For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the suppo
http://suppo
Firmware updates with new features and bug fixes are made available from time to time a
http://d
new firmware, or you can check for and do
behavior of your product does not match what is described in this guide, you might need to
update your firmware.
rt.netgear.com.
ownloadcenter.netgear.com. Some products can regularly check the site and download
wnload new firmware manually. If the features or
rt website at
t
5
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
WPS
WiFi On/O
Access point
Ethernet cable
Power adapter
System Requirements
Before installing the access point, make sure that your system includes the following:
•A 10/100/1000 Mbp
s local area network device such as a hub or switch
•The Category 5 UTP straight-through Ethernet cable with RJ-45 connector included in the
ckage, or one like it
pa
•A 100–120 V, 50–60 Hz AC power source
•A web browser for configuration
•At lea
st one computer with the TCP/IP protocol installed
•802.11b/g-compliant or 802.11b/g-compliant devices
Unpack Your Access Point
Your package contains the following items.
Figure 1. Package contents
Your box contains the following items:
•802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
•AC power adapter (plug varies by region)
•Category 5 (Cat 5) Ethernet cab
•Installation guide with cabling and access point se
le
tup instructions
If any parts are incorrect, missing, or damaged, contact your NETGEAR dealer.
Hardware Setup
6
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
WPS
WiFi On/O
LEDs
WiFi On/Off button
WPS button
Front and Side View
The status LEDs and icons on the front and side panels are shown in the following figure.
Figure 2. Front and side view
LEDs and Buttons
The LEDs on the wireless access point light to indicate wireless access point activity:
Table 1. LEDs
LEDDescription
Power
Activity
• Off. Power is off.
• Green. Power
• Amber. A self-test is running. During startup the LED is amber, then blinking
green before turning steady green after 45 seconds. If the LED is amber or
continues blinking green after one minute, a system fault exists.
• Off. No Ethernet traffic is detected.
• Green or blinking green. Etherne
in on.
t traffic is detected.
Hardware Setup
7
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
LAN
Power On/Off
Power connector
port
Reset
button
Table 1. LEDs (continued)
LEDDescription
LAN
• Off. No link is detected.
• Green. A 1000
• Amber. A 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps link is detected.
Mbps link is detected.
WiFi
• Off. Both the 2.4G and 5G radios are off.
• Green. The
• Blinking green. Wireless activity of 2.4G or 5G is detected.
• Slow blinking green. W
2.4G, 5G, or both radios are ready.
PS is enabled.
The WiFi and WPS buttons toggle the WiFi and WPS functions on and off, as follows:
•WiFi On/Off button. Pressing
and holding this button for two seconds turns the 2.4 GHz
and 5 GHz wireless radios on or off. If the WiFi LED is lit, the wireless radios are on. If this
LED is off, the wireless radios are turned off and you cannot connect wirelessly to the
access point.
•WPS button. You can
use this button to use WPS to add a wireless device or computer
to your wireless network. The WiFi LED blinks slowly, green for three seconds, then off for
three seconds, when the access point is trying to add the wireless device or computer.
Rear View
The buttons and connections on the back panel are shown in the following figure.
Figure 3. Rear view
Pressing the Reset button restores the factory settings. See Factory Settings on page 66.
Hardware Setup
8
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
Serial number andPreset WiFi
Default access information
passwordMAC address
Label
The label on the access point shows the login information, MAC address, and serial number.
Figure 4. The label shows unique information about your router
Hardware Setup
9
2. Initial Setup
This chapter covers the following topics:
•Install the Access Point
•Connect to the Access Point and Log In
•Specify the Access Point Name and Location
•Set the Time
•Configure the Basic IP Settings
•Set Up and Test Wireless Connectivity
•QoS Settings
•Deploy the Access Point
2
10
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
1 2 3 4
Install the Access Point
Make sure that your Internet service is active before you install your access point.
To install your access point:
1. Prepare your network.
Make sure that your modem is cabled only to the wall jack for your Internet service.
2. Connect your devices.
a. Plug in, then turn on your gateway or modem.
b. With an Ethernet cable, connect your gateway or modem to a network switch.
c. Wi
th the Ethernet cable that came with the access point, connect the
network switch
to the LAN port on your access point.
Initial Setup
11
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
3. Add power to the access point:
a. Connect the power adapter to the access point and plug the power adapter into an
outlet.
b. Wait for the Power LED on the front panel to light amber and turn
If no LEDs are lit, press the Power On/Off button o
4. Connect a compute
r.
n the rear panel of the access point.
green.
Initial Setup
12
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
Connect to the Access Point and Log In
You can connect to the access point’s web management interface to view or change its LAN
and wireless access settings.
To connect to the access point:
1. Configure a computer with a static IP address of 192.168.0.210 and a
255.255.255.0.
