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.
• • • 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 might automatically try to connect to your network several times a second, which can cause significant performance reduction. Use WMM to improve the performance of voice and video traffic over the wireless link.
If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU size to 1400. If you are willing to experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU size from the maximum value of 1500 until the problem goes away. Table 5-1 describes common MTU sizes and applications. Table 5-1. Common MTU Sizes MTU Application 1500 The largest Ethernet packet size and the default value. This is the typical setting for nonPPPoE, non-VPN connections, and is the default value for NETGEAR routers, adapters, and switches.
• Wireless. Your N 150 Wireless Router WNR1000 v2h2 provides a wireless data throughput of up to 150 Mbps. 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 WNR1000 v2h2 router is compatible with older 802.11b and 802.
• 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. • Backing up computers over the network has become popular due to the availability of inexpensive mass storage. Table 5-2 shows the time to transfer 1 gigabyte (1 GB) of data using various networking technologies. Table 5-2.
Chapter 6 Using Network Monitoring Tools This chapter describes how to use the maintenance features of your N 150 Wireless Router WNR1000 v2h2. This chapter includes the following sections: • “Viewing Wireless Router Status Information” • “Viewing a List of Attached Devices” on page 6-7 • “Managing the Configuration File” in Chapter 6 • “Updating the Router Firmware” on page 6-9 • “Enabling Remote Management Access” on page 6-12 • “Traffic Meter” on page 6-14 6-1 v1.
Viewing Wireless Router Status Information To view router status and usage information: 1. Select Router Status under Maintenance in the main menu. The Router Status screen displays. Figure 6-1 Using Network Monitoring Tools 6-2 v1.
Table 6-1 describes the router status fields. Table 6-1. Wireless Router Status Fields Field Description Hardware Version The hardware version of the router. Firmware Version The version of the current software installed in the router. This will change if you update your router. Internet Port. The following settings 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.
Table 6-1. Wireless Router Status Fields (continued) Field Description Wireless Port. The following settings 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 might 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.
2. Click Connection Status to display the connection status. Figure 6-2 Table 6-2 describes the connection status settings. Table 6-2. Connection Status Settings Item Description IP Address The IP address that is assigned to the router. Subnet Mask The subnet mask that is assigned to the router. Default Gateway The IP address for the default gateway that the router communicates with.
3. Click Show Statistics to display router usage statistics. Figure 6-3 Table 6-3 describes the router statistics. Table 6-3. Router Statistics Item Description System Up Time The time elapsed since the router was last restarted. Port The statistics for the WAN (Internet) and LAN (Ethernet) ports. For each port, the screen displays the following: Status The link status of the port. TxPkts The number of packets transmitted on this port since reset or manual clear.
Viewing a List of Attached Devices The Attached Devices screen contains a table of all IP devices that the router has discovered on the local network. Select Attached Devices under Maintenance in the main menu to view the table. Figure 6-4 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.
The following sections describe the three available options. Backing Up and Restoring the Configuration The Restore and Backup options in the Settings Backup screen let you save and retrieve a file containing your router’s configuration settings. To save your settings, click Backup. Your browser extracts the configuration file from the router and prompts 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.
Updating the Router Firmware The firmware of the WNR1000 v2h2 router is stored in flash memory, and can be updated as NETGEAR releases new firmware. You can update your firmware by logging into the router and using one of these procedures: • Enable the Check for Updated Firmware Upon Log-in check box. Each time you log in to the router, it will automatically detect a new version of the firmware and then install it. This check box is enabled in the router’s default state.
2. Check for new software versions by clicking the Check button. • If a new version is found, information about it appears. Figure 6-7 • If no new firmware version is available, a message displays and the router returns to the Firmware Update screen. Figure 6-8 3. To update your firmware, click Yes and follow the prompts. Warning: When updating firmware to the WNR1000 v2h2 router, do not interrupt the Web browser by closing the window, clicking a link, or loading a new page.
1. Log in to your router, select Router Status under Maintenance on the main menu, and make note of the firmware version of your router. Figure 6-9 2. Go to the WNR1000 v2h2 support page on the NETGEAR website at http://www.netgear.com/support. 3. Compare the version number of the most recent firmware offered to the firmware version of your router. If the version on the NETGEAR website is more recent, download the file from the WNR1000 v2h2 support page to your computer. 4.
