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Page 76 / 116 Scroll up to view Page 71 - 75
Wireless-G Router WGR614v9 Reference Manual
5-14
Fine-Tuning Your Network
v1.1, May 2008
•
Choose placement carefully.
For best results, place your router:
–
Near the center of the area in which your computers will operate.
–
In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected computers
have line-of-sight access (even if through walls).
–
Avoid obstacles to wireless signals.
–
Keep wireless devices at least 2 feet from large metal fixtures such as file cabinets,
refrigerators, pipes, metal ceilings, reinforced concrete, and metal partitions.
–
Keep away from large amounts of water such as fish tanks and water coolers.
•
Reduce interference.
–
Avoid windows unless communicating between buildings.
–
Place wireless devices away from various electromagnetic noise sources, especially those
in the 2400–2500 MHz frequency band. Common noise-creating sources are:
•
Computers and fax machines (no closer than 1 foot)
•
Copying machines, elevators, and cell phones (no closer than 6 feet)
•
Microwave ovens (no closer than 10 feet)
•
Choose your settings.
–
Use a scanning utility to determine what other wireless networks are operating nearby, and
choose an unused channel.
–
Turn off SSID broadcast, and change the default SSID. Other nearby devices might
automatically try to connect to your network several times a second, which can cause
significant performance reduction.
•
Use WMM to improve the performance of voice and video traffic over the wireless link.
Using WMM for Wireless Multimedia Applications
The Wireless-G Router supports Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) to prioritize wireless voice and video
traffic over the wireless link. WMM provides prioritization of wireless data packets from different
applications based on four access categories: voice, video, best effort, and background. For an
application to receive the benefits of WMM, both it and the client running that application must be
WMM enabled. Legacy applications that do not support WMM, and applications that do not
require, are assigned to the best effort category, which receives a lower priority than voice and
video. WMM QoS is enabled by default.
Page 77 / 116
Wireless-G Router WGR614v9 Reference Manual
Fine-Tuning Your Network
5-15
v1.1, May 2008
Changing 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 any device in the data path has a lower MTU setting than
the other devices, the data packets must be split or “fragmented” to accommodate the one with the
smallest MTU.
The best MTU setting for NETGEAR equipment is often just the default value, and changing the
value might fix one problem but cause another. Leave MTU unchanged unless one of these
situations occurs:
•
You have problems connecting to your ISP, or other Internet service, and either the technical
support of the ISP or of NETGEAR recommends changing the MTU size. These might require
an MTU change:
–
A secure Web site that will not open, or displays only part of a Web page
–
Yahoo e-mail
–
MSN
–
America Online’s DSL service
•
You use VPN and have severe performance problems.
•
You used a program to optimize MTU for performance reasons, and now you have
connectivity or performance problems.
Note:
An incorrect MTU setting can cause Internet communication problems such as the
inability to access certain Web sites, frames within Web sites, secure login pages,
or FTP or POP servers.
Page 78 / 116
Wireless-G Router WGR614v9 Reference Manual
5-16
Fine-Tuning Your Network
v1.1, May 2008
If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU size to 1400. If you are
willing to experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU size from the maximum value of 1500
until the problem goes away.
Table 5-1
describes common MTU sizes and applications.
To change the MTU size:
1.
In the main menu, under Advanced, select
WAN Setup
.
2.
In the
MTU Size
field, enter a new size between 64 and 1500.
3.
Click
Apply
to save the new configuration.
Overview of Home and Small Office Networking
Technologies
Common connection types and their speed and security considerations are:
•
Broadband Internet
.
Your Internet connection speed is determined by your modem type,
such as ADSL or cable modem, as well as the connection speed of the sites to which you
connect, and general Internet traffic. ADSL and cable modem connections are asymmetrical,
meaning they have a lower data rate
to
the Internet (upstream) than
from
the Internet
(downstream). Keep in mind that when you connect to another site that also has an
asymmetrical connection, the data rate between your sites is limited by each side’s upstream
data rate. A typical residential ADSL or cable modem connection provides a downstream
throughput of about 1 to 3 megabits per second (Mbps). Newer technologies such as ADSL2+
and Fiber to the Home (FTTH) will increase the connection speed to tens of Mbps.
