N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 User Manual 350 East Plumeria Drive San Jose, CA 95134 USA October 2012 202-11130-01 v1.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Support Thank you for choosing NETGEAR. After installing your device, locate the serial number on the label of your product and use it to register your product at https://my.netgear.com. You must register your product before you can use NETGEAR telephone support. NETGEAR recommends registering your product through the NETGEAR web site. For product updates and web support, visit http://support.netgear.com. Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR.
Contents Chapter 1 Hardware Setup Unpack Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Position Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Hardware Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Chapter 4 NETGEAR genie Advanced Home Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 WPS Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 WAN Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Chapter 8 Administration Upgrade the Router Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 View Router Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Router Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Internet Provider (WAN) Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Wireless Settings (2.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Quick Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Sequence to Restart Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Check Ethernet Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Network Settings . . . . . . . . .
1. 1 Hardware Setup Getting to know your router The N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 provides you with an easy and secure way to set up a wireless home network with fast access to the Internet over a high-speed digital subscriber line (DSL). It is compatible with all major DSL Internet service providers, lets you block unsafe Internet content and applications, and protects the devices (PCs, gaming consoles, and so on) that you connect to your home network.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Unpack Your Router Open the box and remove the router, cables, and installation guide. Figure 1. Check the package contents Your box should contain the following items: • N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • AC power adapter (plug varies by region) • Category 5 (Cat 5) Ethernet cable • Installation guide with cabling and router setup instructions If any parts are incorrect, missing, or damaged, contact your NETGEAR dealer.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • In an elevated location such as a high shelf, keeping the number of walls and ceilings between the router and your other devices to a minimum. • Away from electrical devices that are potential sources of interference, such as ceiling fans, home security systems, microwaves, PCs, or the base of a cordless phone or 2.4 GHz cordless phone. • Away from any large metal surfaces, such as a solid metal door or aluminum studs.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Table 1. Front panel LED descriptions LED Description Power/Test • • • • • Solid amber. The unit is starting up after being powered on. Solid green. The power is on, and the router is ready. Blinking amber. A firmware update is in progress. Blinking green. The firmware is corrupt. Off. Power is not supplied to the router. Internet • • • Solid amber. The IP address has not been acquired. Solid green.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Back Panel The back panel has the connections shown in the following figure. USB ports LAN Ethernet ports 1–4 Internet port Reset button Power Power On/Off button Figure 3. Router, rear view See Factory Settings on page 120 for information about restoring factory settings. Label The label on the bottom of the router shows the WPS PIN, login information, MAC address, and serial number.
2. Getting Started with NETGEAR genie Connecting to the router 2 This chapter explains how to use NETGEAR genie to set up your router after you complete cabling as described in the installation guide and in the previous chapter in this book.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Router Setup Preparation You can set up your router with the NETGEAR genie automatically, or you can use the NETGEAR genie menus and screens to set up your router manually. However, before you start the setup process, you need to have your ISP information on hand and make sure the laptops, PCs, and other devices in the network have the settings described here.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 NETGEAR genie Setup NETGEAR genie runs on any device with a web browser. It is the easiest way to set up the router because it automates many of the steps and verifies that those steps have been successfully completed. It takes about 15 minutes to complete. To use NETGEAR genie to set up your router: 1. Turn the router on by pressing the On/Off button, if not done yet. 2.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Use NETGEAR genie after Installation When you first set up your router, NETGEAR genie starts automatically when you launch an Internet browser on a computer that is connected to the router. You can use NETGEAR genie again if you want to view or change settings for the router. 1. Launch your browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the router. 2. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com. A login window displays.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Router Dashboard (Basic Home Screen) The router Basic Home screen has a dashboard that lets you see the status of your Internet connection and network at a glance. You can click any of the six sections of the dashboard to view more detailed information. The left column has the menus, and at the top there is an Advanced tab that is used to access additional menus and screens.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Add Wireless Devices or Computers to Your Network Choose either the manual or the WPS method to add wireless devices and other equipment to your wireless network. See Guest Networks on page 26 for instructions on how to set up a guest network. Manual Method To connect manually: 1. Open the software that manages your wireless connections on the wireless device (laptop computer, gaming device, iPhone) that you want to connect to your router.
