reestablish the connection immediately after the PPPoE connection becomes available

again.

9.

Select an IP Address Assignment radio button:

•

Use DHCP Server

. This method passes more information to LAN devices but some IPv6 systems

might not support the DHCv6 client function.

•

Auto Config

. This is the default setting.

This setting specifies how the

router

assigns IPv6 addresses to the devices on your home network

(the LAN).

10.

(Optional) Select the

Use This Interface ID

check box and specify the interface ID to be used for the

IPv6 address of the

router

’s LAN interface.

If you do not specify an ID here, the

router

generates one automatically from its MAC address.

11.

Click the

Apply

button.

Your settings are saved.

Change the MTU Size

The maximum transmission unit (MTU) is the largest data packet a network device transmits. When one

network device communicates across the Internet with another, the data packets travel through many

devices along the way. If a device in the data path uses a lower MTU setting than the other devices, the

data packets must be split or “fragmented” to accommodate the device with the smallest MTU.

The best MTU setting for

NETGEAR

equipment is often the default value. In some situations, changing

the value fixes one problem but causes another. Leave the MTU unchanged unless one of these situations

occurs:

•

You experience problems connecting to your ISP or other Internet service, and the technical support

of either the ISP or

NETGEAR

recommends changing the MTU setting.These web-based applications

might require an MTU change:

Specify Your Internet Settings

41

•

A secure website that does not open, or displays only part of a web page

•

Yahoo email

•

MSN portal

•

America Online’s DSL service

•

You use VPN and experience severe performance problems.

•

You used a program to optimize MTU for performance reasons and now you are experiencing

connectivity or performance problems.

An incorrect MTU setting can cause Internet communication problems. For example,

you might not be able to access certain websites, frames within websites, secure

login pages, or FTP or POP servers.

Note

To change the MTU size:

1.

Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the network.

2.

Type

http://www.routerlogin.net

.

A login window opens.

3.

Enter the

router

user name and password.

The user name is

admin

. The default password is

password

. The user name and password are

case-sensitive.

The BASIC Home page displays.

4.

Select

ADVANCED > Setup > WAN Setup

.

5.

In the

MTU Size

field, enter a value from 64 to 1500.

6.

Click the

Apply

button.

Specify Your Internet Settings

42

Your settings are saved.

If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU to 1400. If you are willing to

experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU from the maximum value of 1500 until the problem goes away.

The following table describes common MTU sizes and applications.

Table 2. Common MTU sizes

Application

MTU

The largest Ethernet packet size.This setting is typical for connections that do not

use PPPoE or VPN and is the default value for

NETGEAR router

s, adapters, and

switches.

1500

Used in PPPoE environments.

1492

Maximum size to use for pinging. (Larger packets are fragmented.)

1472

Used in some DHCP environments.

1468

Usable by AOL if you do not send or receive large email attachments, for example.

1460

Used in PPTP environments or with VPN.

1436

Maximum size for AOL DSL.

1400

Typical value to connect to dial-up ISPs.

576

Specify Your Internet Settings

43

4

Optimize Performance

You can set up the router to optimize performance for applications such as Internet gaming, high definition

video streaming, and VoIP communication. By default, the router uses Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service

(WMM QoS).

This chapter contains the following sections:

•

Use Dynamic QoS to Optimize Internet Traffic Management

on page 45

•

Improve Network Connections With Universal Plug and Play

on page 48

•

Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service

on page 49

44

Use Dynamic QoS to Optimize Internet Traffic Management

Dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) helps improve your router’s Internet traffic management capabilities

through better application and device identification, bandwidth allocation, and traffic prioritization techniques.

Dynamic QoS resolves traffic congestion when the Internet bandwidth is limited and different demands

compete for bandwidth.

If your Internet download and upload speed is 250 Mbps or less and you like gaming and streaming video,

then you can benefit from enabling Dynamic QoS.

If you use a Gigabit Internet connection, or your Internet download and upload speed

is 300 Mbps or faster, then you don’t need to use Dynamic QoS.

Note

Figure 8. Dynamic QoS optimizes Internet traffic by prioritizing competing demands

If you use a Gigabit Internet connection (300 Mbps throughput or faster), then you don’t

need to use QoS.

Note

Enable Dynamic QoS

Because not everyone uses Dynamic QoS, it is disabled by default.

To enable Dynamic QoS:

1.

Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the network.

2.

Type

.

A login window opens.

3.

Enter the

router

user name and password.

Optimize Performance

45