Table 5-1.
Common MTU Sizes
MTU
Application
1500
The largest Ethernet packet size and the default value. This is the typical setting for non-
PPPoE, non-VPN connections, and is the default value for NETGEAR routers, adapters,
and switches.
1492
Used in PPPoE environments.
1472
Maximum size to use for pinging. (Larger packets are fragmented.)
1468
Used in some DHCP environments.
1460
Usable by AOL if you do not have large e-mail attachments, for example.
1436
Used in PPTP environments or with VPN.
1400
Maximum size for AOL DSL.
576
Typical value to connect to dial-up ISPs.
Page 79 / 116
Wireless-G Router WGR614v9 Reference Manual
Fine-Tuning Your Network
5-17
v1.1, May 2008
•
Wireless
.
Your Wireless-G Router Model WGR614v9 provides a wireless data throughput of
up to 300 Mbps using technology called multiple input, multiple output (MIMO), in which
multiple antennas transmit multiple streams of data. The use of multiple antennas also
provides excellent range and coverage. With the introduction of the newer WPA and WPA2
encryption and authentication protocols, wireless security is extremely strong.
To get the best performance, use RangeMax NEXT adapters such as the WN511B for your
computers. Although the RangeMax NEXT router is compatible with older 802.11b and
802.11g adapters, the use of these older wireless technologies in your network can result in
lower throughput overall (typically less than 10 Mbps for 802.11b and less than 40 Mbps for
802.11g). In addition, many older wireless products do not support the latest security
protocols, WPA and WPA2.
•
Powerline
.
For connecting rooms or floors that are blocked by obstructions or are distant
vertically, consider networking over your building’s AC wiring. NETGEAR’s Powerline HD
family of products delivers up to 200 Mbps to any outlet, while the older-generation XE
family of products delivers 14 Mbps or 85 Mbps. Data transmissions are encrypted for
security, and you can configure an individual network password to prevent neighbors from
connecting.
The Powerline HD family of products can coexist on the same network with older-generation
XE family products or HomePlug 1.0 products, but they are not interoperable with these older
products.
•
Wired Ethernet
.
As gigabit-speed Ethernet ports (10/100/1000 Mbps) become common on
newer computers, wired Ethernet remains a good choice for speed, economy, and security.
Gigabit Ethernet can extend up to 100 meters with twisted-pair wiring of Cat 5e or better. A
wired connection is not susceptible to interference, and eavesdropping would require a
physical connection to your network.
Assessing Your Speed Requirements
Because your Internet connection is likely to operate at a much lower speed than your local
network, faster local networking technologies might not improve your Internet experience.
However, many emerging home applications require high data rates. For example:
•
Streaming HD video requires 10 to 30 Mbps per stream. Because latency and packet loss can
disrupt your video, plan to provide at least twice the capacity you need.
Note:
Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors,
including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and
network overhead, can lower actual data throughput rate.
Page 80 / 116
Wireless-G Router WGR614v9 Reference Manual
5-18
Fine-Tuning Your Network
v1.1, May 2008
•
Streaming MP3 audio requires less than 1 Mbps per stream and does not strain most modern
networks. Like video, however, streaming audio is also sensitive to latency and packet loss, so
a congested network or a noisy link can cause problems.
•
Backing up computers over the network has become popular due to the availability of
inexpensive mass storage.
Table 5-2
shows the time to transfer 1 gigabyte (1 GB) of data using
various networking technologies.
Table 5-2.
Theoretical Transfer Time for 1 Gigabyte
Network Connection
Theoretical Raw Transfer Time
Gigabit wired Ethernet
8 seconds
RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N
26 seconds
Powerline HD
40 seconds
100 Mbps wired Ethernet
80 seconds
802.11n wireless
45 seconds
802.11g wireless
150 seconds
802.11b wireless
700 seconds
10 Mbps wired Ethernet
800 seconds
Cable modem (3 Mbps)
2700 seconds
Analog modem (56 kbps)
144,000 seconds (40 hours)

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