AzureWave Technologies GE870 Users manual

AW-GE870 802.11 b/g PCI Express Card

User Manual

COPYRIGHT

AzureWave Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. No p art of this document may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any
form or by any means without the written permission of AzureWave Technologies, Inc.

DISCLAIMER

AzureWave provides this document “as is”, without warranty of any kind, neither expressed nor
implied, including, but not limited to, the particular purpose. AzureWave may make
improvements and/or changes in this document or in the product described in this document at
any time. This document could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.

TRADEMARKS

AzureWave is a trademark of AzureWave Technologies, Inc. Other names mentioned in this
document are trademarks/registered trademarks of their respective owners.

USING THIS DOCUMENT

This document provides detailed user guidelines to provide AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express
WLAN Card operation and setting-up. Though every effort has been made to assure that this
document is current and accurate, more information may have become available subsequent to
the production of this guide. In that event, please contact your AzureWave representative for
additional information that may help in the development process.

ii

Contents

Safety statements..........................................................................................................2-1

About this guide............................................................................................................2-1

AW-GA800BT802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card specification summary............................2-2

Chapter 1 Product Information......................................................................................2-2

1.1 Product overview...............................................................................................2-2

1.2 Features ...........................................................................................................2-2

1.3 LED and antenna port.........................................................................................2-2

1.4 Supported network setup...................................................................................2-3

1.4.1 Ad-Hoc mode........................................................................................... 2-3

1.4.2 Infrastructure mode .................................................................................2-4

1.4.3 Software access point (Soft AP)..................................................................2-4

Chapter 2 Installation ..................................................................................................2-1

2.1 System requirements.........................................................................................2-1

2.2 Hardware Installation.........................................................................................2-1

Chapter 3 WiFi-AP Solo Wizard .....................................................................................2-1

3.1 Launch WiFi-AP Solo Wizard...............................................................................3-2

3.2 Wi-Setup Wizard Steps.......................................................................................3-3

3.3 Station Mode Configuration................................................................................3-3

3.3.1 Conf igure Infrastructure type network .......................................................3-4

3.3.2 Build Ad-Hoc networking mode network.....................................................3-5

3.4 Build Soft AP network ........................................................................................3-6

3.4.1 Normal User ............................................................................................3-6

3.4.2 Advanced User....................................................................................... 3-10

Chapter 4 AzurewaveWLAN: Wireless LAN Management GUI........................................... 4-1

4.1 How to Launch AzurewaveWLAN.........................................................................4-3

4.2 Introduction of Main Window..............................................................................4-3

4.3 Station mode ....................................................................................................4-6

4.3.1 Infrastructure and Ad-Hoc.........................................................................4-7

4.4 AP mode......................................................................................................... 4-11

4.5 Windows Zero Configuration............................................................................. 4-14

4.5.1 Swap from AzurewaveWLAN to Windows Zero Configuration...................... 4-14

4.5.2 Rollback from Windows Zero Configuration to AzurewaveWLAN ................. 4-15

Appendix A: Mapping of country and channel plan.......................................................4-1

Appendix B: Q&A ......................................................................................................4-2

Appendix C: Release History.......................................................................................4-3

iii

Safety statements

FCC Radiation Exposure Statement:

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled
environment. This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other
antenna or transmitter.

About this guide

The user guide contains the information you need to install and configure your
AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card.

Guide organization

This guide contains the following chapters:

z Chapter 1: Product Information

This chapter describes the general functionality, features and configuration modes of
AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card.

z Chapter 2: Installation

It is recommended that users should read this chapter before installing both
AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card hardware and software. This chapter
presents the systematic installation of AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card and
antenna, utilities and driver on the support CD.

z Chapter 3: W-Set Wiz ard

This chapter shows you the setup of wireless network in your office or home. Follow The
step-by-step direction, provided by WiFi-AP Solo Wizard, you can have your own wireless
local area network up and running very quickly.

z Chapter 4: Management GUI

This chapter teaches you the proper operations of selected mode from W-Set Wizard. The
GUI display network status, connection profiles and network traffic to help you monitor and
manage the network configuration.

2-1

AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card specification
summary

Host system connections

Interface Fully complies with PCI Express 1.0a interface.

