Wireless-N 150 Router WNR1000v2 User Manual

Safeguarding Your Network

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Table 2-2.

Other Features That Enhance Security

Security Type

Description

Disable the wireless router radio.

If you disable the wireless router radio, wireless

devices cannot communicate with the router at all.

You might disable this when you are away or when

other users of your network all use wired

connections.

For more information, see

“Viewing Advanced

Wireless Settings” on page 2-11

.

Turn off the broadcast of the wireless network

name SSID.

If you disable the broadcast of the SSID, only

devices that know the correct SSID can connect.

This nullifies the wireless network discovery feature

of some products such as Windows XP, but your data

is still fully exposed to an intruder using available

wireless eavesdropping tools.

For more information, see

“Viewing Advanced

Wireless Settings” on page 2-11

.

Restrict access based on MAC address.

You can restrict access to only trusted computers so

that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect

to the WNR1000v2 router. MAC address filtering

adds an obstacle against unwanted access to your

network by the general public, but the data broadcast

over the wireless link is fully exposed. This data

includes your trusted MAC addresses, which can be

read and impersonated by a hacker.

For more information, see

“Restricting Wireless

Access by MAC Address” on page 2-18

.

Modify your firewall’s rules.

By default, the firewall allows any outbound traffic

and prohibits any inbound traffic except for

responses to your outbound traffic. However, you

can modify the firewall’s rules.

For more information, see

“Understanding Your

Firewall” on page 2-22

.

Use the Push 'N' Connect feature (Wi-Fi

Protected Setup).

Wi-Fi Protected Setup provides easy setup by

means of a push button. Older wireless adapters and

devices might not support this. Check whether

devices are WPS enabled.

For more information, see

“Using Push 'N' Connect

(Wi-Fi Protected Setup)” on page 2-13

.

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Recording Basic Wireless Settings Setup Information

Before and after customizing your wireless settings, print this section, and record the following

information. If you are working with an existing wireless network, the person who set up or is

responsible for the network can provide this information. Otherwise, you must choose the settings

for your wireless network. Either way, record the settings for your wireless network in the spaces

provided.

•

Wireless Network Name (SSID)

.

______________________________

The SSID identifies

the wireless network. You can use up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The SSID

is

case-

sensitive. The SSID in the wireless adapter card must match the SSID of the wireless router. In

some configuration utilities (such as in Windows XP), the term “wireless network name” is

used instead of SSID.

•

If

WEP Authentication

is used, circle one:

Shared Key

or

Auto

.

–

WEP Encryption Key Size

. Choose one:

64-bit

or

128-bit

. Again, the encryption key

size must be the same for the wireless adapters and the wireless router.

–

Data Encryption (WEP) Keys

. There are two methods for creating WEP data encryption

keys. Whichever method you use, record the key values in the spaces provided.

•

Passphrase Method

. ______________________________ These characters

are

case-sensitive. Enter a word or group of printable characters and click Generate. Not

all wireless devices support the passphrase method.

•

Manual Method

. These values

are not

case-sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10

hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, a–f, or A–F). For 128-bit WEP, enter

26 hexadecimal digits.

Key 1: ___________________________________

Key 2: ___________________________________

Key 3: ___________________________________

Key 4: ___________________________________

•

If WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK authentication is used:

Note:

If you select Shared Key, the other devices in the network will not connect

unless they are also set to Shared Key and are configured with the correct key.

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–

Passphrase

. ______________________________ These characters

are

case-sensitive.

Enter a word or group of printable characters. When you use WPA-PSK, the other devices

in the network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA-PSK and are configured

with the correct passphrase. Similarly, when you use WPA2-PSK, the other devices in the

network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA2-PSK and are configured with

the correct passphrase.

Use the procedures described in the following sections to specify the WNR1000v2 router. Store

this information in a safe place.

Changing Wireless Security Settings

This section describes the wireless settings that you can view and configure in the Wireless

Settings screen, which you access under Setup in the main menu.

Viewing Basic Wireless Settings

To specify the wireless security settings of your router:

1.

Log in to the router as described in

“Logging In To Your Wireless Router” on page 1-2.

2.

Select

Wireless Settings

under Setup in the main menu. The Wireless Settings screen

displays

.

The available settings in this screen are:

Figure 2-2

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•

Name (SSID)

. The SSID is also known as the wireless network name. Enter a value of up to

32 alphanumeric characters. When more than one wireless network is active, different wireless

network names provide a way to separate the traffic. For a wireless device to participate in a

particular wireless network, it must be configured with the SSID for that network. The

WNR1000v2 default SSID is

NETGEAR

. You can disable this broadcast as described in

“Viewing Advanced Wireless Settings” on page 2-11

.

•

Region

. This field identifies the region where the WNR1000v2 router can be used. It might

not be legal to operate the wireless features of the wireless router in a region other than one of

those identified in this field.

•

Channel

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

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

wireless network. The wireless router uses channel bonding technology to extend the

bandwidth for data transmission. For more information about the wireless channel

frequencies, see the online document that you can access from

“Wireless Networking Basics”

in Appendix B

.

•

Mode

. The default mode is

Up to 150Mbps

.

The Mode options are:

–

Up to 54 Mbps - Legacy Mode with maximum speed of up to 54 Mbps for b/g networks.

–

Up to 65 Mbps - Neighbor Friendly Mode - Will not interfere with neighboring wireless

networks.

Note:

The region selection feature might not be available in all countries.

Note:

The maximum wireless signal rate is derived from the IEEE Standard 802.11

specifications. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and

environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials

and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.

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–

Up to 150 Mbps - Performance Mode - Maximum Nx speeds up to 150 Mbps. Using

channel expansion to achieve the 150 Mbps data rate, the WNR1000v2 will use the

channel you selected as the primary channel and expand to the secondary channel

(primary channel +4 or –4) to achieve a 40 MHz frame-by-frame bandwidth. The

WNR1000v2 will detect channel usage and will disable frame-by-frame expansion if the

expansion would result in interference with the data transmission of other access points or

clients.

•

Security Options

. The selection of wireless security options can significantly affect your

network performance. The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending

on both your security settings and router placement.

WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-

PSK encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook computer, and can cause

significant performance degradation with a slow computer. Instructions for configuring the

security options can be found in

“Choosing Appropriate Wireless Security” on page 2-1

. A

full explanation of wireless security standards is available in the online document that you can

access from

“Wireless Networking Basics” in Appendix B

.

3.

Click

Apply

to save your settings.

Configuring WEP Wireless Security

WEP Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption can be defeated by a determined

eavesdropper using publicly available tools.

WEP offers the following options:

•

Automatic

. With the Automatic option, the router will try both Open System and Shared Key

authentication. Normally this setting is suitable. If it fails, select

Open System

or

Shared Key

.

You can also refer to your wireless adapter’s documentation to see what method to use.

•

Open System

. With Open System authentication and 64 or 128 bit WEP data encryption, the

WNR1000v2 router

does

perform data encryption but

does not

perform any authentication.

Anyone can join the network. This setting provides very little practical wireless security.

•

Shared Key

. With Shared Key authentication, a wireless device must know the WEP key to

join the network. Select the encryption strength (64 or 128 bit data encryption). Manually

enter the key values, or enter a word or group of printable characters in the

Passphrase

field.

Manually entered keys

are not

case-sensitive, but passphrase characters

are

case-sensitive.