Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

2

Hardware Features

Before you install and connect your router, take a moment to become familiar with the front and

back panels of the router—especially the LEDs on the front panel.

Router Front Panel

The wireless modem router front panel shown below contains status LEDs.

Figure 1

Power

LAN Ports (1-4)

DSL

Internet

Wireless

WPS

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

3

You can use the LEDs to verify various conditions.

Table 1

describes each LED.

Table 1.

LED Descriptions

Label

LED Activity

Description

Power

Solid Green

Solid Red

Off

Factory reset

Power is supplied to the router.

POST (Power-On Self-Test) failure or device malfunction

Power is not supplied to the router

Lights momentarily when the reset button is pressed for 6 seconds,

then blinks red three times when released. It then turns green as the

gateway resets to the factory defaults.

LAN Ports

1 - 4

Solid Green

Blinking Green

Off

The Local port has detected an Ethernet link with a device.

Data is being transmitted or received.

No link is detected on this port.

DSL

Solid Green

Blinking Green

Off

The ADSL port is synchronized with an ISP’s network-access device.

Indicates ADSL training—ADSL is synchronizing with the DSLAM.

The unit is off or there is no IP connection.

Internet Port

Solid Green

Solid Red

Blinking Green

Off

There is an Internet session. If the session is dropped due to an idle

timeout, and an ADSL connection is still present, the light will remain

green. If the session is dropped for any other reason, the light will

turn off.

IP connection failed (no DHCP or PPoE response, PPPoE

authentication failed, etc.)

Data is being transmitted over the ADSL port.

No Internet connection detected or device in bridged mode.

Wireless

Solid Green

Blinking Green

Off

Indicates that the Wireless port is initialized.

Data is being transmitted or received over the wireless link.

The Wireless Access Point is turned off.

WPS

Solid Green

Blinking Green

Off

Indicates that wireless security has been enabled.

WPS-capable device is connecting to the device.

WPS has not been set or enabled.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

4

Router Back Panel

The back panel of the wireless modem router contains port connections.

Viewed from left to right, the rear panel contains the following elements:

1.

RJ-11 ADSL port for connecting the wireless modem router to an ADSL line

2.

Four Local Ethernet RJ-45 LAN ports for connecting the wireless modem router to the local

computers

3.

Power On/Off button

4.

AC power adapter input

Figure 2

1

2

4

3

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

5

Router Label

The label on the bottom of the wireless modem router shows the router’s MAC address, serial

number, security PIN, and factory default login information.

Positioning Your Wireless Router

The wireless modem router lets you access your network from virtually anywhere within the

operating range of your wireless network. However, the operating distance or range of your

wireless connection can vary significantly depending on the physical placement of your router. For

example, the thickness and number of walls the wireless signal must pass through may limit the

range. For best results, place your router:

•

Near the center of the area where your computers and other devices will operate, preferably

within line of sight to your wireless devices.

•

Accessible to an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables for wired computers.

•

In an elevated location such as a high shelf, keeping the number of walls and ceilings between

the wireless modem router and your other devices to a minimum.

•

Away from electrical devices which are potential sources of interference, such as ceiling fans,

home security systems, microwaves, or the base for a cordless phone.

Figure 3

Factory Default Reset.

Press for 6 seconds to reset the router

to its factory default settings.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

6

•

Away from any large metal surfaces, such as a solid metal door or aluminum studs. Large

expanses of other materials such as glass, insulated walls, fish tanks, mirrors, brick, and

concrete can also affect your wireless signal.

Installing Your Wireless Modem Router

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

Resource CD

contains a Smart

Wizard™. The Smart Wizard walks you through the steps required to connect your router,

microfilters, 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 modem router using one of two methods:

•

Smart Wizard Setup

: The Smart Wizard setup is available on your

Resource CD

. See

“Installing Your Router Using the Smart Wizard” on page 8

to use the Smart Wizard.

–

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.

–

Smart Wizard requires a PC running Microsoft Windows..

•

Manual Setup

: If you cannot or prefer not to use the Smart Wizard, see

“Installing Your

Router Manually (Advanced, Mac, and Linux Users)” on page 11

. For example, if you are

connecting to a Mac, are using a Linux operating system, or are technically knowledgeable,

select this option.

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation

or an inability to wirelessly connect to the Internet.

If you have a Macintosh or Linux system, you need to use the manual installation

method (see

“Installing Your Router Manually (Advanced, Mac, and Linux Users)”

on page 11

).

Before running the Smart Wizard 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 may

conflict with the default settings of a home router. If you are unsure about

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