NETGEAR WNDR3400-100NAS User Manual

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

NETGEAR, Inc.

350 E. Plumeria Drive San Jose, CA 95134 USA

March 2010 208-10532-03 v1.0

Trademarks

NETGEAR and the NETGEAR logo are registered trademarks, and Smart Wizard is a trademark 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

Hardware Features ............................................................................................................2

Positioning Your Wireless Router ......................................................................................7

Installing Your Wireless Router .........................................................................................8

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

Installing Your Wireless Router Using

Smart Wizard........................................................................................................................10

Installing Your Wireless Router Manually (Advanced and Linux Users)........................13

Connecting Your Wireless Router ...................................................................................13

Verifying Your Connection ...............................................................................................16

Setting Up Your Router for Internet Access ....................................................................17

Configuring Your Wireless Network...................................................................................21

Accessing Your Router After Installation and Checking for New Firmware .....................21

Configuring Your Wireless Settings and Security Options ..............................................23

Testing Basic Wireless Connectivity ................................................................................28

Troubleshooting...................................................................................................................30

Basic Setup Checklist ......................................................................................................30

Checking Basic Router Functions ...................................................................................31

Troubleshooting Login Problems .....................................................................................33

Checking The Internet Service Connection .....................................................................34

Troubleshooting Connectivity Using the Ping Utility ........................................................36

Technical Specifications.....................................................................................................39

Default Configuration Settings .........................................................................................39

Restoring the Default Password and Configuration Settings ...........................................42

Related Documents .............................................................................................................43

Contents iii

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR® N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400.

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

Wireless Router” on page 1). Become familiar with the front and back panels of your router—

especially the LEDs—and the important information on the router label (see “Hardware Features”

on page 2). Then, read the section on “Positioning Your Wireless Router” on page 7 to ensure that

you have selected the best location to install your router.

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

• NETGEAR Installation Guide

• 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

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:

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

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 1

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

2. 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).

Hardware Features

Before you install and connect your router, take a moment to become familiar with the front and back panels of the router—especially the LEDs on the front panel.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 2

N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

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 Solid Amber The unit is starting up after being powered on.

Solid Green The unit startup has completed; the unit is ready. Blinking Green Firmware is corrupted. See “Checking Basic Router Functions” on

page 31 for instructions on restoring your router firmware.

2.4 GHz Mode

5 GHz Mode

Blinking Amber

Off Power is not supplied to the router. Solid Green The unit is operating in 11n mode at 2.4 GHz. Blinking Green Data is being communicated over a wireless network. Off The 11n mode at 2.4 GHz is off. Solid Blue The unit is operating in 11n mode at 5 GHz. Blinking Blue Data is being communicated over the wireless network. Off The 11n mode at 5 GHz is off.

1. Firmware is upgrading.

2. Restore factory settings button pressed; restoring factory default settings.

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Table 1. Status Light Descriptions (continued)

Item Function Activity Description

USB Solid Green The USB device has been accepted by the Router and is ready to be

Fast Blinking Green

Off No USB device is connected, or the “Safely Remove Hardware”

Internet Off No Ethernet cable is connected to the modem.

Solid Amber The Ethernet cable connection to the modem has been detected. Blinking Amber Initializing connection and obtaining an IP address. Solid Green An IP address has been received; ready to transmit data. Blinking Green Data is being transmitted and received.

LAN (Ports 1–4)

Solid Green The LAN port has detected a 100 Mbps link with an attached device. Blinking Green Data is being transmitted at 100 Mbps. Solid Amber The LAN port has detected a 10 Mbps link with an attached device. Blinking Amber Data is being transmitted at 10 Mbps. Off No link is detected on this port.

used. The USB device is in use.

button has been pressed and it is now safe to remove the attached USB device.

For more information on modes, see “Configuring Your Wireless Settings and

Security Options” on page 23, and the online Reference Manual, available on the

Resource CD.

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N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Back Panel

The rear panel of the WNDR3400 router contains the items in the list that follows the figure.

Figure 3

The back of the wireless router includes:

1. AC power adapter outlet

2. Power on/off button

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

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

5. WLAN on/off button

6. Restore factory settings button

7. USB port (backward compatible to USB 1.0/1.1) for attaching a USB storage device

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N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

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, flashing

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

2. Push 'N' Connect (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.

To use the WPS method to implement security, see “Using Push 'N' Connect (WPS) to

Configure Your Wireless Network” on page 26.

To turn the antenna display lights on or off:

1. Push the dome, then release. If lights are off, they will turn on.

2. Push the dome, then release. If lights are on, they will turn off.

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N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

Router 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

Positioning Your Wireless Router

The wireless router lets you access your network from virtually 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 must pass through may limit the range. For best results, place your router:

• Near the center of the area where your computers and other devices will operate, preferably within line of sight to your wireless devices.

• Accessible to an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables for wired computers.

• In an elevated location such as a high shelf, keeping the number of walls and ceilings between the wireless router and your other devices to a minimum.

• Away from electrical devices which are potential sources of interference, such as ceiling fans, home security systems, microwaves, or the base for a cordless phone.

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N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

• Away from any large metal surfaces, such as a solid metal door or aluminum studs. Large expanses of other materials such as glass, insulated walls, fish tanks, mirrors, brick, and concrete can also affect your wireless signal.

