SparkLAN Communications WPEQ261ACNIBT Users Manual

Wireless Module

All Rights Reserved. SparkLAN may make changes to specification and descriptions at any time without prior notice.

www.sparklan.com / [e-mail] / [phone]

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

ver.1.0

Embedded Application

Applications include medical devices,

security systems, industrial PC, Point of Sale,

digital signs, set-top/net-top box, embedded

/ tablet PC’s, Vehicle mounted front, Robot/

Intelligent Gateway, Gaming machine, etc.

Key Feature

● Supports low power PCIe (w/L1 substate) interfaces

for WLAN and USB1.1 interface for Bluetooth.

● Support Bluetooth 4.2 + HS, BLE, ANT+ and be backwards

compatible with Bluetooth 1.2, 2.X + enhanced data rate.

● Supports 20/40 MHz at 2.4 GHz and supports 20/40/80 MHz

at 5 GHz (SW PL determines 2.4 GHz HT40/VHT40 support)

● Compatible for 5 GHz 802.11ac, or 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n WLAN

applications.

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT) is high performance 802.11ac/a/b/g/n dual band 2T2R Industrial-Grade (-40°C ~+85°C)

Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 4.2 combo mini PCIe module, multiple output (MU-MIMO) with two spatial streams

IEEE802.11 ac/a/b/g/n WLAN standards and Bluetooth 4.2+HS, designed to deliver superior integration of

WLAN / Bluetooth and low energy technology.

It supports Windows and Linux Drivers solution. WPEQ-261ACNI(BT) is using a QCA6174A along with

Windows and Linux driver which provide excellent solution for Automation / Robotic various applications.

Adopting the latest 802.11ac solution. WPEQ-261ACNI(BT) is dual band AC on 2.4GHz+5GHz and

incorporates the latest Bluetooth 4.2. The download speed are 300Mbps on N networks and 867Mbps on

AC network. WPEQ-261ACNI (BT) is integrates the Bluetooth transmission technology for voice and data

transfers between devices in a short distance.

Certification

Dipole Ant.

■ FCC ■ CE (RED EN 300 328 V2.1.1 / EN 301 893 V2.1.1)

■ IC ■ MIC
□ NCC □ ASNZS

Wireless Module

All Rights Reserved. SparkLAN may make changes to specification and descriptions at any time without prior notice.

www.sparklan.com / [e-mail] / [phone]

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

ver.1.0

Standards

IEEE 802.11ac/a/b/g/n (2T2R)
Bluetooth V4.2, V4.0 LE, V3.0+HS, V2.1+EDR

Chipset

Qualcomm QCA6174A

Data Rate

802.11b: 11Mbps / 802.11a/g: 54Mbps / 802.11n: MCS0~15/ 802.11ac: MCS0~9
Bluetooth: 1 Mbps, 2Mbps and Up to 3Mbps

Operating Frequency

IEEE 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n ISM Band, 2.400GHz~2.497GHz, 4.900GHz~5.845GHz
*Subject to local regulations

Interface

PCIe: WLAN / USB: Bluetooth

Form Factor

Half Mini PCIe

Antenna

2xIPEX connectors (ANT1 for WIFI+BT, ANT2 for WIFI)

Modulation

802.11b: DSSS (DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK)

802.11a/g: OFDM (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM)

802.11n: OFDM (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM)

802.11ac: OFDM (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, 256-QAM)

Power Consumption

TX: 610mA / RX: 285mA

Operating Voltage

DC 3.3V

Operating Temperature Range

-40°C~+85°C

Storage Temperature Range

-40°C~+85°C

Humidity
(Non-Condensing)

5%~90% (Operating)
5%~90% (Storing)

Dimension (in mm)

29.85mm (±0.15mm) x 26.65mm (±0.15mm) x 2.65mm (±0.2mm)

Weight (g)

≦ 6g

Driver Support

Windows 7/8.1/10

Linux (Open Source), Recommend Kernel v4.0+

Security

64/128-bits WEP, WPA, WPA2, 802.1x

Specification

Wireless Module

All Rights Reserved. SparkLAN may make changes to specification and descriptions at any time without prior notice.

www.sparklan.com / [e-mail] / [phone]

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

ver.1.0

Mechanical Dimension (mm)

