Planet Technology WL-U356R User Manual

802.11g Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter

WL-U356R

User’s Manual

Copyright © 2006 by PLANET Technology Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of PLANET. PLANET makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or licensed "as is". Should the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not PLANET, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Further, PLANET reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.

All brand and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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 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 particu lar installation. If this equi pment 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 or more of the following measures:

1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

2. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

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

4. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio technician for help.

FCC Caution

To assure continued compliance. (example-use only shielde d interface cables when connecting to computer or peripheral devices). Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user ’s authority to operate the equipment. 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 rec eived, including interference that may cause undesired operati on.

Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Radiation Exposure Statement

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure set forth for an uncontrolled environment. In order to avoid the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency exposure limits, human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than 20 cm (8 inches) during normal operation.

R&TTE Compliance Statement

This equipment complies with all the re quirements of DIRECTIVE 1999/5/CE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunication terminal Equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (R&TTE) The R&TTE Directive repeals and replaces in the directive 98/13/EEC (Telecommunications Terminal Equipment and Satellite Earth Station Equipment) As of April 8,2000.

Safety

This equipment is designed with the utmost care for the safety of those who install and use it. However, special attention must be paid to the dangers of electric shock and static electricity when working with electrical equipment. All guidelines of this and of the computer manufacture must therefore be allowed at all times to ensure the saf e use of the equipment.

EU Countries Intended for Use

The ETSI version of this devic e is intended for home and office use in Austria Bel gium, Denmark, Finland, France (with Frequency channel restrictions). Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg .The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom. The ETSI version of this device is also authorized for use in EFTA member states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

WEEE regulation

To avoid the potential effects on the environment and human health as a result of the presence of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, end users of electrical and electronic equipment should understand the meaning of the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol. Do not dispose of WEEE as unsorted municipal waste and have to collect such WEEE separately.

Revision

User’s Manual for PLANET 802. 11g Wireless USB Adapter Model: WL-U356R Rev: 1.0 (February 2006) Part No. EM-WLU356R

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................... 1

1.1 Features ......................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Specifications.................................................................................................. 1

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

2 INSTALLATION PROCEDURE................................................. 3

3 CONFIGURATION UTILITY ..................................................... 6

3.1 Site Survey..................................................................................................... 6

3.2 Profile ............................................................................................................. 7

3.2.1 Configure the Profile ...................................................................................... 9

3.2.1.1 Configuration............................................................................................... 9

3.2.1.2 Authentication and Security........................................................................11

3.2.1.3 802.1x Setting-Certification....................................................................... 13

3.2.1.4 802.1x Setting-CA Server.......................................................................... 16

3.3 Link Status.................................................................................................... 17

3.4 Statistics ....................................................................................................... 18

3.5 Advance........................................................................................................ 19

3.6 About............................................................................................................ 22

3.7 WMM Function ............................................................................................. 22

3.8 Advanced Settings........................................................................................ 25

4 TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................ 27

1 Introduction

Complying with the IEEE 802.11g standard, WL-U356R provides simple, reliable, high-speed wireless connectivity for both desktop and laptop users. By combining two, state-of-the-art technologies—USB

2.0 and 802.11g—the gadget delivers data at speed up to 54Mbps, five times the speed of existing

802.11b devices, and spares the effort of opening up the case of your desktop computer.

The WL-U356R supports specific ways to increase the data transfer rate at a time: compress the data and decrease the waiting time to send the next data to the Routers or APs. This feature is called Turbo Mode. When the card is connecting to the Routers or APs with the proprietary Turbo Mode feature, the wireless network will be more effective.

For WLAN security issues, the WL-U356R supports 64/128-bit WEP data encryption that prot ects your wireless network from eavesdropping. It also supports WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) feature that combines IEEE 802.1x and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) technologies. Client users are required to authorize before accessing to APs or AP Routers, and the data transmitted in the network is encrypted/decrypted by a dynamically changed secret key. Furthermore, this card supports WPA2 function, WPA2 provides a stronger encryption mechanism through AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), which is a requirement for some corporate and government users.

The power consumption of the WL-U356R is also very low. It provides several levels of power saving modes allowing user customizes the way of saving the power from his/her portable or handheld devices.

