RadioLAN Network Router WNR834B User Guide

NETGEAR RangeMax™  
NEXT Wireless Router  
WNR834B User Manual  
NETGEAR, Inc.  
4500 Great America Parkway  
Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA  
202-10171-02  
January 2007  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Regulatory Compliance Information  
This section includes user requirements for operating this product in accordance with National laws for usage of radio  
spectrum and operation of radio devices. Failure of the end-user to comply with the applicable requirements may result  
in unlawful operation and adverse action against the end-user by the applicable National regulatory authority.  
NOTE: This product's firmware limits operation to only the channels allowed in a particular Region or Country.  
Therefore, all options described in this user's guide may not be available in your version of the product.  
Europe – EU Declaration of Conformity  
Marking by the above symbol indicates compliance with the Essential Requirements of the R&TTE Directive of the  
European Union (1999/5/EC). This equipment meets the following conformance standards:  
EN300 328, EN301 489-17, EN60950  
A printed copy of the EU Declaration of Conformity certificate for this product is provided in the  
WNR834B product package.  
Europe – Declaration of Conformity in Languages of the European Community  
Cesky [Czech]  
NETGEAR Inc. tímto prohlašuje, že tento Radiolan je ve shode se základními  
požadavky a dalšími príslušnými ustanoveními smernice 1999/5/ES..  
Dansk  
Undertegnede NETGEAR Inc. erklærer herved, at følgende udstyr Radiolan overholder  
[Danish]  
de væsentlige krav og øvrige relevante krav i direktiv 1999/5/EF.  
Deutsch  
[German]  
Hiermit erklärt NETGEAR Inc., dass sich das Gerät Radiolan in Übereinstimmung mit  
den grundlegenden Anforderungen und den übrigen einschlägigen Bestimmungen der  
Richtlinie 1999/5/EG befindet.  
Eesti  
Käesolevaga kinnitab NETGEAR Inc. seadme Radiolan vastavust direktiivi 1999/5/EÜ  
[Estonian]  
põhinõuetele ja nimetatud direktiivist tulenevatele teistele asjakohastele sätetele.  
English  
Hereby, NETGEAR Inc., declares that this Radiolan is in compliance with the essential  
requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/EC.  
Español  
[Spanish]  
Por medio de la presente NETGEAR Inc. declara que el Radiolan cumple con los  
requisitos esenciales y cualesquiera otras disposiciones aplicables o exigibles de la  
Directiva 1999/5/CE.  
Ελληνική  
[Greek]  
ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΑ NETGEAR Inc. ΔΗΛΩΝΕΙ ΟΤΙ Radiolan ΣΥΜΜΟΡΦΩΝΕΤΑΙ  
ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΣ ΟΥΣΙΩΔΕΙΣ ΑΠΑΙΤΗΣΕΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΣ ΛΟΙΠΕΣ ΣΧΕΤΙΚΕΣ ΔΙΑΤΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΗΣ  
ΟΔΗΓΙΑΣ 1999/5/ΕΚ.  
Français  
[French]  
Par la présente NETGEAR Inc. déclare que l'appareil Radiolan est conforme aux  
exigences essentielles et aux autres dispositions pertinentes de la directive 1999/5/CE.  
Italiano [Italian] Con la presente NETGEAR Inc. dichiara che questo Radiolan è conforme ai requisiti  
essenziali ed alle altre disposizioni pertinenti stabilite dalla direttiva 1999/5/CE.  
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Latviski  
Ar šo NETGEAR Inc. deklarē, ka Radiolan atbilst Direktīvas 1999/5/EK būtiskajām  
[Latvian]  
prasībām un citiem ar to saistītajiem noteikumiem.  
Lietuvių  
Šiuo NETGEAR Inc. deklaruoja, kad šis Radiolan atitinka esminius reikalavimus ir kitas  
[Lithuanian]  
1999/5/EB Direktyvos nuostatas.  
Nederlands  
[Dutch]  
Hierbij verklaart NETGEAR Inc. dat het toestel Radiolan in overeenstemming is met de  
essentiële eisen en de andere relevante bepalingen van richtlijn 1999/5/EG.  
Malti [Maltese]  
Hawnhekk, NETGEAR Inc., jiddikjara li dan Radiolan jikkonforma mal-htigijiet  
essenzjali u ma provvedimenti ohrajn relevanti li hemm fid-Dirrettiva 1999/5/EC.  
Magyar  
Alulírott, NETGEAR Inc. nyilatkozom, hogy a Radiolan megfelel a vonatkozó alapvetõ  
[Hungarian]  
követelményeknek és az 1999/5/EC irányelv egyéb elõírásainak.  
Polski [Polish]  
Niniejszym NETGEAR Inc. oświadcza, że Radiolan jest zgodny z zasadniczymi  
wymogami oraz pozostałymi stosownymi postanowieniami Dyrektywy 1999/5/EC.  
Português  
NETGEAR Inc. declara que este Radiolan está conforme com os requisitos essenciais  
[Portuguese]  
e outras disposições da Directiva 1999/5/CE.  
Slovensko  
[Slovenian]  
NETGEAR Inc. izjavlja, da je ta Radiolan v skladu z bistvenimi zahtevami in ostalimi  
relevantnimi določili direktive 1999/5/ES.  
Slovensky  
[Slovak]  
NETGEAR Inc. týmto vyhlasuje, _e Radiolan spĺňa základné po_iadavky a všetky  
príslušné ustanovenia Smernice 1999/5/ES.  
Suomi  
NETGEAR Inc. vakuuttaa täten että Radiolan tyyppinen laite on direktiivin 1999/5/EY  
[Finnish]  
oleellisten vaatimusten ja sitä koskevien direktiivin muiden ehtojen mukainen.  
Svenska  
[Swedish]  
Härmed intygar NETGEAR Inc. att denna Radiolan står I överensstämmelse med de  
väsentliga egenskapskrav och övriga relevanta bestämmelser som framgår av direktiv  
1999/5/EG.  
Íslenska  
Hér með lýsir NETGEAR Inc. yfir því að Radiolan er í samræmi við grunnkröfur og aðrar  
[Icelandic]  
kröfur, sem gerðar eru í tilskipun 1999/5/EC.  
Norsk  
NETGEAR Inc. erklærer herved at utstyret Radiolan er i samsvar med de  
[Norwegian]  
grunnleggende krav og øvrige relevante krav i direktiv 1999/5/EF.  
FCC Requirements for Operation in the United States  
FCC Information to User  
This product does not contain any user serviceable components and is to be used with approved antennas only. Any  
product changes or modifications will invalidate all applicable regulatory certifications and approvals  
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FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure  
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment  
should be installed and operated with minimum distance of 20 cm between the radiator and your body.  
This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.  
FCC Declaration Of Conformity  
We NETGEAR, Inc., 4500 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054, declare under our sole responsibility that  
the model WNR834B RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is  
subject to the following two conditions:  
This device may not cause harmful interference, and  
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.  
FCC Radio Frequency Interference Warnings & Instructions  
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of  
the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential  
installation. This equipment uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance  
with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that  
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or  
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to  
correct the interference by one or more of the following methods:  
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna  
Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver  
Connect the equipment into an electrical outlet on a circuit different from that which the radio receiver is connected  
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.  
RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B  
Tested to Comply  
with FCC Standards  
FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE  
PY306XXXXXX  
Modifications made to the product, unless expressly approved by NETGEAR, Inc., could void the user's right to operate  
the equipment.  
Maximum Wireless Signal Rate Derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 Specifications  
Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic,  
building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.  
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Product and Publication Details  
Model Number:  
WNR834B  
Publication Date:  
Product Family:  
January 2007  
Wireless Router  
Product Name:  
RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B  
Home or Business Product:  
Language:  
Home  
English  
Publication Part Number:  
202-10171-02  
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Contents  
Chapter 1  
About This Manual  
Chapter 2  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
Chapter 3  
Safeguarding Your Network  
Chapter 4  
Restricting Access From Your Network  
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Chapter 5  
Customizing Your Network Settings  
Chapter 6  
Fine-Tuning Your Network  
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Chapter 7  
Using Network Monitoring Tools  
Chapter 8  
Troubleshooting  
Appendix A  
Technical Specifications  
Appendix B  
Related Documents  
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Chapter 1  
About This Manual  
The user manual provides information for configuring the features of the RangeMax NEXT  
Wireless Router WNR834B beyond initial configuration settings. Initial configuration instructions  
can be found in the NETGEAR Wireless Router Setup Manual. You should have basic to  
intermediate computer and Internet skills.  
Conventions, Formats and Scope  
The conventions, formats, and scope of this manual are described in the following paragraphs:  
Typographical Conventions. This manual uses the following typographical conventions:  
Italics  
Bold  
Emphasis, books, CDs, URL names  
User input  
Fixed  
Screen text, file and server names, extensions, commands, IP addresses  
Formats. This manual uses the following formats to highlight special messages:  
Note: This format is used to highlight information of importance or special interest.  
Tip: This format is used to highlight a procedure that will save time or resources.  
Warning: Ignoring this type of note may result in a malfunction or damage to the  
equipment, a breach of security, or a loss of data.  
About This Manual  
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NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B User Manual  
Danger: This is a safety warning. Failure to take heed of this notice may result in  
personal injury or death.  
Scope. This manual is written for the WNR834B router according to these specifications:  
Product Version  
RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B  
January 2007  
Manual Publication Date  
For more information about network, Internet, firewall, and VPN technologies, see the links to the  
Note: Product updates are available on the NETGEAR, Inc. website at  
How to Use This Manual  
The HTML version of this manual includes the following:  
Buttons,  
at a time  
and  
, for browsing forwards or backwards through the manual one page  
A
button that displays the table of contents and an  
button. Double-click on a  
link in the table of contents or index to navigate directly to where the topic is described in the  
manual.  
A
model.  
button to access the full NETGEAR, Inc. online knowledge base for the product  
Links to PDF versions of the full manual and individual chapters.  
How to Print this Manual  
To print this manual, you can choose one of the following options, according to your needs.  
Printing a Page from HTML. Each page in the HTML version of the manual is dedicated to  
a major topic. Select File > Print from the browser menu to print the page contents.  
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Printing from PDF. Your computer must have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed in  
order to view and print PDF files. The Acrobat reader is available on the Adobe Web site at  
Printing a PDF Chapter. Use the PDF of This Chapter link at the top left of any page.  
Click the PDF of This Chapter link at the top left of any page in the chapter you want  
to print. The PDF version of the chapter you were viewing opens in a browser  
window.  
Click the print icon in the upper left of your browser window.  
Printing a PDF version of the Complete Manual. Use the Complete PDF Manual link  
at the top left of any page.  
Click the Complete PDF Manual link at the top left of any page in the manual. The  
PDF version of the complete manual opens in a browser window.  
Click the print icon in the upper left of your browser window.  
Tip: If your printer supports printing two pages on a single sheet of paper, you can  
save paper and printer ink by selecting this feature.  
Revision History  
NETGEAR, Inc. is constantly searching for ways to improve its products and documentation. The  
following table indicates any changes that may have been made since the WNR834B router was  
introduced.  
Table 1-1. Publication Revision History  
Version Date  
Description  
v1.0  
v1.2  
April 2006  
January 2007  
Original publication.  
Restructure.  
About This Manual  
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Chapter 2  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
This chapter describes the parameters for your Internet connection and your wireless local area  
network (LAN) connection. When you perform the initial configuration of your wireless router  
using the Resource CD as described in the NETGEAR Wireless Router Setup Manual, these  
parameters are configured automatically for you. This chapter provides further details about these  
connectivity settings, as well as instructions on how to log in to the rouer for further configuration.  
Note: NETGEAR recommends using the Smart Wizard on the Resource CD for initial  
configuration, as described in the NETGEAR Wireless Router Setup Manual.  
This chapter includes:  
Using the Setup Manual  
For first-time installation of your wireless router, refer to the NETGEAR Wireless Router Setup  
Manual. The Setup Manual explains how to launch the NETGEAR Smart Wizard on the Resource  
CD to step you through the procedure to connect your router, modem, and computers. The Smart  
Wizard will assist you in configuring your wireless settings and enabling wireless security for your  
network. After initial configuration using the Setup Manual, you can use the information in this  
User Manual to configure additional features of your wireless router.  
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For installation instructions in a language other than English, refer to the language options on the  
Resource CD, or refer to one of the online versions listed in the following table.  
Table 2-1. RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B Online Setup Manuals  
Language  
English  
German  
French  
Italian  
Setup Manual URL  
Spanish  
Dutch  
Swedish  
Accessing the Wireless Router For Configuration  
When the wireless router is connected to your network, you can access it for configuration using  
your browser. Follow these instructions to access the Web Configuration Manager:  
1. Connect to the wireless router by typing http://www.routerlogin.net or the router’s LAN IP  
address (default is 192.168.1.1) in the address field of your browser and then pressing Enter. A  
login window opens:.  
Figure 2-1  
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NETGEAR RangeMax™ NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B User Manual  
Tip: You can connect to the wireless router by typing either of these URLs in the  
address field of your browser and then pressing Enter:  
If these URLs do not work, you must type the IP address of the router, such as:  
2. Enter admin for the router user name and your password (or the default, password). To  
Note: The router user name and password are not the same as any user name or  
password you may use to log in to your Internet connection.  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
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Once you have entered a user name and password, your Web browser displays the wireless  
router’s home page.  
Figure 2-2  
Note: If the Check for New Version Upon Log-in checkbox is selected, the  
home page will be the Router Upgrade page. Otherwise, it will be the  
Basic Settings page.  
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If the wireless router is connected to the Internet, you can click the Knowledge Base or the  
Documentation link under the Web Support menu to view support information or the  
documentation for the wireless router.  
If you do not click Logout, the wireless router will wait 5 minutes after there is no activity before it  
automatically logs you out.  
Configuring Your Internet Connection Using the Smart Setup  
Wizard  
You can manually configure your Internet connection using the Basic Settings menu, or you can  
allow the Smart Setup Wizard to determine your Internet Service Provider (ISP) configuration.  