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation or an inability to wirelessly connect to the Internet.

Installing Your Wireless Router

To help you set up your router and get on the Internet quickly, the Resource CD contains a Smart Wizard™. The Smart Wizard walks you through the steps required to connect your router, microfilters, and PC(s); configure your wireless settings; and enable wireless security for your network. When you have finished, you will be Internet ready!

If you have a Linux system, you need to use the manual installation method (see

“Installing Your Wireless Router Manually (Advanced and Linux Users)” on page 13).

You can set up your wireless router using one of two methods:

• Smart Wizard Setup: The Smart Wizard setup is available on your Resource CD. See

“Installing Your Wireless Router Using Smart Wizard” on page 10 to use the Smart Wizard.

This is the easiest option. The wizard guides you through the setup process. It automates many of the steps and verifies that the steps have been successfully completed.

Before running the Smart Wizard on a corporate PC to set up your home router, check with your company’s network support staff. Corporate network settings or Virtual Private Network (VPN) client software may conflict with the default settings of a home router. If you are unsure about whether there might be a conflict, use a different computer.

• Manual Setup: If you cannot or prefer not to use the Smart Wizard, see “Installing Your

Wireless Router Manually (Advanced and Linux Users)” on page 13. For example, if you are

connecting to a Linux operating system, or are technically knowledgeable, select this option. If you choose to use this option and install your router manually, for best results, install and set up your router in this order:

1. Install and connect your wireless router to your network (see “Connecting Your Wireless

Router” on page 13).

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N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

2. Set up your wireless router for Internet access (see “Setting Up Your Router for Internet

Access” on page 17).

3. Configure your wireless network and select wireless security settings to protect your

wireless network (see “Configuring Your Wireless Network” on page 21).

Updating Your Router Firmware

NETGEAR is always improving the operability and features included with your router. To make it easy for you to receive the best, most up-to-date features of your router, NETGEAR provides a variety of methods for updating your product.

• The Smart Wizard installation assistant lets you check for and install updates as part of the setup activity.

• The router includes an update feature that lets you check for and install updates. You must be logged in to the router to use this feature (see the Reference Manual for details).

These options are discussed in “Accessing Your Router After Installation and Checking for New

Firmware” on page 21.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 9

Installing Your Wireless Router Using

Smart Wizard

Prepare the following before you set up your router make sure that:

• You are using a PC with either a Mac operating system or a Windows operating system (Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2000, or Windows XP with Service Pack 2); and a wired Ethernet connection, not a wireless connection.

• You have an Internet service connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

• Your PC has a wired Ethernet connection (not a wireless connection).

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

The NETGEAR Smart Wizard takes you through the procedure to connect your router and PC(s). It then helps you to configure your wireless settings and enable wireless security for your network. The Smart Wizard guides you through the setup and configuration process by automating many of the steps. At each step in the setup process, the Smart Wizard checks to ensure that the steps you perform are successfully completed.

The wizard setup process takes about 20 minutes to complete.

To set up your router using the Smart Wizard:

1. To start the Smart Wizard:

• For Windows users,

– Insert the Resource CD into your PC. The CD will automatically start and detect the

language you are using on your PC. Select a different language option, if you prefer.

If the CD does not automatically start, browse the CD and double-click on .

– In the CD’s menu, click Setup to start the Smart Wizard.

• For Mac users, double-click the MacWizard program.

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N600 Wireless Dual Band Router WNDR3400 Setup Manual

2. When the Smart Wizard prompts you to Check for Firmware Updates, click Yes to check the

NETGEAR website for new router firmware; or check No to check for updates later (see

“Accessing Your Router After Installation and Checking for New Firmware” on page 21).

3. Follow the instructions and prompts to complete the installation.

The Smart Wizard guides you through installing your router, connecting your router to the Internet, configuring your wireless network settings, and selecting the optimum security protection for your network. If you choose not to select a security option during installation, you can always access the router’s user interface later to select a security option (see “Setting

Your SSID and Wireless Security” on page 24 or “Using Push 'N' Connect (WPS) to Configure Your Wireless Network” on page 26).

To ensure optimum performance of your high-speed wireless router, the wireless adapter card for each computer in your network should support the same technology as your router (see the online User Manual for more information).

At the close of installation:

• For Windows users, the Smart Wizard places a Router_Setup.html file on your

computer’s desktop so that you can view the router settings. It also places the Router Login shortcut on the desktop for you to access the router’s main menu.

• For Mac users, the Smart Wizard places a Router_Setup.pdf file on your desktop. You are now connected to the Internet!

After connecting to the Internet, you can:

• Log in to the router and check for new firmware. Refer to the bottom label for the default login information, or see the steps in “Accessing Your Router After Installation and Checking for

New Firmware” on page 21.

• Set up additional wireless computers in your network for Internet access (see “Configuring

Your Wireless Settings and Security Options” on page 23).

For advanced features not covered in this manual, see the Reference Manual on your Resource CD. A link to the online Reference Manual also is available from the router interface.

The factory default state is restored when you use the restore factory settings button. See “Restoring the Default Password and Configuration Settings” on page 42 for more information about this feature.

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