Pin Assignment

Wireless Module

All Rights Reserved. SparkLAN may make changes to specification and descriptions at any time without prior notice.

www.sparklan.com / [e-mail] / [phone]

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

ver.1.0

TOP

Pin#

Pin Name

Type

Description

1

PCIE_WAKE_L

O

PCIe wake signal

3

NC - No connect

5

NC - No connect

7

PCIE_CLKREQ_L

I/O

PCIe clock request

9

GND

-

Ground connections

11

PCIE_RCLK_P

I

PCI Express differential clock input- Positive

13

PCIE_RCLK_N

I

PCI Express differential clock input- Negative

15

GND

-

Ground connections

17

NC - No connect

19

NC - No connect

21

GND

-

Ground connections

23

PCIE_TX_P

O

PCI Express transmit data- Positive

25

PCIE_TX_N

O

PCI Express transmit data- Negative

27

GND

-

Ground connections

29

GND

-

Ground connections

31

PCIE_RX_N

I

PCI Express receive data-Negative

33

PCIE_RX_P

I

PCI Express receive data-Positive

35

GND

-

Ground connections

Pin Assignment

Wireless Module

All Rights Reserved. SparkLAN may make changes to specification and descriptions at any time without prior notice.

www.sparklan.com / [e-mail] / [phone]

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

ver.1.0

37

GND

-

Ground connections

39

VDD_3V3

I

VDD system power supply input

41

VDD_3V3

I

VDD system power supply input

43

GND

-

Ground connections

45

NC - No connect

47

NC - No connect

49

NC - No connect

51

BT_RF_KILL_L

-

Turn off BT RF analog and front-end. Active low

BOTTOM

Pin#

Pin Name

Type

Description

2

VDD_3V3

I

VDD system power supply input

4

GND

-

Ground connections

6

NC - No connect

8

NC

-

No connect

10

NC

-

No connect

12

NC

-

No connect

14

NC

-

No connect

16

NC

-

No connect

18

GND

-

Ground connections

20

WLAN_RF_KILL_L

I

Turn off WLAN RF analog and front-end. Active low.

22

PCIE_PERST_L

I

PCIe host indication to reset the device Active low.

24

VDD_3V3

I

VDD system power supply input

Wireless Module

All Rights Reserved. SparkLAN may make changes to specification and descriptions at any time without prior notice.

www.sparklan.com / [e-mail] / [phone]

WPEQ-261ACNI(BT)

ver.1.0

26

GND

-

Ground connections

28

NC

-

No connect

30

NC

-

No connect

32

NC

-

No connect

34

GND

-

Ground connections

36

USB_D-

I/O

USB serial differential data Negative

38

USB_D+

I/O

USB serial differential data Positive

40

GND

-

Ground connections

42

WLAN_LED

OD

WLAN LED

44

BT_LED

OD

Bluetooth LED

46

NC

-

No connect

48

NC

-

No connect

50

GND

-

Ground connections

52

VDD_3V3

I

VDD system power supply input

Hardware Setup:

 Insert WPEQ-261ACNI(BT) into the mini pcie slot of end product.
 Connects two external antenna at I-PEX connectors on the board.
 Note to the voltage level should be 3.3V.

Software setup:

Introduction

The Atheros 802.11n + Bluetooth Adapter supports 802.11n and Bluetooth EDR2.0
operation. The card uses the Atheros Client Utility (ACU) which is a user-mode utility
designed to edit and add profiles for selected Atheros network interface adapters.

System Requirements

Laptop/ PC containing:

32-bit PCI Express Bus
32 MB memory or greater
300 MHz processor or higher

Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98 Second

Edition, Windows XP, or Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 6)

Profile Management

Configure the wireless network adapter (wireless card) from the Profile Management tab
of the Atheros Client Utility.

Add a profile
Edit a profile
Import a Profile
Export a Profile

The wireless network adapter works in either infrastructure mode (which uses an access
point) or ad hoc mode (a group of stations participating in the wireless LAN).

Order profiles
Switch to a different profile
Remove a profile
Connect to a Different

Network

Create or Modify a Configuration Profile

To add a new configuration profile, click New on the Profile Management tab. To modify
a configuration profile, select the configuration from the Profile list and click the Modify
button.

The Profile Management dialog box displays the General tab. In profile management:

Edit the General tab.
Edit the Security tab.
Edit the Advanced tab.