The Smart Setup Wizard searches your Internet connection for servers and protocols to determine  
your ISP configuration. This feature is not the same as the Smart Wizard configuration assistant  
that only appears when the router is in its factory default state. To use the Smart Setup Wizard to  
assist with configuration or to verify the Internet connection settings, follow this procedure:  
1. From the top of the main menu of the browser interface, click Setup Wizard.  
2. Click Next to proceed. Input your ISP settings, as needed.  
3. At the end of the Setup Wizard, click Test to verify your Internet connection. If you have  
trouble connecting to the Internet, see Chapter 8, “Troubleshooting”.  
Viewing and Configuring Basic ISP Settings  
Parameters related to your Internet service are configured in the Basic Settings menu. To access  
the Basic Settings menu:  
1. From the main menu of the router’s Web configuration interface, under the Setup heading,  
click Basic Settings.  
The content you see in the Basic Settings menu depends on whether your ISP requires that you log  
in with a user name and password for Internet access.  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
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No Login Required by ISP  
If no login is required by your ISP, the following parameters appear in the Basic Settings menu..  
ISP Does Not Require Login  
Figure 2-3  
Account Name (may also be called Host Name)  
The account name will be provided to the ISP during a DHCP request from your router. In  
most cases, this parameter is not required, but some ISPs require it for access to ISP services  
such as mail or news servers.  
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Domain Name.  
The domain name will be provided by your router to computers on your LAN when the  
computers request DHCP settings from your router. In most cases, this parameter is  
not required.  
Internet IP Address  
Determines how your router obtains an IP address for Internet access.  
— If your ISP assigns an IP address dynamically (by DHCP), select Get Automatically.  
— If your ISP has assigned you a permanent, fixed (static) IP address for your computer,  
select Use Static IP Address. Enter the IP address that your ISP assigned. Also, enter the  
Subnet mask and the Gateway IP address. The Gateway is the ISP’s router to which your  
router will connect.  
Domain Name Server (DNS) Address  
If you know that your ISP does not automatically transmit DNS addresses to the router during  
login, select Use These DNS Servers and enter the IP address of your ISP’s Primary DNS  
Server. If a Secondary DNS Server address is available, enter it also.  
Note: If you enter or change a DNS address, restart the computers on your  
network so that these settings take effect.  
Router’s MAC Address  
This section determines the Ethernet MAC address that the router will use on the Internet port.  
Some ISPs (especially cablemodem providers) will register the Ethernet MAC address of the  
network interface card in your computer when your account is first opened. They will then  
only accept traffic from the MAC address of that computer. This feature allows your router to  
masquerade as that computer by “cloning” or “spoofing” its MAC address.  
To change the MAC address, choose one of the following methods:  
— Select Use Computer MAC Address. The router will then capture and use the MAC  
address of the computer that you are now using. You must be using the one computer that  
is allowed by the ISP.  
— Select Use this MAC address and type it in here.  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
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Login Required by ISP  
If you normally must use a login program such as WinPOET in order to access the Internet, your  
Internet connection requires a login. After you select Login Required, your Basic Settings menu  
will appear, as shown in the figure below.  
Note: After you finish setting up your router, you will no longer need to launch the  
ISP’s login program on your computer to access the Internet. When you start  
an Internet application, your router will automatically log you in.  
If a login is required by your ISP, the following parameters appear in the Basic Settings menu:.  
ISP Does Require Login  
Figure 2-4  
Internet Service Provider  
This drop-down list.contains a few ISPs that need special protocols for connection. The list  
includes:  
— PPTP (Point to Point Tunneling Protocol), used primarily in Austrian DSL services  
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— Telstra Bigpond, an Australian residential cablemodem service.  
Note: The Telstra Bigpond setting is only for older cablemodem service accounts  
still requiring a Bigpond Login utility. Telstra has discontinued this type of  
account. Those with Telstra DSL accounts and newer cablemodem  
accounts should select No for “Does Your Internet Connection Require  
a Login?”  
— Other, which selects PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet), the protocol used by  
most DSL services worldwide  
Figure 2-5  
Note: Not all ISPs are listed here. The ones on this list have special requirements.  
Login and Password  
This is the user name and password provided by your ISP. This name and password will be  
used to log in to the ISP server.  
Service Name  
If your connection is capable of connecting to multiple Internet services, this parameter  
specifies which service to use.  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
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Idle Timeout  
Your Internet connection will be logged out if there is no data transfer during the specified  
time interval.  
Domain Name Server (DNS) Address  
If you know that your ISP does not automatically transmit DNS addresses to the router during  
login, select Use These DNS Servers and enter the IP address of your ISP’s Primary DNS  
Server. If a Secondary DNS Server address is available, enter it also.  
Note: If you enter or change a DNS address, restart the computers on your  
network so that these settings take effect.  
Configuring Wireless Settings  
This section explains the general wireless settings of the WNR834B. Configuration of the  
security-related wireless features is explained in greater detail in “Choosing Appropriate Wireless  
The WNR834B provides two menus for configuring the wireless settings. The basic Wireless  
Settings menu link is located under the Setup heading in the main menu of the browser interface.  
The Advanced Wireless Settings menu link is located under the Advanced heading.  
Viewing the Basic Wireless Settings  
To view the basic wireless settings:  
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From the main menu of the browser interface, under Setup, click Wireless Settings.  
Figure 2-6  
The available settings in this menu are:  
Name (SSID)  
The SSID is also known as the wireless network name. Enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric  
characters. When more than one wireless network is active, different wireless network names  
provide a way to separate the traffic. For a wireless device to participate in a particular  
wireless network, it must be configured with the SSID for that network. The WNR834B  
default SSID is NETGEAR.  
Region  
This field identifies the region where the WNR834B can be used. It may not be legal to  
operate the wireless features of the wireless router in a region other than one of those  
identified in this field.  
Note: The region selection feature may not be available in all countries.  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
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Channel  
This field determines which operating frequency is used. It should not be necessary to change  
the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby wireless  
network. For more information on the wireless channel frequencies, see “Wireless  
Mode  
This field determines which data communications protocol is used. You can choose from:  
— g only  
Dedicates the WNR834B to communicating with the higher bandwidth 802.11g wireless  
devices exclusively.  
— g and b  
Provides backward compatibility with the slower 802.11b wireless devices while still  
enabling 802.11g communications.  
— Up To 126 Mbps  
Provides two transmission streams with different data on the same channel at the same  
time.  
— Up To 240 Mbps  
Uses channel expansion to achieve the 240 Mbps data rate. The WNR834B router will use  
the channel you selected as the primary channel and expand to the secondary channel  
(primary channel +4 or –4) to achieve a 40MHz frame-by-frame bandwidth. The  
WNR834B router will detect channel usage and will disable frame-by-frame expansion if  
the expansion would result in interference with the data transmission of other access  
points or clients.  
Note: The maximum wireless signal rate is derived from the IEEE Standard 802.11  
Specifications. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and  
environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials  
and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.  
Security Options  
The selection of wireless security options can significantly affect your network performance.  
The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending on both your security  
settings and router placement. WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also,  
WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook  
computer, and can cause significant performance degradation with a slow computer.  
Instructions for configuring the security options can be found in “Choosing Appropriate  
Wireless Security” on page 3-1. A full explanation of wireless security standards is available  
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Viewing the Advanced Wireless Settings  
To view the advanced wireless settings:  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click Wireless Settings.  
Figure 2-7  
The available settings in this menu are:  
Enable Wireless Router Radio  
If you disable the wireless router radio, wireless devices cannot connect to the WNR834B.  
Enable SSID Broadcast  
If you disable broadcast of the SSID, only devices that know the correct SSID can connect.  
Disabling SSID broadcast nullifies the wireless network ‘discovery’ feature of some products,  
such as Windows XP.  
Automatically switch channels to avoid interference  
Select this checkbox to have the WNR834B router periodically survey the wireless  
environment to ensure that it is using the clearest channel. If a clearer channel is available, it  
might automatically switch channels.  
Note: After the router switches channels, there could be a slight delay while your  
wireless computers reconnect to the router. To avoid this possibility, leave this  
checkbox unselected.  
Configuring Basic Connectivity  
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Wireless Card Access List  
When a Wireless Card Access List is configured and enabled, the WNR834B checks the MAC  
address of any wireless device attempting a connection, and only allows connections to  
computers identified on the trusted computers list. For instructions on configuring the  
Note: The Fragmentation Threshold, CTS/RTS Threshold and Preamble Mode options  
are reserved for wireless testing and advanced configuration only. Do not change  
these settings.  
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Chapter 3  
Safeguarding Your Network  
The RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B provides highly effective security features  
which are covered in detail in this chapter.  
This chapter includes:  
Choosing Appropriate Wireless Security  
Unlike wired network data, anyone with a compatible adapter can receive your wireless data  
transmissions well beyond your walls. Operating an unsecured wireless network creates an  
opportunity for outsiders to eavesdrop on your network traffic or to enter your network to access  
your computers and files. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment.  
Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.  
Note: Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11b/g wireless networks at ranges of up  
to 300 feet. Such distances can allow for others outside of your immediate area to  
access your network.  
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Figure 3-1  
There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network. In order of  
increasing effectiveness:  
Turn Off the Broadcast of the Wireless Network Name SSID. If you disable the broadcast  
of the SSID, only devices that know the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the wireless  
network ‘discovery’ feature of some products such as Windows XP, but your data is still fully  
exposed to an intruder using available wireless eavesdropping tools.  
Restrict Access Based on MAC Address. You can restrict access to only trusted computers  
so that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect to the WNR834B. MAC address  
filtering adds an obstacle against unwanted access to your network by the general public, but  
the data broadcast over the wireless link is fully exposed. This data includes your trusted MAC  
addresses, which can be read and impersonated by a hacker.  
WEP. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides moderate data security.  
WEP Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption can be defeated by a determined  
eavesdropper using publicly available tools.  
WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK. Wi-Fi Protected Access with Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK and  
WPA2-PSK) data encryption provides extremely strong data security, very effectively  
blocking eavesdropping. Because WPA and WPA2 are relatively new standards, older wireless  
adapters and devices may not support them. Check whether newer drivers are available from  
the manufacturer.  
Turn Off the Wireless LAN. If you disable the wireless LAN, wireless devices cannot  
communicate with the router at all. You might choose to turn off the wireless LAN when you  
are away or when other users of your network all use wired connections.  
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The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending on both your security  
settings and router placement. WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP,  
WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook computer,  
and can cause significant performance degradation with a slow computer. For more details on  
wireless security methods, please see “Wireless Communications” in Appendix B.  
Recommended Security Settings  
Stronger security methods can entail a cost in terms of throughput, latency, battery consumption,  
and equipment compatibility. In choosing an appropriate security level, you can also consider the  
effort versus the reward for a hacker to break into your network. As a minimum, however,  
NETGEAR recommends using WEP with Shared Key authentication. Do not run an unsecured  
wireless network unless it is your intention to provide free Internet access for the public.  
In addition, be sure to change the administration password of your router. Default passwords are  
well-known, and an intruder can use your administrator access to read or disable your security  
settings. To change the administrator password, see “Changing the Administrator Password” on  
Changing Wireless Security Settings  
This section describes the security-related wireless settings. For details on the configuration of the  
general wireless settings, see “Configuring Wireless Settings” on page 2-10.  
To configure the wireless security settings of your router:  
1. Log in to the WNR834B router at its default LAN address of www.routerlogin.net (or  
192.168.1.1) with its default user name of admin and default password of password, or  
using whatever LAN IP address and password you have set up.  
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2. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Setup, click Wireless Settings. The  
Wireless Settings menu appears.  
Figure 3-2  
The available settings in this menu are:  
Name (SSID)  
The SSID, also known as the wireless network name, is broadcast by the wireless router so  
that nearby wireless devices can discover your network. You can disable this broadcast as  
Region  
This field identifies the region where the WNR834B can be used.  
Channel  
This field determines which operating frequency is used.  
Mode  
This field determines which 802.11 data communications protocol is used.  
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Security Options  
These options are the wireless security features you can enable. Table 3-1 identifies the basic  
wireless security options. For a detailed explanation of these standards, see “Wireless  
Note: The Security Options displayed in this menu may change depending on the current  
selection of Wireless Mode.  
Table 3-1. Basic Wireless Security Options  
Field  
None  
Description  
No wireless security. Only recommended for troubleshooting wireless connectivity.  
WEP  
WEP offers the following options:  
• Open System  
With Open Network authentication and 64- or 128-bit WEP Data Encryption, the WNR834B  
does perform data encryption but does not perform any authentication. Anyone can join the  
network. This setting provides very little practical wireless security.  
• Shared Key  
With Shared Key authentication, a wireless device must know the WEP key in order to join  
the network. Choose the Encryption Strength (64- or 128-bit data encryption). Manually  
enter the key values or enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box.  
Manually entered keys are not case sensitive but passphrase characters are case sensitive.  
Note: Not all wireless adapter configuration utilities support passphrase key generation.  
• Auto  
The wireless router automatically detects whether Open System or Shared Key is used.  
WPA-PSK WPA-Pre-shared Key does perform authentication. WPA-PSK uses TKIP (Temporal Key  
WPA2-PSK Integrity Protocol) data encryption and WPA2-PSK uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)  
data encryption. Both methods dynamically change the encryption keys making them nearly  
impossible to circumvent.  
Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Password Phrase box. These characters  
are case sensitive.  
Note: Not all wireless adapter configuration utilities support WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK.  
Furthermore, client software is required on the client. Windows XP Service Pack 2 and  
Windows XP Service Pack 1 with WPA patch do include the client software that supports WPA.  
However, the wireless adapter hardware and driver must also support WPA.  
Balancing performance factors (throughput, latency, battery consumption, and equipment  
compatibility) against the value of information on your network, select an appropriate security  
level. As a minimum, NETGEAR recommends using WEP with Shared Key authentication.  
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Configuring Security in the Advanced Wireless Settings Menu  
To configure security in the Advanced Wireless Settings menu:  
1. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click Wireless Settings. The  
Advanced Wireless Settings menu appears.  
