Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Wireless Configuration

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•

Mode.

This field determines which data communications protocol will be used. You can select

“g only,” “b only,” or “g and b.” “g only” dedicates the WPN824 to communicating with the

higher bandwidth 802.11g wireless devices exclusively. “b only” dedicates the WPN824 to

communicating with the higher bandwidth 802.11b wireless devices exclusively. The “g and

b” mode provides backward compatibility with the slower 802.11b wireless devices while still

enabling 802.11g communications.

•

Security Options.

These options are the wireless security features you can enable. The table

below identifies the various basic wireless security options. A full explanation of these

standards is available in

Appendix D, “Wireless Networking Basics

.”

Table 4-1.

Basic Wireless Security Options

Field

Description

Automatic

No wireless security.

WEP

WEP offers the following options:

•

Open System

With Open Network Authentication and 64- or 128-bit WEP Data Encryption, the WPN824

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

WPA-PSK

WPA-Pre-shared Key

does

perform authentication, uses 128-bit data encryption and

dynamically changes the encryption keys making it 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. Furthermore, client software

is required on the client. Windows XP and Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 do include the

client software that supports WPA. Nevertheless, the wireless adapter hardware and driver

must also support WPA.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

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Wireless Configuration

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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 Wireless Settings menu will

appear, as shown below.

Figure 4-4:

Advanced Wireless Settings menu

•

Allow Broadcast of Name (SSID).

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.

•

Enable Wireless Access Point.

If you disable the wireless access point, wireless devices

cannot connect to the WPN824.

•

Wireless Card Access List.

When the Trusted PCs Only radio button is selected, the

WPN824 checks the MAC address of the wireless station and only allows connections to

computers identified on the trusted computers list.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Wireless Configuration

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Information to Gather Before Changing Basic Wireless Settings

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 will 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

.

Note:

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

are set to Shared Key as well and are configured with the correct key.

–

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 the Generate Keys

button. Not all wireless devices support the passphrase method.

•

Manual method

. These values

are not

case sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hex

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

Key 1: ___________________________________

Key 2: ___________________________________

Key 3: ___________________________________

Key 4: ___________________________________

•

If WPA-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 set to WPA-PSK as well and are configured

with the correct Passphrase.

Use the procedures described in the following sections to configure the WPN824. Store this

information in a safe place.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

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Wireless Configuration

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Default Factory Settings

When you first receive your WPN824, the default factory settings are shown below. You can

restore these defaults with the Factory Default Restore button on the rear panel. After you install

the WPN824 router, use the procedures below to customize any of the settings to better meet your

networking needs.

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 WPN824 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.

FEATURE

DEFAULT FACTORY SETTINGS

Wireless Access Point

Enabled

Wireless Access List (MAC Filtering)

All wireless stations allowed

SSID broadcast

Enabled

SSID

NETGEAR

11b/g RF Channel

6

Mode

Auto 108

Authentication Type

Automatic

WEP

Disabled

DHCP Server

Enabled

DHCP range

192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.254

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.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Wireless Configuration

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2.

Click

Wireless Settings

in the main menu of the WPN824 firewall.

Figure 4-5:

Wireless Settings menu

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:

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 Wireless

Router WPN824. If they do not match, you will not get a wireless connection to the WPN824.

4.

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

5.

Set the Channel. The default channel is 11.

This field determines which operating frequency will be 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 please refer to

“Wireless Channels” on page D-7

.

6.

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

the Encryption Strength set to “Disabled.”

7.

Click

Apply

to save your changes.