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 WNR1000 v2h2 router. Select Remote Management under Advanced in the main menu. The Remote Management screen displays. Figure 6-10 Note: Be sure to change the router’s default configuration password to a very secure password.
• To allow access from any IP address on the Internet, select Everyone. • 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. • 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.
Traffic Meter Traffic Metering allows you to monitor the volume of Internet traffic passing through your router’s Internet port. With the Traffic Meter utility, you can set limits for traffic volume, set a monthly limit, and get a live update of traffic usage. To monitor traffic on your router, do the following: 1. On the Advanced menu, click Traffic Meter. Figure 6-11 2. To enable the Traffic Meter, click the Enable Traffic Meter check box. Using Network Monitoring Tools 6-14 v1.
3. If you would like to record and restrict the volume of Internet traffic, click the Traffic volume control by radio button. You can select one of the following options for controlling the traffic volume: • No Limit – No restriction is applied when the traffic limit is reached. • Download only – The restriction is applied to incoming traffic only. • Both Directions – The restriction is applied to both incoming and outgoing traffic. 4.
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting This chapter provides information about troubleshooting your N 150 Wireless Router WNR1000 v2h2 . 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 updates at http://www.netgear.com/support.
4. Turn on the wireless router and wait 1 minute. 5. Turn on the computers. Make sure that the Ethernet cables are securely plugged in. • The Internet status light on the wireless router is on 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 is on.
3. After approximately 20 seconds, verify that: a. The color of the power light changes to green. b. The LAN port lights are lit for any local ports that are connected. If a port’s light is lit, a link has been established to the connected device. If a LAN port is connected to a 100 Mbps device, verify that the port’s light is green. If the port is 10 Mbps, the light will be amber. c. The Internet port is connected and its light is lit. 4.
The Power light stays amber. When the router is turned on, the Power light turns amber for about 20 seconds and then turns green. If the light does not turn green, the router has a problem. If the Power light is still amber 1 minute after turning on power to the router: 1. Turn the power off and back on to see if the router recovers. 2. Clear the router’s configuration to factory defaults. This will set the router’s IP address to www.routerlogin.net.
2. Check that PIN verification has succeeded for the WPS-enabled device you are connecting to the router. 3. Make sure you have not pushed the push-button after disabling the WPS function (you logged into the router and disabled this previously). 4. Check that the router is not in the temporary AP setup locked state (if you are using the wireless repeater function). For more information on WPS, see “Using Push 'N' Connect (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)” on page 2-13.
• If you are attempting to set up your NETGEAR router as an additional router behind an existing router in your network, consider replacing the existing router instead. NETGEAR does not support such a configuration. • If you are attempting to set up your NETGEAR router as a replacement for an ADSL gateway in your network, the router cannot perform many gateway services, for example, converting ADSL or Cable data into Ethernet networking information. NETGEAR does not support such a configuration.
• You might need to force your cable or DSL modem to recognize your new router by restarting your network, in the sequence described in the NETGEAR Wireless Router Setup Manual. • Your service provider might require a login. Ask your service provider whether they require a PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) login (see “Troubleshooting PPPoE” on page 7-7). • You might have incorrectly set the service name, user name or password. Review your router’s Basic Settings screen.
Troubleshooting Internet Browsing If your wireless router can obtain an IP address but your computer is unable to load any web pages from the Internet, check the following: • Your computer might 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.
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 ping followed by the IP address of the router, as in this example: ping www.routerlogin.net 3. Click OK.
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. 1. From the Windows toolbar, click the Start button, and then select Run. 2. In the Windows Run window, type: ping -n 10 where 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.
• 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 correct. If you have just completed configuring the router, wait at least 5 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 E-mail screen, select the Automatically Adjust for Daylight Savings Time check box.
• Is your router set to a wireless standard that is not supported by your wireless adapter? Check the Mode setting as described in “Viewing and Configuring Basic Internet Settings” on page 1-6. If your wireless network appears, but the signal strength is weak, check these conditions: • Is your router too far from your adapter, or too close? Place the computer that has the adapter near the router, but at least 6 feet away, and see whether the signal strength improves.
