LevelOne WNC-0600 User Manual

LevelOne

User Manual

WNC-0600

N_One Wireless PCI Card

V2.0.0-0712

i

Safety
FCC WARNING

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. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.

This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio 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 equipment 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:

y Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
y Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
y Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected.
y Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
To assure continued compliance, any changes or modifications not expressly

approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to
operate this equipment. (Example - use only shielded interface cables when
connecting to computer or peripheral devices).

FCC Radiation Exposure Statement

This equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an
uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with a
minimum distance of 20 centimeters between the radiator and your body.

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

antenna or transmitter.

CE Declaration of conformity

This product complies with the 99/5/EEC directives, including the following safety and
EMC standards:

y EN300328-2
y EN301489-1/-17
y EN60950

ii

CE Marking Warning

This is a Class B product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio
interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

iii

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 5

Package Contents ................................................................................................. 5

LEDs........................................................................................................................ 5

Operation................................................................................................................ 6

CHAPTER 2 INITIAL INSTALLATION .......................................................................... 7

Requirements......................................................................................................... 7

Procedure............................................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER 3 USING THE WINDOWS UTILITY...........................................................13

Overview............................................................................................................... 13

System Tray Icon................................................................................................. 13

Auto Connect.......................................................................................................14

Site Survey Screen..............................................................................................14

Profile Manager Screen....................................................................................... 17

Network Status Screen ....................................................................................... 23

About Screen ....................................................................................................... 25

APPENDIX A SPECIFICATIONS................................................................................. 26

Wireless Adapter ................................................................................................. 26

APPENDIX B ABOUT WIRELESS LANS ................................................................... 27

Modes ................................................................................................................... 27

BSS/ESS ............................................................................................................... 27

Channels............................................................................................................... 28

WEP & WPA-PSK................................................................................................. 28

Wireless LAN Configuration............................................................................... 28

iv

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Chapter 1

Introduction

This Chapter provides an overview of the PCI Wireless Adapter's
features and capabilities.

Congratulations on the purchase of your PCI Wireless Adapter. The Wireless Adapter
provides a wireless network interface for your Desktop Computer.

Package Contents

The following items should be included:

• WNC-0600

• Antenna

• Quick Installation Guide

• CD Manual/Driver/utility

If any of the above items are damaged or missing, please contact your dealer
immediately.

LEDs

Wireless Adapter

The Wireless Adapter has a single Link/Activity LED.

Act LED

• On - Associated with the network.

• Off - Not associated with the network.

• Blinking - Data being transferred.

5

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Operation

You should install the supplied software on the CD-ROM before inserting the
Wireless adapter.

6

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Chapter 2

Initial Installation

This Chapter covers the software installation of the Wireless Adapter.

Requirements

• Windows 2000/XP/Vista

• CD-ROM drive

• IEEE802.11n, IEEE802.11b or IEEE802.11g wireless LAN

Procedure

IMPORTANT:

Do not insert the Adapter into your computer

BEFORE installing the supplied software from the LevelOne CD.

1. Insert the CD-ROM into the drive on your PC.

2. The installation program should start automatically. If it does not, run autorun.exe

program.

3. Select the WNC-0600 and click “Utility” on the screen.

Figure: Select the Utility of WNC-0600

4. Select the desired installation language on the screen.

7

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Figure: Select language

5. On the screen below, click "Next" to start the installation.

Figure: Start Installation

6. Ready to install the program, click "Install" to begin the installation.

8

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Figure: Ready to install the program

7. Click "Continue Anyway" on the screen below.

Figure: Installation Screen

8. Installing Configuration Service.

Figure: Installing Configuration Service

9

N_One Wireless PCI Card

9. After the installation is complete, select Yes, I want to shutdown my computer now

and then clicks "Finish" to turn off your desktop computer.

10. Hardware installation steps.

z Find an empty PCI expansion slot from your desktop computer.

z Press the PCI Card firmly into the slot and screw on the bracket.

z Connect the supplied antenna cable to the connectors on the PCI Card.

z Power on your desktop computer.

11. The Windows "New Hardware" wizard will then prompt. Select Install the software

automatically enables PCI Card to complete the installation of the Windows driver.

