ZyXEL ZyAIR G-500 User Guide

ZyAIR G-500

802.11g Wireless Access Point

User's Guide

Version 3.50

April 2004

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Copyright

Copyright © 2004 by ZyXEL Communications Corporation.

The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any part or as a whole, transcribed, stored in a
retrieval system, translated into any language, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, photocopying, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of ZyXEL Communications Corporation.

Published by ZyXEL Communications Corporation. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer

ZyXEL does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of any products, or software
described herein. Neither does it convey any license under its patent rights nor the patent rights of others.
ZyXEL further reserves the right to make changes in any products described herein without notice. This
publication is subject to change without notice.

Trademarks

ZyNOS (ZyXEL Network Operating System) is a registered trademark of ZyXEL Communications, Inc.
Other trademarks mentioned in this publication are used for identification purposes only and may be
properties of their respective owners.

ii Copyright

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) Interference Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference.

• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired

operations.

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 commercial environment. 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.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio/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 the 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/TV technician for help.

Caution

1. To comply with FCC RF exposure compliance requirements, a separation distance of at least 20 cm
must be maintained between the antenna of this device and all persons.

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

Notice 1

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the
user's authority to operate the equipment.

Certifications

1. Go to www.zyxel.com

2. Select your product from the drop-down list box on the

ZyXEL home page to go to that product's page.

3. Select the certification you wish to view from this page.

FCC Statement iii

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

ZyXEL Limited Warranty

ZyXEL warrants to the original end user (purchaser) that this product is free from any defects in materials
or workmanship for a period of up to two years from the date of purchase. During the warranty period, and
upon proof of purchase, should the product have indications of failure due to faulty workmanship and/or
materials, ZyXEL will, at its discretion, repair or replace the defective products or components without
charge for either parts or labor, and to whatever extent it shall deem necessary to restore the product or
components to proper operating condition. Any replacement will consist of a new or re-manufactured
functionally equivalent product of equal value, and will be solely at the discretion of ZyXEL. This warranty
shall not apply if the product is modified, misused, tampered with, damaged by an act of God, or subjected
to abnormal working conditions.

Note

Repair or replacement, as provided under this warranty, is the exclusive remedy of the purchaser. This
warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, express or implied, including any implied warranty of
merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. ZyXEL shall in no event be held liable for indirect
or consequential damages of any kind of character to the purchaser.

To obtain the services of this warranty, contact ZyXEL's Service Center for your Return Material
Authorization number (RMA). Products must be returned Postage Prepaid. It is recommended that the unit
be insured when shipped. Any returned products without proof of purchase or those with an out-dated
warranty will be repaired or replaced (at the discretion of ZyXEL) and the customer will be billed for parts
and labor. All repaired or replaced products will be shipped by ZyXEL to the corresponding return address,
Postage Paid. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary
from country to country.

Safety Warnings

1. To reduce the risk of fire, use only No. 26 AWG or larger telephone wire.

2. Do not use this product near water, for example, in a wet basement or near a swimming pool.

3. Avoid using this product during an electrical storm. There may be a remote risk of electric shock from
lightening.

iv ZyXEL Warranty

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Customer Support

Please have the following information ready when you contact customer support.

• Product model and serial number.

• Warranty Information.

• Date that you received your device.

• Brief description of the problem and the steps you took to solve it.

SUPPORT E-MAIL TELEPHONE1 WEB SITE METHOD

LOCATION

WORLDWIDE

AMERICA

SALES E-MAIL FAX1 FTP SITE

[e-mail] [phone] www.zyxel.com

www.europe.zyxel.com

[e-mail]

[e-mail] [phone]

[e-mail]

[e-mail] [phone] www.zyxel.de GERMANY

[e-mail]

[e-mail] [phone] SPAIN

[e-mail]

[e-mail] [phone] www.zyxel.dk DENMARK

[e-mail]

[e-mail] [phone] www.zyxel.no NORWAY

[e-mail]

[e-mail] [phone] www.zyxel.se SWEDEN

[e-mail]

[phone] ftp.zyxel.com

ftp.europe.zyxel.com

www.us.zyxel.com NORTH

[phone]

[phone] ftp.us.zyxel.com

[phone]

[phone] FRANCE [e-mail]

[phone]

[phone]

[phone]

[phone]

[phone]

www.zyxel.fr ZyXEL France

www.zyxel.es

ZyXEL Communications

1

“+” is the (prefix) number you enter to make an international telephone call.

REGULAR MAIL

ZyXEL Communications Corp.
6 Innovation Road II
Science Park
Hsinchu 300
Taiwan

ZyXEL Communications Inc.
1130 N. Miller St.
Anaheim
CA 92806-2001
U.S.A.

