NETGEAR Wireless Router User Manual

Wireless Router Setup Manual

NETGEAR, Inc.

4500 Great America Parkway Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA

November 2007 208-10148-01 v1.0

Trademarks

NETGEAR and the NETGEAR logo are registered trademarks, and RangeMax and Smart Wizard are trademarks of NETGEAR. Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.

Statement of Conditions

In the interest of improving internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes to the products described in this document without notice.

NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur due to the use or application of the product(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router................................................................................1

Unpacking Your New Wireless Router .......................................... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ..1

What You Need Before You Begin .....................................................................................8

Updating Your Router Firmware ............ ... .........................................................................9

Two Setup Methods: Smart Wizard Setup or Manual Setup .............................................9

Smart Wizard Setup ..........................................................................................................9

Manual Setup ..................................................................................................................10

Product Registration, Support, and Documentation ........................................................15

Accessing the Wireless Router after Installation and Checking for New Firmware .........16

Setting Up and Testing Basic Wireless Connectivity .......................................................18

Implementing Appropriate Wireless Security ...................................................................20

Help with Troubleshoot ing..................................................................................................21

Basic Troubleshooting .....................................................................................................21

Troubleshooting Connectivity Using the Ping Utility ........................................................26

Default Configuration ..........................................................................................................29

Default Configuration Settings .........................................................................................29

Restoring the Default Password and Configuration Settings .............. .... ... ... ... ................32

Related Documents..............................................................................................................33

Contents iii

iv Contents

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR® RangeMax™ Dual Band Wireless-N Router WNDR3300.

Before you begin installing your router, check the package contents (see Unpacking Your New

Wireless Router). Become familiar with the front and back panels of your router—especially the

status lights—and the important information on the router label (see “Bottom Label” on page 8).

Unpacking Your New Wireless Router

The product package should contain the following items:

• The wireless router

• A snap-on stand for your wireless router

• An AC power adapter (varies by region)

• A yellow Ethernet cable

•The Resource CD, which includes: – The Smart Wizard™ Installation Assistant (Autorun.exe)

– A PDF version of this manual – A link to the online Reference Manual

• Warranty and Support Information cards

If any of the parts are incorrect, missing, or damaged, contact your NETGEAR dealer. Keep the carton, including the original packing materials, in case you need to return the product for repair.

To prepare your router for installation:

Carefully peel off the protective film covering the sides of your router.

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Set up your wireless router by inserting the router into the stand supplied with your router.

Figure 1

3. Place your router in an area suitable for installation (near an AC power outlet and accessible to

the Ethernet cables for your wired computers).

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Router Front Panel

Figure 2

You can use the status lights on the front of the wireless router to verify various conditions.

Table 1. Status Light Descriptions

Item Function Activity Description

Power On green solid Power is supplied to the router.

Blinking The unit is starting up, or the restore factory settings button is being

pushed to restore the factory default settings.

Off Power is not supplied to the router.

2.4 GHz Mode

5 GHz Mode

On amber

On green

Blinking Data is being communicated over the wireless network. On blue

Off 1 1n mode at 5 GHz is off

Blinking Data is being communicated over the wireless network.

The unit is operating in Legacy G mode at 2.4 GHz (5 GHz Mode [item 3] is also on).

The unit is operating in 11n mode at 2.4 GHz (5 GHz Mode [item 3] is off).

The unit is operating in 11n mode at 5 GHz (2.4 GHz Mode [item 2] is also on, amber).

(2.4 GHz Mode [item 2] is on, green).

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Table 1. Status Light Descriptions (continued)

Item Function Activity Description

Internet Amber off No Ethernet cable is connected to the modem.

Amber on The Ethernet cable connection to the modem is good. Amber blinking Packets are being transmitted and received from a modem or other

network device, but no IP address has been received. Green off No IP address has been received. On IP address has been received. Blinking IP address has been received, and data is being transmitted and

received.

LAN Green The LAN port has detected a 100 Mbps link with an attached device.

