Hamlet Wireless PCI Card IEEE 802.11n 300Mbps User manual

Wireless PCI Card
IEEE 802.11n 300Mbps
USER MANUAL
www.hamletcom.com

HNW300CI User Manual
2 Wireless PCI Card
Dear Customer,
thanks for choosing an Hamlet product. Please carefully follow the instructions for its use and
maintenance and, once this item has run its life span, we kindly ask You to dispose of it in an
environmentally friendly way, by putting it in the separate bins for electrical/electronic waste, or to
bring it back to your retailer who will collect it for free.
We inform You this product is manufactured with materials and components in compliance with
ROHS directives: 2002/95/CE; with RAEE Directives: 2003/96/CE, Italian Legislative Decree
2005/151 and below EEC Directives:
EN 62311: 2008
EN 300 328 (2006-10)
EN 301 489-1 (2008-04)
EN 301 489-17 (2008-04)
EN 55022: 2006+A1: 2007, Class B
EN 61000-4-2: 1995+A1: 1998+A2:2001
EN 61000-4-3: 2006+A1: 2008
CE Mark Warning
This is a Class B product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference,
in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
Trademarks
All trademarks and company names mentioned in this manual are used for description purpose
only and remain property of their respective owners.
Changes
The material in this document is for information only and subject to change without notice. While
reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy,
Hamlet assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of
the information contained herein. Hamlet reserves the right to make changes or revisions in the
product design or the product manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any
person of such revisions and changes.

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Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................ 4
1.1 FEATURES & BENEFITS..............................................................................................................5
1.2 PACKAGE CONTENTS .................................................................................................................5
1.3 PCI CARD DESCRIPTION..........................................................................................................5
1.4 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................................... 5
2. PCI CARD ADAPTER FOR WINDOWS 2000/XP/VISTA .......................................................... 6
2.1 BEFORE YOU BEGIN ..................................................................................................................6
2.2 INSTALLING THE DRIVERS ..........................................................................................................6
2.3 PROFILES................................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 AUTHENTICATION AND SECURITY .............................................................................................10
2.5 NETWORK ................................................................................................................................12
2.6 SITE SURVEY............................................................................................................................13
2.7 STATISTICS ..............................................................................................................................14
2.8 WPS .......................................................................................................................................14
2.9 ABOUT .....................................................................................................................................15
2.10 UNINSTALL THE DRIVERS & CLIENT UTILITY...........................................................................15
3. PCI CARD ADAPTER FOR WINDOWS 2000/XP .................................................................... 16
3.1 BEFORE YOU BEGIN ................................................................................................................16
3.2 INSTALLING THE DRIVERS ........................................................................................................16
3.3 PROFILES................................................................................................................................. 17
3.4 AUTHENTICATION AND SECURITY .............................................................................................20
3.5 NETWORK ................................................................................................................................27
3.6 ADVANCED CONFIGURATION ....................................................................................................29
3.7 STATISTICS ..............................................................................................................................29
3.8 WMM (WIRELESS MULTIMEDIA) ..............................................................................................30
3.9 WPS .......................................................................................................................................31
3.10 ABOUT ...................................................................................................................................32
3.11 RADIO ....................................................................................................................................32
3.12 UNINSTALL THE DRIVERS & CLIENT UTILITY...........................................................................33
4. APPENDIX A – GLOSSARY ...................................................................................................... 34
5. APPENDIX B – SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................44
6. APPENDIX C – FCC INTERFERENCE STATEMENT .............................................................45

