ZyAIR B-620 Mini-PCI 11M Wireless LAN Card User's Guide Version 1.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Copyright Copyright ©2003 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.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide ZyXEL Limited Warranty ZyXEL warrants to the original end user (purchaser) that this product is free from any defects in materials or workmanship for a period of up to one (1) year from the date of purchase.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Information for Canadian Users The Industry Canada label identifies certified equipment. This certification means that the equipment meets certain telecommunications network protective operation and safety requirements. The Industry Canada does not guarantee that the equipment will operate to a user's satisfaction. Before installing this equipment, users should ensure that it is permissible to be connected to the facilities of the local telecommunications company.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Statement The Wireless LAN Adapter compliance with Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference. • This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operations. 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.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide ASDL modems, and similar equipment). The final end product must be labeled in a visible area with the following: Contains TX FCC ID: I88B620 IMPORTANT NOTE 1. In the event that these conditions can not be met (for example certain laptop configurations or colocation with another transmitter), then the FCC authorization is no longer considered valid and the FCC ID can not be used on the final product.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Customer Support When contacting your Customer Support Representative, please have the following information ready: Product model and serial number. Warranty Information. Date you received your product. Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it. E-MAIL SUPPORT/SALES METHOD TELEPHONE/FAX WEB SITE/ FTP SITE REGULAR MAIL LOCATION WORLDWIDE support@zyxel.com.tw +886-3-578-3942 www.zyxel.com www.europe.zyxel.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table of Contents Copyright .......................................................................................................................................................ii ZyXEL Limited Warranty ..........................................................................................................................iii Information for Canadian Users.................................................................................................................
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide 4.2.1 Configuring the WEP Encryption on the ZyAIR .................................................................4-1 Chapter 5 Advanced Configuration .........................................................................................................5-1 5.1 Overview......................................................................................................................................5-1 5.1.1 Threshold Control ....................................................
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide List of Figures Figure 1-1 Ad-hoc Application Example 1 ..................................................................................................1-2 Figure 1-2 Ad-hoc Application Example 2 ..................................................................................................1-2 Figure 1-3 Infrastructure Application Example............................................................................................1-3 Figure 2-1 Windows XP: System Tray Icon......
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide List of Tables Table 3-1 ZyAIR Utility: System Tray Icon ................................................................................................3-1 Table 3-2 ZyAIR Utility: Link Info .............................................................................................................3-2 Table 3-3 Common Screen Command Buttons............................................................................................3-3 Table 3-4 ZyAIR Utility: About................
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Preface Congratulations on the purchase of your new ZyAIR! About This User's Guide A practical and comprehensive tool, this manual provides information about the ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility. Familiarize yourself with the Syntax Conventions listed for better and faster understanding. The ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility is common to ZyAIR B-x20 Wireless LAN Adapter series, thus the model name shown in the screens may vary from what you actually purchased.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 1 Wireless Network Basics This chapter gives you an overview of what a wireless network is, its advantages and applications. 1.1 Introduction A wireless LAN (WLAN) provides a flexible data communication system that you can use to access various services (navigating the Internet, email, printer services, etc.) on the wired network without additional expensive network cabling infrastructure.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 1-1 Ad-hoc Application Example 1 Figure 1-2 Ad-hoc Application Example 2 1.3.2 Infrastructure When wireless clients wish to access and share resources on the wired network, they should use infrastructure mode. Wireless clients may move from one coverage area to another seamlessly without network interruption. This is called roaming.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 1-3 Infrastructure Application Example Wireless Network Basics 1-3
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 2 Disable Windows XP Wireless LAN Configuration Tool Windows XP includes a configuration tool for wireless devices. DO NOT use the Windows XP configuration tool and the ZyAIR Utility at the same time. Always use the ZyAIR Utility to configure the ZyAIR. Follow the steps below to disable the configuration tool in Windows XP after you install the ZyAIR Utility. Step 1. Double-click on the network icon for wireless connection in the system tray.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Step 3. Double-click on the icon for wireless network connection to display a status window as shown next. Figure 2-2 Windows XP: Wireless Network Connection Status Step 4. Click Properties and click the Wireless Networks tab. Then skip to Step 6. Step 5. When a Connect to Wireless Network window displays, click Advanced….