Chapter 1 Product Information

1.1 Product overview

Thank you for choosing AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card.
The AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card is an easy-to-use wireless local area

network (WLAN) adapter which is designed for home or office use. Direct Sequence Spread
Spectrum (DSSS), Complementary Code Keying (CCK), and Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing (OFDM) base band processing are implemented to support all IEEE 802.11b, and

802.11g data rates. Differential phase shift keying modulation schemes, DBPSK and DQPSK
with data scrambling capability, are available, along with complementary code keying to provide
data rates of 1, 2, 5.5, and 11Mbps, with long or short preamble. A high-speed Fast Fourier
Transform (FFT)/Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) combined with BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM
and 64QAM modulation of the individual sub-carriers provides data rates of 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36,
48 and 54Mbps, with rate-compatible punctured convolution coding with a coding rate of 1/2,
2/3, and 3/4.

The AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card also supports Wake-On-LAN (WOL)
function and remote wake-up giving you the convenience to remote log in from other places to
this system.

To provide efficient security to your wireless communication, the hardware-based IEEE 802.11i
encryption/decryption engine, including 64-bit/128-bit WEP, TKIP, and AES, supports Wi-Fi
alliance WPA and WPA2 security. With these features and many more, AzureWave802.11 b/g
PCI Express WLAN Card is ready to connect you to the world of wireless communication.

1.2 Features

System requirements

The AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card is for desktop system or motherboard

2-2

requiring manual installation. Make sure that your system meets the following requirements.

z motherboard with PCI Express Card Slot
z Minimum 64MB system memory
z Operating system

Station mode : Windows® 2000/XP/Server 2003, Windows XP/Server 2003 x64
AP/wireless bridge mode : Windows® 2000/XP/Server 2003

z Optical drive for utilities and driver installation

Easy hardware installation

Please plug AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card in motherboards lot PCI-E x1. Just
connect the antenna, install the driver and utilities from the motherboard support CD and start
wireless communication immediately.

54Mbps speed wireless travel

The AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card provides up to five times more data
transmission than IEEE 802.11b standards, and breaks the wireless transmission barrier to peed
up the internet connection.

WiFi-AP Solo Wizard

Easy-use wireless LAN setup wizard helps you to connect with present wireless network. The
step-by-step wizard provides a convenient way to facilitate the complex wireless LAN setup
process.

Automatic wireless establishment

The utility application

of AzureWaveAR2425 Wireless LAN PCI Express Card automatically
searches and reports the hot spots around it and the wireless signal quality and WEP capability
associated with each hot spot. Then you could connect to the most suitable wireless node

1.3 Supported network setup

You can use AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card in various wireless network
configurations. We recommend you to select the most appropriate configuration for your home
or office network before setting it up.

1.3.1 Ad-Hoc mode

2-3

Ad-Hoc wireless networks bring together workstations and computers to act as servers to all
other users on the network without
complex infrastructure, setup or
administration. Users on the network can
share files, printers. When in ad hoc mode,
the AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express
WLAN Card connects to another wireless
device within its effective range and
communicates with each other in the same
LAN workgroup. Select this configuration
when no access point is present in your
wireless network.

1.3.2 Infrastructure mode

The biggest difference between
infrastructure mode and ad-hoc mode is
that it includes an access point. In
infrastructure mode, an access point
establishes the network that provides
wireless links in the validating range for
clients to communicate with each other
or with a wired network to the internet.
On an infrastructure network, the access
point may manage the bandwidth to
maximize utilization. Infrastructure
networking has the following advantages over ad-hoc networking:

z Range Extension

Each wireless LAN enabled computer within the range of the access point can communicate
with other wireless LAN enabled computers within the valid range of signal from the access
point.

z Roaming

A wireless LAN enabled computer can physically move from the operating range of one
access point to another without losing connection to the LAN. A quick association
“hand-shake” is made between the new access point and the wireless device as the
computer traverses from the coverage of one access point to another.

z Wired to wireless LAN connectivity

2-4

Access point establishes the bridge between wireless LAN and other wired counterparts.
You could configure AzureWav e802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card as a software access
point (soft AP). In this mode, the AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card acts as the
access point that provides wireless links in the validating range to client stations to the internet.

Your system should satisfy the following two
requirements to apply this mode:

z The system you use already connects to the

internet or intranet through another one

Ethernet adapter.

z You are using Windows® 2000, XP or

Server2003 operation system

Notice: Windows XP/Server2003 x64 platforms
are not supported to have software access point
capability.