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1. Introduction
The high-speed wireless PCI CARD is the most convenient way to let you put a
desktop/notebook computer almost anywhere without the hassle of running network cables.
Now you don’t need to suffer from drilling holes and exposed cables. Once you are connected,
you can do anything, just like the wired network. This PCI CARD operates seamlessly in 2.4GHz
frequency spectrum supporting the 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11nwireless standards. It’s the
best way to add wireless capability to your existing wired network or simply surf the web.
To protect your wireless connectivity, the high-speed wireless PCI CARD can encrypt all
wireless transmissions through 64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA-PSK and WPA-AES encryption and
authentication allowing you to experience the most secure wireless connectivity available.
The Hamlet 802.11n PCI CARD (HNW300CI) implements the latest 11n 2.0 technology which
extremely improves wireless signal for your computer than existing wireless 802.11g technology.
It supports the 1T2R architecture with fully forward compatibility with IEEE802.11n. The
incredible speed of HNW300CI PCI CARD makes heavy traffic networking activities more flexible
and takes the wireless into practical road. You could enjoy the racing speed of wireless
connection, surfing on Internet without string wires.
Adding Hamlet HNW300CI to your Computer, it provides an excellent performance and cost-
effective solution for doing media-centric activities such as streaming video, gaming, and
enhances the QoS (WMM) without any reduction of performance. It extends 3 times network
coverage and boosts 6 times transmission throughput than existing 11g product. Advanced
power management and low power consumption among 11n products.
For more security-sensitive application, HNW300CI supports Hardware-based IEEE 802.11i
encryption/decryption engine, including 64-bit/128-bit WEP, TKIP, and AES. Also, it supports
Wi-Fi alliance WPA and WPA2 encryption.

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1.1 Features & Benefits
Features Benefits
Racing Speed up to 300Mbps* data
rate (2.4GHz 11N technology)
Enjoy the Internet connection in crazy-
fast speed, without the bottleneck of
stringing wires
Advanced power management Low power consumption
WPA/WPA2 (IEEE 802.11i), WEP
64/128 Support
Powerful data security
Support 1Tx * 2Rx Radios With two external Antennas
WMM (IEEE 802.11e) standard
support
Wireless Multimedia Enhancements
Quality of Service support (QoS) /
enhanced power saving for Dynamic
Networking
PCI 2.2 Fits in any PCI standard slot
* Theoretical wireless signal rate based on IEEE standard of 802.11a, b, g, n chipset used. Actual
throughput may vary. Network conditions and environmental factors lower actual throughput rate. All
specifications are subject to change without notice.
1.2 Package Contents
Open the package carefully, and make sure that none of the items listed below are missing. Do
not discard the packing materials, in case of return; the unit must be shipped in its original
package.
•One Wireless 802.11b/g/n PCI CARD
•One CD-ROM with Drivers and User’s Manual Included
•TWO SMA antennas
•One Quick Installation Guide and User’s Manual
1.3 PCI CARD Description
The PCI CARD support PCI 2.2 standard PCI
The PCI CARD has two LED indicators with two SMA external antennas.
1.4 System Requirements
The following are the minimum system requirements in order to use the PCI CARD
•The computer with a PCI 2.2 interface.
•Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating system.
•30 MB of free disk space for installing the PCI CARD driver and utility program.

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2. PCI Card Adapter for Windows 2000/XP/Vista
2.1 Before You Begin
During the installation, Vista may need to copy systems files from its installation CD. Therefore,
you may need a copy of the Windows installation CD at hand before installing the drivers.
2.2 Installing the Drivers
Follow the steps below in order to install the PCI CARD drivers:
•Insert the CD-ROM that was provided to you in this package. The setup should run
automatically. If the setup does not run automatically, then you must manually select the
Hamlet HNW300CI_v1.0.1.exe file from the CD-ROM drive.
•Once the setup begins you will see the InstallShield Wizard.
•Click on the Install button to begin the installation.

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•The installation is complete. Click on the Finish button.
•Carefully insert the PCI Card into the PCI slot. Windows will then detect and install the new
hardware.
•An Hamlet icon will then appear in the system tray. Right click on the icon and then click on
Launch Config Utilities.
Note: Click on Use Zero Configuration as Configuration Utility if you would like to use
Windows Zero Config.

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2.3 Profiles
The Profile tab is used to store the settings of multiple Access Points such as home, office, café,
etc. When adding a profile you are required to enter a profile name and SSID as well as
configure the power-saving mode, network type, RTS/fragmentation threshold and
encryption/authentication settings. A profile can be configured as Infrastructure or Ad-hoc
mode. The configuration settings for each mode are described below.
2.3.1 Infrastructure Mode
The infrastructure mode requires the use of an Access Point (AP). In this mode, all
wireless communication between two computers has to be via the AP. It doesn’t matter if
the AP is stand-alone or wired to an Ethernet network. If used in stand-alone, the AP can
extend the range of independent wireless LANs by acting as a repeater, which effectively
doubles the distance between wireless stations.

