Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG102

Basic Installation and Configuration

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c.

Configure the wireless interface for wireless access. See the online help or the

“Understanding Wireless Settings” on page 3-12

topic of this Reference Manual for full

instructions.

Note:

You must set the Country/Region. It may not be legal to operate the wireless access

point in a region other than one of those identified in this field.

Now that you have finished the setup steps, you are ready to deploy the WG102 in your

network. If needed, you can now reconfigure the computer you used in step 1 back to its

original TCP/IP settings.

3

D

EPLOY

THE

WG102 A

CCESS

P

OINT

a.

Disconnect the WG102 and position it where you will deploy it. The best location is

elevated, such as wall mounted or on the top of a cubicle, at the center of your wireless

coverage area, and within line of sight of all the mobile devices.

b.

Lift the antenna on either side so that they are vertical.

Note:

Consult the antenna positioning and wireless mode configuration information in the

Advanced Configuration

chapter of the Reference Manual.

c.

Connect an Ethernet cable from your WG102 Access Point to a LAN port on your router,

switch, or hub.

Note:

By default, WG102 is set to with the DHCP client disabled. If your network uses

dynamic IP addresses, you will need to change this setting.

d.

Connect the power adapter to the wireless access point and plug the power adapter in to a

power outlet. The PWR, LAN, and WLAN lights should light up.

4

V

ERIFY

W

IRELESS

C

ONNECTIVITY

Using a computer with an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless adapter with the correct wireless

settings needed to connect to the WG102 (SSID, WEP/WPA, MAC ACL, etc.), verify

connectivity by using a browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer to browse the Internet,

or check for file and printer access on your network.

Note:

If you are unable to connect, see

Chapter 6, “Troubleshooting

.”

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG102

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Basic Installation and Configuration

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How to Log In to the WG102 Using Its Default IP Address

1.

192.168.0.229 is the default IP address of your access point. The WG102 is set, by default, the

DHCP client to be disabled.

Note:

The computer you are using to connect to the WG102 should be configured with an IP

address that starts with 192.168.0.x and a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0.

2.

Open a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

3.

Connect to the WG102 by entering its default address of

into your

browser.

4.

A login window like the one shown below opens:

Figure 3-6: Login window

Log in use the default user name of

admin

and default password of

password

.

Once you have entered your access point name, your Web browser should automatically find

the WG102 Access Point and display the home page, as shown in

“Login result: WG102 home

page” on page 3-7

.

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG102

Basic Installation and Configuration

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202-10064-02, June 2005

Using the Basic IP Settings Options

To configure the basic settings of your wireless access point, click the Basic Settings link in the

Setup section of the main menu of the browser interface. The Basic Settings menu will appear, as

shown below.

Figure 3-7: Basic Settings menu

The Basic Settings menu options are discussed below. The default values are suitable for most

users and situations.

•

Access Point Name

: This unique name is the access point NetBIOS name. The default Access

Point Name is located on the bottom label of the WG102. You may modify the default name

with a unique name up to 15 characters long. The default is netgearxxxxxx, where xxxxxxx

represents the last 6 digits of the WG102 MAC address.

•

IP Address

: By default, the Access Point has DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

client set to Disable. The default IP address is 192.168.0.229.

You may enable the DHCP client to let the Access Point get its TCP/IP configuration from the

DHCP server on your network.

–

DHCP Client

: The Access Point will get the IP address, subnet mask and the default

gateway settings automatically from the DHCP server if DHCP is enabled.

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG102

3-12

Basic Installation and Configuration

202-10064-02, June 2005

–

IP Address

: Enter an unused IP address from the address range used on your LAN

(factory default: 192.168.0.229).

–

IP Subnet Mask

: Enter the subnet mask value used on your LAN (factory default:

255.255.255.0).

–

Default Gateway

: Enter the IP address of the Gateway for your LAN. For more complex

networks, enter the address of the router for the network segment to which the Access

Point is connected (factory default: 0.0.0.0).

–

DNS Server

: Enter the IP address of the DNS (Domain Name Server) you wish to use

(factory default: 0.0.0.0.

•

Time Zone

: Select the Time Zone to match your location. If your location uses daylight

saving, check the box Adjust for Daylight Saving Time.

The Current Time, as used on the Access Point, is displayed.

Note

: You must have an Internet connection to get the current time.

Understanding Wireless Settings

To configure the wireless settings of your wireless access point, click the Wireless Settings link in

the Setup section of the main menu of the browser interface. The Wireless Settings menu will

appear, as shown below.

Figure 3-8: Wireless Settings menu

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG102

Basic Installation and Configuration

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202-10064-02, June 2005

The Wireless Settings menu options are discussed below:

•

Country/Region.

This field identifies the region where the WG102 can be used. It may not be

legal to operate the wireless features of the wireless access point in a region other than one of

those identified in this field. There is no default country domain, and the channel is set to 11.

Unless a country domain is selected, the channel cannot be changed.

•

Turn Radio On

. On by default, you can also turn off the radio to disable access through this

device. This can be helpful for configuration, network tuning, or troubleshooting activities.

•

Wireless Network Name (SSID).

The SSID is also known as the wireless network name.

Enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. In a setting where there is more than one

wireless network, different wireless network names provide a means for separating the traffic.

Any device you want to participate in a particular wireless network will need to use the SSID.

The WG102 default SSID is: NETGEAR.

–

A group of Wireless Stations and a single access point, all using the same ID (SSID), form

a Basic Service Set (BSS).

–

Using the same SSID is essential. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to

communicate with each other. However, some access points allow connections from

wireless stations which have their SSID set to “any” or whose SSID is blank (null).

–

A group of wireless stations and multiple access points, all using the same ID (ESSID),

form an Extended Service Set (ESS).

–

Different access points within an ESS can use different channels. To reduce interference, it

is recommended that adjacent access points

should

use different channels.

–

As wireless stations physically move through the area covered by an ESS, they will

automatically change to the access point which has the least interference or best

performance. This capability is called roaming.

Note

: The AutoCell feature enhances the roaming, interference, and channel selection of

an extended wireless network.

•

Broadcast Wireless Network Name (SSID).

This field lets you turn off the SSID broadcast.

If you turn off the SSID broadcast, only stations that know the SSID will connect. Disabling

SSID broadcast somewhat hampers the wireless network ‘discovery’ feature of some products.

The default is to enable SSID broadcast.

Note:

Broadcast Wireless Network Name (SSID) is automatically turned off when you

select the AutoCell Enhanced RF Security option in the advanced wireless settings page.