Planet Technology WML-8315 User Manual

802.11g Wireless MIMO PCI Adapter

WML-8315

User’s Manual

Copyright

Copyright © 2005 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 Wi reless MIMO PCI Adapter
Model: WML-8315
Rev: 1.0 (December 2005)
Part No. EM-WML8315

CONTENTS

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

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

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

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

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

2.1 Configuration Utility Installation..................................................................................3

2.2 Hardware Installation.................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Driver Installation.........................................................................................................7

3 CONFIGURATION UTILITY .........................................................9

3.1 Site Survey.................................................................................................................. 10

3.2 Profile.......................................................................................................................... 11

3.2.1 Configure the Profile................................................................................................... 12

3.2.1.1 Configuration ...........................................................................................................12

3.2.1.2 Authentication and Security .....................................................................................14

3.2.1.3 802.1x Setting-Certification..................................................................................... 16

3.2.1.4 802.1x Setting-CA Server ........................................................................................ 19

3.3 Link Status.................................................................................................................. 20

3.4 Statistics......................................................................................................................21

3.5 Advance ......................................................................................................................22

3.6 About...........................................................................................................................25

3.7 WMM Function ..........................................................................................................26

3.8 Advanced Settings ......................................................................................................28

4 TROUBLESHOOTING..................................................................29

1 Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the 802.11g MIMO Wireless LAN PCI Card, WML-8315. With the MIMO
technology, this card enables you to connect to wireless networks at farther distances than before.
WML-8315 has two antennas for signal reception and one antenna for high power signal transmission.
Not only the connection distance is enhanced, but also the “dead spots” in the network will be reduced.
In addition, the card remains backward compatible to 802.11b and 802.11g. When the card is
connecting to the standard 11g or 11b APs or Routers, it can perform much better than standard
clients.

WML-8315 supports higher data throughput than the IEEE 802.11g standard (up to 54Mbps). It
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 feature, the wireless network will be more
effective.

For WLAN security issues, WML-8315 supports 64/128-bit WEP data encryption that protects 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.

In order to meet the multimedia data bandwidth requirement, IEEE 802.11e Quality of Service (QoS)
(The Wi-Fi Alliance defined WMM as a profile of the IEEE 802.11e) extensions for 802.11 networks will
help to define the priorities of the data traffics by the data categories to provide enhanced multimedia
support. This card supports the advanced technology for sure.

1.1 Features

z Works with both IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g products
z Farther coverage, less dead spaces and higher throughput with MIMO technology
z Supports Turbo Mode to enhance the data transfer speed within the specific wireless netwo rk

(the connected AP must support Turbo mode as well)

z Supports WMM (WiFi Multi-Media) function to meet the multi-media data ban dwidth requireme nt

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

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 CCX 2.0 (Cisco Compatible Extensions) fo r the radio monitoring and fast roaming
z Automatic fallback increases data security and reliability
z Supports the most popular operating system: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP and Server 2003
z Provides 3 external antenna
z Supports PCI v2.2 interface

1.2 Specifications

Interface
Standards Conformance
Data Transfer Rate

Complaint with PCI v2.2 standard
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)

1

Operating Mode
Security

RF Modulation
Media Access Protocol

Output Power
LED Indicators

Operating systems
Environmental & Mechanical Characteristics
Temperature

Operating Humidity
Dimensions

Weight
Certifications

Infrastructure Mode, Ad-Hoc Mode
64/128-bit WEP Data Encryption, WPA (TKIP with IEEE 802.1x), WPA2
(AES with IEEE 802.1x)
11g: OFDM with BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64QAM
11b: BPSK, QPSK, CCK
CSMA / CA
18dBm±2dBm

ACT, LNK
Windows 98 / Me / 2000 / XP

Operating: 0 °C ~ 55 °C
Storage: -20 °C ~ 70 °C
Operating: 10% to 90% Non-Condensing
Storage: 5% to 95% Non-Condensing
134 x 120 x 21 mm (L x W x H)
82g
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 WML-8315
1 x Driver and User's manual CD
1 x Quick Installation Guide
3 x External Antenna

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

2

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.

Note3: Before install configuration utility to your PC, please do not plug WML-8315 into your

PC.

