26

Setting up your wireless router

Changing the Wireless Channel

There are a number of operating channels from which you can choose. In the United States,

there are 11 channels. In Australia, the United Kingdom, and most of Europe, there are 13

channels. In a small number of other countries, there are other channel requirements. Your

router is configured to operate on the proper channels for the country in which you reside.

The channel can be changed, if needed. If there are other wireless networks operating in your

area, your network should be set to operate on a channel that is different than the other

wireless networks.

Extension channel

The IEEE 802.11n draft specification allows the use of a secondary channel to double the

bandwidth (see “Using the bandwidth switch” on page 27). An appropriate extension

channel will be displayed when operating in 40 MHz mode (see “Using the wireless mode

switch” on page 26). The channel can be changed, if needed.

Changing the wireless network name (SSID)

To identify your wireless network, a name (SSID for Service Set Identifier) is used. The SSID is

your network name. The default network name of your router is “Dynex” followed by six

digits that are unique to your router. You can change this to anything you choose, or you can

leave it unchanged. Keep in mind, if you decide to change your wireless network name, and

there are other wireless networks operating in your area, your network name needs to be

different from other wireless networks. To change the SSID, type the SSID that you want to

use in the

SSID

field and click

Apply Changes

. The change is immediate. If you make a

change to the SSID, your wireless-equipped computers may also need to be reconfigured to

connect to your new network name. Refer to the documentation of your wireless network

adapter for information on making this change.

Using the wireless mode switch

Your router can operate in three different wireless modes: 802.11n&802.11g&802.11b,

802.11g and 802.11b. The different modes are explained below.

802.11n&802.11g&802.11b

Setting your router to this mode will allow 802.11n, 802.11g, and 802.11n-compliant

devices to join the network. This is the factory default mode and ensures successful

operation with all Wi-Fi-compatible devices.

802.11g

802.11g mode works with 802.11g clients only. This mode is recommended only if you

want to prevent 802.11b clients from accessing your network. To switch modes, select

the desired mode from the Wireless Mode list, then click

Apply Changes

.

Off

This mode will turn OFF your router’s access point, so no wireless devices can join the

network. Turning off the wireless function of your router is a great way to secure your

network when you are away from home for a long period of time or don't want to use

the wireless feature of your router at a certain time.

Setting up your wireless router

27

Using the bandwidth switch

This switch let you set your router's wireless bandwidth modes. There are several modes

available:

20MHz only

Setting your router to this mode allows only 20 MHz operation. This mode is

compatible with N, draft 802.11n-, 802.11g-, and 802.11b-compliant devices, but will

limit N, draft 802.11n-compliant devices' bandwidth by half. Reducing bandwidth to

20 MHz-only operation might solve some wireless problems.

20MHz/40MHz auto

Setting your router to this mode lets it switch automatically between 20 MHz and

40 MHz operation. This mode enables 40 MHz operation, to maximize speed for N,

draft 802.11n-compliant devices when conditions permit. When a legacy 802.11g

access point is presented and occupies an adjacent secondary channel, your router

automatically reverts to 20 MHz operation to maximize compatibility. We recommend

using this as the default mode.

Using the Broadcast SSID feature

Note:

This advanced feature should be employed by advanced users only.

For security, you can choose not to broadcast your network's SSID. Doing so will keep your

network name hidden from computers that are scanning for the presence of wireless

networks. To turn off the broadcast of the SSID, remove the check mark from the box next to

Broadcast SSID

, then click

Apply Changes

. The change is immediate. Each computer now

needs to be set to connect to your specific SSID. An SSID of

ANY

will no longer be accepted.

Refer to the documentation of your wireless network adapter for information on making this

change.

Protected mode switch

–Protected mode ensures proper operation of N, draft

802.11n-compliant devices on your wireless network when 802.11g or 802.11b devices are

present or when there is heavy 802.11g or 802.11b traffic in the operating environment. Use

protected mode if your network consists of a mix of Dynex N Wireless Cards and 802.11g or

802.11b cards on your network. If you are in an environment that includes little to no

802.11g or 802.11b wireless network traffic, you will achieve the best N wireless

performance with protected mode OFF. Conversely, in an environment with HEAVY 802.11g

or 802.11b traffic or interference, you will achieve the best N wireless performance with

protected mode ON. This will ensure N wireless performance is not affected.

Changing the Wireless Security Settings

Your router is equipped with the latest wireless security standard called Wi-Fi Protected

Access™2 (WPA2™) and the legacy security standard called Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).

Your router also supports the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), which simplifies the setup of a

wireless newtork. WPS uses familiar methodologies, such as typing in a Personal

Identification Number (PIN) or pushing a button, to let you automatically configure network

names and strong WPA™/WPA2 data encryption and authentication. To enable security, you

need to determine which standard you want to use. To access the security settings, click

Security

on the

Wireless

tab.