ZyXEL Deutschland GmbH.
Adenauerstr. 20/A2 D-52146
Wuerselen
Germany

1 rue des Vergers
Bat. 1 / C
69760 Limonest
France

Alejandro Villegas 33
1º, 28043 Madrid
Spain

ZyXEL Communications A/S
Columbusvej 5
2860 Soeborg
Denmark

ZyXEL Communications A/S
Nils Hansens vei 13
0667 Oslo
Norway

ZyXEL Communications A/S
Sjöporten 4, 41764 Göteborg
Sweden

Customer Support v

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

LOCATION

SUPPORT E-MAIL TELEPHONE1 WEB SITE METHOD

SALES E-MAIL FAX1 FTP SITE

[e-mail] [phone] www.zyxel.fi FINLAND

[e-mail]

[phone]

REGULAR MAIL

ZyXEL Communications Oy
Malminkaari 10
00700 Helsinki
Finland

vi Customer Support

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Table of Contents

Copyright.........................................................................................................................................................ii

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Statement.....................................................iii

ZyXEL Limited Warranty.............................................................................................................................iv

Customer Support........................................................................................................................................... v

List of Figures................................................................................................................................................xii

List of Tables..................................................................................................................................................xv

Preface..........................................................................................................................................................xvii

OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................................... I

Chapter 1 Getting to Know Your ZyAIR ...................................................................................................1-1

1.1 Introducing the ZyAIR Wireless Access Point ..........................................................................1-1

1.2 ZyAIR Features..........................................................................................................................1-1

1.3 Applications for the ZyAIR........................................................................................................1-3

1.3.1 Internet Access Application ...............................................................................................1-4

1.3.2 Corporation Network Application......................................................................................1-4

Chapter 2 Introducing the Web Configurator...........................................................................................2-1

2.1 Accessing the ZyAIR Web Configurator ...................................................................................2-1

2.2 Resetting the ZyAIR ..................................................................................................................2-2

2.2.1 Method of Restoring Factory-Defaults...............................................................................2-2

2.3 Navigating the ZyAIR Web Configurator..................................................................................2-3

Chapter 3 Wizard Setup ..............................................................................................................................3-1

3.1 Wizard Setup Overview .............................................................................................................3-1

3.1.1 Channel ..............................................................................................................................3-1

3.1.2 ESS ID................................................................................................................................3-1

3.1.3 WEP Encryption.................................................................................................................3-1

3.2 Wizard Setup: General Setup.....................................................................................................3-2

3.3 Wizard Setup: Wireless LAN.....................................................................................................3-3

3.4 Wizard Setup: IP Address ..........................................................................................................3-4

3.4.1 IP Address Assignment ......................................................................................................3-4

3.4.2 IP Address and Subnet Mask..............................................................................................3-5

3.5 Basic Setup Complete ................................................................................................................3-7

SYSTEM, WIRELESS AND IP .................................................................................................................. III

Chapter 4 System Screens ...........................................................................................................................4-1

4.1 System Overview .......................................................................................................................4-1

4.2 Configuring General Setup.........................................................................................................4-1

4.3 Configuring Password................................................................................................................4-2

4.4 Configuring Time Setting...........................................................................................................4-3

Chapter 5 Wireless Configuration and Roaming ......................................................................................5-1

5.1 Wireless LAN Overview............................................................................................................5-1

5.1.1 IBSS ...................................................................................................................................5-1

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ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

5.1.2 BSS ....................................................................................................................................5-1

5.1.3 ESS ....................................................................................................................................5-2

5.2 Wireless LAN Basics.................................................................................................................5-3

5.2.1 RTS/CTS............................................................................................................................5-3

5.2.2 Fragmentation Threshold................................................................................................... 5-4

5.3 Configuring Wireless................................................................................................................. 5-5

5.4 Configuring Roaming ................................................................................................................5-6

5.4.1 Requirements for Roaming................................................................................................ 5-8

Chapter 6 Wireless Security........................................................................................................................6-1

6.1 Wireless Security Overview.......................................................................................................6-1

6.2 WEP Overview ..........................................................................................................................6-1

6.2.1 Data Encryption .................................................................................................................6-2

6.2.2 Authentication.................................................................................................................... 6-2

6.3 Preamble Type ........................................................................................................................... 6-3

6.4 Configuring WEP Encryption....................................................................................................6-3

6.5 MAC Filter.................................................................................................................................6-6

6.6 802.1x Overview........................................................................................................................6-8

6.7 Introduction to RADIUS............................................................................................................ 6-8

6.7.1 EAP Authentication Overview...........................................................................................6-9

6.8 Dynamic WEP Key Exchange................................................................................................. 6-10

6.9 Introduction to WPA................................................................................................................ 6-11

6.9.1 User Authentication .........................................................................................................6-11

6.9.2 Encryption........................................................................................................................ 6-11

6.10 WPA-PSK Application Example.............................................................................................6-12

6.11 WPA with RADIUS Application Example..............................................................................6-12

6.12 Security Parameters Summary.................................................................................................6-13

6.13 Wireless Client WPA Supplicants ...........................................................................................6-14

6.14 Configuring 802.1x and WPA .................................................................................................6-14

6.14.1 Authentication Required: 802.1x ..................................................................................... 6-15

6.14.2 Authentication Required: WPA ....................................................................................... 6-18

