Edimax Technology EW-7238RPD User Manual

EW-7238RPD

User Manual

12-2012 / v1.0

Notice According to GNU General Public License Version 2

This product includes software that is subject to the GNU General Public License version

2. The program is free software and distributed without any warranty of the author. We offer, valid for at least three years, to give you, for a charge no more than the costs of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code.

Copyright  Edimax Technology Co., Ltd. all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission from Edimax Technology Co., Ltd.

Edimax Technology Co., Ltd. makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Any software described in this manual is sold or licensed as is. Should the programs prove defective following their purchase, the buyer (and not this company, its distributor, or its dealer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, and any incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. Edimax Technology Co., Ltd. reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof without the obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes.

The product you have purchased and the setup screen may appear slightly different from those shown in this QIG. For more information about this product, please refer to the user manual on the CD-ROM. The software and specifications are subject to change without notice. Please visit our website www.edimax.com for updates. All brand and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Edimax Technology Co., Ltd.

Add: No. 3, Wu-Chuan 3rd Rd., Wu-Ku Industrial Park, New Taipei City, Taiwan Tel: +886-2-77396888 Email: sales@edimax.com.tw

CONTENTS

I. PRODUCT INFORMATION ............................................................................................................. 5

I-1. Package Contents ..................................................................................................................... 5

I-2. Hardware ................................................................................................................................. 6

I-3. LED Status ................................................................................................................................ 7

I-4. Safety Information ................................................................................................................... 8

I-5. System Requirements .............................................................................................................. 8

II. QUICK SETUP ............................................................................................................................... 9

II-1. iQ Setup ................................................................................................................................... 9

II-2. WPS Setup .............................................................................................................................. 18

II-3. Resetting the Wireless Extender ........................................................................................... 20

II-4. Connection Problems ............................................................................................................. 21

II-5. Choosing the Best Location for Your Extender ...................................................................... 22

III. BROWSER BASED CONFIGURATION INTERFACE .......................................................................... 23

III-1. Home.................................................................................................................................... 25

III-2. iQ Setup ............................................................................................................................... 28

III-3. WPS Settings ........................................................................................................................ 29

III-4. Advanced Settings ................................................................................................................ 31

III-4-1. WLAN 2.4GHz Security..................................................................................................... 32

III-4-2. WLAN 5GHz Security ........................................................................................................ 33

III-4-3. Administration Utility....................................................................................................... 35

III-4-4. Configuration Tools .......................................................................................................... 38

IV. APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................. 41

IV-1. Configuring your IP address ............................................................................................... 41

IV-1-1. How to Configure Your Computer to Use a Dynamic IP Address ......................................... 42

IV-1-1-1. Windows XP ..................................................................................................................... 42

IV-1-1-2. Windows Vista .................................................................................................................44

IV-1-1-3. Windows 7 ....................................................................................................................... 45

IV-1-1-4. Windows 8 ....................................................................................................................... 48

IV-1-1-5. Mac OS ............................................................................................................................. 52

IV-1-2. How to Modify the IP Address of Your PC or Macintosh ..................................................... 53

IV-1-2-1. Windows XP ..................................................................................................................... 53

IV-1-2-2. Windows Vista ................................................................................................................. 55

IV-1-2-3. Windows 7 ....................................................................................................................... 57

IV-1-2-4. Windows 8 ....................................................................................................................... 61

IV-1-2-5. Mac OS ............................................................................................................................. 65

IV-1-3. How to Find Your Network Security Key ............................................................................ 68

IV-1-3-1. Windows 7 & Windows Vista .......................................................................................... 68

IV-1-3-2. Windows 8 ....................................................................................................................... 70

IV-1-3-3. Mac .................................................................................................................................. 73

IV-1-4. How to Find Your Router’s IP Address ............................................................................... 76

IV-1-4-1. Windows XP, Vista & 7 ..................................................................................................... 76

IV-1-4-2. Windows 8 .......................................................................................................................77

IV-1-4-3. Mac ................................................................................................................................ 79

IV-2. Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................. 81

IV-3. Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 83

EW-7238RPD

Ethernet Cable

CD with User Manual &

Quick Installation Guide

Access Key Card

I. PRODUCT INFORMATION

Thank you for purchasing the Edimax EW-7238RPD N300+ Dual-Band Universal Wi-Fi Extender. Extend dual-band coverage anywhere around your home and

enjoy Wi-Fi on all your devices.