Figure 3-3  
The security-related wireless settings are described below. For details on the configuration of the  
general wireless settings, see “Configuring Wireless Settings” on page 2-10.  
Enable Wireless Router Radio  
If you disable the wireless router radio, wireless devices cannot connect to the WNR834B. If  
you will not be using your wireless network for a period of time, you can deselect this  
checkbox and disable all wireless connectivity.  
Enable SSID Broadcast  
Deselect this checkbox to disable broadcast of the SSID, so that only devices that know the  
correct SSID can connect. Disabling SSID broadcast nullifies the wireless network ‘discovery’  
feature of some products such as Windows XP.  
Wireless Card Access List  
When a Wireless Card Access List is configured and enabled, the WNR834B checks the MAC  
address of any wireless device attempting a connection, and only allows connections to  
computers identified on the trusted computers list. For instructions on configuring the  
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Information to Gather Before Changing Basic Wireless Settings  
Before customizing your wireless settings, print this form and record the following information. If  
you are working with an existing wireless network, the person who set up or is responsible for the  
network will be able to provide this information. Otherwise, you must choose the settings for your  
wireless network. Either way, record the settings for your wireless network in the spaces below.  
Wireless Network Name (SSID): ______________________________ The SSID identifies  
the wireless network. You can use up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The SSID is case  
sensitive. The SSID in the wireless adapter card must match the SSID of the wireless router. In  
some configuration utilities (such as in Windows XP), the term “wireless network name” is  
used instead of SSID.  
If WEP Authentication is used, circle one: Open System, Shared Key, or Auto.  
Note: If you select Shared Key, the other devices in the network will not connect  
unless they are also set to Shared Key and are configured with the correct key.  
WEP Encryption Key Size. Choose one: 64-bit or 128-bit. Again, the encryption key  
size must be the same for the wireless adapters and the wireless router.  
Data Encryption (WEP) Keys. There are two methods for creating WEP data encryption  
keys. Whichever method you use, record the key values in the spaces below.  
Passphrase Method. ______________________________ These characters are case  
sensitive. Enter a word or group of printable characters and click Generate Keys. Not  
all wireless devices support the passphrase method.  
Manual Method. These values are not case sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10  
hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9 or a–f). For 128-bit WEP, enter 26  
hexadecimal digits.  
Key 1: ___________________________________  
Key 2: ___________________________________  
Key 3: ___________________________________  
Key 4: ___________________________________  
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If WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK Authentication is used:  
Passphrase: ______________________________ These characters are case sensitive.  
Enter a word or group of printable characters. When you use WPA-PSK, the other devices  
in the network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA-PSK and are configured  
with the correct Passphrase. Similarly, when you use WPA2-PSK, the other devices in the  
network will not connect unless they are aslo set to WPA2-PSK and are configured with  
the correct Passphrase.  
Use the procedures described in the following sections to configure the WNR834B. Store this  
information in a safe place.  
Configuring WEP Wireless Security  
To configure WEP data encryption, follow these steps:  
Note: If you use a wireless computer to configure WEP settings, you will be disconnected  
when you click Apply. You must then either configure your wireless adapter to  
match the wireless router WEP settings or access the wireless router from a wired  
computer to make any further changes.  
1. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Setup, click Wireless Settings.  
2. From the Security Options menu, select WEP. The WEP options display.  
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3. Select the Authentication Type and Encryption strength.  
Figure 3-4  
4. You can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys. These values must  
be identical on all computers and Access Points in your network.  
Automatic. In the Passphrase box, enter a word or group of printable characters and click  
Generate. The passphrase is case sensitive. For example, NETGEAR is not the same as  
nETgear. The four key boxes are automatically populated with key values.  
Manual. Enter ten hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, a–f, or A–F). These  
entries are not case sensitive. For example, AA is the same as aa.  
Select which of the four keys to activate.  
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See “Wireless Communications” in Appendix B for a full explanation of each of these options,  
as defined by the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard.  
5. Click Apply to save your settings.  
Configuring WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK Wireless Security  
Note: Not all wireless adapters support WPA. Furthermore, client software is also  
required. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 does include WPA support.  
Nevertheless, the wireless adapter hardware and driver must also support WPA.  
For instructions on configuring wireless computers or PDAs (Personal Digital  
Assistants) for WPA-PSK security, consult the documentation for the product you  
are using.  
To configure WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK, follow these steps:  
1. In the Setup section of the main menu, click Wireless Settings  
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2. Select one of the WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK options for the Security Type. The third option  
(WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WP2-PSK [AES]) is the most flexible, since it allows clients using  
either WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK.  
Figure 3-5  
3. In the Passphrase box, enter a word or group of 8-63 printable characters. The passphrase is  
case sensitive.  
4. Click Apply to save your settings.  
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Restricting Wireless Access by MAC Address  
By enabling a wireless card access control list, you can restrict access to only trusted computers so  
that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect to the WNR834B.  
The Wireless Card Access List displays a list of wireless computers that you will allow to connect  
to the router based on their MAC addresses. These wireless computers must also have the correct  
SSID and wireless security settings to access the wireless router.  
The MAC address is a network device’s unique twelve-character physical address, containing the  
hexadecimal characters 0–9 or A–F only, and separated by colons (for example,  
00:09:AB:CD:EF:01). It can usually be found on the bottom of the wireless card or network  
interface device. If you do not have access to the physical label, you can display the MAC address  
using the network configuration utilities of the computer. In WindowsXP, for example, typing the  
ipconfig/all command in an MSDOS Command Prompt window will display the MAC address as  
Physical Address. You may also find the MAC addresses in the router’s Attached Devices menu.  
To restrict access based on MAC addresses, follow these steps:  
1. In the Advanced section of the main menu, click Wireless Settings  
2. From the Wireless Settings menu, click Setup Access List to display the Wireless Card Access  
List.  
Figure 3-6  
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3. Click Add to add a wireless device to the wireless access control list. The Wireless Card  
Access Setup dialog opens and displays a list of currently active wireless cards and their  
Ethernet MAC addresses.  
Figure 3-7  
4. If the desired computer appears in the Available Wireless Cards list, you can click the radio  
button of that computer to capture its MAC address; otherwise, you can manually enter a name  
and the MAC address of the authorized computer. You can usually find the MAC address on  
the bottom of the wireless device.  
Tip: You can copy and paste the MAC addresses from the router’s Attached Devices  
menu into the MAC Address box of this menu. To do this, configure each  
wireless computer to obtain a wireless link to the router. The computer should  
then appear in the Attached Devices menu.  
5. Click Add to add this wireless device to the Wireless Card Access List. The screen changes  
back to the list screen.  
6. Repeat step 3 through step 5 for each additional device you want to add to the list.  
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7. Select the checkbox to Turn Access Control On...  
Note: When configuring the router from a wireless computer whose MAC address is  
not in the Trusted PC list, if you select Turn Access Control On, you will lose  
your wireless connection when you click Apply. You must then access the  
wireless router from a wired computer or from a wireless computer which is on  
the access control list to make any further changes.  
8. Click Apply to save your Wireless Card Access List settings.  
Now, only devices on this list are allowed to wirelessly connect to the WNR834B.  
Warning: MAC address filtering adds an obstacle against unwanted access to your  
network by the general public. However, because your trusted MAC  
addresses appear in your wireless transmissions, an intruder can read them  
and impersonate them. Do not rely on MAC address filtering alone to secure  
your network.  
Changing the Administrator Password  
The default password for the router’s Web Configuration Manager is password. NETGEAR  
recommends that you change this password to a more secure password.  
Tip: Before changing the router password, use the router backup utility to save your  
configuration settings with the default password of password. If you save the  
settings with a new password, and you later forget the new password, you will have  
to reset the router back to the factory defaults and log in using the default password  
of password. This means you will have to re-enter all the router configuration  
settings.  
To change the Administrator password:  
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1. From the main menu of the browser interface, under the Maintenance heading, select Set  
Password to display the Set Password menu.  
Figure 3-8  
2. To change the password, first enter the old password, then enter the new password twice. Click  
Apply.  
Backing Up Your Configuration  
The configuration settings of the WNR834B are stored within the router in a configuration file.  
You can back up (save) this file and retrieve it later. NETGEAR recommends that you save your  
confguration file after you complete the configuration. In the event of router failure or corruption,  
or a lost administrator password, you can easily recreate your configuration by restoring the  
configuration file.  
For instructions on saving and restoring your configuration file, see “Managing the Configuration  
Tip: Before saving your configuration file, change the administrator password to the  
default, password. Then change it again after you have saved the configuration file.  
If you save the file with a new password, and you later forget the new password, you  
will have to reset the router back to the factory defaults and log in using the default  
password of password. This means you will have to re-enter all the router  
configuration settings.  
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Understanding Your Firewall  
Your RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B contains a true firewall to protect your  
network from attacks and intrusions. A firewall is a device that protects one network from another,  
while allowing communication between the two. Using a process called stateful packet inspection,  
the firewall analyzes all inbound and outbound traffic to determine whether or not it will be  
allowed to pass through.  
By default, the firewall allows any outbound traffic and prohibits any inbound traffic except for  
responses to your outbound traffic. However, you can modify the firewall’s rules to achieve the  
following behavior:  
Blocking sites  
Block access from your network to certain Web locations based on Web addresses and Web  
address keywords. This feature is described in “Blocking Access to Internet Sites” on  
Blocking services  
Block the use of certain Internet services by specific computers on your network. This feature  
Scheduled blocking  
Block sites and services according to a daily schedule. This feature is described in “Scheduling  
Allow inbound access to your server  
To allow inbound access to resources on your local network (for example, a Web server or  
remote desktop program), you can open the needed services by configuring port forwarding as  
Allow certain games and applications to function properly  
Some games and applications need to allow additional inbound traffic in order to function.  
Port triggering can dynamically allow additional service connections, as described in  
application conflicts with the firewall is Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), described in “Using  
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Chapter 4  
Restricting Access From Your Network  
This chapter describes how to use the content filtering and reporting features of the RangeMax  
NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B to protect your network. You can find these features by  
clicking on the Content Filtering heading in the main menu of the browser interface.  
This chapter includes:  
Content Filtering Overview  
The RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B provides you with Web content filtering  
options, plus browser activity reporting and instant alerts via email. Parents and network  
administrators can establish restricted access policies based on time of day, Web addresses and  
Web address keywords. You can also block Internet access by applications and services, such as  
chat or games.  
To configure these features of your router, click on the subheadings under the Content Filtering  
heading in the main menu of the browser interface. This chapter describes the subheadings.  
Blocking Access to Internet Sites  
The WNR834B router allows you to restrict access based on Web addresses and Web address  
keywords. Up to 255 entries are supported in the Keyword list.  
Keyword application examples:  
— If the keyword XXX is specified, the URL www.badstuff.com/xxx.html is blocked.  
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— If the keyword .com is specified, only Web sites with other domain suffixes (such as .edu,  
.org, or .gov) can be viewed.  
To block access to Internet sites:  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Content Filtering, click Block Sites.  
Figure 4-1  
— To enable keyword blocking, select either Per Schedule or Always, then click Apply. To  
block by schedule, be sure to specify a time period in the Schedule menu. For scheduling,  
— To add a keyword or domain, type it in the Keyword box, click Add Keyword, then click  
Apply.  
— To delete a keyword or domain, select it from the list, click Delete Keyword, then click  
Apply.  
— To block all Internet browsing access during a scheduled period, enter a dot (.) as the  
keyword and set the schedule in the Schedule menu.  
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You may specify one Trusted User, which is a computer that is exempt from blocking and logging.  
Since the Trusted User is identified by IP address, you should configure that computer with a fixed  
IP address.  
— To specify a Trusted User, enter that computer’s IP address in the Trusted User box and  
click Apply.  
Blocking Access to Internet Services  
The WNR834B router allows you to block the use of certain Internet services by computers on  
your network. This is called service blocking or port filtering. Services are functions performed by  
server computers at the request of client computers. For example, Web servers serve Web pages,  
time servers serve time and date information, and game hosts serve data about other players’  
moves. When a computer on your network sends a request for service to a server computer on the  
Internet, the requested service is identified by a service or port number. This number appears as the  
destination port number in the transmitted IP packets. For example, a packet that is sent with  
destination port number 80 is an HTTP (Web server) request.  
To block access to Internet Services:  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Content Filtering, click Block Services.  
Figure 4-2  
— To enable service blocking, select either Per Schedule or Always, then click Apply. To  
block by schedule, be sure to specify a time period in the Schedule menu. For scheduling,  
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— To specify a service for blocking, click Add. The Block Services Setup menu appears.  
Figure 4-3  
— From the Service Type list, select the application or service to be allowed or blocked. The  
list already displays several common services, but you are not limited to these choices. To  
add any additional services or applications that do not already appear, select User Defined.  
Configuring a User Defined Service  
To define a service, first you must determine which port number or range of numbers is used by  
the application. The service port numbers for many common protocols are defined by the Internet  
Engineering Task Force (IETF) and published in RFC1700, “Assigned Numbers.” Service  
numbers for other applications are typically chosen from the range 1024 to 65535 by the authors of  
the application. Port number information can often be determined by contacting the publisher of  
the application, by asking user groups or newsgroups, or by searching.  
— Enter the Starting Port and Ending Port numbers. If the application uses a single port  
number, enter that number in both boxes.  
— If you know that the application uses either TCP or UDP, select the appropriate protocol. If  
you are not sure, select Both.  
Blocking Services by IP Address Range  
Under the heading Filter Services For, you can block the specified service for a single computer, a  
range of computers (having consecutive IP addresses), or all computers on your network.  
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Scheduling Blocking  
The WNR834B router allows you to specify when blocking is enforced. To schedule blocking:  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Content Filtering, click Schedule.:  
Figure 4-4  
Configure the schedule for blocking keywords and services.  
Days to Block  
Select days to block by checking the appropriate boxes. Select Every Day to select the  
checkboxes for all days. Click Apply.  
Time of Day to Block  
Select a start and end time in 24-hour format. Select All Day for 24-hour blocking. Click  
Apply.  