2.1 Configuration Utility Installation

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

2. Click the “Configuration Utility” hyperlink in the WML-8315 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\WML-8315\setup.exe”, where the E is your CD-ROM drive.

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

3

4. It is suggested to use “PLANET Configuration Tool” to manage the WML-8315. Click “Next” to
continue.

5. 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”.

4

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

7. Please click “Finish” to complete the installation.

5

2.2 Hardware Installation

Installation Procedur e

A. Turn off your computer and remove its cover.
B. Insert the PCI card to an available PCI slot firmly.
C. Secure this card to the rear of the computer chassis and put back the cover.
D. Secure the antenna to the antenna connector of the card.
E. Turn on the computer.

Guidelines for the Hardware Installation

Please observe the following guidelines when you are installing the PCI card to the Desktop PC:

y Avoid placing the PC close to obstacles

Obstructions such as concrete walls and thick metals limit radio signal penetration and reduce the
throughput and the coverage range of the PCI card.

y Place the PC as high as possible

The higher the PC is placed, the better the performance.

y Adjust the antenna position

The card has two antennas for signal reception and one antenna for high power signal transmission.
The antennas on the right and left side are for signal reception and should be set perpendicular (90
degrees) to each other . The ce ntral one is for signal transmi ssion a nd should be pulled up a bout 45
degree. Please refer to the illustration below:

6

2.3 Driver Installation

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

2000 and Server 2003. If your operating system is Windows 98SE/Me, Windows will automatically
detect the device and ask you to reboot (For Windows 98SE, the system installation CD will be
required). Just click “Yes” to proceed.

1. After the PC restart. Please insert WML-8315 into a vacant PCI slo t.

2. The system will automatically detect the card and display “Found New Hardware Wizard” screen.

Click “Install the Software Automatically” to continue.

3. When the “Hardware Installation” screen appears, click “Continue Anyway” to proceed. If your

operating system is Windows 2000, there will be a similar dialog box appearing. Please click “Yes”
to continue.

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

7

8

3 Configuration Utility

The Configuration Utility is a powerful application that helps you configure the WML-8315 and monitor
the link status and the statistics during the communication process.

When the WML-8315 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 Launch PLANET WML-8315 Utilities

Select “Launch PLANET WML-8315 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.

9

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

Connect

Add to Profile

wireless networks nearby.

Click “Connect” to connect to the selected network.

Add the selected network to Profiles list.

10

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.

Parameter Description
Profiles List The profiles list display all the profiles and the relative settings of

the profiles including Profile Name, SSID, Channel, etc.
This sign indicates the activated profile is been connecting.

This sign indicates the activated profile is not been

connecting.

Add/Delete/Edit

Activate Click “Activate” to connect to the selected profile. When a profile is

Click these buttons to add/delete/edit the selected profiles.

activated, the card will be initially connected to the profile.

11

3.2.1 Configure the Profile

3.2.1.1 Configuration

Parameter Description
Profile Name Define a recognizable profile name for you to identify the different

networks.

SSID The SSID (up to 32 printable ASCII characters) is the unique

PSM (Power Saving Mode) The power saving function is only available when the network type

name identified in a WLAN. The ID prevents the unintentional
merging of two co-located WLANs.

You may specify a SSID for the WML-8315 and then only the
device with the same SSID can interconnect to the card. If you
want to add the network nearby to the profile list, pull down the
menu, all the networks will be listed for you to add one of them to
the profile list.

is in Infrastructure.
CAM (Constantly Awake Mode) – The card will always set in
active mode.

PSM (Power Saving Mode) – Enable the card in the power

12

saving mode when it is idle.

Network Type Infrastructure – This operation mode requires the p resen ce of an

TX Power If you want to lower the transmit power of the card for saving the

Ad Hoc Wireless Mode When the card is set in Ad Hoc (Peer to Peer Mode), you can

Preamble The preamble defines the length of the CRC block for

802.11 Access Point. All communication is done via the Access
Point or Router.

Ad-Hoc – Select this mode if you want to connect to another
wireless stations in the Wireless LAN network without through an
Access Point or Router.

power of the system, you can select the lower percentages from
the list. The lower power will cause the lower signal strength and
the coverage range.

designate the wireless connection mode for the Ad Hoc network.