I-1. Package Contents

Item Name

Description

Reset / WPS Button

Resets the extender to factory default settings (clears all settings) or starts the WPS function.

Reset: Press this button and hold for 10 seconds to restore all settings to factory defaults. WPS: Press this button for less than 5 seconds to start the WPS function.

ON/OFF Switch

Power on/off switch. Switch on or off accordingly.

LAN Port

10/100M Ethernet LAN Port with Auto-MDI/MDI-X. Connects via Ethernet cable to a computer for configuration, or to other wired network devices such as printers, smart TVs or Blu-ray players to act as a wireless client.

Reset/WPS Button

ON/OFF Switch

LAN Port

I-2. Hardware

Note: Please do not connect the LAN port of the

extender to your router/access point.

LED

Color

LED Status

Description

Signal Strength

2.4 GHz

Amber

Excellent signal. Signal strength: 60 – 100%.

Slow Flashing

Good signal. Signal strength: 60 – 40%.

Quick Flashing

Poor signal. Signal strength: below 40%.

Off

No signal detected or in LED off mode.

Signal Strength

5 GHz

Amber

Excellent signal. Signal strength: 60 – 100%.

Slow Flashing

Good signal. Signal strength: 60 – 40%.

Quick Flashing

Poor signal. Signal strength: below 40%.

Off

No signal detected or in LED off mode.

Power

Green

Wi-Fi extender is on.

Flashing

Resetting to factory defaults, or system is booting up.

Off

Wi-Fi extender is off or in LED off mode.

WPS

Green

WPS connection established (LED remains on for 5 minutes after connection is made).

Slow Flashing

WPS in progress (waiting for

another WPS device’s

connection).

Off

No WPS in progress or in LED off mode.

I-3. LED Status

LAN

Green

LAN port connected.

Flashing

LAN activity (transferring or receiving data).

Off

LAN port not connected.

I-4. Safety Information

In order to ensure the safe operation of the device and its users, please read and act in accordance with the following safety instructions.

1. The wireless extender is designed for indoor use only; do not place the wireless extender outdoors.

2. Do not place the wireless extender in or near hot/humid places, such as a kitchen or bathroom.

3. Do not pull any connected cable with force; carefully disconnect it from the wireless extender.

5. The device contains small parts which are a danger to small children under 3 years old. Please keep the wireless extender out of reach of children.

6. Do not place the wireless extender on paper, cloth, or other flammable materials. The wireless extender will become hot during use.

7. There are no user-serviceable parts inside the wireless extender. If you experience problems with the wireless extender, please contact your dealer of purchase and ask for help.

8. The wireless extender is an electrical device and as such, if it becomes wet for any reason, do not attempt to touch it without switching the power supply off. Contact an experienced electrical technician for further help.

9. If you smell burning or see smoke coming from the wireless extender then unplug the extender immediately, as far as it is safely possible to do so. Call your dealer of purchase for help.

I-5. System Requirements

- Existing wireless home network (2.4GHz or 5GHz).

- Computer with Ethernet port and web browser (Internet Explorer 8 or

above, or latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari).

II. QUICK SETUP

There are two ways you can quickly setup the Wi-Fi extender - using browser-based iQ Setup (II-1. iQ Setup) or using the WPS button (II-2. WPS

Setup).

Note: It is recommended that you plug in the extender

close to your router/access point for the setup process. You need to establish a connection between your extender and router/access point. After setup is complete and a connection is established, you can move the extender to your preferred location.

