A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor User’s Manual
Copyright 2004, Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission.
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Contents Safety statements ............................................................................ vi Product specifications ..................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Welcome! ............................................................................ Package contents ................................................................ Features .............................................................................
Contents 3.2 Wireless Settings ................................................................. 3-4 3.2.1 Status ...................................................................... 3-4 3.2.2 Configuration ........................................................... 3-7 3.2.3 Site Survey ............................................................. 3-10 3.2.4 About Wireless Settings .......................................... 3-11 3.2.5 Link State ...........................................................
About this guide This user guide contains the information you need to install and configure your A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor. How this guide is organized This guide contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction This chapter describes the physical features of the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor. This part also presents the package contents, LED indicators, and recommended network settings.
Product specifications* Standard IEEE 802.11b/g Interface USB 2.0 Technology Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Data transfer rate 802.11g: 54Mbps with auto-fallback to 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, and 6Mbps 802.11b: 11Mbps with auto-fallback to 5.5, 2, and 1Mbps Network types Supports Infrastructure and Ad-hoc networks Frequency band 2.4 GHz ~ 2.
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Chapter 1 This chapter describes the physical features of the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor. This part presents the package contents, LED indicators, and recommended network settings.
1.1 Welcome! Thank you for choosing the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor! The A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor is an easy-to-install and use wireless LAN adaptor. Conforming to the IEEE 802.11b/g standards for wireless local area networks (WLAN), the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor is capable of up to 54Mbps data transmission rate using the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technologies.
1.3 Features USB 2.0, OFDM, DSSS, Supports Infrastructure and Ad-hoc networks, Compatible with IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g devices, USB bus-powered, Software support 1.4 LED indicators The device comes with a Power, Activity, and Link LED indicators. Refer to the table below for LED indications. ACT PWR LED ACT PWR Status Indication Blinking The adapter is transmitting or receiving data packets. OFF There is no wireless data activity. ON The adapter is receiving power from the USB port.
1.5 Network setup The A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor can be used in both Ad-hoc and Infrastructure network types. The following sections decribe the device functions in these network types. Determine your network settings before installing the device to make all its features available. The following network settings are recommended. 1.5.1 Ad-hoc network In an Ad-hoc network type, the device connects to other wireless LAN adaptors in a wireless network.
Chapter 2 This chapter provides information on how to install the A202 Wireless LAN USB Key Adaptor.
2.1 System requirements Before installing the A202 Wireless LAN USB Key Adaptor, make sure that your system meets the following requirements: • • • • • Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD K7/K8 system Minimum 64MB system memory Windows® 2000/XP operating system CD/DVD-ROM drive (for software installation) An available USB port (USB 2.0 recommended as USB 1.1 cannot achieve maximum wireless performance)* 2.
Installation procedures (Cont.) 2.2.2 Installing the device To install the A202 Wireless LAN USB Key Adaptor in your computer: 1. Insert the adaptor into an available USB port. Notebook PC: Insert into a USB port using the extension cable if required. Desktop PC: Same as above. USB 2.0 extension cable for desktop PCs.
Installation procedures (Cont.) 2. When the “Found New Hardware” dialog box appears, select “Install...automatically” and follow the instructions. Windows® 2000 users - A Digital Signature Not Found dialog box may appear. Click Yes to proceed. Windows® XP users - A Windows Logo Testing dialog box may appear. Click Continue Anyway to proceed. 3. After completing installation, configure the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor using the A202 Control Center. 2.2.
Chapter 3 This chapter provides information on the software and utilities on the support CD Software support
3.1 Control Center The Control Center utility provides access to management software that lets you configure network settings. The Control Center starts automatically when the system boots and displays the Control Center icon in the Windows ® taskbar. The Control Center icon serves as an application launcher, and indicator of signal quality and Internet connection. 3.1.1 Control Center icons The Control Center icon indicates the link quality to the access point and connection to the Internet.
3.1.2 Control Center right-click menu Right-clicking the Control Center icon displays the software and utilities that can be used with the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor . Refer to the following sections for details on these utilities and software. 3.1.3 Control Center left-click menu Left-clicking the Control Center icon displays the left-click menu. Search & Connect – View the available wireless networks within range. Wireless Option – Sets your Windows® XP wireless networking environment.
3.2 Wireless Settings The Wireless Settings window is composed of the property window and tabbed property sheets. Click the icons in the property window to display their tabbed property sheets. Tabbed property sheets Property window Wireless Settings is the main interface that allows you to control the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor.You can use Wireless Settings to view the operational and connection status, or to modify the wireless LAN adaptor configuration. 3.2.
