NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B User Manual

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Basic Wireless Settings Setup Form

Before customizing your wireless settings, print this form and record the following information. If

you are working with an existing wireless network, the person who set up or is responsible for the

network will be able to provide this information. Otherwise, you must choose the settings for your

wireless network. Either way, record the settings for your wireless network in the spaces below.

•

Wireless Network Name (SSID)

:

______________________________

The SSID identifies

the wireless network. You can use up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The SSID

is

case

sensitive. The SSID in the wireless adapter card must match the SSID of the wireless router. In

some configuration utilities (such as in Windows XP), the term “wireless network name” is

used instead of SSID.

•

If

WEP Authentication

is used, circle one:

Open System

,

Shared Key, or Auto

.

–

WEP Encryption Key Size

. Choose one:

64-bit

or

128-bit

. Again, the encryption key

size must be the same for the wireless adapters and the wireless router.

–

Data Encryption (WEP) Keys

. There are two methods for creating WEP data encryption

keys. Whichever method you use, record the key values in the spaces below.

•

Passphrase Method

. ______________________________

These characters

are

case

sensitive. Enter a word or group of printable characters and click Generate Keys. Not

all wireless devices support the passphrase method.

•

Manual Method

. These values

are not

case sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10

hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9 or a–f). For 128-bit WEP, enter 26

hexadecimal digits.

Key 1: ___________________________________

Key 2: ___________________________________

Key 3: ___________________________________

Key 4: ___________________________________

•

If WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK Authentication is used:

–

Passphrase

: ______________________________

These characters

are

case sensitive.

Enter a word or group of printable characters. When you use WPA-PSK, the other devices

in the network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA-PSK and are configured

Note:

If you select Shared Key, the other devices in the network will not connect

unless they are also set to Shared Key and are configured with the correct key.

NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B User Manual

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with the correct Passphrase. Similarly, when you use WPA2-PSK, the other devices in the

network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA2-PSK and are configured with

the correct Passphrase.

Use the procedures described in the following sections to configure the WNR834B. Store this

information in a safe place.

Configuring WEP Wireless Security

To configure WEP data encryption, follow these steps:

1.

From the main menu of the browser interface, under Setup, click Wireless Settings.

2.

From the Security Options menu, select WEP. The WEP options display.

3.

Select the Authentication Type and Encryption strength.

Note:

If you use a wireless computer to configure WEP settings, you will be disconnected

when you click Apply. You must then either configure your wireless adapter to

match the wireless router WEP settings or access the wireless router from a wired

computer to make any further changes.

NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B User Manual

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.

4.

You can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys. These values must

be identical on all computers and Access Points in your network.

•

Automatic

. In the Passphrase box, enter a word or group of printable characters and click

Generate. The passphrase is case sensitive. For example, NETGEAR is not the same as

nETgear. The four key boxes are automatically populated with key values.

•

Manual

. Enter ten hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, a–f, or A–F). These

entries are not case sensitive. For example, AA is the same as aa.

Select which of the four keys to activate.

See

“Wireless Communications” in Appendix B

for a full explanation of each of these options,

as defined by the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard.

Figure 2-3

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5.

Click Apply to save your settings.

Configuring WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK or WPA-PSK+WPA2-PSK

Wireless Security

To configure WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK or WPA-PSK+WPA2-PSK:

1.

In the Setup section of the main menu, click Wireless Settings

2.

Select one of the WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK options for the Security Type. The third option

(WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WP2-PSK [AES]) is the most flexible, since it allows clients using

either WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK. In the Passphrase box, enter a word or group of 8-63

printable characters. The passphrase is case sensitive.

3.

Click Apply to save your settings.

Note:

Not all wireless adapters support WPA. Furthermore, client software is also

required. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 does include WPA support.

Nevertheless, the wireless adapter hardware and driver must also support WPA.

For instructions on configuring wireless computers or PDAs (Personal Digital

Assistants) for WPA-PSK security, consult the documentation for the product you

are using.

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.

Turning Off the Broadcast of Your Wireless Network Name

These additional security-related wireless features, that you can disable for additional security, are

described below. For details on the configuration of the general wireless settings, see

“Configuring

Wireless Settings” on page 1-10

.

•

Enable Wireless Router Radio

. If you disable the wireless router radio, wireless devices

cannot connect to the WNR834B. If you will not be using your wireless network for a period

of time, you can deselect this checkbox and disable all wireless connectivity.

•

Enable SSID Broadcast

. Deselect this checkbox to disable broadcast of the SSID, so that

only devices that know the correct SSID can connect. Disabling SSID broadcast nullifies the

wireless network ‘discovery’ feature of some products such as Windows XP.

•

Wireless Card Access List

. When a Wireless Card Access List is configured and enabled, the

WNR834B checks the MAC address of any wireless device attempting a connection, and only

allows connections to computers identified on the trusted computers list. For instructions on

Figure 2-4