For help configuring a static IP address on your computer, check the
help that came with that computer.
2. Connect the Ethernet cable to the computer.
3. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the LAN port on the
4. Connect the power adapter to the access point and plug the power ad
outlet.
5. Press the On/Off button
6. On the computer that is connected to the access point, enter http://192.16
address field of a browser.
A login screen displays.
7. Enter admin f
The web management interface of the access point displays.
or the user name and password for the password.
on the access point.
instructions or online
access
apter into a power
subnet mask of
point.
8.0.100 in the
Specify the Access Point Name and Location
You must use a computer that is configured with a static IP address of 192.168.0.210 and a
subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. During initial setup, use a wired Ethernet connection from the
computer to the access point.
To specify the access point name and location:
1. Launch a web browser on the computer that is connected to the access point.
2. Enter http://1
A login prompt displays.
3. Enter the user name and password.
The user name is
92.168.0.100 in the address field of the browser.
admin and t
he default password is password.
Initial Setup
13
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
The General screen displays.
4. In the Access Point Name field, type the access point name.
This unique name is the access point NetBIOS name. The access point name is printed
on the product label of the
represents the last 6 digits of the access point MAC address. You can replace the default
name with a unique name up to 15 characters long.
access point. The default is netgearxxxxxx, where xxxxxxx
5. From
6. Click the Apply
the Country/Region
In the United States this setting cannot be changed. If your country or reg
check with NETGEAR support for the correct selection.
button.
Your settings are saved.
list, select the region where the access point is located.
ion is not listed,
Set the Time
You must use a computer that is configured with a static IP address of 192.168.0.210 and a
subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. During initial setup, use a wired Ethernet connection from the
computer to the access point.
To set the time:
1. Launch a web browser on the computer that is connected to the acc
2. Enter http://192.168.0.
A login prompt displays.
3. Enter the user name and password.
The us
er name is admi
100 in the address field of the browser.
n and the default password is password.
ess point.
The General screen displays.
Initial Setup
14
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
4. Select Configuration > System > Basic > Time.
5. Adjust the following fields:
•Time Zone. F
is USA-Pacific. The access point gets the current time from the connecting computer.
•NTP Client. En
NTP server. The Enable radio button is selected by default.
rom the list, select the local time zone for your access point. The default
able the NTP client to synchronize the time of the access point with an
Note: You n
•Use Custom NTP Server. Select
check box is cleared by default.
•Hostname / IP Address. Enter the ho
server. The default is time-b.netgear.com.
6. Click the Apply
Your settings are saved.
eed an Internet connection to get the current time using an NTP
client.
this check box if you use a custom NTP server. The
st name or the IP address of the custom NTP
button.
Configure the Basic IP Settings
The default settings work in most cases. However, if your access point is part of a more
complex LAN network, modify these settings to meet the requirements of your network.
You must use a computer that is configured with a static IP addre
subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. During initial setup, use a wired Ethernet connection from the
computer to the access point.
To configure the basic IP settings:
ss of 192
.168.0.210 and a
1. Launch a web browser on the computer that is connected to the access point.
2. Enter http
A login prompt displays.
3. Enter the user name and password.
The user name is
92.168.0.100 in the address field of the browser.
://1
admin and t
he default password is password.
Initial Setup
15
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
The General screen displays.
4. Select Configuration > IP.
The IP Settings screen displays.
5. If necessary, specify the following settings:
•DHCP Client. By default, the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client is
disabled. If your L
AN includes a DHCP server and you enable DHCP, the access
point gets its IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway settings automatically
from the DHCP server on your network when you connect the access point to your
LAN.
•IP Address. The IP address of your access p
oint. The default IP address is
192.168.0.100. To change it, enter an unused IP address from the address range
used on your LAN, or enable DHCP.
•IP Subnet Mask. The access point
calculates the subnet mask based on the IP
address that you assign. Otherwise, you can use 255.255.255.0 (the default) as the
subnet mask.
•Default Gateway. The IP address o
f the gateway for your LAN. For more complex
networks, enter the address of the router for the network segment to which the access
point is connected. The default is 0.0.0.0.
•Pri
mary DNS Server. The IP address for
the primary Domain Name Server used by
stations on your LAN. The default is 0.0.0.0.
•Secondary DNS Server.Th
e IP address for the secondary Domain Name Server
used by stations on your LAN. The default is 0.0.0.0.
6. Click the Apply
button.
Your settings are saved.
If you changed the subnet of the LAN IP address, you are disconnected from the access
point user interface
. To reconnect, reconfigure your computer with a static IP address within
the new LAN IP subnet.
