If you have not already set up your new router using the installation guide that comes in the box,
this chapter walks you through the hardware setup.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Hardware Features
•Position Your Router
•Cable Your Router
•Verify the Cabling
For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the support website at
http://support.netgear.com.
Firmware updates with new features and bug fixes are made available from time to time at
downloadcenter.netgear.com. Some products can regularly check the site and download new
firmware, or you can check for and download new firmware manually. If the features or behavior
of your product does not match what is described in this guide, you might need to update your
firmware.
6
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Hardware Features
Before you cable your router, take a moment to become familiar with the product label and
the front and back panels. Pay particular attention to the LEDs on the front panel.
Front Panel LEDs
The router front panel has the following status LEDs.
Table 1. Front panel LED descriptions
LEDDescription
Power
Internet
WiFi
Ethernet ports 1–4
• Solid green. The power is on, and the router is ready.
• Blinking green. A
• Off. Power is not supplied to the router.
• Solid green. An IP address was received; the router is ready to transmit data.
• Off. No Ethernet cable is connected between the router and the modem.
• Solid green. The wireless radio is operating.
• Off. The
• Solid green. The Ethernet port has detected a 100 Mbps link with an attached
device.
• Off.
wireless radio is off.
The Ethernet port has not detected a link with an attached device.
firmware update is in progress.
Back Panel
The back panel has the following ports, button, and connector.
Table 2. Back panel port, button, and connector descriptions
Port or ConnectorDescription
Ethernet portsFour local area networks (LAN) Ethernet ports for connecting the router to
your local computers.
Internet portEthernet port for connecting the router to a cable broadband modem or DSL
broadband modem.
AC power connectorAC power connector to connect the power adapter to the router.
WPS/Reset buttonThis button is a WPS and Reset button:
• WPS button to connect computer or WiFi devices to the router’
For more information, see WiFi Connection on page 12.
• Reset button to return the router to its factory settings.
For more information, see Factory Settings on page 76.
Hardware Setup
The Internet port is also referred to as the WAN port.
s network.
7
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Position Your Router
The router lets you access your network anywhere within the operating range of your wireless
network. However, the operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary
significantly depending on the physical placement of your router. For example, the thickness
and number of walls the wireless signal passes through can limit the range.
Additionally, other wireless access points in and around your home might affect your router’s
signal. Wireless access points are routers, repeaters, WiFi range extenders, or any other
device that emits a wireless signal for network access.
To position your router:
1. Place your router near the center of the area where your computers and other devices
operate, and within line of sight to your wireless devices.
2. Make sure that the router is within reach of an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables
for wired computers.
3. Place the router in an elevated location, minimizing the number walls and ceilings between
the router and your other devices.
4. Place the router away from electrical devices such as these:
•Ceiling fans
•Home security systems
•Microwaves
•Computers
•Base of a cordless phone
•2.4 GHz cordless phone
5. Place the router away from large metal surfaces, large glass surfaces, and insulated walls
such as these:
•Solid metal doors
•Aluminum studs
•Fish tanks
•Mirrors
•Brick
•Concrete
To prepare your router for installation:
1. Carefully peel off the protective film covering your router.
2. Place your router in a suitable area for installation (near an AC power outlet and accessible
to the Ethernet cables for your wired computers).
Hardware Setup
8
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Y
t
Cable Your Router
The installation guide that came in the box has more details about installation.The following
illustration shows typical cable connections for a router.
Internet
Ethernet cable
Modem
our router might look different than
he router shown in this diagram.
Figure 1. Router cable connections
To cable your router:
Router
Ethernet cable
(included with some models)
1. Prepare your modem.
Unplug your modem’s power. If it has a battery backup, remove the battery.
2. Connect the modem.
Plug in your modem. Put the battery back in. Then cable the modem to the router’s
Internet port
3. Connect the power adapter cord that came in the package to the power input on the rear
panel of the router and plug it in to an electrical outlet.
The Power LED
lights.
4. Connect a computer or wireless device.
You have two options:
•Connect with W
iFi. To connect with WiFi, use the WiFi network name and password
on the product label.
•Connect with an Ethernet cable. Use an Ethernet cable to connect a computer to
one of the Ethernet LAN ports on the rear panel of the router
Hardware Setup
9
.
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Verify the Cabling
Verify that your router is cabled correctly and the cables are attached securely by checking
the router LEDs:
•The Power LED is lit solid green when the router is turned on.