1.1 Features

z 2.4GHz ISM band, unlicensed operation z A fast Wireless co nnection without the hassles and cost of running cables z IEEE 802.11b/g standard compliant z USB 2.0 A-type st andard connector, compatible with USB 1.1 z Support Turbo mode to enhan ce the d ata transfer speed (the connected AP must support Turbo

mode as well)

z Support WMM (WiFi Multi-Media) function to meet the multi-media data bandwidth requirement

(the connected AP and the application must support WMM as well)

z Utilization of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum plus OFDM modulation to provide a robust,

interference-resistant solution in a multi-user environment

z Supports 64/128-bit WEP, WPA (TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2 (AES with IEEE 802.1x)

functions for high level of security

z Supports Ad-Hoc / Infrastructure z Seamless integration with existing LAN through any IEEE 802.11b/g compliant Access point z Support of most popular operating systems including Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP and Server

2003

z Plug-and-Play installation

1.2 Specifications

Interface Standards Conformance Data Transfer Rate

Operating Mode Security

USB 2.0 A-type connector Compliant with 802.11b / 802.11 g 11b：1 / 2 / 5.5 / 11Mbps (auto sensing)

11g：6 / 9 / 12 / 18 / 24 / 36 / 48 / 54Mbps (auto sensing) Infrastructure Mode, Ad-Hoc Mode

WEP 64/128bit, WPA, WPA2

RF Modulation Media Access Protocol

Output Power LED Indicators Operating systems

Environmental & Mechanical Characteristics Temperature

Operating Humidity Certifications

11g: OFDM with BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64QAM 11b: BPSK, QPSK, CCK CSMA / CA 17dBm (Typical) ACT / LNK Windows 98SE / Me / 2000 / XP / Server 2003

Operating: 0 °C ~ 55 °C Storage: -20 °C ~ 70 °C Operating: 10% to 90% Non-Condensing Storage: 5% to 95% Non-Condensing FCC, CE

1.3 Package Contents

Before you begin the installation, please check the items of your package. The package should include the following items:

1 x WL-U356R 1 x USB Cable 1 x Driver and User's manual CD 1 x Quick Installation Guide

If any of the above items is missing, contact your supplier as soon as possible.

2 Installation Procedure

Before you proceed with the installation, please notice following descriptions.

Note1: The following installation operates under Windows XP. The procedure also applies to

Windows 98SE/Me/2000 and Server 2003.

Note2: If you have installed other Wireless PC Card driver & utility before, please uninstall them

first.

1. Plug the WL-U356R into the USB port of the computer. When the “Found New Hardware Wizard” appears, click “Cancel”.

2. Insert the bundled CD into the CD-ROM drive to launch the autorun program. Once completed, a menu screen will appear .

3. Click the “Configuration Utility” hyperlink in the WL-U356R field to initiate the installation procedure. Note: If the menu screen does not appear, click “Start” at the taskbar. Then, select “Run” and type

“E:\Utility\setup.exe”, where the E is your CD-ROM drive.

4. Read the License Agreement carefully. Click “Yes” to accept it and continue.

5. It is suggested to use “PLANET Configuration Tool” to manage the WL-U356R. Click “Next” to continue.

6. If “Optimize for performance mode” is selected, the “Tx BURST” option will be enabled to increase the transfer speed. However, the AP must support this feature as well. If the target AP is complying with 802.11b/g standard, please select “Optimize for WiFi mode”.

7. You can see the installation progress in this screen.

8. The system will automatically detect the card and display “Found New Hardware Wizard” screen. Click “Install the Software Automatically” to continue.

9. When the “Hardware Installation” screen appears, click “Continue Anyway” to proceed.

10. Click “Finish” to complete “Found New Hardware Wizard”.

11. Click “Finish” to complete “PLANET WL-U356R Setup”.

3 Configuration Utility

The Configuration Utility is a powerful application that helps you configure the WL-U356R and monitor the link status and the statistics during the communication process.

When the WL-U356R is installed, the configuration utility will be displayed automatically. This card will auto connect to wireless device which has better signal strength and no wireless security setting.

The Configuration Utility appears as an icon on the system tray of Windows while the card is running. You can open the utility by double-click on the icon.

Right click the icon, there are some items for you to operate the configuration utility.

z Lauch PLANET WL-U356R Utilities

Select “Lauch PLANET WL-U356R Utilities” to open the Configuration Utility tool.

z Use Zero Configuration as Configuration Utility

Select “Use Zero Configuration as Configuration Utility” to use Windows XP built-in wireless configuration utility (Windows Zero Configuration) to configure the card.

z Exit

Select “Exit” to close the Configuration Utility tool.

3.1 Site Survey

When you open the Configuration Utility, the system will scan all the channels to find all the access points/stations within the accessible range of your card and automatically connect to the wireless device with the highest signal strength. From the “Site Survey”, all the networks nearby will be listed.

You can change the connection to another networks or add one of the networks to your own profile list.

Parameter Description Available Networks This list shows all available wireless networks within range of your

card. It also displays the information of the networks including the SSID, BSSID, Signal Strength, Channel, Encryption, Authentication and Network Type. If you want to connect to any networks on the list, double-click the item on the list, and the card will automatically connect to the selected network.

Rescan Button Click “Rescan” button to collect the new information of all the

Connect Button

Add to Profile Button

wireless networks nearby.

Click “Connect” to connect to the selected network.

Add the selected network to Profiles list.

3.2 Profile

The “Profiles List” is for you to manage the networks you connect to frequently. You are able to Add/Delete/Edit/Activate a profile.

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