Figure 5. Router product label

Position Your Router

The router lets you access your network anywhere within the operating range of your WiFi network.

However, the operating distance or range of your WiFi connection can vary significantly depending on

the physical placement of your router. For example, the thickness and number of walls the WiFi signal

passes through can limit the range.

Additionally, other WiFi access points in and around your home might affect your router’s signal. WiFi

access points are routers, repeaters, WiFi range extenders, and any other device that emits a WiFi signal

for network access.

Position your router according to the following guidelines:

•

Place your router near the center of the area where your computers and other devices operate and

within line of sight to your WiFi devices.

•

Make sure that the router is within reach of an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables for wired

computers.

•

Place the router in an elevated location, minimizing the number walls and ceilings between the router

and your other devices.

•

Place the router away from electrical devices such as these:

•

Ceiling fans

•

Home security systems

•

Microwaves

•

Computers

•

Base of a cordless phone

•

2.4 GHz cordless phone

•

Place the router away from large metal surfaces, large glass surfaces, insulated walls, and items such

as these:

Hardware Overview of the Router

16

Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router Model R6900

•

Solid metal door

•

Aluminum studs

•

Fish tanks

•

Mirrors

•

Brick

•

Concrete

If you are using adjacent access points, use different radio frequency channels to reduce interference.

Cable Your

Router

The following image shows how to cable your

router

:

Figure 6. Router cabling

To cable your

router

:

1.

Unplug your modem’s power, leaving the modem connected to the wall jack for your Internet service.

If your modem uses a battery backup, remove the battery.

2.

Plug in and turn on your modem.

If your modem uses a battery backup, put the battery back in.

3.

Connect your modem to the Internet port of your

router

with the yellow Ethernet cable that came with

your

router

.

4.

Connect the power adapter to your

router

and plug the power adapter into an outlet.

5.

Press the

Power On/Off

button on the back panel of the

router

.

Hardware Overview of the Router

17

Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router Model R6900

2

Connect to the Network and Access the

Router

You can connect to the

router

’s WiFi networks or use a wired Ethernet connection. This chapter describes

the ways you can connect and how to access the

router

and log in.

The chapter contains the following sections:

•

Connect to the Router

on page 18

•

Use a Web Browser to Access the Router

on page 21

•

Change the Language

on page 23

•

Access the Router With the NETGEAR genie App

on page 23

18

Connect to the Router

During and after installation, you can connect to the router’s network through a wired or WiFi connection.

If you set up your computer to use a static IP address, change the settings of your computer so that it

uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

Connect to the Router Through an Ethernet Cable

You can connect your computer to the router using an Ethernet cable and join the router’s local area

network (LAN).

To connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable:

1.

Make sure that the router is receiving power (its Power LED is lit).

2.

Connect an Ethernet cable to an Ethernet port on your computer.

3.

Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to one of the numbered Ethernet ports.

Your computer connects to the local area network (LAN). A message might display on your computer

screen to notify you that an Ethernet cable is connected.

Join the WiFi Network of the Router

Choose either the manual or the WPS method to add a WiFi device such as a computer, iPhone, iPad,

or gaming device to the WiFi network of the router.

Manual Method

On the WiFi device that you want to connect to the router, you can use the software application that

manages your WiFi connections.

To connect a device manually to the WiFi network of the router:

1.

Make sure that the router is receiving power (its Power LED is lit).

2.

On the WiFi device that you want to connect to your router, open the software application that manages

your WiFi connections.

This software scans for all WiFi networks in your area.

3.

Look for the router’s network and select it.

If you did not change the name of the network during the setup process, look for the default WiFi

network name (SSID) and select it. The default SSID is on the product label.

Connect to the Network and Access the Router

19

Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router Model R6900

4.

Enter the router WiFi password.

The default WiFi password (also referred to as the

network key

or

passphrase

) is also on the product

label.

5.

Click the

Connect

button.

The device connects to the WiFi network of the router.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup Method

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is a standard for easily adding computers and other devices to a home

network while maintaining security. To use WPS (Push 'N' Connect), make sure that all WiFi devices to

be connected to the network are Wi-Fi certified and support WPS. During the connection process, the

client gets the security settings from the router so that every device in the network supports the same

security settings.

To use WPS to connect a device to the WiFi network of the router:

1.

Make sure that the router is receiving power (its Power LED is lit).

2.

Check the WPS instructions for your computer or WiFi device.

3.

Press the

WPS

button of the router for three seconds.

4.

Within two minutes, press the

WPS

button on your WiFi device, or follow the WPS instructions that

came with the device.

The WPS process automatically sets up the device with the network password and connects the

device to the WiFi network of the router.

For more information, see

Use WPS to Add a Device to the WiFi Network

on page 159.

Types of Logins

Separate types of logins serve different purposes. It is important that you understand the difference so

that you know which login to use when.

Several types of logins are associated with the

router

:

Connect to the Network and Access the Router

20

Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router Model R6900