Figure: Found New Hardware Wizard

10

N_One Wireless PCI Card

12. If using Windows XP, you may see a warning screen like the example below. If you

do see this screen, just click "Continue Anyway"

Figure: Windows XP Warning

If the wizard can not Install the driver automatically, please
search for driver in the default location. The driver is located in
C:\Program Files\LevelOne\WNC-0600\Driver\ directory.

13. When the Wizard has finished installing the software, click “Finish”.

Figure: Complete the Found New Hardware Wizard

11

N_One Wireless PCI Card

14. When the Windows wizard is complete, you will now have a new icon in your

system tray, as shown below.

Figure 1: System Tray Icon

Wireless Adapter Icon Table

Connection to the Wireless Adapter is established. The length of
green color indicates the signal strength.

No connection to the Wireless Adapter.
The Wireless Adapter is unplugged.

15. You can double- click this icon to configure the Wireless interface. See the

following chapter for details.

12

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Chapter 3

Using the Windows Utility

This Chapter provides Setup details for the AP mode of the Wireless
Adapter.

Overview

If using Windows, you can use the supplied utility to configure the Wireless interface.

To Use the supplied Windows utility for Configuration

• Right-click the System Tray icon

• From the pop-up menu, select "Restore".

This Chapter assumes you are using the supplied WNC-0600 Wireless LAN utility.

System Tray Icon

If the Wireless LAN Utility is running, you can double-click the icon in the System Tray
to open the application.

If the program is not running, you can start it using the option in the Start menu created
by the installation.

For the Wireless Adapter, this will be Start - Programs - LevelOne – WNC-0600 –

WNC-0600 Wireless LAN Utility.

Status Information

The menu options available from the System Tray icon are:

• Restore - This will display the main screen.

• Radio Off - The wireless adapter is not associated with the network when the

radio is off.

• WZC On - Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC), is a service of Microsoft Windows

which dynamically selects a wireless network to connect.

• Exit - Terminate the connection to the Wireless Adapter.

Figure: Wireless Adapter menu

13

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Connecting to a Wireless Network

Double-click the Icon to open the Site Survey screen, when you can select the
Wireless network you wish to join.

Auto Connect

Normally, this option should be enabled. The adapter will then connect to an available
network which was connected successfully last time.

There are various methods to specify the required network.

• On the Profile Manager tab, select the desired profile in the list, and click the Apply

Profile button.

• On the Site Survey tab, either double-click the network in the list, or select the

network and click the Connect button.

Site Survey Screen

This screen is displayed when you double-click the system tray icon. You can also
click the Site Survey Tab in the screen.

Figure: Site Survey Screen

14

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Data - Site Survey Screen

Display PC To PC
(Ad-Hoc)
Display 802.11b

Access Points
Display 802.11a

Access Points
Display 802.11g

Access Points
Network Name
MAC Address

Security

WPS

CH.
Signal
Frequency

Select this check box to display ad-hoc (computer-to­computer) networks.

Select this check box to display 802.11b (infrastructure)
networks.

Select this check box to display 802.11a (infrastructure)
networks.

Select this check box to display 802.11g (infrastructure)
networks.

Available wireless networks are listed.
This is the MAC address of the Access Point (or Wireless

station, if the network is an Ad-hoc network).
Data encryption and authentication methods used on the

wireless network
This will indicate "Y" (the Access Point with WPS function),

"Y+". (the WPS function of the Access Point is in used) or "-

--" (the Access Point without WPS function)
The channel used by the Wireless network.
This is displayed as percentage (0 ~ 100%).
The Wireless band used by this Wireless network.

Network Type

Status

Rescan

This will indicate "Infrastructure" (displayed device is an
Access Point) or "Ad-hoc". (displayed device is a Wireless
station)

The area to the left of the "Rescan" button shows the
current status. In the example above, it shows "Connected".

Click this button to rescan for all Wireless networks.

Wireless Network Sequence (order)

You can click the headings (ex. Network Name, MAC Address, Security…) of the
Wireless network table to arrange the Wireless network in the desired order.

To Connect to a Wireless Network

• Double-click on the desired network.

• Click the name of the wireless network to which you want to connect, and then

click Connect.

Note that once you are connected to a Wireless network, the Site Survey screen will
identify the current wireless network with a blue icon, as shown below.

