Atheros 802.
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Revision History iv • Jan 2007 Revision Description of Changes Jan 2007 Initial Release Atheros Communications, Inc.
Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7 System Requirements .................................................................................... 7 Profile Management ............................................................................................. 7 Create or Modify a Configuration Profile .................................................... 7 Remove a Configuration Profile ................................
Current Status...............................................................................................18 Adapter Information Button ..............................................................................19 Diagnostics Tab...................................................................................................19 Transmitted Frames............................................................................................20 Received Frames ..............................................
Introduction The Atheros 802.11b/g Adapter supports 802.11bg operation. The card uses the Atheros Client Utility (ACU) which is a user-mode utility designed to edit and add profiles for selected Atheros network interface adapters. System Requirements Laptop/ PC containing: 32-bit PCI Express Bus 32 MB memory or greater 300 MHz processor or higher Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows XP, or Windows NT 4.
Remove a Configuration Profile 1. Go to the Profile Management tab. 2. Select the profile to remove from the list of configuration profiles. 3. Click the Remove button. Auto Profile Selection Management Including a profile in the auto selection feature allows the wireless adapter to automatically select that profile from the list of profiles and use it to connect to the network. Including a profile in auto profile selection: 1. On the Profile Management tab, click the Order Profiles button. 2.
Switching to a Different Configuration Profile 1. To switch to a different profile, go to the Profile Management tab. 2. Click on the profile name in the Profile List. 3. Click the Activate button. The Profile List provides icons that specify the operational state for that profile. The list also provides icons that specify the signal strength for that profile. Import and Export Profiles Importing a Profile 1. From the Profile Management tab, click the Import button. The Import Profile window appears. 2.
General Tab In the Atheros Client Utility, access the General tab by clicking New or Modify on the Profile Management tab. Edit the fields in the General tab to configure the configuration profile. Make sure to also edit the Security and Advanced tabs. Profile Name Identifies the configuration profile. This name must be unique. Profile names are not case sensitive. Client Name Identifies the client machine. Network Names (SSIDs) The IEEE 802.11 wireless network name.
Security Tab In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab by clicking New or Modify on the Profile Management tab. Click the Security tab in the Profile Management window. Edit the fields in the Security tab of Profile Management to configure the profile. To define the security mode, select the radio button of the desired security mode. Make sure to also edit the General and Advanced tabs. WPA/WPA2 Enables the use of Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
Using EAP-TLS Security To use EAP-TLS security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile Management window. 1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button. OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button. 2. Choose EAP-TLS from the drop-down menu. Enabling EAP-TLS security: To use EAP-TLS security, the machine must already have the EAP-TLS certificates downloaded onto it. Check with the IT manager. 1.
Using PEAP (EAP-GTC) Security To use PEAP (EAP-GTC) security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile Management window. 1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button. OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button. 2. Choose PEAP (EAP-GTC) from the drop-down menu. To use PEAP (EAP-GTC) security, the server must have WPA-PEAP certificates, and the server properties must already be set. Check with the IT manager. 1. Click the Configure button. 2.
Using PEAP-MSCHAP V2 Security To use PEAP-MSCHAP V2 security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile Management window. 1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button. OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button. 2. Choose PEAP (EAP-MSCHAP V2) from the drop-down menu. To use PEAP (EAP-MSCHAP V2) security, the server must have WPA-PEAP certificates, and the server properties must already be set. Check with the IT manager. 1. Click the Configure button. 2.
Using LEAP Security To use security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile Management window. LEAP security requires that all infrastructure devices (e.g. access points and servers) are configured for LEAP authentication. Check with the IT manager. Configuring LEAP On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button. Choose WPA-LEAP from the drop-down menu. OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button. Choose LEAP from the drop-down menu. 1.
Pre-Shared Encryption Keys Defining pre-shared encryption keys: 1. Click the Pre-Shared Key (Static WEP) radio button on the Security tab. 2. Click the Configure button. 3. Fill in the fields in the Define Pre-Shared Keys dialog box: Key Entry Determines the entry method for an encryption key: hexadecimal (0-9, A-F), or ASCII text (all keyboard characters except spaces). Encryption Selects the default encryption keys used.
Using WPA Passphrase Security To use WPA Passphrase security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile Management window. 1. 2. 3. 4. On the Security tab, choose the WPA Passphrase radio button. Click on the Configure button. Fill in the WPA Passphrase. Click OK. Zero Configuration This section describes the operation of the Atheros Client Utility (ACU) and Windows XP Wireless Configuration Service (WZCS).
