USER GUIDE EZ ConnectTM N 150 Mbps N Wireless USB Adapter SMCWUSBS-N3
150 Mbps N Wireless USB Adapter User Guide 20 Mason Irvine, CA 92618 Phone: (949) 679-8000 September 2009 149100000053W E092009-AP-R01
Information furnished by SMC Networks, Inc. (SMC) is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by SMC for its use, nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of SMC. SMC reserves the right to change specifications at any time without notice. Copyright © 2009 by SMC Networks, Inc.
WARRANTY AND PRODUCT REGISTRATION To register SMC products and to review the detailed warranty statement, please refer to the Support Section of the SMC Website at http:// www.smc.com.
COMPLIANCES 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 the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
COMPLIANCES TAIWAN NCC 低功率輻射規定 根據國家通信傳播委員會低功率電波輻射性電機管理辦法之規定,應包含下列警語: 第十二條 經型式認證合格之低功率射頻電機,非經許可,公司、商號或使用者均不得 擅自變更頻率、加大功率或變更原設計之特性及功能。 第十四條 低功率射頻電機之使用不得影響飛航安全及干擾合法通信;經發現有干擾現 象時,應立即停用,並改善至無干擾時方得繼續使用。前項合法通信,指依電信法規 定作業之無線電通信。低功率射頻電機須忍受合法通信或工業、科學及醫療用電波輻 射性電機設備之干擾。 EC CONFORMANCE DECLARATION Marking by the above symbol indicates compliance with the Essential Requirements of the R&TTE Directive of the European Union (1999/5/EC).
COMPLIANCES Czech Česky SMC Networks tímto prohlašuje, že tento Radio LAN device je ve shodě se základními požadavky a dalšími příslušnými ustanoveními směrnice 1999/5/ES. Danish Dansk Undertegnede SMC Networks erklærer herved, at følgende udstyr Radio LAN device overholder de væsentlige krav og øvrige relevante krav i direktiv 1999/5/EF.
COMPLIANCES Icelandic Hér með lýsir SMC Networks yfir Því að Radio LAN device er í samræmi við grunnkröfur og aðrar kröfur, sem gerðar eru í tilskipun 1995/5/EC. Norwegian SMC Networks erklærer herved at utstyret Radio LAN device er i samsavar med de grunnleggende krav og øvrige relevante krav i direktiv 1995/5/EF.
ABOUT THIS GUIDE PURPOSE This guide details the hardware features of the wireless USB adapter, including its physical and performance-related characteristics, and how to install the device and use its configuration software. AUDIENCE This guide is for PC users with a working knowledge of computers. You should be familiar with Windows operating system concepts.
CONTENTS WARRANTY AND PRODUCT REGISTRATION 4 COMPLIANCES 5 ABOUT THIS GUIDE 9 CONTENTS 10 1 INTRODUCTION 12 Key Features 12 Description of Hardware Capabilities 13 System Requirements 13 Package Contents 13 Hardware Description 14 LED Indicators 14 2 WINDOWS 2000/XP INSTALLATION Using the Setup Wizard 3 WINDOWS 2000/XP CONFIGURATION 15 17 20 Accessing the SMC Connection Manager 20 Wireless Utility Configuration 21 AP List 22 Profile 23 WMM 26 Advanced 27 Statistics 28
CONTENTS Switching to AP Mode 32 AP Mode Utility Configuration 33 Configuration 33 Access Control 35 Client List 36 Status 37 About 38 Switching to Station Mode A TROUBLESHOOTING 38 39 USB Adapter Installation Problems 39 Network Connection Problems 39 Uninstalling the Utility 40 B HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS 42 GLOSSARY 44 INDEX 48 – 11 –
1 INTRODUCTION The SMCWUSBS-N3 is a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) Wireless USB Adapter that enables wireless connectivity for your PC. The device provides a Wi-Fi client solution for PCs using a USB 2.0 interface. The USB adapter also includes a comprehensive configuration, site survey, and profile management utility that can be installed on a Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista system.
CHAPTER 1 | Introduction Description of Hardware Capabilities ◆ WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) ◆ Windows 2000, XP and Vista drivers ◆ WHQL certified ◆ WLAN site survey and profile management utility ◆ Infrastructure and Ad-hoc operating modes DESCRIPTION OF HARDWARE CAPABILITIES SMC’s EZ Connect Wireless USB Adapter supports wireless communications at up to 150 Mbps. This adapter operates in the 2.4 GHz band and is fully compliant with IEEE 802.11b/g and 802.11n.
