utility, the system will scan all the channels to find all the access points/stations within the accessible range of your card and automatically connect to the wireless device with the highest signal strength. From the “Site Survey”, all the networks nearby will be listed.
Parameter Description Available Networks This list shows all available wireless networks within range of your card. It also displays the information of the networks including the SSID, BSSID, Signal Strength, Channel, Encryption, Authentication and Network Type. If you want to connect to any networks on the list, double-click the item on the list, and the card will automatically connect to the selected network.
Parameter Description Profiles List The profiles list display all the profiles and the relative settings of the profiles including Profile Name, SSID, Channel, etc. This sign indicates the activated profile is been connecting. This sign indicates the activated profile is not been connecting. Add/Delete/Edit Button Click these buttons to add/delete/edit the selected profiles. Activate Button Click “Activate” to connect to the selected profile.
Parameter Description PSM (Power Saving Mode) The power saving function is only available when the network type is in Infrastructure. CAM (Constantly Awake Mode) – The card will always set in active mode. PSM (Power Saving Mode) – Enable the card in the power saving mode when it is idle. Network Type Infrastructure – This operation mode requires the presence of an 802.11 Access Point. All communication is done via the Access Point or Router.
Parameter Description RTS Threshold Minimum packet size required for an RTS (Request To Send). For packets smaller than this threshold, an RTS is not sent and the packet is transmitted directly to the wireless network. Select a setting within a range of 0 to 2347 bytes. Minor change is recommended. Fragment Threshold The value defines the maximum size of packets; any packet size larger than the value will be fragmented.
Parameter Description Authentication Type LEAP – LEAP is a pre-EAP, Cisco-proprietary protocol, with many of the features of EAP protocols. Cisco controls the ability of other vendors to implement this protocol, so it should be selected for use only when limited vendor choice for client, access-point, and server products is not a concern. When you have set up LEAP authentication, you have to enter the user name and password of your computer.
Parameter Description Encryption Mode None – Disable the encryption mode. WEP – Enable the WEP Data Encryption. When the item is selected, you have to continue setting the WEP Encryption keys. TKIP – TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) changes the temporal key every 10,000 packets (a packet is a kind of message transmitted over a network.) This insures much greater security than the standard WEP security.
The IEEE 802.1X specification describes a protocol that can be used for authenticating both clients and servers on a network. The authentication algorithms and methods are those provided by the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), a method of authentication that has been in use for a number of years on networks that provide Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) support as many internet service providers and enterprises do.
3.2.1.3 802.1x Setting-Certification Parameter Authentication Type Description The EAP authentication protocols this card has supported are included as follows. This setting has to be consistent with the wireless APs or Routers that the card intends to connect. PEAP &TTLS – PEAP and TTLS are similar and easier than TLS in that they specify a stand-alone authentication protocol be used within an encrypted tunnel.
Parameter Description Tunneled Authentication Protocol When the authentication type is PEAP or TTLS, select a protocol to be used to build the encrypted tunnel. Identity This is the protected user EAP Identity used for authentication. The identity specified may contain up to 63 ASCII characters, is case sensitive and takes the form of a Network Access Identifier, consisting of @. The user’s home realm is optional and indicates the routing domain.
Parameter Description Allow Intermediate Certificates A server designates an issuer as a trusted root authority by placing the issuer's self-signed certificate, which contains the issuer's public key, into the trusted root certification authority certificate store of the host computer. Intermediate or subordinate certification authorities are trusted only if they have a valid certification path from a trusted root certification authority. Server Name Enter the authentication server name.
Parameter Description Status Display the SSID and MAC ID of the network the card is connecting to. Extra Info Display the link status. Channel Display the number of the radio channel and the frequency used for the networking. Link Speed (Mbps) Display the transmission and reception rate of the network. The maximum transmission rate is 54Mbps. Throughput (Kbps) Display the speed of data transmitted and received. Link Quality This bar indicates the quality of the link.
3.4 Statistics This option enables you to view the statistic information of the connection including transmit statistics and receive statistics. You may reset the counters by clicking ”Reset Counter”. 3.5 Advance This option enables you to configure more advanced settings, for example: wireless mode, protection mode and etc.
Parameter Description Wireless Mode 802.11 B/G mix – If you have a mix of 802.11b and 802.11g wireless stations in your network, it is recommended to setting the card to this mode. This mode is also the default setting. 802.11 B only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11b wireless stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode. 802.11 G only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g and 802.11b wireless stations.
Parameter Description Enable TCP Window Size The TCP Window is the amount of data a sender can send on a particular connection before it gets an acknowledgment back from the receiver that it has gotten some of it. When the Router or AP the card is connecting to have set up the TCP Window, you can enable the parameter to meet the data size for the Router or AP connection. The larger TCP Window the better performance.
3.6 About By choosing this option, you can click the hyperlink to connect the website for the information of the wireless chipset vendor and review basic information about the Utility such as the Driver, Utility and EEPROM Version. The MAC Address of the card is displayed in the screen as well. 3.
3.8 WMM Function In addition to the Turbo Mode, this card also supports WMM function. When you use the devices such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, televisions, VCRs and MP3 players, IEEE 802.11e Quality of Service (QoS) (The Wi-Fi Alliance defined WMM as a profile of the IEEE 802.11e) extensions for 802.11 networks will help to define the priorities of the data traffics by the data categories to provide enhanced multimedia support.
B. Right Click the “Wireless Network Connection” and select “Properties”. C. Click “Configure…”. D. Select “Advanced” page, enable the “WMM Capable”.
4 Troubleshooting This chapter provides solutions to problems usually encountered during the installation and operation of the adapter. 1. What is the IEEE 802.11g standard? 802.11g is the new IEEE standard for high-speed wireless LAN communications that provides for up to 54 Mbps data rate in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11g is quickly becoming the next mainstream wireless LAN technology for the home, office and public networks. 802.11g defines the use of the same OFDM modulation technique specified in IEEE 802.
6. What is BSS ID？ ？ A specific Ad hoc LAN is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Computers in a BSS must be configured with the same BSS ID. 7. What is WEP？ ？ WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 40 bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802 .11 standard. 8. What is TKIP? TKIP is a quick-fix method to quickly overcome the inherent weaknesses in WEP security, especially the reuse of encryption keys. TKIP is involved in the IEEE 802.
13. What is Spread Spectrum？ ？ Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency technique developed by the military for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communication systems. It is designed to trade off bandwidth efficiency for reliability, integrity, and security.