II-1. iQ Setup

Note: Before you use the wireless extender, please

make sure your computer is set to use a dynamic IP address. This is a simple procedure, and step by step instructions for how to do this can be found in IV-1-1.

How to configure your computer to use a dynamic IP address.

1. Plug the Wi-Fi extender into a power outlet close to the root wireless

access point and switch it on. The power LED ( ) will flash while the extender initializes – please wait. The extender is ready when the power LED is on.

2. You can connect to the Wi-Fi extender using a (i.) wired or (ii.) wireless

SSID:

Edimax.Setup

connection.

Note: Please disable any other Wi-Fi adapters you

may have, and/or disconnect/disable any other Ethernet cables/adapters from your computer.

i. Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the Wi-Fi extender’s

Ethernet port. Plug the other end of the cable into your computer’s

Ethernet port.

ii. Use your Wi-Fi device (e.g. computer, tablet, smartphone) to

search for a Wi-Fi network with the SSID “Edimax.Setup” and connect.

3. Open a web browser and you will see the following screen, please click “Get

Started”.

Note: You can change language using the drop down

menu in the top right corner.

4. iQ Setup will display all available 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, listed

under “SSID”. Please select one or both root Wi-Fi networks that your extender will connect to and subsequently extend. If you don’t wish to use

either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band you must select “Disable” in order to

continue.

Note: If the Wi-Fi network you wish to connect to does

not appear, click “Refresh” to search again. Please also

be aware that for the 5GHz band, subject to local RF regulations the EW-7238RPD only supports channels

36, 40, 44 & 48 (Europe) and channels 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 & 165 (U.S.) If you do not see your 5GHz network listed, you may need to change your router/access point’s 5GHz channel.

5. If the network you wish to connect to has a hidden SSID, select “Setup

extender manually” for 2.4GHz or 5GHz and enter the SSID manually. Then input a “Device SSID” (name to identify the extender’s Wi-Fi network) and security key information. Check the “Hide SSID” box if you wish for the extender’s SSID to remain hidden.

6. For each network you select, you can enter a “Device SSID” which is a name

to identify the EW-7238RPD’s Wi-Fi network. If the root SSID requires a security key, you will also be required to enter it here.

Note: If you do not know your existing network

security key, please refer to IV-1-3. How to Find Your

Network Security Key.

Note: In the example above, the EW-7238RPD will

connect to the root Wi-Fi network OBM-Airport-2.4G. The EW-7238RPD will extend this Wi-Fi network and use the new SSID OBM-Airport-2.4G_2EX to identify itself.

7. Click “Next” to continue and you will be prompted to add

http://edimax.setup to your bookmarks (Internet Explorer and Firefox

only). This is the URL to access the extender’s browser based configuration

interface to further configure the settings of the extender, or to run iQ Setup again. If you do not wish to add this URL to your bookmarks, click

“Cancel” – or select “No” from the drop down menu shown below, before you click “Next”.

8. Please wait while the Wi-Fi extender tests the connection.

9. When the test is complete, click “Apply” to restart the device.

Note: If the extender cannot obtain an IP address from

the router/access point then you will see the screen

below. Click the “Static IP” button to assign an IP address to the extender and then click “APPLY” to

restart the device.

Note: When assigning a static IP address to the

wireless extender, you need to ensure that you assign an IP address in the same subnet as your network. For example, if your static IP is 192.168.9.2 then you need to assign the wireless extender an IP address in the range 192.168.9.x where x = 3 – 254. Please refer to

IV-1. Configuring your IP address for more

information.

Note: To ensure that you assign a correct IP address to

the wireless extender, you can check the IP address of your computer and/or router. Please refer to IV-1-2.

How to Modify the IP Address of Your PC or Macintosh

and IV-1-4. How to Find Your Router’s IP Address for guidance on how to do so. Your ISP can also provide you with such information as IP address, subnet mask and gateway address.

10. Please wait while the device restarts.

Note: After the system has restarted, if you do not see

the congratulations screen in Step 11, then please skip straight to step 12.