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Step 6. In the Wireless Network Connection Properties window, make sure the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box is not selected. Click OK.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 3 Using the ZyAIR Utility This chapter shows you basic ZyAIR wireless LAN configuration using the ZyAIR Utility. Install the ZyAIR before you proceed. Refer to the Quick Installation Guide. For Windows XP users: disable the Windows XP wireless configuration tool first before you proceed. Refer to Chapter 2. Screen shots for Windows XP are shown unless otherwise specified. 3.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-2 ZyAIR Utility: Link Info The following table describes the fields in this screen. Table 3-2 ZyAIR Utility: Link Info LABEL DESCRIPTION Device Select an available wireless card from the drop-down list menu if you have more than one wireless cards in your computer. Re-Connect Click Re-Connect to re-establish connection to the wireless device whose SSID is shown in the Current Service Set Identifier field.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table 3-2 ZyAIR Utility: Link Info LABEL Current Service Set Identifier DESCRIPTION This field displays the name of the wireless device to which the ZyAIR is associated. Tx/Rx Frame Transmitted Received This field displays the number of data frames transmitted. This field displays the number of data frames received. Link Quality The status bar and the percentage number show the quality of the signal.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-3 ZyAIR Utility: About The following table describes the read-only fields in this screen. Table 3-4 ZyAIR Utility: About FIELD DESCRIPTION Driver Version This field displays the version number of the ZyAIR wireless card driver. Utility Version This field displays the version number of the ZyAIR Utility. Firmware Version This field displays the version of the firmware on which the driver and the utility are based. 3.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide 3.4.1 SSID The SSID (Service Set Identity) is a unique name shared among all wireless devices in a wireless network. Wireless devices must have the same SSID to communicate with each other. 3.4.2 Channel A range of radio frequencies used by IEEE 802.11b wireless devices is called a channel. 3.4.3 Transmission Rate (Tx Rate) ZyAIR provides various transmission (data) rate options for you to select. Options include Fully Auto, 1 M bit/sec, 2 M bit/sec, 5.5M bit/sec and 11M bit/sec.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-4 Ad-hoc Network Example To set up an ad-hoc network, configure all wireless clients in ad-hoc network type and use the same SSID and channel. 3.5.2 Infrastructure When a number of wireless clients are connected using a single AP, you have a Basic Service Set (BSS). Figure 3-5 BSS Example A series of overlapping BSS and a network medium, such as an Ethernet forms an Extended Service Set (ESS) or infrastructure network.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-6 Infrastructure Network Example 3.6 Roaming In an infrastructure network, wireless clients are able to switch from one AP to another as they move between the coverage areas. During this period, the wireless client maintains uninterrupted connection to the network. This is roaming. As the wireless client moves from place to place, it is responsible for choosing the most appropriate AP depending on the signal strength, network utilization or other factors.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-7 Roaming Example 3.7 The Site Survey Screen Use the Site Survey screen to scan for and connect to a wireless network automatically.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-8 ZyAIR Utility: Site Survey The following table describes the fields in the table. Table 3-5 ZyAIR Utility: Site Survey FIELD DESCRIPTION SSID This field displays the SSID (or name) of each wireless device. BSSID This field displays the MAC address of the wireless device. Channel This field displays the channel number used by each wireless device. Signal This field displays the signal strength of each wireless device.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table 3-5 ZyAIR Utility: Site Survey FIELD Connect DESCRIPTION Click Connect to associate to the selected wireless device. The following table describes the colors used for the entries in the Site Survey screen. Table 3-6 Color Indicator for Link Quality/Link Strength COLOR Green DESCRIPTION Excellent link quality or link strength. Blue Good link quality or link strength. Red Poor link quality or link strength. 3.7.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 3-10 ZyAIR Utility: Configuration Follow the instructions in the table below to configure the wireless LAN related parameters. Refer to the next section for Profile field descriptions. Table 3-7 ZyAIR Utility: Configuration FIELD DESCRIPTION Configuration Operating Mode Select Infrastructure(BSS) or Ad-Hoc(IBSS) from the drop-down list box. Select Infrastructure(BSS) to associate to an AP. Select Ad-Hoc(IBSS) to associate to a peer ad-hoc computer. Refer to Section 3.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table 3-7 ZyAIR Utility: Configuration FIELD DESCRIPTION Service Set Identifier (SSID) Enter the SSID of the AP or the peer ad-hoc computer to which you want to associate in this field. To associate to an ad-hoc network, you must enter the same SSID as the peer ad-hoc computer. Enter Any to associate to or roam between any infrastructure wireless networks. This is the default setting. Transfer Rate Select a transmission speed from the drop-down list box.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide 3.9.3 Using a Pre-configured Profile To use a previously saved network profile select the profile file name from the drop-down list box and click Activate. 3.9.4 Deleting a Profile To delete an existing wireless network configuration select a profile from the drop-down list box and click Remove.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 4 Wireless LAN Security This chapter shows you how to set up the wireless LAN security available in the ZyAIR. 4.1 Introduction Wireless LAN security is vital to your network to protect wireless communication between wireless clients and the wired network. Configure the wireless LAN security using the Security screen.