ZyXEL Communications N220 User Manual

N220

Wireless N-lite USB Adapter

Version 1.0

Edition 1, 07/2010

www.zyxel.com

Copyright © 2010

ZyXEL Communications Corporation

About This User's Guide

About This User's Guide

Intended Audience

This manual is intended for people who want to configure the N220 using the ZyXEL utility.

Tips for Reading User’s Guides On-Screen

When reading a ZyXEL User’s Guide On-Screen, keep the following in mind:

•If you don’t already have the latest version of Adobe Reader, you can download it from http://www.adobe.com.

•Use the PDF’s bookmarks to quickly navigate to the areas that interest you. Adobe Reader’s bookmarks pane opens by default in all ZyXEL User’s Guide PDFs.

•If you know the page number or know vaguely which page-range you want to view, you can enter a number in the toolbar in Reader, then press [ENTER] to jump directly to that page.

•Type [CTRL]+[F] to open the Adobe Reader search utility and enter a word or phrase. This can help you quickly pinpoint the information you require. You can also enter text directly into the toolbar in Reader.

•To quickly move around within a page, press the [SPACE] bar. This turns your cursor into a “hand” with which you can grab the page and move it around freely on your screen.

•Embedded hyperlinks are actually cross-references to related text. Click them to jump to the corresponding section of the User’s Guide PDF.

Related Documentation

•Quick Start Guide

The Quick Start Guide is designed to help you get up and running right away. It contains information on setting up your network and configuring for Internet access.

•Online Help

Embedded web help for descriptions of individual screens and supplementary information.

•Support Disc

Refer to the included CD for support documents.

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N220 User’s Guide

About This User's Guide

Customer Support

Should problems arise that cannot be solved by using this manual, please contact your vendor for customer service. Please have the following information ready when you contact the vendor.

•Product model and serial number.

•Date that you received your device.

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

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	N220 User’s Guide

Document Conventions

Document Conventions

Warnings and Notes

These are how warnings and notes are shown in this User’s Guide.

Warnings tell you about things that could harm you or your N220.

Note: Notes tell you other important information (for example, other things you may need to configure or helpful tips) or recommendations.

Syntax Conventions

•The N220 may be referred to as the “N220”, the “device”, the “system” or the “product” in this User’s Guide.

•Product labels, screen names, field labels and field choices are all in bold font.

•A key stroke is denoted by square brackets and uppercase text, for example, [ENTER] means the “enter” or “return” key on your keyboard.

•“Enter” means for you to type one or more characters and then press the [ENTER] key. “Select” or “choose” means for you to use one of the predefined choices.

•A right angle bracket ( > ) within a screen name denotes a mouse click. For example, Maintenance > Log > Log Setting means you first click Maintenance in the navigation panel, then the Log sub menu and finally the Log Setting tab to get to that screen.

•Units of measurement may denote the “metric” value or the “scientific” value. For example, “k” for kilo may denote “1000” or “1024”, “M” for mega may denote “1000000” or “1048576” and so on.

•“e.g.,” is a shorthand for “for instance”, and “i.e.,” means “that is” or “in other words”.

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Document Conventions

Icons Used in Figures

Figures in this User’s Guide may use the following generic icons.

Wireless Access Point	Computer	Notebook computer
Server	Modem	Telephone
Internet	Wireless Signal

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Safety Warnings

Safety Warnings

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

•Do NOT expose your device to dampness, dust or corrosive liquids.

•Do NOT store things on the device.

•Do NOT install, use, or service this device during a thunderstorm. There is a remote risk of electric shock from lightning.

•Connect ONLY suitable accessories to the device.

•Ground yourself (by properly using an anti-static wrist strap, for example) whenever working with the device’s hardware or connections.

•ONLY qualified service personnel should service or disassemble this device.

•Antenna Warning! This device meets ETSI and FCC certification requirements when using the included antenna(s). Only use the included antenna(s).

Your product is marked with this symbol, which is known as the WEEE mark. WEEE stands for Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment. It means that used electrical and electronic products should not be mixed with general waste. Used electrical and electronic equipment should be treated separately.

