Edimax Technology Co 9574361310 User Manual

EW-7438RPn Air

User Manual

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Product Information

I-1. Package Contents

- EW-7438RPn Air

- CD with multi-language QIG & user manual

- Quick installation guide (QIG)

- Access key card

I-2. System Requirements

- Wi-Fi extender/Wi-Fi bridge mode: Existing 2.4GHz wireless network

- Access point mode: Cable/DSL modem

- Computer with 2.4GHz 802.11/b/g/n Wi-Fi adapter, and web browser for

software configuration (Internet Explorer 8® or above, Google Chrome®,
Firefox® or Safari® latest version)

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I-3. 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 device is designed for indoor use only; do not place it outdoors.

2. Do not place the device 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
EW-7438RPn Air.

4. Handle the device with care. Accidental damage will void the warranty of
the device.

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

6. Do not place the device on paper, cloth, or other flammable materials. The
device may become hot during use.

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

8. The device 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 EW-7438RPn Air then
unplug the device immediately, as far as it is safely possible to do so. Call
your dealer of purchase for help.

10. This product should work for a long time, and provide round-the-clock
Wi-Fi service.

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I. Installation

1. Plug the EW-7438RPn Air into a power socket and switch it on.

2. The red power LED will flash while the system is booting up. The device is

ready when the red power LED displays on.

3. Use a Wi-Fi device (e.g. computer, tablet, smartphone) to search for a

Wi-Fi network with the SSID “EdimaxEXT.Setup” and connect to it.

If you are using a computer, please disconnect any Ethernet
cables. For mobile devices, iOS 4.3 or Android 4.x or above is
required.

The last two characters of the SSID (EdimaxEXT.Setup**) will be
unique numbers according to your device e.g.”EdimaxEXT.Setup
c1”. Your unique SSID is displayed on the product label along with
the included access key card.

4. Open a web browser and if you do not automatically arrive at the “Get

Started” screen shown below, enter the URL http://edimaxext.setup and

click “Get Started” to begin the setup process.

If you cannot access http://edimaxext.setup, please make sure
your computer is set to use a dynamic IP address. For more
information please refer to VII-1. Configuring your IP address.

5. Select an operating mode for your EW-7438RPn Air and follow the

on-screen instructions for your selected mode to complete setup. Refer to
the appropriate chapter for more guidance on setup for each mode.

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II-1. Wi-Fi Extender Mode

1. Select your Wi-Fi network from the list and enter the security

key/password. You can also enter a new Wi-Fi network name (SSID) if you
wish. Click “Next” to continue.

By default, the Wi-Fi extender’s new wireless network name
( SSID) is your existing router/access point’s SSID + _2EX. For

example if your router’s SSID is “Your SSID” then the EW-7438RPn
Air ’s SSID will be “Your SSID_2EX”. You can change your
extender’s new SSID in the “Extender Device SSID” field.

If the Wi-Fi network you wish to connect to does not appear, try
clicking “Refresh”.

Do not check “Connect to a hidden network” unless you wish to
connect to a hidden SSID instead.

2. Please wait while the EW-7438RPn Air tests the connection.

If your Wi-Fi extender cannot obtain an IP address (below) from
your existing router/access point then click the “Static IP” button
to assign an IP address to the extender. For more guidance please
refer to the VII-1. Configuring your IP address.

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3. When the connection test is complete, click “Apply” to restart the

extender.

4. Please wait a moment until the extender is ready.

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5. A final congratulations screen will indicate that setup is complete. The

EW-7438RPn Air is working and ready for use - the Blue signal strength LED
should display on or flash depending on your signal strength.

6. Please close the browser window. You can now connect to the extender’s

new SSID on a wireless device within range such as a computer,
smartphone or tablet. Do not connect to your router’s SSID instead!

The password for your Wi-Fi extender’s SSID is the same as for
your router’s SSID.

For more advanced configurations, use the browser based
configuration interface (refer to III. Browser Based

Configuration Interface).

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II-4. WPS Setup

The WPS button is a quick and easy method to establish a secure connection
between your EW-7438RPn Air and wireless router/access point.

