66

NBG-418N User’s Guide

67

C

HAPTER

6

Wireless LAN

6.1

Overview

This chapter discusses how to configure the wireless network settings in your NBG-418N. See the

appendices for more detailed information about wireless networks.

The following figure provides an example of a wireless network.

Figure 48

Example of a Wireless Network

The wireless network is the part in the blue circle. In this wireless network, devices

A

and

B

are

called wireless clients. The wireless clients use the access point (

AP

) to interact with other devices

(such as the printer) or with the Internet. Your NBG-418N is the AP in the above example.

Chapter 6 Wireless LAN

NBG-418N User’s Guide

68

6.2

What You Can Do

Wireless screens vary according to the device mode you are using.

See

Chapter 4 on page 35

for more information on device modes.

•

Use the

General

screen to enable the Wireless LAN, enter the SSID and select the wireless

security mode (

Section 6.4 on page 70

).

•

Use the

MAC Filter

screen to allow or deny wireless stations based on their MAC addresses from

connecting to the NBG-418N (

Section 6.5 on page 75

).

•

Use the

Advanced

screen to allow intra-BSS networking and set the RTS/CTS Threshold (

Section

6.6 on page 76

).

•

Use the

QoS

screen to enable Wifi MultiMedia Quality of Service (WMMQoS). This allows the

NBG-418N to automatically set priority levels to services, such as e-mail, VoIP, chat, and so on

(

Section 6.7 on page 78

).

•

Use the

WPS

screen to quickly set up a wireless network with strong security, without having to

configure security settings manually (

Section 6.8 on page 79

).

•

Use the

WPS Station

screen to add a wireless station using WPS (

Section 6.9 on page 80

).

•

Use the

Scheduling

screen to set the times your wireless LAN is turned on and off (

Section 6.10

on page 81

).

•

Use the

AP Select

screen to choose an access point that you want the NBG-418N (in universal

repeater or client bridge mode) to connect to. You should know the security settings of the target

AP.

•

Use the

WLAN Info

screen to view the SSID and security of the selected AP wireless network.

Wireless Screen

Router

Access Point

Universal Repeater

Client Bridge

General







MAC Filter







Advanced









QoS







WPS







WPS Station







Scheduling







AP Select





WLAN Info



Chapter 6 Wireless LAN

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6.3

What You Should Know

Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines.

•

Every wireless client in the same wireless network must use the same SSID.

The SSID is the name of the wireless network. It stands for Service Set IDentity.

•

If two wireless networks overlap, they should use different channels.

Like radio stations or television channels, each wireless network uses a specific channel, or

frequency, to send and receive information.

•

Every wireless client in the same wireless network must use security compatible with the AP.

Security stops unauthorized devices from using the wireless network. It can also protect the

information that is sent in the wireless network.

6.3.1

Wireless Security Overview

The following sections introduce different types of wireless security you can set up in the wireless

network.

6.3.1.1

SSID

Normally, the AP acts like a beacon and regularly broadcasts the SSID in the area. You can hide the

SSID instead, in which case the AP does not broadcast the SSID. In addition, you should change

the default SSID to something that is difficult to guess.

This type of security is fairly weak, however, because there are ways for unauthorized devices to

get the SSID. In addition, unauthorized devices can still see the information that is sent in the

wireless network.

6.3.1.2

MAC Address Filter

Every wireless client has a unique identification number, called a MAC address.

1

A MAC address is

usually written using twelve hexadecimal characters

2

; for example, 00A0C5000002 or

00:A0:C5:00:00:02. To get the MAC address for each wireless client, see the appropriate User’s

Guide or other documentation.

You can use the MAC address filter to tell the AP which wireless clients are allowed or not allowed to

use the wireless network. If a wireless client is allowed to use the wireless network, it still has to

have the correct settings (SSID, channel, and security). If a wireless client is not allowed to use the

wireless network, it does not matter if it has the correct settings.

This type of security does not protect the information that is sent in the wireless network.

Furthermore, there are ways for unauthorized devices to get the MAC address of an authorized

wireless client. Then, they can use that MAC address to use the wireless network.

1.

Some wireless devices, such as scanners, can detect wireless networks but cannot use wireless networks. These kinds

of wireless devices might not have MAC addresses.

2.

Hexadecimal characters are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Chapter 6 Wireless LAN

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70

6.3.1.3

Encryption

Wireless networks can use encryption to protect the information that is sent in the wireless

network. Encryption is like a secret code. If you do not know the secret code, you cannot

understand the message.

For example, if users do not log in to the wireless network, you can choose no encryption,

Static

WEP

,

WPA-PSK

, or

WPA2-PSK

.

Usually, you should set up the strongest encryption that every wireless client in the wireless

network supports. Suppose the wireless network has two wireless clients. Device A only supports

WEP, and device B supports WEP and WPA-PSK. Therefore, you should set up

Static WEP

in the

wireless network.

Note: It is recommended that wireless networks use WPA-PSK, or stronger encryption.

IEEE 802.1x and WEP encryption are better than none at all, but it is still possible

for unauthorized devices to figure out the original information pretty quickly.

When you select

WPA2-PSK

in your NBG-418N, you can also select an option (

WPA Compatible

)

to support WPA-PSK as well. In this case, if some wireless clients support WPA-PSK and some

support WPA2-PSK, you should set up

WPA2-PSK

and select the

WPA Compatible

option in the

NBG-418N.

Many types of encryption use a key to protect the information in the wireless network. The longer

the key, the stronger the encryption. Every wireless client in the wireless network must have the

same key.

6.3.1.4

WPS

WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) is an industry standard specification, defined by the WiFi Alliance. WPS

allows you to quickly set up a wireless network with strong security, without having to configure

security settings manually. Depending on the devices in your network, you can either press a

button (on the device itself, or in its configuration utility) or enter a PIN (Personal Identification

Number) in the devices. Then, they connect and set up a secure network by themselves. See how

to set up a secure wireless network using WPS in the

Section 5.2.1 on page 57

.

6.4

General Wireless LAN Screen

Use this screen to enable the Wireless LAN, enter the SSID and select the wireless security mode.

Table 25

Types of Encryption for Each Type of Authentication

NO AUTHENTICATION

Weakest

No Security

Static WEP

WPA-PSK

Strongest

WPA2-PSK