To configure a profile for ad hoc or access point (infrastructure) mode, edit the Network
Type field on the Advanced tab.

Note that the ACU only allows the creation of 16 configuration profiles. After the
creation of 16 profiles, clicking the New button displays an error message. Remove an
old profile or modify an existing profile for a new use.

Remove a Configuration Profile

1. Go to the Profile Management tab.

2.

Select the profile to remove from the list of configuration profiles.

3.

Click the Remove button.

Auto Profile Selection Management

Including a profile in the auto selection feature allows the wireless adapter to
automatically select that profile from the list of profiles and use it to connect to the
network.

Including a profile in auto profile selection:

1. On the Profile Management tab, click the Order Profiles button.

2. The Auto Profile Selection Management window appears, with a list of all created

profiles in the Available Profiles box.

3. Highlight the profiles to add to auto profile selection, then click Add. The profiles

appear in the Auto Selected Profiles box.

Ordering the auto selected profiles:

1. Highlight a profile in the Auto Selected Profiles box.

2. Click Move Up, Move Down, or Remove as appropriate. The first profile in the Auto

Selected Profiles box has highest priority, and the last profile has lowest priority.

3. Click OK.

4. Check the Auto Select Profiles box.

5. Save the modified configuration file.

When auto profile selection is enabled by checking Auto Select Profiles on the Profile
Management tab, the adapter scans for an available network. The profile with the
highest priority and the same SSID as one of the found networks is the one that is used
to connect to the network. If the connection fails, the adapter tries the next highest
priority profile that matches the SSID, and so on.

With auto profile selection enabled, the wireless adapter scans for available networks.
The highest priority profile with the same SSID as a found network is used to connect to
the network. On a failed connection, the adapter tries with the next highest priority
profile.

Switching to a Different Configuration Profile

1. To switch to a different profile, go to the Profile Management tab.

2. Click on the profile name in the Profile List.

3. Click the Activate button.

The Profile List provides icons that specify the operational state for that profile. The list
also provides icons that specify the signal strength for that profile.

Import and Export Profiles

Importing a Profile

1. From the Profile Management tab, click the Import button. The Import Profile

window appears.

2. Browse to the directory where the profile is located.

3. Highlight the profile name.

4. Click Open. The imported profile appears in the profiles list.

Exporting a Profile

1. From the Profile Management tab, highlight the profile to export.

2. Click the Export button. The Export Profile window appears.

3. Browse to the directory to export the profile to.

4. Click Save. The profile is exported to the specified location.

TCP/IP Configuration

Configuring the TCP/IP Address for the network device:

1. After configuring the wireless network adapter properties, open the Control Panel and

open Network and Dial-up Connections.

2. Find the Local Area Connection associated with the wireless network adapter. Right-

click that connection, and click Properties.

3. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.

4. Click the radio button Use the following IP address, then enter an IP address and Subnet

mask. Assigning an IP address and Subnet mask allows stations to operate in access
point mode (infrastructure mode) or in ad hoc mode and to have Internet access. Default
gateway and DNS server information is also required. IP configuration information
(DHCP to assign the IP address, gateway and DNS server IP addresses) is usually
obtained from the corporate IT staff.

5. Click OK to finish.

General Tab

In the Atheros Client Utility, access the General tab by clicking New or Modify on the
Profile Management tab. Edit the fields in the General tab to configure the configuration
profile. Make sure to also edit the Security and Advanced tabs.

Profile Name

Client Name

Network Names (SSIDs)

Advanced Tab

In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Advanced tab by clicking New or Modify on the
Profile Management tab, then clicking the Advanced tab in Profile Management. Edit
the fields in the Advanced tab of Profile Management to configure the profile.

Transmit

Power Level

Power Save

Mode

Selects the transmit power level in mW. Actual transmit power may be
limited by hardware.

Specify:

Identifies the configuration profile. This name must be
unique. Profile names are not case sensitive.

Identifies the client machine.

The IEEE 802.11 wireless network name. This field has a
maximum limit of 32 characters.
Configure up to three SSIDs (SSID1, SSID2, and SSID3).

Maximum mode causes the access point to buffer incoming messages

for the wireless adapter. The adapter periodically polls the access
point to see if any messages are waiting.