6.14.3 Authentication Required: WPA-PSK...............................................................................6-20

6.15 Introduction to Local User Database........................................................................................6-21

6.16 Configuring Local User Database............................................................................................ 6-21

6.17 Configuring RADIUS ..............................................................................................................6-23

Chapter 7 IP Screen .....................................................................................................................................7-1

7.1 Factory Ethernet Defaults ..........................................................................................................7-1

7.2 TCP/IP Parameters..................................................................................................................... 7-1

7.2.1 IP Address and Subnet Mask .............................................................................................7-1

7.3 Configuring IP ...........................................................................................................................7-1

REMOTE MANAGEMENT AND LOGS ..................................................................................................IV

Chapter 8 Remote Management.................................................................................................................8-1

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ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

8.1 Remote Management Overview.................................................................................................8-1

8.1.1 Remote Management Limitations ......................................................................................8-1

8.1.2 System Timeout .................................................................................................................8-1

8.2 Telnet .........................................................................................................................................8-2

8.3 Configuring TELNET ................................................................................................................8-2

8.4 Configuring FTP ........................................................................................................................8-3

8.5 Configuring WWW....................................................................................................................8-4

8.6 Configuring SNMP ....................................................................................................................8-5

8.6.1 Supported MIBs .................................................................................................................8-7

8.6.2 SNMP Traps.......................................................................................................................8-7

8.6.3 REMOTE MANAGEMENT: SNMP.................................................................................8-7

Chapter 9 Logs Screens ...............................................................................................................................9-1

9.1 Configuring View Log ...............................................................................................................9-1

9.2 Configuring Log Settings ...........................................................................................................9-2

MAINTENANCE........................................................................................................................................... V

Chapter 10 Maintenance ...........................................................................................................................10-1

10.1 Maintenance Overview ............................................................................................................10-1

10.2 System Status Screen ...............................................................................................................10-1

10.2.1 System Statistics...............................................................................................................10-2

10.3 Association List........................................................................................................................10-3

10.4 F/W Upload Screen..................................................................................................................10-4

10.5 Configuration Screen ...............................................................................................................10-7

10.5.1 Backup Configuration ......................................................................................................10-8

10.5.2 Restore Configuration ......................................................................................................10-9

10.5.3 Back to Factory Defaults................................................................................................10-10

10.6 Restart Screen.........................................................................................................................10-11

SMT CONFIGURATION.............................................................................................................................. V

Chapter 11 Introducing the SMT..............................................................................................................11-1

11.1 Connect to your ZyAIR Using Telnet ......................................................................................11-1

11.2 Changing the System Password ...............................................................................................11-1

11.3 ZyAIR SMT Menu Overview Example ...................................................................................11-2

11.4 Navigating the SMT Interface..................................................................................................11-4

11.4.1 System Management Terminal Interface Summary .........................................................11-5

Chapter 12 General Setup.........................................................................................................................12-1

12.1 General Setup...........................................................................................................................12-1

12.1.1 Procedure To Configure Menu 1......................................................................................12-1

Chapter 13 LAN Setup ..............................................................................................................................13-1

13.1 LAN Setup ...............................................................................................................................13-1

13.2 TCP/IP Ethernet Setup .............................................................................................................13-1

13.3 Wireless LAN Setup ................................................................................................................13-2

13.3.1 Configuring MAC Address Filter.....................................................................................13-5

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ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

13.3.2 Configuring Roaming ......................................................................................................13-7

Chapter 14 Dial-in User Setup..................................................................................................................14-1

14.1 Dial-in User Setup ...................................................................................................................14-1

Chapter 15 SNMP Configuration .............................................................................................................15-1

15.1 About SNMP............................................................................................................................15-1

15.2 Supported MIBs.......................................................................................................................15-2

15.3 SNMP Configuration ...............................................................................................................15-2

15.4 SNMP Traps ............................................................................................................................15-3

Chapter 16 System Security...................................................................................................................... 16-1

16.1 System Security .......................................................................................................................16-1

16.1.1 System Password .............................................................................................................16-1

16.1.2 Configuring External RADIUS Server ............................................................................16-1

16.1.3 802.1x ..............................................................................................................................16-3

Chapter 17 System Information and Diagnosis.......................................................................................17-1

17.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................17-1

17.2 System Status...........................................................................................................................17-1

17.3 System Information..................................................................................................................17-3

17.3.1 System Information.......................................................................................................... 17-3

17.3.2 Console Port Speed .......................................................................................................... 17-4

17.4 Log and Trace ..........................................................................................................................17-5

17.4.1 Viewing Error Log........................................................................................................... 17-5

17.5 Diagnostic ................................................................................................................................ 17-6

Chapter 18 Firmware and Configuration File Maintenance .................................................................18-1

18.1 Filename Conventions .............................................................................................................18-1

18.2 Backup Configuration..............................................................................................................18-2

18.2.1 Backup Configuration Using FTP....................................................................................18-2