Be sure to select your Time Zone in the Email menu as described in “Setting the Time” on  
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Viewing Logs of Web Access or Attempted Web Access  
The log is a detailed record of the Web sites you have accessed or attempted to access. Up to 128  
entries are stored in the log. Log entries only appear when keyword blocking is enabled, and no log  
entries are made for the Trusted User.  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Content Filtering, click Logs.  
Figure 4-5  
Table 4-1 describes the log entries.  
Table 4-1. Log entry descriptions  
Field  
Description  
Date and Time  
Source IP  
The date and time the log entry was recorded.  
The IP address of the initiating device for this log entry.  
Target address  
The name or IP address of the Web site or newsgroup visited or  
attempted to access.  
Action  
Whether the access was blocked or allowed.  
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Table 4-2 describes the log action buttons.  
Table 4-2. Log action buttons  
Field  
Description  
Refresh  
Click this button to refresh the log screen.  
Click this button to clear the log entries.  
Click this button to email the log immediately.  
Clear Log  
Send Log  
Configuring Email Alert and Web Access Log Notifications  
In order to receive logs and alerts by email, you must provide your email account information. To  
configure email alert and web access log notifications:  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Content Filtering, click Email.  
Figure 4-6  
— Turn email notification on  
Select this checkbox to receive email logs and alerts from the router.  
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Your outgoing mail server  
Enter the name of your ISP’s outgoing (SMTP) mail server (such as mail.myISP.com). You  
may be able to find this information in the configuration menu of your email program. If  
you leave this box blank, log and alert messages will not be sent via email.  
— Send to this email address  
Enter the email address to which logs and alerts are sent. This email address will also be  
used as the From address. If you leave this box blank, log and alert messages will not be  
sent via email.  
You can specify that logs are automatically sent by email with these options:  
Send alert immediately  
Select this checkbox for immediate notification of attempted access to a blocked site or  
service.  
Send logs according to this schedule  
Specifies how often to send the logs: Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or When Full.  
— Day for sending log  
Specifies which day of the week to send the log. Relevant when the log is sent weekly or  
daily.  
— Time for sending log  
Specifies the time of day to send the log. Relevant when the log is sent daily or weekly.  
If you select the Weekly, Daily or Hourly options and the log fills up before the specified  
period, the log is automatically emailed to the specified email address. After the log is sent, the  
log is cleared from the router’s memory. If the router cannot email the log file, the log buffer  
may fill up. In this case, the router overwrites the log and discards its contents.  
So that the log entries are properly time-stamped and sent at the correct time, be sure to set the  
time as described in the next section.  
Setting the Time  
The WNR834B router uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to obtain the current time and date  
from one of several Network Time Servers on the Internet. In order to localize the time for your  
log entries, you must specify your Time Zone:  
Time Zone  
Select your local time zone. This setting is used for the blocking schedule and for time-  
stamping log entries.  
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Automatically adjust for Daylight Savings Time  
Select this checkbox if your region supports daylight savings time. The router will  
automatically adjust the time at the start and end of the Daylight Savings Time period.  
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Chapter 5  
Customizing Your Network Settings  
This chapter describes how to configure advanced networking features of the RangeMax NEXT  
Wireless Router WNR834B, including LAN, WAN, and routing settings.  
It describes:  
Using the LAN IP Setup Options  
The LAN IP Setup menu allows configuration of LAN IP services such as Dynamic Host  
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Routing Information Protocol (RIP).  
To configure LAN IP Settings:  
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From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click LAN IP Setup to view  
the LAN IP Setup menu.  
Figure 5-1  
Configuring LAN TCP/IP Setup Parameters  
The router is shipped preconfigured to use private IP addresses on the LAN side and to act as a  
DHCP server. The router’s default LAN IP configuration is:  
LAN IP address: 192.168.1.1  
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0  
These addresses are part of the designated private address range for use in private networks, and  
should be suitable for most applications. If your network has a requirement to use a different IP  
addressing scheme, you can make those changes in this menu.  
The LAN IP parameters are:  
IP Address  
The LAN IP address of the router.  
IP Subnet Mask  
The LAN Subnet Mask of the router. Combined with the IP address, the IP Subnet Mask  
allows a device to know which other addresses are local to it, and which must be reached  
through a gateway or router.  
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RIP Direction  
RIP allows a router to exchange routing information with other routers. The RIP Direction  
selection controls how the router sends and receives RIP packets. Both is the default.  
— When set to Both or Out Only, the router broadcasts its routing table periodically.  
— When set to Both or In Only, the router incorporates the RIP information that it receives.  
— When set to None, the router does not send any RIP packets and ignores any RIP  
packets received.  
RIP Version  
This controls the format and the broadcasting method of the RIP packets sent by the router.  
(It recognizes both formats when receiving.) The default setting is RIP-1.  
— RIP-1 is universally supported. RIP-1 is usually adequate unless you have an unusual  
network setup.  
— RIP-2 carries more information. RIP-2B uses subnet broadcasting.  
Note: If you change the LAN IP address of the router while connected through the  
browser, you will be disconnected. You must then open a new connection to the  
new IP address and log in again.  
Using the Router as a DHCP server  
By default, the router functions as a DHCP server, allowing it to assign IP, DNS server, and default  
gateway addresses to all computers connected to the router's LAN. The assigned default gateway  
address is the LAN address of the router. The router assigns IP addresses to the attached computers  
from a pool of addresses specified in this menu. Each pool address is tested before it is assigned to  
avoid duplicate addresses on the LAN.  
For most applications, the default DHCP and TCP/IP settings of the router are satisfactory. See  
information about how to assign IP addresses for your network.  
Specify the pool of IP addresses to be assigned by setting the Starting IP Address and Ending IP  
Address. These addresses should be part of the same IP address subnet as the router’s LAN IP  
address. Using the default addressing scheme, you should define a range between 192.168.1.2  
and 192.168.1.254, although you may wish to save part of the range for devices with  
fixed addresses.  
The router delivers the following parameters to any LAN device that requests DHCP:  
An IP Address from the range you have defined  
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Subnet Mask  
Gateway IP Address (the router’s LAN IP address)  
Primary DNS Server (if you entered a Primary DNS address in the Basic Settings menu;  
otherwise, the router’s LAN IP address)  
Secondary DNS Server (if you entered a Secondary DNS address in the Basic Settings menu)  
To use another device on your network as the DHCP server, or to manually configure the network  
settings of all of your computers, deselect Use Router as DHCP Server. Otherwise, leave it  
selected. If you deselect this service and no other DHCP server is available on your network, you  
will need to set your computers’ IP addresses manually or they will not be able to access the router.  
Using Address Reservation  
When you specify a reserved IP address for a computer on the LAN, that computer will always  
receive the same IP address each time it accesses the router’s DHCP server. Reserved IP addresses  
should be assigned to computers or servers that require permanent IP settings.  
To reserve an IP address:  
1. Click Add.  
2. In the IP Address box, type the IP address to assign to the computer or server.  
(choose an IP address from the router’s LAN subnet, such as 192.168.1.x)  
3. Type the MAC Address of the computer or server.  
Tip: If the computer is already present on your network, you can copy its MAC  
address from the Attached Devices menu and paste it here.  
4. Click Apply to enter the reserved address into the table.  
Note: The reserved address is not assigned until the next time the computer contacts  
the router's DHCP server. Reboot the computer or access its IP configuration  
and force a DHCP release and renew.  
To edit or delete a reserved address entry:  
1. Click the button next to the reserved address you want to edit or delete.  
2. Click Edit or Delete.  
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Using a Dynamic DNS Service  
If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) gives you a permanently assigned IP address, you can  
register a domain name and have that name linked with your IP address by public Domain Name  
Servers (DNS). However, if your Internet account uses a dynamically assigned IP address, you do  
not know in advance what your IP address will be, and the address can change frequently. In this  
case, you can use a commercial dynamic DNS service, which will allow you to register your  
domain to their IP address, and will forward traffic directed at your domain to your frequently  
changing IP address.  
Note: If your ISP assigns a private WAN IP address (such as 192.168.x.x or  
10.x.x.x), the dynamic DNS service will not work because private addresses  
are not routed on the Internet.  
Your router contains a client that can connect to the dynamic DNS service provided by  
DynDNS.org. You must first visit their website at www.dyndns.org and obtain an account and host  
name, which you will configure in the router. Then, whenever your ISP-assigned IP address  
changes, your router will automatically contact the dynamic DNS service provider, log in to your  
account, and register your new IP address. If your host name is hostname, you will be able to reach  
your router at hostname.dyndns.org.  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click on Dynamic DNS to view  
the Dynamic DNS menu.  
Figure 5-2  
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To configure Dynamic DNS:  
1. Register for an account with one of the dynamic DNS service providers whose names appear  
in the Select Service Provider box. For example, for DynDNS.org, go to www.dyndns.org.  
2. Select the checkbox for Use a Dynamic DNS Service.  
3. Select the name of your dynamic DNS Service Provider.  
4. Type the Host Name (or domain name) that your dynamic DNS service provider gave you.  
5. Type the User Name for your dynamic DNS account.  
This is the name you use to log in to your account, not your host name.  
6. Type the Password (or key) for your dynamic DNS account.  
7. If your dynamic DNS provider allows the use of wildcards in resolving your URL, you can  
select the Use Wildcards checkbox to activate this feature.  
For example, the wildcard feature will cause *.yourhost.dyndns.org to be aliased to the same  
IP address as yourhost.dyndns.org.  
8. Click Apply to save your configuration.  
Configuring the WAN Setup Options  
The WAN Setup options let you configure a DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) server, change the  
Maximum Transmit Unit (MTU) size, and enable the wireless router to respond to a ping on the  
WAN port. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click WAN Setup to  
view the WAN Setup menu.  
Figure 5-3  
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Connecting Automatically, as Required  
Normally, this option should be selected so that an Internet connection will be made automatically  
after each timeout, whenever Internet-bound traffic is detected. This feature provides connection  
on demand and is potentially cost-saving in regions where Internet services charge by the minute,  
as in some areas of Europe.  
If this feature is disabled, you must connect manually, using the Connection Status button on the  
Router Status screen. The manual connection will stay up continuously without timeouts.  
Disabling the SPI Firewall  
The Stateful Packet Inspection ( SPI) Firewall protects your network and computers against  
attacks and intrusions. A stateful packet firewall carefully inspects incoming traffic packets,  
looking for known exploits such as malformed, oversized, or out-of-sequence packets. The  
firewall should only be disabled in special circumstances, such as when troubleshooting  
application issues.  
Setting Up a Default DMZ Server  
The default DMZ server feature is helpful when using some online games and videoconferencing  
applications that are incompatible with Network Address Translation (NAT). The router is  
programmed to recognize some of these applications and to work properly with them, but there are  
other applications that may not function well. In some cases, one local computer can run the  
application properly if that computer’s IP address is entered as the default DMZ server.  
Warning: DMZ servers pose a security risk. A computer designated as the default DMZ  
server loses much of the protection of the firewall, and is exposed to exploits  
from the Internet. If compromised, the DMZ server computer can be used to  
attack other computers on your network.  
Incoming traffic from the Internet is normally discarded by the router unless the traffic is a  
response to one of your local computers or a service that you have configured in the Port  
Forwarding/Port Triggering menu. Instead of discarding this traffic, you can have it forwarded to  
one computer on your network. This computer is called the Default DMZ Server.  
The WAN Setup menu lets you configure a Default DMZ Server.  
To assign a computer or server to be a Default DMZ server:  
1. In the main menu, under Advanced, click WAN Setup.  
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2. Under Default DMZ Server, type the last digit of the IP address for that computer. To remove  
the default DMZ server, enter zero.  
3. Select the checkbox for Default DMZ Server and click Apply.  
Responding to a Ping on the Internet WAN Port  
If you want the router to respond to a 'ping' from the Internet, select the checkbox for Respond to  
Ping on Internet WAN Port. This should only be used as a diagnostic tool, since it allows your  
router to be discovered by Internet scanners. Do not select this checkbox unless you have a  
specific reason to do so, such as when troubleshooting your connection.  
Setting the MTU Size  
The normal MTU value for most Ethernet networks is 1500 bytes, 1492 bytes for PPPoE  
connections, or 1436 for PPTP connections. For some ISPs, you may need to reduce the MTU, but  
this is rarely required and should not be done unless you are sure it is necessary for your ISP  
connection. For more information, see “Changing the MTU” on page 6-14.  
To change the MTU size:  
1. Under MTU Size, enter a new size between 64 and 1500.  
2. Click Apply to save the new configuration.  
Configuring Static Routes  
Static routes provide additional routing information to your router. Under normal circumstances,  
the router has adequate routing information after it has been configured for Internet access, and  
you do not need to configure additional static routes. You must configure static routes only for  
unusual cases such as multiple routers or multiple IP subnets located on your network.  
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From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click Static Routes to view the  
Static Routes menu.  
Figure 5-4  
To add or edit a static route:  
1. Click Add to open the Add Static Routes menu.  
Figure 5-5  
2. In the Route Name box, type a name for this static route.  
(This is for identification purposes only.)  
3. Select the Private checkbox if you want to limit access to the LAN only.  
If Private, the static route will not be reported in RIP.  
4. Select the Active checkbox to make this route effective.  
5. Type the Destination IP Address of the final destination.  
6. Type the IP Subnet Mask for this destination.  
If the destination is a single host, type 255.255.255.255.  
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7. Type the Gateway IP Address, which must be a router on the same LAN segment as the  
WNR834B.  
8. Type a number between 1 and 15 as the metric value.  
This represents the number of routers between your network and the destination. Usually, a  
setting of 2 or 3 works, but if this is a direct connection, set it to 1.  
9. Click Apply to have the static route entered into the table.  
As an example of when a static route is needed, consider the following case:  
Your primary Internet access is through a cable modem to an ISP.  
You have an ISDN router on your home network for connecting to the company where  
you are employed. This router’s address on your LAN is 192.168.1.100.  
Your company’s network address is 134.177.0.0.  
When you first configured your router, two implicit static routes were created. A default route was  
created with your ISP as the gateway, and a second static route was created to your local network  
for all 192.168.1.x addresses. With this configuration, if you attempt to access a device on the  
134.177.0.0 network, your router will forward your request to the ISP. The ISP forwards your  
request to the company where you are employed, and the request will likely be denied by the  
company’s firewall.  