If the wireless router fails to restart, or the Power light continues to blink or turns solid amber, the unit might be defective. If the error persists, you might have a hardware problem and should contact Technical Support at http://www.netgear.com/support. Troubleshooting 7-13 v1.
Appendix A Technical Specifications Default Configuration Settings This appendix provides factory default settings and technical specifications for the N 150 Wireless Router WNR1000 v2h2 . Table A-1. WNR1000 v2h2 Router Default Configuration Settings Feature Default Setting Router Login Router Login URL http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.
Table A-1.
General Specifications Table A-2. WNR1000v2 Router General Specifications Feature General 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 120V, 60 Hz, input UK, Australia 240V, 50 Hz, input Europe 230V, 50 Hz, input Japan 100V, 50/60 Hz, input All regions (output) 12V DC @ 1.0A, output Physical Dimensions 28 x 175 x 119 mm (1.1 x 6.89 x 4.68 in.) Weight 0.26 kg (0.
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. Table B-1. Reference Documents Document Link TCP/IP Networking Basics http://documentation.netgear.com/reference/enu/tcpip/index.htm Wireless Networking Basics http://documentation.netgear.com/reference/enu/wireless/index.htm Preparing Your Network http://documentation.netgear.com/reference/enu/wsdhcp/index.
Index A bold text xi access blocking 3-1 remote 6-12 restricting by MAC address 2-18 to a remote computer 5-2 to the router 1-2 viewing logs 3-6 broadband Internet 5-16 broadcast status 6-4 C cables, checking 7-2 channel, frequency 2-7 access control turning off 1-13 turning on 2-20 channel, wireless port 6-4 clients, adding 2-13, 2-17, 6-4 communication mode 2-7, 6-4 account name 1-7 compatibility, protocol and standards A-3 adding custom service 5-7 reserved IP addresses 4-4 static routes 4-9 wi
D F data packets, fragmented 5-15 factory default settings listed A-1 restoring 7-12 date and time, troubleshooting 7-10 daylight savings time 3-8, 7-11 default DMZ server 4-7 default factory settings listed A-1 restoring 7-12 default gateway 6-5 filtering content 3-1 firewalls default settings A-2 disabling 4-6 overview 2-22 deleting configuration 6-8 firmware restoring 7-3 updating 1-3, 6-3, 6-9 device name 4-2 fixed font text xi DHCP server 4-3, 6-5 fixed IP addresses 1-8 DHCP setting 6-3 Fr
IP addresses blocking access by 3-5 current 6-3 dynamic or static 1-7 LAN 4-2 registering domain name 4-5 reserved 4-4 restricting access by 2-18 spoofing 7-7 mail server, outgoing 3-7 managing router remotely 6-12 metric value 4-10 mixed mode encryption 2-3, 2-10 IP subnet mask 4-2, 6-3 mode, communication 2-7, 6-4 ISP settings, basic 1-6 MTU size 4-8, 5-15 italic text xi N K NAT (Network Address Translation) 4-7, 4-8, 5-2 keys, encryption 2-9 NetBIOS host name 6-7 keywords, blocking by 3-1 Net
port status 6-6 RIP (Router Information Protocol) direction 4-2 port triggering configuring 5-9 example 5-3 route name 4-10 router PIN 2-15, 2-17 router status, viewing 6-2 portmap table 5-13 power adapter specifications A-3 S Power light, troubleshooting and 7-2 scheduling blocking 3-5 Powerline HD products 5-17 PPPoE (PPP over Ethernet) 1-10 PPTP (Point to Point Tunneling Protocol) 1-10 Preamble mode 2-12 screen display language 1-4 selecting 1-4 secondary DNS server 1-8, 1-11 printing manual xi
subnet mask 4-2, 6-3 W system up time 6-6 WAN setup 4-6 WEP encryption 2-3, 2-8 T Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) 2-13, 6-4, 7-4 TCP/IP network, troubleshooting 7-8 wildcards, DNS and 4-6 technical specifications A-1 Wireless Card Access List 2-18, 2-19 Telstra Bigpond 1-10 wireless client PIN 2-15 time of day, troubleshooting 7-10 wireless clients, adding 2-13, 2-17, 6-4 time to live, advertisement 5-13 wireless connection type 5-17 time, setting 3-8 wireless network name 1-12, 2-7, 6-4 time-