18.2.2 Using the FTP command from the DOS Prompt .............................................................18-3

18.2.3 Backup Configuration Using TFTP ................................................................................. 18-4

18.2.4 Example: TFTP Command ..............................................................................................18-4

18.3 Restore Configuration..............................................................................................................18-5

18.4 Uploading Firmware and Configuration Files .........................................................................18-6

18.4.1 Firmware Upload............................................................................................................. 18-7

18.4.2 Configuration File Upload............................................................................................... 18-7

18.4.3 Using the FTP command from the DOS Prompt Example .............................................. 18-8

18.4.4 TFTP File Upload ............................................................................................................ 18-9

18.4.5 Example: TFTP Command ............................................................................................18-10

Chapter 19 System Maintenance and Information.................................................................................19-1

19.1 Command Interpreter Mode.....................................................................................................19-1

19.2 Time and Date Setting .............................................................................................................19-2

19.2.1 Resetting the Time...........................................................................................................19-3

Chapter 20 Remote Management.............................................................................................................20-1

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ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

20.1 Telnet .......................................................................................................................................20-1

20.2 FTP...........................................................................................................................................20-1

20.3 Web ..........................................................................................................................................20-1

20.4 Remote Management ...............................................................................................................20-1

20.4.1 Remote Management Setup..............................................................................................20-2

20.4.2 Remote Management Limitations ....................................................................................20-3

20.5 System Timeout .......................................................................................................................20-3

APPENDICES............................................................................................................................................. VII

Appendix A Troubleshooting......................................................................................................................A-1

Appendix B Brute-Force Password Guessing Protection ........................................................................B-1

Appendix C Setting up Your Computer’s IP Address ..............................................................................C-1

Appendix D Wireless LAN and IEEE 802.11............................................................................................D-1

Appendix E Wireless LAN With IEEE 802.1x.......................................................................................... E-1

Appendix F Types of EAP Authentication................................................................................................. F-1

Appendix G IP Subnetting......................................................................................................................... G-1

Appendix H Command Interpreter.......................................................................................................... H-1

Appendix I Log Descriptions.......................................................................................................................I-1

Appendix J Index .........................................................................................................................................J-1

Table of Contents xi

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

List of Figures

Figure 1-1 Internet Access Application...........................................................................................................1-4

Figure 1-2 Corporation Network Application.................................................................................................1-5

Figure 2-1 Change Password Screen ..............................................................................................................2-1

Figure 2-2 Navigating the ZyAIR Web Configurator .....................................................................................2-3

Figure 3-1 Wizard 1 : General Setup ..............................................................................................................3-2

Figure 3-2 Wizard 2 : Wireless LAN Setup ....................................................................................................3-3

Figure 3-3 Wizard 3 : IP Address Assignment................................................................................................3-6

Figure 4-1 System General Setup ...................................................................................................................4-1

Figure 4-2 Password .......................................................................................................................................4-3

Figure 4-3 Time Setting..................................................................................................................................4-4

Figure 5-1 IBSS (Ad-hoc) Wireless LAN.......................................................................................................5-1

Figure 5-2 Basic Service set ...........................................................................................................................5-2

Figure 5-3 Extended Service Set.....................................................................................................................5-3

Figure 5-4 RTS/CTS .......................................................................................................................................5-4

Figure 5-5 Wireless.........................................................................................................................................5-5

Figure 5-6 Roaming Example.........................................................................................................................5-7

Figure 5-7 Roaming........................................................................................................................................5-8

Figure 6-1 ZyAIR Wireless Security Levels................................................................................................... 6-1

Figure 6-2 WEP Authentication Steps ............................................................................................................6-2

Figure 6-3 Wireless.........................................................................................................................................6-4

Figure 6-4 MAC Address Filter......................................................................................................................6-7

Figure 6-5 EAP Authentication.....................................................................................................................6-10

Figure 6-6 WPA - PSK Authentication .........................................................................................................6-12

Figure 6-7 WPA with RADIUS Application Example..................................................................................6-13

Figure 6-8 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA .......................................................................................................6-15

Figure 6-9 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA for 802.1x Protocol .......................................................................6-16

Figure 6-10 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA for WPA Protocol........................................................................6-19

Figure 6-11 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA for WPA-PSK Protocol ...............................................................6-20

Figure 6-12 Local User Database .................................................................................................................6-22

Figure 6-13 RADIUS....................................................................................................................................6-23

Figure 7-1 IP Setup.........................................................................................................................................7-1

Figure 8-1 Telnet Configuration on a TCP/IP Network ..................................................................................8-2

Figure 8-2 Telnet.............................................................................................................................................8-2

Figure 8-3 FTP................................................................................................................................................8-3

Figure 8-4 WWW ...........................................................................................................................................8-4

Figure 8-5 SNMP Management Model...........................................................................................................8-6

Figure 8-6 SNMP............................................................................................................................................8-8

Figure 9-1 View Log.......................................................................................................................................9-1

Figure 9-2 Log Settings ..................................................................................................................................9-3

xii List of Figures

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Figure 10-1 System Status ........................................................................................................................... 10-1

