Configuring Your Wireless Network

22

Setting Your SSID and Wireless Security

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

•

SSID. The default SSID for the router is NETGEAR.

•

The wireless mode (802.11g/b, or 802.11n) that each wireless adapter supports.

•

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.

On the main menu, select

Wireless Settings

to display the Wireless Settings screen.

Note that the default SSID is

NETGEAR

.

3.

Set the

Region

. Select the region where the router is located.

4.

Leave the wireless mode set to its default setting (you can fine tune the wireless mode later—

see the online

User Manual

).

5.

Select your wireless Security Option and passphrase (see your online

User Manual

for a

complete explanation of the various security types that are available).

6.

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.

You can also enter either of these addresses to connect to your wireless router:

http://www.routerlogin.net

or

.

The SSID of any wireless adapters must match the SSID you configure in the

wireless router. If they do not match, you will not get a wireless connection.

Configuring Your Wireless Network

23

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

“Setting Your SSID and Wireless Security” on page 22

).

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.

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

as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. The browser should begin to display a Web

page.

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 connect

the wireless client securely and easily to the router. Look for the

symbol on your client

device.

1

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.

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.

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

.

Configuring Your Wireless Network

24

You can use WPS in one of two ways:

•

If the router’s SSID and security option have already been set (see

“Setting Your SSID and

Wireless Security” on page 22

), a wireless device can be connected to your wireless network

quickly and simply by using WPS. In this case, the existing wireless settings are transmitted to

the WPS-capable device.

•

If the router’s wireless options have not yet been configured and security has not been enabled

(the router is in its default state), WPS automatically configures the SSID and wireless security

settings for the router and then transmits these settings to the wireless device, such as a

wireless PC.

The first method is explained here. For more information on the second method, see the

User

Manual

.

If your network consists of WPS capable devices and non-WPS capable devices, NETGEAR

suggests that you set up your wireless network and security settings first using the manual or

traditional method (see

“Setting Your SSID and Wireless Security” on page 22

), and use WPS

only for adding additional WPS capable devices.

To add a wireless device using WPS:

1.

Press the WPS button on your router. The router will start transmitting its wireless settings.

You have 2 minutes to press a corresponding WPS button on your wireless device.

2.

On your wireless device, either:

•

Press an external WPS button on the outside of the device or,

•

Open the WPS utility on the device and follow the instructions to connect using WPS.

The WPS LED on the router will continue to blink during the 2-minute window. When the

connection has been made, the WPS LED will turn solid green. If no connection is made, when the

LED stops blinking it will turn off..

Then, to access the Internet, launch a browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla

Firefox) from the device. You should see the wireless router’s Internet LED blink, indicating

communication with the ISP.

The only security setting that doesn’t work with WPS is WEP with shared-key

authentication.

If security was already configured using the traditional method, the WPS LED will

remain on.

Configuring Your Wireless Network

25

For more information on 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.

Troubleshooting

26

Troubleshooting

If you have difficulties accessing the Internet, use the Basic Setup Checklist to make sure that you

have connected and set up your router correctly. If your basic setup is correct, then look for your

problem in one of the subsequent sections.

Basic Setup Checklist

The following items are the most common errors made when initially setting up a router. Carefully

review the checklist to make sure that you have followed the recommended procedures.

•

Be sure you always start your network in this sequence:

1.

Turn off and unplug the modem from the power outlet. Next, turn off the wireless router

and computer.

2.

Turn on the modem and wait 2 minutes.

3.

Turn on the wireless router and wait 1 minute.

4.

Turn on the computer.

•

Make sure the Ethernet cables are securely plugged in

.

–

The Internet status light on the wireless router will be lit if the Ethernet cable to the

wireless router from the modem is plugged in securely and the modem and wireless router

are both turned on (see

“Connecting Your Wireless Router” on page 13

).

–

For each powered-on computer connected to the wireless router with a securely plugged-

in Ethernet cable, the corresponding wireless router LAN port status light will be lit. The

label on the back of the wireless router identifies the number of each LAN port (see

“LAN

(Ports 1–4)” on page 4

).

•

Make sure the network settings of the computer are correct.

–

LAN connected computers

must

be configured to obtain an IP address automatically using

DHCP. For more information, see the links in

“Related Documents” on page 37

.

For more information, refer to the online

User Manual.

A link to this document is

included on the

Resource CD

, and is also available from the router interface, after the

router is installed. Click

Documentation

on the main menu.