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Safety Warnings

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Contents Overview

Contents Overview

Introduction and Configuration ............................................................................................	15
Getting Started ...........................................................................................................................	17
Tutorial .......................................................................................................................................	23
Wireless LANs ...........................................................................................................................	37
Station Mode ..............................................................................................................................	49
AP Mode ....................................................................................................................................	75
Maintenance ..............................................................................................................................	85
Troubleshooting and Specifications ....................................................................................	89
Troubleshooting .........................................................................................................................	91
Product Specifications ...............................................................................................................	95
Appendices and Index ...........................................................................................................	99

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Contents Overview

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	N220 User’s Guide

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

About This User's Guide ..........................................................................................................		3
Document Conventions............................................................................................................		5
Safety Warnings........................................................................................................................		7
Contents Overview ...................................................................................................................		9
Table of Contents....................................................................................................................		11
Part I: Introduction and Configuration.................................................		15
Chapter 1
Getting Started ........................................................................................................................		17
1.1	Overview ..............................................................................................................................	17
	1.1.1 What You Need to Know ............................................................................................	17
	1.1.2 Before You Begin .......................................................................................................	18
1.2	About Your N220 ...............................................................................................................	18
	1.2.1 Hardware ....................................................................................................................	18
1.3	Application Overview ...........................................................................................................	19
	1.3.1 Infrastructure ..............................................................................................................	19
	1.3.2 Ad-Hoc .......................................................................................................................	20
1.4	Hardware and Utility Installation ..........................................................................................	20
	1.4.1 ZyXEL Utility Icon .......................................................................................................	20
1.5	Configuration Methods .......................................................................................................	21
	1.5.1 Enabling Windows Wireless Configuration ................................................................	21
	1.5.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility ......................................................................................	21
Chapter 2
Tutorial .....................................................................................................................................		23
2.1	Overview ..............................................................................................................................	23
	2.1.1 What You Can Do in This Tutorial ..............................................................................	23
	2.1.2 What You Need to Know ............................................................................................	23
	2.1.3 Before You Begin .......................................................................................................	24
2.2	Connecting to an AP using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) ..................................................	24
	2.2.1 Push Button Configuration (PBC) ..............................................................................	24
	2.2.2 PIN Configuration .......................................................................................................	25
2.3	Connecting to an AP Without Using WPS ...........................................................................	29
N220 User’s Guide		11

Table of Contents

	2.3.1 Manually Connecting to a Wireless LAN ...................................................................	29
	2.3.2 Creating and Using a Profile ......................................................................................	31
2.4	Configuring the N220 as an AP ...........................................................................................	34
Chapter 3
Wireless LANs.........................................................................................................................		37
3.1	Overview ..............................................................................................................................	37
	3.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section ..............................................................................	37
	3.1.2 What You Need to Know ............................................................................................	37
	3.1.3 Before You Begin .......................................................................................................	38
3.2	Wireless LAN Overview ......................................................................................................	38
3.3	Wireless LAN Security ........................................................................................................	39
	3.3.1 User Authentication and Encryption ...........................................................................	39
3.4	WiFi Protected Setup ...........................................................................................................	41
	3.4.1 Push Button Configuration .........................................................................................	42
	3.4.2 PIN Configuration .......................................................................................................	42
	3.4.3 How WPS Works ........................................................................................................	44
	3.4.4 Limitations of WPS .....................................................................................................	47
Chapter 4
Station Mode............................................................................................................................		49
4.1	Overview ..............................................................................................................................	49
	4.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section ..............................................................................	49
	4.1.2 What You Need to Know ............................................................................................	49
	4.1.3 Before You Begin .......................................................................................................	50
4.2	ZyXEL Utility Screen Summary ...........................................................................................	50
4.3	The Link Info Screen ..........................................................................................................	51
	4.3.1 Trend Chart ................................................................................................................	53
4.4	The Site Survey Screen .....................................................................................................	54
	4.4.1 Security Settings .......................................................................................................	55
	4.4.2 Summary Screen .......................................................................................................	61
4.5	The Profile Screen ..............................................................................................................	62
	4.5.1 Adding a New Profile ..................................................................................................	63
4.6	The Adapter Screen ...........................................................................................................	68
	4.6.1 WPS: PBC (Push Button Configuration) ....................................................................	69
	4.6.2 WPS: PIN - Use this Device’s PIN .............................................................................	69
	4.6.3 WPS: PIN - Use the PIN from the AP or Wireless Router ..........................................	70
4.7	Security Settings in Windows Vista ....................................................................................	71
	4.7.1 Using PEAP in Vista ...................................................................................................	72
	4.7.2 Using TLS in Vista .....................................................................................................	73
Chapter 5
AP Mode...................................................................................................................................		75