In this case you must define a static route, telling your router that 134.177.0.0 should be  
accessed through the ISDN router at 192.168.1.100. The static route would look like  
In this example:  
The Destination IP Address and IP Subnet Mask fields specify that this static route applies to  
all 134.177.x.x addresses.  
The Gateway IP Address fields specifies that all traffic for these addresses should be  
forwarded to the ISDN router at 192.168.1.100.  
A metric value of 1 will work since the ISDN router is on the LAN.  
Private is selected only as a precautionary security measure in case RIP is activated.  
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Chapter 6  
Fine-Tuning Your Network  
This chapter describes how to modify the configuration of the RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router  
WNR834B to allow specific applications to access the Internet or to be accessed from the Internet,  
and how to make adjustments to enhance your network’s performance.  
This chapter includes:  
Allowing Inbound Connections To Your Network  
By default, the WNR834B router blocks any inbound traffic from the Internet to your computers  
except for replies to your outbound traffic. However, you may need to create exceptions to this rule  
for the following purposes:  
To allow remote computers on the Internet to access a server on your local network.  
To allow certain applications and games to work properly when their replies are not  
recognized by your router.  
Your router provides two features for creating these exceptions: Port Forwarding and Port  
Triggering. This section explains how a normal outbound connection works, followed by two  
examples explaining how Port Forwarding and Port Triggering operate and how they differ.  
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How Your Computer Communicates With A Remote Computer Through Your  
Router  
When a computer on your network needs to access a computer on the Internet, your computer  
sends your router a message containing source and destination address and process information.  
Before forwarding your message to the remote computer, your router must modify the source  
information and must create and track the communication session so that replies can be routed  
back to your computer.  
Here is an example of normal outbound traffic and the resulting inbound responses:  
a. You open Internet Explorer, beginning a browser session on your computer. Invisible to  
you, your operating system assigns a service number (port number) to every  
communication process running on your computer. In this example, let’s say Windows  
assigns port number 5678 to this browser session.  
b. You ask your browser to get a Web page from the Web server at www.example.com. Your  
computer composes a Web page request message with the following address and  
port information:  
— The source address is your computer’s IP address.  
— The source port number is 5678, the browser session.  
— The destination address is the IP address of www.example.com, which your computer  
finds by asking a DNS server.  
— The destination port number is 80, the standard port number for a Web server process.  
Your computer then sends this request message to your router.  
c. Your router creates an entry in its internal session table describing this communication  
session between your computer and the Web server at www.example.com. Before sending  
the Web page request message to www.example.com, your router stores the original  
information and then modifies the source information in the request message, performing  
Network Address Translation (NAT):  
— The source address is replaced with your router’s public IP address.  
This is necessary because your computer uses a private IP address that is not globally  
unique and cannot be used on the Internet.  
— The source port number is changed to a number chosen by the router, such as 33333.  
This is necessary because two computers could independently be using the same  
session number.  
Your router then sends this request message through the Internet to the Web server at  
www.example.com.  
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d. The Web server at www.example.com composes a return message with the requested Web  
page data. The return message contains the following address and port information:  
— The source address is the IP address of www.example.com.  
— The source port number is 80, the standard port number for a Web server process.  
— The destination address is the public IP address of your router.  
— The destination port number is 33333.  
The Web server then sends this reply message to your router.  
e. Upon receiving the incoming message, your router checks its session table to determine  
whether there is an active session for port number 33333. Finding an active session, the  
router then modifies the message, restoring the original address information replaced by  
NAT. The message now contains the following address and port information:  
— The source address is the IP address of www.example.com.  
— The source port number is 80, the standard port number for a Web server process.  
— The destination address is your computer’s IP address.  
— The destination port number is 5678, the browser session that made the initial request.  
Your router then sends this reply message to your computer, which displays the Web page  
from www.example.com.  
f. When you finish your browser session, your router eventually senses a period of inactivity  
in the communications. Your router then removes the session information from its session  
table, and incoming traffic is no longer accepted on port number 33333.  
How Port Triggering Changes the Communication Process  
In the preceding example, requests are sent to a remote computer by your router from a particular  
service port number and replies from the remote computer to your router are directed to that port  
number. If the remote server sends a reply back to a different port number, your router will not  
recognize it and will discard it. However, some application servers (such as FTP and IRC servers)  
send replies back to multiple port numbers. Using the Port Triggering function of your router, you  
can tell the router to open additional incoming ports when a particular outgoing port originates  
a session.  
An example is Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Your computer connects to an IRC server at destination  
port 6667. The IRC server not only responds to your originating source port, but also sends an  
“identify” message to your computer on port 113. Using Port Triggering, you can tell the router,  
“When you initiate a session with destination port 6667, you must also allow incoming traffic on  
port 113 to reach the originating computer.” Using steps similar to the preceding example, the  
following sequence shows the effects of the Port Triggering rule you have defined:  
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a. You open an IRC client program, beginning a chat session on your computer.  
b. Your IRC client composes a request message to an IRC server using a destination port  
number of 6667, the standard port number for an IRC server process. Your computer then  
sends this request message to your router.  
c. Your router creates an entry in its internal session table describing this communication  
session between your computer and the IRC server. Your router stores the original  
information, performs Network Address Translation (NAT) on the source address and  
port, and sends this request message through the Internet to the IRC server.  
d. Noting your Port Triggering rule, and having observed the destination port number  
of 6667, your router creates an additional session entry to send any incoming port  
113 traffic to your computer.  
e. The IRC server sends a return message to your router using the NAT-assigned source port  
(as in the previous example, let’s say port 33333) as the destination port. The IRC server  
also sends an “identify” message to your router with destination port 113.  
f. Upon receiving the incoming message to destination port 33333, your router checks its  
session table to determine whether there is an active session for port number 33333.  
Finding an active session, the router restores the original address information replaced by  
NAT and sends this reply message to your computer.  
g. Upon receiving the incoming message to destination port 113, your router checks its  
session table and learns that there is an active session for port 113, associated with  
your computer. The router replaces the message’s destination IP address with your  
computer’s IP address and forwards the message to your computer.  
h. When you finish your chat session, your router eventually senses a period of inactivity in  
the communications. The router then removes the session information from its session  
table, and incoming traffic is no longer accepted on port numbers 33333 or 113.  
To configure Port Triggering, you need to know which inbound ports the application needs. Also,  
you need to know the outbound port number that will trigger the opening of the inbound ports.  
This information can usually be determined by contacting the publisher of the application or from  
user groups or newsgroups..  
Note: Only one computer at a time can use the triggered application.  
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How Port Forwarding Changes the Communication Process  
In both of the preceding examples, your computer initiates an application session with a server  
computer on the Internet. However, you may need to allow a client computer on the Internet to  
initiate a connection to a server computer on your network. Normally, your router will ignore any  
inbound traffic that is not a response to your own outbound traffic. You can configure exceptions  
to this default rule by using the Port Forwarding feature.  
A typical application of Port Forwarding can be shown by reversing the client/server relationship  
from our previous Web server example. In this case, a remote computer’s browser needs to access  
a Web server running on a computer in your local network. Using Port Forwarding, you can tell the  
router, “When you receive incoming traffic on port 80 (the standard port number for a Web server  
process), forward it to the local computer at 192.168.1.123.” The following sequence shows  
the effects of the Port Forwarding rule you have defined:  
a. The user of a remote computer opens Internet Explorer and requests a Web page from  
www.example.com, which resolves to the public IP address of your router. The remote  
computer composes a Web page request message with the following  
destination information:  
— The destination address is the IP address of www.example.com, which is the address of  
your router.  
— The destination port number is 80, the standard port number for a Web server process.  
The remote computer then sends this request message through the Internet to your router.  
b. Your router receives the request message and looks in its rules table for any rules covering  
the disposition of incoming port 80 traffic. Your Port Forwarding rule specifies that  
incoming port 80 traffic should be forwarded to local IP address 192.168.1.123.  
Therefore, your router modifies the destination information in the request message:  
— The destination address is replaced with 192.168.1.123.  
Your router then sends this request message to your local network.  
c. Your Web server at 192.168.1.123 receives the request and composes a return  
message with the requested Web page data. Your Web server then sends this reply message  
to your router.  
d. Your router performs Network Address Translation (NAT) on the source IP address, and  
sends this request message through the Internet to the remote computer, which displays the  
Web page from www.example.com.  
To configure Port Forwarding, you need to know which inbound ports the application needs. This  
information can usually be determined by contacting the publisher of the application or from user  
groups or newsgroups.  
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How Port Forwarding Differs From Port Triggering  
Port Triggering can be used by any computer on your network, although only one computer  
may use it at a time.  
Port Forwarding is configured for a single computer on your network.  
Port Triggering does not need to know the computer’s IP address in advance. The IP address  
will be captured automatically.  
Port Forwarding requires that you specify the computer’s IP address during configuration, and  
the IP address must never change.  
Port Triggering requires specific outbound traffic to open the inbound ports, and the triggered  
ports will be closed after a period of no activity.  
Port Forwarding is always active and does not need to be triggered.  
Configuring Port Forwarding to Local Servers  
Using the Port Forwarding feature, you can allow certain types of incoming traffic to reach servers  
on your local network. For example, you may make a local Web server, FTP server, or game server  
visible and available to the Internet.  
Use the Port Forwarding menu to configure the router to forward specific incoming protocols to  
computers on your local network. In addition to servers for specific applications, you can also  
specify a Default DMZ Server to which all other incoming protocols are forwarded. The DMZ  
Server is configured in the WAN Setup menu as discussed in “Setting Up a Default DMZ Server”  
Before starting, you need to determine which type of service, application or game you will  
provide, and the local IP address of the computer that will provide the service. Be sure the  
computer’s IP address never changes.  
Tip: To ensure that your server computer always has the same IP address, use the  
reserved IP address feature of your WNR834B router. See “Using Address  
Reservation” on page 5-4 for instructions on how to use reserved IP addresses.  
To configure port forwarding to a local server:  
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1. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click on Port Forwarding /Port  
Triggering to view the port forwarding menu.  
Figure 6-1  
2. From the Service Name box, select the service or game that you will host on your network.  
If the service does not appear in the list, see the following section, “Adding a Custom  
3. In the corresponding Server IP Address box, enter the last digit of the IP address of your local  
computer that will provide this service.  
4. Click Add. The service will appear in the list on the menu.  
Adding a Custom Service  
To define a service, game, or application that does not appear in the Service Name list, you must  
first determine which port number or range of numbers is used by the application. This  
information can usually be determined by contacting the publisher of the application or from user  
groups or newsgroups. When you have the port number information, follow these steps:  
1. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click Port Forwarding /Port  
Triggering.  
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2. Click Add Custom Service.  
Figure 6-2  
3. In the Service Name box, type a descriptive name.  
4. In the Service Type box, select the protocol. If you are unsure, select TCP/UDP.  
5. In the Starting Port box, type the beginning port number.  
If the application uses only a single port, type the same port number in the  
Ending Port box.  
If the application uses a range of ports, type the ending port number of the range in the  
Ending Port box.  
6. In the Server IP Address box, type the IP address of your local computer that will provide this  
service.  
7. Click Apply. The service will appear in the list in the Port Forwarding /Port Triggering menu.  
Editing or Deleting a Port Forwarding Entry  
To edit or delete a Port Forwarding entry:  
1. In the table, select the button next to the service name.  
2. Click Edit Service or Delete Service.  
Application Example: Making a Local Web Server Public  
If you host a Web server on your local network, you can use Port Forwarding to allow Web  
requests from anyone on the Internet to reach your Web server.  
To make a local Web server public:  
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1. Assign your Web server either a fixed IP address or a dynamic IP address using DHCP  
Address Reservation, as explained in “Using Address Reservation” on page 5-4. In this  
example, your router will always give your Web server an IP address of 192.168.1.33.  
2. Configure the Port Forwarding menu to forward the HTTP service to the local address of your  
Web server at 192.168.1.33.  
HTTP (port 80) is the standard protocol for Web servers.  
3. (Optional) Register a host name with a Dynamic DNS Service and configure your router to use  
To access your Web server from the Internet, a remote user must know the IP address that has  
been assigned by your ISP. However, if you use a Dynamic DNS Service, the remote user can  
reach your server by a user-friendly Internet name, such as mynetgear.dyndns.org.  
Configuring Port Triggering  
Port Triggering is a dynamic extension of Port Forwarding that is useful when:  
More than one local computer needs port forwarding for the same application (but not  
simultaneously) or  
An application needs to open incoming ports that are different from the outgoing port.  
When Port Triggering is enabled, the router monitors outbound traffic looking for a specified  
outbound “trigger” port. When the router detects outbound traffic on that port, it remembers the IP  
address of the local computer that sent the data. The router then temporarily opens the specified  
incoming port or ports, and forwards incoming traffic on the triggered ports to the triggering  
computer.  
While Port Forwarding creates a static mapping of a port number or range to a single local  
computer, Port Triggering can dynamically open ports to any computer that needs them and can  
close the ports when they are no longer needed.  
Note: If you use applications such as multi-player gaming, peer-to-peer connections, real-  
time communications such as instant messaging, or remote assistance (a feature in  
Windows XP), you should also enable Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) according  
To configure Port Triggering, you need to know which inbound ports the application needs. Also,  
you need to know the outbound port number that will trigger the opening of the inbound ports.  
This information can usually be determined by contacting the publisher of the application or from  
user groups or newsgroups.  
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To set up Port Triggering:  
1. In the main menu, under Advanced, Select Port Forwarding/Port Triggering.  
2. Select the Port Triggering radio button. The Port Triggering screen appears.  
Figure 6-3  
3. Deselect the checkbox for Disable Port Triggering.  
Note: If the Disable Port Triggering checkbox is selected after configuring port  
triggering, port triggering is disabled. However, any port triggering configuration  
information you added to the router is retained even though it will not be used.  
4. For Port Triggering Timeout, enter a value up to 9999 minutes. This value controls the  
inactivity timer for the designated inbound port(s). The inbound port(s) close when the  
inactivity timer expires. This is required because the router cannot be sure when the  
application has terminated.  