Normal uses maximum when retrieving a large number of packets,

then switches back to power save mode after retrieving the packets.

Off turns power saving off, thus powering up the wireless adapter

continuously for a short message response time.

Network Type

802.11b

Preamble

Authentication

Mode

For infrastructure (access point) networks, click the Preferred APs button to specify up to
four access points to which the adapter should attempt to associate.

Specifies the network as either infrastructure or ad hoc.

Specifies the preamble setting in 802.11b. The default setting is Short &

Long (access point mode), which allows both short and long headers in

the 802.11b frames. The adapter can only use short radio headers if the
access point supports and uses them. Set to Long Only to override
allowing short frames.

Select the mode the wireless adapter uses to authenticate to an AP:

Auto causes the adapter to attempt authentication using shared, but

switches it to open authentication if shared fails.

Open enables an adapter to attempt authentication regardless of its

WEP settings. It will only associate with the access point if the WEP
keys on both the adapter and the access point match.

Shared only allows the adapter to associate with access points that

have the same WEP key.

Security Tab

In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab by clicking New or Modify on the
Profile Management tab. Click the Security tab in the Profile Management window.

Edit the fields in the Security tab of Profile Management to configure the profile. To
define the security mode, select the radio button of the desired security mode. Make sure
to also edit the General and Advanced tabs.

WPA/WPA2

WPA/WPA2

Passphrase

802.1x

Enables the use of Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
Choosing WPA/WPA2 opens the WPA/WPA2 EAP drop-down
menu. The options include:

EAP-FAST
EAP-TLS
EAP-TTLS
PEAP (EAP-GTC)
PEAP (EAP-MSCHAP V2)
LEAP

Enables WPA/WPA2 Passphrase security. Click on the Configure
button and fill in the WPA/WPA2 Passphrase.

Enables 802.1x security. This option requires IT administration.
Choosing 802.1x opens the 802.1x EAP type drop-down menu. The
options include:

EAP-FAST
EAP-TLS
EAP-TTLS
PEAP (EAP-GTC)
PEAP (EAP-MSCHAP V2)
LEAP

If the access point that the wireless adapter is associating to has
WEP set to Optional and the client has WEP enabled, make sure that

Allow Association to Mixed Cells is checked on the Security Tab to

allow association. Note: If the Lock checkbox is checked, you cannot

change any values in this profile. See your system administrator.

Pre-Shared Key

(Static WEP)

None

Enables the use of pre-shared keys that are defined on both the
access point and the station.

To define pre-shared encryption keys, choose the Pre-Shared Key
radio button and click the Configure button to fill in the Define Pre-
Shared Keys window.

If the access point that the wireless adapter is associating to has
WEP set to Optional and the client has WEP enabled, make sure that

Allow Association to Mixed Cells is checked on the Security Tab to

allow association.

No security (not recommended).

Using EAP-TLS Security

To use EAP-TLS security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the
Profile Management window.

1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button.

OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button.

2. Choose EAP-TLS from the drop-down menu.

Enabling EAP-TLS security:

To use EAP-TLS security, the machine must already have the EAP-TLS certificates
downloaded onto it. Check with the IT manager.

1. If EAP-TLS is supported, choose EAP-TLS from the drop-down menu on the right,

then click the Configure button.

2. Select the appropriate certificate authority from the list. The server/domain name

and the login name are filled in automatically from the certificate information. Click

OK.

3. Click OK.

4. Activate the profile.

Using EAP-TTLS Security

To use EAP security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile
Management window.

1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA/WPA2 radio button.

OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button.

2. Choose EAP-TTLS from the drop-down menu.

Enabling EAP-TTLS security:

To use EAP-TTLS security, the machine must already have the EAP-TTLS certificates
downloaded onto it. Check with the IT manager.

1. If EAP-TTLS is supported, choose EAP-TTLS from the drop-down menu on the right,

then click the Configure button.

2. Select the appropriate certificate from the drop-down list and click OK.

3. Specify a user name for EAP authentication:
Check Use Windows User Name to use the Windows user name as the EAP user

name.

OR: Enter an EAP user name in the User Name field to use a separate user name

and password and start the EAP authentication process.

4. Click Advanced and:
Leave the server name field blank for the client to accept a certificate from any

server with a certificate signed by the authority listed in the Network Certificate
Authority drop-down list. (recommended)

Enter the domain name of the server from which the client will accept a

certificate.