3.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Internet Setup The Internet Setup screen is where you view or change ISP information. 1. From the Home screen, select Internet. The following screen displays: Scroll to view more settings The fields that display in the Internet Setup screen depend on whether or not your Internet connection requires a login. • Yes. Select the encapsulation method and enter the login name. If you want to change the login time-out, enter a new value in minutes. • No.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • Login. The login name provided by your ISP. This is often an email address. • Password. The password that you use to log in to your ISP. • Idle Timeout (In minutes). If you want to change the login timeout, enter a new value in minutes. This determines how long the router keeps the Internet connection active after there is no Internet activity from the LAN. Entering a value of 0 (zero) means never log out. Internet IP Address.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Attached Devices You can view all computers or devices that are currently connected to your network here. From the Basic Home screen, select Attached Devices to display the following screen: Wired devices are connected to the router with Ethernet cables. Wireless devices have joined the wireless network. • # (number). The order in which the device joined the network. • IP Address.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Parental Controls The first time you select Parental Controls from the Basic Home screen, you are automatically directed to the Internet, where you can learn more about Live Parental Controls or download the application. The following screen displays: ReadySHARE USB Storage You can view information about a USB storage device that is connected to the router’s USB port here.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 This screen displays the following: • Network/Device Name. The default is \\readyshare. This is the name used to access the USB device connected to the router. • Available Network Folders. The folders on the USB device. Share Name. If only one device is connected, the default share name is USB_Storage. You can click the name shown, or you can type it in the address field of your web browser.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 If you use a wireless computer to change the wireless network name (SSID) or other wireless security settings, you are disconnected when you click Apply. To avoid this problem, use a computer with a wired connection to access the router. 1. On the Basic Home screen, select Wireless to display the Wireless Settings screen. You can scroll down to view the 5 GHz wireless network settings.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Wireless Network 2.4 GHz b/g/n and 5.0 GHz a/n The b/g/n and a/n notation references the 802.11 standards of conformance. For instance, the 2.4 b/g/n conforms to 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n at 2.4 GHz radio frequency. Enable Wireless Isolation. If this check box is selected, then wireless clients (computers or wireless devices) that join the network can use the Internet, but cannot access each other or access Ethernet devices on the network.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Guest Networks Adding a guest network allows visitors at your home to use the Internet without giving them your wireless security key. You can add a guest network to each wireless network: 2.4 GHz b/g/n and 5.0 GHz a/n. To set up a guest network: 1. Select Basic > Guest Network to display the following screen: 2. For a 5 GHz network, scroll down to view that section of the Guest Network screen. 3.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Guest Network Wireless Security Options A security option is the type of security protocol applied to your wireless network. The security protocol in force encrypts data transmissions and ensures that only trusted devices receive authorization to connect to your network. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) has several options including pre-shared key (PSK) encryption.