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5. Click Add Service.  
Figure 6-4  
6. In the Service Name box, type a descriptive service name.  
7. Under Service User, select Any (default) to allow this service to be used by any computer on  
the Internet. Otherwise, select Single address and enter the IP address of one computer to  
restrict the service to a particular computer.  
8. Select the Service Type, either TCP or UDP or both (TCP/UDP). If you are not sure, select  
TCP/UDP.  
9. In the Triggering Port box, enter the outbound traffic port number that will cause the inbound  
ports to be opened.  
10. Enter the inbound connection port information such as Connection Type, Starting Port, and  
Ending Port boxes.  
11. Click Apply. The service appears in the Port Triggering Portmap Table.  
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Using Universal Plug and Play  
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) helps devices, such as Internet appliances and computers, to  
access the network and connect to other devices as needed. UPnP devices can automatically  
discover the services from other registered UPnP devices on the network.  
Note: If you use applications such as multi-player gaming, peer-to-peer connections, real-  
time communications such as instant messaging, or remote assistance (a feature in  
Windows XP), you should enable UPnP.  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Advanced, click UPnP. The UPnP menu  
appears.  
Figure 6-5  
The available settings and displays in this menu are:  
Turn UPnP On  
UPnP can be enabled or disabled for automatic device configuration. The default setting for  
UPnP is disabled. If disabled, the router will not allow any device to automatically control the  
resources, such as port forwarding (mapping) of the router.  
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Advertisement Period  
The Advertisement Period is how often the router will broadcast its UPnP information. This  
value can range from 1 to 1440 minutes. The default period is 30 minutes. Shorter durations  
ensure that control points have current device status at the expense of additional network  
traffic. Longer durations may compromise the freshness of the device status but can  
significantly reduce network traffic.  
Advertisement Time To Live  
The time to live for the advertisement is measured in hops (steps) for each UPnP packet sent.  
The time to live hop count is the number of steps a broadcast packet is allowed to propagate  
for each UPnP advertisement before it disappears. The number of hops can range from 1 to  
255. The default value for the advertisement time to live is 4 hops, which should be fine for  
most home networks. If you notice that some devices are not being updated or reached  
correctly, then it may be necessary to increase this value.  
UPnP Portmap Table  
The UPnP Portmap Table displays the IP address of each UPnP device that is currently  
accessing the router and which ports (Internal and External) that device has opened. The UPnP  
Portmap Table also displays what type of port is open and whether that port is still active for  
each IP address.  
Optimizing Wireless Performance  
The speed and operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based  
on the physical placement of the wireless router. You should choose a location for your router that  
will maximize the network speed.  
Note: Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance degradation  
or inability to wirelessly connect to the router. For complete range and  
performance specifications, please see “Wireless Communications” in  
The following list describes how to optimize wireless router performance.  
Identify critical wireless links.  
If your network has several wireless devices, decide which wireless devices need the highest  
data rate, and locate the router near them. Many wireless products have automatic data-rate  
fallback, which allows increased distances without losing connectivity. This also means that  
devices that are further away may be slower. Therefore, the most critical links in your network  
are those where the traffic is high and the distances are great. Optimize those first.  
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Choose placement carefully.  
For best results, place your router:  
— Near the center of the area in which your computers will operate.  
— In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected computers  
have line-of-sight access (even if through walls).  
Avoid obstacles to wireless signals.  
— Keep wireless devices at least two feet from large metal fixtures such as file cabinets,  
refrigerators, pipes, metal ceilings, reinforced concrete, and metal partitions.  
— Keep away from large amounts of water such as fish tanks and water coolers.  
Reduce interference.  
Avoid windows unless communicating between buildings.  
Place wireless devices away from various electromagnetic noise sources, especially those in  
the 2400–2500 MHz frequency band. Common noise-creating sources are:  
— Computers and fax machines (no closer than one foot)  
— Copying machines, elevators, and cell phones (no closer than 6 feet)  
— Microwave ovens (no closer than 10 feet)  
Choose your settings.  
— Use a scanning utility to determine what other wireless networks are operating nearby, and  
choose an unused channel.  
— Turn off SSID Broadcast, and change the default SSID. Other nearby devices may  
automatically try to connect to your network several times a second, which can cause  
significant performance reduction.  
Changing the MTU  
The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is the largest data packet a network device transmits.  
When one network device communicates across the Internet with another, the data packets travel  
through many devices along the way. If any device in the data path has a lower MTU setting than  
the other devices, the data packets must be split or “fragmented” to accommodate the one with the  
smallest MTU.  
The best MTU setting for NETGEAR equipment is often just the default value, and changing the  
value may fix one problem but cause another. Leave MTU unchanged unless:  
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You have problems connecting to your ISP, or other Internet service, and either the technical  
support of the ISP or of NETGEAR recommends changing MTU. These may require an MTU  
change:  
— A secure Web site that won't open, or only displays part of a Web page  
Yahoo email  
— MSN  
— America Online's DSL service  
You use VPN and have severe performance problems.  
You used a program to optimize MTU for performance reasons, and now you have  
connectivity or performance problems..  
Note: An incorrect MTU setting can cause Internet communication problems such as the  
inability to access certain Web sites, frames within Web sites, secure login pages,  
FTP or POP servers.  
If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU to 1400. If you are  
willing to experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU from the maximum value of 1500 until  
the problem goes away. Table 6-1 describes common MTU sizes and applications.  
Table 6-1. Common MTU Sizes  
MTU  
Application  
1500  
The largest Ethernet packet size and the default value. This is the typical setting for non-  
PPPoE, non-VPN connections, and is the default value for NETGEAR routers, adapters,  
and switches.  
1492  
1472  
1468  
1460  
1436  
1400  
576  
Used in PPPoE environments.  
Maximum size to use for pinging. (Larger packets are fragmented.)  
Used in some DHCP environments.  
Usable by AOL if you don't have large email attachments, for example.  
Used in PPTP environments or with VPN.  
Maximum size for AOL DSL.  
Typical value to connect to dial-up ISPs.  
To change the MTU size:  
1. In the Advanced section of the main menu, click WAN Setup.  
2. Under MTU Size, enter a new size between 64 and 1500.  
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3. Click Apply to save the new configuration.  
Optimizing Your Network Bandwidth  
As your network grows, it may consist of several segments of different networking technologies,  
each providing different throughput. In planning your network, you should first consider which  
devices will have the heaviest traffic flow between them. Examples are:  
A media center in one room streaming high-definition video from a server in another room  
A storage device that is used for backing up your computers  
Next, consider the throughput of your network devices. Where possible, make the heaviest-traffic  
connections using higher-speed technologies, with no lower-speed bottlenecks in the path.  
Figure 6-6  
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Figure 6-6 shows an example network using multiple networking technologies. In this network,  
the two PCs with gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet adapters have a gigabit connection through the  
GS605 switch to the storage server. This connection should allow for extremely fast backups or  
quick access to large files on the server. The PC connected through a pair of Powerline HD  
adapters is limited to the 200 Mbps speed of the Powerline HD connection. Although any of the  
links in this example would be sufficient for high-traffic applications such as streaming HD video,  
the use of older devices such as 10 Mbps Ethernet or 802.11b wireless would create a significant  
bottleneck.  
Overview of Home and Small Office Networking  
Technologies  
Common connection types and their speed and security considerations are:  
Broadband Internet  
Your Internet connection speed is determined by your modem type, such as ADSL or cable  
modem, as well as the connection speed of the sites to which you connect, and general Internet  
traffic. ADSL and cable modem connections are asymmetrical, meaning they have a lower  
data rate to the Internet (upstream) than from the Internet (downstream). Keep in mind that  
when you connect to someone else who also has an asymmetrical connection, the data rate  
between your sites is limited by each side’s upstream data rate. A typical residential ADSL or  
cablemodem connection provides a downstream throughput of about one to three megabits per  
second (Mbps). Newer technologies such as ADSL2+ and Fiber to the Home (FTTH) will  
increase the connection speed to tens of Mbps.  
Wireless  
Your RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B provides a wireless data throughput of up  
to 300 Mbps using technology called Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), in which  
multiple antennas transmit multiple streams of data. The use of multiple antennas also  
provides excellent range and coverage. With the introduction of the newer WPA and WPA2  
encryption and authentication protocols, wireless security is extremely strong.  
To get the best performance, use RangeMax NEXT adapters such as the WN511B for your  
computers. Although the RangeMax NEXT router is compatible with older 802.11b and  
802.11g adapters, the use of these older wireless technologies in your network can result in  
lower throughput overall (typically less than 10 Mbps for 802.11b and less than 40 Mbps for  
802.11g). In addition, many older wireless products do not support the latest security  
protocols, WPA and WPA2.  
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Powerline  
For connecting rooms or floors that are blocked by obstructions or are distant vertically,  
consider networking over your building’s AC wiring. NETGEAR’s Powerline HD family of  
products delivers up to 200 Mbps to any outlet, while the older generation XE family of  
products delivers 14 Mbps or 85 Mbps. Data transmissions are encrypted for security, and you  
can configure an individual network password to prevent neighbors from connecting.  
The Powerline HD family of products can coexist on the same network with older generation  
XE family products or HomePlug 1.0 products, but they are not interoperable with these  
older products.  
Wired Ethernet  
As gigabit-speed Ethernet ports (10/100/1000 Mbps) become common on newer computers,  
wired Ethernet remains a good choice for speed, economy, and security. Gigabit Ethernet can  
extend up to 100 meters with twisted-pair wiring of CAT-5e or better. A wired connection is  
not susceptible to interference, and eavesdropping would require a physical connection to  
your network.  
Note: Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors,  
including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and  
network overhead, can lower actual data throughput rate.  
Assessing Your Speed Requirements  
Because your Internet connection is likely to operate at a much lower speed than your local  
network, faster local networking technologies may not improve your Internet experience.  
However, many emerging home applications require high data rates. For example:  
Streaming HD video requires 10 to 30 Mbps per stream. Because latency and packet loss can  
disrupt your video, plan to provide at least twice the capacity you need.  
Streaming MP3 audio requires less than 1 Mbps per stream and does not strain most modern  
networks. Like video, however, streaming audio is also sensitive to latency and packet loss, so  
a congested network or a noisy link can cause problems.  
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Backing up computers over the network has become popular due to the availability of  
inexpensive mass storage. Table 6-2 shows the time to transfer one gigabyte (1 GB) of data  
using various networking technologies.  
Table 6-2. Theoretical Transfer Time for 1 Gigabyte  
Network Connection  
Theoretical Raw Transfer Time  
Gigabit Wired Ethernet  
RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N  
Powerline HD  
8 seconds  
26 seconds  
40 seconds  
100 Mbps Wired Ethernet  
802.11g wireless  
80 seconds  
150 seconds  
700 seconds  
800 seconds  
2700 seconds  
144,000 seconds (40 hours)  
802.11b wireless  
10 Mbps Wired Ethernet  
Cable Modem (3 Mbps)  
Analog Modem (56 kbps)  
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Chapter 7  
Using Network Monitoring Tools  
This chapter describes how to use the maintenance features of your RangeMax NEXT Wireless  
Router WNR834B. These features can be found by clicking on the Maintenance heading in the  
main menu of the browser interface.  
This chapter includes:  
Viewing Wireless Router Status Information  
To view router status and usage information:  
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From the main menu of the browser interface, under Maintenance, select Router Status.  
Figure 7-1  
Table 7-1 describes the router status fields.  
Table 7-1. Wireless Router Status Fields  
Field  
Description  
Account Name  
The Host Name assigned to the router.  
Firmware Version  
The version of the current software installed in the router. This will  
change if you upgrade your router.  
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Table 7-1. Wireless Router Status Fields (continued)  
Field  
Description  
Internet Port  
These parameters apply to the Internet (WAN) port of the router.  
MAC Address  
The Media Access Control address. This is the unique physical address  
being used by the Internet (WAN) port of the router.  
IP Address  
DHCP  
The IP address being used by the Internet (WAN) port of the router. If no  
address is shown, or is 0.0.0.0, the router cannot connect to the Internet.  
If set to None, the router is configured to use a fixed IP address on  
the WAN.  
If set to DHCP Client, the router is configured to obtain an IP address  
dynamically from the ISP.  
IP Subnet Mask  
The IP Subnet Mask being used by the Internet (WAN) port of the router.  
For an explanation of subnet masks and subnet addressing, see  
Domain Name Server  
The Domain Name Server addresses being used by the router. A  
Domain Name Server translates human-language URLs such as  
www.netgear.com into IP addresses.  
LAN Port  
These parameters apply to the Local (LAN) port of the router.  
MAC Address  
IP Address  
DHCP  
The Media Access Control address. This is the unique physical address  
being used by the LAN port of the router.  
The IP address being used by the Local (LAN) port of the router. The  
default is 192.168.1.1.  
Identifies whether the router’s built-in DHCP server is active for the LAN  
attached devices.  
IP Subnet Mask  
The IP Subnet Mask being used by the Local (LAN) port of the router.  
The default is 255.255.255.0.  
Wireless Port  
These parameters apply to the Wireless port of the router.  
Name (SSID)  
The wireless network name (SSID) being used by the wireless port of  
the router. The default is NETGEAR.  
Region  
The geographic region where the router is being used. It may be illegal  
to use the wireless features of the router in some parts of the world.  
Channel  
Identifies the channel of the wireless port being used. See “Wireless  
Communications” in Appendix B for the frequencies used on each  
channel. In “Up to 240 Mbps” mode, there are two channels: a primary  
channel (P) and a secondary channel (S).  
Mode  
Indicates the wireless communication mode: 802.11g and 802.11b,  
802.11g only, up to 126 Mbps, or up to 240 Mbps.  
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Table 7-1. Wireless Router Status Fields (continued)  
Field  
Wireless AP  
Description  
Indicates whether the radio feature of the router is enabled. If not  
enabled, the Wireless LED on the front panel will be off.  
Broadcast Name  
Indicates whether the router is broadcasting its SSID.  