Rescan button - Click this to get the A202 to scan available wireless networks and to connect to the network with the best signal quality. Change SSID button - Click to change the SSID. Clicking this button opens the Config-Basic window. See “Basic tab” on page 3-7. Search and Connect button - Click to view all available wireless networks within the range of your system. Clicking this button opens the Site Survey window. See page 3-9.
Ping tab The Ping tab allows you to verify the connection of your computer with another computer on the network. To ping a connection: 1. Type the IP address of the connection you want to verify in the IP Address field. 2. Configure the ping session by assigning the size and count of packet to send, and the time limit for a ping session to continue (in milliseconds). 3. Click the Ping button. During the ping session, the Ping button toggles into a Stop button. Click Stop anytime to cancel the ping session.
3.2.2 Configuration Basic tab The Basic tab provides general information on network types and other configurations. Network Type. Select the type of network that you wish to use. Select Infrastructure mode to establish a connection with an access point (AP). In this mode, your system can access wireless LAN and wired LAN (Ethernet) via the AP. Select the Ad Hoc mode to communicate directly with other mobile clients within the A202 adaptor’s range. Network Name - Displays the network SSID.
Encryption tab Wireless data transmissions between your A202 and an Access Point are secured using Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. Choose the WEP enabled option in the Data encryption drop-down menu to assign the WEP keys. Check the Network Authentication (Shared Mode) option if you wish to use a network key to authenticate a preferred wireless network. Unchecking this option allows the network to operate in Open System mode.
WPA-PSK Encryption (Windows XP only) This is a high level of security that only allows users with the correct Wireless Network Key access to the wireless network, and is only available to systems running Windows XP. To set up your A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor: 1. Click on the Config button on the left-hand side of the Wireless Settings window, then click on the Encryption tab at the top of the window. 2. Set Network Authentication to WPA-PSK 3. Set Data Encryption to TKIP 4.
• 64-bit and 40-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method and can interoperate on wireless networks. This lower level of WEP encryption uses a 40-bit (10 hexadecimal digits assigned by the user) secret key and a 24-bit Initialization Vector assigned by the wireless LAN adapter. 104-bit and 128-bit WEP keys use the same encryption method. • After assigning the WEP keys, click APPLY to save and activate the encryption.
3.2.4 About Wireless Settings Click the About icon to view the software version, driver version, and copyright information. 3.2.5 Link State Displays the current connection status of the A202 to the Access Point or to other Wi-Fi devices. An icon represents the Link State for easy identification. Refer to the table below for icon indications.
3.2.6 Command icons Apply. Click to apply the changes made in the Wireless Settings utility. OK. Click to close the Wireless Settings utility window. Cancel. Click to cancel any changes made on the Wireless Settings utility. Clicking Cancel closes the Wireless Settings utility window. Help. Click to display the help menu. 3.2.7 Other right-click options Activate Configuration This option allows you to select the wireless profile to use.
About Control Center Select the About Control Center option to display the Control Center software version and copyright information.
3.3 Mobile Manager The Mobile Manager is a convenient tool to set up and manage network location settings. This utility allows users to configure multiple alternative configurations for different locations. To launch the Mobile Manager utility: 1. Click the Windows® Start button. Select Programs > A202 Wireless LAN Card > Mobile Manager, or right-click the Control Center icon on the Windows® taskbar, then select Mobile Manager. 2. The Mobile Manager main window appears.
File menu New Configuration – Select this option to launch the New Configuration Wizard. See the next section for details. Import Configuration an INI File. – Select this option to load a configuration from Export Configuration – Save the selected configuration (containing Wireless Settings, TCP/IP Settings, Network Settings, etc.) to an INI file. The INI file may be saved on a floppy disk, and may be imported to other computers with the Mobile Manager utility. You may also use this file as backup.
Down – Lowers the position of the selected wireless network configuration in the preferred network list. Edit menu commands appear when you right-click a configuration in the Mobile Manager window. View menu Large Icons – Displays large icons for each configuration. Small Icons – Displays small icons for each configuration. List – Shows a list of available configurations. Details – Displays the name, type, and description of a selected configuration.
2. Choose the type of configuration you want to create. The configuration types are described below. Click Next when done. • Diamond Digital Wireless Local Area Networking. Select this option if you have an installed A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor in your computer. • Wired Local Area Networking. Select this if your computer has an installed network interface card other than A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor. • Dialup Networking . Select this option if your computer has an installed modem. 3.
