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

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Basic Installation and Configuration

v1.0, September 2005

Understanding WAG102 Wireless Security Options

Your wireless data transmissions can be received well beyond your walls by anyone with a

compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment. The

WAG102 Access Point 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:

•

Restrict Access Based on MAC address.

You can restrict access to only trusted PCs so that

unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the WAG102. MAC address filtering adds an

obstacle against unwanted access to your network, but the data broadcast over the wireless link

is fully exposed.

•

Turn Off the Broadcast of the Wireless Network Name (SSID).

If you disable broadcast of

the SSID, only devices that have the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the wireless

network ‘discovery’ feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data is still fully

exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless sniffers.

•

Use WEP.

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

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

eavesdropper.

•

Use WPA or WPA-PSK.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) data encryption provides data

security. The very strong authentication along with dynamic per frame rekeying of WPA make

it virtually impossible to compromise. Because this is a new standard, wireless device driver

and software availability may be limited.

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

Basic Installation and Configuration

3-5

v1.0, September 2005

Installing the WAG102 Access Point

Before installing the WAG102 ProSafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point, you should make sure

that your Ethernet network is up and working. You will be connecting the access point to the

Ethernet network so that computers with 802.11b or 802.11a/g wireless adapters will be able to

communicate with computers on the Ethernet network. In order for this to work correctly, verify

that you have met all of the system requirements, shown on

page 2-4

.

1.

Set up the WAG102 Access Point

a.

Prepare a computer with an Ethernet adapter. If this computer is already part of your

network, record its TCP/IP configuration settings.

b.

Configure the computer with a static IP address of 192.168.0.36 and 255.255.255.0 for the

Subnet Mask.

c.

Connect an Ethernet cable from the WAG102 to the computer.

d.

Turn on your computer, connect the power adapter to the WAG102 and verify the

following:

–

The PWR power light goes on.

–

The LAN light of the wireless access point is lit when connected to a powered on

computer.

–

The WLAN LEDs should be blinking.

2.

Configure the WAG102 Ethernet port for LAN access.

Tip:

Before mounting the WAG102 in a high location, first set up and test the

WAG102 to verify wireless network connectivity.

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

3-6

Basic Installation and Configuration

v1.0, September 2005

a.

Connect to the WAG102 by opening your browser and entering

http://192.168.0.232

in the

address field. A login window appears.

b.

Enter

admin

for the user name and

password

for the password, both in lower case

letters.Click

OK

.

c.

The Web browser will then display the WAG102 General information page.

Figure 3-2

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

Basic Installation and Configuration

3-7

v1.0, September 2005

d.

When the wireless access point is connected to the Internet, click the Knowledge Base or

the Documentation link under the Web Support menu to view support information or the

documentation for the wireless access point.

If you do not click Logout, the wireless access point will wait 5 minutes after there is no

activity before it automatically logs you out.

e.

Click the Basic Settings link to view the Basic Settings menu.

Figure 3-3

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

3-8

Basic Installation and Configuration

v1.0, September 2005

f.

Configure the settings appropriate for your network. The default values are suitable for

most users and situations.

•

Access Point Name

: This unique name is the access point NetBIOS name. The

default Access Point Name is located on the bottom label of WAG102. You may

modify the default name with a unique name up to 15 characters long. The default is

netgearxxxxxx, where xxxxxxx represents the last 6 digits of the WAG102 MAC

address.

•

Country/Region

: This field identifies the region where the WAG102 can be used. It

may not be legal to operate the wireless features of the wireless access point in a

region other than one of those identified in this field. Select your country or region

from the drop-down list. This field displays the region of operation for which the

wireless interface is intended.

If your country or region is not listed, please check with your local government

agency or check our website for more information on which channels to use. The

802.11g wireless channel in use will be between 1 to 11 for US and Canada, 1 to 13

for Europe and Australia.

•

IP Address

: By default, the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) client

service is disabled. The default IP address is 192.168.0.232.

Figure 3-4