Typically, this may occur for smartphone users who setup the extender via a wireless connection (as shown in II-1. iQ Setup 2.ii). It is likely that after the extender restarted, your smartphone re-connected to the Edimax.Setup SSID which is now, upon completion of setup, redundant.

Windows 8

Windows Vista / 7

11. After the device has restarted you will see a congratulations screen as

shown below, displaying the name and security key for each of the extender’s Wi-Fi networks.

12. The extender is now functional and ready for use. If you wish to move the

extender to another location, remember to switch off the extender before you unplug it. For the best coverage, select a location where the extender’s signal strength LED ( ) displays a strong signal. See II-5. Choosing the Best

Location For Your Extender.

13. To connect to the extender’s Wi-Fi networks:

Windows

Click the network icon ( , or ) in the system tray and select “Connect to a network”.

Mac View available Wi-Fi networks by clicking the icon along the top right of your screen.

Windows Vista / 7

Windows 8

14. Select the SSID which you named your extender’s Wi-Fi network in Step 5

or 6 and enter your password/security key if you set one.

Note: Remember to select the SSID of your extender’s

Wi-Fi network – not your existing root Wi-Fi network.

Windows:

Mac:

II-2. WPS Setup

Note: The next section WPS Setup describes an

alternative setup method to iQ Setup. If you already completed iQ Setup, it is not necessary to perform WPS Setup.

Note: Please ensure the extender is ready (power LED

( ) on, not flashing) before activating WPS.

If your wireless router/access point supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) then you can use this method to set up your Wi-Fi extender’s 2.4GHz & 5GHz

network. The extender’s WPS is dependent on your router’s access/point

WPS – so if you activate WPS for 2.4GHz Wi-Fi on your router/access point, the extender will connect to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi when you activate its WPS. To

additionally set up your extender’s 5GHz Wi-Fi you would then need to repeat the process but activate WPS for 5GHz Wi-Fi, not 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, on

your router/access point.

For the EW-7238RPD the WPS setup process is the same for 2.4GHz and/or

5GHz Wi-Fi. Whether the extender connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi or 5GHz Wi-Fi is entirely dependent on your router/access point and which of its frequency

bands you activate WPS for.

Note: Please take care not to hold the WPS button for

too long – this may result in inadvertently resetting the extender or router/access point.

Press for two

seconds

1. Press and hold the WPS/Reset button on the wireless router/access point

for the correct length of time (check router/access point’s user manual) to

activate its WPS for 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

2. Within two minutes, press and hold the WPS button on the extender for

two seconds to activate WPS. The WPS LED ( ) will flash slowly to indicate WPS is activated (see LED Status).

3. The devices will establish a connection. When a connection is successful,

the extender’s WPS LED ( ) will display on - and remain on for 5 minutes (see I-3. LED Status).

4. Please wait for 5 minutes until the extender’s WPS LED ( ) is off, and

repeat this process to set up your dual-band extender’s additional second

frequency band. In step 1 please activate WPS on your router/access point for the alternate frequency 2.4GHz or 5GHz depending on which frequency you previously set up.

Note: Please check the instructions for your wireless

router/access point to confirm how long you need to hold down its WPS button to activate WPS for 2.4GHz or 5GHz. Some brands of router/access point may not support WPS for 5Ghz – in this case, please use iQ Setup instead.

II-3. Resetting the Wireless Extender

If you experience problems with your Wi-Fi extender you can reset the extender back to factory default settings. This resets all settings back to default.

To reset the extender, press and hold the WPS/Reset button for 10 seconds until the power LED ( ) is flashing. The extender will re-initialize and the power LED ( ) will display on when the extender is ready (see I-3. LED

Status).

II-4. Connection Problems

If the extender’s 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi is disconnected from its root network, your browser will forward to the page shown below:

The status of the extender will be displayed, please check your WAN connection and ensure that your router/access point is working properly. To

configure the settings of the extender, click “Go to Web Control Panel” at the

top of the screen and you will arrive at the home screen of the browser based configuration interface (see III. Browser Based Configuration Interface).