802.11 B only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11b wireless
stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.

802.11 B/G mix – If you have a mix of 802.11b and 802.11g
wireless stations in your network, it is recommended to setting the
card to this mode. This mode is also the default setting.

802.11 G only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11g wireless
stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.

communication among wireless devices. This option i s only active
in the Ad Hoc network.

There are two modes including Auto and Long Preamble. If
“Auto“ mode is selected, the card will auto switch the preamble
mode depending on the wireless devices the card is connecting
to.

RTS Threshold Minimum packet size required for an RTS (Request To Send). For

packets smaller than this threshold, an RTS is not sent and the
packet is transmitted directly to the wireless network. Select a
setting within a range of 0 to 2347 bytes. Minor change is
recommended.

Fragment Threshold The value defines the maximum size of packets; any packet size

13

larger than the value will be fragmented. If you have decreased
this value and experience high packet error rates, you can
increase it again, but it will likely decrease overall network
performance. Select a setting within a range of 256 to 2346 bytes.
Minor change is recommended.

Channel This setting is only available for Ad Hoc mode. Select the number

of the radio channel used for the networking. The channel setting
should be the same with the network you are connecting to.

3.2.1.2 Authentication and Security

Parameter Description
Authentication Type This setting has to be consistent with the wireless networks that

the card intends to connect.

Open – No authentication is needed among the wireless network.

Shared – Only wireless devices using a shared key (WEP Key

identified) are allowed to connecting each other.

Authentication Type LEAP – LEAP is a pre-EAP, Cisco-proprietary protocol, with many

of the features of EAP protocols. Cisco controls the ability of other

14

vendors to implement this protocol, so it should be selected for
use only when limited vendor choice for client, access-point, and
server products is not a concern. When you have set up LEAP
authentication, you have to enter the user name and password of
your computer.

WPA – WPA provides a scheme of mutual authentication using
either IEEE 802.1x/Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
authentication or pre-shared key (PSK) technology. It provides a
high level of assurance to enterprises, small businesses and
home users that data will remain protected and that only
authorized users may access their networks. For enterprises that
have already deployed IEEE 802.1x authentication, WPA offers
the advantage of leveraging existing authentication databases
and infrastructure.

WPA-PSK – It is a special mode designed for home and small
business users who do not have access to network authentication
servers. In this mode, known as Pre-Shared Key, the user
manually enters the starting password i n their access point or
gateway, as well as in each wireless stations in the network.
WPA-PSK takes over automatically from that point, keeping
unauthorized users that don't have the matching password from
joining the network, while encrypting the data traveling between
authorized devices.

WPA2 – Like WPA, WPA2 supports IEEE 802.1x/EAP
authentication or PSK technology. It also includes a new
advanced encryption mechanism using the Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES). AES is required to the corporate user or
government users. The difference between WPA and WP A2 is that
WPA2 provides data encryption via the AES. In contrast, WPA
uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP).

WPA2-PSK – WP A2-PSK is also for home and small business.
The difference between WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK is that
WPA2-PSK provides data encryption via the AES. In contrast,
WPA-PSK uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP).

802.1x Setting When you have set the Authentication Type to Open, Shared,
WPA or WPA2, you can also enable IEEE 802.1x setting to use
the authentication server or certification server to authenticate
client users.

Encryption Mode None – Disable the encryption mode.

WEP – Enable the WEP Data Encryption. When the item is

15

selected, you have to continue setting the WEP Encryption keys.

TKIP – TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) changes the
temporal key every 10,000 packets (a packet is a kind of message
transmitted over a network.) This insures much greater security
than the standard WEP security.

AES – AES has been developed to ensure the highest degree of
security and authenticity for digital information and it is the most
advanced solution defined by IEEE 802.11i for the security in the
wireless network.

Note: All devices in the network should use the same encryption
method to ensure the communication.

WPA Pre-Shared Key The WPA-PSK key can be from 8 to 64 characters and can be

WEP Key
(Key1 ~ Key4)

letters or numbers. This same key must be used on all of the
wireless stations in the network.

The WEP keys are used to encrypt data transmitted in the
wireless network. There are two types of key length: 64-bit and
128-bit. Select the default encryption key from Key 1 to Key 4 by
selected the radio button.