•The WiFi LED
•The Internet LED
•The Ethernet LEDs (1 through 4)
computers cabled to the router by an Ethernet cable.
For information about troubleshooting with the LEDs, see Troubleshoot with the LEDs on
page 67.
is lit solid green.
is lit solid green.
are lit solid green or solid amber for any
Hardware Setup
10
2. Connect to the Network and
Access the Router
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Connect to the Network
•Types of Logins
•Use a Web Browser to Access the Router
2
11
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Connect to the Network
You can connect to the router’s network through a wired or WiFi connection. If you set up
your computer to use a static IP address, change the settings so that it uses Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
Wired Connection
You can connect your computer to the router using an Ethernet cable and join the router’s
local area network (LAN).
To connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable:
1. Make sure that the router has power (its Power LED is lit).
2. Connect an Ethernet cable to an Ethernet port on your computer.
3. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to one of the numbered Ethernet ports.
Your computer connects to the local area network (LAN). A message might display on
your computer screen to notify you that an Ethernet cable is connected.
WiFi Connection
You can connect to the router’s WiFi network with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) or you can
find and select the WiFi network.
To use WPS to connect to the WiFi network:
1. Make sure that the router has power (its Power LED is lit).
2. Check the WPS instructions for your computer or wireless device.
3. Press the WPS/Reset button on the rear panel of the router.
4. Within two minutes, on your computer or WiFi device, press its WPS button or follow its
instructions for WPS connections.
Your computer or wireless device connects to the WiFi network.
To find and select the WiFi network:
1. Make sure that the router has power (its Power LED is lit).
2. On your computer or wireless device, find and select the WiFi network.
The WiFi network name is on the product label.
3. Join the WiFi network and enter the WiFi password.
The password is on the product label.
Your wireless device connects to the WiFi network.
Connect to the Network and Access the Router
12
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Types of Logins
Separate types of logins have different purposes. It is important that you understand the
difference so that you know which login to use when.
Types of logins:
•Internet service login. The login that logs you in to your Internet service. Your service
provider gave you this login information in a letter or some other way. If you cannot find
this login information, contact your service provider.
•WiFi network login. Your router is preset with a unique wireless network name (SSID)
and password for wireless access. This information is on the product label.
•Router login.This logs you in to the router interface as admin from a web browser.
Use a Web Browser to Access the Router
When you connect to the network (either with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable), you can use a
web browser to access the router to view or change its settings. The first time you access the
router, NETGEAR genie automatically checks to see if your router can connect to your
Internet service.
NETGEAR genie Automatic Internet Setup
You can set up your router with the NETGEAR genie automatically, or you can use the genie
menus and screens to set up your router manually. Before you start the setup process, get
your ISP information and make sure that the computers and devices in the network have the
settings described here.
When your Internet service starts, your Internet service provider (ISP) typically gives you all
the information needed to connect to the Internet. For DSL service, you might need the
following information to set up your router:
•The ISP configuration information for your DSL account
•ISP login name and password
•Fixed or static IP address settings (special deployment by ISP; this setting is rare)
If you cannot locate this information, ask your ISP to provide it. When your Internet
connection is working, you no longer need to launch the ISP login program on your computer
to access the Internet. When you start an Internet application, your router automatically logs
you in.
NETGEAR genie runs on any device with a web browser. Installation and basic setup takes
about 15
minutes to complete.
Connect to the Network and Access the Router
13
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
To use NETGEAR genie to set up your router:
1. Make sure that your computer or wireless device is connected to the router with an
Ethernet cable (wired) or wirelessly with the preset security settings listed on the product
label.
Note: If you want to change the router’s WiFi setting, use a wired connection
to avoid being disconnected when the new WiFi settings take effect.
2. Launch a web browser.
The screen that displays depends on whether you have accessed the router before:
•The first time you set up the Internet connection for your router, the browser goes to
http://www.routerlogin.net, and the NETGEAR genie screen displays.
•If you already used the NETGEAR genie, type http://www.routerlogin.net in the
address field for your browser to display the NETGEAR genie screen.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions.
NETGEAR genie guides you through connecting the router to the Internet.
4. If the browser cannot display the web page, do the following:
•Make sure that the computer is connected to one of the four LAN Ethernet ports or
wirelessly to the router.
