Belkin F5D8631-4 User Manual 2

N1 Wireless ADSL2+ Modem Router

User Manual

F5D8631-4

Table of Contents

1. Introd uction ........... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... . 1

Advant ages of a Wireless Network .................................

Placem ent of yo ur N1 Wir eless Mod em Router ...............

2. Produc t Overvie w ....... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .....

Produc t Feature s ..........................................................

3. Knowin g your Mo dem Route r ........ ......... ......... ......... ...10

Packag e Content s ...... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .....10

System Requirem ents ...... ......... ......... ......... ......... ........1 0

Setup Assistant Software System R equiremen ts ...... ......10

4. Co nnecting and Confi guring yo ur Modem Router ........14

5. Al ternate S etup Meth od ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ...23

6. Using the Web-B ased Adva nced User Interfac e

Changi ng LAN Se ttings .................................................36

Viewin g the DHC P Client List Page .............................. 38

Config uring the Wireless Network Settings .................. 38

Settin g WPA Sec urity ... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....44

Settin g WEP Enc ryption ...............................................46

Using the Acces s Point M ode .......................................48

Settin g MAC Add ress Cont rol ...................................... 49

Config uring the Firewall ...............................................51

Using Dynamic D NS .. ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ..... 54

Utilit ies ....................................................................... 56

Restar ting the Modem Rou ter . ......... ......... ......... ......... .. 57

Updati ng the Fi rmware ................................................. 63

7. Ma nually Co nfiguring Network Settings .......................71

8. Re commended Web Brow ser Setti ngs .........................77

9. Tr oubleshoo ting ...........................................................79

10 . Inform ation

...... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......95

......... .35

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Belkin N1 Wireless ADSL2+ Modem Router (the Modem Router). Following are two short sections—the first discusses the benefits of home networking, and the other outlines best practices that maximize your wireless home network range and performance. Please be sure to read through this User Manual completely, and pay special attention to the section entitled “Placement of your Wireless Networking Hardware for Optimal Performance” on the next page. By following our simple setup instructions you will be able to use your Belkin Home Network to:

• Share one high-speed Internet co nn ec ti on with a ll the co mp ut er s in your h om e

• Share resources, such as files and ha rd drives a mo ng all th e connected computers in your h om e

• Sh ar e a s in gl e printer w it h the e nt ir e family

• Sh ar e documents, mu si c, video, a nd digital pictures

• St or e, retrieve, an d copy fi le s from on e computer to another

• Si mu lt an eo us ly play g am es online, check Internet email, and chat

Advantages o f a W ir el es s Network

Her e are some of t he advantages of setting up a Belkin W ireless Netw ork:

• Mobility – you’ll no longer need a dedicated “ co mp ut er room”—now you ca n work on a ne tw or ke d laptop or desktop co mp ut er anywhere within y ou r wireless ra ng e

• Ea sy inst allat ion – Belkin’s Easy Insta llation Wiza rd makes setup simple

• Flexibility – set up and access print er s, computers, a nd other networking d ev ic es from a ny where in your home

• Easy expansion – the wide range of Belkin netw or ki ng products l et you expand y ou r network t o include d ev ices such as printers and gaming consoles

• No cabling required – you can spare the expe ns e and h as sl e of retrofitting E th er net cabling throughout the home or office

• Widespread industry a cc ep ta nc e – c ho os e from a wide ra ng e of interoperable ne tw orking products

Introduction

Revolutionary N1 Wireless T ec hnology with MIMO (N1 MIMO)

Your B el ki n N1 Wi re le ss Modem Ro ut er uses a new sm ar t-antenna technology c al le d Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). N1 MIMO complies w it h the I EE E draft 8 02 .1 1n specification. It increases speed, r an ge , reliability, and spectral efficiency for wireless networking s ys te ms .

