Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender WGX102

5-4

Wireless Configuration and Security

202-10042-02 v1.1

•

Mode.

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

“g only,” “b only,” or “g and b.” “g only” dedicates the WGX102 to communicating with the

higher bandwidth 802.11g wireless devices exclusively. “b only” dedicates the WGX102 to

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

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

enabling 802.11g communications.

•

Wireless Card Access List.

When the Trusted PCs Only radio button is selected, the

WGX102 checks the MAC address of the wireless station and only allows connections to

computers identified on the trusted computers list.

•

Security Options.

These options are the wireless security features you can enable. The table

below identifies the various basic wireless security options. A full explanation of these

standards is available in

Appendix C, “Wireless Networking Basics”

.

Table 5-1.

Basic Wireless Security Options

Field

Description

Disable

No wireless security.

WEP

WEP offers the following options:

•

Open System

With Open Network Authentication and 64- or 128-bit WEP Data Encryption, the WGX102

does

perform 64- or 128-bit data encryption but

does not

perform any authentication.

•

Shared Key

Shared Key authentication encrypts the SSID and data.

Choose the Encryption Strength (64- or 128-bit data encryption). Manually enter the key

values or enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box. Manually

entered keys

are

case sensitive but passphrase characters

are not

case sensitive.

Note

: Not all wireless adapter configuration utilities support passphrase key generation.

• Auto

Automatically determines whether Open System or Shared Key should be used.

WPA-PSK

WPA-Pre-shared Key

does

perform authentication, uses 128-bit data encryption and

dynamically changes the encryption keys making it nearly impossible to circumvent.

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

are

case sensitive.

Note

: Not all wireless adapter configuration utilities support WPA. Furthermore, client software

is required on the client. Windows XP and Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 do include the

client software that supports WPA. Nevertheless, the wireless adapter hardware and driver

must also support WPA.

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Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender WGX102

Wireless Configuration and Security

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202-10042-02 v1.1

Information to Gather Before Changing Basic Wireless 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.

•

Wireless Network Name (SSID)

:

______________________________

The SSID, identifies

the wireless network. You can use up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The SSID

is

case

sensitive. The SSID in the wireless adapter card must match the SSID of the wireless range

extender. In some configuration utilities (such as in Windows XP), the term “wireless network

name” is used instead of SSID.

•

If WEP Authentication is Used.

Circle one:

Open System

,

Shared Key, or Auto

.

Note:

If you select Shared Key, the other devices in the network will not connect unless they

are set to Shared Key as well and are configured with the correct key.

–

WEP Encryption key size

. Choose one:

64-bit

or

128-bit

. Again, the encryption key size

must be the same for the wireless adapters and the wireless range extender.

–

Data Encryption (WEP) Keys

. There are two methods for creating WEP data encryption

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

•

Passphrase method

. ______________________________

These characters

are

case

sensitive. Enter a word or group of printable characters and click the Generate Keys

button. Not all wireless devices support the passphrase method.

•

Manual method

. These values

are not

case sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hex

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

Key 1: ___________________________________

Key 2: ___________________________________

Key 3: ___________________________________

Key 4: ___________________________________

•

If WPA-PSK Authentication is Used.

–

Passphrase

: ______________________________

These characters

are

case sensitive.

Enter a word or group of printable characters. When you use WPA-PSK, the other devices

in the network will not connect unless they are set to WPA-PSK as well and are configured

with the correct Passphrase.

Use the procedures described in the following sections to configure the WGX102. Store this

information in a safe place.

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Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender WGX102

5-6

Wireless Configuration and Security

202-10042-02 v1.1

Default Factory Settings

When you first receive your WGX102, the default factory settings are shown below. You can

restore these defaults with the factory default reset button on the bottom of the unit.

After you install the Wireless Range Extender, use the procedures below to customize any of the

settings to better meet your networking needs.

FEATURE

DEFAULT FACTORY SETTINGS

Wireless Access List (MAC Filtering)

All wireless stations allowed

SSID broadcast

Enabled

SSID

NETGEAR

802.11b/g RF Channel

11

Mode

g and b

Authentication Type

Automatic

WEP and WPA-PSK

Disabled

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Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender WGX102

Wireless Configuration and Security

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202-10042-02 v1.1

Setting Up and Testing Basic Wireless Connectivity

Figure 5-2:

Powerline, Ethernet, and wireless network interconnections

The wireless feature of your 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender WGX102 includes

security features you can set to match the settings of your existing wireless network.

Follow the instructions below to set up and test the wireless settings of your WGX102.

1.

Log in to the Wireless Range Extender at its default LAN address of

http://192.168.0.101

with its default user name of

admin

and default password of

password

,

or using whatever LAN address and password you have set up.

Wireless

XE102

Computer

Internet

Ethernet Network

Access

Wireless

WGX102

Computer

Wireless

Computer

Wireless

Wireless Network

(always encrypted)

Powerline Network

Wireless

Network

Computer

Tip:

Configure the WGX102 with the

same wireless settings as your net-

work.

Router

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Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wall-Plugged Wireless Range Extender WGX102

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Wireless Configuration and Security

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2.

Click

Wireless Settings in the main menu of the Wireless Range Extender.

Figure 5-3:

Wireless Settings menu

3.

Enter the wireless network name (SSID) of your existing network.

Note:

The SSID is case sensitive; NETGEAR is not the same as nETgear. Also, the SSID of

any wireless adapters must match the SSID you configure in the WGX102. If they do not

match, you will not get a wireless connection to the WGX102.

4.

Select Enable to broadcast the SSID.

5.

Set the Region. Select the region in which the wireless interface will operate.

6.

Set the Channel. The default channel is 11. It is best if this is separated by 5 positions from the

channel already being used in your existing wireless network. For example, if your existing

wirless network uses channel 11, then set the WGX102 to channel 6.

For more information on the wireless channel frequencies please refer to

“Wireless Channels”

on page C-7

.

7.

For initial configuration and test, leave the Wireless Card Access List set to “Everyone.”

8.

Set the Security Options to match your existing wirless network settings.

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