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•Profile: Enter a name for the profile; this does not need to be the same as the SSID.
•SSID: Enter the SSID of the network or select one from the drop-down list. The SSID is
a unique name shared among all points in your wireless network. The SSID must be
identical for all points in the network, and is case-sensitive.
•Network Type: Select Infrastructure from the drop-down list.
•TX Power: Select a transmit power from the drop-down list. If your notebook is
connected to external power then select 100% or auto, if not, select one of the lower
values for power saving.
•Click on the Apply button to save the changes.
2.3.2 Ad-hoc Mode
This is the simplest network configuration with several computers equipped with the PC
Cards that form a wireless network whenever they are within range of one another. In ad-
hoc mode, each client is peer-to-peer, would only have access to the resources of the
other client and does not require an access point. This is the easiest and least expensive
way for the SOHO to set up a wireless network.
•Profile: Enter a name for the profile; this does not need to be the same as the SSID.
•SSID: Enter the SSID of the network or select one from the drop-down list. The SSID is
a unique name shared among all points in your wireless network. The SSID must be
identical for all points in the network, and is case-sensitive.
•Network Type: Select Ad-hoc from the drop-down list.
•TX Power: Select a transmit power from the drop-down list. If your notebook is
connected to external power then select 100% or auto, if not, select one of the lower
values for power saving.
•Click on the Apply button to save the changes.

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2.4 Authentication and Security
The Security tab allows you to configure the authentication and encryption settings such as:
WEP, WPA, WPA-PSK. Each security option is described in detail below.
2.4.1 WEP Encryption
The WEP tab displays the WEP settings. Encryption is designed to make the data
transmission more secure. You may select 64 or 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
key to encrypt data (Default setting is Disable). WEP encrypts each frame transmitted from
the radio using one of the Keys from a panel. When you use WEP to communicate with
the other wireless clients, all the wireless devices in this network must have the same
encryption key or pass phrase. The following information is included in this tab, as the
image depicts below.
•Authentication Type: Select Open or Shared from the drop-down list.
•Encryption: Select WEP from the drop-down list.
•WEP Key: Type a character string into the field.
For 64-bit enter 5 alphanumeric or 10 hexadecimal characters.
For 128-bit enter 13 alphanumeric or 26 hexadecimal characters.
•Click on the Apply button to save the changes.
•Show Password check box. If you want to make sure the accuracy of password you
type, click the Show Password box to check it.
2.4.2 WPA, WPA2 Authentication & TKIP, AES Encryption
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) was designed to improve upon the security features of
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). The technology is designed to work with existing Wi-Fi
products that have been enabled with WEP. WPA provides improved data encryption
through the Temporal Integrity Protocol (TKIP), which scrambles the keys using a hashing
algorithm and by adding an integrity-checking feature which makes sure that keys haven’t
been tampered with. EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an extension to the PPP
protocol that enables a variety of authentication protocols to be used. It passes through
the exchange of authentication messages, allowing the authentication software stored in a
server to interact with its counterpart in the client.

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•Authentication Type: Select WPA or WPA2 from the drop-down list.
•Encryption: Select TKIP or AES from the drop-down list.
•Click on the Apply button to save the changes.
•Show Password check box. If you want to make sure the accuracy of password you
type, click the Show Password box to check it.
2.4.3 WPA-PSK Authentication & TKIP, AES Encryption
WPA – PSK (Pre-shared Key) is used in a Pre Shared Key mode that does not require an
authentication server. Access to the Internet and the rest of the wireless network services
is allowed only if the pre-shared key of the computer matches that of the Access Point.
This approach offers the simplicity of the WEP key, but uses stronger TKIP encryption.
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an extension to the PPP protocol that enables
a variety of authentication protocols to be used. It passes through the exchange of
authentication messages, allowing the authentication software stored in a server to
interact with its counterpart in the client.
•Authentication Type: Select WPA or WPA2 from the drop-down list.
•Encryption: Select TKIP or AES from the drop-down list.
•WPA Preshared key: Enter a pass phrase which is between 8 and 32 characters long.
•Click on the Apply button to save the changes.
•Show Password check box. If you want to make sure the accuracy of password you
type, click the Show Password box to check it.