II-5. Choosing the Best Location for Your Extender

LED

Color

LED Status

Description

Signal Strength

2.4 GHz

Amber

Excellent signal. Signal strength: 60 – 100%.

Slow Flashing

Good signal. Signal strength: 60 – 40%.

Quick Flashing

Poor signal. Signal strength: below 40%.

Off

No signal detected or in LED off mode.

Signal Strength

5 GHz

Amber

Excellent signal. Signal strength: 60 – 100%.

Slow Flashing

Good signal. Signal strength: 60 – 40%.

Quick Flashing

Poor signal. Signal strength: below 40%.

Off

No signal detected or in LED off mode.

The best location to place the Wi-Fi extender is one which is an open space, roughly in the middle between your router and the Wi-Fi dead zone, and where the Wi-Fi extender LED displays “Excellent” signal strength.

Please consider that Wi-Fi performance can be affected by environmental factors such as the thickness and proximity of walls, or interference from other devices such as microwaves or wireless telephones, and choose the location of your extender accordingly.

Windows Vista / 7

Windows 8

III. BROWSER BASED CONFIGURATION INTERFACE

Once you have setup the wireless extender as detailed in II. Quick Setup or the included QIG, you can further configure the settings of the wireless extender or run iQ Setup again using the browser based configuration interface.

To access the browser based configuration interface, enter http://edimax.setup into the URL bar of a web browser on a computer which

is connected to the extender’s Wi-Fi network. You will be prompted for a username and password. The default username is “admin” and the default password is “1234”.

Windows:

Mac:

You will arrive the at Home page, use the menu on the left side of the screen to navigate. You can also change the language using the drop down menu in the top right corner.

- III-1. Home

- III-2. iQ Setup

- III-3. WPS Settings

- III-4. Advanced Settings

III-1. Home

The Home page shows the basic status and information of the wireless extender.

Note: Screenshots shown in this manual are examples.

The information you see on your screen will be unique to your configuration.

System

Uptime

Displays the total passed time since the device was turned on.

Hardware Version

Displays the hardware version.

Firmware Version

Displays the current firmware version. Click “Upgrade

Firmware” to open a new window to upgrade to a new

firmware version.

Mode

Displays the current wireless operating mode.

Wireless Configuration

Specifies which network (2.4GHz or 5GHz) the following values (ESSID – Signal Strength) refer to.

ESSID

Displays the current ESSID (the name used to identify the wireless extender’s Wi-Fi network).

Channel Number

Displays the current wireless channel number. Security

Displays the current wireless security setting.

BSSID (MAC)

Displays the device’s MAC address. A MAC address is a unique, fixed ID for this device which cannot be modified.

Associated Clients

Displays the number of clients connected to the wireless

extender. Click the “Show Active Clients” button to display

active clients in a new window (see below for full description):

Status

Displays the current status of the wireless extender.

Signal Strength

Displays the signal strength for the specified Wi-Fi network.

LAN Configuration

Specifies which network (2.4GHz or 5GHz) the following values (IP Address – Mac Address) refer to.

IP Address

Displays the IP address of this device.

Subnet Mask

Displays the subnet mask of the IP address.

Default Gateway

Displays the IP address of the default gateway.

MAC address

Displays the MAC address of the LAN interface.

Active Wireless Client Table

MAC Address

Displays the MAC address of the wireless client.

Mode

Displays the transmission mode (802.11b, 802.11n or

802.11g).

Tx Packet

Tx (Transmission) packet counter.

Rx Packet

Rx (Received) packet counter.

Tx Rate (Mbps)

Transmission Rate is displayed here in Mbps.

Power Saving

“Yes” or “No” is displayed here according to whether power saving feature is active.

Expired Time (s)

If the wireless client is idle for longer than the expired time, the access point will disassociate with it. When the wireless client becomes active, it will have to re-associate with the access point.

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