G Wireless Router

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Problem:

My wireless network performance is inconsistent�

Data transfer is sometimes slow�

Signal strength is poor�

I am having difficulty establishing and/or maintaining a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection�

Limiting the Wireless Transmit Rate

Limiting the wireless transmit rate can help improve the maximum

wireless range, and connection stability� Most wireless cards have the

ability to limit the transmission rate� To change this property, go to the

Windows Control Panel, open “Network Connections” and double-click

on your wireless card’s connection� In the “Properties” dialog, select the

“Configure” button on the “General” tab (Windows 98 users will have to

select the wireless card in the list box and then click “Properties”), then

choose the “Advanced” tab and select the rate property� Wireless client

cards are usually set to automatically adjust the wireless transmit rate

for you, but doing so can cause periodic disconnects when the wireless

signal is too weak; as a rule, slower transmission rates are more stable�

Experiment with different connection rates until you find the best one

for your environment; note that all available transmission rates should

be acceptable for browsing the Internet� For more assistance, see your

wireless card’s user manual�

Solution:

Wireless technology is radio-based, which means connectivity and

the throughput performance between devices decreases when the

distance between devices increases� Other factors that will cause signal

degradation (metal is generally the worst culprit) are obstructions such

as walls and metal appliances� As a result, the typical indoor range of

your wireless devices will be between 100 to 200 feet� Note also that

connection speed may decrease as you move farther away from the

Router or access point�

In order to determine if wireless issues are related to range, we suggest

temporarily moving the computer, if possible, five to 10 feet away from

the Router�

Changing the Wireless Channel

Depending on local wireless traffic and interference, switching the

wireless channel of your network can improve performance and

reliability� The default channel the Router is shipped with is channel 11�

You may choose from several other channels depending on your region

(see the section titled “Changing the Wireless Channel” on page 47 for

instructions on how to choose other channels)�

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Problem:

How do I extend the range of my wireless network?

Solution:

Belkin recommends using one of the following products to extend

wireless network coverage throughout large homes or offices:

•

Wireless Access Point: A wireless access point can effectively

double the coverage area of your wireless network� An access

point is typically placed in the area not currently covered by your

G Wireless Router, and is connected to the Router using either

an Ethernet cable or through your home’s power lines using two

Powerline Ethernet Adapters�

•

For 802�11g (54g

™

) wireless networks, Belkin offers a Wireless G

Range Extender/Access Point that can be connected wirelessly to

a Belkin G Wireless Router, without requiring an Ethernet cable or

Powerline Ethernet Adapters�

These Belkin products are available at your local retailer, or can be

ordered from Belkin directly�

For network/range extension information, please visit:

www�belkin�com/networking to find out more about:

Wireless G Range Extender/Access Point (F5D7130)

Powerline Ethernet Adapter (F5D4070)

G Wireless Router

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Problem:

I am having difficulty setting up Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security on a Belkin Wireless Router or Belkin Access Point�

For example:

C3 03 0F AF 4B B2 C3 D4 4B C3 D4 E7 E4

=

128-bit key

4�

Click “Apply Changes” to finish� Encryption in the Wireless Router

is now set� Each of your computers on your wireless network will

now need to be configured with the same security settings�

WARNING:

If you are configuring the Wireless Router or Access Point

from a computer with a wireless client, you will need to ensure that

security is turned on for this wireless client� If this is not done, you will

lose your wireless connection�

Note to Mac users:

Original Apple AirPort products support 64-bit

encryption only� Apple AirPort 2 products can support 64-bit or 128-bit

encryption� Please check your Apple AirPort product to see which

version you are using� If you cannot configure your network with 128-bit

encryption, try 64-bit encryption�

Solution:

1�

Log into your Wireless Router or Access Point�

Open your web browser and type in the IP address of the Wireless

Router or Access Point� (The Router’s default is 192�168�2�1, the Access

Point’s default is 192�168�2�254�) Log into your Router by clicking on the

“Login” button in the top, right-hand corner of the screen� You will be

asked to enter your password� If you never set a password, leave the

password field blank and click “Submit”�

Click the “Wireless” tab on the left of your screen� Select the

“Encryption” or “Security” tab to get to the security settings page�

2�

Select “128-bit WEP” from the drop-down menu�

3�

After selecting your WEP encryption mode, you can type in your

hex WEP key manually, or you can type in a passphrase in the

“Passphrase” field and click “Generate” to create a WEP key from

the passphrase� Click “Apply Changes” to finish� You must now

set all of your clients to match these settings� A hex (hexadecimal)

key is a combination of numbers and letters from A–F and 0–9� For

128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 hex keys�

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Problem:

I am having difficulty setting up Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security on a Belkin client card (Wireless Network Card or Adapter)�

5�

Ensure the box “The key is provided for me automatically” at the

bottom is unchecked� If you are using this computer to connect to

a corporate network, please consult your network administrator if

this box needs to be checked�

6�

Type your WEP key in the “Network key” box�

Important:

A WEP key is a combination of numbers and letters from

A–F and 0–7� For 128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 keys� This network

key needs to match the key you assign to your G Wireless Router or

access point�

For example:

C3030FAF4BB2C3D44BC3D4E7E4 =

128-bit key

7�

Click “OK”, and then “Apply” to save the settings�

If you are NOT using a Belkin wireless client card, please consult the

manufacturer’s user manual for that wireless client card�

Solution:

The client card must use the same key as the G Wireless Router or

access point� For instance, if your Wireless Router or access point uses

the key 00112233445566778899AABBCC, then the client card must be

set to the exact same key�

1�

Double-click the “Signal Indicator” icon to bring up the “Wireless

Network Utility” screen� The “Advanced” button will allow you to

view and configure more options of your client card�

2�

Once the “Advanced” button is clicked, the Belkin Wireless LAN

Utility will appear� This Utility will allow you to manage all the

advanced features of the Belkin client card�

3�

Under the “Wireless Network Properties” tab, select a

network name from the “Available Networks” list and click the

“Properties” button�

4�

Under “Data Encryption”, select “WEP”�

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Problem:

Do Belkin products support WPA?

Solution:

Note:

To use WPA security, all your clients must be upgraded to drivers

and software that support it� At the time of this publication, a security

patch download is available, for free, from Microsoft� This patch works

only with the Windows XP operating system�

Download the patch here:

http://www�microsoft�com/downloads/details�aspx?FamilyID=009d8425-

ce2b-47a4-abec-274845dc9e91&displaylang=en

You also need to download the latest driver for your Belkin Wireless

802�11g Desktop or Notebook Network Card from the Belkin support

site� Other operating systems are not supported at this time� Microsoft’s

patch only supports devices with WPA-enabled drivers such as Belkin

802�11g products�

Download the latest drivers at http://www�belkin�com/support�

Problem:

I am having difficulty setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security

on a Belkin Wireless Router or Belkin Access Point for a home network�

Solution:

1�

From the “Security Mode” drop-down menu, select “WPA-PSK

(no server)”�

2�

For “Encryption Technique”, select “TKIP” or “AES”� This setting

will have to be identical on the clients that you set up�

3�

Enter your pre-shared key� This can be from eight to 63 characters

and can be letters, numbers, symbols, or spaces� This same key

must be used on all of the clients that you set up� For example,

your PSK might be something like: “Smith family network key”�

4�

Click “Apply Changes” to finish� You must now set all clients to

match these settings