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 or
more 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.
2) This device must accept any interference receive d, inc luding int erfere nce that may cause
undesired operation.
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance
could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled
environment. This device and its antenna must not be co-located or operating in conjunction
with any other antenna or transmitter.
“To comply with FCC RF exposure compliance requirements, this grant is applicable to only
Mobile Configurations. The antennas used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a
separation distance of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be co-located or operating
in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.”
CE Mark 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.
National Restrictions
2400.0-2483.5 MHz
Country Restriction Reason/remark
Bulgaria
Outdoor use limited to 10 mW
France
Italy
Luxembourg None
Norway Implemented
Russian Federation
e.i.r.p. within the band
2454-2483.5 MHz
General authorization required for outdoor use and
public service
Military Radiolocation use. Refarming of the 2.4 GHz
band has been ongoing in recent years to allo w current
relaxed regulation. Full implementation planned 2012
If used outside of own premises, general authorization
is required
General authorization required for network and service
supply(not for spectrum)
This subsection does not apply for the geographical
area within a radius of 20 km from the centre of
Ny-Ålesund
Only for indoor applications
Note: Please don’t use the product outdoors in France.
The following items should be found in your package:
¾PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Note:
)
Make sure that the package contains the above items. If any of the listed items are damaged or
missing, please contact with your distributor.
Conventions:
The ‘Module’ mentioned in this user guide stands for PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
without any explanations.
1
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Chapter 1 Introduction
Thank you for choosing the PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module!
1.1 Overview of the Product
The module is an 802.11n client device. It is mainly designed to provide a high-speed and
unrivaled wireless performance for wireless embedded system application. With a faster wireless
connection, you can get a better Internet experience without the cost of running network cables.
With the 802.11n technology, the PW-MN421’s auto-sensing capability allows high packet
transfer rate of up to 150Mbps for maximum throughput. It has good capability on anti-jamming,
and it can also interoperate with other wireless (802.11b/g/n) products. The module supports
WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption to prevent outside intrusion and protect your personal
information from being exposed.
With unmatched wireless performance, reception, and security protection, it is easily to be used in
different kinds of wireless embedded system for its size and portable.
1.2 Features
¾ Complies with IEEE802.11n, IEEE802.11g, IEEE802.11b standards
¾ Supports WPA/WPA2 data security, IEEE802.1x authentication, TKIP/AES encryption,
64/128/152-bit WEP encryption
¾ Supports high rate of up to 150Mbps for maximum throughput, supports automatically
adjust to lower speeds due to distance or other operating limitations
¾ Provides USB interface
¾ Supports Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure modes
¾ Good capability on anti-jamming
¾ Supports roaming between access points when configured in Infrastructure mode
¾ Ease to configure and provides monitoring information
¾
Supports Windows XP, Vista, 7
2
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Chapter 2 Installation Guide
2.1 Hardware Installation
PW-MN427_56I has a 4-Pin onboard connector to transmit USB signal, and it is mainly
designed to provide stability wireless function and performance for your system.
For installation, you must be sure to connect this module to your device or system’s compatible
connector, sometimes you should use a connecting wire first. Then, the promoted Found New
Hardware Wizard will pop up if the Module is installed correctly.
2.2 Software Installation
Windows XP, Vista, 7 are supported. This user guide takes Windows XP for example.
1. Please run the Setup program of the module. Then you will see
Figure 2-1.
3
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Figure 2-1
2. Soon, Figure 2-2 will display after a moment. Click Next to continue.
Figure 2-2
3. After that, you should choose a Setup type. It is recommended that you select Install
Client Utilities and Driver. Select Install Driver Only to install driver only, select Make
Driver Installation Diskette(s) to make the diskette(s) as the installation driver (shown in
Figure 2-3
). Click Next to continue.
4
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Figure 2-3
4. Click Browse… to change the destination location for the software, then click Next in the
screen below (shown in Figure 2-4
).
Figure 2-4
5. After that, select the program folder, you should create a new folder name or select one
from the Existing Folders list. It is recommended that you keep the default setting. Click
Next to continue the installation.
5
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Figure 2-5
6. Choose configuration tool, if you are not sure, please leave it default. Then click Next to
continue.
Figure 2-6
7. Click OK to continue the Installation. Wait a while for the setup as shown in Figure 2-7
6
.
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Figure 2-7
Note:
)
For Windows XP, the Setup Wizard will notify you of how to proceed with the installation during
these steps (shown inFigure 2-8). Our drivers have been tested thoroughly, and are able to wor k
with the operating system. Click Continue Anyway to continue the Installation.