Fill the text box by following the rules below.
64-bit – Input 10-digit Hex values (in the “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9”
range) or 5-digit ASCII characters (incl uding “a-z” and “0-9”) as
the encryption keys. For example: “0123456aef“ or “test1”.

128-bit – Input 26-digit Hex values (in the “A-F”, “a-f” and “0-9”
range) or 13-digit ASCII characters (including “a-z” and “0-9”) as
the encryption keys. For example:
“01234567890123456789abcdef“ or “administrator”.

3.2.1.3 802.1x Setting-Certification

The IEEE 802.1X specification describes a protocol that can be used for authenticating both clients and
servers on a network. The authentication algorithms and methods are those provided by the Extensible
Authentication Protocol (EAP), a method of authentication that has been in use for a number of years
on networks that provide Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) support as many internet service providers and
enterprises do.

When an AP acting as an authenticator detects a wireless station on the LAN, it sends an EAP-Request
for the user's identity to the device. (EAP, or the Extensible Authentication Protocol, is an authentication
protocol that runs before network layer protocols transmit data over the link.) In turn, the device
responds with its identity, and the AP relays this identity to an authentication server, which is typically
an external RADIUS server.

16

An example for MD5 Authentication

IEEE 802.1x

Access Client

(1) Client requests to login the
network.

1

2

RADIUS

Client

Access Point

RADIUS

Server

3

4

Windows 2000 IAS
(Internet Authentication

Service)

(3) Send username, password to
RADIUS server.

(2) Login with username,

password.

(4) Approve or deny user

login to the LAN.

Parameter Description
Authentication Type The EAP authentication protocols this card has supported are

included as follows. This setting has to be consistent with the
wireless APs or Routers that the card intends to connect.

PEAP &TTLS – PEAP and TTLS are similar and easier than TLS
in that they specify a stand-alone authentication protocol be used

17

within an encrypted tunnel. TTLS supports any protocol within its
tunnel, including CHAP, MS-CHAP, MS-CHAPv2, PAP and
EAP-MD5. PEAP specifies that an EAP-compliant authentication
protocol must be used; this card supports EAP-MSCHAP v2,
EAP-TLS/Smart card and Generic Token Card. The client
certificate is optional required for the authentication.

TLS/Smart Card –TLS is the most secure of the EAP protocols
but not easy to use. It requires that digital certificates be
exchanged in the authentication phase. The server presents a
certificate to the client. After validating the serve r’s certificate, the
client presents a client certificate to the server for validation.

Session Resumption There are “Disabled”, “Reauthentication”, “Roaming”, “SameSsid”

and “Always” selections for you to choose whether to recovery the
session in different status.

Identity Enter the name as the identity for the server.

Password

Use Client Certificate A client certificate is required for TLS, and is optional for TTLS and

Tunneled Authentication
Protocol When the authentication type is PEAP or TTLS, select a protocol

Identity This is the protected user EAP Identity used for authentication.

Password The password used for authentication. It may contain up to 63

Enter the password as the identity for the server.

PEAP. This forces a client certificate to be selected from the
appropriate Windows Certificate Store and made available to the
RADIUS server for certification.

to be used to build the encrypted tunnel.

The identity specified may contain up to 63 ASCII characters, is
case sensitive and takes the form of a Network Access Identifier,
consisting of <name of the user>@<user’s home realm>. The
user’s home realm is optional and indicates the routing domain.

ASCII characters and is case sensitive.

18

3.2.1.4 802.1x Setting-CA Server

Parameter Description
Use Certificate Chain When the EAP authentication type such as TLS, TTLS or PEAP is

selected and required a certification to tell the client what server
credentials to accept from the authentication server in order to
verify the server, you have to enable this function.

Certificate Issuer Choose the server from the list to issue the certificate. If “Any

Trusted CA” is selected, any CA included in the list (provided by
the Microsoft Certificate Store) is permitted.

Allow Intermediate Certificates A server designates an issuer as a trusted root authority by

placing the issuer's self-signed certificate, which contains the
issuer's public key, into the trusted root certification authority
certificate store of the host computer. Intermediate or subordinate
certification authorities are trusted only if they have a valid
certification path from a trusted root certification authority.

Server Name Enter the authentication server name.