28

Setting up your wireless router

Using Wi-Fi Protected Setup

WPS uses WPA2 for encryption. It does not provide additional security, but rather,

standardizes the method for securing your wireless network. You can use either the Push

Button Configuration (PBC) method or Personal Identification Number (PIN) method to let a

device access your wireless network.

PBC

—Push and hold the WPS button located on the back of your router for three seconds.

Then, initiate the WPS procedure on the client device within two minutes. Refer to your

client's documentation on this procedure. Pushing the PBC button will automatically enable

WPS. The client has now been securely added to your wireless network.

PIN

—The client device has a PIN number (either four or eight digits) that is associated with

WPS. Enable WPS through the screen illustrated below. Enter the client's PIN into your

router's internal registrar (accessed through this screen). The client will be automatically

enrolled into your wireless network within two minutes.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)

—Enabled or Disabled.

Personal Identification Number (PIN) Method

—In this method, a wireless client

wanting to access your network must supply a 4- or 8-digit PIN to your router. After clicking

Enroll

, you must start the WPS handshaking procedure from the client within two minutes.

Router PIN

—If an external registrar is available, you can enter in your router’s PIN to the

registrar. Click

Generate New PIN

to change the PIN from the default value. Click

Restore

Default PIN

to reset the PIN value.

Push Button Configuration (PBC) Method

—PBC is an alternate method to connect to a

WPS network. Push the

PBC

button located on the back of your router for three seconds,

then initiate the PBC on the client device. Alternatively, push the

Start PBC

soft button to

start this process.

Manual Configuration Method

—This section lists the default security settings to be set

up if not using WPS.

Setting up your wireless router

29

WPA2 Requirements

IMPORTANT

: In order to use WPA2 security, all your computers and wireless client adapters

must be upgraded with patches, driver, and client utility software that support WPA2. At

the time of this User Manual’s publication, a couple security patches are available, for free

download, from Microsoft®. These patches work only with the Windows XP operating

system. Other operating systems are not supported at this time.

For Windows XP computers that do not have Service Pack 2 (SP2), a file from Microsoft called

“Windows XP Support Patch for Wireless Protected Access (KB 826942)” is available for free

download at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826942.

For Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Microsoft has released a free download to update the

wireless client components to support WPA2 (KB971021). The update is available from

Important:

You also need to ensure that all your wireless client cards/adapters support

WPA2, and that you have downloaded and installed the latest driver. Most of the Dynex

wireless cards have driver updates available for download from the Dynex support site

atwww.dynexsupport.com.

Setting WPA/WPA2-Personal (PSK)

Like WPA security, WPA2 is available in both WPA2-Personal (PSK) mode and

WPA2-Enterprise (RADIUS) mode. Typically, WPA2-Personal (PSK) is the mode that will be

used in a home environment, while WPA2-Enterprise (RADIUS) is implemented in a business

environment where an external radius server distributes the network key to the clients

automatically. Your router supports WPA2-Personal (PSK).

To set up WPA/WPA2:

1

After you set up your router, click

Security

under the

Wireless

heading on the left

menu. The

Wireless > Security

page opens.

2

Select

WPA/WPA2-Personal (PSK)

from the

Security Mode

list.

3

For

Authentication

, select

WPA-PSK

,

WPA2-PSK

, or

WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK

. This

setting must to be identical on the wireless clients that you set up.

WPS-PSK +

WPA2-PSK

mode lets your router support clients running either WPA or WPA2

security.

4

For

Encryption Technique

, select

TKIP

,

AES

, or

TKIP + AES

. This setting must be

identical on the wireless clients that you set up.

5

Enter your pre-shared key (PSK). This can be from eight to 63 characters and can be

letters, numbers, or symbols. This same key must be used on all of the clients that you

set up. For example, your PSK might be something like “Smith family network key.”

30

Setting up your wireless router

6

Click

Apply Changes

to finish. You must now set all clients to match these settings

depending on the type of access you want them to have.

Important:

Make sure that your wireless computers are updated to work with WPA2 and

have the correct settings to get proper connection to your router.

Setting WPA Security

Note:

To use WPA security, your wireless network cards must be equipped with software that

supports WPA. At the time this User Manual was published, a security patch from

Microsoft is available for free download. This patch works only with Windows XP.

Your router supports WPA-Personal (PSK), which uses a pre-shared key (PSK) as the security

key. A pre-shared key is basically a password that is between eight and 63 characters long. It

can be a combination of letters, numbers, or characters. Each client uses the same key to

access the network. Typically this is the mode that will be used in a home environment.

To set WPA-PSK security:

1

From the

Security Mode

drop-down menu, select

WPA/WPA-Personal (PSK)

.

2

For

Encryption Technique

, select

TKIP

or

AES

. This setting will have to be identical

on the clients that you set up.

3

Enter your pre-shared key. This can be from eight to 63 characters and can be letters,

numbers, or symbols. This same key must be used on all of the clients that you set up.

4

Click

Apply Changes

to finish. You must now set all clients to match these settings.