Description

LED

The LED color indicates the speed: white for Gigabit Ethernet connections and amber for 100 Mbps or

10 Mbps Ethernet connections.

•

Solid

. A powered-on device is connected to the Ethernet port.

•

Blinking

. The port is sending or receiving traffic.

•

Off

. No device is connected to this Ethernet port.

Ethernet ports 1–4

Pressing this button for two seconds turns the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi radios on and off.

If this LED is lit, the WiFi radios are on. If this LED is off, the WiFi radios are turned off and you cannot

use WiFi to connect to the router.

WiFi On/Off button with

LED

This button lets you use WPS to join the WiFi network without typing the WiFi password. The WPS LED

blinks white during this process and then lights solid white.

WPS button with LED

You can use the

LED On/Off

switch on the rear panel of the router to turn the LEDs on the top of the router on or

off. See

Turn the LEDs On or Off

on page 12.

Rear Panel

The rear panel connections and buttons are shown in the following figure.

Figure 3. Router rear panel

Pressing the

Reset

button restores the factory settings. See

Factory Settings

on page 158>

Hardware Setup

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Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Smart WiFi Router

Turn the LEDs On or Off

To turn the LEDs on or off:

•

Slide the

LED On/Off

switch on the rear panel to the On or Off position.

The Power LED stays lit even if the

LED On/Off

switch is in the Off position.

Attach the Antennas

The modem router comes with four antennas.

To attach the antennas:

1.

To determine where to attach the antennas, match the labels on the antennas with the labels on the router.

2.

Align the antennas with the antenna posts on the router.

3.

Attach the antennas on the threaded antenna posts.

4.

Position the antennas for the best WiFi performance.

We recommend that you position all of the antennas vertically, as shown.

Hardware Setup

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Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Smart WiFi Router

USB Ports on the Left Panel

Two 3.0 USB ports are located on the left panel.

Figure 4. USB ports

eSATA Port on the Right Panel

An eSATA port is located on the right panel.

Figure 5. eSATA port

Hardware Setup

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Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Smart WiFi Router

Connect an eSATA Device

To connect an eSATA device:

•

Use an eSATA cable to connect your device to the eSATA port on the side of the modem router as shown.

Position Your Router

The router lets you access your network 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 passes through can limit the

range.

Additionally, other wireless access points in and around your home might affect your router’s signal.Wireless access

points are routers, repeaters, WiFi range extenders, and any other device that emits a wireless signal for network

access.

Position your router according to the following guidelines:

•

Place your router near the center of the area where your computers and other devices operate, and within line

of sight to your wireless devices.

•

Make sure that the router is within reach of an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables for wired computers.

•

Place the router in an elevated location, minimizing the number walls and ceilings between the router and your

other devices.

•

Place the router away from electrical devices such as these:

•

Ceiling fans

•

Home security systems

•

Microwaves

•

Computers

Hardware Setup

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Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Smart WiFi Router

•

Base of a cordless phone

•

2.4 GHz cordless phone

•

Place the router away from large metal surfaces, large glass surfaces, insulated walls, and items such as these:

•

Solid metal door

•

Aluminum studs

•

Fish tanks

•

Mirrors

•

Brick

•

Concrete

Cable Your Router

The following image shows how to cable your router:

Figure 6. Router cabling

To cable your router:

1.

Unplug your modem’s power, leaving the modem connected to the wall jack for your Internet service.

If your modem uses a battery backup, remove the battery.

2.

Plug in and turn on your modem.

If your modem uses a battery backup, put the battery back in.

Hardware Setup

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Nighthawk X4S AC2600 Smart WiFi Router