NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834M Reference Manual

3-6

Wireless Configuration

v1.3, May 2006

•

Mode.

You can select “11b/g”, “11b/g/Next (20/40 MHz)”. The “11b/g” mode provides

backward compatibility with the slower 802.11b wireless devices while still enabling 802.11g

communications. The “11b/g/Next (20/40 MHz)” mode provides transmission streams that

communicate at up to 300 Mbps.

•

Security Options.

These options are described below. A full explanation of these standards is

available in

“Wireless Communications” in Appendix B

.

Note:

The maximum wireless signal rate is derived from the IEEE Standard 802.11

Specifications. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and

environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials

and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.

Table 3-1. Basic Wireless Security Options

Field

Description

None

No wireless security.

WEP

WEP offers the following options:

•

Open System

With Open Network Authentication and 64- or 128-bit WEP Data Encryption, the WNR834M

does

perform 64- or 128-bit data encryption but

does not

perform any authentication.

•

Shared Key

Shared Key authentication encrypts the SSID and data.

Choose the Encryption Strength (64- or 128-bit data encryption). Manually enter the key

values or enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box. Manually

entered keys

are

case sensitive but passphrase characters

are not

case sensitive.

Note

: Not all wireless adapter configuration utilities support passphrase key generation.

• Auto

The wireless router automatically detects whether Open System or Shared Key is used.

WPA-PSK

WPA2-PSK

WPA-Pre-shared Key

does

perform authentication. WPA-PSK uses TKIP (Temporal Key

Integrity Protocol) data encryption and WPA2-PSK uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)

data encryption. Both dynamically change the encryption keys making them nearly impossible

to circumvent.

Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Password Phrase box. These characters

are

case sensitive.

Note

: Not all wireless adapter configuration utilities support WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK.

Furthermore, client software is required on the client. Windows XP Service Pack 2 and

Windows XP Service Pack 1 with WPA patch do include the client software that supports WPA.

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

NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834M Reference Manual

Wireless Configuration

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v1.3, May 2006

To configure the advanced wireless settings of your firewall, click the

Wireless Setup

link in the

Advanced section of the main menu of the browser interface. The Advanced Wireless Settings

menu appears, as shown below.

•

Enable Wireless Router Radio.

If you disable the wireless router radio, wireless devices

cannot connect to the WNR834M.

•

Enable SSID Broadcast.

If you disable broadcast of the SSID, only devices that have 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 the Trusted PCs Only radio button is selected, the

WNR834M checks the MAC address of the wireless station and only allows connections to

computers identified on the trusted computers list.

Figure 3-3

Note:

The

Fragmentation Threshold

,

CTS/RTS Threshold

, and

Preamble Mode

options are reserved for wireless testing and advanced configuration only. Do

not change these settings.

NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834M Reference Manual

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Wireless Configuration

v1.3, May 2006

How to Set Up and Test Basic Wireless Connectivity

Follow the instructions below to set up and test basic wireless connectivity. Once you have

established basic wireless connectivity, you can enable security settings appropriate to your needs.

1.

Log in to the WNR834M firewall at its default LAN address of

(or

) with its default user name of

admin

and default password of

password

, or

using whatever LAN address and password you have set up.

2.

Click

Wireless Settings

in the main menu of the WNR834M firewall.

3.

Choose a suitable descriptive name for the wireless network name (SSID). In the SSID box,

enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The default SSID is NETGEAR.

Note:

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

when you click

Apply

. Reconfigure your wireless adapter to match the new

settings or access the wireless router from a wired computer to make any further

changes.

Figure 3-4

Note:

The SSID is case sensitive; NETGEAR is not the same as nETgear. Also, the

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

the RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834M. If they do not match, you

will not get a wireless connection to the WNR834M.

NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834M Reference Manual

Wireless Configuration

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v1.3, May 2006

4.

Set the Region. Select the region in which the wireless interface will operate.

5.

Set the Channel. The default channel may vary according to region.

This field determines which operating frequency is used. It should not be necessary to change

the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby wireless

router or access point. Select a channel that is not being used by any other wireless networks

within several hundred feet of your firewall. For more information on the wireless channel

frequencies, see

“Wireless Communications” in Appendix B

.

6.

For initial configuration and testing, leave the Wireless Card Access List set to “Everyone”

and the Encryption Strength set to “Disabled.”

7.

Click

Apply

to save your changes.

8.

Configure and test your computers for wireless connectivity.

Program the wireless adapter of your computers to have the same SSID and channel that you

configured in the router. Check that they have a wireless link and are able to obtain an IP

address by DHCP from the firewall.

Once your computers have basic wireless connectivity to the firewall, you can configure the

advanced wireless security functions of the firewall.

Note:

If you are configuring the firewall from a wireless computer and you change

the firewall’s SSID, channel, or security settings, you will lose your wireless

connection when you click

Apply

. You must then change the wireless settings

of your computer to match the firewall’s new settings.

Warning:

The Network Name (SSID) is case sensitive. If NETGEAR is the

Network Name (SSID) in your wireless router, you must enter

NETGEAR in your computer's wireless settings. Typing nETgear will not

work.

NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834M Reference Manual

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Wireless Configuration

v1.3, May 2006

How to Configure WEP

To configure WEP data encryption, follow these steps:

1.

Log in to the WNR834M firewall at its default LAN address of

http://www.routerlogin.net

with its default user name of

admin

and default password of

password

, or using whatever

LAN address and password you have set up.

2.

Click

Wireless Settings

in the main menu of the WNR834M firewall.

3.

From the Security Options menu, select

WEP

. The WEP options display.

4.

Select the Authentication Type and Encryptions strength from the drop-down lists.

5.

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—Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box and click

the

Generate

button. The passphrase is case sensitive; NETGEAR is not the same as

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

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.

Figure 3-5