15

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Figure: Site Survey Screen - Connected

16

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Profile Manager Screen

This screen is accessed by clicking the Profile Manager tab on the main screen.

Figure: Profile Manager Screen

Data - Profile Manager Screen

Profile Name

Network Name
(SSID)

Advanced
Settings

WPS Function

Network Type

Enter or select a suitable name for this profile. Each profile must
have a unique name before user can actually save the profile.

If the desired wireless network is currently available, you can
select its SSID. Otherwise, type in the SSID of the desired
wireless network.

On the resulting sub-screen, enter the required data for the
advanced settings. Advanced settings only available when 11b/g
wireless mode has been selected.

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) can simplify the process of
connecting any device to the wireless network by using the push
button configuration (PBC) on the Wireless Access Point, or
entering an 8-digit PIN code.

Select the desired option:

• Infrastructure - Select this to connect to an Access point.

• Ad-Hoc - Select this if you are connecting directly to another

computer.

17

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Wireless Mode

Select the desired wireless mode to which you want to connect.
This option only available under Ad-Hoc mode, it allows user to
select the prefer channel.

Prefer Channel Select the channel you would like to use under Ad-Hoc mode.

Channel 1 ~ 13.

Authentication
Mode

You MUST select the option to match the Wireless LAN you
wish to join. The available options are:

• Open System - Broadcast signals are not encrypted. This
method can be used only with no encryption or with WEP.

• Shared Key - Broadcast signals are encrypted using WEP.
This method can only be used with WEP.

• Auto Switch - This is another WEP system; it will select
either Open System or Shared Key as required.

• WPA-PSK - PSK means "Pre-shared Key". You must enter
this Passphrase value; it is used for both authentication and
encryption.

• WPA2-PSK - This is a further development of WPA-PSK,
and offers even greater security. You must enter this
Passphrase value; it is used for both authentication and
encryption.

• WPA Radius - This version of WPA requires a Radius
Server on your LAN to provide the client authentication
according to the 802.1x standard. Data transmissions are
encrypted using the WPA standard.

• WPA2 Radius - This version of WPA2 requires a Radius
Server on your LAN to provide the client authentication
according to the 802.1x standard. Data transmissions are
encrypted using the WPA2 standard.

Encryption
Method

Create with
Passphrase

Enter Key
Manually

Passphrase

The available options depend on the Authentication method
selected above. The possible options are:

• Security Off - No data encryption is used.

• WEP - If selected, you must enter the WEP data shown

below. This WEP data must match the Access Point or other
Wireless stations.

• AES, TKIP - These options are available with WPA-PSK,
WPA2-PSK, WPA-Radius and WPA2-Radius. Select the
correct option.

Enable this check box and enter a word or group of printable
characters in the Passphrase box, select the desired encryption
to automatically configure the WEP Key.

Enable this check box and select the desired key in the drop­down list. Then enter the key values you wish to use and select
the desired encryption. Other stations must have matching key
values.

For WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK modes, you need to enter the
desired value (8~63 characters). Other Wireless Stations must
use the same key.

18

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Confirm

802.1x
Authentication
Protocol

Configure WPA
Radius

For WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK modes, re-enter the value in this
field.

For WPA Radius and WPA2 Radius modes, select the desired
option in the drop-down list.

For WPA Radius and WPA2 Radius modes, click this button to
open a sub-window where you can enter details of the Radius
Server.

To add a profile

1. On the Profile Manager tab, complete the settings on this screen. (Please make
sure to specific the Profile name)

2. Verify that the settings you configured are correct.

3. Click Save Profile.

To export profiles

1. On the Profile Manager tab, click Export Profiles. The Save As dialog box appears.

2. Type a name for the profile that you are saving, and then verify that the file name
extension is set to .cfg.

3. Click Save.

To import profiles

1. On the Profile Manager tab, click Import Profiles. The open dialog box appears.

2. Select the profile set that you want to import.

3. Click Open.

To delete a profile

1. On the Profile Manager tab, select the profile that you want to delete.

2. Click Delete Profile.

To edit a profile

1. On the Profile Manager tab, select the profile that you want to edit.

2. Change the profile settings as necessary.

3. Click Save Profile.

To enable a profile

1. In the list of available profiles, click the profile that you want to enable.

2. Click Apply Profile.

19

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Advanced Settings Screen

Once you have created a profile, as described above, the Advanced Settings tab will
be available on the Profile Manager screen.