The el em en t that ma ke s Belkin’s N1 MIMO t ec hnology different from a conventional r ad io is t he use of multiple a nt ennas and two simultaneous d at a streams t o deliver wireless transfers around yo ur home o r office. A conventional r ad io uses o ne antenna to transmit a da ta stream. Be lk in ’s N1 M IM O, on t he other ha nd , uses th re e antennas. Th is design h el ps combat distortion and interference. Belkin’s N 1 MIMO is multidimensional. It builds on one-dimensiona l smart-antenna te ch nology by simultaneously tran sm it ti ng two da ta streams th ro ug h the s am e channel, which increases wireless c ap ac it y.

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Another el em en t that en ha nc es Belkin’s N1 MIMO is the use of aggregation as specified in the dr aft 802.11n specification. By s ho rt en in g the s pa ce between pa ckets and combining multiple smaller pa ck et s into on e larger pa cket, Belkin’s N1 MIMO can transmit m or e data th ro ug h available bandwidth.

Think of conventional r ad io transmission as a two-lane highway. The speed li mi t governs t he maximum al lowable flow of traffic through that l an e. Compared w it h conventional radios, one-dimens io na l smart antenna sy st em s help mo ve traffic through that lane faster and more reliably—analogous to a f ou r-lane road on which traffic consisten tl y moves at a ra te closer t o the s pe ed limit. B el ki n’ s N1 MI MO helps traffic mo ve at t he speed li mi t and o pe ns more l an es —to become the superhighway i n this ex am pl e. The rate of t raffic flow is multiplied by the nu mb er of l an es that a re opened.

Introduction

Placement of your N1 Wireless Modem Router

Important Factors for Placement and Setup

Your w ir el es s connection wi ll be s tronger the closer your computer is to your M od em Router. Ty pi ca l indoor operating range for wireless devices is b et we en 100 an d 200 f ee t.

In t he same w ay , your wi re le ss connection a nd performance will degrade somewhat a s the d is ta nc e between y our Modem Router and connected devices in cr ea se s. This m ay or m ay not be noticeable to you. As you move f ur th er from y ou r Modem R ou te r, connection speed may decrease. Factors th at can we ak en signals si mply by g etting in the way of your network’s ra di o waves a re metal ap pliances or obstructions, and walls.

If y ou have c on ce rn s about y ou r network’s p erformance that might be related to range or obstruction fa ctors, try moving the computer to a position b et we en five a nd 10 f ee t from th e Modem R ou ter in or der to see if distance i s the p ro bl em . If di ff ic ul ties persist even at close range, please c on ta ct Belkin T ec hn ical Support.

Note: Wh il e some of the it em s listed be lo w can a ff ec t network performance, t he y will no t prohibit your wireless network from functioning; i f you a re concerned that your network is not operating at its ma xi mu m effectiveness, this checklist may help.

1. Modem Router Placement

Place your Modem Router, the central connection point of your network,

as close as possible to the center of your wireless network devices.

To achieve the best wireless network coverage for your “wireless clients”

(i.e., computers enabled by Belkin Wireless Notebook Network Cards, Wireless Desktop Network Cards, and Wireless USB Adapters):

• Ensure that your Modem Router’ s networking an te nn as are pa ra ll el to e ac h other, an d are p os it io ne d vertically (toward the ceiling). If y ou r Modem R ou te r itself is positioned v ertically, point the antennas a s much as possible i n an up wa rd direction.

• In multistory homes, place the Modem Ro ut er on a floor th at is a s close to the ce nt er of t he home a s possible. T hi s may m ea n placing the Mo de m Router on an u pp er floor.

• Try not to place the Modem Router near a cordless 2.4GH z phone.

Introduction

2. Avoid Obstacles and Interference

Avoid placing your Mode m Router ne ar devices th at may em it radio

“noise,” s uc h as mi cr ow av e ovens. Dense objects that can inhibit wireless c om mu ni ca tion include:

• Re fr ig er at or s

• Wa sh er s and/or dr ye rs

• Me ta l cabinets

• La rg e aquariums

• Me ta ll ic -b as ed , UV-tinted windows

If your wireless signal seems we ak in s om e spots, ma ke sure t ha t

objects su ch as t he se are no t blocking th e signal’s path (between your c om pu te rs and Mo de m Router).