CHAPTER 1 | Introduction Hardware Description Inform your dealer if there are any incorrect, missing or damaged items. If possible, retain the carton, including the original packing materials. Use them to repack the product in case there is a need to return it. HARDWARE DESCRIPTION SMC’s EZ Connect Wireless USB Adapter supports wireless communications at up to 150 Mbps. This adapter operates in the 2.4 GHz band and is fully compliant with IEEE 802.11b/g and 802.11n.
2 WINDOWS 2000/XP INSTALLATION The CD-ROM that comes with the package contains the USB driver and software utility for the Wireless USB Adapter. New or updated drivers can be downloaded from SMC’s web site at http://www.smc.com. The installation screens are similar for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. The installation interface for Windows XP is shown in this user guide. To install the Wireless USB Adapter's driver and utilities for Windows 2000 and Windows XP, follow these steps: 1.
CHAPTER 2 | Windows 2000/XP Installation NOTE: You also have the option of installing only the driver and not the SMC Connection Manager. In this case, the Windows system wireless management utility can be used to set up wireless connections. Figure 4: EZ Connect CD - Setup Type 5. Wait for the software installation procedure to complete.
CHAPTER 2 | Windows 2000/XP Installation Using the Setup Wizard 6. When the “InstallShield Wizard Complete” window displays, click Finish to exit the wizard. Figure 6: EZ Connect CD - Installation Wizard Complete USING THE SETUP WIZARD Once the InstallShield Wizard is complete, the Setup Wizard takes you through configuration procedures for the general settings. Follow these steps: 1. Select the AP to which you want to connect from the displayed list, then click “Next” to continue the configuration.
CHAPTER 2 | Windows 2000/XP Installation Using the Setup Wizard 2. Set the wireless settings for the wireless network. The wireless network's authentication mode and encryption key displays. Name the profile and enter the required key or password, then click "Connect." The wizard will save these settings as the default connection profile. Figure 8: Setup Wizard - Wireless Profile Settings 3. When the following prompt message appears, click “Yes” to save the settings and complete the set-up.
CHAPTER 2 | Windows 2000/XP Installation Using the Setup Wizard When the setup is complete, the current link status is displayed, as shown in the following figure. Figure 10: Setup Wizard - Link Status ◆ Network Name — The service set identifier for the access point. ◆ Link Status — The connection status. For more information, please refer to below table. Table 2: Link Status Description Status Description Card not found The USB adapter is not plugged in.
3 WINDOWS 2000/XP CONFIGURATION ACCESSING THE SMC CONNECTION MANAGER Once the SMC Connection Manager installation is complete, the configuration utility can be accessed by selecting the “SMC Connection Manager” icon from the “SMC” folder. Figure 11: Accessing EZ Connect N3 Wireless Utility A quick launch icon will appear in the lower right-hand corner of the task bar.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration WIRELESS UTILITY CONFIGURATION The SMC Connection Manager screen for Windows 2000, XP and Vista systems include the options in the table below. For details on the configuration for each feature, see the corresponding page number.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration AP LIST The AP List setting page allows you to set and save different wireless settings. You can activate the suitable profile according to where the wireless connection is used. Figure 14: AP List Close Button Minimize Button Expand/Collaspe Button Rescan Button The displayed items on this page can be described as follows: Sort by — Indicate that the AP list is sorted by SSID, Channel or Signal.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration PROFILE The profile settings page allows you to set and save different wireless settings. You can activate the suitable profile according to where the wireless connection is used. Figure 15: Profile - System Configuration To Add a profile, click the Add button and configure the following displayed items: ◆ Profile Name – The name of the profile.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration Figure 16: Profile - Authentication and Encryption The displayed items on this page can be described as follows: ◆ ◆ Authentication – Select the authentication mode. For an infrastructure network, six modes are supported by the Wireless USB Adapter, including Open, Shared, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA and WPA2. For an ad hoc network, Open and Shared modes are supported.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration ◆ ■ WEP – Enables the Wireless USB Adapter to use WEP shared keys. If enabled, you must configure at least one key. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) provides a basic level of security, preventing unauthorized access to the network and encrypting data transmitted between wireless clients.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration WMM Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM), also known as Wireless Multimedia Extensions (WME), is a Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability certification. It provides basic Quality of Service (QoS) features for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Figure 18: WMM The displayed items on this page can be described as follows: WMM Enable — Enable WMM function. ◆ WMM - Power Save Enable – Enable the power save mode.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration ADVANCED The Advanced page allows you to configure extended features for the wireless network. Figure 19: Advanced The displayed items on this page can be described as follows: ◆ Power Saving Mode (available when “Infrastructure” is selected as the network type) – Enable or disable the power save operation. ◆ TX Power – Adjusts the power of the radio signals transmitted from the access point.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration STATISTICS The statistics page displays the connection-related statistics with detail counter information. Figure 20: Statistics The displayed items on this page can be described as follows: ◆ Link Speed — The current transmitting and receiving rates. ◆ Throughput — The transmitting and receiving throughputs.