To turn Zero Configuration off on Windows XP, take the following steps: 1. In Windows XP, open the Wireless Network Configuration Properties dialog box. 2. Clear the check box “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings” to set Zero Configuration. When this check box is cleared, all profile settings are controlled by the configuration profile, which is set up from the ACU Profile Management tab.
Adapter Information Button The Adapter Information button contains general information about the network interface card (the wireless network adapter) and the network driver interface specification (NDIS) driver. Access the adapter information from the Diagnostics tab. Card Name Name of the wireless network adapter. MAC Address MAC address of the wireless network adapter. Driver Driver name and path of the wireless network adapter driver. Driver Version Version of the wireless network adapter driver.
Transmitted Frames Frames transmitted OK Frames retried Frames dropped No ACK frames ACK frames RTS frames Clear-to-send (CTS) frames No CTS frames Retried RTS frames Retried data frames Received Frames Frames received OK Beacons Frames with errors CRC errors Encryption errors Duplicate frames AP mismatches Data rate mismatches Authentication time-out Authentication rejects: the number of AP authentication failures received by the wireless network adapter Association time-out Association rejects: the numbe
Ad Hoc Network Connected Ad Hoc Network Encryption Active Atheros Communications, Inc.
Display Settings To change the display settings, choose Options > Display Settings from the menu. The display settings dialog box contains tools to set the: Signal Strength Display Sets the units used when displaying signal Units strength: percentage (%) or dBm. Refresh Interval Use the up/down arrows to set the display refresh interval in seconds. Data Display Sets the display to cumulative or relative: Relative displays the change in statistical data since the last update.
Tray Icon The tray icon appears at the bottom of the screen, and shows the signal strength using colors and the received signal strength indication (RSSI). Hold the mouse cursor over the tray icon to display the current configuration profile name and association, as well as transmit and receive speed and the wireless adapter name and IP address. Right-click on the tray icon to: Help Open the online help. Open Atheros Client Launch the Atheros Client Utility (ACU).
The colors are defined as follows: Color Quality RSSI* Green Excellent 20 dB + Green Good 10-20 dB + Yellow Poor 5-10 dB Red Poor < 5 dB Gray No Connection No Connection *Received signal strength indication RSSI. Displayed in dB or percentage. Enable or disable the tray icon in the Action menu. Ad Hoc Mode In ad hoc mode, a wireless network adapter works within an independent basic service set (IBSS), as illustrated here.
Infrastructure (Access Point) Mode In infrastructure (access point (AP)) mode, the wireless network adapter participates in a basic service set (BSS) as a station, and communicates with the other stations through an AP, as illustrated here. To connect to an access point network, configure the profile for access point mode. Infrastructure (Access Point) Mode Profile Configuration To configure a profile in infrastructure (access point) mode, change the Network Type in the Advanced tab.
Uninstall an Old Driver Uninstall an old driver before upgrading to a new NDIS driver release. To remove the newly installed driver from the system if the system does not have previously installed versions of the NDIS driver, proceed to Step 4. 1. To remove the NDIS driver from the OS, go to Device Manager, right-click Atheros AR500x Wireless Network Adapter, and choose Uninstall. 2. Click OK to uninstall the device. 3.
Advanced Status Information Click the Advanced button on the Current Status tab of the Atheros Client Utility to see advanced information about the program and its operations. The Current Status tab does not require any configuration. The following table describes the items found on the Advanced Status screen. Network Name (SSID) Displays the wireless network name. Configure the network name on the General tab. Server Based Shows whether server based authentication is used.
Regulatory Compliance Notices USA-Federal Communications Commission (FCC) FCC Radio-Frequency Exposure & Approval Conditions: FCC ID#: PPD-AR5BCB-00055 This device has been tested for compliance with FCC RF Exposure (SAR) limits in the typical laptop computer configuration and this device can be used in desktop or laptop computers with side mounted Cardbus slots which can provide 2 cm separation distance from the antenna to the body of the user or a nearby person.
Industry Canada Notice: This device complies with Canadian RSS-210. To prevent radio interference to the licensed service, this device is intended to be operated indoors and away from windows to provide maximum shielding. Equipment (or its transmitting antenna) that is installed outdoors is subject to licensing.
Taiwan DGT Radio Compliance: Maximum Output Power: 20 dBm in 2.4 GHz band 2.
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