•Make sure that the router has full power, and that its Power LED is lit white.
•Close and reopen the browser or clear the browser cache.
•Browse to http://www.routerlogin.net.
•If the computer is set to a static or fixed IP address (this setting is uncommon),
change it to obtain an IP address automatically from the router.
5. If the router does not connect to the Internet, do the following:
a. Review your settings. Make sure that you selected the correct options and typed
everything correctly.
b. Contact your ISP to verify that you have the correct configuration information.
c. Read Chapter 6, Troubleshooting. If problems persist, register your NETGEAR
product and contact NETGEAR technical support.
Log In to the Router
When you first set up your router, NETGEAR genie automatically starts when you launch a
web browser on a computer that is connected to the router. If you want to view or change
settings for the router, you can use genie again.
To log in to the router:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
Connect to the Network and Access the Router
14
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
Connect to the Network and Access the Router
15
3. Specify Your Internet Settings
3
Usually , the quickest way to set up the router to use your Internet connection is to allow the genie
to detect the Internet connection when you first access the router with a web browser. You can
also customize or specify your Internet settings.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Use the Internet Setup Wizard
•Manually Set Up the Internet Connection
•Change the MTU Size
16
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Use the Internet Setup Wizard
You can use the Setup Wizard to detect your Internet settings and automatically set up your
router. The Setup Wizard is not the same as the genie screens that display the first time you
connect to your router to set it up.
To use the Setup Wizard:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. T
ype http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin.
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
4. Select ADV
5. Select the Yes radio button.
If you select No, you are taken to the Internet Setup screen (see Manually Set Up the
Internet Connection ).
6. Click the Next button.
The Setup Wizard searches your Internet connection for servers and protocols to
determine your ISP configuration.
ANCED > Setup Wizard.
The default password is password. The user name and
Specify Your Internet Settings
17
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Manually Set Up the Internet Connection
You can view or change the router’s Internet connection settings.
Specify an Internet Connection Without a Login
To specify the Internet connection settings:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. T
ype http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin.
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
4. Select Internet.
The default password is password. The user name and
You might need
to scroll to view
all the settings.
5. For the Does your Internet connection require a login setting, leave the No radio
button selected.
6. If your Internet connection requires an account name or host name, type it in the Account
Name (If Required) field.
7. If your Internet connection requires a domain name, type it in the Domain Name (If
Required) field.
Specify Your Internet Settings
18
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
For the other sections in this screen, the default settings usually work, but you can
change them.
8. For the Internet IP Address setting, select one of the following radio buttons:
•Get Dynamically from ISP. Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your IP address. Your ISP
automatically assigns these addresses.
•Use Static IP Address. Enter the IP address, IP subnet mask, and the gateway IP
address that your ISP assigned. The gateway is the ISP router to which your router
connects.
9. For the Domain Name Server (DNS) Address setting, select one of the following radio
buttons:
•Get Automatically from ISP. Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your DNS servers. Your
ISP automatically assigns this address.
•Use These DNS Servers. If you know that your ISP requires specific servers, select
this option. Enter the IP address of your ISP’s primary DNS server. If a secondary
DNS server address is available, enter it also.
10. For the Router MAC Address setting, select one of the following radio buttons:
•Use Default Address. Use the default MAC address.
•Use Computer MAC Address. The router captures and uses the MAC address of the
computer that you are now using. You must use the one computer that the ISP allows.
•Use This MAC Address. Enter the MAC address that you want to use.
11. Click the Apply button.
Your settings are saved.
12. Click the Test button to test your Internet connection.
If the NETGEAR website does not display within one minute, see Chapter 6,
T roubleshooting.
Specify an Internet Connection That Uses a Login
To view or change the basic Internet setup:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
Specify Your Internet Settings
19
4. Select Internet.
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
You might need
to scroll to view
all the settings.
5. In the Does your Internet connection require a login section of the screen, select the
Yes radio button.
The screen adjusts.
6. In the Internet Service Provider list, select the encapsulation method PPPoE, PPPoA, or
L2TP.
7. In the Login field, enter the login name your ISP gave you.
This login name is often an email
address.
8. In the Password field, type the password that you use to log in to your Internet service.
9. If your ISP requires a service name, type it in the Service Name (if Required) field.
10. In the Connection Mode drop-down list, select Always
On, Dial on Demand, or Manually
Connect.
