NWD2705 Dual-Band Wireless N450 USB Adapter Version 1.00 Edition 1, 09/2012 Quick Start Guide User’s Guide www.zyxel.
IMPORTANT! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USE. KEEP THIS GUIDE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. Screenshots and graphics in this book may differ slightly from your product due to differences in your product firmware or your computer operating system. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Related Documentation • Quick Start Guide The Quick Start Guide shows how to connect the NWD2705 and set up your network.
Contents Overview Contents Overview Introduction and Configuration ..........................................................................................................9 Getting Started ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Tutorial ....................................................................................................................................................16 Wireless LANs ......
Contents Overview 4 NWD2705 User’s Guide
Table of Contents Table of Contents Contents Overview ..............................................................................................................................3 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................5 Part I: Introduction and Configuration ............................................................ 9 Chapter 1 Getting Started ...................................................
Table of Contents 3.1.2 What You Need to Know ..........................................................................................................25 3.1.3 Before You Begin .....................................................................................................................25 3.2 Wireless LAN Overview ...................................................................................................................26 3.3 Wireless LAN Security ...........................................
Table of Contents Chapter 6 Troubleshooting..................................................................................................................................57 6.1 Power, Hardware Connections, and LEDs ........................................................................................57 6.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility ..............................................................................................................58 6.3 Link Quality ........................................
Table of Contents 8 NWD2705 User’s Guide
P ART I Introduction and Configuration 9
C HAPT ER 1 Getting Started 1.1 Overview The ZyXEL NWD2705 is a dual-band wireless USB adapter, which can connect to a 2.4 G network or a 5G netowrk and bring you a better Internet experience over existing 802.11 networks. With data rates of up to 450 Mbps, you can enjoy a breathtaking high-speed connection at home or in the office. It is an excellent solution for daily activities such as file transfers, music downloading, video streaming and online gaming.
Chapter 1 Getting Started 1.2 About Your NWD2705 Your NWD2705 is an IEEE 802.11n compliant wireless LAN adapter. It can also connect to IEEE 802.11b/g wireless networks. The NWD2705 is WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) compliant. WPS allows you to easily connect to another WPS-enabled device. The NWD2705 is a USB adapter which connects to an empty USB port on your computer.
Chapter 1 Getting Started 1.3 Application Overview This section describes some network applications for the NWD2705. 1.3.1 Infrastructure To connect to a network via an access point (AP), set the NWD2705 network type to Infrastructure (see Chapter 4 on page 43). Through the AP, you can access the Internet or the wired network behind the AP. Figure 2 Application: Infrastructure 1.
Chapter 1 Getting Started Note: When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) in Windows XP. Figure 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon The color of the ZyXEL utility system tray icon indicates the status of the NWD2705. Refer to the following table for details. Table 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon COLOR DESCRIPTION Red The NWD2705 is not connected to a wireless network. Green The NWD2705 is connected to a wireless network. 1.
Chapter 1 Getting Started 1.5.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility Double-click on the ZyXEL wireless LAN utility icon in the system tray to open the ZyXEL utility. The ZyXEL utility screens are similar in all Microsoft Windows versions. Screens for Windows XP are shown in this User’s Guide. Note: Click the NWD2705 User’s Guide icon (located in the top right corner) to display the online help window.
C HAPT ER 2 Tutorial 2.1 Overview This tutorial shows you how to join a wireless infrastructure network using the ZyXEL utility. The wireless client is labeled C and the Access Point is labeled AP. Figure 5 Infrastructure Network 2.1.1 What You Can Do in This Tutorial • Connect securely either to an infrastructure AP using the WPS protocol. See Section 2.2 on page 17 for details. • Connect securely to an infrastructure AP using many of the strongest and most common encryption protocols. See Section 2.
Chapter 2 Tutorial 2.2 Connecting to an AP using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) This section gives you an example of how to set up your wireless network using WPS. This example uses the NWD2705 as the wireless client, and ZyXEL’s NBG4615 v2 as the Access Point (AP). Note: The Access Point must be a WPS-aware device. There are two WPS methods for creating a secure connection. This tutorial shows you both. • Push Button Configuration (PBC) - create a secure wireless network simply by pressing a button.
