Router Setup

21

N150 WiFi Router (N150R)

Account Name (If required)

. Enter the account name that your ISP provided. This might

also be called the host name.

Domain Name (If required)

. Enter the domain name that your ISP provided.

•

When your ISP requires a login, these fields display

:

Internet Service Provider

. Encapsulation is a method for enclosing multiple protocols.

PPP stands for Point-to-Point Protocol. The choices are PPPoE (PPP over Ethernet) or

PPPoA (PPP over ATM).

Login

. The login name that your ISP provided. This is often an email address.

Password

. The password that you use to log in to your ISP.

Service Name (If Required).

Connection Mode.

Idle Timeout (In minutes)

. If you want to change the login timeout, enter a value in

minutes. This determines how long the router keeps the Internet connection active after

there is no Internet activity from the LAN. A value of 0 (zero) means never log out.

Internet IP Address

.

•

When a login is required, these fields display

:

Get Dynamically from ISP

. Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your IP address. Your ISP

automatically assigns these addresses.

Use Static IP Address

. Enter the IP address, IP subnet mask, and the gateway IP

address that your ISP assigned. The gateway is the ISP’s router to which your router will

connect.

Domain Name Server (DNS) Address

. The DNS server is used to look up site addresses

based on their names.

•

Get Automatically from ISP

. Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your DNS servers. Your ISP

automatically assigns this address.

•

Use These DNS Servers

. If you know that your ISP does not automatically transmit DNS

addresses to the router during login, select this option, and enter the IP address of your

ISP’s primary DNS server. If a secondary DNS server address is available, enter it also.

Router MAC Address

. The Ethernet MAC address used by the router on the Internet port.

Some ISPs register the MAC address of the network interface card in your computer when

your account is first opened. They will then accept traffic only from the MAC address of that

computer. This feature allows your router to use your computer’s MAC address (this is also

called cloning).

•

Use Default Address

. Use the default MAC address.

•

Use Computer MAC Address

. The router will capture and use the MAC address of the

computer that you are now using. You must be using the one computer that is allowed by

the ISP.

•

Use This MAC Address

. Enter the MAC address that you want to use.

Router Setup

22

N150 WiFi Router (N150R)

Preset Security

The router comes with preset security. This means that the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and

the WiFi network password (network key) are preset in the factory. You can find the preset

SSID and passphrase on the bottom of the unit.

•

Wi-Fi network name (SSID)

identifies your network so devices can find it.

•

Passphrase

controls access to your network. Devices that know the SSID and the

passphrase can find your wireless network and connect.

•

Security option

is the type of security protocol applied to your wireless network. The

security protocol in force encrypts data transmissions and ensures that only trusted

devices receive authorization to connect to your network. The preset security option is

WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK mixed mode, described in

Wireless Security Options

on page 23.

The Wireless Settings screen lets you view and change the preset security settings

.

If you

change your preset security settings, make a note of the new settings and store it in a safe

place where you can easily find it.

WiFi Security Basics

Unlike wired network data, wireless data transmissions extend beyond your walls and can be

received by any device with a compatible wireless adapter (radio). For this reason, it is very

important to maintain the preset security and understand the other security features available

to you. Besides the preset security settings described in the previous section, your router has

the security features described here and in

Security Settings

on page 36.

•

Turn off wireless connectivity

•

Disable SSID broadcast

•

Restrict access by MAC address

•

Wireless security options

Disable SSID Broadcast

By default, the router broadcasts its Wi-Fi network name (SSID) so devices can find it. If you

change this setting to not allow the broadcast, wireless devices will not find your router

unless they are configured with the same SSID.

Note:

Turning off SSID broadcast nullifies the wireless network discovery

feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data is still

fully exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test

equipment like wireless sniffers. If you allow the broadcast, be sure

to keep wireless security enabled.

Router Setup

23

N150 WiFi Router (N150R)

Restrict Access by MAC Address

You can enhance your network security by allowing access to only specific PCs based on

their Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. You can restrict access to only trusted PCs so

that unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the router. The Wireless Station MAC

address filtering adds additional security protection to the wireless security option that you

have in force. The Access list determines which wireless hardware devices are allowed to

connect to the router by MAC address. See

Advanced Settings

on page 61 for the

procedure.

