Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point WAG102

Introduction

2-7

v1.0, September 2005

Rear Panel

•

Left and Right Detachable Antenna

The WAG102 provides two detachable antennas (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

•

Restore to Factory Defaults Button

The restore to default button located between the Ethernet RJ-45 connector and the power

socket restores the WAG102 to the factory default settings.

•

RJ-45 Ethernet Port

Use the WAG102 Ethernet RJ-45 port to connect to an Ethernet LAN through a device such as

a hub, switch, router, or POE switch.

•

Power Socket

This socket connects to the WAG102 12V 1 A power adapter.

802.11a WLAN

Wireless LAN Link Activity Indicator (5 GHz)

Off

Indicates no wireless link activity.

Green Blink

Wireless link activity.

802.11g WLAN

Wireless LAN Link Activity Indicator (2.4 GHz)

Off

Indicates no wireless link activity.

Green Blink

Wireless link activity.

Figure 2-2

LED

DESCRIPTION

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point WAG102

2-8

Introduction

v1.0, September 2005

Basic Installation and Configuration

3-1

v1.0, September 2005

Chapter 3

Basic Installation and Configuration

This chapter describes how to set up your WAG102 ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point for

wireless connectivity to your LAN. This basic configuration will enable computers with 802.11b

or 802.11a/g wireless adapters to do such things as connect to the Internet, or access printers and

files on your LAN.

You need to prepare these three things before you can establish a connection through your wireless

access point:

•

A location for the WAG102 that conforms to the

“Observing Placement and Range

Guidelines”

below.

•

The wireless access point connected to your LAN through a device such as a hub, switch,

router, or Cable/DSL gateway.

•

One or more computers with properly configured 802.11b or 802.11a/g wireless adapters.

Note:

Indoors, computers can connect over

802.11b or 802.11a/g

wireless networks

at ranges of several hundred feet or more.

This distance can allow for others

outside your area to access your network. It is important to take appropriate steps

to secure your network from unauthorized access. The WAG102 Access Point

provides highly effective security features which are covered in detail in

“Understanding WEP/WPA Security Options” on page 3-18

. Deploy the security

features appropriate to your needs.

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point WAG102

3-2

Basic Installation and Configuration

v1.0, September 2005

Observing Placement and Range Guidelines

The operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the

physical placement of the wireless access point. The latency, data throughput performance, and

notebook power consumption of wireless adapters also vary depending on your configuration

choices.

For best results, place your wireless access point:

•

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, microwaves, and 2.4 GHz cordless phones.

•

Away from large metal surfaces.

•

Putting the antenna in a vertical position provides best side-to-side coverage. Putting the

antenna in a horizontal position provides best up-and-down coverage.

•

If 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.

Cabling Requirements

The WAG102 Access Point connects to your LAN via twisted-pair Category 5 Ethernet cable with

RJ-45 connectors.

Warning:

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance

degradation or inability to wirelessly connect to the WAG102. For complete

performance specifications, see

Appendix A, “Specifications”

.

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point WAG102

Basic Installation and Configuration

3-3

v1.0, September 2005

Default Factory Settings

When you first receive your WAG102, the default factory settings will be set as shown below. You

can restore these defaults with the Factory Default Restore switch on the rear panel — see

“Rear

Panel” on page 2-7

.

FEATURE

FACTORY DEFAULT SETTINGS

User Name (case sensitive)

admin

Password (case sensitive)

password

Operating Mode

Access Point

Access Point Name

netgearxxxxxx where xxxxxx are the last six

digits of the wireless access point's MAC address

Built-in DHCP client

DHCP client disabled

IP Configuration

IP Address: 192.168.0.232

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Gateway: 0.0.0.0

11a Network Name (SSID)

NETGEAR_11a

11g Network Name (SSID)

NETGEAR_11g

Broadcast Network Name (SSID

Enabled

802.11a Radio Frequency Channel

52

802.11g Radio Frequency Channel

11

AutoCell RF Management

AutoCell Enhanced RF Security ‘stealth’ mode

Enabled

Disabled

WEP/WPA

Disabled

Restricting connectivity based on MAC Access

Control List

Disabled

Spanning Tree Protocol

Enabled

Time Zone

GMT

Time Zone Adjust for Daylight Saving TIme

Disabled

SNMP

Enabled but Trap forwarding is disabled

Secure Telnet

Enabled