Chapter 2 Tutorial The following figure shows you an example to set up wireless network and security by pressing a button on both the AP (the NBG4615 v2 in this example) and the NWD2705. Figure 6 Example WPS Process: PBC Method You AP WITHIN 2 MINUTES SECURITY INFO COMMUNICATION 2.2.2 PIN Configuration When you use the PIN configuration method, you need to use both the NWD2705’s utility and the AP’s configuration interface. 1 In the NWD2705’s Adapter tab, select WPS and PIN - Use this device’s PIN.
Chapter 2 Tutorial The following figure shows you the example of configuring the wireless network and security on the NWD2705 and the AP (ZyXEL’s NBG4615 v2 in this example) by using the PIN method.
Chapter 2 Tutorial 2.3 Connecting to an AP Without Using WPS There are three ways to connect the wireless client (the NWD2705) to a network without using WPS. • Configure nothing and leave the wireless client to automatically scan for and connect to any available network that has no wireless security configured. • Manually connect to a network (see Section 2.3.1 on page 20). • Configure a profile to have the wireless client automatically connect to a specific network or peer computer (see Section 2.3.
Chapter 2 Tutorial 4 When you try to connect to an AP with security configured, a window will pop up prompting you to specify the security settings. Enter the pre-shared key and leave the encryption type at the default setting. Use the Next button to move on to the next screen. You can use the Back button at any time to return to the previous screen, or the Exit button to return to the Site Survey screen. Figure 9 ZyXEL Utility: Security Settings 5 The Summary window appears.
Chapter 2 Tutorial 7 Open your Internet browser and enter http://www.zyxel.com or the URL of any other web site in the address bar. If you are able to access the web site, your wireless connection is successfully configured. If you cannot access the web site, check the Troubleshooting section of this User's Guide or contact your network administrator if necessary. 2.3.2 Creating and Using a Profile A profile lets you automatically connect to the same wireless network every time you use the ZyXEL utility.
Chapter 2 Tutorial 4 Choose the same encryption method as the AP to which you want to connect (In this example, WPA-PSK). Figure 14 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Security 5 This screen varies depending on the encryption method you selected in the previous screen. In this example, enter the pre-shared key and leave the encryption type at the default setting. Figure 15 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Encryption 6 Verify the profile settings in the ready-only screen. Click Save to save and go to the next screen.
Chapter 2 Tutorial Note: Only one profile can be activated and used at any given time. Figure 17 ZyXEL Utility: Profile Activate 8 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.
C HAPT ER 3 Wireless LANs 3.1 Overview This section provides background information on wireless Local Area Networks. 3.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section • Connect securely to an AP using many of the strongest and most common encryption protocols. See Section 3.3 on page 26 for details. • Connect securely either to an AP or computer-to-computer using WPS. See Section 3.4 on page 28 for details. 3.1.2 What You Need to Know The following terms and concepts may help as you read through this section.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs 3.2 Wireless LAN Overview The following figure provides an example of a wireless network with an AP. Figure 18 Example of a Wireless Network The wireless network is the part in the blue circle. In this wireless network, devices A and B are called wireless clients. The wireless clients use the access point (AP) to interact with other devices (such as the printer) or with the Internet Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs 3.3.1 WEP 3.3.1.1 Data Encryption WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption scrambles all data packets transmitted between the NWD2705 and the AP or other wireless stations to keep network communications private. Both the wireless stations and the access points must use the same WEP key for data encryption and decryption. There are two ways to create WEP keys in your NWD2705. • Automatic WEP key generation based on a “password phrase” called a passphrase.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs single, alphanumeric password to derive a PMK which is used to generate unique temporal encryption keys. This prevent all wireless devices sharing the same encryption keys. (a weakness of WEP) If both an AP and the wireless clients support WPA2-PSK, use WPA2-PSK for stronger data encryption. If the AP or the wireless clients do not support WPA2-PSK, just use WPA-PSK. Select WEP only when the AP and/or wireless clients do not support WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs 3.4.2 PIN Configuration Each WPS-enabled device has its own PIN (Personal Identification Number). This may either be static (it cannot be changed) or dynamic (in some devices you can generate a new PIN by clicking on a button in the configuration interface).
