WildPackets - Atheros Wireless LAN Adapter 3.0 Driver Readme

This document provides information specific to the WildPackets driver used for Atheros AR5001, AR5002, and AR5004 chipset-based adapters. This driver is for use with AiroPeek, AiroPeek NX and Omni3, hereafter collectively referred to as Peek in this document.

Please refer to http://www.wildpackets.com/support/hardware/airopeek for the most up-to-date information on supported wireless adapters and drivers.

GENERAL

The following adapters have been fully tested with the WildPackets driver:

The following adapters have been minimally tested with the WildPackets driver:

The following Atheros AR5001x+, AR5002x and AR5004x chipset-based adapters have not been tested, but should work with the WildPackets driver:

IMPORTANT!
Windows 95, 98, ME and NT4 are not supported.

In order to capture on all available channels for network analysis, both bands, 802.11a and 802.11b/g, must be enabled. Some Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) wireless configuration utilities offer the option to disable either the 802.11a or the 802.11b/g band. If you choose to disable either band, Peek will not capture packets on any of the channels for the band you disabled.

Ensure that no OEM wireless configuration utility is installed. This type of utility is sometimes installed when you install the OEM driver provided with the adapter. For Windows XP users, we recommend using the operating system's built-in wireless configuration dialogs (e.g. Zero Config).

Installation

Go to the appropriate section for your operating system for detailed WildPackets driver installation instructions.

Uninstallation

To uninstall the WildPackets version of the driver, reinstall the OEM driver.

International Support

In order to capture packets in a regulatory domain (i.e. country) different than the one the adapter was bought in originally, you must change the "Peek Country" code being used by the adapter.

The "Peek Country" code is only used by Peek and does not have any effect on the country code used for network services.

To change the adapter's "Peek Country" code on Windows XP, follow these steps:

  1. Stop all captures and quit Peek.
  2. Open the Network Connections Control Panel.
  3. Locate your wireless network adapter, right-click on it, and select Properties.
  4. Click on Configure, then the Advanced tab.
  5. Change the value of the "Peek Country" to the desired country.
  6. Click on OK and close all the windows you just opened.
  7. Restart Peek, you should now have access to a different set of channels.

To change the adapter's "Peek Country" code on Windows 2000, follow these steps:

  1. Stop all captures and quit Peek.
  2. Go to Start Menu | Settings | Network and Dial-up Connections.
  3. Locate your wireless network adapter, right-click on it, and select Properties.
  4. Click on Configure, then the Advanced tab.
  5. Change the value of the "Peek Country" to the desired country.
  6. Click on OK and close all the windows you just opened.
  7. Restart Peek, you should now have access to a different set of channels.

Known Problems and Limitations

  1. Network services may not be restored after quitting Peek. This problem is more prevalent on Windows 2000 but will sometimes occur on Windows XP. This problem is very likely to occur when WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is disabled or when using WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). The first workaround is to disable the wireless adapter, then re-enable it. The second workaround is to eject the wireless adapter, then reinsert it. The final workaround is to reboot the computer.
  2. Correct channel selection may not occur in Peek for some adapters when selecting a channel by BSSID or ESSID. There is no workaround at this time.
  3. 802.11g channel 6 turbo mode is not supported. There is no workaround at this time.
  4. Atheros Super G and Super AG modes are not supported. There is no workaround at this time.

Capturing Wireless Packets

To capture wireless packets using AiroPeek, AiroPeek NX, or OmniPeek (local captures only), follow these steps:

  1. Launch Peek and select your wireless adapter as the Monitor adapter if asked. If not asked, select Monitor/Select Monitor Adapter from the menu.
  2. Select your wireless adapter from the list on the Adapter tab.
  3. Select the 802.11 tab, click on the Number radio button, and choose the appropriate channel from the drop-down list.
  4. If you are using WEP, click Edit Key Sets... and then Insert....
  5. Name the key set, select the encryption algorithm (64, 128, 152-bit or User Defined), and enter the WEP key(s) in the appropriate key field(s).
  6. Click OK to save the Key set, and then OK to close the window.
  7. Select your key set from the drop-down list and then click OK to accept the 802.11 settings.
  8. You can now open a new capture window by clicking on the 'New Capture' button from the Start page, or select File/New from the menu.