Click Connection Status to display the connection status.  
Figure 7-2  
Table 7-2 describes the connection status settings...  
Table 7-2. Connection Status Items  
Item  
Description  
IP Address  
The WAN (Internet) IP Address assigned to the router.  
The WAN (Internet) Subnet Mask assigned to the router.  
The WAN (Internet) default gateway the router communicates with.  
Subnet Mask  
Default Gateway  
DNS Server  
The IP address of the Domain Name Service server that provides translation of  
network names to IP addresses.  
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Click Show Statistics to display router usage statistics.  
Figure 7-3  
Table 7-3 describes the router statistics.  
Table 7-3. Router Statistics Items  
Item  
Description  
System Up Time  
Port  
The elapsed time since the router was last restarted.  
The statistics for the WAN (Internet) and LAN (local) ports. For each port, the screen  
displays:  
Status  
TxPkts  
The link status of the port.  
The number of packets transmitted on this port since reset or manual clear.  
The number of packets received on this port since reset or manual clear.  
The number of collisions on this port since reset or manual clear.  
The current transmission (outbound) bandwidth used on the WAN and LAN ports.  
The current reception (inbound) bandwidth used on the WAN and LAN ports.  
The time elapsed since this port acquired the link.  
RxPkts  
Collisions  
Tx B/s  
Rx B/s  
Up Time  
Poll Interval  
Set Interval  
The intervals at which the statistics are updated in this window.  
To change the polling frequency, enter a time and click Set Interval.  
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Viewing a List of Attached Devices  
The Attached Devices table contains a table of all IP devices that the router has discovered on the  
local network. From the main menu of the browser interface, under the Maintenance heading,  
select Attached Devices to view the table.  
Figure 7-4  
For each device, the table shows the IP address, NetBIOS Host Name or Device Name (if  
available), and the Ethernet MAC address. To force the router to look for attached devices,  
click Refresh.  
Note: If the router is rebooted, the table data is lost until the router rediscovers the  
devices.  
Managing the Configuration File  
The configuration settings of the WNR834B are stored within the router in a configuration file.  
You can back up (save) this file to your computer, restore it, or reset it to the factory  
default settings.  
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From the main menu of the browser interface, under the Maintenance heading, select Backup  
Settings.  
Figure 7-5  
The following sections describe the three available options.  
Backing Up and Restoring the Configuration  
The Restore and Backup options in the Settings Backup menu let you save and retrieve a file  
containing your router’s configuration settings.  
To save your settings, click Back Up. Your browser will extract the configuration file from the  
router and prompt you for a location on your computer to store the file. You can give the file a  
meaningful name at this time, such as COMCAST.CFG.  
Tip: Before saving your configuration file, change the administrator password to the  
default, password. Then change it again after you have saved the configuration file.  
In the event that you forget the password, you will need to reset the configuration to  
factory defaults.  
To restore your settings from a saved configuration file, enter the full path to the file on your  
computer or click Browse to browse to the file. When you have located it, click Restore to send the  
file to the router. The router will then reboot automatically.  
Warning: Do not interrupt the reboot process.  
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Erasing the Configuration  
Under some circumstances (for example, if you move the router to a different network or if you  
have forgotten the password) you may want to erase the configuration and restore the factory  
default settings. After an erase, the router’s username is admin, the password is password, the  
LAN IP address is 192.168.1.1 (or www.routerlogin.net), and the router's DHCP server  
is enabled.  
To erase the configuration, click the Erase button.  
To restore the factory default configuration settings without knowing the login password or IP  
address, you must use the Default Reset button on the rear panel of the router. See “Problems with  
Upgrading the Router Software  
Tip: To ensure that you are always using the latest firmware, enable the Firmware  
Upgrade Assistant feature so that the router will automatically detect a new version  
of the firmware on the Internet and alert you to its availability.  
This screen appears at login unless you check Do Not Display This Message Again and click Yes.  
Figure 7-6  
Tip: Before upgrading the router software, use the router Backup menu to save your  
configuration settings. A router upgrade might revert the router settings back to the  
factory defaults. If so, after completing the upgrade, you can restore your settings  
from the backup.  
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The routing software of the WNR834B router is stored in FLASH memory, and can be upgraded  
as new software is released by NETGEAR. You can download upgrade files from the NETGEAR  
Web site. If the upgrade file is compressed (.ZIP file), you must first extract the file before sending  
it to the router. You can use your browser to send the upgrade file to the router.  
Note: The Web browser used to upload new firmware into the WNR834B router must  
support HTTP uploads. NETGEAR recommends using Internet Explorer 5.1,  
Firefox 1.0.5, or later versions.  
From the main menu of the browser interface, under the Maintenance heading, select Router  
Upgrade to display the upgrade menu.  
Figure 7-7  
To upload new firmware:  
1. Click Check to download and unzip (if the download file is a .ZIP file) the new software file  
from NETGEAR.  
2. Click Browse and browse to the location of the new software file.  
3. Click Upload.  
Warning: When uploading software to the WNR834B router, do not interrupt the Web  
browser by closing the window, clicking a link, or loading a new page. If the  
browser is interrupted, it could corrupt the software.  
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When the upload is complete, your router will automatically restart. The upgrade process typically  
takes about one minute. Read the new software release notes to determine whether you must  
reconfigure the router after upgrading.  
Enabling Remote Management Access  
Using the Remote Management feature, you can allow a user on the Internet to configure, upgrade,  
and check the status of your WNR834B router. From the main menu of the browser interface,  
under the Advanced heading, select Remote Management.  
Figure 7-8  
Note: Be sure to change the router's default configuration password to a very secure  
password. The ideal password should contain no dictionary words from any  
language, and should be a mixture of letters (both upper and lower case), numbers,  
and symbols. Your password can be up to 30 characters.  
To configure your router for remote management:  
1. Select the checkbox to Turn Remote Management On.  
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2. Under the heading of Allow Remote Access By, specify what external IP addresses will be  
allowed to access the router’s remote management.  
Note: For enhanced security, restrict access to as few external IP addresses  
as practical.  
a. To allow access from any IP address on the Internet, select Everyone.  
b. To allow access from a range of IP addresses on the Internet, select IP address range.  
Enter a beginning and ending IP address to define the allowed range.  
c. To allow access from a single IP address on the Internet, select Only This Computer.  
Enter the IP address that will be allowed access.  
3. Specify the Port Number for accessing the management interface.  
Normal Web browser access uses the standard HTTP service port 80. For greater security,  
enter a custom port number for the remote management Web interface. Choose a number  
between 1024 and 65535, but do not use the number of any common service port. The default  
is 8080, which is a common alternate for HTTP.  
4. Click Apply to have your changes take effect.  
Note: When accessing your router from the Internet, type your router's WAN IP address  
into your browser's address (in Internet Explorer) or location box, followed by a  
colon (:) and the custom port number. For example, if your external address is  
134.177.0.123 and you use port number 8080, then enter  
http://134.177.0.123:8080in your browser.  
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Chapter 8  
Troubleshooting  
This chapter provides information about troubleshooting your RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router  
WNR834B. After each problem description, instructions are provided to help you diagnose and  
solve the problem. As a first step, please review the Quick Tips.  
Tip: NETGEAR provides helpful articles, documentation, and the latest software  
This chapter includes:  
Troubleshooting Quick Tips  
This section describes tips for troubleshooting some common problems:  
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence.  
1. Turn off and unplug the modem.  
2. Turn off the wireless router and computers.  
3. Plug in the modem and turn it on. Wait 2 minutes.  
4. Turn on the wireless router and wait 1 minute.  
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5. Turn on the computers.  
Make sure the Ethernet cables are securely plugged in.  
The Internet status light on the wireless router will be lit if the Ethernet cable connecting the  
wireless router and the modem is plugged in securely and the modem and wireless router are  
turned on.  
For each powered on computer connected to the wireless router by an Ethernet cable, the  
corresponding numbered router LAN port light will be lit.  
Make sure the wireless settings in the computer and router match exactly.  
For a wirelessly connected computer, the Wireless Network Name (SSID) and WEP or WPA  
security settings of the router and wireless computer must match exactly.  
If you have enabled the wireless router to restrict wireless access by MAC address, you must  
add the wireless computer’s MAC address to the router’s wireless card access list.  
Make sure the network settings of the computer are correct.  
Wired and wirelessly connected computers must have network (IP) addresses on the same  
network as the router. The simplest way to do this is to configure each computer to obtain an  
IP address automatically using DHCP. Please see “Preparing a Computer for Network Access”  
in Appendix B or the documentation that came with your computer.  
Some cable modem service providers require you to use the MAC address of the computer  
initially registered on the account. Your wireless router can capture and use that MAC address,  
Check the test light to verify correct router operation.  
If the Test light does not turn off within 2 minutes after turning the router on, reset the router  
according to the instructions in “Problems with Date and Time” on page 8-9.  
Troubleshooting Basic Functions  
After you turn on power to the router, the following sequence of events should occur:  
1. When power is first applied, verify that the Power light  
is on.  
2. After approximately 10 seconds, verify that:  
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a. The power light is solidly on.  
b. The Internet light is lit.  
c. A numbered LAN port light is lit for any local port that is connected to a computer. This  
indicates that a link has been established to the connected device.  
If any of the above conditions does not occur, see the appropriate following section.  
The power light is not on or is blinking.  
If the Power and other lights are off when your router is turned on:  
Make sure that the power cord is properly connected to your router and that the power adapter  
is properly connected to a functioning power outlet.  
Check that you are using the 12V DC 1A power adapter that NETGEAR supplied for this  
product.  
If the Power light alternately blinks green and amber every second, the router software is  
corrupted. This can happen if a firmware upgrade is interrupted, or if the router detects a  
problem with the firmware. For recovery instructions, contact technical support at  
www.netgear.com/support.  
If the error persists, you have a hardware problem and should contact technical support at  
www.netgear.com/support.  
The lights never turn off,  
When the router is turned on, the lights turns on for about 10 seconds and then turn off. If all the  
lights stay on, there is a fault within the router.  
If all lights are still on one minute after power up:  
Cycle the power to see if the router recovers.  
Clear the router’s configuration to factory defaults as explained in “Problems with Date and  
If the error persists, you might have a hardware problem and should contact technical support at  
www.netgear.com/support.  
The LAN or WAN port lights are not lit.  
If either the LAN port lights or Internet light do not light when the Ethernet connection is made,  
check the following:  
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Make sure that the Ethernet cable connections are secure at the router and at the modem or  
computer.  
Make sure that power is turned on to the connected modem or computer.  
Be sure you are using the correct cable:  
— When connecting the router’s Internet port to a cable or DSL modem, use the cable that  
was supplied with the cable or DSL modem. This cable could be a standard straight-  
through Ethernet cable or an Ethernet crossover cable.  
The Wireless light is not lit.  
If the Wireless light does not come on, verify that the wireless feature is turned on according to the  
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Troubleshooting the Web Configuration Interface  
If you are unable to access the router’s Web Configuration interface from a computer on your local  
network, check the following:  
If you are connecting from a wireless computer, try connecting from a wired computer.  
Check the Ethernet connection between the wired computer and the router as described in  
Make sure your computer’s IP address is on the same subnet as the router. For instructions, see  
Note: If your computer’s IP address is shown as 169.254.x.x: Windows and Mac OS  
will generate and assign an IP address if the computer cannot reach a DHCP server.  
These auto-generated addresses are in subnet 169.254.x.x. If your IP address is  
in this range, check the connection from the computer to the router and reboot  
your computer.  
Make sure your browser has Java, JavaScript, or ActiveX enabled. If you are using Internet  
Explorer, click Refresh to be sure the Java applet is loaded.  
Try quitting the browser and launching it again, or try a different browser.  
Make sure you are using the correct login information. The factory default login name is  
admin and the password is password. Make sure that CAPS LOCK is off when entering  
this information.  
If the router does not save changes you have made in the Web Configuration Interface, check  
the following:  
When entering configuration settings, be sure to click Apply before moving to another menu  
or tab, or your changes could be lost.  
Click Refresh or Reload in the Web browser. The changes may have occurred, but the Web  
browser may be caching the old configuration.  
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Troubleshooting the Internet Connection  
If you can access your router but you are unable to access the Internet, you should first determine  
whether the router is able to obtain an IP address from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Unless  
your ISP provides a static IP address, your router must request an IP address from the ISP. You can  
determine whether the request was successful using the Web Configuration Manager.  
To check the WAN IP address:  
1. Launch your browser and select an external site such as www.netgear.com.  
2. Access the main menu of the router’s configuration at http://www.routerlogin.net.  
3. Under the Maintenance heading, select Router Status.  
4. Check that an IP address is shown for the WAN Port.  
If 0.0.0.0is shown, your router has not obtained an IP address from your ISP.  
If your router is unable to obtain an IP address from the ISP, you may need to force your cable or  
DSL modem to recognize your new router by restarting your network, as described in “Be sure to  
If your router is still unable to obtain an IP address from the ISP, the problem may be one of the  
following:  
Your ISP may require a login program.  
Ask your ISP whether they require PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) or some other type of login.  
If your ISP requires a login, you may have incorrectly set the login name and password.  
Your ISP may check for your computer's host name.  
Assign the computer Host Name of your ISP account as the Account Name in the Basic  
Settings menu.  
Your ISP only allows one Ethernet MAC address to connect to Internet and might check for  
your computer’s MAC address. In this case:  
Inform your ISP that you have bought a new network device, and ask them to use the router’s  
MAC address.  
OR  
Configure your router to spoof your computer’s MAC address. This procedure is explained in  
If your router can obtain an IP address, but your computer is unable to load any Web pages from  
the Internet:  
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Your computer may not recognize any DNS server addresses.  
A DNS server is a host on the Internet that translates Internet names (such as www addresses)  
to numeric IP addresses. Typically, your ISP will provide the addresses of one or two DNS  
servers for your use. If you entered a DNS address during the router’s configuration, reboot  
your computer and verify the DNS address as described in “Preparing a Computer for  
Network Access” in Appendix B. You can also configure your computer manually with DNS  
addresses, as explained in your operating system documentation.  