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs The following figure shows a WPS-enabled wireless client (installed in a notebook computer) connecting to the WPS-enabled AP via the PIN method. Figure 19 Example WPS Process: PIN Method ENROLLEE REGISTRAR WPS This device’s WPS PIN: 123456 WPS Enter WPS PIN from other device: WPS START WPS START WITHIN 2 MINUTES SECURE EAP TUNNEL SSID WPA(2)-PSK COMMUNICATION 3.4.3 How WPS Works When two WPS-enabled devices connect, each device must assume a specific role.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs The following figure shows a WPS-enabled client (installed in a notebook computer) connecting to a WPS-enabled access point. Figure 20 How WPS works ACTIVATE WPS ACTIVATE WPS WITHIN 2 MINUTES WPS HANDSHAKE ENROLLEE REGISTRAR SECURE TUNNEL SECURITY INFO COMMUNICATION The roles of registrar and enrollee last only as long as the WPS setup process is active (two minutes). The next time you use WPS, a different device can be the registrar if necessary.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs is the registrar, and Client 1 is the enrollee. The registrar randomly generates the security information to set up the network, since it is unconfigured and has no existing information. Figure 21 WPS: Example Network Step 1 ENROLLEE REGISTRAR SECURITY INFO AP1 CLIENT 1 In step 2, you add another wireless client to the network.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs In step 3, you add another access point (AP2) to your network. AP2 is out of range of AP1, so you cannot use AP1 for the WPS handshake with the new access point. However, you know that Client 2 supports the registrar function, so you use it to perform the WPS handshake instead. Figure 23 WPS: Example Network Step 3 EXISTING CONNECTION CLIENT 1 E CO ING T XIS ION CT E NN AP1 REGISTRAR CLIENT 2 SE CU RIT Y ENROLLEE INF O AP1 3.4.
Chapter 3 Wireless LANs • When you use the PBC method, there is a short period (from the moment you press the button on one device to the moment you press the button on the other device) when any WPS-enabled device could join the network. This is because the registrar has no way of identifying the “correct” enrollee, and cannot differentiate between your enrollee and a rogue device. This is a possible way for a hacker to gain access to a network. You can easily check to see if this has happened.
C HAPT ER 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.1 Overview This section shows you how to configure your NWD2705 using the ZyXEL utility in Windows. 4.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section • On the Link Info screen, you can see your current connection details, monitor signal strength and quality, and more. See Section 4.3 on page 37 for details.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode Pre-Shared Key (PSK) A pre-shared key is a password shared between the server and the client that unlocks the algorithm used to encrypt the data traffic between them. Without the proper password, the client and the server cannot communicate. Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) An enhanced security framework designed to improve an existing security protocol, such as WPAPSK or WPA2-PSK. 4.1.3 Before You Begin • Make sure the ZyXEL utility is already installed.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.3 The Link Info Screen When the ZyXEL utility starts, the Link Info screen displays, showing the current configuration and connection status of your NWD2705. Figure 25 Link Info The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 5 Link Info LABEL DESCRIPTION Wireless Network Status Profile Name This is the name of the profile you are currently using.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode Table 5 Link Info (continued) LABEL DESCRIPTION Link Quality This field displays the signal strength of the NWD2705. Trend Chart Click this button to display the real-time statistics of the data rate in kilobits per second (Kbps). Signal Strength The status bar shows the strength of the signal. The signal strength mainly depends on the antenna output power and the distance between your NWD2705 and the AP or peer computer.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.4 The Site Survey Screen Use the Site Survey screen to scan for and connect to a wireless network automatically. Figure 27 Site Survey The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 7 Site Survey LABEL DESCRIPTION Available Network List Click a column heading to sort the entries. or , SSID denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode and the wireless security is activated.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.4.1 Security Settings When you configure the NWD2705 to connect to a network with wireless security activated and the security settings are disabled on the NWD2705, the screen varies according to the encryption method used by the selected network. 4.4.1.1 Security Type Selection When you choose to connect to a network that has security, you are presented with a security selection screen. Choose the security of the network you are attempting to join.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.4.1.2 WEP Encryption Configure WEP security in this screen. Figure 29 Security Setting: WEP The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 9 Security Setting: WEP LABEL DESCRIPTION Security Settings WEP Select 64 bits or 128 bits to activate WEP encryption and then fill in the related fields. Authentication Type Select an authentication method. Choices are OPEN and SHARED.