Server name must match exactly When selected, the server name must match exactly the server

name found on the certificate.

Domain name must end in
specified name

When selected, the server name field identifies a domain. The
certificate must use a server name belonging to this domain or to
one of its sub-domains (e.g. zeelans.com, where the server is

19

blueberry.zeelans.com) but it may be any name used in the
certificate name field.

3.3 Link Status

From the “Link Status” option, you can view all the information of the network you are connecting to.

Parameter Description
Status Display the SSID and MAC ID of the network the card is

connecting to.

Extra Info Display the link status.

Channel Display the number of the radio channel and the frequency used

for the networking.

Link Speed (Mbps) Display the transmission and reception rate of the network. The

maximum transmission rate is 54Mbps.

Throughput (Kbits/sec) Display the speed of data transmitted and received.

Link Quality This bar indicates the quality of the link. The higher the

percentage, the better the quality.

20

dBm If you want to know the signal strength in the unit of dBm, select

Signal Strength This bar shows the signal strength level. The higher percentage

Noise Level Display the noise level in the wireless environment.

this check box.

shown in the bar, the more radio si gnal been received by thecard.
This indicator helps to find the proper position of the wireless
device for quality network operation.

3.4 Statistics

This option enables you to view the statistic information of the connection including transmit statistics
and receive statistics. You may reset the counters by clicking ”Reset Counter”.

21

3.5 Advance

This option enables you to configure more advanced settings, for example: wireless mode, protection
mode and etc.

Parameter Description
Wireless Mode 802.11 B/G mix – If you have a mix of 802.11b and 802.11g

wireless stations in your network, it is recommended to setting the
card to this mode. This mode is also the default setting.

802.11 B only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11b wireless
stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.

802.11 G only – This card can be compatible with both 802.11g
and 802.11b wireless stations. If there are only 802.11g wireless
stations in the network, you can set the card to this mode.

Select Your Country Region Code The available channel differs from different countries. For

example: USA (FCC) is channel 1-11, Europe (ETSI) is channel
1-13. The operating frequency channel will be restricted to the
country user located before importing. If you are in different
country, you have to adjust the channel setting to comply the
regulation of the country.

B/G Protection If you have a mix of 802.11 b and 802.11g wireless stations in the

22

network, it is recommended to enable the protection mechanism.
This mechanism can decrease the rate of data collision between

802.1 1b and 802.11g wireless stations. When the protection mode
is enabled, the throughput of the card will be a little lower due to
many of frame traffic should be transmitted.
Auto – Based on the status of the network and automatically
disable/enable protection mode.

On – Always enabl e the protection mode.

Off – Always disable the protection mode.

Tx Rate There are several options including

Auto/1/2/5.5/11/6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54Mbps for you to select.
When the “Auto” is selected, the device will choose the most
suitable transmission rate automatically. The higher data rate you
designated in the network, the shorter distance is allowed
between the card and the wireless stations.

When the wireless mode is “802.11 B only”, the maximum data
rate is 11Mbps (1 1b) so that there are only “Auto/1/2/5.5/11Mbps”
options you can select.

Tx BURST Tx Burst enables the card to deliver the better throughput in the

same period and environment. This feature only takes effect when
the connected AP also supports Tx Burst.

Enable TCP Window Size The TCP Window is the amount of data a sender can send on a

particular connection before it gets an acknowledgment back from
the receiver that it has gotten some of it. This feature only takes
effect when the connected AP also supports TCP Window Size.
The larger TCP Window the better performance.

Fast Roaming at -70dBm When you want to fast roaming to the network nearby without

intercepting the wireless connection especially the card is applied
to the multimedia application or a voice call, you can enable the
parameter . The card will fast roaming to the near network when
the receive sensitivity (signal strength) is lower to the value you
have set up.

Turn Off RF Button If you want to turn off the radio of the card temporarily, click this

button. To turn on the radio, click this button again.

CCX 2.0 CCX 2.0 (Cisco Compatible Extensions) is developed by Cisco for

the radio monitoring and fast roaming.

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LEAP Turn on CCKM During normal operation, LEAP-enabled client devices mutually

authenticate with a new access point by performing a complete
LEAP authentication, including communication with the main
RADIUS server.