Figure 10-2 System Status: Show Statistics ................................................................................................. 10-2

Figure 10-3 Association List........................................................................................................................ 10-4

Figure 10-4 Firmware Upload...................................................................................................................... 10-5

Figure 10-5 Firmware Upload In Process .................................................................................................... 10-6

Figure 10-6 Network Temporarily Disconnected......................................................................................... 10-6

Figure 10-7 Firmware Upload Error ............................................................................................................ 10-7

Figure 10-8 Configuration ........................................................................................................................... 10-8

Figure 10-9 Configuration Upload Successful............................................................................................. 10-9

Figure 10-10 Network Temporarily Disconnected..................................................................................... 10-10

Figure 10-11 Configuration Upload Error.................................................................................................. 10-10

Figure 10-12 Reset Warning Message.........................................................................................................10-11

Figure 10-13 Restart Screen........................................................................................................................10-11

Figure 11-1 Login Screen..............................................................................................................................11-1

Figure 11-2 Menu 23.1 System Security : Change Password .......................................................................11-2

Figure 11-3 ZyAIR G-500 SMT Menu Overview Example .........................................................................11-3

Figure 11-4 ZyAIR G-500 SMT Main Menu................................................................................................11-5

Figure 12-1 Menu 1 General Setup.............................................................................................................. 12-1

Figure 13-1 Menu 3 LAN Setup .................................................................................................................. 13-1

Figure 13-2 Menu 3.2 TCP/IP Setup............................................................................................................ 13-1

Figure 13-3 Menu 3.5 Wireless LAN Setup................................................................................................. 13-3

Figure 13-4 Menu 3.5 Wireless LAN Setup................................................................................................. 13-6

Figure 13-5 Menu 3.5.1 WLAN MAC Address Filter ................................................................................. 13-6

Figure 13-6 Menu 3.5 Wireless LAN Setup................................................................................................. 13-8

Figure 13-7 Menu 3.5.2 Roaming Configuration......................................................................................... 13-8

Figure 14-1 Menu 14- Dial-in User Setup ................................................................................................... 14-1

Figure 14-2 Menu 14.1- Edit Dial-in User................................................................................................... 14-1

Figure 15-1 SNMP Management Model ...................................................................................................... 15-1

Figure 15-2 Menu 22 SNMP Configuration................................................................................................. 15-3

Figure 16-1 Menu 23 System Security......................................................................................................... 16-1

Figure 16-2 Menu 23 System Security......................................................................................................... 16-1

Figure 16-3 Menu 23.2 System Security : RADIUS Server ........................................................................ 16-2

Figure 16-4 Menu 23 System Security......................................................................................................... 16-3

Figure 16-5 Menu 23.4 System Security : IEEE802.1x............................................................................... 16-4

Figure 17-1 Menu 24 System Maintenance ................................................................................................. 17-1

Figure 17-2 Menu 24.1 System Maintenance : Status.................................................................................. 17-2

Figure 17-3 Menu 24.2 System Information and Console Port Speed......................................................... 17-3

Figure 17-4 Menu 24.2.1 System Information : Information....................................................................... 17-3

Figure 17-5 Menu 24.2.2 System Maintenance : Change Console Port Speed............................................ 17-4

Figure 17-6 Menu 24.3 System Maintenance : Log and Trace .................................................................... 17-5

Figure 17-7 Sample Error and Information Messages ................................................................................. 17-5

List of Figures xiii

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Figure 17-8 Menu 24.4 System Maintenance : Diagnostic...........................................................................17-6

Figure 18-1 Menu 24.5 Backup Configuration.............................................................................................18-2

Figure 18-2 FTP Session Example................................................................................................................18-3

Figure 18-3 Menu 24.6 Restore Configuration.............................................................................................18-6

Figure 18-4 Menu 24.7 System Maintenance : Upload Firmware................................................................18-6

Figure 18-5 Menu 24.7.1 System Maintenance : Upload System Firmware ................................................18-7

Figure 18-6 Menu 24.7.2 System Maintenance : Upload System Configuration File ..................................18-8

Figure 18-7 FTP Session Example................................................................................................................18-9

Figure 19-1 Menu 24 System Maintenance..................................................................................................19-1

Figure 19-2 Valid CI Commands .................................................................................................................. 19-1

Figure 19-3 Menu 24.10 System Maintenance : Time and Date Setting ......................................................19-2

Figure 20-1 Telnet Configuration on a TCP/IP Network ..............................................................................20-1

Figure 20-2 Menu 24.11 Remote Management Control ...............................................................................20-2

xiv List of Figures

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

List of Tables

Table 3-1 Wizard 1 : General Setup ............................................................................................................... 3-2

Table 3-2 Wizard 2 : Wireless LAN Setup..................................................................................................... 3-3

Table 3-3 Private IP Address Ranges ............................................................................................................. 3-5

Table 3-4 Wizard 3 : IP Address Assignment ................................................................................................. 3-6

