Cisco AIR-CB21AG-E-K9, AIR-CB21AG-A-K9, AIR-CB21AG-A-K9-40, AIR-CB21AG-W-K9, AIR-CB21AG-P-K9 Datasheet

Data Sheet

Cisco Aironet 802.11A/B/G Wireless CardBus Adapter

The Cisco® Aironet® 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter provides high-performance
54-Mbps connectivity in the 2.4- and 5-GHz bands.

Whether configured to support single 802.11b coverage, single 802.11g coverage, single 802.11a
coverage, dual-mode 802.11a/g coverage, or trimode 802.11a/b/g coverage, the Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter is Wi-Fi-compliant and combines the freedom of wireless
connectivity with 802.11i/Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) encryption for the performance,
security, and manageability that businesses require (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter

Enterprise-Class Security Solution

Designed with enterprise-class security requirements in mind, the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g
Wireless CardBus Adapter uses the 802.1X standard for port-based network access. A full array
of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) types for user-based authentication, together with
enterprise-caliber Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, provide full 802.11i support.
The adapter supports WPA2, the Wi-Fi Alliance certification for interoperable, standards-based
wireless LAN security.

Support for Management Frame Protection (MFP) is now available on the Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter. MFP adds security to the MAC management layer
of 802.11 connectivity by cryptographically hashing the management frames and generating
a Message Integrity Check (MIC) during network connection.

The Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter supports the most common 802.1X
authentication types, including EAP-Flexible Authentication via Secure Tunneling (EAP-FAST),
Cisco LEAP, EAP-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), Protected Extensible Authentication
Protocol-Generic Token Card (PEAP-GTC), and PEAP-Microsoft Challenge Handshake
Authentication Protocol version 2 (PEAP-MSCHAPv2). A wide selection of RADIUS servers,
such as the Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) and Cisco Access Registrar server,
can be used for enterprise-class centralized user management that includes:

●

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Strong, mutual authentication to help ensure that only legitimate clients associate
with legitimate and authorized network RADIUS servers via authorized access points

Dynamic per-user, per-session encryption keys that automatically change on a configurable
basis to protect the privacy of transmitted data

Data Sheet

●

Stronger encryption keys provided by Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)
enhancements such as message integrity check (MIC), per-packet keys via initialization
vector hashing, and broadcast key rotation

●

RADIUS accounting records for all authentication attempts

●

IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 AES support

For more information on wireless security, visit

http://www.cisco.com/go/securewireless.

Enhanced Client Network Management Features

A new and improved set of client utilities includes the Cisco Aironet Desktop Utility, System Tray
Utility, and Client Administration Utility. Together, these utilities provide an intuitive graphical
user interface (GUI) for easy configuration, monitoring, and management of the Cisco Aironet

802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter. Enhanced client network management features include:

●

Profile manager: Allows users to create specific profile settings for various environments,
making it simple for telecommuters and business travelers to move from one environment
to another (Figure 2).

●

Customized profile settings: Lets users individually select the channel, service set
identifier (SSID), Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key, and authentication method for
different locations.

●

Cisco EAP authentication status screen: Provides status updates regarding the Cisco
EAP authentication process.

●

Auto-selection of profiles: Provides automatic selection of established profiles, including
those configured for EAP authentication, without requiring storage of the EAP username
and password in the profile.

●

System tray icon: Provides easy access to wireless LAN connection information and one
click access to common actions such as manual selection a profile or turning the radio on
or off.

●

Cisco Aironet Client Monitor: Provides a subset of Cisco Aironet Desktop Utility features,
such as status information about the client adapter and access to basic tasks (selecting a
profile, for example). This application runs from the system tray icon.

●

Troubleshooting utility: Provides step-by-step details on the process of connecting to an
access point, as well as highlights on why a connection failed.

●

Support for the most popular enterprise operating systems: Windows XP and
Windows 2000.

●

Cisco Aironet Client Adapter installation wizard for Windows: Provides for easy
installation of the client firmware, drivers, and utilities. The wizard offers several installation
options, install client utilities and driver; install driver only; or make driver installation
diskette(s). For ease of use, the installation wizard image file is a self-extracting (.exe) file.

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Data Sheet

Features And Benefits

Table 1 lists the features and benefits of the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter.

Table 1. Product Features and Benefits

Feature Benefit

Cisco Secure Wireless
Solution

Enhanced Client
Network Management
Features

EAP Single Sign-on Convenient option to use login credentials for LEAP sign-on on the user’s network,

Site Survey Utility The site survey utility can assist in conducting site surveys, as well as troubleshooting

Cisco Wireless Domain
Services (WDS)

Fast Secure Roaming Allows authenticated client devices to roam securely from one access point to another, within

IEEE 802.1X support, including Cisco LEAP, PEAP-GTC, PEAP-MSCHAPv2, EAP-FAST
and EAP-TLS for mutual authentication with dynamic per-user, per-session encryption keys
via TKIP enhancements. Full support for WPA and WPA2.. Full support for Management
Frame Protection (MFP)

Bundled with comprehensive, easy-to-use client network management utilities to provide a
secure, intuitive, and convenient way to manage and configure the adapter.

eliminating the need to enter a second set of credentials.

existing RF wireless LANs. The utility operates at the RF level and is used to determine the
best placement and coverage (overlap) for the network's infrastructure devices.

Cisco WDS is a collection of Cisco IOS® Software features that enhance wireless LAN client
mobility and simplify wireless LAN deployment and management. Cisco WDS includes radio
management aggregation, fast secure roaming, client tracking, and WAN link remote site
survivability.

or across subnets, without any perceptible delay during reassociation. Provides support for
latency-sensitive applications such as voice over IP (VoIP), enterprise resource planning
(ERP), and Citrix.

Product Specifications

Table 2 lists product specifications for the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter.

Table 2. Product Specifications

Feature Description

Form Factor CardBus Type II
Interface

Data Rates Supported 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
Network Standard IEEE 802.11a/b/g
Operating Voltage 3.3V (±0.3V)
LED Status (green) and Activity (amber)
Media Access Protocol Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)
Wireless Medium 802.11g:

Modulation DSSS

●

32-bit CardBus with standard 68-pin connector

●

PC-Card Rev. 7.0-compliant

●

Direct Sequence-Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Orthogonal Frequency Divisional
Multiplexing (OFDM)

802.11a:

●

OFDM

●

Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) @ 1 Mbps

●

Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) @ 2 Mbps

●

Complementary Code Keying (CCK) @ 5.5 and 11 Mbps

OFDM

●

BPSK @ 6 and 9 Mbps

●

QPSK @ 12 and 18 Mbps

●

16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) @ 24 and 36 Mbps

●

64-QAM @ 48 and 54 Mbps

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