2

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

To prepare your router for installation:

1.

Carefully peel off the protective film covering both sides of your router (see

Figure 1

).

2.

Set up your wireless router by inserting the tabs of the stand (supplied with your router) into

the slots on the bottom of your router as shown in

Figure 2

. Then, remove the protective film

covering the front panel of the router.

3.

Place your router in a suitable area for installation (near an AC power outlet and accessible to

the Ethernet cables for your wired computers).

Figure 1

Figure 2

To ensure proper heat dissipation and for router stability, it is important that you

connect the stand and place your router in an upright position.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

3

Hardware Features

Before you install and connect your router, take a moment to become familiar with the front and

back panels of the router—especially the status lights on the front panel.

Front Panel

The lights on the front panel indicate the operating status of the router. A description of status light

behavior is included in

Figure 3

. (For more information on interpreting the status lights, see

“Checking Basic Router Functions” on page 30

.)

Back Panel

Figure 4

describes the port connections on the back panel of the wireless router.

Figure 3

Power

On – Amber

The router is performing the power-on self-test diagnostic.

On – Green

The power is on and the router is ready.

Blink – Amber

A software update is in progress.

Blink – Green

TFTP firmware recovery is in progress.

Off

Power is not being supplied to the router.

Internet

On – Amber

No IP address acquired.

On – Green

The wireless router has acquired an Internet address.

Blink – Green

Data is being communicated with the Internet.

Off

No Ethernet cable is connected to the modem.

Wireless

On – Blue

The wireless interface is enabled.

Blink – Blue

Data is being communicated over the wireless network.

Off

The wireless interface is turned off.

LAN (Ports 1–4)

On – Green

The local port is connected to a 1000 Mbps device.

Blink – Green

Data is being transmitted at 1000 Mbps.

On – Amber

The local port is connected to a 10/100 Mbps device.

Blink – Amber

Data is being transmitted at 10/100 Mbps.

Off

No link is detected on this port.

WPS button/light

On – Green

WPS wireless security is being enabled.

Blink – Green

Device is in the 2 minute interval to synchronize security.

Blink – Amber

There is an error in enabling WPS security.

Off

WPS is not being set or enabled.

4

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

Router Label

The label on the back of the wireless router shows the router’s MAC address, serial number,

security PIN, and factory default login information.

The ports on the router are color-coded to distinguish your Internet port from the other four ports

that connect to the wired computer(s) on your LAN.

Positioning Your Wireless Router

The wireless router lets you access your network from virtually anywhere within the operating

range of your wireless network. However, the operating distance or range of your wireless

Figure 4

Figure 5

1.

Antenna light on/off push button. The lights on top of the router

identify the activity of the eight internal antennas, flashing to show

which combination of antennas is receiving the strongest signals.

These antenna lights are off by default but can be turned on.

2.

Factory Default Reset button. Press the reset button with a sharp

object for approximately 20 seconds to reset the router to the

factory default settings.

3.

Four Local Area Network (LAN) 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet ports

for connecting the router to your local computers.

4.

Internet/Wide Area Network (WAN) Ethernet port for connecting

the router to a cable or DSL modem.

5.

AC power adapter outlet for connecting the power adapter.

Range

Max

™

Wireless-N Gigabit Router

WNR3500

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

5

connection can vary significantly depending on the physical placement of your router. For

example, the thickness and number of walls the wireless signal must pass through may limit the

range. For best results, place your router:

•

Near the center of the area where your computers and other devices will operate, preferably

within line of sight to your wireless devices.

•

Accessible to an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables for wired computers.

•

In an elevated location such as a high shelf, keeping the number of walls and ceilings between

the wireless router and your other devices to a minimum.

•

Away from electrical devices which are potential sources of interference, such as ceiling fans,

home security systems, microwaves, or the base for a cordless phone.

•

Away from any large metal surfaces, such as a solid metal door or aluminum studs. Large

expanses of other materials such as glass, insulated walls, fish tanks, mirrors, brick, and

concrete can also affect your wireless signal.

Installing Your Wireless Router

To help you set up your router and get on the Internet quickly, the

Resource CD

contains a Smart

Wizard™. The Smart Wizard walks you through the steps required to connect your router, modem,

and PC(s); configure your wireless settings; and enable wireless security for your network. When

you have finished, you will be Internet ready!

You can set up your wireless router using one of two methods:.

•

Smart Wizard Setup

: The Smart Wizard setup is available on your

Resource CD

. See

“Installing Your Router Using the Smart Wizard” on page 9

to use the Smart Wizard.

–

This is the easiest option. The wizard guides you through the setup process. It automates

many of the steps and verifies that the steps have been successfully completed.

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation

or an inability to wirelessly connect to the Internet.

If you have a Macintosh or Linux system, you need to use the manual installation

method (see

“Manually Installing Your Router” on page 15

).

6

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

–

The Smart Wizard requires a PC running Microsoft Windows.

•

Manual Setup

: If you cannot or prefer not to use the Smart Wizard, see

“Manually Installing

Your Router” on page 15

. For example, if you are connecting to a Macintosh, are using a

Linux operating system, or are technically knowledgeable, select this option. If you choose to

use this option and install your router manually, for best results, install and set up your router

in this order:

1.

Install and connect your wireless router to your network (see

“Connecting Your Wireless

Router” on page 16

).

2.

Set up your wireless router for Internet access (see

“Setting Up Your Router for Internet

Access” on page 19

).

3.

Check for new firmware for your router and install the latest firmware version (see

“Checking for New Firmware” on page 21

).

4.

Configure your wireless network and select wireless security settings to protect your

wireless network (see

“Configuring Your Wireless Settings and Security Options” on

page 23

).

Updating Your Router Firmware

NETGEAR is always improving the operability and features included with your router. To make it

easy for you to receive the best, most up-to-date features of your router, NETGEAR provides a

variety of methods for updating your product.

•

The Smart Wizard installation assistant lets you check for and install updates as part of the

setup activity.

•

The router includes an update feature that lets you check for and install updates. You must be

logged in to the router to use this feature.

•

NETGEAR provides a Windows software utility that will let you easily manage keeping your

NETGEAR products up to date.

Before running the Smart Wizard on a corporate PC to set up your home

router, check with your company’s network support staff. Corporate

network settings or Virtual Private Network (VPN) client software may

conflict with the default settings of a home router. If you are unsure about

whether there might be a conflict, use a different computer.