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2.5 Network
The Network tab displays the current status of the wireless radio. The following information is
included in this tab, as the image depicts below.
•Status: This indicates the state of the client. There are three options:
oAssociated: Indicates that the wireless client is connected to an Access Point (AP).
The BSSID is shown in the form of 12 HEX digits, which is the MAC address of the AP.
oScanning: Indicates that the wireless client is searching for an AP in the area.
oDisconnected: Indicates that there are no APs or clients in the area.
•Extra Info: Displayed here are information about the link stats and the percent of output
power.
•Current Channel: The operating frequency channel that the client is using (infrastructure
mode).
•Link Speed: The current rate at which the client is transmitting and receiving.
•Throughput (bytes/sec): Displays the Tx (transmit) and Rx (receive) kilo-bytes per second.
•Link Quality: In infrastructure mode, this bar displays the transmission quality between an
AP and a client. In Ad-hoc mode, this bar displays the transmission quality between one
client, and another.
•Signal Strength: This bar displays the strength of the signal received from an AP or client.
•Noise Level: Displays the background noise level; a lower level indicates less interference.
•Click on the OK button to close this window.
•dBm Check Box. When you click on the check box as the drawing below. The signal
strength and noise level will be shown as the dBm measurements.

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2.6 Site survey
The Network tab also displays a list of Access Points and Stations in the area, and allows you to
connect to a specific one. The following information is included in this tab, as the image depicts
below.
•SSID: Displays the SSID of the Access Point. The SSID is a unique name shared among all
points in your wireless network. The SSID must be identical for all points in the network, and
is case-sensitive.
•BSSID: Displays the MAC address of the Access Point.
•Signal: Displays the receiving signal strength from the Access Point.
•Channel: Displays the channel number of the Access Point.
•Encryption: Displays the encryption on the Access Point, this includes WEP, TKIP, AES or
None.
•Authentication: displays the authentication on the Access Point, this includes WPA, WPA-
PSK, WPA2, or Unknown.
•Network Type: Indicates whether the SSID is a Station (Ad-hoc) or Access Point
(Infrastructure).
•Rescan: Click on this button to view a list of Access Points in the area.
•Connect: to connect with a specific Access Point, select the SSID from the list, and then
click on the Connect button.
•Add to Profile: Click on this button to add the SSID and its associated settings into a profile.
•Click on the OK button if you have made any changes.

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2.7 Statistics
The Statistics tab displays transmit and receive packet statistics in real-time. Information
included is frames transmitted/received successfully, transmitted successfully without and after
retry, received with CRC error, duplicate frames received, etc.
2.8 WPS
Click on the WPS Configuration tab. WPS is used for WiFi Protected Setup. By pressing this
button, the security settings of the device will automatically synchronize with other wireless
devices on your network that support Wi-Fi Protected Setup.
•Rescan: Click on this button to view a list of Access Points in the area.
•Click on the OK button if you have made any changes.

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2.9 About
The About tab displays information about the device, such as: the network driver version and
date, configuration utility version and date, and the NIC (Network Interface Card) firmware
version and date.
2.10 Uninstall the Drivers & Client Utility
If the PCI CARD installation is unsuccessful for any reason, the best way to solve the problem
may be to completely uninstall the PCI CARD and its utility and repeat the installation procedure
again.
Follow the steps below in order to uninstall the client utility:
Click on Start > Hamlet HNW300CI > Uninstall Hamlet HNW300CI
The un-installation process will then begin.
Once un-installation process is completed, select Yes, I want to restart my computer now
radio button and then click on the Finish button. Finally remove the PCI Card adapter.

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3. PCI Card Adapter for Windows 2000/XP
3.1 Before You Begin
During the installation, XP may need to copy systems files from its installation CD. Therefore,
you may need a copy of the Windows installation CD at hand before installing the drivers. On
many systems, instead of a CD, the necessary installation files are archived on the hard disk in
C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS directory.
3.2 Installing the Drivers
Follow the steps below in order to install the PCI CARDadapter drivers:
•Insert the CD-ROM that was provided to you in this package. The setup should run
automatically. If the setup does not run automatically, then you must manually select the
setup.exe file from the CD-ROM drive.
•Once the setup begins you will see the InstallShield Wizard.
•Click on the Install button to begin the installation.
•Wait for a few seconds until the driver and client utility is installed.
•The installation is complete. Click on the Finish button.
•Carefully insert the PCI CARD into the PCI slot . Windows will then detect and install
the new hardware.
•An Hamlet icon will then appear in the system tray. Right click on the icon and then click on
Launch Config Utilities.
Note: Click on Use Zero Configuration as Configuration Utility if you would like to use
Windows Zero Config.

