Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

7

Installing Your Wireless Router

To help you set up your router and get on the Internet quickly, the

Resource CD

contains a

NETGEAR genie™ Installation Assistant. The Installation Assistant walks you through the steps

required to connect your router, modem, and PC(s); configure your wireless settings; and enable

wireless security for your network. When you have finished, you will be Internet ready!

You can set up your wireless router using one of two methods:

•

NETGEAR genie Setup

: The NETGEAR genie Installation Assistant setup is available on

your

Resource CD

. See

“Installing Your Router Using the NETGEAR genie” on page 9

to use

the NETGEAR genie Installation Assistant.

–

This is the easiest option. The wizard guides you through the setup process. It automates

many of the steps and verifies that the steps have been successfully completed.

•

Manual Setup

: If you cannot or prefer not to use the NETGEAR genie Installation Assistant,

see

“Manually Installing Your Router” on page 12

. For example, if you are using a Linux

operating system or are technically knowledgeable, select this option. If you choose to use this

option and install your router manually, for best results, install and set up your router in this

order:

1.

Install and connect your wireless router to your network (see

“Connecting Your Wireless

Router” on page 13

).

2.

Set up your wireless router for Internet access (see

“Setting Up Your Router for Internet

Access” on page 17

).

3.

Configure your wireless network and select wireless security settings to protect your

wireless network (see

“Configuring Your Wireless Network” on page 21

).

NETGEAR does not recommend or support adding a NETGEAR router behind

another router, or replacing a gateway with a NETGEAR router.

If you have a Linux system, you need to use the manual installation method (see

“Manually Installing Your Router” on page 12

).

Before running the NETGEAR genie Installation Assistant on a corporate

PC to set up your home router, check with your company’s network support

staff. Corporate network settings or Virtual Private Network (VPN) client

software might conflict with the default settings of a home router. If you are

unsure about whether there might be a conflict, use a different computer.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

8

Updating Your Router Firmware

NETGEAR is always improving the operability and features included with your router. To make it

easy for you to receive the best, most up-to-date features of your router, NETGEAR provides a

variety of methods for updating your product.

•

The NETGEAR genie Installation Assistant lets you check for and install updates as part of

the setup activity (see

“Using the NETGEAR genie” on page 9

).

•

The router includes an update feature that lets you check for and install updates. You must log

in to the router to use this feature see

“Setting Up Your Router for Internet Access” on

page 17

, or the online

User Manual

).

Installing Your Router Using the NETGEAR genie

9

Installing Your Router

Using the NETGEAR genie

The NETGEAR genie setup procedure should take about 15 minutes to complete. Before using the

NETGEAR genie, ensure that:

•

You are using a computer with either a Mac operating system or a Windows operating system

(Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2000, or Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or above).

•

You have an Internet service connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

•

Your PC has a wired Ethernet connection (not a wireless connection).

•

You have the configuration information provided by your ISP.

Using the NETGEAR genie

The NETGEAR NETGEAR genie takes you through the procedure to connect your router,

modem, and PC(s). It then helps you to configure your wireless settings and enable wireless

security for your network.

The NETGEAR genie guides you through the setup process by

automating many of the steps. At each step in the setup process, the NETGEAR genie checks to

ensure that the steps you perform are successfully completed.

To set up your router using the NETGEAR genie:

1.

To start the NETGEAR genie:

•

For Windows users

,

–

Insert the

Resource CD

into your PC. The CD will automatically start and detect the

language you are using on your PC. Select a different language option, if you prefer.

–

In the CD’s menu, click

Setup

to start the NETGEAR genie.

•

For Mac users

, double-click the MacWizard program.

If the CD does not automatically start, browse the CD and double-click

on

.

Installing Your Router Using the NETGEAR genie

10

2.

When

the NETGEAR genie prompts you about updates, click

Yes

to check for updates for

your router, or

No

, to update later (for more information, see

“Setting Up Your Router for

Internet Access” on page 17

, or the online

User Manual

).

3.

Follow the remaining instructions and prompts.

The NETGEAR genie guides you through installing your router, connecting your router to the

Internet, configuring your wireless network settings, and selecting the optimum security

protection for your network. If you choose not to select a security option during installation,

you can always access the router’s user interface later to select a security option (see

“Configuring Your Wireless Network” on page 21

).

At the close of installation:

•

For Windows users

, the NETGEAR genie places a

Router_Setup.html

file on your

computer’s desktop so that you can view the router settings. It also places the Router

Login

shortcut on the desktop for you to access the router’s main menu.

•

For Mac users

, the NETGEAR genie places a Router_Setup.pdf file on your desktop.

You are now connected to the Internet.

To set up additional wireless computers in your network to access the router and connect to the

Internet, see

“Configuring Your Wireless Network” on page 21

.

To ensure optimum performance of your high-speed wireless router, the

wireless adapter card for each computer in your network should support the

same technology as your router. For more information, see the online

User

Manual

.

Figure 6

• • • • • •

• •

.

+

8

Installing Your Router Using the NETGEAR genie

11

Accessing Your Router After Installation

The NETGEAR genie only appears when you first install the router or when the router is in its

factory default state (for example, if you have reset the router to its default factory settings). If you

want to change the settings after installing and configuring your router using the NETGEAR

genie, you must open a browser window and log in to the router. You will also be prompted to

check for new router firmware. For more information, see

“Configuring Your Wireless Network”

on page 21

.