If your wireless device supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) then you can use
this method to setup the EW-7438RPn Air in extender mode, instead of the
setup wizard described in II. Installation.

Please do not hold the WPS button for too long – this may reset
your device.

1. Press the WPS button on your wireless router/access point for the correct

length of time to activate its WPS.

Please check the instructions for your wireless device for how long
you need to hold down its WPS button to activate WPS.

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2. Within two minutes, press the WPS button on the EW-7438RPn Air for 2 –

Press for two

seconds

5 seconds to activate WPS. The green WPS LED will flash to indicate that
WPS is active.

3. The devices will establish a connection. The green WPS LED on the

EW-7438RPn Air will display on for 30 second then reboot device once.

4. After WPS connection is sucessful, you can see the Blue signal strength

LED should display on or flash depending on your signal strength.

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II-5. Reset to Factory Default Settings

If you experience problems with your extender or if you want to change the
extender to a different operating mode, you can reset the device back to its
factory settings. This resets all settings back to default.

1. Press and hold the WPS/Reset button for at least 10 seconds until the red

power LED is flashing.

2. Wait for the extender to restart. The extender is ready for setup when the

red power LED displays on.

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II. Browser Based Configuration Interface

After you have setup the EW-7438RPn Air as detailed in II. Installation or the
included Quick Installation Guide, you can use the browser based
configuration interface to configure advanced settings.

Please ensure that your computer is set to use a dynamic IP
address. Refer to VII-1. Configuring your IP address for more
information.

III-1. Login

1. To access the browser based configuration interface enter

http://edimaxext.setup into the URL bar of a browser on a network device
connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the EW-7438RPn Air.

2. You will be prompted for a username and password. The default

username is “admin” and the default password is “1234”.

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3. You will arrive at the “Status and Information” screen. Use the menu

down the left side to navigate.

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Uptime

Displays the total time since the device was
turned on.

III. Extender Mode

IV-1. Home

The “Status” page displays basic system information
about the device, arranged into three categories:

system, wireless configuration & LAN configuration.

Screenshots displayed are examples.The information shown on
your screen will vary depending on your configuration.

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Hardware Version

Displays the hardware version.

Firmware Version

Displays the firmware version.

Mode

Displays the operating mode.

ESSID

Displays the EW-7438RPn Air’s ESSID,
sometimes also known as SSID. The
ESSID/SSID is the name used to identify a
wireless network.

Channel Number

Displays the current wireless channel number.

Security

Displays the current wireless security setting.

BSSID (MAC)

Displays the device’s BSSID. The BSSID
identifies the EW-7438RPn Air in the network,
and is the same as the device’s MAC address.

Associated Clients

Displays the number of clients connected to
the EW-7438RPn Air. Click “Show Active
Clients” to display a new window showing
information about wireless clients.

Status

Displays the current connection status of the
EW-7438RPn Air.

Signal Strength

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

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 device’s MAC address. The MAC
address is a unique, fixed ID for this device, it
cannot be modified.

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IV-2. iQ Setup

You can run the setup wizard again to reconfigure the
basic settings of the device. Please refer to II-1. Wi-Fi

Extender Mode Step 2 onwards for guidance.

If you wish to change the operating mode, please reset the
EW-7438RPn Air back to factory default settings.

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IV-3. WPS Settings

WPS Status

Displays “Configured” or “unConfigured”

depending on whether WPS and SSID/security
settings for the device have been configured or
not, either manually or using the WPS button.

Self PIN Code

Displays the WPS PIN code of the device.

Configuration
Mode

The configuration mode of the device’s WPS
setting is displayed here. “Registrar” means

the device acts as an access point for a wireless
client to connect to and the wireless client(s)
will follow the device’s wireless settings.

Configure via Push
Button

Click “Start PBC” (Push-Button Configuration)
to activate WPS on the access point. WPS will
be active for 2 minutes.