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3.3 Profiles
The Profile tab is used to store the settings of multiple Access Points such as home, office, café,
etc. When adding a profile you are required to enter a profile name and SSID as well as
configure the power-saving mode, network type, RTS/fragmentation threshold and
encryption/authentication settings. A profile can be configured as Infrastructure or Ad-hoc
mode. The configuration settings for each mode are described below.

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3.3.1 Infrastructure Mode
The infrastructure mode requires the use of an Access Point (AP). In this mode, all
wireless communication between two computers has to be via the AP. It doesn’t matter if
the AP is stand-alone or wired to an Ethernet network. If used in stand-alone, the AP can
extend the range of independent wireless LANs by acting as a repeater, which effectively
doubles the distance between wireless stations.
•Profile: Enter a name for the profile; this does not need to be the same as the SSID.
•SSID: Enter the SSID of the network or select one from the drop-down list. The SSID is
a unique name shared among all points in your wireless network. The SSID must be
identical for all points in the network, and is case-sensitive.
•Power Save Mode: Select a power saving mode (PSM) option.
oCAM (Continuously Awake Mode): Select this option if your notebook is
always connected to the power supply.
oPSM (Power Saving Mode): Select this option if your notebook uses its battery
power. This option minimizes the battery usage while the network is idle.
•Network Type: Select Infrastructure from the drop-down list.
•TX Power: Select a transmit power from the drop-down list. If your notebook is
connected to external power then select 100% or auto, if not, select one of the lower
values for power saving.
•RTS Threshold: Place a check in this box if you would like to enable RTS Threshold.
Any packet in the RTS/CTS handshake larger than the specified value (bytes) will be
discarded.
•Fragment Threshold: Place a check in this box if you would like to enable Fragment
Threshold. Any packet larger than the specified value (bytes) will be discarded.
•Click on the OK button to save the changes.
3.3.2 Ad-hoc Mode
This is the simplest network configuration with several computers equipped with the PC
Cards that form a wireless network whenever they are within range of one another. In ad-
hoc mode, each client is peer-to-peer, would only have access to the resources of the

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other client and does not require an access point. This is the easiest and least expensive
way for the SOHO to set up a wireless network.
•Profile: Enter a name for the profile; this does not need to be the same as the SSID.
•SSID: Enter the SSID of the network or select one from the drop-down list. The SSID is
a unique name shared among all points in your wireless network. The SSID must be
identical for all points in the network, and is case-sensitive.
•Network Type: Select Ad-hoc from the drop-down list.
•TX Power: Select a transmit power from the drop-down list. If your notebook is
connected to external power then select 100% or auto, if not, select one of the lower
values for power saving.
•Click on the OK button to save the changes.

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3.4 Authentication and Security
The Security tab allows you to configure the authentication and encryption settings such as:
WEP, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, and 802.1x. Each security option is described in detail below.
3.4.1 WEP Encryption
The WEP tab displays the WEP settings. Encryption is designed to make the data
transmission more secure. You may select 64 or 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
key to encrypt data (Default setting is Disable). WEP encrypts each frame transmitted from
the radio using one of the Keys from a panel. When you use WEP to communicate with
the other wireless clients, all the wireless devices in this network must have the same
encryption key or pass phrase. The following information is included in this tab, as the
image depicts below.
•Authentication Type: Select Open or Shared from the drop-down list.
•Encryption: Select WEP from the drop-down list.
•WEP Key: Type a character string into the field.
For 64-bit enter 5 alphanumeric or 10 hexadecimal characters.
For 128-bit enter 13 alphanumeric or 26 hexadecimal characters.
•Click on the Apply button to save the changes.
•Show Password check box. If you want to make sure the accuracy of password you
type, click the Show Password box to check it.