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.4.1.3 WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Configure WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK security in this screen. Figure 30 Security Setting: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 10 Security Setting: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK LABEL DESCRIPTION Encryption Type The encryption mechanisms used for WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK are the same. The only difference between the two is that WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK uses a simple common password, instead of user-specific credentials.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.4.2 Summary Screen Use this screen to confirm and save the security settings. Figure 31 Summary Screen The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 11 Summary Screen LABEL DESCRIPTION Network Name (SSID) This field displays the SSID previously entered. Network Type This field displays the network type (Infrastructure) of the wireless device. Channel This field displays the channel number used by the profile.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode The profile function allows you to save the wireless network settings in this screen, or use one of the pre-configured network profiles. Figure 32 Profile The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 12 Profile LABEL DESCRIPTION Profile List Click a column heading to sort the entries. , or denotes that the wireless device is in infrastructure mode and the wireless security is activated.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.5.1 Adding a New Profile Follow the steps below to add a new profile. 1 Click Add in the Profile screen. An Add New Profile screen displays as shown next. Figure 33 Profile: Add a New Profile The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 13 Profile: Add a New Profile LABEL DESCRIPTION Add New Profile Profile Name Enter a descriptive name in this field.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 2 Select WEP, WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK from the drop-down list box to enable data encryption. Otherwise, select DISABLE to allow the NWD2705 to communicate with the access points or other peer wireless computers without any data encryption, and skip to step 5. Figure 34 Profile: Wireless Settings 3 The screen varies depending on the encryption method you select in the previous screen.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4 This read-only screen shows a summary of the new profile settings. Verify that the settings are correct. Click Save to save and go to the next screen. Click Back to return to the previous screen. Otherwise, click Exit to go back to the Profile screen without saving. Figure 36 Profile: Confirm New Settings 5 To use this network profile, click the Activate Now button. Otherwise, click the Activate Later button. You can activate only one profile at a time.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.6 The Adapter Screen To set the other advanced features on the NWD2705, click the Adapter tab. Figure 38 Adapter The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 14 Adapter LABEL DESCRIPTION Adapter Setting Wireless Mode Select 2.4+5G to have the NWD2705 utilize either the 2.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band. Select 2.4G to have the NWD2705 operate in the 2.4 GHz band and connect to a 2.4 GHz wireless network (802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11n) only.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode 4.6.1 WPS: PBC (Push Button Configuration) This screen allows you to use the WPS Push Button Configuration mode. See Section 3.4.1 on page 28 for more information. Select WPS and PBC (Push Button Configuration) in the Adapter screen. The following screen displays. Figure 39 WPS: PBC (Push Button Configuration) Press Start when you want to begin the WPS process. You must also press the button on the other device within two minutes. 4.6.
Chapter 4 ZyXEL Utility: Station Mode The following table describes the labels in this screen. Table 15 WPS: PIN - Use this Device’s PIN LABEL DESCRIPTION This device’s PIN This is the NWD2705’s Personal Identification Number (PIN). This field is read-only. Enter the number that displays in this field into the configuration interface of the other WPS-enabled device. Note: Each time this screen displays, the PIN is different. The PIN is valid for only one WPS transaction. Start Click this to start WPS.
C HAPT ER 5 Maintenance 5.1 Overview This section describes how to uninstall or upgrade the ZyXEL utility. 5.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section • Learn which version of the ZyXEL utility and device driver you’re currently using. See Section 5.2 on page 52 for details. • Remove the ZyXEL utility from your computer. See Section 5.3 on page 52 for details. • Upgrade the ZyXEL utility. See Section 5.4 on page 53 for details. 5.1.
Chapter 5 Maintenance 5.2 The About Screen The About screen displays driver and utility version numbers of the NWD2705. To display the screen as shown below, click the About ( ) button. Figure 42 About The following table describes the read-only fields in this screen. Table 17 About LABEL DESCRIPTION Driver Version This field displays the version number of the NWD2705 driver. Utility Version This field displays the version number of the ZyXEL utility. 5.
Chapter 5 Maintenance 3 Click OK to complete uninstalling the software. Figure 44 Uninstall: Complete 5.4 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 5.3 on page 52 to remove the current ZyXEL utility from your computer.
