N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Configuring Your Wireless Network

23

Configuring Your Wireless Settings and Security

Options

The wireless network settings of the router must match the wireless network settings of any

wireless devices that connect wirelessly to the router (such as wireless adapter cards and wireless

computers).

For a wireless connection, the router and each wireless computer must use the same SSID, also

called the wireless network name, and the same wireless security. NETGEAR strongly

recommends that you use wireless security.

The Wireless Settings screen lets you set your wireless network connections and the wireless

security option for your network and router. To configure the wireless network, you can either

manually specify your network name (SSID) and your wireless security settings (see

“Setting

Your SSID and Wireless Security” on page 24

) or, if the clients in your network are WPS capable,

you can use Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to automatically configure your router and, at the same

time, add the WPS-capable devices to your secure wireless network (see

“Using Push 'N' Connect

(WPS) to Configure Your Wireless Network” on page 26

). You can also use Push 'N' Connect

(WPS) to add WPS-capable devices after you have set your SSID and wireless security using the

manual or traditional method (the preferred option).

For a complete overview of all the security configurations that can be implemented on this router,

see the online

User Manual

. A link to the

User Manual

is on the

Resource CD

.

Indoors, computers can connect over wireless networks at a range of several

hundred feet. This can allow others outside of your immediate area to access your

network.

If you configure the router from a wireless computer and you change the router’s

SSID, channel, or security settings, you will lose your wireless connection when

you click

Apply

. You must then change your computer’s wireless settings to match

the router’s new settings. To avoid this situation, you can use a computer that is

connected to the router with an Ethernet cable.

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Configuring Your Wireless Network

24

Setting Your SSID and Wireless Security

To specify the wireless settings, you must know the following:

•

Name (2.4GHz b/g/n SSID). The default is

NETGEAR

.

•

Name (5GHz a/n SSID). The default is

NETGEAR-5G

.

•

The wireless mode (802.11n) that each wireless adapter supports. The default is

Up to 300

Mbps at 5 GHz and 145 Mbps at 2.4 GHz

.

•

Wireless security option. NETGEAR strongly recommends that you use wireless security. To

successfully implement wireless security, check each wireless adapter to determine which

wireless security option it supports.

To set up basic wireless connectivity:

1.

Log in to the Router by going to

http://www.routerlogin.net

or

http://www.routerlogin.com

and entering the default user name

admin

and default password

password

, or using whatever

LAN address and password you have set up.

2.

Select

Wireless Settings

under Setup in the main menu to display the Wireless Settings

screen.

3.

Select the region in which the wireless interface will operate.

4.

Set up the 2.4 GHz wireless network:

a.

Enter the SSID name. The default is

NETGEAR

.

b.

Select the operating channel for the wireless mode. The default is Auto. When Auto is

selected, the router finds the best operating channel available.

If you notice interference from nearby devices, you can select a different channel.

Channels 1, 6, and 11 will not interfere with each other.

c.

Leave the wireless mode set to the default setting of

Up to 145Mbps

for 2.4GHz.

5.

Select security options for the 2.4GHz wireless network.

The wireless Security Options are set to

None

by default. NETGEAR strongly recommends

that you use wireless security. You can select a different Security Option and a different

passphrase for each wireless network. For the highest performance of the 2.4GHz wireless

network and the most secure encryption, NETGEAR recommends that you use

WPA2-PSK

as

your security option.

6.

Set up the 5GHz wireless network:

a.

Enter the SSID name. The default is

NETGEAR-5G

.

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Configuring Your Wireless Network

25

b.

Select the operating channel for the wireless mode. The default channel is 36. If there is an

Auto option in the channel list and you select it, the router will find the best operating

channel available.

If you notice interference from nearby devices, you can select a different channel.

c.

Leave the wireless mode set to the default setting of

Up to 300Mbps

for 5GHz.

7.

Select security options for the 5 GHz wireless network.

The wireless Security Options are set to

None

by default. NETGEAR strongly recommends

that you use wireless security. You can select a different Security Option and a different

passphrase for each wireless network. For the highest performance of the 5 GHz wireless

network and the most secure encryption, NETGEAR recommends that you use

WPA2-PSK

as

your security option.

8.

Click

Apply

to save your changes.

To set up your computers for wireless connectivity:

1.

Program the wireless settings of each computer or wireless adapter to have the same SSID

(wireless network name) as the router.