11. T
o change the number of minutes until the Internet login times, out, in the Idle Timeout (In
minutes) field, type the number of minutes.
This is how long the router keeps the Internet connection active when no one on the
network is using the Internet connection.
A value of 0 (zero) means never log out.
12. In the Internet IP Address section, select one of the following radio buttons:
•Get Dynamically from ISP.
Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your IP address. Your ISP
automatically assigns these addresses.
•Use Static IP
Address. Enter the IP address, IP subnet mask, and the gateway IP
address that your ISP assigned. The gateway is the ISP router to which your router
connects.
Specify Your Internet Settings
20
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
13. In the Domain Name Server (DNS) Address section, select one of the following radio
buttons:
•Get Automatically from ISP. Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your DNS servers. Your
ISP automatically assigns this address.
•Use These DNS Servers. If you know that your ISP requires specific servers, select
this option. Enter the IP address of your ISP’s primary DNS server. If a secondary
DNS server address is available, enter it also.
14. In the Router MAC Address section of the screen, select one of the following radio buttons:
•Use Default Address. Use the default MAC address.
•Use Computer MAC Address. The router captures and uses the MAC address of the
computer that you are now using. You must use the one computer that the ISP allows.
•Use This MAC Address. Enter the MAC address that you want to use.
15. Click the Apply button.
Your settings are saved.
16. Click the Test button to test your Internet connection.
If the NETGEAR website does not display within one minute, see Chapter 6,
T roubleshooting.
Change the MTU Size
The maximum transmission unit (MTU) is the largest data packet a network device transmits.
When one network device communicates across the Internet with another, the data packets
travel through many devices along the way. If a device in the data path has a lower MTU
setting than the other devices, the data packets must be split or “fragmented” to
accommodate the device with the smallest MTU.
The best MTU setting for NETGEAR equipment is often the default value. In some situations,
changing the value fixes one problem but causes another. Leave the MTU unchanged unless
one of these situations occurs:
•You experience problems connecting to your ISP or other Internet service, and the
technical support of either the ISP or NETGEAR recommends changing the MTU setting.
These web-based applications might require an MTU change:
-A secure website that does not open, or displays only part of a web page
-Yahoo email
-MSN portal
-America Online’s DSL service
•You use VPN and have severe performance problems.
•You used a program to optimize MTU for performance reasons, and now you have
connectivity or performance problems.
Specify Your Internet Settings
21
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
Note: An incorrect MTU setting can cause Internet communication
problems. For example, you might not be able to access certain
websites, frames within websites, secure login pages, or FTP or POP
servers.
To change the MTU size:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. T
ype http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin.
The default password is password. The user name and
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
4. Select ADV
ANCED > Setup > WAN Setup.
5. In the MTU Size field, enter a value from 64 to 1500.
6. Click the Apply button.
Your change is saved.
If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU to 1400. If you are
willing to experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU from the maximum value of 1500
Specify Your Internet Settings
22
N150 and N300 Wireless Routers
until the problem goes away. The following table describes common MTU sizes and
applications.
Table 3. Common MTU sizes
MTUApplication
1500The largest Ethernet packet size. This setting is typical for connections that do not use
1492Used in PPPoE environments.
1472Maximum size to use for pinging. (Larger packets are fragmented.)
1468Used in some DHCP environments.
1460Usable by AOL if you do not have large email attachments, for example.
1436Used in PPTP environments or with VPN.
1400Maximum size for AOL DSL.
576Typical value to connect to dial-up ISPs.
PPPoE or VPN, and is the default value for NETGEAR routers, adapters, and switches.
Specify Your Internet Settings
23
4. Networking
This chapter includes the following sections:
•View or Change WAN Settings
•Set Up a Default DMZ Server
•Change the Router’s Device Name
•Change the LAN TCP/IP Settings
•Specify the IP Addresses that the Router Assigns
•Disable the DHCP Server Feature in the Router
•Reserve LAN IP Addresses
•Use the WPS Wizard for WiFi Connections
•Specify Basic WiFi Settings
•Change the WiFi Security Option
•Set Up a Guest Network
•Control the Wireless Radio
•Set Up a Wireless Schedule
•Set up a Wireless Access List
•Specify WPS Settings
•Wireless Distribution System
•Static Routes
•View Devices Currently on the Network
•Improve Network Connections with Universal Plug and Play
4
24
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