Change the login name if needed.

5. Click OK.

6. Enable the profile.

Using PEAP (EAP-GTC) Security

To use PEAP (EAP-GTC) security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in
the Profile Management window.

1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button.

OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button.

2. Choose PEAP (EAP-GTC) from the drop-down menu.

To use PEAP (EAP-GTC) security, the server must have WPA-PEAP certificates, and the

server properties must already be set. Check with the IT manager.

1. Click the Configure button.

2. To avoid the need to log on again after resuming operation (for example, after your

computer goes into standby or hibernate mode), check Always Resume the Secure

Session.

3. Select the appropriate network certificate authority from the drop-down list.

4. Specify a user name for inner PEAP tunnel authentication:
Check Use Windows User Name to use the Windows user name as the PEAP

user name.

OR: Enter a PEAP user name in the User Name field to use a separate user name

and start the PEAP authentication process.

5. Choose Token or Static Password, depending on the user database.

Note that Token uses a hardware token device or the Secure Computing SofToken
program (version 1.3 or later) to obtain and enter a one-time password during
authentication.

6. Click Settings... and:
Leave the server name field blank for the client to accept a certificate from any

server with a certificate signed by the authority listed in the Network Certificate
Authority drop-down list. (recommended)

Enter the domain name of the server from which the client will accept a

certificate.

The login name used for PEAP tunnel authentication fills in automatically as

PEAP-xxxxxxxxxxxx, where xxxxxxxxxxxx is the computer's MAC
address. Change the login name if needed.

7. Click OK.

8. Enable the profile.

Using PEAP-MSCHAP V2 Security

To use PEAP-MSCHAP V2 security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab
in the Profile Management window.

1. On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button.

OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button.

2. Choose PEAP (EAP-MSCHAP V2) from the drop-down menu.

To use PEAP (EAP-MSCHAP V2) security, the server must have WPA-PEAP certificates,

and the server properties must already be set. Check with the IT manager.

1. Click the Configure button.

2. Select the appropriate certificate from the drop-down list.

3. Specify a user name for inner PEAP tunnel authentication:
Check Use Windows User Name to use the Windows user name as the PEAP

user name.

OR: Enter a PEAP user name in the User Name field to use a separate user name

and start the PEAP authentication process.

4. Click Advanced and:
Leave the server name field blank for the client to accept a certificate from any

server with a certificate signed by the authority listed in the Network Certificate
Authority drop-down list. (recommended)

Enter the domain name of the server from which the client will accept a

certificate.

The login name used for PEAP tunnel authentication fills in automatically as

PEAP-xxxxxxxxxxxx, where xxxxxxxxxxxx is the computer's MAC
address. Change the login name if needed.

5. Click OK.

6. Enable the profile.

Using LEAP Security

To use security In the Atheros Client Utility, access the Security tab in the Profile
Management window. LEAP security requires that all infrastructure devices (e.g. access
points and servers) are configured for LEAP authentication. Check with the IT manager.

Configuring LEAP

On the Security tab, choose the WPA radio button. Choose WPA-LEAP from the

drop-down menu.

OR: On the Security tab, choose the 802.1x radio button. Choose LEAP from the

drop-down menu.

1. Click the Configure button.

2. Specify a user name and password. Select to Use Temporary User Name and

Password by choosing the radio button:

Check Use Windows User Name to use the Windows user name as the LEAP

user name.

OR: Check Manually Prompt for LEAP User Name and Password to

manually login and start the LEAP authentication process.

Select to Use Saved User Name and Password by choosing the radio button:

Specify the LEAP user name, password, and domain to save and use.

3. Enter the user name and password.

4. Confirm the password.

5. Specify a domain name:

Check the Include Windows Logon Domain with User Name setting to pass

the Windows login domain and user name to the RADIUS server. (default)

OR: Enter a specific domain name.

6. If desired, check No Network Connection Unless User Is Logged In to force the

wireless adapter to disassociate after logging off.

7. Enter the LEAP authentication timeout time (between 30 and 500 seconds) to

specify how long LEAP should wait before declaring authentication failed, and
sending an error message. The default is 90 seconds.

8. Click OK.

9. Enable the profile.