Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

About This Manual

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v1.0, November 2005

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Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

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About This Manual

v1.0, November 2005

Introduction

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v1.0, November 2005

Chapter 2

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR

®

RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824. The

WPN824 router provides connection for multiple computers to the Internet through an external

broadband access device (such as a cable modem or DSL modem) that is normally intended for use

by a single computer. This chapter describes the features of the NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless

Router WPN824.

Key Features

The RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824 with 4-port switch connects your local area network

(LAN) to the Internet through an external access device such as a cable modem or DSL modem.

The WPN824 router provides you with multiple Web content filtering options, plus browser

activity reporting and instant alerts via e-mail. Parents and network administrators can establish

restricted access policies based on time-of-day, Web site addresses and address keywords, and

share high-speed cable/DSL Internet access for up to 253 computers. In addition to the Network

Address Translation (NAT) feature, the built-in firewall protects you from hackers.

With minimum setup, you can install and use the router within minutes.

The WPN824 router provides the following features:

•

RangeMax™ Multi-In, Multi-Out (MIMO) technology

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802.11g wireless networking, with the ability to operate in 802.11g-only, 802.11-turbo-g-only,

or 802.11b+g modes

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Easy, Web-based setup for installation and management

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Content Filtering and Site Blocking security

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Built in 4-port 10/100 Mbps switch

Note:

This manual provides information on the complete features as of the date of

publication. Earlier versions of this product may not have all the features presented

in this manual. Go to

http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/WPN824.asp

where you

can find product firmware updates for your WPN824.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

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Introduction

v1.0, November 2005

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Ethernet connection to a wide area network (WAN) device, such as a cable modem or DSL

modem

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Extensive Protocol Support

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Login capability

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Front panel LEDs for easy monitoring of status and activity

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Flash memory for firmware upgrades

RangeMax™ Multi-In, Multi-Out (MIMO) Technology

NETGEAR’s RangeMax Multi-In, Multi-Out (MIMO) technology provides ten times more

coverage than standard 802.11g alone by eliminating “dead spots” in your area of coverage. Your

whole house or office suite now becomes a “hot spot” without requiring any range extenders,

repeaters, or external antennas. RangeMax maintains your high speed throughout your home, not

just when you are close to your router.

RangeMax is an advanced Smart MIMO (Multi-In, Multi-Out) technology that uses seven internal

antennas. RangeMax constantly surveys your home environment for physical barriers and

interference and adjusts the wireless signal to compensate for these performance blockers.

For example, if you carry your laptop from the family room to the bedroom, RangeMax

automatically senses the change and selects from over 100 possible antenna configurations to

deliver you the fastest, clearest connection. Everyone can enjoy consistently high-speed

connections, everywhere in your house with no drop-outs and no dead spots.

RangeMax is also 100% compatible with your existing 802.11b/g products (including 802.11b,

802.11g, Centrino, and SuperG™ wireless clients) and boosts their range and speed by up to 50%.

802.11g Wireless Networking

The WPN824 router includes an 802.11g wireless access point, providing continuous, high-speed

108 Mbps access between your wireless and Ethernet devices. The access point provides:

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802.11g wireless networking at up to 108 Mbps.

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802.11g wireless networking, with the ability to operate in 802.11g-only, 802.11b-only, or

802.11g and b modes, providing backwards compatibility with 802.11b devices or dedicating

the wireless network to the higher bandwidth 802.11g devices.

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64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption security.

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Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) keys can be generated manually or by passphrase.

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Wi-Fi Protected Access-Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK) support, which

provides strong data encryption and authentication based on a pre-shared key.

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Introduction

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v1.0, November 2005

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Wireless access can be restricted by MAC address.

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Wireless network name broadcast can be turned off so that only devices that have the network

name (SSID) can connect.

A Powerful, True Firewall with Content Filtering

Unlike simple Internet sharing NAT routers, the WPN824 is a true firewall, using stateful packet

inspection to defend against hacker attacks. Its firewall features include:

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Denial of Service (DoS) protection.

Automatically detects and thwarts DoS attacks such as Ping of Death, SYN Flood, LAND

Attack, and IP Spoofing.

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Blocks unwanted traffic from the Internet to your LAN.

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Blocks access from your LAN to Internet locations or services that you specify as off-limits.

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Logs security incidents.

The WPN824 will log security events such as blocked incoming traffic, port scans, attacks,

and administrator logins. You can configure the router to E-mail the log to you at specified

intervals. You can also configure the router to send immediate alert messages to your E-mail

address or E-mail pager whenever a significant event occurs.

•

The WPN824 prevents objectionable content from reaching your computers. The router can

screen for keywords within Web addresses, allows you to control access to Internet content.

You can configure the router to log and report attempts to access objectionable Internet sites.

Security

The WPN824 router is equipped with several features designed to maintain security, as described

in this section.

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Computers Hidden by NAT.

NAT opens a temporary path to the Internet for requests originating from the local network.

Requests originating from outside the LAN are discarded, preventing users outside the LAN

from finding and directly accessing the computers on the LAN.

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Port Forwarding with NAT.

Although NAT prevents Internet locations from directly accessing the computers on the LAN,

the router allows you to direct incoming traffic to specific computers based on the service port

number of the incoming request, or to one designated “DMZ” host computer. You can specify

forwarding of single ports or ranges of ports.