Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Media Router WGT634U

Wireless Configuration

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April 2004, 202-10018-02

•

Turn Off the Wireless LAN.

If you disable the wireless LAN, wireless devices cannot

communicate with the router at all. You might choose to turn off the wireless LAN when you

are away and the others in the household all use wired connections.

Understanding Wireless Settings

To configure the Wireless settings of your router, click the Wireless link in the main menu of the

browser interface. The Wireless Settings menu appears, as shown below.

Figure 4-2:

Wireless Settings menu

The 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networking protocols are configured in exactly the same

fashion.

Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Media Router WGT634U

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Wireless Configuration

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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 this SSID for that network.

The WGT634U default SSID is

NETGEAR

.

•

Region.

This field identifies the region where the WGT634U can be used. It may not be legal

to operate the wireless features of the wireless router in a region other than one of those

identified in this field.

•

Mode.

This field determines which data communications protocol will be used. You can select

“g and b”, “b only,” “g only”, or “108 Mbps Turbo g only”. “g only” dedicates the WGT634U

to communicating with the higher bandwidth 802.11g wireless devices exclusively. The “g and

b” mode provides backward compatibility with the slower 802.11b wireless devices while still

enabling 802.11g communications. The 108 Mbps Turbo mode only works with other 802.11g

turbo devices that support this turbo mode.

•

Channel.

This field determines which operating frequency will be used. It should not be

necessary to change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another

nearby access point. For more information on the wireless channel frequencies please refer to

“Wireless Channels” on page D-7

.

Understanding WEP Authentication and Encryption

Restricting wireless access to your network prevents intruders from connecting to your network.

However, the wireless data transmissions are still vulnerable to snooping. Using the WEP data

encryption settings described below will prevent a determined intruder from eavesdropping on

your wireless data communications. Also, if you are using the Internet for such activities as

purchases or banking, those Internet sites use another level of highly secure encryption called SSL.

You can tell if a Web site is using SSL because the Web address begins with HTTPS rather than

HTTP.

Authentication Scheme Selection

Figure 4-3:

Encryption Strength

Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Media Router WGT634U

Wireless Configuration

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April 2004, 202-10018-02

The WGT634U lets you select the following wireless authentication schemes.

•

Automatic

— the router detects the authentication scheme.

•

Open System

— allows any device to join the network, assuming that the device SSID

matches the access point SSID. Alternatively, the device can use the “ANY” SSID option to

associate with any available Access Point within range, regardless of its SSID.

•

Shared Key

— only those computers that possess the correct authentication key can join the

network.

Be sure to set your wireless adapter according to the authentication scheme you choose for the

WGT634U Wireless Media Router. Please refer to

“Authentication and WEP Data Encryption” on

page D-2

for a full explanation of each of these options, as defined by the IEEE 802.11 wireless

communication standard.

Encryption Strength Choices

Choose the encryption strength from the drop-down list. Please refer to

“Overview of WEP

Parameters” on page D-5

for a full explanation of each of these options, as defined by the IEEE

802.11 wireless communication standard.

•

Disable.

No encryption will be applied. This setting is useful for troubleshooting your wireless

connection, but leaves your wireless data fully exposed.

•

64-bit or 128-bit WEP.

When 64-bit or 128-bit is selected, WEP encryption will be applied.

•

WPA-PSK

(Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key). Uses WPA-PSK standard encryption.

If WEP is enabled, you can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys.

These values must be identical on all computers and access points in your network.

There are two methods for creating WEP encryption keys:

•

Passphrase

. Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box and click the

Generate button. These characters

are

case sensitive.

Note:

The authentication scheme is separate from the data encryption. You can

choose an authentication scheme which requires a shared key, but still leave the

data transmissions unencrypted. If you require strong security, use both the

Shared Key authentication scheme and WEP encryption settings

.

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Wireless Configuration

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Manual

. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F).

For 128-bit WEP, enter 26 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F). These

values

are not

case sensitive.

Default Factory Settings

When you first receive your WGT634U, the default factory settings are enabled, as shown below.

You can restore these defaults with the Factory Default Restore button on the rear panel. After you

install the WGT634U Wireless Media Router, use the procedures below to customize any of the

settings to better meet your networking needs.

FEATURE

DEFAULT FACTORY SETTINGS

Wireless Access Point

Enabled

Wireless Access List (MAC Filtering)

All wireless stations allowed

SSID broadcast

Enabled

SSID

NETGEAR

11b/g RF Channel

11

Mode

g and b

Authentication Type

Automatic

WEP

Disabled

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Wireless Configuration

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Before You Change the SSID and Encryption Settings

Before customizing your wireless settings, print this form and record the following information. If

you are working with an existing wireless network, the person who set up or is responsible for the

network will be able to provide this information. Otherwise, you will choose the settings for your

wireless network. Either way, record the settings for your wireless network in the spaces below.

•

Network Name (SSID)

:

The Service Set Identification (SSID), called the wireless network

name in Windows XP, identifies the wireless network. You can use up to 32 alphanumeric

characters. Record your customized SSID on the line below.

Name (SSID):

______________________________

Note:

The SSID in the wireless router is the SSID you configure in the wireless adapter card.

For the access point and wireless nodes to communicate with each other, all must be

configured with the same SSID.

•

Authentication.

The authentication setting, “Automatic”, “Open System”, or “Shared Key,” is

unrelated to encryption of transmissions. Choose “Shared Key” for more security, circle one:

Open System or Shared Key

Note:

If you select shared key, the other devices in the network will not connect unless they

are set to Shared Key as well.

•

WEP Encryption Strength

. Choose the key size. Circle one:

64

or

128

bit.

•

WEP Encryption Keys

. The WGT634U provides two methods for creating WEP encryption

keys:

–

Passphrase

. ______________________________

Enter a word or group of printable

characters. These characters

are

case sensitive. When you enter the Passphrase and click

the Generate button on the WGT634U, the keys will be generated.

–

Manual

. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9 or a-f).

These values

are not

case sensitive. For 128-bit WEP, enter 26 hexadecimal digits.

Whichever method you use, record the key values in the spaces below.

Key 1: ___________________________________

Key 2: ___________________________________

Key 3: ___________________________________

Key 4: ___________________________________

Use the procedures described in the following sections to configure the WGT634U. Store this

information in a safe place.