Input Client PIN
Code

Enter the wireless client’s PIN code here and
click “Start PIN” to activate PIN code WPS.
Refer to your wireless client’s documentation if

you are unsure of its PIN code.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a simple way to establish

connections between WPS compatible devices. When
WPS is activated in the correct manner and at the correct time for two
compatible devices, they will automatically connect. PIN code WPS includes
the use of a PIN code between the two devices for verification.

The WPS Settings page displays settings for WPS between your extender and a

wireless client. For WPS Setup between your extender and router/access
point, please use the WPS button as described in II-4. WPS Setup.

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IV-4. Wireless Advanced

Tx Power

You can adjust the level of wireless output
power as a percentage. Depending on the size
of your location and required coverage, you
may not require 100% output power.
Reducing the output power can enhance
security since your Wi-Fi signal will not extend
to potential malicious/unknown users in
distant areas.

Enable LED Off
Mode

Check this box to enable “LED Off Mode”
which allows you to select “Turn off all LED

indicators” or “Turn off all LED indicators
except the power LED” accordingly.

In “Wireless Advanced” you adjust the power output

and LED operation of the EW-7438RPn Air. The
submenu also allows you to configure security, as well
as various administrative and management functions.

This product should work for a long time, and provide
round-the-clock Wi-Fi service.

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IV-4-1. WLAN 2.4GHz Security

Broadcast SSID

Enable or disable ESSID broadcast. When
enabled, the ESSID will be visible to clients as
an available Wi-Fi network. When disabled,
the ESSID will not be visible as an available
Wi-Fi network to clients – clients must
manually enter the ESSID in order to connect.
A hidden (disabled) ESSID is typically more
secure than a visible (enabled) SSID. WPS
(Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is also disabled when
SSID broadcast is disabled.

Device SSID

This is the name of your Wi-Fi network for
identification, also sometimes referred to as
“SSID”. The SSID can consist of any
combination of up to 32 alphanumerical
characters.

Security Type

The security/encryption type of your
EW-7438RPn Air’s wireless network is
displayed here. The security/encryption type
is the same as your existing router/access
point.

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IV-4-2. Administration Utility

Current Password

Enter your current password.

New Password

Enter your new password.

Confirmed Password

Confirm your new password.

IP Address

Specify an IP address here. This IP address will
be assigned to yourEW-7438RPn Air.

Subnet Mask

Input the subnet mask of the new IP address.

Gateway Address

Input the network’s gateway IP address.

You can change the password used to login to the browser-based
configuration interface here. It is advised to do so for security purposes. You
can also configure the EW-7438RPn Air’s IP address.

Please make a note of the new password. In the event that you
forget the password and are unable to login to the browser
based configuration interface, see II-5. Reset to factory default

settings for how to reset the device.

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IV-4-3. Configuration Tools

Backup Settings

Click “Save” to save the current settings on
your computer as config.bin file.

Restore Settings

Click “Browse” to find a previously saved
config.bin file and then click “Upload” to
replace your current settings.

Restore to Factory
Default

Click “Reset” to restore settings to the factory
default. A pop-up window will appear and ask
you to confirm and enter your log in details.
Enter your username and password and click

“Ok”. See below for more information.

The “Configuration Tools” menu allows you to backup the EW-7438RPn Air’s

settings, restore the settings to a previous version or restore the EW-7438RPn
Air back to its factory default state. You can also upgrade the firmware,
reboot the device and export the system log.

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Upgrade Firmware

Browse

Open a new window to locate and select the
firmware file in your computer.

You can upgrade the system firmware to a more recent version. You can
download the latest firmware from the Edimax website. After the upgrade,
the system will restart.

Do not switch off or disconnect the device during a firmware
upgrade, as this could damage the device. It is recommended that
you use a computer for a firmware upgrade.

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Reboot

Apply

Click “Apply” to reboot the device. A status
bar will indicate the progress of the reboot
and you will see a confirmation screen when
the reboot is complete.

In the event that the router malfunctions or is not responding, then it is
recommended that you restart the device.

Rebooting the EW-7438RPn Air will not affect the current
configuration/settings of the device.

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System Log

Export system log

Click to open a new window and select a
location to save the log file.

You can export the system log to a separate file if you require.

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