Gigabyte GN-AP01G User Manual

GN-AP01G

AirCruiser G Access Point

User’s Manual

www.gigabyte.com.tw

June. 2005

Revision 1.0

GN-A11G Wireless LAN Access Point

Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement

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. Thes e limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment g enerates, uses and can radiate radi o frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this e quipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one of the following measures:

- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

FCC Caution: Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FCC Radiation Exposure Statement:

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled enviro nment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 20cm between the radiator & your body.

This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

GIGABYTE declares that GN-AP01G (FCC ID: JCK-GN-AP01G) is limited in CH1~CH11 for 2.4GHz by specified firmware controlled in U.S.A.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction............................................................................................1

Overview............................................................................................................... 1

Features................................................................................................................ 1

Package Contents................................................................................................... 2

GN-AP01G Rear Panel............................................................................................. 2

Status LEDs........................................................................................................... 3

Chapter 2 QUICK INSTALLATION..............................................................................4

System Requirements ..............................................................................................4

Planning Your Network Environment ............................................................................ 4

Hardware Installation................................................................................................ 5

Chapter 3 Configuration - Using A Web-Browser.......................................... 6

Using Web-based Configuration..................................................................................6

Configuring the Adapter for Access Point Mode Access ....................................................7

Chapter 4 Access Point Manager............................................................................ 23

Installing the Access Point Manager........................................................................... 23

Using the Access Point Manager...............................................................................28

Upgrade Firmware................................................................................................. 47

Uninstall AP Manager Utility..................................................................................... 49

Chapter 5 Troubleshooting....................................................................................51

Appendix A: Glossary...........................................................................................52

Appendix B: Specifications ...................................................................................56

Physical Interface.................................................................................................. 56

Specifications....................................................................................................... 56

Appendix C: PC Configuration............................................................................... 57

TCP/IP Settings Under Windows 2000........................................................................ 57

TCP/IP Settings under Windows XP........................................................................... 60

Appendix D Warranty..................................................................................... 63

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Chapter 1 Introduction

Overview

Thank you for purchasing Gigabyte AirCruiser G GN-AP01G Wireless Access Point. The GN-AP01G uses the IEEE 802.11g standard which has 54Mbps bandwidth instead of standard 802.11b or standard Wi-Fi which has 11Mbps bandwidth. The AirCruiser G GN-AP01G Wireless Access Point supports both 802.11b and 802.11g clients.

The GN-AP01G Wireless Access Point is able to connect to either IEEE 802.11g or IEEE802.11b. Providing transmission speeds of up to 54Mbps, the GN-AP01G allows users to share network resources, retrieve emails, download large files, conduct a video conference, and distribute or display digital ph otos, videos or MP3 files.

Furthermore, the Access Point supports up to 128-bit WEP encryption to safeguard your privacy on-line. GN-AP01G not only enables simple and easy installation and usage, but also provides you useful AP Manager Configuration Utility and Web-based configuration.

Features

¾ Complies with IEEE 802.11g and 802.11b standards ¾ Data rates up to 54Mbps ¾ Supports 64-bit /128-bit WEP encryption, WPA, WPA-PSK, 802.1x ¾ Supports WDS ¾ Supports dynamic & static IP address configuration ¾ Easy web management ¾ Useful AP Manager Configuration Utility ¾ Web-based firmware upgrade

¾ Dynamically adjusts transmission rates for optimum performance

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Package Contents

Before installing, please examine the components to ensure that none were damaged during shipping. The package contents of the GN-AP01G shall include:

; GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point ; Power Adapter ; Installation CD containing User’s Guide ; Quick Installation Guide ; Ethernet Cable

If there are any missing or damaged parts, please contact your local distributor or dealer immediately. If a replacement unit is needed, return the device with the original packing material, otherwise the warranty will be void.

