NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG302v2 Reference Manual

Basic Installation and Configuration

2-9

v1.0, May 2006

The Basic Settings default settings below work for most users and situations:

•

Access Point Name.

This unique name is the access point NetBIOS name. The default Access

Point Name is on the bottom label of the WG302v2. The default name is netgearxxxxxx,

where xxxxxx represents the last six hexadecimal digits of the WG302v2 MAC address. You

can change the name to a unique name up to 15 characters long.

•

Country/Region.

This is the region where the WG302v2 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. For products sold in the United States, the default country domain is

preset. For products sold outside of the United States, you must select a country or region.

•

DHCP Client:

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

disabled. If you have a DHCP server on your LAN and you enable DHCP, the wireless access

point get its IP address, subnet mask and default gateway settings automatically from the

DHCP server on your network when you connect the WG302v2 to your LAN.

•

IP Address.

The default IP address is 192.168.0.228. To change it, enter an unused IP address

from the address range used on your LAN (factory default: 192.168.0.228); or enable DHCP.

•

IP Subnet Mask.

Enter the subnet mask value used on your LAN (factory default:

255.255.255.0).

•

Default Gateway.

Enter the IP address of the gateway for your LAN. For more complex

networks, enter the address of the router for the network segment to which the wireless access

point is connected (factory default: 0.0.0.0).

•

DNS Server.

Enter the IP address of the Domain Name Server (DNS) you want to use (factory

default: 0.0.0.0).

•

Spanning Tree Protocol.

Enable or disable spanning tree protocol (factory default: enabled).

Spanning tree protocol provides network traffic optimization in settings with multiple ProSafe

802.11g devices.

•

Untagged VLAN.

You can use 802.1Q VLANs on the WG302v2 to logically separate traffic

that is on the same physical network. VLAN tagging is always enabled so that the WG302v2

can process VLAN membership information.

Note:

To connect to the WG302v2 after the DHCP server on your network

assigns it a new IP address, enter the access point name into the address

field of your Web browser. The default access point name is

netgearxxxxxx, where xxxxxx represents the last 6 bytes of the MAC

address. The default name is printed on the bottom label of the WG302v2.

NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG302v2 Reference Manual

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By default all traffic on the WG302v2 uses VLAN 1, which is the default untagged VLAN.

Therefore, all traffic is untagged until you change the untagged traffic VLAN ID or the VLAN

ID for a specific Security Profile. Check the Untagged VLAN check box to transmit all frames

on the specified VLAN as untagged. If you clear the box, all traffic is tagged with a VLAN ID.

•

Time Zone.

Select the Time Zone to match your location. If your location uses daylight

saving, check the box Adjust for Daylight Saving Time.

•

The Current Time, as used on the wireless access point, is displayed.

•

NTP Server.

Click Enable to use a network time protocol (NTP) server to synchronize the

clock in your access point, or click Disable if you do not want to use an NTP server.

•

Use Custom NTP Server.

If you do not want to use the default NETGEAR NTP server, click

this box and enter the hostname or IP address of the NTP server to use.

Wireless Settings

To configure the wireless settings, connect to the WG302v2 and click Wireless Settings in the

Setup section of the WG302v2 main menu.

The Wireless Settings menu appears, as shown in

Figure 2-6

.

Note:

You must have an Internet connection to get the current time.

Figure 2-6

NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG302v2 Reference Manual

Basic Installation and Configuration

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The Wireless Settings page options are discussed below:

•

Turn Radio On.

On by default, you can also turn off the radio to disable access through this

device. This can be helpful for configuration, network tuning, or troubleshooting activities.

•

Wireless Network Name (SSID).

The SSID is also known as the wireless network name.

Enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. In a setting where there is more than one

wireless network, different wireless network names provide a means for separating the traffic.

Any device you want to participate in a particular wireless network will need to use the SSID.

The WG302v2 default SSID is

NETGEAR

. The following list contains additional

information about SSIDs:

–

A group of Wireless Stations and a single access point, all using the same ID (SSID), form

a Basic Service Set (BSS).

–

Using the same SSID is essential. Devices with different SSIDs are unable to

communicate with each other. However, some access points allow connections from

wireless stations which have their SSID set to “any” or whose SSID is blank (null).

–

A group of wireless stations and multiple access points, all using the same ID (ESSID),

form an Extended Service Set (ESS).

–

Different access points within an ESS can use different channels. To reduce interference, it

is recommended that adjacent access points

should

use different channels.

–

As wireless stations physically move through the area covered by an ESS, they will

automatically change to the access point which has the least interference or best

performance. This capability is called roaming.

•

Broadcast Wireless Network Name (SSID).

The default is Yes. If you choose No, then only

stations that know the SSID can connect. Disabling the SSID broadcast might interfere with

the wireless network “discovery” feature of some products.

•

Wireless Mode.

Select one of the following wireless operating modes:

–

Auto: Both 802.11b and 802.11g wireless stations can be used.

–

802.11b Only: 802.11b wireless stations can be used.

•

Channel/Frequency.

This field sets the operating frequency to use. You should not need to

change the channel unless you notice interference problems, or if you are setting up the

WG302v2 near another access point. The wireless channel range is 1 to 11 for USA and

Canada and 1 to 13 for Europe and Australia. The default is channel 11.

–

Access points use a fixed channel. You can select the channel to provide the least

interference and best performance. In the USA and Canada, 11 channels are available.

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–

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

channels to reduce interference. The recommended channel spacing between adjacent

access points is five channels (for example, use channels 1 and 6, or 6 and 11).

–

In “Infrastructure” mode, wireless stations normally scan all channels, looking for an

access point. If more than one access point can be used, the one with the strongest signal is

used. This can only happen when the access points use the same SSID.

To learn more about wireless channels, see

Appendix A, “Related Documents

for information

about online resources.

•

Data Rate.

Shows the available transmit data rate of the wireless network. The default is Best.

•

Output Power.

Set the transmit signal strength of the access point (AP). The options are Full,

Half, Quarter, Eighth, and Min. Decrease the transmit power if two or more APs are close

together and use the same channel frequency. The default is Full.

Understanding WG302v2 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

ProSafe 802.11g

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 WG302v2. 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 person 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 IEEE 802.1x.

IEEE

802.1x

is the standard for passing the Extensible Authentication

Protocol (

EAP

) over an 802.11 wireless network using a protocol called EAP Encapsulation

Over LANs (EAPOL). This is a newer, more secure standard than Static WEP.

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•

Use WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, or WPA2-PSK.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2)

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 newer

standard than the other security options, wireless device driver and software availability may

be limited.

Configuring Security Profiles

You can configure up to eight unique security settings on the WG302v2.

Figure 2-7

shows the

Security Profile Settings page.Use the following steps to configure a Security Profile.

1.

Connect to the WG302v2.

In the address field of your Web browser, enter the default LAN address of

.

Log in with the user name of

admin

and default password of

password

,

or log in by using the LAN address and password that you configured.

2.

In the Security menu, click Security Profile Settings.

The Security Profile Settings page appears and displays the current settings for the eight

Security Profiles.

Note:

If you are using a RADIUS Server, configure the RADIUS settings first, as

described in

“Configuring the RADIUS Server Settings” on page 2-20

.