Initial Setup
16
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
Set Up and Test Wireless Connectivity
This section covers the following topics:
•Basic Wireless Settings
•Wireless On-Off Schedule
•Wireless Security Options
•Wireless Security Profiles
•MAC Authentication
•Connect Stations to the Wireless Access Point
You must use a computer that is configured with a static IP addre
subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. During initial setup, use a wired Ethernet connection from the
computer to the access point.
ss of 192
.168.0.210 and a
Basic Wireless Settings
To configure the basic wireless settings:
1. Launch a web browser on the computer that is connected to the access point.
2. Enter http://1
A login prompt displays.
3. Enter the user name and password.
The user name is
The General screen displays.
92.168.0.100 in the address field of the browser.
admin and t
he default password is password.
4. Select Configuration > System.
5. Verify that the correct country or region is selected.
6. If you changed the setting, click the Appl
Your settings are saved.
y button.
Initial Setup
17
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
7. Select Configuration > Wireless.
Change any of the default settings that you want to change.
8. Select a Wi
•11b. All 802.11b wireless stations can
reless Mode radio button:
be used. (The 802.11g wireless stations can
still be used if they can operate in 802.11b mode.)
•11bg. Both 802.11b and 802.11g wireless stations can be used.
•11ng. All 11b, 11g, and 11ng wireless stations can be used. This is th
select this option, then two additional lists, Channel Width and Guard Interval,
display.
Note: If you select a wireless mode option and other settings on this s
are disabled, then you must select the Turn Radio On check box to
enable options on this screen.
9. Select the Tu
rn Radio On check box.
This check box is selected by default. You can also turn off the radio to disable
through this device. This can be helpful for configuration, network tuning, or
troubleshooting activities. The following information displays:
h St
•RF Switc
atus. This field displays the status of the hardware RF switch that is
available on the access point. When the RF switch is enabled, this field shows ON in
green. When the RF switch is disabled, it shows OFF in red and users cannot change
any wireless parameter.
•Wireless On-Off Status. T
his field displays the status of the Wireless On-Off feature.
When this feature is enabled, this field shows ON in green and users cannot change
the radio status. When this feature is disabled, it shows OFF in red.
e defau
creen
lt. If you
access
For information about how to turn the wireless radio on and off accor
see Wireless On-Off Schedule on page 20.
Enter a wireless network name in the Wi
10.
reless Network Name (SSID) field.
This is the name of your wireless network. It is set to the default name
for 802.11a/n devices and NETGEAR_11ng for 802.11b/g/n devices.
Initial Setup
18
ding to a sched
ule,
of NETGEAR_11a
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
Note: The SSID of any wireless client must match the SSID you configured
in the access point. If they do not match, you cannot get a wireless
connection.
11. Select the Broadcast Wireless Network Name (SSID) Ye
If you disable broadcast of the SSID, only devices that use the c
s radio button.
orrect SSID can connect.
This nullifies the wireless network discovery feature of some products such as Windows
XP, but the data is still fully exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test
equipment like wireless sniffers. By default, the Yes radio button is selected.
12. Ensure that the Auto
is selected in the Channel / Frequency list. This feature selects a
channel that ensures the least interference.
You do not need to change the wireless channel unless you notice interferen
ce or are
near another wireless access point. Select a channel that is not being used by any other
wireless networks within several hundred feet of your access point.
The wireless channel in use can be from 1 to 11 for the United St
ates and Canada, or 1 to
13 for Europe and Australia. The default is Auto.
Do not change the wireless channel unless you experience interferen
ce (shown b
connections or slow data transfers). If this happens, you might need to experiment with
different channels to see which is the best. If you select the Auto channel option, the
access point automatically picks the channel with the least interference. When selecting
or changing channels, bear these points in mind:
oint
•Access p
s use a fixed channel. You can select the channel used. This allows you
to select a channel that provides the least interference and best performance. In the
United States and Canada, 11 channels are available.
•If you are using multiple access points, it is better if adjacent access p
oints use
different channels to reduce interference. NETGEAR recommends channel spacing
between adjacent access points of 5 channels (for example, use Channels 1 and 6, or
6 and 11).
y lost
•Wireless stations usually scan all ch
annels, looking for an access point. If more than
one access point can be used, the one with the strongest signal is used. This can
happen only when the access points use the same SSID.
Note: If you want to use wireless bridging and repeating, you must select a
specific channel for your network. For more information, see Wireless
Bridging and Repeating on page
13. From the list, select the MCS
Index/Data Rate.
You can select the transmit data rate of the wireless network. Depending on
39.
the band
selected, the set of rates varies. (When the auto channel is enabled in the 802.11ng
mode, then the default channel width mode is 20 MHz. In this case, you cannot modify
this parameter unless you change to a static channel.) For the possible supported data
rates, see Technical Specifications on p
14. From the list, select the Channel
Width.
age 70.