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		Table of Contents
5.1	Overview ..............................................................................................................................	75
	5.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section ..............................................................................	76
	5.1.2 What You Need to Know ............................................................................................	76
	5.1.3 Before You Begin .......................................................................................................	76
5.2 AP Mode Screen Summary .................................................................................................		77
5.3	The Link Info Screen ..........................................................................................................	77
5.4	The Configuration Screen ...................................................................................................	78
	5.4.1 Security Settings .......................................................................................................	80
5.5	The MAC Filter Screen ........................................................................................................	82
Chapter 6
Maintenance ............................................................................................................................		85
6.1	Overview ..............................................................................................................................	85
	6.1.1 What You Can Do in This Section ..............................................................................	85
	6.1.2 What You Need to Know ............................................................................................	85
	6.1.3 Before You Begin .......................................................................................................	85
6.2	The About Screen ...............................................................................................................	86
6.3	Uninstalling the ZyXEL Utility ..............................................................................................	86
6.4	Upgrading the ZyXEL Utility ................................................................................................	87
Part II: Troubleshooting and Specifications........................................		89
Chapter 7
Troubleshooting......................................................................................................................		91
7.1	Power, Hardware Connections, and LEDs ..........................................................................	91
7.2	Accessing the ZyXEL Utility .................................................................................................	92
7.3	Link Quality ..........................................................................................................................	92
7.4	Problems Communicating with Other Computers ...............................................................	93
Chapter 8
Product Specifications ...........................................................................................................		95
Part III: Appendices and Index..............................................................		99
Appendix	A Setting Up Your Computer’s IP Address...........................................................	101
Appendix	B Wireless LANs ..................................................................................................	131
Appendix	C Windows Wireless Management ......................................................................	147
Appendix	D Wireless for Windows 7 ....................................................................................	173

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Table of Contents

Appendix E Legal Information ..............................................................................................	179
Index.......................................................................................................................................	183

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PART I

Introduction and

Configuration

Getting Started (17)

Tutorial (23)

Wireless LANs (37)

Station Mode (49)

AP Mode (75)

Maintenance (85)

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16

1

Getting Started

1.1 Overview

The ZyXEL N220 wireless N-lite USB adapter brings you a better Internet experience over existing 802.11 networks. With data rates of up to 150 Mbps, you can enjoy a breathtaking high-speed connection at home or in the office. It is an excellent solution for daily activities such as file transfers, music downloading, video streaming and online gaming.

This section includes:

•About Your N220 on page 18

•Application Overview on page 19

•Hardware and Utility Installation on page 20

•Configuration Methods on page 21

1.1.1What You Need to Know

The following terms and concepts may help as you read through this section, and subsequently as you read through the rest of the User’s Guide.

Access Point

An Access Point (AP) is a network device that acts as a bridge between a wired and a wireless network. Outside of the home or office, APs can most often be found in coffee shops, bookstores and other businesses that offer wireless Internet connectivity to their customers.

Infrastructure

An infrastructure network is one that seamlessly combines both wireless and wired components. One or more APs often serve as the bridge between wireless and wired LANs.

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Chapter 1 Getting Started

Ad-Hoc

An Ad-Hoc wireless LAN is a self-contained group of computers connected wirelessly and which is independent of any other networks and Access Points.

1.1.2Before You Begin

•Read the Quick Start Guide for information on making hardware connections and using the ZyXEL utility to connect your N220 to a network.

1.2 About Your N220

Your N220 is an IEEE 802.11n compliant wireless LAN adapter. It can also connect to IEEE 802.11b/g wireless networks. The N220 is WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) compliant. WPS allows you to easily connect to another WPS-enabled device.

The N220 is a USB adapter which connects to an empty USB port on your computer.

See your N220’s Quick Start Guide for installation instructions, and see the section on product specifications in this User’s Guide for detailed information.

1.2.1 Hardware

This section describes the N220’s physical appearance.

Figure 1 The N220

A

B

The following table describes the N220.

Table 1 N220 External View

LABEL	DESCRIPTION
A	LED and also a WPS button
B	USB connector

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Chapter 1 Getting Started

The following table describes the operation of the N220’s LEDs.

Table 2		N220 LEDs
LED		COLOR	STATUS	DESCRIPTION
		Orange	Slow	The N220 is turned on, connected to an AP, and is not
			Blinking	transmitting or receiving data.
			Rapid	The N220 is turned on, connected to an AP, and is
			Blinking	transmitting or receiving data. It also blinks when the
				WPS feature is being used or a WPS connection is being
				initiated.
			Off	The N220 is turned off.