CHAPTER 3 | Windows 2000/XP Configuration Wireless Utility Configuration ABOUT The About page displays the information about version numbers of the configuration utility, firmware and other information of the device. Click the WWW.SMC.COM button to visit the SMC web site. Figure 21: About Information Display HELP The help page provides detailed information about each setting of the SMC Connection Manager. Click a menu item on the left screen and view the information on the right screen.
4 NETWORK PLANNING SMC's EZ Connect Wireless Solution supports a stand-alone wireless network configuration, as well as an integrated configuration with Ethernet LANs.
CHAPTER 4 | Network Planning Infrastructure Wireless LAN INFRASTRUCTURE WIRELESS LAN The SMCWUSBS-N3 can also provide access to a wired LAN for wireless workstations. An integrated wired and wireless LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration. A Basic Service Set (BSS) consists of a group of wireless PC users, and an access point that is directly connected to the wired LAN.
5 AP MODE CONFIGURATION The USB Adapter's utility can extend the functionality of the device by adding an Access Point (AP) mode to its normal client capabilities. This feature is only available for Windows 2000, XP and Vista. In AP mode, the USB Adapter operates as a "Soft AP." The Soft AP feature creates a Wireless LAN to Ethernet bridge using the host PC's existing Ethernet port.
CHAPTER 5 | AP Mode Configuration AP Mode Utility Configuration When set up, double-click the quick launch icon to open the Soft AP utility configuration. The utility screens are similar in all Microsoft Windows systems. The interface for Windows XP is described in this user guide. AP MODE UTILITY CONFIGURATION The Soft AP utility screen includes the options in the table below. For details on the configuration for each feature, see the corresponding page number.
CHAPTER 5 | AP Mode Configuration AP Mode Utility Configuration ◆ Country Region Code — Select the country region where the access point is in operation. Table 6: Country Channel List Classification Range 0: USA, Canada, Taiwan CH 1 ~ CH 11 1: Europe CH 1 ~ CH 13 2: Spain CH 10 ~ CH 11 3: France CH 10 ~ CH 13 4: Japan (MKK) CH 14 5: Japan (TELEC) CH 1 ~ CH 14 6: ISRAEL CH 3 ~ CH 9 7: ISRAEL CH 5 ~ CH 13 ◆ TX Power — Set the access point transmit power.
CHAPTER 5 | AP Mode Configuration AP Mode Utility Configuration ◆ Pre-shared Key – Enter a key as an easy-to-remember form of letters and numbers. The key must be from 8 to 32 characters, which can include spaces. All wireless clients must be configured with the same key to communicate with the access point. ◆ WEP Key – Only available when WEP encryption is selected. Standard keys are either 5 or 13 alphanumeric characters; or 10 or 32 hexadecimal digits.
CHAPTER 5 | AP Mode Configuration AP Mode Utility Configuration ◆ Apply — Click to apply the configuration changes. CLIENT LIST The Client List page displays the current station link information. Figure 28: Client List The displayed items on this page can be described as follows: ◆ MAC Address — The MAC addresses of the connected stations. ◆ Power Saving Mode — The power saving status of the connected station.
CHAPTER 5 | AP Mode Configuration AP Mode Utility Configuration STATUS The Status page displays the current network status. Figure 29: Status ◆ IP Address — The IP address of the USB adapter. ◆ Physical Address — The shared physical layer address for the USB adapter. ◆ Sub Mask — The IP address mask that identifies the host address bits used for routing to specific subnets. ◆ Default Gateway — The IP address of a router that is used when the requested destination address is not on the local subnet.
CHAPTER 5 | AP Mode Configuration Switching to Station Mode ABOUT The About page displays information about version numbers of the configuration utility, driver and build date of the device. Click the WWW.SMC.COM button to visit the SMC website. Figure 30: About Information Display SWITCHING TO STATION MODE If you want to switch the device back to the client mode, right click the Soft AP system tray icon, and then select "Switch to Station Mode.