GN-AP01G Rear Panel

X Y Z

1. Power Socket

2. Ethernet LAN Port

10/100Mbps LAN connection with auto-sensing and MDI/MDIX

3. Antenna

Removable high gain 2.4GHz dipole-type

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Status LEDs

LED’s

Please see the table below for a description of the LEDs:

Label Activity Description

Power On (Green)

Off

WLAN On (Green)

Blink

LAN On (Green)

Blink

Power is supplied to the Access Point Power is NOT supplied to the Access Point Wireless link is connected Data is being transmitted wirelessly LAN port has detected a link with a 10/100 Mbps device Data is being transmitted

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Chapter 2 QUICK INSTALLATION

System Requirements

Suggested Specifications for Wireless LAN Access Point installation:

• A PC, Notebook or Macintosh Computer with installed 802.11b/g wireless LAN adapter

• An Ethernet router or hub

• Ethernet patch cable

Planning Your Network Environment

You can build your network environment as the picture above. After you set up the access point, you can surf the internet by wireless from your PC, PDA and Notebook which built-in wireless module.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Hardware Installation

Follow the steps below when installing your Access Point(s).

Before you begin, please keep the following in mind when placing your Acc ess Point(s).

9 Select a suitable location to install the Access Point. Assure that the location is away from

any interfering radio signals from devices such as microwave ovens, garage door openers, vacuum cleaning devices, etc. Please also operate the Access Point in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight.

9 Position the Access Point appropriately. Signal strength is greatly dependent on your well

placed Access Point. Generally, a centralized area with 360° clear line of sight is the best location with the antenna in a high position to allow optimal propagation of the signal. The

location of the Access Point greatly influences the signal reception.

Installing the Access Point

Step 1 Turn off all the hardware devices in your network.

Step 2 Connect the Ethernet cable of your router/hub to the LAN port of the Access Point.

Step 3 Plug the power adapter cord into the router’s power jack and then plug the power adapter into a

power outlet.

Step 4 Turn on all the hardware devices in your network. After verifying all the connections, proceed to

Appendix C: PC Configuration

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Chapter 3 Configuration - Using A

Web-Browser

This section explains the web-based configuration method of setting up the Access Point. Any Internet Explorer 5.0 or above or Netscape Communicator 6.0 or above may be used to administer the GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point.

Using Web-based Configuration

Open the web-browser of your choice, and enter the local IP address of the GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point into the address line of browser. (The factory default local IP is 192.168.1.1) and press Enter.

The screen shown as below will appear. In lowercase letters, enter the default user name and password, admin, in the User Name and Password fields. Click the OK button.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Configuring the Adapter for Access Point Mode Access

Status

You can use this status screen to view the Access Point’s system information, current connection status and configuration.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Wireless Basic Settings

The Access Point will automatically detect and display your wireless settings. Changes of these settings will influence your wireless connection and performance.

SSID

ESSID (or SSID as it is usually referred to) is the network name of the Access Point in the wireless network. You should set the same SSID name for all your wireless-equipped devices to allow dynamic clients to easily roam among them. The SSID name can be up to 32 characters in length and is case sensitive (i.e. upper case letters “A~Z” and lower case “a~z” are unique).

Channel Number

Please choose the channel for best performance. Normally, no change is needed.

Transmit Rate

Select the desired data rate. The range is from 1 to 54Mbps and the default rate is set to “Auto”.

802.11g Only Mode

Enabled -- No Wireless-B clients will be allowed on the network. Disabled – Both Wireless-G and Wireless-B clients will be allowed on the network. (Default setting)

Hidden ESSID

This setting enables you to hide ESSID name, which is needed by clients in order to connect to the Access Point. The default value is “Disable”. In this setting, all users are able to read your AP’s

SSID name.

RF Radio

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Enable or disable the RF Radio function.

Associated Clients

Click “Show Active Clients” button to obtain the connecting users’ information.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Wireless Security Setting

Use this feature to set up the security types for the Access Point. Five security types are available: Open System, Shared Key, 802.1x, WPA and WPA Pre-Shared Key.

* Open system

Allows any device to connect to the network, assuming the device’s SSID matches the access point’s

SSID.

* Shared Key

Only those computers that have the correct authentication key can join the network.