Chapter 5 Maintenance 54 NWD2705 User’s Guide
P ART II Troubleshooting 55
C HAPT ER 6 Troubleshooting This chapter offers some suggestions to solve problems you might encounter. The potential problems are divided into the following categories. • Power, Hardware Connections, and LEDs • Accessing the ZyXEL Utility • Link Quality • Problems Communicating with Other Computers 6.1 Power, Hardware Connections, and LEDs The NWD2705 does not turn on. None of the LEDs turn on. 1 Make sure the NWD2705 is correctly installed (refer to your Quick Start Guide).
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting 6.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility I cannot access the ZyXEL Utility 1 Make sure the NWD2705 is properly inserted and the LEDs are on. Refer to the Quick Start Guide for information on how to properly connect the NWD2705. 2 Use the Device Manager to check for possible hardware conflicts. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager. Verify the status of the NWD2705 under Network Adapter (steps may vary depending on the version of Windows).
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting • Make sure that the computer and the AP share the same security option and key. Verify the settings in the Profile Security Setting screen. • If you are using WPA(2)-PSK security, try changing your encryption type from TKIP to AES or vice versa.
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting 60 NWD2705 User’s Guide
A PPENDIX A Legal Information Copyright Copyright © 2012 by ZyXEL Communications Corporation. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any part or as a whole, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, photocopying, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of ZyXEL Communications Corporation. Published by ZyXEL Communications Corporation.
Appendix A Legal Information Registration Register your product online to receive e-mail notices of firmware upgrades and information at www.zyxel.com. Open Source Licenses This product contains in part some free software distributed under GPL license terms and/or GPL like licenses. Open source licenses are provided with the firmware package. You can download the latest firmware at www.zyxel.com. To obtain the source code covered under those Licenses, please contact support@zyxel.com.tw to get it.
Appendix A Legal Information [Norwegian] Erklærer herved ZyXEL at dette utstyret er I samsvar med de grunnleggende kravene og andre relevante bestemmelser I direktiv 1999/5/EF. [Romanian] Prin prezenta, ZyXEL declară că acest echipament este în conformitate cu cerinţele esenţiale şi alte prevederi relevante ale Directivei 1999/5/EC.
Appendix A Legal Information The outdoor usage of the 2.4 GHz band requires an authorization from the Electronic Communications Office. Please check http:// www.esd.lv for more details. 2.4 GHz frekvenèu joslas izmantoðanai ârpus telpâm nepiecieðama atïauja no Elektronisko sakaru direkcijas. Vairâk informâcijas: http://www.esd.lv. Notes: 1. Although Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are not EU member states, the EU Directive 1999/5/EC has also been implemented in those countries. 2.
Index Index A creating a new profile 45 About 52 current connection status 37 current configuration 37 about your ZyXEL Device 12 Access Point (AP) 26 Access point (AP) 26 D Access Point. See also AP. ACT LED 12 data encryption 39 activating a profile 47 disclaimer 61 adapter 48 Advanced Encryption Standard 27 documentation related 2 advanced settings 48 download 53 AP See also access point.
Index I infrastructure 13 installation 13 Internet access 13 L LEDs 12 Profile 43 profile 37, 44 activation 47 add new 45 configure 20, 22 default 43 delete 44 edit 44 information 44 new 44, 45 PSK 27 lights 12 link information 37 LINK LED 12 Q link quality 38 Quick Start Guide 2, 13, 58 M R manual network connection 20 Message Integrity Check (MIC) 27 radio interference 58 real-time data traffic statistics 38 receive rate 37 N network mode 37 network name 37 receive speed 37 registration product
Index T Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) 27 total receive 37 total transmit 37 trademarks 61 transmission rate 44 transmission speed 37 wireless station mode adapter 48 security settings 40 site survey 39 trend chart 38 wireless tutorial 17 WPA 27 vs WPA-PSK 27 transmit key 41 WPA2 27 vs WPA2-PSK 27 transmit rate 37 WPA2-PSK 27, 42 trend chart 38 WPA-PSK 27, 28, 42 WPS see also Wi-Fi Protected Setup 36 U WZC (Wireless Zero Configuration) 14 uninstalling the ZyXEL utility 52 upgrading the Zy
Index 68 NWD2705 User’s Guide
