Moxa Technologies NPort NWH650 User manual

Moxa Wireless Ethernet Client
User’s Manual
Second Edition, June 2008
www.moxa.com/product
©2008 Moxa Inc., all rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
FCC WARNING
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 residential installation. 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. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
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:
ŸReorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
ŸIncrease the separation between the equipment and receiver.
ŸConnect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
ŸConsult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
You are cautioned that changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void your authority to operate the equipment. This device
complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an
uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum
distance of 20 centimeters between the radiator and your body.

Moxa Wireless Ethernet Client
User’s Manual
The software described in this manual is furnished under a license agreement and may
be used only in accordance with the terms of that agreement.
Copyright Notice
Copyright ©2008 Moxa Inc.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Trademarks
MOXA is a registered trademark of Moxa Inc.
All other trademarks or registered marks in this manual belong to their respective
manufacturers.
Disclaimer
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not
represent a commitment on the part of Moxa.
Moxa provides this document “as is,” without warranty of any kind, either expressed
or implied, including, but not limited to, its particular purpose. Moxa reserves the
right to make improvements and/or changes to this manual, or to the products and/or
the programs described in this manual, at any time.
Information provided in this manual is intended to be accurate and reliable. However,
Moxa assumes no responsibility for its use, or for any infringements on the rights of
third parties that may result from its use.
This product might include unintentional technical or typographical errors. Changes
are periodically made to the information herein to correct such errors, and these
changes are incorporated into new editions of the publication.

Technical Support Contact Information
www.moxa.com/support
Moxa Americas:
Toll-free: 1-888-669-2872
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Moxa China (Shanghai office):
Toll-free: 800-820-5036
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Moxa Europe:
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Moxa Asia-Pacific:
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................1
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................1
PLACEMENT GUIDELINES ..................................................................................1
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE...................................................................................2
TERMINOLOGY USED IN THIS GUIDE ..................................................................2
APPLICATION SCENARIOS..................................................................................3
Infrastructure Network..................................................................................3
Ad Hoc Network ...........................................................................................4
2 HARDWARE DESCRIPTION......................................................................5
LED INDICATORS .............................................................................................6
3 WEC CONFIGURATION TOOL INSTALLATION ...................................7
4 USING THE WEC COMFIG TOOL.............................................................8
CONNECT..........................................................................................................8
PASSWORD .......................................................................................................9
SERVICE ...........................................................................................................9
General......................................................................................................10
Encryption..................................................................................................13
Ethernet......................................................................................................14
PERFORM WEC SELF DIAGNOSTIC TEST..........................................................15
UPGRADE WEC FIRMWARE.............................................................................15
RESET WEC CONFIGURATION.........................................................................16
5 CONNECTING AN ETHERNET DEVICE................................................17
6 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS........................................................18
7 SPECIFICATIONS......................................................................................19
8 APPENDIX...................................................................................................21
9 INDEX..........................................................................................................22

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
List of Figures
FIGURE 1. INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK...............................................................3
FIGURE 2. AD HOC NETWORK .............................................................................4
FIGURE 3. REAR PANEL.......................................................................................5
FIGURE 4. FRONT PANEL .....................................................................................5
FIGURE 5. CONNECT............................................................................................8
FIGURE 6. PASSWORD .........................................................................................9
FIGURE 7. SERVICE .............................................................................................9
FIGURE 8. CONFIGURATION/GENERAL ...............................................................10
FIGURE 9. CONFIGURATION/ENCRYPTION ..........................................................13
FIGURE 10. CONFIGURATION/ETHERNET..............................................................14
FIGURE 11. HARDWARE DIAGNOSIS.....................................................................15
FIGURE 12. UPGRADE FIRMWARE........................................................................16
FIGURE 13. RESET CONFIGURATION ....................................................................16
Package Checklist
The package should contain the following items:
•Wireless Ethernet Client With Power Adapter
•RS-232 Cable
•Cross-over Ethernet Cable
•Software CD

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 1
1
Introduction
Congratulations on choosing Wireless Ethernet Client (WEC). This guide gives
instructions on installing WEC and using the configuration program.
WEC provides a wireless connection to the Internet or to shared resources for an
Ethernet-enabled device. Once WEC has been set up, all that is required is a cross-
over Ethernet cable to WEC to another device, such as a notebook computer. Ad
hoc mode provides Ethernet-enabled devices with the ability to communication
wirelessly between two WEC units.
System Requirements
You will need the following equipment to install and operate WEC:
•An Ethernet adapter.
•A PC running Windows 95/98/Me/NT4.0/2000/XP (only required when
you need to configure WEC’s network properties).
Placement Guidelines
The following tips are particularly significant for radio wave communications
systems:
1. Radio waves reflect or refract from buildings, walls, metal furniture, and other
objects. This could result in a degradation of performance due to the
fluctuations in the received signal.
2. Microwave ovens use the 2.45 GHz frequency bandwidth. WEC also operates
in the 2.4 –2.5 GHz bandwidth, and therefore shares some of the bandwidth
used by microwave ovens. This means that when a nearby microwave oven is
in use, it may interfere with signals emanating from a WEC unit, resulting in a
degradation of the wireless network’s performance.
To achieve the best performance, follow the guidelines given below when placing a
WEC unit:
•Place the unit as high as possible, and in as open an area as is possible
•Avoid placing the WEC (especially the antenna) close to metal objects (such
as file cabinets, metal cubicles, etc.).
•Keep WEC units as far away as possible from microwave ovens (a minimum
of 10 meters is recommended).

211Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
How to Use this Guide
The Installation Guide gives complete instructions for installing Wireless Ethernet
Client (WEC).
Use the WEC COMFig tool—see page 8— to change the default WEC settings.
The WEC COMFig tool permits basic WEC offline configuration from a PC via an
RS-232 cable/COM port connection.
Terminology Used in this Guide
Domain Name/SSID
A “Domain” is most commonly used to refer to a group of computers with
hostnames that share a common suffix. The domain is usually defined by the
network administrator as a segment/subnet of a large network, and may comprise
overlapping wireless cells. Wireless nodes can roam freely within the same domain
without disconnecting from the network.
Regulatory Domain
WEC products use the unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) band to
communicate through radio waves. Different countries offer different radio
frequencies to be used as the ISM band. There are four frequency bands defined by
IEEE 802.11: Japan (2.471 GHz –2.497 GHz), USA, Extended Japan, Canada, and
Europe (2.4 GHz –2.4835 GHz), Spain (2.445 GHz –2.475 GHz), and France
(2.4465 GHz –2.4835 GHz). To use WEC in a country not listed above, check
with your government’s regulatory agency to determine the correct frequency band
to use. All WEC products are supplied preset to the country of sale’s frequency
band.
WEP
WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. It is an encryption scheme that provides
secure wireless data communication. WEP uses a 40-bit or 128-bit key to encrypt
data. Each wireless client on the network must use identical keys to decode a data
transmission.

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 3
Application Scenarios
Infrastructure Network
An Infrastructure Network is formed by several stations and one or more Access
Points (APs), in which the stations are within a set distance from the AP. Figure 1
depicts the topology for a typical Infrastructure Network.
Figure 1. Infrastructure Network
Print Server
Ethernet
Ready
Computer
Computer with
Wireless LAN
Card
Hub
Access
Point
WEC

411Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
Ad Hoc Network
An Ad Hoc Network is formed by a number of wireless stations (without an
Access Point) that communicate via radio waves. The shared resources on the
wireless network appear to users exactly as they would on a regular wired network.
The wireless operation of the network is totally transparent. Figure 2depicts a
typical Ad Hoc Network scenario.
Figure 2. Ad Hoc Network
Print
Server
WEC
Ethernet
Ready
Computer
Computer
with
Wireless
LAN
Card
WEC

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 5
2
Hardware Description
WEC’s rear panel contains the cable connectors. One RS-232 port for connecting
the configuration cable from a computer’s COM port, one UTP port for connecting
a cross-over Ethernet cable from an Ethernet device, and the DC5V power-in port
for connecting the power adapter.
Note: Use only the supplied power adapter.
Figure 3. Rear Panel
Figure 4. Front Panel

611Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
LED Indicators
The WEC LEDs on the front panel (Figure 4) show the status of the Ethernet and
Wireless connections.
PWR/STATUS Unlit:
Blinking Green:
Steady Green:
Steady Red:
Blinking Green:
Power is off
Diagnostic test
Normal condition
Abnormal condition
The WEC COMFig Tool is being used to
configure the WEC unit
Ethernet LINK Unlit:
Steady Green: No link Ethernet link
Ethernet TX/RX Unlit:
Blinking Orange:
No activity
TX/RX activity
Wireless LINK Unlit:
Steady Green:
Blinking Green:
No link
Radio link
The WEC COMFig Tool is being used to
configure the WEC unit
Wireless TX/RX Unlit:
Blinking Orange:
No activity
TX/RX activity

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 7
3
WEC Configuration Tool Installation
Before adding a WEC unit to an existing network, you may need to set basic
parameters, such as domain name (SSID), security setting (WEP), etc., in order to
make the unit compatible with the existing network.
Follow the steps below to connect the WEC unit to a PC for configuration:
Step 1. Connect the supplied RS-232 cable to the WEC unit’s COM port and
connect the other end to one of the serial ports (COM port) on the PC.
Step 2. Connect the power block to an electric outlet and then to the WEC
unit’s DC5V port.
Step 3. Insert the WEC floppy disk into the floppy disk drive and click
Start/Run. Type a:/setup.exe.
Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the WEC COMFig Tool
installation.

811Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
4
Using the WEC COMFig Tool
The WEC COMFig Tool is a Windows-based utility used to configure the WEC
via a COM port connection between the WEC and a PC.
The WEC COMFig Tool provides the following functions:
•Sets WEC parameters (e.g., Network Mode, Domain Name (SSID), Security,
etc.).
•Diagnoses the WEC hardware and shows the diagnostic results.
•Upgrades the WEC firmware.
•Resets the WEC Configuration.
To start the WEC COMFIG Tool, click Start/Programs/Wireless LAN/WEC
COMFig Tool/WEC COMFig Tool.
Connect
The program opens with the WEC COMFig Tool/Connect card (Figure 5). Once a
valid COM port is selected, the WEC COMFig tool will remember this port
number and use it as the default port the next time the program is run. The program
will show Connected when a connection is made.
Figure 5. Connect

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 9
Password
After establishing a connection with the WEC unit, click on the Password tab to
open the Password page (Figure 6). Setting a password prevents unauthorized
changes to the WEC configuration settings.
The password is blank by default. You may set a password of up to 30 characters.
Figure 6. Password
Service
Click on the Service tab to open the Service page (Figure 7). The Service page
provides access to the management features.
Figure 7. Service

10 11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
Click the View and Modify WEC Configuration button to open the Configuration
window (Figure 8).
General
The Configuration window’s General page (Figure 8) opens first.
Figure 8. Configuration/General
You can set and view general WEC settings from this page:

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 11
Network Mode WEC allows two types of networking operation,
Infrastructure or Ad-hoc.
Domain Name
(SSID)Identifies the wireless LAN domain that this WEC is on.
Only WECs and Access Points with the same SSID can
associate with each other. Each SSID may contain up to
31 characters.
Empty SSID Click this button to clear the SSID history and reset the
SSID to ‘any.’ This allows the WEC unit to associate
with the Access Point with the best signal quality,
regardless of the SSID setting.
Authentication
Mode The Authentication Mode parameter controls the
validation of the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) Key.
Open System
When associated with an Access Point, only the SSID
setting is checked. The WEP key will be checked only
when a data link is established.
Shared Key
Both the SSID and the WEP key will be checked during
WLAN association. Shared Key selection is not
available when the WEC encryption method is set to
disabled (see Encryption, page 13). In such cases, the
WEC unit will automatically use the open system
authentication mode.
Auto Switch
When using auto switch mode, the WEC unit will try
shared key authentication mode first. If shared mode
fails, the WEC unit attempts to use the open system
authentication mode.
Transmission Rate Sets the transmission rate at which data packets are
transmitted by the WEC unit.

12 11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
Basic Rates This value determines the basic rates used and reported
for this BSS by the WEC. The highest rate specified is
the rate that the WEC will use when transmitting
broadcast/multicast and management frames.
Available options are:
1 and 2 Mbps
All (1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps)
Channel Number An 802.11b WLAN operates on multiple radio channels,
with allowed channels dictated by the country.
When the WEC unit is running in Infrastructure mode,
the channel number is auto set to the same channel as
the Access Point to which it is associated.
In Ad hoc mode, the channel must match the channel
used by the other wireless stations with which you wish
to communicate. Select the channel you want to use.
Refer to the Appendix, page 21, for channels supported
in each regulatory domain.
Regulatory Domain
Identifies the country where the WEC is used. Each
country defines its own available channel numbers and
transmission power (see Appendix, page 21).
WEC Address This is the MAC ID of the WEC.
Firmware Version The current WEC firmware version.
Important:
In a multiple cell network topology, overlapping and/or adjacent cells using
different channels can operate simultaneously without interference if the frequency
distance between the center frequencies is at least 30 MHz. For example, channels
1, 7, and 13 are non-overlapping frequency channels.
After making changes, click the Apply button to make the changes effective
immediately, without closing the dialog box, or click OK to accept the changes and
close the box.

11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client 13
Encryption
Data encryption provides more secure wireless data communications. Click the
Encryption tab to setup/change the security settings (Figure 9). The default is
Disabled with the key section initially blank.
Figure 9. Configuration/Encryption
The Method dropdown box lists three options:
1. Disabled (default)—Disables data encryption
2. 40-bit WEP—Enables 40-bit WEP encryption
3. 128-bit WEP—Enables 128-bit WEP encryption
Key Generation—There are two ways to generate a security key.
The first is by entering any text in the Passphrase field. The passphrase should
contain multiple words and may include spaces, numbers, and punctuation
characters; the passphrase is case sensitive. Click the Generate button. For 40-bit
WEP units, four keys will be generated: Key 1, Key 2, Key 3, and Key 4. Select a
key number from the Default Key box’s dropdown list. If you do not select a key

14 11Mbps Wireless Ethernet Client
manually, key 1 will be selected. For 128-bit WEP units, only one key will be
generated. Click Apply.
Another WEP key generation method is to insert the key values directly from the
keyboard. The key value must consist of valid hexadecimal characters (0-9, and A-
F). Enter your own key into one of the Key 1 to Key 4 fields. Select that field
number in the Default Key box. Click OK.
Ethernet
This page is used to set the WEC unit’s Ethernet port settings.
Figure 10. Configuration/Ethernet
Auto Detect If Auto Detect is selected, the WEC will use the MAC
address of the connecting Ethernet device as its MAC
address.
Fixed Address This option allows you to specify a specific Ethernet
device MAC address that is allowed to transmit data
through the WEC unit.