Wireless Security Options

A security option is the type of security protocol applied to your wireless network. The

security protocol encrypts data transmissions and ensures that only trusted devices receive

authorization to connect to your network. There are several types of encryption: Wi-Fi

Protected Access II (WPA2), WPA, and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA2 is the latest

and most secure, and is recommended if your equipment supports it. WPA has several

options including pre-shared key (PSK) encryption and 802.1x encryption for enterprises. NIt

is possible to disable wireless security, but that is not recommended. You can view or change

the wireless security options in the Wireless Settings screen. See

WiFi Setup

on page 23.

WiFi Setup

The Wireless Settings screen lets you view or change the wireless network settings. Your

preset router has a unique network name and password on the product label. If you change

them, note the new settings and save them in a secure location.

Note:

If you use a wireless computer to change the wireless network

name (SSID) or security options, you are disconnected when you

click Apply. To avoid this problem, use a computer with a wired

connection to access the router.

Consider Every Device on Your Network

Before you begin, check the following:

•

Every wireless computer has to be able to obtain an IP address by DHCP from the router

as described in

Use Standard TCP/IP Properties for DHCP

on page 12.

•

Each computer or wireless adapter in your network must have the same SSID and

wireless mode (bandwidth/data rate) as the router. Check that the wireless adapter on

each computer can support the mode and security option you want to use.

Router Setup

24

N150 WiFi Router (N150R)

•

The security option on each wireless device in the network must match the router. For

example, if you select a security option that requires a passphrase, be sure to use same

passphrase for each wireless computer in the network.

View or Change WiFi Settings

Your preset router comes set up with a unique WiFi network name (SSID) and network

password. This information is printed on the label for your router. You view or change these

settings in the Wireless Settings screen.



To view or change wireless settings:

1.

Select

Setup > WiFi Settings

to display the following screen.

2.

Make any changes that are needed, and click

Apply

when done to save your settings.

Note:

The screen sections, settings, and procedures are explained in the

following sections.

3.

Set up and test your computers for wireless connectivity:

a.

Use your wireless computer or device to join your network. When prompted, enter the

network password.

b.

From the wirelessly connected computer, make sure that you can access the

Internet.

Wireless Settings Screen Fields

•

Enable SSID Broadcast

. This setting allows the router to broadcast its SSID so that a

wireless station can display this wireless name (SSID) in its scanned network list. This

check box is selected by default. To turn off the SSID broadcast, clear the

Allow

Broadcast of Name (SSID)

check box and click

Apply

.

Router Setup

25

N150 WiFi Router (N150R)

•

Name (SSID)

. The SSID is also known as the wireless network name. Enter a

32-character (maximum) name in this field. This field is case-sensitive. The default SSID

is randomly generated, and there is typically no need to change it.

•

Region

. The location where the router is used. It might not be legal to operate the router

in a region other than the regions listed.

•

Channel

. The wireless channel used by the gateway: 1 through 13. Do not change the

channel unless you experience interference (shown by lost connections or slow data

transfers). If this happens, experiment with different channels to see which is the best.

•

Mode

. Up to 150 Mbps is the default (11n supports up to 150 Mbps) and allows 802.11n

and 802.11g wireless devices to join the network. g & b

supports up to 54 Mbps.

Security Options Settings

The Security Options section of the Wireless Settings screen lets you change the security

option and passphrase. Your preset router is already set up with WPA2 and WPA security.

For information about changing these settings, see the following section,

Change WPA

Security Option and Passphrase

.

Change WPA Security Option and Passphrase



To change WPA security:

1.

In the Security Options section, select the WPA option that you want.

2.

Enter the passphrase that you want to use. It is a text string from 8 to 63 characters.

3.

Click

Apply

.

Internet Port

The WAN Setup screen lets you configure a DMZ (demilitarized zone) server, change the

Maximum Transmit Unit (MTU) size, and enable the router to respond to a ping on the WAN

(Internet) port.