Figure 2-8
8. After all the steps above, you will see the screen below, click Finish to reboot the system.
7
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Figure 2-9
8
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Appendix A: Specifications
Normal
Interface USB 2.0 Interface
Standards IEEE802.11n; IEEE802.11g; IEEE802.11b;
Operating System Windows XP, Vista, 7
Throughput 150Mbps (Maximal)
Radio Data Rate
Modulation BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, DBPSK, DQPSK, and CCK
Media Access Protocol CSMA/CA with ACK
Data Security WPA/WPA2; 64/128/152-bit WEP; TKIP/AES
Frequency 2.412 ~ 2.472 GHz (For CE Area)
Spread Spectrum Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
Safety & Emissions FCC, CE
11b: 11/5.5/2/1Mbps (Dynamic)
11g: 54/48/36/24/18/12/9/6Mbps (Dynamic)
11n: up to 150Mbps (Dynamic)
2.412 ~ 2.462 GHz (For FCC Area)
Weight 2.7g
* Only 2.412GHz~2.462GHz is allowed to be used in USA, which means only channel
1~11 is available for American users to choose.
9
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
Appendix B: Glossary
¾802.11b - The 802.11b standard specifies a wireless product networking at 11 Mbps using
direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and operating in the unlicensed radio
spectrum at 2.4GHz, and WEP encryption for security. 802.11b networks are also referred to
as Wi-Fi networks.
¾ 802.11g - specification for wireless networking at 54 Mbps using direct-sequence
spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology, using OFDM modulation and operating in the
unlicensed radio spectrum at 2.4GHz, and backward compatibility with IEEE 802.11b devices,
and WEP encryption for security.
¾802.11n - 802.11n builds upon previous 802.11 standards by adding MIMO (multiple-input
multiple-output). MIMO uses multiple transmitter and
data throughput via spatial multiplexing and increased range by exploiting the spatial diversity,
perhaps through coding schemes like Alamouti coding. The Enhanced Wireless Consortium
[3]
(EWC)
a technology specification for interoperability of next-generation wireless local area
networking (WLAN) products.
was formed to help accelerate the IEEE 802.11n development process and promote
receiver antennas to allow for increased
¾Ad-hoc Network - An ad-hoc network is a group of computers, each with a Wireless Adapter,
connected as an independent 802.11 wireless LAN. Ad-hoc wireless computers operate on a
peer-to-peer basis, communicating directly with each other without the use of an access point.
Ad-hoc mode is also referred to as an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) or as
peer-to-peer mode, and is useful at a departmental scale or SOHO operation.
¾ DSSS - (Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum) - DSSS generates a redundant bit pattern for all
data transmitted. This bit pattern is called a chip (or chipping code). Even if one or more bits
in the chip are damaged during transmission, statistical techniques embedded in the receiver
can recover the original data without the need of retransmission. To an unintended receiver,
DSSS appears as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband
receivers. However, to an intended receiver (i.e. another wireless LAN endpoint), the DSSS
signal is recognized as the only valid signal, and interference is inherently rejected (ignored).
carrier frequency of a conventional carrier several times per second according to a
pseudo-random set of channels. Because a fixed frequency is not used, and only the
transmitter and receiver know the hop patterns, interception of FHSS is extremely difficult.
¾Infrastructure Network - An infrastructure network is a group of computers or other devices,
each with a Wireless Adapter, connected as an 802.11 wireless LAN. In infrastructure mode,
the wireless devices communicate with each other and to a wired network by first going
through an access point. An infrastructure wireless network connected to a wired network is
referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS). A set of two or more BSS in a single network is
referred to as an Extended Service Set (ESS). Infrastructure mode is useful at a corporation
scale, or when it is necessary to connect the wired and wireless networks.
¾Spread Spectrum - Spread Spectrum technology is a wideband radio frequency technique
10
developed by the military for use in reliable, secure, mission-critical communications systems.
It is designed 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 produces 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 alternatives, Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency
Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).
¾ WEP - (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit or 128-bit or
152-bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard. To gain access to a
WEP network, you must know the key. The key is a string of characters that you create.
When using WEP, you must determine the level of encryption. The type of encryption
determines the key length. 128-bit encryption requires a longer key than 64-bit encryption.
Keys are defined by entering in a string in HEX (hexadecimal - using characters 0-9, A-F) or
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange – alphanumeric characters)
format. ASCII format is provided so you can enter a string that is easier to remember. The
ASCII string is converted to HEX for use over the network. Four keys can be defined so that
you can change keys easily.
PW-MN421 Wireless Lite-N USB Module
¾Wi-Fi - A trade name for the 802.11b wireless networking standard, given by the Wireless
Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www.wi-fi.net), an industry standards
group promoting interoperability among 802.11b devices.
¾WLAN - (Wireless Local Area Network) - A group of computers and associated devices
communicate with each other wirelessly, which network serving users are limited in a local
area.