Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

4-10

Wireless Configuration

v1.0, November 2005

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.

2.

Click

Wireless Settings

in the main menu of the WPN824 firewall.

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 4-5

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Wireless Configuration

4-11

v1.0, November 2005

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.

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 to use. 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 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:

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.

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.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

4-12

Wireless Configuration

v1.0, November 2005

How to Configure WEP Wireless Security

To configure WEP data encryption, follow these steps:

1.

Log in to the WPN824 firewall at its default LAN address of

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 WPN824 firewall.

3.

From the Security Options menu, select

WEP

. The WEP options display.

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.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Wireless Configuration

4-13

v1.0, November 2005

4.

Select the

Authentication Type

and

Encryption 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 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; AA is the same as aa.

Select which of the four keys to activate.

Please 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.

6.

Click

Apply

to save your settings.

Figure 4-6

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

4-14

Wireless Configuration

v1.0, November 2005

How to Configure WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK Wireless Security

To configure WPA-PSK, follow these steps:

1.

Click

Wireless Settings

in the Setup section of the main menu and 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.

2.

Enter a word or group of 8-63 printable characters in the Passphrase box.

Note:

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

required. Windows XP and Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 do 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.

Figure 4-7