To capture wireless packets using the Omni3 Engine, follow these steps:

  1. Connect to your Omni3 Engine.
  2. Select 'Captures' under the desired Remote Engine in the left pane.
  3. Click on the 'Insert' icon in the tool bar to create a new capture.
  4. Click on 'Adapter' in the left pane of the Capture Options window.
  5. Select your wireless adapter from the list in the right pane.
  6. Click on the 'Adapter Options' icon in the tool bar.
  7. From the 802.11 tab, click on the Number radio button and choose the appropriate channel from the drop down list.
  8. If you are using WEP, click Edit Key Sets... and then Insert....
  9. Name the key set, select the encryption algorithm (64, 128, 152-bit or User Defined), and enter the WEP key(s) in the appropriate key field(s).
  10. Click OK to save the key set, and then OK to close the window.
  11. Select your key set from the drop-down list and then click OK to accept the Adapter Options settings.
  12. Verify that all other capture options are properly configured and click on OK to accept the settings.
  13. When the capture window opens, click on the Start Capture button to start the remote capture.

INSTALLATION

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

IMPORTANT!
You must first install and test the adapter with the OEM driver. Do not install the WildPackets driver until the adapter is functioning properly on your network using the OEM driver.

Install the WildPackets Peek product if it's not already installed.

To install the WildPackets driver, follow these steps:
  1. Open the Network Connections Control Panel.
  2. Select the appropriate connection, right-click on it, and select properties.
  3. Click on Configure, the Driver tab, and then on Update driver.
  4. Click on 'Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)', and then on Next.
  5. Click on 'Don't search. I will choose the driver to install.' and then on Next.
  6. Click the Have Disk button.
  7. If you received this driver independently from the program, for instance downloaded from the WildPackets website, then browse to the folder where you unzipped the driver and select the net5211.inf file. Otherwise, browse to the directory where you installed the program plus the subdirectory "Driver\AtherosAR500x" and select the net5211.inf file (for example C:\Program Files\WildPackets\AiroPeek\Driver\AtherosAR500x).
  8. Click on Open and then OK.
  9. Choose the appropriate manufacturer and network adapter (or "Atheros" if you don't see yours listed) and click on Next.
  10. Click on Yes to continue the installation if you receive a message saying 'Installing this driver is not recommended because Windows cannot verify that it is compatible with your hardware.'.
  11. Click on 'Continue Anyway' to continue the installation if you receive a message saying 'The software you are installing for this hardware: '...' has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP.'.
  12. If asked for file "ar5211.sys", browse again to the directory in step 7 or choose it from the popup list.
  13. Click on Finish to complete the installation and close the properties window.
  14. Select Yes to reboot if asked. If not asked, we recommend that you reboot the computer anyway.

Windows 2000

IMPORTANT!
You must first install and test the adapter with the OEM driver. Do not install the WildPackets driver until the adapter is functioning properly on your network using the OEM driver.

IMPORTANT!
During our testing we have found that some OEM wireless configuration utilities for Windows 2000 conflict with Peek. The symptom of the conflict is that the adapter doesn't show up (at all) in the list of adapters displayed in Peek's adapter selection dialog. If that happens, the workaround is to exit the OEM wireless configuration utility if it is running, then remove it from the "Startup" folder of the "Start" menu. You can do that by right-clicking on it and selecting delete from the pull-down menu. You should reboot the computer after removing the utility from the "Startup" folder to ensure that the utility is not still running in the background.

Install the WildPackets Peek product if it's not already installed.

To install the WildPackets driver, follow these steps:
  1. Go to Start Menu | Settings | Network and Dial-up Connections.
  2. Select the appropriate connection, right-click on it, and select properties.
  3. Click on Configure, the Driver tab, and then on Update driver.
  4. Click on Next, 'Display a list of the known drivers for this device...', and then on Next.
  5. Click the Have Disk button.
  6. If you received this driver independently from the program, for instance downloaded from the WildPackets website, then browse to the folder where you unzipped the driver and select the net5211.inf file. Otherwise, browse to the directory where you installed the program plus the subdirectory "Driver\AtherosAR500x\" and select the net5211.inf (for example C:\Program Files\WildPackets\AiroPeek\Driver\AtherosAR500x).
  7. Click on Open and then OK.
  8. Choose the appropriate manufacturer and network adapter (or "Atheros" if you don't see yours listed) and click on Next.
  9. Click on Yes to continue the installation if you receive a message saying 'Installing this driver is not recommended because Windows cannot verify that it is compatible with your hardware.'.
  10. Click on Yes to continue the installation if you receive a message saying 'Digital Signature was Not Found'.
  11. If asked for file "ar5211.sys", browse again to the directory in step 6 or choose it from the popup list.
  12. Click on Finish to complete the installation and close the properties window.
  13. Select Yes to reboot if asked. If not asked, we recommend that you reboot the computer anyway.

WildPackets, Inc.
1340 Treat Blvd., Suite 500
Walnut Creek CA 94597 USA
(925) 937-3200
http://www.wildpackets.com/support/contact

Copyright © 2001-2004 WildPackets, Inc.
All rights reserved.