1.3 Application Overview

This section describes some network applications for the N220. You can either set the network type to Infrastructure and connect to an AP or use Ad-Hoc mode and connect to a peer computer (another wireless device in Ad-Hoc mode).

1.3.1 Infrastructure

To connect to a network via an access point (AP), set the N220 network type to Infrastructure (see Chapter 4 on page 62). Through the AP, you can access the Internet or the wired network behind the AP.

Figure 2 Application: Infrastructure

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Chapter 1 Getting Started

1.3.2 Ad-Hoc

To set up a small independent wireless workgroup without an AP, use Ad-Hoc (see Chapter 4 on page 62).

Ad-Hoc does not require an AP or a wired network. Two or more wireless clients communicate directly with each other.

Note: Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is not available in ad-hoc mode.

Figure 3 Application: Ad-Hoc

1.4 Hardware and Utility Installation

Follow the instructions in the Quick Start Guide to install the ZyXEL utility and make hardware connections.

1.4.1 ZyXEL Utility Icon

After you install and start the ZyXEL utility, an icon for the ZyXEL utility appears in the system tray.

Note: The ZyXEL utility system tray icon displays only when the N220 is installed properly.

Note: When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) in Windows XP.

Figure 4 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon

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Chapter 1 Getting Started

The color of the ZyXEL utility system tray icon indicates the status of the N220. Refer to the following table for details.

Table 3 ZyXEL Utility: System Tray Icon

COLOR	DESCRIPTION
Red	The N220 is not connected to a wireless network.
Green	The N220 is connected to a wireless network.

1.5 Configuration Methods

To configure your N220, use one of the following applications:

•Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC, the Windows XP wireless configuration tool) or WLAN AutoConfig (the Windows Vista wireless configuration tool).

•The ZyXEL utility.

Note: Do NOT use Windows XP’s Wireless Zero Configuration tool at the same time you use the ZyXEL utility.

1.5.1 Enabling Windows Wireless Configuration

Note: When you use the ZyXEL utility, it automatically disables Windows XP’s wireless configuration tool.

If you want to use the Windows XP wireless configuration tool to configure the N220, you need to disable the ZyXEL utility. Right-click the utility icon ( ) in the system tray and select Exit.

Figure 5 Enable WZC

Refer to the appendices for information on how to use the Windows wireless configuration tool to manage the N220.

To reactivate the ZyXEL utility, double-click the ( ) icon on your desktop or click

Start > (All) Programs > Wireless N-lite USB Adapter Utility > Wireless N USB Adapter Utility.

1.5.2 Accessing the ZyXEL Utility

Double-click on the ZyXEL wireless LAN utility icon in the system tray to open the ZyXEL utility.

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Chapter 1 Getting Started

The ZyXEL utility screens are similar in all Microsoft Windows versions. Screens for Windows XP are shown in this User’s Guide.

Note: Click the		icon (located in the top right corner) to display the online help
window.

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2

Tutorial

2.1 Overview

This tutorial shows you how to join a wireless infrastructure network using the ZyXEL utility. The wireless client is labeled C and the Access Point is labeled AP.

Figure 6 Infrastructure Network

2.1.1What You Can Do in This Tutorial

•Connect securely either to an infrastructure AP using the WPS protocol. See Section 2.2 on page 24 for details.

•Connect securely to an infrastructure AP using many of the strongest and most common encryption protocols. See Section 2.3 on page 29 for details.

•Save a your settings so that you can later connect again to an infrastructure AP with a single click. See Section 2.3.2 on page 31 for details.

•Configure your N220 as an Access Point (AP), allowing other devices to connect to it and share its network connections. See Section 2.4 on page 34 for details.

2.1.2What You Need to Know

The following term may help as you read through this section.

WPS

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is a security protocol that lets two or more devices connect securely to one another with a minimum amount of hassle on your part. It most cases, establishing a secure connection with another WPS device is as easy as pushing a button.

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2.1.3Before You Begin

•Make sure that you have already familiarized yourself with the N220’s features and hardware, as described in Chapter 1 on page 17.

•You should have valid login information for an existing network Access Point, otherwise you may not be able to make a network connection right away.

2.2 Connecting to an AP using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

This section gives you an example of how to set up your wireless network using WPS. This example uses the N220 as the wireless client, and ZyXEL’s NBG334W as the Access Point (AP).

Note: The Access Point must be a WPS-aware device.

