Configuring Your Wireless Network

27

3.

Select the method for adding the WPS client. A WPS client can be added using the push-

button method or the PIN method.

•

Using the Push-Button

. This is the preferred method.

–

Select the

Push-Button

radio box and either press the WPS push-button on the router

or click the soft WPS push-button on the screen (as shown below).

–

The router will attempt to communicate with the client; you have 2 minutes to enable

WPS from the client device using the client’s WPS networking utility.

:

•

Entering a PIN

. If you want to use the PIN method, select the

PIN

radio box. A screen

similar to the one shown below displays.

–

Go to your wireless client and, from the client’s WPS utility, obtain the wireless

client’s security PIN, or follow the client’s WPS utility instructions to generate a

security PIN.

–

Then, enter this PIN in the

Enter Client’s PIN

field provided on the router and click

Next

. You have 4 minutes to enable WPS on the router using this method.

Figure 16

Figure 17

Configuring Your Wireless Network

28

Using either method, the client wireless device will attempt to detect the WPS signal from the

router and establish a wireless connection in the time allotted.

•

If no connection is detected,

–

The router WPS screen displays a message confirming that WPS did not establish a

connection with a wireless client device.

–

Neither the router’s SSID nor the wireless security settings were configured on the

client device.

•

If a connection is established:

–

The router WPS screen displays a message confirming that the wireless client was

successfully added to your wireless network.

–

The router’s SSID and wireless security settings were successfully transmitted to the

client; the client now shares the same security settings as the router.

4.

Note your SSID and security key (whether previously set or generated) for your wireless

network.

To access the Internet from any computer connected to your N300 Wireless router, launch a

browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox. You should see the N300 Wireless

router’s Internet LED blink, indicating communication to the ISP.

For more information on setting up your wireless network and configuring your wireless security

settings, see the online

User Manual.

Figure 18

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 only use WPS for adding the WPS capable devices.

Configuring Your Wireless Network

29

Testing Basic Wireless Connectivity

Once you have established basic wireless connectivity, you can enable security settings

appropriate to your needs.

To set up and test basic wireless connectivity:

1.

Log in to the N300 Wireless router by entering

http://www.routerlogin.net

or

in the address field of your browser. Enter the default user name

of

admin

and default password of

password.

2.

Click

Enter

and select

Wireless Settings

from the main menu.

3.

Check the wireless configuration settings on all of your client devices and then test your

computers for wireless connectivity.

•

Make sure that the wireless adapter on your computers has the same wireless network

name (SSID) as the N300 Wireless router.

•

Make sure that the wireless security selection and password is the same on the router and

all your client devices.

•

Make sure all devices are powered on and that the N300 Wireless router’s power button is

in the on (depressed) position.

•

Check that they have a wireless link and are able to obtain an IP address by DHCP from

the wireless router.

Your N300 Wireless router is now configured to provide Internet access for your network. Your

N300 Wireless router automatically connects to the Internet when one of your computers requires

access. It is not necessary to run a dialer or login application such as Dial-Up Networking or

Enternet to connect, log in, or disconnect. These functions are performed automatically by the

N300 Wireless router as needed.

To access the Internet from any computer connected to your N300 Wireless router, launch a

browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox. You should see the N300 Wireless

router’s Internet LED blink, indicating communication to the ISP. The browser should begin to

display a Web page.

Troubleshooting

30

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 N300 Wireless

router and computer.

2.

Turn on the modem and wait 2 minutes.

3.

Turn on the N300 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 N300 Wireless router will be lit if the Ethernet cable to the

N300 Wireless router from the modem is plugged in securely and the modem and N300

Wireless router are both turned on (see

“Connecting Your N300 Wireless Gigabit Router”

on page 13

).

–

For each powered-on computer connected to the N300 Wireless router with a securely

plugged-in Ethernet cable, the corresponding N300 Wireless router LAN port status light

will be lit. The label on the back of the N300 Wireless router identifies the number of each

LAN port (see

“Restore factory settings button. Press for approximately 5 seconds to reset

the router to the factory default settings.” on page 5

).

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.

Troubleshooting

31

•

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 43

.

–

Some cable modem services require you to use the MAC address of the computer

registered on the account. If so, in the Router MAC Address section of the Basic Settings

menu, select “Use this Computer’s MAC Address.” Click

Apply

to save your settings.

Restart the network in the correct sequence.

•

Check the router status lights to verify correct router operation

. If the Power light does

not turn solid green within 2 minutes after turning the router on, reset the router according to

the instructions in

“Restoring the Default Password and Configuration Settings” on page 40

.

Checking Basic Router Functions

After you turn on power to the router, check that the following sequence of events has occurred:

1.

When power is first applied, verify that the power light is on (see

“Front Panel” on page 3

for

an illustration).

2.

Verify that the power light turns amber within a few seconds, indicating that the self-test

procedure is running.

3.

After approximately 20 seconds, verify that:

a.

The color of the power light changes to green.

b.

The LAN port lights are lit for any local ports that are connected.

If a port’s light is lit, a link has been established to the connected device. If a LAN port is

connected to a 1000 Mbps device, verify that the port’s light is green. If the port is 10/100

Mbps, the light will be amber.

c.

The Internet port is connected and its light is lit.

4.

If you have enabled WPS to add a wireless client to your network, verify that the push-button

light has started blinking. After ~2 minutes (using the push-button method) or ~4 minutes

(using the PIN method), the WPS push-button light should go off.

If the correct behavior does not occur, check for a remedy from the following list:

•

Power Light is Off.

If the Power and other lights are off (see

“Connecting Your N300

Wireless Gigabit Router” on page 13

), check the following:

–

Make sure that the power cord is properly connected to your router and that the power

adapter is properly connected to a functioning power outlet.