3. Cordless Phones

If the performance of your wirel es s network i s impaired af te r

attending to the ab ov e issues, a nd you ha ve a co rd le ss phone:

• Try moving cordless phones awa y from yo ur Modem Ro ut er and your w ir el es s- en ab led computers.

• Unplug and remove the battery from an y cordless ph on e that operates o n the 2 .4 GH z band (c he ck manufacturer’s information). If t hi s fixes t he problem, y ou r phone m ay be i nt er fe ring.

• If your phone supports channel selection, c ha ng e the c ha nn el on the ph on e to th e farthest ch an ne l from yo ur wireless network. For ex am pl e, change t he phone to channel 1 and m ov e your Modem Ro ut er to c ha nn el 11. Se e your ph on e’ s user ma nual for detailed i ns tr uc ti ons.

• If necessary, conside r switching t o a 9 00 MH z or 5GHz c or dl es s phone.

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4. Choose the “Quietest” Channel for your Wireless Network

In locations where home s or offi ce s are c lo se together, su ch as

apartment bu il di ng s or of fi ce complexes, there may be wireless networks n ea rb y that ca n conflict with yours.

Use the Site Su rv ey capabilities f ou nd in the Wireless Utility o f your

wireless a da pt er to l oc at e any o th er wireless networks that are available (s ee your w ir el es s adapter’s user manual), and move your Modem Ro ut er and co mp ut er s to a channel a s far a wa y from ot he r networks a s possible.

Introduction

• Experiment with mo re than one of the availabl e channels, in order to fin d the clearest connection and av oid interference from neighboring cor dless phones or other wir eless d evice s.

• For Belkin wi reles s netwo rking products, use the d etail ed Site Survey and wireless channel information included with your wireless network car d. See your network card’ s user guide for mor e infor matio n.

These guidelines should allow you to cover the max imum possible area

wit h your Modem Router. Shou ld you need to cover an even wider are a, we suggest the Be lkin Wireles s Range Extender/Access Point.

5. Secure Connections, VPNs, and AOL

Secure connect io ns typically re qu ir e a u se r name an d password, a nd

are us ed where se cu ri ty is i mp or ta nt. Secure connections include:

• Virtual P ri va te Network (V PN ) connections, often used to connect remotely t o an of fi ce network

• The “ Br in g Your Ow n Access” p ro gr am from A me rica Online (AOL), which le ts you us e AOL t hr ou gh broadband pr ovided by another cable or DSL se rv ic e

• Most online banking websites

• Many co mm er ci al websites t ha t require a user name and password to a cc es s your ac co un t

Se cu re connections ca n be in te rrupted by a computer’s power

management s et ti ng , which c auses it to “go to sleep.” The simplest solution t o avoid t hi s is to simply r ec on ne ct by r er unning the VPN or AOL so ft wa re , or by re-logging i nt o the s ec ure website.

A second al te rn at iv e is to change y ou r computer’s power

management s et ti ng s so it does n ot go t o sleep; ho we ver, this may not be appropriate fo r portable co mputers. To change your power management s et ti ng under Wi ndows, see the “Power Options” item in the Co nt ro l Panel.

If you co nt in ue to h av e difficulty wi th Secure Connections, VPNs, and

AOL, p le as e review th e steps a bo ve to b e sure yo u have ad dr es sed these is su es .

Introduction

Free Tech Support*

You ca n find ad di ti on al support in formation on our website www.belkin.com t hr ough the tech-support area.

If y ou want t o contact t ec hn ic al support by phone, p lease call the number y ou need f ro m the l is t below*.

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*Lo cal r at es ap ply

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