Table 4-1 System General Setup.................................................................................................................... 4-2

Table 4-2 Password ........................................................................................................................................ 4-3

Table 4-3 Time Setting................................................................................................................................... 4-4

Table 5-1 Wireless.......................................................................................................................................... 5-6

Table 5-2 Roaming......................................................................................................................................... 5-9

Table 6-1 Wireless.......................................................................................................................................... 6-4

Table 6-2 MAC Address Filter....................................................................................................................... 6-8

Table 6-3 Wireless Security Relational Matrix ............................................................................................ 6-13

Table 6-4 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA ........................................................................................................ 6-15

Table 6-5 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA for 802.1x Protocol ........................................................................ 6-16

Table 6-6 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA for WPA Protocol ........................................................................... 6-19

Table 6-7 Wireless LAN: 802.1x/WPA for WPA-PSK Protocol .................................................................. 6-21

Table 6-8 Local User Database .................................................................................................................... 6-23

Table 6-9 RADIUS....................................................................................................................................... 6-24

Table 7-1 IP Setup.......................................................................................................................................... 7-2

Table 8-1 Telnet.............................................................................................................................................. 8-2

Table 8-2 FTP................................................................................................................................................. 8-4

Table 8-3 WWW ............................................................................................................................................ 8-5

Table 8-4 SNMP Traps................................................................................................................................... 8-7

Table 8-5 Ports and Interface Types ............................................................................................................... 8-7

Table 8-6 SNMP............................................................................................................................................. 8-8

Table 9-1 View Log........................................................................................................................................ 9-2

Table 9-2 Log Settings ................................................................................................................................... 9-4

Table 10-1 System Status............................................................................................................................. 10-1

Table 10-2 System Status: Show Statistics................................................................................................... 10-2

Table 10-3 Association List.......................................................................................................................... 10-4

Table 10-4 Firmware Upload ....................................................................................................................... 10-5

Table 10-5 Restore Configuration................................................................................................................ 10-9

Table 11-1 Main Menu Commands...............................................................................................................11-4

Table 11-2 Main Menu Summary .................................................................................................................11-5

Table 12-1 Menu 1 General Setup................................................................................................................ 12-2

Table 13-1 Menu 3.2 TCP/IP Setup ............................................................................................................. 13-2

Table 13-2 Menu 3.5 Wireless LAN Setup .................................................................................................. 13-3

Table 13-3 Menu 3.5.1 WLAN MAC Address Filter ...................................................................................13-7

Table 13-4 Menu 3.5.2 Roaming Configuration .......................................................................................... 13-8

List of Tables xv

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Table 14-1 Menu 14.1- Edit Dial-in User .....................................................................................................14-2

Table 15-1 Menu 22 SNMP Configuration...................................................................................................15-3

Table 15-2 SNMP Traps................................................................................................................................15-4

Table 16-1 Menu 23.2 System Security : RADIUS Server...........................................................................16-2

Table 16-2 Menu 23.4 System Security : IEEE802.1x .................................................................................16-4

Table 17-1 Menu 24.1 System Maintenance : Status.................................................................................... 17-2

Table 17-2 Menu 24.2.1 System Maintenance : Information........................................................................17-4

Table 17-3 Menu 24.4 System Maintenance Menu : Diagnostic .................................................................. 17-6

Table 18-1 Filename Conventions ................................................................................................................18-2

Table 18-2 General Commands for Third Party FTP Clients........................................................................18-3

Table 18-3 General Commands for Third Party TFTP Clients .....................................................................18-5

Table 19-1 Menu 24.10 System Maintenance : Time and Date Setting........................................................19-3

Table 20-1 Menu 24.11 Remote Management Control.................................................................................20-2

xvi List of Tables

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Preface

Congratulations on your purchase from the ZyAIR G-500 802.11g Wireless Access Point.

An access point (AP) acts as a bridge between the wireless and wired networks, extending your existing
wired network without any additional wiring.

This User’s Guide is designed to guide you through the configuration of your ZyAIR using the web
configurator or the SMT.

Use the web configurator, System Management Terminal (SMT) or command

interpreter interface to configure your ZyAIR. Not all features can be configured

through all interfaces.

The web configurator parts of this guide contain background information on features configurable by the web
configurator and the SMT. The SMT parts of this guide contain background information solely on features
not configurable by the web configurator.

Don’t forget to register your product online for free future product updates and

information at www.zyxel.com for global products, or at www.us.zyxel.com for

North American products.

Related Documentation

 Supporting Disk

Refer to the included CD for support documents.

 Quick Installation Guide

Our Quick Installation Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away. It contains

information on the configuration of key features and hardware connections and installation.

 ZyXEL Web Site

The ZyXEL download library at www.zyxel.com
also refer to www.zyxel.com

for an online glossary of networking terms.

contains additional support documentation. Please

Syntax Conventions

• “Enter” means for you to type one or more characters (and press the carriage return). “Select” or

“Choose” means for you to use one predefined choices.

• Enter, or carriage return, key; [ESC] means the escape key and [SPACE BAR] means the space bar.