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 4-1 ZyAIR Utility: WEP Encryption Follow the instructions in the table to configure the WEP encryptions. Table 4-1 ZyAIR Utility: WEP Encryption FIELD DESCRIPTION Select either 64 Bit or 128 Bit from the drop-down list box to activate WEP encryption and then fill in the related fields. Select Disable to deactivate the WEP data encryption. Encryption WEP Key Entry The WEP keys are used to encrypt data before it is transmitted.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table 4-1 ZyAIR Utility: WEP Encryption FIELD Default Key Network Key 1 … 4 DESCRIPTION Select one of the network keys to be the key used for data encryption. Enter the WEP keys in the fields provided. If you select 64 Bit in the Key Type field. Enter either ten hexadecimal digits in the range of “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9” (e.g. 11AA22BB33) for HEX key type or Enter five 7-bit printable ASCII characters (case sensitive) ranging from “a-z”, “A-Z” and “0-9” (e.g.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 5 Advanced Configuration This chapter shows you how to configure advanced features of the ZyAIR. 5.1 Overview The following sections introduce the advanced features you can configure. 5.1.1 Threshold Control RTS/CTS Threshold The RTS (Request To Send) Threshold prevents collision when there is a hidden node problem. Hidden node problem occurs when two stations are within the range of the same access point, but are not within the range of each other.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide notify all other stations to defer transmission. It will also confirm with the requesting station that the AP has reserved it for the time frame of the requested transmission. The RTS function will be activated if the packet size exceeds the value you set. It is highly recommended that you set the value ranging from 0 to 2305. Enabling the RTS Threshold causes redundant network overhead that could negatively affect the throughput performance instead of providing a remedy.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Figure 5-2 ZyAIR Utility: Advanced The following table describes the fields in this screen. Table 5-1 ZyAIR Utility: Advanced FIELD DESCRIPTION Transmit Threshold Control Fragmentation Threshold The threshold (number of bytes) for the fragmentation boundary for directed messages. It is the maximum data fragment size that can be sent. Move the slider to set the fragmentation threshold.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table 5-1 ZyAIR Utility: Advanced FIELD DESCRIPTION RTS/CTS Threshold Data with its frame size larger than this value will perform the RTS/CTS handshake. Setting this attribute to be larger than the maximum MSDU (MAC service data unit) size turns off the RTS/CTS handshake. Setting this attribute to zero turns on the RTS/CTS handshake. Move the slider to set the RTS/CTS threshold.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 6 Removing and Upgrading the ZyAIR Utility This chapter describes how to uninstall or upgrade the ZyAIR Utility. 6.1 Removing the ZyAIR Utility Follow the steps below to remove (or uninstall) the ZyAIR Utility from your computer. Step 1. Click Start, Programs, ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility, Uninstall. Step 2. When prompted, click Yes to remove the driver and the utility software. Step 3. 6.2 When prompted to restart your computer, click Yes and then click Finish.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Chapter 7 Troubleshooting This chapter covers potential problems and the possible remedies. After each problem description, some instructions are provided to help you to diagnose and to solve the problem. 7.1 Problems Starting the ZyAIR Utility Program Table 7-1 Troubleshooting Starting ZyAIR Utility Program Cannot start the ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility Use the Device Manager to check for possible hardware conflicts.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Table 7-2 Troubleshooting Communication Problems PROBLEM B. 7.3 Ad-Hoc (IBSS) CORRECTIVE ACTION Verify that the peer computer(s) is turned on. Make sure the ZyAIR computer and the peer computer(s) are using the same SS ID and channel. Make sure that the computer and the peer computer(s) share the same security option and key. Change the wireless clients to use another radio channel if interference is high.
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide Index A About ..............................................................3-3 Access Point....................................................1-1 Accessing the ZyAIR Utility...........................3-1 Advanced Configuration .................................5-1 AP .............................................See Access Point Applications Ad-hoc ........................................................1-1 Infrastructure...............................................
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide O Online Registration........................................... iii Open authentication mode .............................. 5-2 Operating Mode ......................See Network Type P Power Saving Mode...................................... 3-12 Preamble Mode............................................... 5-2 Long............................................................ 5-2 Short............................................................ 5-2 Preface ...........................
ZyAIR B-620 User’s Guide About ..........................................................3-4 Before you upgrade.....................................6-1 Link Info .....................................................3-2 Removing....................................................6-1 Index Site Survey ..................................................3-9 Upgrading....................................................6-1 WEP Encryption..........................................
Filename: ZyAIRB620-Utility_UG_2003-04-15 Directory: D:\Projects\ZyAIR\UtilityGuide Template: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot Title: ZyAIR Wireless LAN Utility Subject: Author: cindy Keywords: Comments: For ZyAIR B-120 and B-220 only.