There are two WPS methods for creating a secure connection. This tutorial shows you both.

•Push Button Configuration (PBC) - create a secure wireless network simply by pressing a button. See Section 2.2.1 on page 24.This is the easier method.

•PIN Configuration - create a secure wireless network simply by entering a wireless client's PIN (Personal Identification Number) in the N220’s interface. See Section 2.2.2 on page 25. This is the more secure method, since one device can authenticate the other.

2.2.1Push Button Configuration (PBC)

1Make sure that your access point is turned on and that it is within range of the computer with the N220 installed.

2Make sure that you have installed the N220’s driver and utility on your computer.

3In the N220’s utility, click the Adapter tab, enable WPS and select PBC (Push Button Configuration). In the screen that appears, click Start.

4Log into the AP’s web configurator and locate its WPS settings section. On the NBG334W, press the Push Button button in the Network > Wireless Client > WPS Station screen.

Note: It doesn’t matter which button is pressed first. You must press the second button within two minutes of pressing the first one.

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Chapter 2 Tutorial

The AP sends the proper configuration settings to the N220. This may take up to two minutes. Then the N220 is able to communicate with the AP securely.

The following figure shows you an example to set up wireless network and security by pressing a button on both the AP (the NBG334W in this example) and the N220.

Figure 7 Example WPS Process: PBC Method
You	AP

WITHIN 2 MINUTES

SECURITY INFO

COMMUNICATION

2.2.2 PIN Configuration

When you use the PIN configuration method, you need to use both the N220’s utility and the AP’s configuration interface.

1In the N220’s Adaptor tab, select WPS and PIN - Use this Device’s PIN. Note down the PIN in the screen that appears.

2Enter the PIN number in the AP’s configuration interface. In the NBG334W, use the

PIN field in the Network > Wireless LAN > WPS Station screen.

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3Click the Start buttons on both the N220 utility screen and the AP’s configuration utility (the WPS Station screen on the NBG334W) within two minutes.

The NBG334W authenticates the wireless client and sends the proper configuration settings to the wireless client. This may take up to two minutes. Then the wireless client is able to communicate with the NBG334W securely.

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Chapter 2 Tutorial

The following figure shows you the example of configuring the wireless network and security on the N220 and the AP (ZyXEL’s NBG334W in this example) by using the PIN method.

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Figure 8 Example WPS Process: PIN Method
You	AP

WITHIN 2 MINUTES

Authentication by PIN

SECURITY INFO

COMMUNICATION

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Chapter 2 Tutorial

2.3 Connecting to an AP Without Using WPS

There are three ways to connect the wireless client (the N220) to a network without using WPS.

•Configure nothing and leave the wireless client to automatically scan for and connect to any available network that has no wireless security configured.

•Manually connect to a network (see Section 2.3.1 on page 29).

•Configure a profile to have the wireless client automatically connect to a specific network or peer computer (see Section 2.3.2 on page 31).

2.3.1Manually Connecting to a Wireless LAN

This example illustrates how to manually connect your wireless client to an access point (AP) configured for WPA-PSK security and connected to the Internet. Before you connect to the access point, you must know its Service Set IDentity (SSID) and WPA-PSK pre-shared key. In this example, the AP’s SSID is “SSID_Example3” and its pre-shared key is “ThisismyWPA-PSKpre-sharedkey”.

After you install the ZyXEL utility and then insert the wireless client, follow the steps below to connect to a network using the Site Survey screen.

1Open the ZyXEL utility and click the Site Survey tab to open the screen shown next.

Figure 9 ZyXEL Utility: Site Survey

2The wireless client automatically searches for available wireless networks. Click Scan if you want to search again. If no entry displays in the Available Network List, that means there is no wireless network available within range. Make sure the AP or peer computer is turned on, or move the wireless client closer to the AP or peer computer. See Table 4.4 on page 54 for detailed field descriptions.

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3To connect to an AP or peer computer, either click an entry in the list and then click Connect or double-click an entry (SSID_Example3 in this example).

4When you try to connect to an AP with security configured, a window will pop up prompting you to specify the security settings. Enter the pre-shared key and leave the encryption type at the default setting.

Use the Next button to move on to the next screen. You can use the Back button at any time to return to the previous screen, or the Exit button to return to the

Site Survey screen.

Figure 10 ZyXEL Utility: Security Settings

5The Summary window appears. Check your settings and click Save to continue.

Figure 11 ZyXEL Utility: Summary

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