When you configure your wireless LAN for fast re-association,
however, LEAP-enabled client devices roam from on e access
point to another without involving the main server. Using Cisco
Centralized Key Management (CCKM), an access point
configured to provide Wireless Domain Services (WDS) takes the
place of the RADIUS server and authenticates the client so
quickly that there is no perceptible delay in voice or other
time-sensitive applications.

Enable Radio Measurement When this parameter is enabled, the Cisco AP can run the radio

monitoring through the associated CCX-compliant clients to
continuously monitor the WLAN radio environment and discover
any new APs that are transmitting beacons.

Non-Serving Channel
Measurements

Limit xxx milliseconds (0-2000)

The Cisco AP can perform monitoring measurements through the
CCX-compliant clients on the non-serving channels when this
parameter is enabled.

It limits the channel measurement time. The default value is 250
milliseconds.

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3.6 About

By choosing this option, you can click the hyperlink to connect the PLANET website. You can also
obtain basic information about the WML-8315 such as the Driver, Utility and EEPROM Version . The
MAC Address of the card is displayed in the screen as well.

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3.7 WMM Function

The WML-8315 supports WMM function. When you use the devices such as Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) phones, televisions, VCRs and MP3 players, IEEE 802.11e Quality of Service (QoS)
(The Wi-Fi Alliance defined WMM as a profile of the IEEE 802.11e) extensions for 802.11 networks will
help to define the priorities of the data traffics by the data categories to provide enhanced multimedia
support.

When the WML-8315 is connected to the AP or Router with WMM function, you can enable the function
of the card by following the steps below.

A. In the Desktop of the computer, right click “My Network Places” and select “Properties”.

B. Right Click the “Wireless Network Connection” and select “Properties”.

C. Click “Configure…”.

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D. Select “Advanced” page, enable the “WMM Capable”.

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3.8 Advanced Settings

The WML-8315 provides more advanced parameters in Windows Device Manager. You can find the
Advanced configuration following the step A to D in section 3.7. Please check below to know the
function of the settings.

Note: The chipset manufacturer reserves those functions in red for future use. Those options are not
effective on WML-8315.

Function Description

AdHoc Wireless Mode Select B/G mixed or Pure B mode

Auto Channel Select Not applicable on WML-8315.

Auto Reconnect Mode Auto connecting to AP when disconnected.

B/G protection

CAM when A C po wer When use AC power, it doesn't enter into sleep mode.

Country Region 11A Not applicable on WML-8315.

Country Region 11G Supporting 11G Channel for different country.
Frame Threshold To enhance throughput when traf fic is high.
Frame Aggre gation To enhance throughput when traf fic is low.

IEEE 802.11h Not applicable on WML-8315.

Local Administration MAC...

Network Type Selecting Infrastructure or AdHoc mode.
Power Saving Mode Selecting different power mode.
Radio On/Off RF switching.
RTS threshold To prevent hidden node.

To avoid collision when B mode station and G mode station exist
concurrently.

Using different MAC address if wanted. This MAC address will not
write to EEPROM. It is only used in run time.

SSID AP's broadcast name.
WMM capable Please refer to section 3.7.

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4 Troubleshooting

This chapter provides solutions to problems usually encountered during the installation and operation
of the adapter.

1. What is the IEEE 802.11g standard?

802.11g is the new IEEE standard for high-speed wireless LAN communications that provides for
up to 54 Mbps data rate in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11g is quickly becoming the next mainstream
wireless LAN technology for the home, office and public networks.

802.11g defines the use of the same OFDM modulation technique specified in IEEE 802.11a for
the 5 GHz frequency band and applies it in the same 2.4 GHz frequency band as IEEE 802.11b.
The 802.11g standard requires backward compatibility with 802.11b.

The standard specifically calls for:
A. A new physical layer for the 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) in the 2.4 GHz frequency

band, known as the extended rate PHY (ERP). The ERP adds OFDM as a mandatory new
coding scheme for 6, 12 and 24 Mbps (mandatory speeds), and 18, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps
(optional speeds). The ERP includes the modulatio n schemes found in 802.11b includi ng
CCK for 11 and 5.5 Mbps and Barker code modulation for 2 and 1 Mbps.