Amber The LAN port has detected a 10 Mbps link with an attached device.

a. On amber (default setting) signifies a 5 GHz interference-free Wireless-N and legacy 2.4 GHz 802.11g network. NETGEAR

recommends this if you have Dual Band clients (Dual Band Wireless-N laptops, Dual Band Wireless-N adapters) and/or 802.11 b/g laptops to connect.

b. On green signifies a 2.4 GHz Wireless-N network. NETGEAR recommends this if you have only 2.4 GHz Wir eless-N clients

(most adapters are 2.4 GHz, if not specified as Dual Band) AND/OR 802.11 b/g laptops to connect.

c. On blue signifies a 5 GHz interference-free nework.

For more information on modes, see “To change modes if you notice interference:” on

page 19, and the online Reference Manual, available on the Resource CD.

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Router Back Panel

The rear panel of the WNDR3300 router contains the items in the list that follows the figure.

4132

Figure 3

The back of the wireless router includes:

1. Four local (LAN) 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports for connecting the router to local computers

2. Internet (WAN) Ethernet port for connecting the router to a cable or DSL modem

3. Restore factory settings button

4. AC power adapter outlet

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Top Panel

Figure 4

The top of the wireless router includes a dome that performs two functions:

1. Antenna display lights. The lights identify the activity of the eight internal antennas, flash ing

to show which combination of antennas is receiving the strongest signals. These status lights are off by default but can be turned on.

To turn the antenna display lights on or off:

a. Push the dome for less than 2 seconds, then release. If lights are off, they will turn on. b. Push the dome for less than 2 seconds, then release. If lights are on, they will turn off.

2. Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). The dome acts as a push-button for the router to enable WPS

security with other WPS-enabled devices. Pushing on the dome for over 5 seconds opens a 2minute window for the router to connect with other WPS-enabled devices.

Before using these WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) push-button procedures, verify that your device (a notebook, adapter, or other device) supports WPS. If you d o not have any other WPS-enabled devices, there is no need to open the 2 minute period when security will be disabled, or to configure your router security for WPS.

To connect to another device using WPS:

a. Open the networking utility of the device that supports WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) and

follow the utility’s instructions for when to proceed to step b.

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Push the wireless router’s dome for 5 seconds, then release. The dome lights should begin

to blink.

While the router is in WPS enable mode (a maximum of 2 minutes), wireless security is not enabled. Indoors, computers can connect over wireless networks at a range of several hundred feet. Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can extend beyond your walls, and anyone with a compatible adapter can receive them, allowing others outside your immediate area to access your network. For more information about security, see the Reference Manual that is available from a link on the Resource CD as well as a link in the main menu of your router.

c. While the dome lights are blinking, you have 2 minutes to enable WPS on the devic e you

are trying to connect with the router. The blinking ceases when one of these two conditions occurs:

– WPS is enabled between the router and the other device you are connecting to. – The 2-minute window period expires for establishing a WPS connection. Whether or

not a connection is established, your router security and SSID (service set identification key) are now configured for WPS.

The lights return to off or antenna display, depending on how you have set them.

d. If after enabling WPS you need to connect a device that does not include WPS

functionality, you will need to first log in to the router and obtain the security key. For more information, refer to “Accessing the Wireless Router after Installation and Checking

for New Firmware” on page 16, and the online Reference Manual, available as a link on

the Resource CD.

e. If you want to disable WPS, you have to reset your router to factory default settings. For

information about resetting to the default settings, see “Restoring the Default Password

and Configuration Settings” on page 32.

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Bottom Label

View the label on the bottom of the wireless router to identify the serial number, port connectors, status lights, and default login information.

Figure 5

What You Need Before You Begin

Prepare the following before you set up your router:

• Internet service.

• The configuration information your Internet Service Provider (ISP) gave you. Depending on how your Internet account was set up, you might need one or more of these settings for the wireless router to access the Internet:

– Host and domain names – Internet login name and password (frequently an e-mail address and password) – Domain Name Server (DNS) addresses – Fixed or static IP address Your ISP should have provided you with all the information needed to connect to the Internet.

If you cannot locate this information, you can ask your ISP to provide it.

• For cable modem service, use the computer you first used to set up your Internet service.

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