[UP] and [DOWN] are the up and down arrow keys.

Preface xvii

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

• Mouse action sequences are denoted using a comma. For example, “click the Apple icon, Control
Panels and then Modem” means first click the Apple icon, then point your mouse pointer to Control
Panels and then click Modem.

• For brevity’s sake, we will use “e.g.,” as a shorthand for “for instance”, and “i.e.,” for “that is” or “in
other words” throughout this manual.

• The ZyAIR G-500 802.11g Wireless Access Point may be referred to simply as the ZyAIR in the user’s
guide.

User Guide Feedback

Help us help you. E-mail all User Guide-related comments, questions or suggestions for improvement to
[e-mail] or send regular mail to The Technical Writing Team, ZyXEL Communications
Corp., 6 Innovation Road II, Science-Based Industrial Park, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan. Thank you.

xviii Preface

Overview

PPaarrtt II::

OVERVIEW

This part introduces the main features and applications of ZyAIR and shows how to access the web configurator and

use the Wizard to setup the ZyAIR.

I

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Chapter 1

Getting to Know Your ZyAIR

This chapter introduces the main features and applications of the ZyAIR.

1.1 Introducing the ZyAIR Wireless Access Point

The ZyAIR extends the range of your existing wired network without any additional wiring efforts. The
ZyAIR provides easy network access to mobile users. The ZyAIR offers highly secured wireless connectivity
to your wired network with IEEE 802.1x, WEP data encryption, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and MAC
address filtering. Both IEEE802.11b and IEEE802.11g compliant WLAN devices can associate with the
ZyAIR.

The ZyAIR is easy to install and configure. The embedded web-based configurator and SNMP network
management enables remote configuration and management of your ZyAIR.

1.2 ZyAIR Features

The following sections describe the features of the ZyAIR.

10/100M Auto-negotiating Ethernet/Fast Ethernet Interface

This auto-negotiating feature allows the ZyAIR to detect the speed of incoming transmissions and adjust
appropriately without manual intervention. It allows data transfer of either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps in either
half-duplex or full-duplex mode depending on your Ethernet network.

10/100M Auto-crossover Ethernet/Fast Ethernet Interface

The LAN interface automatically adjusts to either a crossover or straight-through Ethernet cable.

Reset Button

The ZyAIR reset button is built into the top panel. Use this button to restore the factory default password to
1234; IP address to 192.168.1.2, subnet mask to 255.255.255.0.

Brute-Force Password Guessing Protection

The ZyAIR has a special protection mechanism to discourage brute-force password guessing attacks on the
ZyAIR's management interfaces. You can specify a wait-time that must expire before entering a fourth
password after three incorrect passwords have been entered. Please see the appendix for details about this
feature.

Getting to Know Your ZyAIR 1-1

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

802.11g Wireless LAN Standard

ZyAIR products containing the letter “G” in the model name, such as ZyAIR G-500 and ZyAIR G-2000,
comply with the 802.11g wireless standard.

802.11g will be fully compatible with the 802.11b standard. This means an 802.11b radio card can interface
directly with an 802.11g access point (and vice versa) at 11 Mbps or lower depending on range. 802.11g has
several intermediate rate steps between the maximum and minimum data rates. The 802.11g data rate and
modulation are as follows:

IEEE 802.11g

DATA RATE (MBPS) MODULATION

1 DBPSK (Differential Binary Phase Shift Keyed)

2

5.5 / 11 CCK (Complementary Code Keying)

6/9/12/18/24/36/48/54 OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing)

DQPSK (Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying

)

The ZyAIR may be prone to RF (Radio Frequency) interference from other 2.4 GHz

devices such as microwave ovens, wireless phones, Bluetooth enabled devices,

and other wireless LANs.

Wi-Fi Protected Access

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a subset of the IEEE 802.11i security specification draft. Key differences
between WPA and WEP are user authentication and improved data encryption.

SSL Passthrough

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) uses a public key to encrypt data that's transmitted over an SSL connection.
Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain
confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL
connection start with “https” instead of “http”. The ZyAIR allows SSL connections to take place through the
ZyAIR.

Wireless LAN MAC Address Filtering

Your ZyAIR checks the MAC address of the wireless station against a list of allowed or denied MAC
addresses.

WEP Encryption

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encrypts data frames before transmitting over the wireless network to help
keep network communications private.

1-2 Getting to Know Your ZyAIR

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

IEEE 802.1x Network Security

The ZyAIR supports the IEEE 802.1x standard to enhance user authentication. Use the built-in user profile
database to authenticate up to 32 users using MD5 encryption. Use an EAP-compatible RADIUS (RFC2138,
2139 - Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) server to authenticate a limitless number of users using
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol). EAP is an authentication protocol that supports multiple types of
authentication.

SNMP

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a protocol used for exchanging management information
between network devices. SNMP is a member of the TCP/IP protocol suite. Your ZyAIR supports SNMP
agent functionality, which allows a manger station to manage and monitor the ZyAIR through the network.
The ZyAIR supports SNMP version one (SNMPv1) and version two c (SNMPv2c).

