Netgear orporated 07100061 User Manual

Wireless Router Setup Manual

NETGEAR, Inc.

4500 Great America Parkway Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA

December 2006 208-10074-01 v2.0

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

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

Hardware Features ............................................................................................................3

Positioning Your Wireless Router ......................................................................................4

Installing Your Wireless Router ..........................................................................................5

Updating Your Router Firmware ............ ... .........................................................................6

Installing Your Router Using the Smart Wizard...................................................................7

Using the Smart Wizard .....................................................................................................7

Accessing Your Router After Installation and Checking for New Firmware .......................8

Installing Your Router Manually

(Advanced, Mac, and Linux Users) .....................................................................................13

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

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

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

Checking for New Firmware ............................................................................................19

Configuring Your Wireless Settings and Security Options ..... .... ... ... ................................21

Setting Up Your Wireless Computers .............................................................................. 22

Troubleshooting...................................................................................................................25

Basic Setup Checklist ......................................................................................................25

Checking Basic Router Functions ...................................................................................26

Troubleshooting Login Problems .....................................................................................27

Checking the Internet Service Connection ......................................................................27

Obtaining an Internet IP Address ....................................................................................28

Using the Ping Utility to Troubleshoot ..............................................................................30

Default Configuration ..........................................................................................................33

Default Configuration Settings .........................................................................................33

Restoring the Default User Name and Password .................. ..........................................34

iii

Related Documents..............................................................................................................35

Registration and Certifications............................................................................................37

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

Congratulations on your purchase of a NETGEAR® high-speed wireless router, the RangeMax™ NEXT® Wireless Router.

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

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 “Unpacking Your New Router” on

page 1). Then, read the section on “Positioning Your Wireless Router” on page 4 to ensure that you

have selected the best location to install your router.

Unpacking Your New Router

Your 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 User 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.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 1

To prepare your router for installation:

Carefully peel off the protective film covering both sides of your router (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

2. Set up your wireless router by inserting the tabs of the stand (supplied with your router) into

the slots on the bottom of your router as shown in Figure 2. Then, remove the protective film covering the LED panel of the router.

Figure 2

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

the Ethernet cables for your wired computers).

To ensure proper heat dissipation and for router stability, it is important that you connect the stand and place your router in an upright position.

2 Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

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.

Front Panel

The various lights on the front panel indicate the operating status of the router. A description of LED behavior is included in Figure 3.

Power

On – Amber The router is performing the power-on self-test diagnostic. On – Green The power is on and the router is ready. Fast blink – Green A software update is in progress. Slow blink – Green There is a problem with the wireless router software. Off Power is not being supplied to the router.

Internet

On – Amber No IP address acquired. On – Green The wireless router has acquired an Internet address. Blink – Green Data is being communicated with the Internet. Off No Ethernet cable is connected to the modem.

Wireless

On – Blue The wireless interface is enabled. Blink – Blue Data is being communicated over the wireless network. Off The wireless interface is turned off.

LAN (Ports 1–4)

On – Green The local port is connected to a 100 Mbps device. Blink – Green Data is being transmitted at 100 Mbps. On – Amber The local port is connected to a 10 Mbps device. Blink – Amber Data is being transmitted at 10 Mbps. Off No link is detected on this port.

Figure 3

Back Panel

Figure 4 describes the port connections on the back panel of the wireless router.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 3

1. Factory Default Restore setting. Press Restore for approximately 5 seconds to reset the router to the factory default settings.

2. Four Local Area Network (LAN) 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports for connecting the router to your local computers.

3. Internet/Wide Area Network (WAN) Ethernet port for connecting the router to a cable or DSL modem.

4. AC power adapter outlet for connecting the power adapter.

Figure 4

Router Label

The label on the back of the wireless router shows the router’s MAC address, serial number, and factory default login information.

The color of the ports on the router are color-coded for ease of set up. They distinguish your Internet port from the other four ports that connect to the wired computer(s) which make up your LAN.

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

4 Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

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.

• 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, modem, 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 Macintosh or Linux system, you need to use the manual installation method (see “Installing Your Router Manually (Advanced, Mac, 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 Router Using the Smart Wizard” on page 7 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.

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 5

– Smart Wizard requires a PC running Microsoft Windows..

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

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

connecting to a Mac, are using 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).

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

Access” on page 17).

3. Check for new firmware for your router and install the latest firmware version (see

“Checking for New Firmware” on page 19).

4. Configure your wireless network and select wireless security settings to protect your wireless network (see “Configuring Your Wireless Settings and Security Options” 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 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.

• NETGEAR provides a Windows software utility that will let you easily manage keeping your NETGEAR products up to date.

These options are discussed later in this manual.

6 Getting to Know Your Wireless Router

Installing Your Router Using the Smart

Wizard

To use the Smart Wizard, you must be using a PC with Windows 2000 or Windows XP with Service Pack 2. The Smart Wizard setup procedure should take about 15 minutes to complete. Before using the Smart Wizard to set up your router, ensure that:

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

• You have the configuration information provided by your ISP.

• If you are connected through a cable modem, use the computer that you initially used to set up your Internet account.

Using the Smart Wizard

The NETGEAR Smart Wizard takes you through the procedure to connect your router, modem, 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 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.

To install your router using the Smart Wizard:

Insert the Resource CD into your Windows 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 .

2. When the Welcome screen appears, click Setup to start the Smart Wizard. Follow the

instructions and prompts to complete the installation.

Installing Your Router Using the Smart Wizard 7

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

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

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).

You are now connected to the Internet!

To set up additional wireless computers in your network to access the router and connect to the Internet, see “Setting Up Your Wireless Computers” on page 22.

Accessing Your Router After Installation and Checking for New Firmware

The Smart Wizard only appears when you first install the router or when the router is in its factory default state (for example, if you have reset the router to its factory default settings). After installing and configuring your router using the Smart Wizard, you must open a browser window and log in to the router to make any additional modifications. You will also be prompted to check for new router firmware.

To log in to the router after installation:

Open a browser window and type http://www.routerlogin.net in the address field of your

browser. Press Enter.

You can enter any one of two addresses to connect to your wireless router:

http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.

8 Installing Your Router Using the Smart Wizard

A login window similar to the one shown below will display.

Figure 6

2. When prompted, enter the default User Name and Password (admin for the router User Name

password for the router Password), both in lowercase letters. If you changed the User

and Name and Password from the defaults, then enter your new User Name and Password.

The router User Name and Password are unique to the router and are not the same as any other User Name or Password you may use to log in to your Internet connection.

3. The Firmware Upgrade Assistant screen will display.

4. Click Yes to check for new firmware (recommended). The router will automatically check the

NETGEAR database for a new firmware image file. If no new firmware version is available, the message “No New Firmware Version Available” will display. (If you selected “No,” you can check for new firmware later; see “To manually check for new router firmware:” on

page 10.)

5. If new firmware is available, you will be directed to the new firmware version on the

NETGEAR website. Click Right-click and Save to Download and save the file to a location

on your hard disk.

Usually the firmware image is an “.img” file and does not need to be decompressed before you can use it to upgrade your router. If, however, the file is a “.zip” file, then the image is compressed and must be “unzipped” before you can use the file. On Windows machines, the WinZip utility can be used to unzip the file.

Installing Your Router Using the Smart Wizard 9

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