4. Configure the wireless settings including the network type, SSID, channel and WEP encryption. Click Next when done. 5. Set the IP address of the configuration using this window. Specify the IP address using the DHCP server (automatic) or manual assignment. The wizard auto-detects and displays the current system settings. Click Next when done. 6. Enter the computer name, then click Next.
7. Use this window to set the proxy server and printer sharing. Click Advanced to display the proxy server and printer sharing options. Click Next when finished. 8. Check the Activate Configuration Now option to start using the created configuration. The Mobile Manager window displays the created configuration when it is not activated. Click Finish to close the wizard.
3.3.3 Editing a configuration To edit a configuration: 1. Select a configuration from the Mobile Manager window. 2. Click Edit from the menu bar, then select Edit Configuration. The Edit Configuration dialog box appears. Navigate through the windows by clicking the buttons on the left. General settings Name – The configuration name indicates the location from where you are dialing or connecting to a network.
SSID – SSID stands for Service Set Identifier, a string used to identify a wireless LAN. You can only connect with an Access Point, that has the same SSID. Use different SSIDs to segment the wireless LAN and add security. Channel – The Channel field allow you to select the radio channel for the A202 USB Wireless Key Adaptor. In an Infrastructure network, your wireless LAN adaptor automatically selects the correct frequency channel required to communicate with an Access Point.
Specify an IP address – Ask your network administrator for the IP address and subnet mask you should use. Type in the IP Address and Subnet Mask manually. TCP/IP settings-Gateway tab Specify the gateways. You may specify more than one gateway. Set up the primary gateway first. Add – Click this button to add a new TCP/IP gateway address. The added gateway appears in the Default gateways list. Repeat the process to add another gateway. The value in each gateway field must be between 0 and 255.
Enable Proxy Server – Use the Proxy server to access the Internet. Use the same proxy server for all protocols – Specifies whether you want to use the same proxy server to gain access to the Internet using all protocols. Servers field – Provides fields for you to type the address and port number of the proxy server you want to use to gain access to the Internet over HTTP, Secure, FTP, Gopher, and Socks protocol.
3.4 Site Monitor The Site Monitor utility measures the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values of all available wireless networks. Use this utility to determine the best placement of access points in a wireless network. 3.4.1 Launching Site Monitor To launch the Site Monitor: • Click the Windows® Start button, then select Programs > A202 Wireless LAN card, or • Right-click the Control Center icon on the Windows taskbar, then select Site Monitor. The Site Monitor survey message appears. Click OK. 3.4.
3.4.3 Monitoring a connection To monitor a connection: 1. Select the connection from the list. 2. Click Command from the menu bar, then select monitor. You may also press in your keyboard. The Monitor window appears. The following connection parameters are displayed in graphical representation. SNR. This indicates the quality of communications within the current network. The communication quality is based on signal level and noise level measurements.
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Chapter 4 This chapter contains a troubleshooting guide for solving common problems you may encounter when using the A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor.
Troubleshooting This troubleshooting guide provides answers to some common problems which you may encounter while installing and/or using Diamond Digital Wireless LAN card products. These problems requires simple troubleshooting that you can perform by yourself. Contact the Diamond Digital Technical Support if you encounter problems not mentioned in this section. Problem My computer does not recognize the installed A202 Wireless USB Key Adaptor.
Troubleshooting Problem Action I cannot connect to an Access Point (AP). • Check if the Network Type of the device is set to Infrastructure mode. • Check if the device has the same Service Set Identifier (SSID) as that of the Access Point. • Check if the device and the AP have the same Encryption. If WEP encryption is enabled, set the same WEP keys for the device and the AP. • Check if the MAC address of the device is included in the AP Authorisation Table. Ask your LAN administrator about this.
Troubleshooting Problem Action I cannot connect to other computers linked via an Access Point or Ad-hoc network. • Check if the A202 and the other APs and/ or clients have the same Encryption. If you enable WEP encryption, you must set the same WEP keys for the device and the other AP/s and/or clients. • Check the TCP/IP settings (IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS) of your computer. • Enable file and printer sharing in each client computer to allow file sharing.
Service Contacts If problems remain after checking this manual, please contact your place of purchase or contact: Australian Service Contacts Visit the Customer Support section of Mitsubishi Electric Australia’s web site at: www.mitsubishielectric.com.
Western Australia 5 / 329 Collier Road Bassendean, WA, 6054 Telephone: (08) 9377-3411 Fax: (08) 9377-3499 New Zealand Contact: BDT New Zealand Ltd. 1 Parliament St. Lower Hutt Wellington Telephone: (04) 560-9100 Fax: (04) 560-9140 Web site: www.bdt.co.