2.

Check that the wireless adapter on each computer can support the mode and security option

that you selected. (If you have a question, see the online

User Manual

or review the settings

you selected in

“Configuring Your Wireless Settings and Security Options” on page 23

).

3.

Check that the security settings on each wireless device match the security settings of the

router. For example, if you selected a security option requiring a passphrase, then the same

passphrase must be used for each wireless computer.

4.

Check that each wireless computer has a wireless link and is able to obtain an IP address by

DHCP from the router.

If you are configuring the router from a wireless computer and you change the

router’s SSID, channel, or security settings, you will lose your wireless connection

when you click

Apply

. You must then change the wireless settings of your

computer to match the router’s new settings.

For a Windows PC, go to the Control Panel and select

Network Connections

.

For an Apple PC, select

Menu > Control Panels

and select

Network

Connections

.

Check the Wireless Connections Properties and ensure that TCP/IP Properties

are set to Obtain an IP address automatically.

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Configuring Your Wireless Network

26

To access the Internet from any computer connected to your wireless router, launch a browser such

as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. You should see the wireless router’s Internet

LED blink, indicating communication to the ISP.

Using Push 'N' Connect (WPS) to Configure Your Wireless

Network

If your wireless clients support Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), you can use this feature to configure

the router’s SSID and security settings and, at the same time, connect the wireless client securely

and easily to the router. Look for the

symbol on your client device.

1

WPS automatically

configures the SSID and wireless security settings for the router (if the router is in its default state)

and broadcasts these settings to the wireless client.

If the router has already been configured manually, and either WPS-PSK or WPA2-PSK security

has been enabled, a wireless client can be connected quickly and simply by using the WPS method

of connecting to the wireless network. In this case, the existing wireless settings are broadcast to

the WPS-capable client. (For more information on setting up a mixed network, see the online

User

Manual.

A link to the

User Manual

is on the

Resource CD

.)

The following instructions assume that you are configuring WPS on the router for the first time

and connecting a WPS-capable device such as a wireless computer or wireless adapter.

To connect a device using WPS:

1.

Open the networking utility of the device you want to connect to that supports WPS.

2.

Push the wireless router’s dome for 5 seconds, then release. The dome lights will start to blink.

1. For a list of other Wi-Fi-certified products available from NETGEAR, go to

.

NETGEAR’s Push 'N' Connect feature is based on the Wi-Fi Protected Setup

(WPS) standard. All other Wi-Fi-certified and WPS-capable products should be

compatible with NETGEAR products that implement Push 'N' Connect.

If you choose to use WPS, the only security methods supported are WPA-PSK and

WPA2-PSK. WEP security is not supported by WPS.

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Configuring Your Wireless Network

27

While the router is in WPS enable mode (a maximum of 2 minutes), wireless security is not

enabled.

3.

While the dome lights are blinking, you have 2 minutes to enable WPS on the device you are

connecting to. The blinking ceases when one of these two conditions occurs:

•

WPS has enabled security between the router and the other device.The router has

generated an SSID, implemented WPA/WPA2 wireless security (including a PSK security

password) on the router and has sent this configuration to the wireless client.

•

The 2-minute window period expires for establishing a connection using WPS. Whether

or not a connection is established, your router security and SSID (wireless network name)

are now configured for WPA/WPA2 security.

The dome lights will stop blinking or turn off, depending on how you have them configured.

4.

Note the new SSID and WPA/WPA2 password for the wireless network.

To access the Internet from any computer connected to your wireless router, launch a browser such

as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. You should see the wireless router’s Internet

LED blink, indicating communication to the ISP.

For more information about setting up your wireless network and configuring your wireless

security settings, see the

User Manual

. A link to the online

User Manual

is on your

Resource CD.

Indoors, computers can connect over wireless networks at a range of several

hundred feet. Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can

extend beyond your walls, and anyone with a compatible adapter can receive

them, allowing others outside your immediate area to access your network.

If you are planning a mixed network of WPS capable devices and non-WPS capable

devices, NETGEAR suggests that you set up your wireless network and security

settings manually first, and use WPS only for adding additional WPS capable

devices.

If you want to disable WPS, you must reset your router to its factory default settings.

For information about resetting to the default settings, see

“Restoring the Default

Password and Configuration Settings” on page 42

.