Initial Setup
19
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
Select the available channel width of the access point. A wider channel improves the
performance, but some legacy devices can operate only on either 20 MHz or 40 MHz.
The following channel width options are available:
•20 MHz. This is the st
•40 MHz. This is the st
atic, legacy mode. It gives the least throughput.
atic, high-throughput mode. Legacy clients cannot connect in
this mode.
•80 MHz. This setting is available f
•20/40 MHz.
This is the dynamic compatibility mode. Legacy clients can connect to 20
or the 5 GHz band only.
MHz and 11n clients can connect to 40 MHz.
•20/40/80 MHz. This settin
15. From the list, select the Guard
The guard interval protects from interference from other transmissions. Th
g is available for the 5 GHz band only.
Interval.
e default is
Auto.
16. From
the list, select the Output
This is the transmit power of the access point. The options are Full,
Power.
Half, Quarter, Eighth,
and Minimum. Decrease the transmit power if two or more access points are close
together and use the same channel frequency. The default is Full. The transmit power
might vary depending on the local regulatory regulations.
17. Click the Appl
y button.
Your settings are saved.
18. Configure and test your remaining wireless clients for wireless
connectivity.
Check that they are connected wirelessly and can
obtain an IP address by DHCP from
the access point. Then you can configure the wireless security.
Wireless On-Off Schedule
If you do not want the wireless radio on all the time, you can turn the wireless radio on and off
according to a schedule.
To configure the wireless on-off schedule:
1. Launch a web browser on the computer that is connected to the ac
5. To enable the wireless on-off schedule, select the Wireless On-Off On radio button.
To disable the schedule, select the Off radio button.
6. To
select the days of the week when you want the wireless radio t
off schedule check boxes that correspond to those radio-off days.
7. To select the time of day when the wireless radio is to turn on, in the Radio
enter the hour and minute.
8. To select the time of day when the wireless radio is to turn off,
enter the hour and minute.
9. Click the Apply
Your settings are saved.
button.
o be off, select the Radio
ON Time field,
in the Radio OFF Time field,
Wireless Security Options
Anyone with a compatible wireless adapter can receive your wireless data transmissions well
beyond your walls. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment. The
access point provides highly effective security features, which are covered in detail in this
chapter. Deploy the security features appropriate for your needs.
You can enhance the security of your wireless network in several ways:
•Use
the WPA2 or WPA security option. A security option is the type of
applied to your wireless network. The security protocol encrypts data transmissions and
ensures that only trusted devices receive authorization to connect to your network.
Several types of encryption are available: Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2), WPA, and
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
security protocol
-WPA2 is the latest and most secure. NETGEAR recommends that you u
if your equipment supports it.
Initial Setup
21
se this option
802.11ac Wireless Access Point Model WAC120
-WEP and TKIP provide only legacy (slower) rates of operation. NETGEAR
recommends AES encryption so that you can use the 11n rates and speed.
For more information, see Wireless Security Profiles on p
•Connect st
window of two minutes for a WPS-capable wireless client to join your network. Once the
connection is made, the intruder can learn your wireless security settings and rejoin your
network at a later time. For more information, see Connect Stations to the Wireless
Access Point on page 26.
•Keep watch over your wire
are allowed to connect to your access point and make sure that all of them are legitimate.
For more information, see View Available Wireless Stations on page 57.
•Change the login
intruder can more easily figure out how to log in to the management interface of the
access point and change the settings. For more information, see Change the admin
Password on p
Note: For additional wireless security, you can change the default network
•Turn off the wireless radio. Durin
wireless radio. For more information, see Wireless On-Off Schedule on page 20
•Turn off the broadcast of the wireless network name (SSID). If you disable broadcast
of the
wireless network discovery feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data is
still fully exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless
sniffers. For more information, see Wireless Security Profiles on p
•Restrict access b
computers so that unknown computers cannot connect wirelessly to the access point.
MAC address filtering adds an obstacle against unwanted access to your network. For
more information, see MAC Authentication on p
ations manually. When you initiate a WPS connection, you provide a short
less network. Regularly monitor the wireless stations that
password regularly. When you use the default login password, an
age 49.
key regularly. But whenever you change the network key, you must
reconnect all of the wireless devices. For more information, see
Wireless Security Profiles on page 22.
g the hours when your offices are closed, turn off the
SSID, only devices that use the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the
ased on MAC address. You can restrict access to only trusted
age 24.
age 22
.
.
age 22.
Wireless Security Profiles
Details of each wireless network are contained in a security profile. You can edit up to eight
security profiles for each SSID. Each security profile contains the following information:
•Pro
•SSID. This is the current SSID associated with this profile.
•Security. This is the curre
file name. This is the unique profile name. This value can be up to 32 alphanu
characters.
nt security standard, such as WPA-PSK, associated with the
profile.
Initial Setup
22
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