Your computer may not have the router configured as its TCP/IP gateway.  
If your computer obtains its information from the router by DHCP, reboot the computer and  
verify the gateway address as described in “Preparing a Computer for Network Access” in  
You may be running login software that is no longer needed.  
If your ISP provided a program to log you in to the Internet (such as WinPoET), you no longer  
need to run that software after installing your router. You may need to go to the Internet  
Explorer Tools menu, Internet Options, Connections tab and select “Never dial a connection.”  
Troubleshooting a Network Using a Ping Utility  
Most network devices and routers contain a ping utility that sends an echo request packet to the  
designated device. The device then responds with an echo reply. Troubleshooting a network is  
made very easy by using the ping utility in your computer or workstation.  
Testing the LAN Path to Your Router  
You can ping the router from your computer to verify that the LAN path to your router is set up  
correctly.  
To ping the router from a running Windows PC:  
1. From the Windows toolbar, click Start, and then select Run.  
2. In the field provided, type pingfollowed by the IP address of the router, as in this example:  
ping www.routerlogin.net  
3. Click OK.  
You should see a message like this one:  
Pinging <IP address > with 32 bytes of data  
If the path is working, you see this message:  
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Reply from < IP address >: bytes=32 time=NN ms TTL=xxx  
If the path is not working, you see this message:  
Request timed out  
If the path is not functioning correctly, you could have one of the following problems:  
Wrong physical connections  
— For a wired connection, make sure the numbered LAN port light is on for the port to  
which you are connected. If the light is off, follow the instructions in “The LAN or  
— Check that the corresponding Link lights are on for your network interface card. If  
your router and computer are connected to a separate Ethernet switch, make sure the  
link lights are on for the switch ports that are connected to your computer and router.  
Wrong network configuration  
Verify that the Ethernet card driver software and TCP/IP software are both installed  
and configured on your computer.  
Verify that the IP address for your router and your computer are correct and that the  
addresses are on the same subnet.  
Testing the Path from Your Computer to a Remote Device  
After verifying that the LAN path works correctly, test the path from your computer to a remote  
device. From the Windows run menu, type:  
PING -n 10 <IP address>  
where <IP address> is the IP address of a remote device such as your ISP’s DNS server.  
If the path is functioning correctly, replies like those shown in the previous section are displayed.  
If you do not receive replies:  
— Check that your computer has the IP address of your router listed as the default gateway. If  
the IP configuration of your computer is assigned by DHCP, this information will not be  
visible in your computer’s Network Control Panel. Verify that the IP address of the router  
is listed as the default gateway as described in “Preparing a Computer for Network  
— Check to see that the network address of your computer (the portion of the IP address  
specified by the subnet mask) is different from the network address of the remote device.  
— Check that your cable or DSL modem is connected and functioning.  
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— If your ISP assigned a host name to your computer, enter that host name as the Account  
Name in the Basic Settings menu.  
Your ISP could be rejecting the Ethernet MAC addresses of all but one of your computers.  
Many broadband ISPs restrict access by only allowing traffic from the MAC address of  
your broadband modem, but some ISPs additionally restrict access to the MAC address of  
a single computer connected to that modem. If this is the case, you must configure your  
router to “clone” or “spoof” the MAC address from the authorized computer. For more  
Problems with Date and Time  
The Email menu in the Content Filtering section displays the current date and time of day. The  
WNR834B router uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to obtain the current time from one of  
several Network Time Servers on the Internet. Each entry in the log is stamped with the date and  
time of day. Problems with the date and time function can include:  
Date shown is January 1, 2000.  
Cause: The router has not yet successfully reached a Network Time Server. Check that your  
Internet access settings are configured correctly. If you have just completed configuring the  
router, wait at least five minutes and check the date and time again.  
Time is off by one hour.  
Cause: The router does not adjust for Daylight Savings Time. In the Email menu, check the  
box marked “Adjust for Daylight Savings Time”.  
Solving Wireless Connection Problems  
The first steps in solving wireless connection problems are:  
1. Using your wireless card’s setup utility program, make sure your wireless card can find your  
wireless router.  
2. Configure and test with the simplest wireless connection possible, and then add security.  
The topics in this section describe these steps.  
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Using Your Wireless Card Setup Program  
When you install a NETGEAR wireless card in your computer, a Smart Wizard utility program is  
installed that can provide helpful information about your wireless network. You can find this  
program in your Windows program menu or as an icon in your system tray. Other wireless card  
manufacturers may include a similar program.  
If you have no specific wireless card setup program installed, you can use the basic setup utility in  
Windows by following these steps:  
1. Open the Windows Control Panel and select Network Connections.  
2. Under the LAN section, double-click Wireless Network Connection.  
Use the setup program to scan for available wireless networks. Look for a Network Name (SSID)  
of NETGEAR or your custom SSID if you have changed it. If your wireless network does not  
appear, check these conditions:  
Is your router’s wireless radio enabled? See “Configuring Security in the Advanced Wireless  
Is your router’s SSID Broadcast enabled? See “Configuring Security in the Advanced  
Is your router set to a wireless standard that is not supported by your wireless card? Check the  
If your wireless network appears, but the signal strength is weak, check these conditions:  
Is your router too far from your computer, or too close? Place your computer near the router,  
but at least six feet away and see whether the signal strength improves.  
Is your wireless signal obstructed by objects between the router and your computer? See  
If your wireless network appears and has good signal strength, configure your wireless card and  
router for the simplest possible connection as described in the next section.  
Setting Up and Testing Basic Wireless Connectivity  
Note: If you use a wireless computer to change wireless settings, you may be  
disconnected when you click Apply. Reconfigure your wireless adapter to match  
the new settings or access the wireless router from a wired computer to make any  
further changes.  
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Follow the instructions below to set up and test basic wireless connectivity. Once you have  
established basic wireless connectivity, you can enable security settings appropriate to your needs.  
1. In the main menu of the WNR834B router, under the heading Setup, click Wireless Settings.  
Figure 8-1  
2. For the wireless network name (SSID), use the default name or choose a suitable descriptive  
name. In the SSID box, you can enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The default  
SSID is NETGEAR.  
Note: The SSID is case sensitive; NETGEAR is not the same as nETgear. Also, the  
SSID of any wireless access adapters must match the SSID you configure in  
the RangeMax NEXT Wireless Router WNR834B. If they do not match, you  
will not get a wireless connection to the WNR834B.  
3. Set the Region. Select the region in which the wireless interface will operate.  
4. Set the Channel. The default channel is Auto.  
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This field determines which operating frequency is used. It should not be necessary to change  
the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby wireless  
router or access point. Select a channel that is not being used by any other wireless networks  
within several hundred feet of your router. For more information on the wireless channel  
5. Set the Mode to g and b.  
6. For Security Options, select None.  
7. Click Apply to save your changes.  
Note: If you are configuring the router from a wireless computer and you change the  
router’s SSID, channel, or security settings, you will lose your wireless  
connection when you click Apply. You must then change the wireless settings  
of your computer to match the router’s new settings.  
8. In the main menu of the WNR834B router, under the heading Advanced, click  
Wireless Settings.  
Figure 8-2  
9. Make sure the checkboxes are selected for Enable Wireless Router Radio and Enable SSID  
Broadcast.  
10. Click Setup Access List.  
11. Make sure that the checkbox is not selected for Turn Access Control On.  
12. Configure and test your wireless computer for wireless connectivity.  
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Program the wireless adapter of your computer to have the same SSID and channel that you  
configured in the router, and disable encryption. Check that your computer has a wireless link  
and is able to obtain an IP address by DHCP from the router.  
Once your computer has basic wireless connectivity to the router, you can configure the advanced  
wireless security functions of the computer and router.  
Restoring the Default Configuration and Password  
This section explains how to restore the factory default configuration settings, changing the  
router’s administration password back to password. You can erase the current configuration and  
restore factory defaults in two ways:  
Use the Erase function of the router (see “Erasing the Configuration” on page 7-8).  
Use the Default Reset button on the rear panel of the router. Use this method for cases when  
the administration password or IP address is not known.  
To restore the factory default configuration settings without knowing the administration password  
or IP address, you must use the Default Reset button on the rear panel of the router.  
1. Press and hold the Default Reset button for 10 seconds.  
2. Release the Default Reset button and wait for the router to reboot.  
If the wireless router fails to restart or the power light continues to blink or turns solid amber, the  
unit may be defective. If the error persists, you might have a hardware problem and should contact  
technical support at www.netgear.com/support.  
Troubleshooting  
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Appendix A  
Technical Specifications  
This appendix provides technical specifications for the WNR834B wireless router.  
Factory Default Settings  
When you first receive your WNR834B, the default factory settings are in effect, as shown below.  
You can restore these defaults with the Factory Default Restore button on the rear panel.  
Router Login Default Access  
Router Login URL  
http://www. routerlogin.net or  
http://www.routerlogin.com  
Login Name (case sensitive) printed on  
product label  
admin  
Login Password (case sensitive) printed on  
product label  
password  
Internet Connection  
WAN MAC Address  
MTU Size  
Use default hardware address  
1500  
Local Network  
Router LAN IP address printed on product label  
(also known as Gateway IP address)  
www.routerlogin.net  
or 192.168.1.1  
Router Subnet  
255.255.255.0  
Enabled  
DHCP Server  
DHCP range  
192.168.1.2to 192.168.1.254  
Pacific Time  
Time Zone  
Time Zone Adjusted for Daylight Saving Time  
Disabled  
A-1  
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Wireless  
Enabled  
Wireless Router Radio  
Wireless Access List (MAC Filtering)  
SSID  
All wireless stations allowed  
NETGEAR  
Auto  
802.11b/g RF Channel  
Mode  
Up to 240 Mbps  
None  
Wireless Security  
Firewall  
Inbound (communications coming in from the Internet) Disabled (bars all unsolicited requests)  
Outbound (communications going out to the Internet)  
Enabled (all)  
General Specifications  
Network Protocol and Standards Compatibility  
Data and Routing Protocols:  
TCP/IP, RIP-1, RIP-2, DHCP, PPPoE, PPTP, Bigpond, Dynamic  
DNS, and UPnP  
Power Adapter  
North America:  
UK, Australia:  
Europe:  
120V, 60 Hz, input  
240V, 50 Hz, input  
230V, 50 Hz, input  
100V, 50/60 Hz, input  
12 V DC @ 1.0A output  
Japan:  
All regions (output):  
Physical  
Dimensions:  
9" x 6.8" x 3"  
228.5 x 175 x 76 mm  
Weight:  
1.1 lbs.  
0.5 kg  
Environmental  
Operating temperature:  
0° to 40° C (32º to 104º F)  
A-2  
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Operating humidity:  
90% maximum relative humidity, noncondensing  
Electromagnetic Emissions  
Designed to conform to the  
following standards:  
FCC Part 15 Class B; EN 55022/24 (CISPR 22/24) Class B;  
EN 60950 (CE LVD) Class B; MIC  
Interface Specifications  
LAN:  
10BASE-T or 100BASE-Tx, RJ-45  
10BASE-T or 100BASE-Tx, RJ-45  
WAN:  
Technical Specifications  
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Appendix B  
Related Documents  
This appendix provides links to reference documents you can use to gain a more complete  
understanding of the technologies used in your NETGEAR product.  
Document  
Link  
Internet Networking and  
TCP/IP Addressing  
Wireless Communications  
Preparing a Computer for  
Network Access  
In addition, you can find initial setup instructions for your wireless router in the NETGEAR  
Wireless Router Setup Manual.  
Related Documents  
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B-2  
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Index  
A
E
Account Name 2-6, 7-2  
erase configuration 7-8  
ESSID 8-11  
B
F
backup configuration 7-7  
Basic Wireless Connectivity 8-10  
Basic Wireless Settings 3-11  
Bigpond 2-9  
factory settings, restoring 7-8  
fragment 6-14  
fully qualified domain name (FQDN) 2-14, 3-6  
C
G
configuration  
backup 7-7  
erasing 7-8  
restore 7-10  
gigabit Ethernet 6-18  
H
host name 2-6  
content filtering 4-1  
crossover cable 8-4  
customer support 1-ii  
I
IP addresses  
auto-generated 8-5  
D
date and time 8-9  
Daylight Savings Time 8-9  
daylight savings time 4-9  
Default DMZ Server 5-7  
DMZ 5-7, 6-6  
L
LAN IP Setup Menu 5-2  
LEDs  
troubleshooting 8-3  
log  
DMZ Server 5-7  
sending 4-7  
DNS 6-2  
log entries 4-6  
DNS, dynamic 5-5  
Domain Name 2-7  
Dynamic DNS 5-5  
DynDNS.org 5-5  
Logout 2-5  
M
MAC address 3-12, 8-9  
spoofing 2-7, 8-6  
Index-1  
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metric 5-10  
MTU 5-8  
SPI firewall 5-7  
spoof MAC address 8-6  
Static Routes 7-10  
MTU size 6-14  
N
T
NAT 5-7, 6-2  
Network Time Protocol 4-8, 8-9  
NTP 4-8, 8-9  
TCP/IP  
network, troubleshooting 8-7  
time of day 8-9  
time zone 4-8  
P
time-stamping 4-8  
troubleshooting 8-1  
Trusted Host 4-3  
Passphrase 3-5, 3-8, 3-9, 3-11  
password  
restoring 8-13  
ping 5-8  
W
port filtering 4-3  
Port Forwarding 6-6  
Port Forwarding Menu 6-7, 6-8, 6-10, 6-11  
port numbers 4-3  
WAN 5-6  
Wireless Security 3-1  
WPA-PSK 3-5  
Port Triggering 6-9  
PPPoE 2-9  
WPA-PSK Password Phrase 3-5  
PPTP 2-8  
Primary DNS Server 2-7, 2-10  
R
range 6-13  
remote management 7-10  
reserved IP adresses 5-4  
restore configuration 7-10  
restore factory settings 7-8  
Restrict Wireless Access by MAC Address 3-12  
RIP (Router Information Protocol) 5-3  
Router Status 7-2  
S
Secondary DNS Server 2-7, 2-10  
service numbers 4-4  
SMTP 4-8  
Index-2  
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