Full Network Management

The embedded web configurator is an all-platform web-based utility that allows you to easily access the
ZyAIR’s management settings. Most functions of the ZyAIR are also software configurable via the SMT
(System Management Terminal) interface. The SMT is a menu-driven interface that you can access from a
terminal emulator over a telnet connection.

Logging and Tracing

♦ Built-in message logging and packet tracing.

♦ Unix syslog facility support.

Embedded FTP and TFTP Servers

The ZyAIR’s embedded FTP and TFTP servers enable fast firmware upgrades as well as configuration file
backups and restoration.

Wireless Association List

With the wireless association list, you can see the list of the wireless stations that are currently using the
ZyAIR to access your wired network.

Wireless LAN Channel Usage

The Wireless Channel Usage screen displays whether the radio channels are used by other wireless devices
within the transmission range of the ZyAIR. This allows you to select the channel with minimum interference
for your ZyAIR.

1.3 Applications for the ZyAIR

Here are some application examples of what you can do with your ZyAIR.

Getting to Know Your ZyAIR 1-3

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

1.3.1 Internet Access Application

The ZyAIR is an ideal access solution for wireless Internet connection. A typical Internet access application
for your ZyAIR is shown as follows.

Figure 1-1 Internet Access Application

1.3.2 Corporation Network Application

In situations where users are always on the move in the coverage area but still need access to corporate
network access, the ZyAIR is an ideal solution for wireless stations to connect to the corporate network
without expensive network cabling.

The following figure depicts a typical application of the ZyAIR in an enterprise environment. The three
computers with wireless adapters are allowed to access the network resource through the ZyAIR after
account validation by the network authentication server.

1-4 Getting to Know Your ZyAIR

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Figure 1-2 Corporation Network Application

Getting to Know Your ZyAIR 1-5

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

Chapter 2

Introducing the Web Configurator

This chapter describes how to access the ZyAIR web configurator and provides an overview of its

screens. The default IP address of the ZyAIR is 192.168.1.2.

2.1 Accessing the ZyAIR Web Configurator

Step 1. Make sure your ZyAIR hardware is properly connected (refer to the Quick Installation Guide).

Step 2. Prepare your computer/computer network to connect to the ZyAIR (refer to the appendix).

Step 3. Launch your web browser.

Step 4. Type "192.168.1.2" (default) as the URL.

Step 5. Type "1234" (default) as the password and click Login. In some versions, the default password

appears automatically - if this is the case, click Login.

Step 6. You should see a screen asking you to change your password (highly recommended) as shown

next. Type a new password (and retype it to confirm) and click Apply or click Ignore to allow
access without password change.

Figure 2-1 Change Password Screen

Step 7. You should now see the SYSTEM screen.

Introducing the Web Configurator 2-1

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

The management session automatically times out when the time period set in the

Administrator Inactivity Timer field expires (default five minutes). Simply log back into

the ZyAIR if this happens to you.

2.2 Resetting the ZyAIR

If you forget your password or cannot access the ZyAIR, you will need to reload the factory-default
configuration file or use the RESET button on the top panel of the ZyAIR. Uploading this configuration file
replaces the current configuration file with the factory-default configuration file. This means that you will
lose all configurations that you had previously. The password will be reset to “1234”, also.

2.2.1 Method of Restoring Factory-Defaults

You can erase the current configuration and restore factory defaults in three ways:

1. Use the RESET button on the top panel of the ZyAIR to upload the default configuration file (hold this

button in for about 10 seconds or until the PWR/SYS LED turns red). Use this method for cases when
the password or IP address of the ZyAIR is not known.

2. Use the web configurator to restore defaults (refer to the chapter on maintenance).

3. Transfer the configuration file to your ZyAIR using FTP. See later in the part on SMT configuration for
more information.

2-2 Introducing the Web Configurator

ZyAIR G-500 Wireless Access Point User’s Guide

(

2.3 Navigating the ZyAIR Web Configurator

The following summarizes how to navigate the web configurator.

Follow the instructions below or click the icon (located in the top right corner

of most screens) to view online help.

Click LOGOUT at
any time to exit the
web configurator.

Click WIZARD SETUP for initial configuration including general
setup, Wireless LAN setup and IP address assignment.

Click the links under ADVANCED to configure advanced
features such as SYSTEM (General Setup, Password and
Time Zone), WIRELESS (Wireless, MAC Filter, Roaming,

802.1x/WPA, Local User Database and RADIUS), IP,
REMOTE MGNT (Telnet, FTP, WWW and SNMP) and Logs

View reports and Log Settings).

Click the MAINTENANCE to view information about your ZyAIR or upgrade
configuration/firmware files. Maintenance includes Status (Statistics), Association

List, F/W (firmware) Upload, Configuration (Backup, Restore Default) and

Figure 2-2 Navigating the ZyAIR Web Configurator

Introducing the Web Configurator 2-3