Reference Manual for the Wireless Cable Modem Gateway CG814WG v2

4-2

Wireless Configuration

Observe Placement and Range Guidelines

The operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the

physical placement of the wireless gateway.

For best results, place your gateway:

•

Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate.

•

In an elevated location such as a high shelf.

•

Away from potential sources of interference, such as PCs, microwaves, and 2.4 GHz cordless

phones.

•

Away from large metal surfaces.

Note:

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance

degradation or inability to wirelessly connect to the router

.

Reference Manual for the Wireless Cable Modem Gateway CG814WG v2

Wireless Configuration

4-3

Configuring Wireless Settings

To configure the Wireless interface of your gateway, click on the Wireless Settings heading in the

Setup section of the browser interface. The Wireless Settings menu will appear, as shown below:

Figure 4-1:

Wireless Settings menu

Reference Manual for the Wireless Cable Modem Gateway CG814WG v2

4-4

Wireless Configuration

Wireless Network Settings

In the Wireless Settings section are the following parameters:

•

Name (SSID)

Enter a Service Set ID (SSID) value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The same SSID must

be assigned to all wireless devices in your network. The default SSID is

Wireless

, but

NETGEAR strongly recommends that you change your network’s SSID to a different value.

•

Channel

This field determines which operating frequency will be used. It should not be necessary to

change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby

access point.

Wireless Access Point

In the Wireless Access Point Settings section are the following parameters:

•

Enable Wireless Access Point

Use this checkbox to turn on or turn off the wireless network. The default is to enable the

wireless network.

•

Allow Broadcast of Name (SSID)

Use this checkbox to turn on or turn off broadcast of the wireless network Name (SSID). The

default is to broadcast the wireless network Name (SSID). If you uncheck this item, only

wireless devices with the correct SSID will be connect. Turning off the SSID broadcast

prevents some wireless devices from discovering and reporting the SSID of your wireless

network.

Restricting Wireless Access by MAC Address

By default, any wireless PC that is configured with the correct SSID will be allowed access to your

wireless network. For increased security, you can restrict access to the wireless network to only

allow specific PCs based on their MAC addresses.

Check the Turn Access Control On box to restrict access to you network to computers in the

Access Control List.

To access the Access List, click the Setup Access List button.

Note:

If the

Turn Access Control On

is enabled and the Access Control List is blank;

then all wireless PCs will be unable to connect to your wireless network.

Reference Manual for the Wireless Cable Modem Gateway CG814WG v2

Wireless Configuration

4-5

:

Figure 4-2:

Wireless Access List menu

The Access List displays a list of MAC addresses that will be allowed to connect to the gateway.

These PCs must also have the correct SSID and WEP settings. You can add MAC addresses to the

Access List by either selecting form the list of Connected Wireless Devices, or by manual entering

MAC addresses

To restrict access based on MAC addresses:

1.

For your convenience, this menu displays a list of currently Connected Wireless Devices and

their MAC addresses. Select a device from the list that you want to allow to access your

network.

2.

If the desired PC does not appear in the list, you can manually enter the MAC address of the

authorized PC.

The MAC address is usually printed on the wireless card.

3.

If no Device Name appears, you can type a descriptive name for the PC that you are adding.

Reference Manual for the Wireless Cable Modem Gateway CG814WG v2

4-6

Wireless Configuration

4.

Click Add.

5.

When you have finished entering MAC addresses, click Apply to save the Access List and

return to the Wireless Settings menu.

To delete a MAC address from the table, click on it to select it, then click the Delete button.

Configuring Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

In the Wireless Settings menu you can configure WEP data encryption using the following

parameters:

•

Encryption Mode

Select the WEP Encryption level:

•

Off - no data encryption (Open System)

•

64-bit (sometimes called 40-bit) encryption

•

128-bit encryption

•

Authentication Type

Select the appropriate value - "Open System" or "Shared Key." Check your wireless card's

documentation to see what method to use.

•

Encryption (WEP) Key

If WEP is enabled, you can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys.

These values must be identical on all PCs and Access Points in your network.

•

Automatic - Enter a word or group of printable characters in the WEP PassPhrase box and

click the Generate button. The four key boxes will be automatically populated with key

values.

•

Manual - Enter ten hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F)

Select which of the four keys will be active.

Be sure to click

Apply

to save your settings in this menu.