A TROUBLESHOOTING USB ADAPTER INSTALLATION PROBLEMS If your computer cannot find the EZ Connect Wireless USB Adapter or the network driver does not install correctly, check the following items: ◆ Make sure the adapter is connected to the USB port. Check for any hardware problems, such as physical damage to the adapter’s connector. ◆ Try the adapter in another USB port. If this also fails, try using another SMCWUSBS-N3 wireless adapter that is known to operate correctly.
APPENDIX A | Troubleshooting Uninstalling the Utility ◆ Make sure the access point that the station is associated with is powered on. ◆ Check that the wireless settings (i.e., security, SSID, Channel) match the access point or other stations to which you are attempting to connect. ◆ If you still cannot connect, change the access point and all the stations within the BSS to another radio channel.
APPENDIX A | Troubleshooting Uninstalling the Utility 3. Wait while the software is uninstalled. Figure 34: Uninstall Process in Progress 4. When the uninstall process is complete, click Finish to exit.
B HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS INTERFACE USB version 2.0 compliant POWER +5V DC, 0.35A over USB connection RADIO SPECIFICATIONS IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11b/g FREQUENCY North America/Taiwan NCC: 2.412 - 2.462 GHz Japan: 2.412 - 2.484 GHz Europe: 2.412 - 2.472 GHz MODULATION 802.11b: CCK, QPSK, BPSK 802.11g: BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM 802.
CHAPTER B | Hardware Specifications LED INDICATORS Power, Link/Activity TRANSMIT POWER(AV) 802.11b: 18 dBm (TYPICAL) 802.11g: 16 dBm (at 54Mbps) 802.11n: 16 dBm RECEIVE SENSITIVITY -88 dBm @ 11 Mbps (TYPICAL) -72 dBm @ 54 Mbps -68 dBm @ 64-QAM, 20MHz channel spacing -63 dBm @ 64-QAM, 40MHz channel spacing PHYSICAL SIZE 25 x 67 x 13 mm (0.98 x 2.63 x 0.51 in.) WEIGHT 25 g (0.
GLOSSARY 10BASE-T IEEE 802.3-2005 specification for 10 Mbps Ethernet over two pairs of Category 3 or better UTP cable. 100BASE-TX IEEE 802.3-2005 specification for 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet over two pairs of Category 5 or better UTP cable. 1000BASE-T IEEE 802.3ab specification for 1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet over four pairs of Category 5 or better UTP cable. ACCESS POINT An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks.
GLOSSARY BROADCAST KEY Broadcast keys are sent to stations using dynamic keying. Dynamic broadcast key rotation is often used to allow the access point to generate a random group key and periodically update all key-management capable wireless clients. DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol: Provides a framework for passing configuration information to hosts on a TCP/IP network.
GLOSSARY INFRASTRUCTURE An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure configuration. LAN Local Area Network: A group of interconnected computer and support devices. MAC ADDRESS The physical layer address used to uniquely identify network nodes. NTP Network Time Protocol: NTP provides the mechanisms to synchronize time across the network.
GLOSSARY SNTP Simple Network Time Protocol: SNTP allows a device to set its internal clock based on periodic updates from a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server. Updates can be requested from a specific NTP server, or can be received via broadcasts sent by NTP servers. TKIP Temporal Key Integrity Protocol: A data encryption method designed as a replacement for WEP. TKIP avoids the problems of WEP static keys by dynamically changing data encryption keys.
INDEX NUMERICS 802.1X K 25 Key Features 12 A L Access Policy 35 Ad hoc 23, 30 AES 25, 34 AP Mode 32 Authentication 24, 34 Authentication / Encryption 23 LEAP 25 LED indicators 14 Link Speed 28 Link Status 19 MAC address 36 B Background 26 Best Effort 26 C Channel 19, 23, 34 Country Region Code 27, 34 D Domain Name 25 E Encryption M 24, 34 F Frames Received 37 Frames Transmitted 37 H Hardware Capabilities 13 Hardware Description 14 Help 29 I ICS 32 IEEE 802.
INDEX T Throughput 28 TKIP 25, 34 Troubleshooting 39 TX Power 27 TX power 34 U Uninstal the Utility 40 V Video first 26 Voice first 26 W WEP 12, 25, 34, 35 Wi-Fi Multimedia 26 Windows 2000 12, 13 Windows 2000/XP configuration 20 Windows Vista system 12 Windows XP 12 WMM 13, 26 WPA 24 WPA2 24 WPA2-PSK 12, 24, 34 WPA-PSK 12, 24, 34 WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK 34 – 49 –
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