Wireless Help

NOTE: To ensure proper agency compliance and compatibility between similar products in your area; the operating channel & region must be set correctly.

Placement of the Router to Optimize Wireless Connectivity

The operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the physical placement of the router. For best results, place your router:

• Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate,
• In an elevated location such as a high shelf,
• Away from potential sources of interference, such as PCs, microwaves, and cordless phones,
• With the Antenna tight and in the upright position,
• Away from large metal surfaces.

Note: Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation or inability to wirelessly connect to the router.

Wireless Network

Name (SSID)

Enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The same Name (SSID) must be assigned to all wireless devices in your network. The default SSID is NETGEAR, but NETGEAR strongly recommends that you change your networks Name (SSID) to a different value. This value is also case-sensitive. For example, NETGEAR is not the same as NETGEAr.

Region

Select your region from the drop-down list. This field displays the region of operation for which the wireless interface is intended. It may not be legal to operate the router in a region other than the region shown here. If your country or region is not listed, please check with your local government agency or check our website for more information on which channels to use.

Channel

This field determines which operating frequency will be used. It should not be necessary to change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby access point.

Mode

Select the desired wireless mode. The options are:

• g & b   - Both 802.11g and 802.11b wireless stations can be used.
• g only   - Only 802.11g wireless stations can be used.
• Up to 126 Mbps   - Up to 126 Mbps wireless stations can be used, like WPNT511. We transmit two streams with different data in the same channel at the same time.
• Up to 240 Mbps   - Up to 240 Mbps wireless stations can be used, like WPNT511. It runs at channel expansion mode to have 240Mbps. We will use the channel you selected as primary channel and expand to secondary channel (primary channel + 4 or - 4) to use 40MHz bandwidth frame by frame. It means that we will detect the channel usage and transmit data with expansion or no expansion frame by frame to avoid to interfere other APs/clients data transmission.

The default is "Up to 240 Mbps", which allows all 11b and 11g wireless stations, WGM511 runs at 108 Mbps and WPNT511 runs at 126 Mbps or 240 Mbps to access this device.

Security Options

• None - no data encryption
• WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - use WEP 64 or 128 bit data encryption
• WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key ) - use WPA-PSK standard encryption
• WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key ) - use WPA2-PSK standard encryption
• WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key ) - use both WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK standard encryption

Security Encryption (WEP)

Authentication Type

Normally this can be left at the default value of "Automatic." If that fails, select the appropriate value - "Open System" or "Shared Key." Check your wireless card's documentation to see what method to use.

Encryption Strength

Select the WEP Encryption level:

• 64-bit (sometimes called 40-bit) encryption
• 128-bit encryption

Security Encryption (WEP) Key

If WEP is enabled, you can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys. These values must be identical on all PCs and Access Points in your network.

Automatic Key Generation (Passphrase)

Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box and click the Generate button to automatically configure the WEP Key(s). If encryption strength is set to 64 bit, then each of the four key boxes will automatically be populated with key values. If encryption strength is set to 128 bit, then only the selected WEP key box will automatically be populated with key values.

Manual Entry Mode

Select which of the four keys will be used and enter the matching WEP key information for your network in the selected key box.

For 64 bit WEP - Enter ten hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9, A-F).

For 128 bit WEP - Enter twenty-six hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9, A-F).

Be sure to click Apply to save your settings in this menu.

Security Encryption (WPA-PSK)

If selected, you must use TKIP encryption, and enter the WPA passphrase (Network key).

Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box. The Passphrase must be 8 to 63 characters in length.

Security Encryption (WPA2-PSK)

WPA2 is a later version of WPA. Only select this if all clients support WPA2. If selected, you must use AES encryption, and enter the WPA passphrase (Network key).

Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box. The Passphrase must be 8 to 63 characters in length.

Security Encryption (WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK)

This selection allows clients to use either WPA (with TKIP, broadcast packets also use TKIP.) or WPA2 (with AES). If selected, encryption must be TKIP + AES. The WPA passphrase (Network key) must also be entered.

Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box. The Passphrase must be 8 to 63 characters in length.

To Save Or Cancel Changes

Click Apply to have your changes take effect.
Click Cancel to return to the previous unsaved settings.