B. A protection mechanism called RTS/CTS that governs how 802.11g devices and 802.11b

devices interoperate.

2. What is MIMO?

MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output), a technique for boosting wireless bandwidth and range

by taking advantage of multiplexing. MIMO algorithms in a radio chipset send information out
over two or more antennas. The radio signals reflect off objects, creating multiple paths that in
conventional radios cause interference and fading. But MIMO uses these paths to carry more
information, which is recombined on the receiving side by the MIMO algorithms
Many wireless-LAN vendors expect that some form of MIMO will be the basis of work just starting
in the IEEE 802.11n Task Group, which is creating a specification for WLANs having at least
100M bit/sec throughput. MIMO doubles the spectral efficiency compared with that of current
WLANs.

3. What is the IEEE 802.11b standard？

The IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN standard subcommittee, which formulates the standard for the
industry. The objective is to enable wireless LAN hardware from different manufactures to
communicate.

4. What does IEEE 802.11 feature support？

The product supports the following IEEE 802.11 functions:

z CSMA/CA plus Acknowledge Protocol
z Multi-Channel Roaming
z Automatic Rate Selection
z RTS/CTS Feature
z Fragmentation
z Power Management

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5. What is Ad-hoc？

An Ad-hoc integrated wireless LAN is a group of computers, each has a Wireless LAN adapter ,
Connected as an independent wireless LAN. Ad hoc wireless LAN is applicable at a
departmental scale for a branch or SOHO operation.

6. What is Infrastructure？

An integrated wireless and wireless and wired LAN is called an Infrastructure configuration.
Infrastructure is applicable to enterprise scale for wireless access to central database, or
wireless application for mobile workers.

7. What is BSS ID？

A specific Ad hoc LAN is called a Basic Service Set (BSS). Computers in a BSS must be
configured with the same BSS ID.

8. What is WEP？

WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, a data privacy mechanism based on a 40 bit shared key
algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802 .11 standard.

9. What is TKIP?

TKIP is a quick-fix method to quickly overcome the inherent weaknesses in WEP security,
especially the reuse of encryption keys. TKIP is involved in the IEEE 802.11i WLAN security
standard, and the specification might be officially released by early 2003.

10. What is AES?

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), a chip-based security, has been developed to ensure the
highest degree of security and authenticity for digital information, wherever and however
communicated or stored, while making more efficient use of hardware and/or software than
previous encryption standards. It is also included in IEEE 802.11i standard. Compare with AES,
TKIP is a temporary protocol for replacing WEP security until manufacturers implement AES at
the hardware level.

11. Can Wireless products support printer sharing？

Wireless products perform the same function as LAN product s. Therefore, Wireless products can
work with Netware, Windows 2000, or other LAN operating systems to support printer or file
sharing.

12. Would the information be intercepted while transmitting on air？

WLAN features two-fold protection in security. On the hardware side, as with Direct Sequence
Spread Spectrum technology, it has the inherent security feature of scrambling. On the software
side, WLAN series offer the encryption function (WEP) to enhance security and Access Control.
Users can set it up depending upon their needs.

13. What is DSSS？What is FHSS？And what are their differences？

Frequency-hopping spread-spectrum (FHSS) uses a narrowband carrier that chang es frequ ency
in a pattern that is known to both transmitter and receiver . Properly synchronized, the net effect
is to maintain a single logical channel. To an unintended receiver, FHSS appears to be

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short-duration impulse noise. Direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) generates a redundant
bit pattern for each bit to be transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code). The
longer the chip is, the greater the probability that the original data can be recovered. Even if one
or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmission, statistical technique s embedded in the
radio can recover the original data without-the need for retransmission. To an unintended
receiver, DSSS appears as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most
narrowband receivers.

14. What is Spread Spectrum？

Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency technique develo ped by the military
for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communication systems. It is designe d to trade off
bandwidth efficiency for reliability, integrity, and security. In other words, more bandwidth is
consumed than in the case of narrowband transmission, but the trade off prod uces a signal that
is, in effect, louder and thus easier to detect, provided that the receiver knows the parameters of
the spread-spectrum signal being broadcast. If a receiver is not tuned to the right frequency, a
spread –spectrum signal looks like background noise. There are two main altern atives, Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).

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