2-5

Chapter 2 Installation

2.1 System requirements

Before installing the AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card, driver and utilities, make
sure your system satisfy the following requirements

z motherboard with PCI Express X1 slot
z Intel® Pentium™ 4 or later version
z Minimum 64MB system memory
z Windows® Operation System

Ad-Hoc and infrastructure mode: Windows® 2000, XP and Server 2003

Software AP and Wireless Bridge: Windows® XP and Server 2003

z Optical drive for driver and utilities installation

2.2 Hardware Installation

To complete the hardware installation of AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card, you
only need to install the moveable dipolar antenna at the rear of
motherboard.

Installing the antenna:

z Locate the wireless LAN antenna port on the motherboard

rear panel.

z Connect the antenna twist-on connector (female) to the

wireless LAN antenna port (male)

z Place the antenna at an elevated location to enhance your

wireless LAN valid coverage.

2-1

Chapter 3 WiFi-AP Solo Wizard

3.1 Launch WiFi-AP Solo Wizard

In this section, you will obtain detail instruction in setting wireless configuration by following
WiFi-AP Solo Wizard. Please refer to Chapter 1.4 to understand the network types the
AzureWave802.11 b/g PCI Express WLAN Card supports.

In the first time installation, WiFi-AP Solo Wizard is executed immediately after installation to
help you set the proper wireless configuration.

In addition, you could launch it from either program menu

or Wireless LAN Management GUI.

In the following sections, we represent
the steps, the convenient and easy
wireless set up, in WiFi-AP Solo

Wizard.

3-2

3.2 Wi-Setup Wizard Steps

Whatever which wireless configuration you would set up,
the first scene of WiFi-AP Solo Wizard is “Select
Operation Mode” dialog that shows as right picture. You
could select either station or AP mode from the first step.

For Ad-hoc and infrastructure type configuration, you
should select Station mode. The software access point
configuration could be archived by select AP mode.

z Station

Set the operation mode to be “Station”. Follow steps

in section 4.3.

Set the operation mode to be “Access Point”. Follow steps in section 4.4.

z Next

Go to next step of selected mode.

z Cancel

Give up WiFi-AP Solo Wizard. The default wireless configuration will be automatically

applied as “Infrastructure” type of Station mode if user won’t set it up here.

3.3 Station Mode Configuration

Two types, infrastructure and ad-hoc types, of station mode are provided here.

z Infrastructure

Configure the wireless as infrastructure type network.

Follow steps in 4.3.1 Build Infrastructure type network.

z Ad-Hoc

Configure the wireless as Ad-Hoc type network. Follow

steps in 4.3.2 Build Ad-Hoc networking mode network

z Back

Go back to previous step – Select Operation Mode.

z Next

Go to next steps of selected type.

z Cancel

3-3

Give up WiFi-AP Solo Wizard and keep the last configuration.

3.3.1 Configure Infrastructure type network

It is easy to build up infrastructure type network with WiFi-AP Solo Wizard. The next step after
select infrastructure type network is to select the desired connection.

Select the BSS connection list

Select valid wireless BSS, Infrastructure Basic Service
Set, connection nearby your system for connecting.
The listed BSS are touchable access point around you.
You have to pick one from the list and go to next.

z SSID list box

Four fields are shown in the list box to provide

access point status.

 SSID: the name of access point

 Security: the security status of access point. None

means security/password is not necessary . WEP means the access point acquire security/password
to log in.

 Channel: the channel this access point applies.

 Signal: The signal strength; higher mean better.
z Refresh

Rescan the IBSS list.

z Back

Go back to previous step ~ Select Station

Type.Next

Go to next step of infrastructure type

configuration. It is relative the security status of

selected access point.

 None: Setup TCP/IP.

 WEP: A WEP dialog is pope dup before Setup

TCP/IP as below picture. You have to input the password/network key to join this access point
before setup TCP/IP. The password/network key is defined by the administrator of access point.
The invalid network key will stop going to next step.

3-4

z Cancel

Give up WiFi-AP Solo Wizard and keep the last configuration.

Setup TCP/IP

You have to setup the TCP/IP by following the configuration of connect access point. The
following setting should match the configuration of access point you join. Please check the
setting of it.

z Back

Go back to previous step ~ Select the IBSS connection list

z Finish

All settings of infrastructure are finished.

3.3.2 Build Ad-Hoc networking mode network

It is easy to build up Ad-Hoc type network with WiFi-AP Solo Wizard. The next step after select

Ad-Hoc type network is to select the desired connection.

Select The IBSS Connection List

In this step, you could select the present Ad-Hoc station to join. In addition, you could create
another Ad-Hoc station by press “New IBSS” button.

z SSID list box

Display all present Ad-Hoc station around this system.

3-5