NETGEAR WNR3500v2 Router Manual PDF (Setup & Configuration Guide)

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NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless-N Gigabit Router WNR3500v2 User Manual

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To get the best performance, use RangeMax NEXT adapters such as the WN511B for your

computers. Although the RangeMax NEXT router is compatible with older 802.11b and

802.11g adapters, the use of these older wireless technologies in your network can result in

lower throughput overall (typically less than 10 Mbps for 802.11b and less than 40 Mbps for

802.11g). In addition, many older wireless products do not support the latest security

protocols, WPA and WPA2.

•

Powerline

.

For connecting rooms or floors that are blocked by obstructions or are distant

vertically, consider networking over your building’s AC wiring. NETGEAR’s Powerline HD

family of products delivers up to 200 Mbps to any outlet, while the older-generation XE

family of products delivers 14 Mbps or 85 Mbps. Data transmissions are encrypted for

security, and you can configure an individual network password to prevent neighbors from

connecting.

The Powerline HD family of products can coexist on the same network with older-generation

XE family products or HomePlug 1.0 products, but they are not interoperable with these older

products.

•

Wired Ethernet

.

As gigabit-speed Ethernet ports (10/100/1000 Mbps) become common on

newer computers, wired Ethernet remains a good choice for speed, economy, and security.

Gigabit Ethernet can extend up to 100 meters with twisted-pair wiring of Cat 5e or better. A

wired connection is not susceptible to interference, and eavesdropping would require a

physical connection to your network.

Assessing Your Speed Requirements

Because your Internet connection is likely to operate at a much lower speed than your local

network, faster local networking technologies might not improve your Internet experience.

However, many emerging home applications require high data rates. For example:

•

Streaming HD video requires 10 to 30 Mbps per stream. Because latency and packet loss can

disrupt your video, plan to provide at least twice the capacity you need.

•

Streaming MP3 audio requires less than 1 Mbps per stream and does not strain most modern

networks. Like video, however, streaming audio is also sensitive to latency and packet loss, so

a congested network or a noisy link can cause problems.

Note:

Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors,

including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and

network overhead, can lower actual data throughput rate.

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•

Backing up computers over the network has become popular due to the availability of

inexpensive mass storage.

Table 6-1

shows approximate, comparative times for transferring 1

gigabyte (1 GB) of data using various networking technologies.

Optimizing Your Network Bandwidth

As your network grows, it might consist of several segments of different networking technologies,

each providing different throughput. In planning your network, you should first consider which

devices will have the heaviest traffic flow between them. Examples are:

•

A media center in one room streaming high-definition video from a server in another room

•

A storage device that is used for backing up your computers

Table 6-1.

Theoretical Transfer Time for 1 Gigabyte

Network Connection

Theoretical Raw Transfer Time

Gigabit wired Ethernet

8 seconds

802.11n (40MHz) wireless

26 seconds

Powerline HD

40 seconds

100 Mbps wired Ethernet

80 seconds

802.11n (20MHz) wireless

55 seconds

802.11g wireless

150 seconds

802.11b wireless

700 seconds

10 Mbps wired Ethernet

800 seconds

Cable modem (3 Mbps)

2700 seconds

Analog modem (56 kbps)

144,000 seconds (40 hours)

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NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless-N Gigabit Router WNR3500v2 User Manual

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Next, consider the throughput of your network devices. Where possible, make the heaviest-traffic

connections using higher-speed technologies, with no lower-speed bottlenecks in the path.

Figure 6-1

shows a sample network using multiple networking technologies. In this network, the

two PCs with Gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet adapters have a gigabit connection through the GS605

switch to the storage server. This connection should allow for extremely fast backups or quick

access to large files on the server. The PC connected through a pair of Powerline HD adapters is

limited to the 200 Mbps speed of the Powerline HD connection. Although any of the links in this

example would be sufficient for high-traffic applications such as streaming HD video, the use of

older devices such as 10 Mbps Ethernet or 802.11b wireless would create a significant bottleneck.

Figure 6-1

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Optimizing Wireless Performance

The speed and operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based

on the physical placement of the wireless router. You should choose a location for your router that

will maximize the network speed.

The following list describes how to optimize wireless router performance.

•

Identify critical wireless links.

If your network has several wireless devices, decide which wireless devices need the highest

data rate, and locate the router near them. Many wireless products have automatic data-rate

fallback, which allows increased distances without loss of connectivity. This also means that

devices that are farther away might be slower. Therefore, the most critical links in your

network are those where the traffic is high and the distances are great. Optimize those first.

•

Choose placement carefully.

For best results, place your router:

–

Near the center of the area in which your computers will operate.

–

In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected computers

have line-of-sight access (even if through walls).

–

Avoid obstacles to wireless signals.

–

Keep wireless devices at least 2 feet from large metal fixtures such as file cabinets,

refrigerators, pipes, metal ceilings, reinforced concrete, and metal partitions.

–

Keep away from large amounts of water such as fish tanks and water coolers.

•

Reduce interference.

–

Avoid windows unless communicating between buildings.

–

Place wireless devices away from various electromagnetic noise sources, especially those

in the 2400–2500 MHz frequency band. Common noise-creating sources are:

•

Computers and fax machines (no closer than 1 foot)

•

Copying machines, elevators, and cell phones (no closer than 6 feet)

Note:

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation

or inability to wirelessly connect to the router. For complete range and

performance specifications, click the link to the online document

“Wireless

Networking Basics” in Appendix B

.

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NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless-N Gigabit Router WNR3500v2 User Manual

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•

Microwave ovens (no closer than 10 feet)

•

Choose your settings.

–

Use a scanning utility to determine what other wireless networks are operating nearby, and

choose an unused channel.

–

Turn off SSID broadcast, and change the default SSID. Other nearby devices might

automatically try to connect to your network several times a second, which can cause

significant performance reduction.

•

Use WMM to improve the performance of voice and video traffic over the wireless link.

Changing the MTU Size

The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is the largest data packet a network device transmits.

When one network device communicates across the Internet with another, the data packets travel

through many devices along the way. If any device in the data path has a lower MTU setting than

the other devices, the data packets must be split or “fragmented” to accommodate the one with the

smallest MTU.

The best MTU setting for NETGEAR equipment is often just the default value, and changing the

value might fix one problem but cause another. Leave MTU unchanged unless one of these

situations occurs:

•

You have problems connecting to your ISP, or other Internet service, and either the technical

support of the ISP or of NETGEAR recommends changing the MTU size. These might require

an MTU change:

–

A secure Web site that will not open, or displays only part of a Web page

–

Yahoo e-mail

–

MSN

–

America Online’s DSL service

•

You use VPN and have severe performance problems.

•

You used a program to optimize MTU for performance reasons, and now you have

connectivity or performance problems.

Note:

An incorrect MTU setting can cause Internet communication problems such as the

inability to access certain Web sites, frames within Web sites, secure login pages,

or FTP or POP servers.

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