Note: Advanced settings only available when 11b/g wireless mode has been selected.

Figure: Advanced Settings Screen

Data - Advanced Settings Screen

Do not change
settings

Preamble
(2.4GHz)

Transmit Rate

Enable this check box if you don’t want to modify the settings in
this screen.

Normally, this should be left at "Auto".
The option “Short”, “Long” preamble and header is intended for

special application and equipment.
Use this to manually set the speed, if desired. The default is

"Auto".

20

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Fragment
Threshold

RTS/CTS
Threshold

The default value is 2346. In some cases, you may be able to
improve performance by adjusting this value.

The default value is 2346. In some cases, you may be able to
improve performance by adjusting this value.

802.11n

Enable 802.11n

802.11n wireless network connectivity

Network
Channel Width
Guard Interval
Extension

Channel
Antenna Selection

The value is set as “Auto”
This value is set as "Auto"
Auto selects the wireless channel. The value is set to “Auto” It

will auto select the most suitable channel.
The default value is set to "Auto".

WPS Function Screen

The Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is to simplify the security setup and management of
Wi-Fi networks. WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) allows consumers to protect their home
networks by using the push button configuration on the router, or entering an 8-digit
PIN code if there's no button.

You will see the WPS screen when you try to connect the wireless network with the
WPS function.

Figure: WPS Function Screen

21

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Data - WPS Function Screen

Network Name(SSID)
Push the Button on

my access point
Enter a PIN into my

access point

Select the desired wireless network from the drop-down list.
Select this and click Start button. Then push the WPS

button of the Access Point.
Select this to use the PIN method. It will automatically

generate the new pin code displayed in the field. Click Start
button and copy the value and paste in the Wi-Fi Protected
Setup screen of the Access Point

Enter the PIN from my
access point

Select this to use the PIN method. Entering the PIN from
your access point in the Wi-Fi Protected Setup screen of
the Access Point and click "Start" button to continue.

You will see the following screen if WPS configuration is success:

22

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Network Status Screen

This screen displays the status of the current wireless link. Clicking the Network
Status tab will display a screen like the following.

Figure: Network Status Screen

You may have to wait a few seconds for the screen to be populated.

Data - Network Status Screen

Link Information
Current Status
Network SSID

Network BSSID
Network Type
Security Mode
Tx/Rx Speed
Internet Protocol
DHCP Option

IP Address

It will indicate the current link status.
It shows the SSID or network name of the selected wireless

network.
It shows the MAC address of the access point.
This will indicate "Infrastructure" or "Ad-hoc".
It shows the wireless security that the wireless network is using.
It shows the current wireless connection speed.

It shows if the IP address was automatically obtained from a
DHCP server.

It shows the current IP address on the wireless interface.

23

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Subnet Mask
Default Gateway
DHCP Server

Subnet mask for the current IP address.
Gateway IP address associated with the current IP address.
It shows the IP address of the DHCP Server.

Channel Performance
Channel

Performance

It graphically presents the Transmission (Tx) rate and Receiving
(Rx) rate over time.

Signal
Signal

It graphically presents the Signal strength.

The Channel Performance diagram indicates the real time TX and RX.

24

N_One Wireless PCI Card

About Screen

This screen displays details of the traffic sent or received on the current Wireless
network.

Figure: About Screen

This tab shows the following information:

• Regional Domain

• Firmware Version

• Driver Version

• MAC Address

• LevelOne DLL Version

• LevelOne Utility Version

25

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Appendix A

Specifications

Wireless Adapter

Model:
Standards:

Data Rates:

Operating Frequency:
Modulation Technique:

Draft 802.11n: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM

802.11g: OFDM

802.11b: CCK, QPSK, BPSK

Media Access Protocol:
Operating Voltage:
Transmit Power:

Draft 802.11n: 16.5±2 dBm

802.11g: 13.5±2 dBm

802.11b: 16±2 dBm

Security:

OS Requirements

LevelOne WNC-0600 N_One Wireless PCI Card
IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Draft 802.11n compliant
20 MHz BW: 130, 117, 104, 78, 52, 39, 26, 13 Mbps

40 MHz BW: 270, 243, 216, 162, 108, 81, 54, 27 Mbps (802.11n)
54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, and 6 Mbps (802.11g)
11, 5.5, 2, 1 Mbps (802.11b)

2.4 ~ 2.4835 GHz

CSMA/CA

3.3V±5%

WEP 64/128, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA Radius, WPA2
Radius

Windows XP/2000/Vista

26

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Appendix B

About Wireless LANs

This Appendix provides some background information about using
Wireless LANs (WLANs).

