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N300 Wireless Dual Band ADSL2+ Modem Router DGND3300v2 User Manual

-

SSID. The default 11N SSID for the N300 wireless modem router is

NETGEAR-DualBand-N. The default 11G SSID is NETGEAR-2.4-G.

-

The wireless mode (802.11g or 802.11b) that each wireless adapter supports.

-

Wireless security option. To successfully implement wireless security, check each

wireless adapter to determine which wireless security option it supports.

See

Manually Configuring Your Wireless Settings

on page

18.

•

Push 'N' Connect (WPS) automatically implements wireless security on the N300 wireless

modem router while, at the same time, allowing you to automatically implement wireless

security on any WPS-enabled devices (such as wireless computers and wireless adapter

cards). You activate WPS by pressing a WPS button on the N300 wireless modem router,

clicking an onscreen WPS button, or entering a PIN number. This generates a new SSID

and implements WPA/WPA2 security.

Note:

NETGEAR’s Push 'N' Connect feature is based on the Wi-Fi

Protected Setup (WPS) standard (for more information, see

). All other Wi-Fi-certified and WPS-capable

products should be compatible with NETGEAR products that

implement Push 'N' Connect.

To set up your wireless network using the WPS feature:

-

Use the N300 wireless modem router dome, which works as a WPS button (there is

also an onscreen WPS button), or enter the PIN of the wireless device.

-

Make sure that all wireless computers and wireless adapters on the network are Wi-Fi

certified and WPA or WPA2 capable, and that they support WPS configuration.

See

Using Push 'N' Connect (WPS) to Configure Your Wireless Network

on page

24.

Wireless Placement and Range Guidelines

The range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the physical placement

of the N300 wireless modem router. The latency, data throughput performance, and notebook

power consumption of wireless adapters also vary depending on your configuration choices.

For best results, place your N300 wireless modem router according to the following

guidelines:

•

Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate.

•

In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected PCs have

line-of-sight access (even if through walls).

•

Away from sources of interference, such as PCs, microwave ovens, and 2.4 GHz

cordless phones (see

Interference Reduction Table

on page

169).

•

Away from large metal surfaces.

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N300 Wireless Dual Band ADSL2+ Modem Router DGND3300v2 User Manual

•

Put the antenna in a vertical position to provide the best side-to-side coverage. Put the

antenna in a horizontal position to provide the best up-and-down coverage.

•

If you are using multiple access points, it is better if adjacent access points use different

radio frequency channels to reduce interference. The recommended channel spacing

between adjacent access points is 5 channels (for example, use Channels 1 and 6, or 6

and 11).

The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending on both your security

settings and placement. WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP

encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook computer.

Wireless Security Options

Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11g wireless networks at a maximum range of up

to 300 feet. Such distances can allow for others outside your immediate area to access your

network.

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

and can be received by anyone with a compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security

features of your wireless equipment. The N300 wireless modem router provides highly

effective security features, which are covered in detail in this chapter. Deploy the security

features appropriate to your needs.

There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:

Figure 8.

•

WEP

. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP

Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption block all but the most determined

eavesdropper. This data encryption mode has been superseded by WPA-PSK and

WPA2-PSK.

•

WPA-PSK (TKIP), WPA2-PSK (AES)

. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) using a pre-shared

key to perform authentication and generate the initial data encryption keys. The very

strong authentication along with dynamic per frame rekeying of WPA makes it virtually

impossible to compromise.

Wireless data

1) Open system: easy but no security.

2) WEP: security, but some performance impact.

3) WPA-PSK: strong security.

4) WPA2-PSK: very strong security.

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Note:

NETGEAR recommends WPA2 security because it is the strongest,

and WPA security as the next strongest. WEP security is the

weakest of these alternatives, but you might need to use WEP

security to be able to link with your older wireless devices.

For more information about wireless technology, click the link to the online document in

Wireless Networking Basics

in Appendix

E.

Manually Configuring Your Wireless Settings

You can view or manually configure the wireless settings for the N300 wireless modem router

in the Wireless Settings screen. If you want to make changes, make sure to note the current

settings first.