Key Length choice

Disable - No encryption will be applied. 64-bit - enter 5 hexadecimal digits. 128-bit - enter 13 hexadecimal digits.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

* 802.1x

802.1x is IEEE standard for EAP encapsulation over wired or wireless Ethernet. 802.1x uses three terms that you need to know. The user or client that wants to be authenticated is called a supplicant. The actual server doing the authentication, typically a RADIUS server, is called the authentication server. And the device in between, such as a wireless access point, is called the authenticator. One of the key points of 802.1x is that the authenticator can be simple and dumb - all of the brains have to be in the supplicant and the authentication server. This makes 802.1x ideal for wireless access points, which are typically small and have little memory and proces sing power.

RADIUD Server IP – Assign an IP address for the RADIUS Server. RADIUS Port – Enter a value within the range 1~65536 for port. RADIUS Secret – Enter a password up to 32 ASCII characters (uppercase “A~Z”, lowercase “a~z”, or

numeric “0~9”) in length.

RADIUS Re-key – Lets you enable or disable the RADIUS Re-Key function.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

* WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

If you have used Wi-Fi for a while, you may be familiar with 802.1x Authentication Protocol, which allows users to authenticate the wireless network via RADIUS server. The 802.1x Authentication Protocol is an option in standard Wi-Fi but a must for WPA.

numeric “0~9”) in length.

RADIUS Re-key – Lets you enable or disable the RADIUS Re-Key function. Cipher Algorithms – Two options you can choose: TKIP and AES settings. Group Re-key - Lets you enable or disable the RADIUS Re-Key function.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

* WPA Pre-Shared Key

Traditional WEP had an inconvenient method to change encrypted keys. Even when you changed the encrypted keys; you still can not select all APs and wireless LAN adapter while you are changing encrypted keys. The manual re-keying which is necessary with WEP is a tedious manual pr ocess and is completely impractical for large organizations. After all, the instant you re-key an access point, none of the clients will be able to access it until they too are re-keyed. But with WPA, the re-keying of global encryption keys is all that is necessary. In the case of unicast traffic, the encryption key is changed after every frame using Temporary Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). This protocol allows key changes to occur on a frame-by-frame basis and to be automatically synchronized between the access point and the wireless client. Global re-keying works by advertising the new keys to the wireless clients.

Cipher Algorithms – Two options you can choose: TKIP and AES settings. Group Re-key - Two options: Enabled or Disabled. Pre-Shared key - Enter a password up to 63 ASCII characters (uppercase “A~Z”, lowercase “a~z”, or

numeric “0~9”) in length.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

WDS Settings

The WDS function allows several of the access points to compose a wide Wireless LAN network. Pleas e note all APs must be set to use the same channel and the SSID of all participating APs must also be the

same

WDS technologies between AP manufacturers vary widely, so you may not be able to establish WDS between APs from different manufacturers.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

Wireless Access Control

You may specify users based on their MAC addresses that are authorized to connect to the AP. Only computers listed in the table can connect to AP when this function is enabled.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

TCP/IP Settings

You may set up IP parameters for APs through TCP/IP setting screen.

DHCP Mode

Three (3) options are available: “Disabled”, “Client Enabled” , “Server Enabled”. The default value is “Server Enabled”.

If you want to obtain IP addresses from a DHCP server, select “Client Enabled”. To use an AP as a DHCP server and assign a dynamic IP address automatically on the network, select “Server Enabled”.

IP Address

Assign an IP address to the AP with this option. The default IP address is 192.168.1.1. Please make sure the assigned IP address is exclusive for the AP.

Subnet Mask

Assign a Subnet Mask for an AP. The default Subnet Mask is 255.255.255.0.

Default Gateway

Enter the IP address for the default router. The default gateway is 192.168.1.1.

DHCP Client Range

When “Server Enabled” is selected, please enter the range of your IP addresses.

GN-AP01G AirCruiser G Access Point

System Settings-Password Setup

Here you can set up administrator’s user name and password to restrict administrative access to the AP. Key in a password and confirm, then press Apply Changes. Note, if you leave the pass word fields blank, password feature is disabled.

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