Modes

Wireless LANs can work in either of two (2) modes:

• Ad-hoc

• Infrastructure

Ad-hoc Mode

Ad-hoc mode does not require an Access Point or a wired (Ethernet) LAN.
Wireless Stations (e.g. notebook PCs with wireless cards) communicate directly
with each other.

Infrastructure Mode

In Infrastructure Mode, one or more Access Points are used to connect Wireless
Stations (e.g. Notebook PCs with wireless cards) to a wired (Ethernet) LAN. The
Wireless Stations can then access all LAN resources.

Access Points can only function in "Infrastructure" mode, and
can communicate only with Wireless Stations which are set to
"Infrastructure" mode.

BSS/ESS

BSS

A group of Wireless Stations and a single Access Point, all using the same ID (SSID),
form a Basic Service Set (BSS).

Using the same SSID is essential. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to
communicate with each other.

ESS

A group of Wireless Stations, and multiple Access Points, all using the same ID
(ESSID), form an Extended Service Set (ESS).

Different Access Points within an ESS can use different Channels. In fact, to reduce
interference, it is recommended that adjacent Access Points SHOULD use different
channels.

As Wireless Stations are physically moved through the area covered by an ESS, they
will automatically change to the Access Point which has the least interference or best
performance. This capability is called Roaming. (Access Points do not have or require
Roaming capabilities.)

27

N_One Wireless PCI Card

Channels

The Wireless Channel sets the radio frequency used for communication.

• Access Points use a fixed Channel. You can select the Channel used. This allows
you to choose a Channel which provides the least interference and best
performance. In the USA and Canada, 11 channels are available. If using multiple
Access Points, it is better if adjacent Access Points use different Channels to
reduce interference.

• In "Infrastructure" mode, Wireless Stations normally scan all Channels, looking for
an Access Point. If more than one Access Point can be used, the one with the
strongest signal is used. (This can only happen within an ESS.)

• If using "Ad-hoc" mode (no Access Point), all Wireless stations should be set to
use the same Channel. However, most Wireless stations will still scan all Channels
to see if there is an existing "Ad-hoc" group they can join.

WEP & WPA-PSK

Both WEP and WPA-PSK are standards for encrypting data before it is transmitted.
This is desirable because it is impossible to prevent snoopers from receiving any data

which is transmitted by your Wireless Stations. But if the data is encrypted, then it is
meaningless unless the receiver can decrypt it.

WPA-PSK is a later standard than WEP, and is more secure.

Wireless LAN Configuration

To allow Wireless Stations to use the Access Point, the Wireless Stations and the
Access Point must use the same settings, as follows:

Mode

SSID (ESSID)

Security

On client Wireless Stations, the mode must be set to "Infrastructure"
(The Access Point is always in "Infrastructure" mode.)

Wireless Stations should use the same SSID (ESSID) as the Access
Point they wish to connect to. Alternatively, the SSID can be set to
"any" or null (blank) to allow connection to any Access Point.

The Wireless Stations and the Access Point must use the same
settings for Wireless security (Disabled, WEP, WPA-PSK)

WEP - If WEP is used, the WEP Key must be the same on the
Wireless Stations and the Access Point. WEP Authentication
("Open System" or "Shared Key") must also be the same, unless the
Access Point supports both methods simultaneously.

WPA-PSK - If using WPA-PSK, the PSK (Pre-shared Key) must be
entered on each Wireless station. The encryption key is derived from
the PSK and changes frequently.

WPA2-PSK - This is a later version of WPA (WPA-PSK). The major
change is the use of AES (Advanced Encryption System) for
protecting data. AES is very secure, considered to be unbreakable.
The PSK (Pre-shared Key) must be entered on each Wireless
station.

28