Note:

If you use a wireless computer to change the wireless network name

(SSID) or wireless security settings, you will be disconnected when

you click

Apply

. To avoid this, use a computer with a wired

connection to access the N300 wireless modem router.

To view or manually configure the wireless settings:

1.

Log in to the N300 wireless modem router at its default LAN address of

or

with its default user name of

admin

,

and default password of

password

, or using whatever user name, password, and LAN

address you have chosen for the N300 wireless modem router.

2.

From the main menu select

Wireless Settings

to display the Wireless Settings screen:

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N300 Wireless Dual Band ADSL2+ Modem Router DGND3300v2 User Manual

Figure 9.

The settings for this screen are explained in the following table.

Settings

Description

Name (11N SSID)

Name (11G SSID)

This is the wireless network name. Enter a 32-character (maximum) name in this

field. This field is case-sensitive.

In a setting where there is more than one wireless network, different wireless

network names provide a means for separating the traffic. Any device that you

want to participate in a wireless network must use the SSID.

Region

The location where the N300 Wireless Modem Router is used.

Mode

Specify which 802.11 data communications protocol is used. You can select one

of the following modes:

•

Up to 300 Mbps at 2.4 GHz

. Performance mode, using channel expansion to

achieve the 270 Mbps data rate. The N300 wireless modem router uses the

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

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

bandwidth. The N300 wireless modem router detects channel usage and

disables frame-by-frame expansion if the expansion would result in

interference with the data transmission of other access points or clients.

•

Up to 300 Mbps at 5 GHz and 54 Mbps at 2.4 GHz

. This is the default mode,

which is recommended.

•

Up to 145 Mbps at 2.4 GHz

. Neighbor friendly mode, for reduced interference

with neighboring wireless networks. Provides two transmission streams with

different data on the same channel at the same time, but also allows 802.11b

and 802.11g wireless devices.

•

Up to 145 Mbps at 5 GHz and 54 Mbps at 2.4 GHz

. Legacy mode, for

compatibility with the slower 802.11b and 802.11g wireless devices.

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3.

Select the region in which the N300 wireless modem router will operate.

4.

For initial configuration and test, leave the other settings unchanged.

5.

To save your changes, click

Apply

.

6.

Configure and test your computers for wireless connectivity.

Program the wireless adapter of your computers to have the same SSID and wireless

security settings as your N300 wireless modem router. Check that they have a wireless

link and are able to obtain an IP address by DHCP from the N300 wireless modem router.

If there is interference, adjust the channel.

Configuring WEP Wireless Security

Note:

If you use a wireless computer to configure wireless security

settings, you will be disconnected when you click

Apply

.

Reconfigure your wireless computer to match the new settings, or

access the N300 wireless modem router from a wired computer to

make further changes.

11N Channel

11G Channel

The wireless channel fields determine the operating frequency used for the 11N

or 11G wireless networks. Do not change the wireless channel unless you

experience interference (shown by lost connections or slow data transfers). If

this happens, you might need to experiment with different channels to see which

is the best.

Security Options

•

Disable

. You can use this setting to establish wireless connectivity before

implementing wireless security. NETGEAR strongly recommends that you

implement wireless security.

•

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)

. Use encryption keys and data encryption for

data security. Select 64-bit or 128-bit encryption. See

Configuring WEP

Wireless Security

on page

20.

• WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key). Allow only computers

configured with WPA to connect to the N300 wireless modem router.

• WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access with 2 Pre-Shared Keys). Allow only

computers configured with WPA2 to connect to the N300 wireless modem

router.

•

Mixed WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK

. Allow computers configured with either

WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK security to connect to the N300 wireless modem

router.

•

WPA-802.1x

.

For information about WPA or WPA2 configuration, see

Configuring WPA,

WPA2, or Mixed WPA2 + WPA Wireless Security

on page

22.

WPA2-PSK Security

Encryption

Network Key (8–63 characters)

.

Settings

Description

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