4. 4 NETGEAR genie Advanced Home Specifying custom settings This chapter explains the features available from the NETGEAR genie Advanced Home screen, shown in the following figure: This screen is also displayed through the Administration menu. This chapter contains the following sections: • Setup Wizard • WPS Wizard • Setup Menu • WAN Setup • LAN Setup • Quality of Service (QoS) Setup Some selections on the Advanced Home screen are described in separate chapters: • USB Storage.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Setup Wizard The NETGEAR genie installation process is launched the first time you set up the router. After setting up the router the first time, if you want to perform this task again, you can run Setup Wizard from the Advanced tab of the NETGEAR genie. 1. Select Setup Wizard to display the following screen: 2. Select either Yes or No, I want to configure the router myself.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 WPS Wizard The WPS Wizard helps you add a WPS-capable client device (a wireless device or computer) to your network. On the client device you need to either press its WPS button or locate its WPS PIN. To use the WPS Wizard: 1. Select Advanced > WPS Wizard. 2. Click Next. The following screen lets you select the method for adding the WPS client (a wireless device or computer). You can use either the push button or PIN method. 3.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Within 2 minutes, go to the client device and use its WPS software to join the network without entering a password. The router attempts to add the WPS-capable device. The WPS LED on the front of the router blinks green. When the router establishes a WPS connection, the LED is solid green, and the router WPS screen displays a confirmation message. 4. Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 to add another WPS client to your network.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 WAN Setup The WAN Setup screen lets you configure a DMZ (demilitarized zone) server, change the Maximum Transmit Unit (MTU) size, and enable the router to respond to a ping on the WAN (Internet) port. Select Advanced > Setup > WAN Setup to view the following screen: • Disable Port Scan and DoS Protection.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Default DMZ Server The default DMZ server feature is helpful when you are 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 correctly with them, but there are other applications that might not function well.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • 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 websites, frames within websites, secure login pages, or FTP or POP servers. If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU to 1400.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 LAN Setup The LAN Setup screen allows configuration of LAN IP services such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Routing Information Protocol (RIP). 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.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 LAN Setup Screen Settings LAN TCP/IP Setup • 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 have to be reached through a gateway or router. • RIP Direction. Router Information Protocol (RIP) allows a router to exchange routing information with other routers.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 You can 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 might want to save part of the range for devices with fixed addresses.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Quality of Service (QoS) Setup QoS is an advanced feature that can be used to prioritize some types of traffic ahead of others. The N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router can provide QoS prioritization over the wireless link and on the Internet connection. To configure QoS, use the QoS Setup screen.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 To specify prioritization of traffic, you have to create a policy for the type of traffic and add the policy to the QoS Policy table in the QoS Setup screen. For convenience, the QoS Policy table lists many common applications and online games that can benefit from QoS handling. QoS for Applications and Online Gaming To create a QoS policy for applications and online games: 1. In the QoS Setup screen, select the Turn Internet Access QoS On check box. 2.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 5. In the Priority Category list, select either Applications or Online Gaming. In either case, a list of applications or games displays in the list. 6. You can select an existing item from the list, or you can scroll and select Add a New Application or Add a New Game, as applicable. a. If you add a new entry, the Priority Rules screen expands as shown: b. In the QoS Policy for field, enter a descriptive name for the new application or game. c.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 4. From the Priority Category list, select Ethernet LAN Port, as shown in the following figure: 5. From the LAN port list, select the LAN port that will have a QoS policy. 6. From the Priority list, select the priority that this port’s traffic should receive relative to other applications and traffic when accessing the Internet. The options are Low, Normal, High, and Highest. 7.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 3. From the Priority Category list, select MAC Address to display the following screen: 4. If the device to be prioritized appears in the MAC Device List, select its radio button. The information from the MAC Device List populates the policy name, MAC Address, and Device Name fields. If the device does not appear in the MAC Device List, click Refresh. If it still does not appear, you have to complete these fields manually. 5.
5. USB Storage Accessing and configuring a USB storage drive 5 This chapter describes how to access and configure a USB storage drive attached to your router. Be aware that the USB port on the router can be used only to connect USB storage devices like flash drives or hard drives, or a printer. Do not connect computers, USB modems, CD drives, or DVD drives to the router USB port.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 USB Drive Requirements The router works with 1.0 and 1.1 (USB Full Speed) and 2.0 (USB High Speed) standards. The approximate USB bus speeds are shown in the following table. Actual bus speeds can vary, depending on the CPU speed, memory, speed of the network, and other variables. Table 3. USB Drive Speeds Bus Speed/Sec USB 1.1 12 Mbits USB 2.0 480 Mbits The router should work with most USB-compliant external flash and hard drives.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • Sharing multimedia with friends and family such as MP3 files, pictures, and other multimedia with local and remote users. • Sharing resources on your network. You might want to store files in a central location so that you do not have to power up a computer to perform local sharing. In addition, you can share files between Macintosh, Linux, and PC computers by using the USB drive as a go-between across the systems.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • There are two user accounts: admin and guest. The password for admin is the same one that you use to access the router. By default, it is password. The guest user account has no password. • On the FTP site, the person receiving the files should use the guest user account and enter any password (FTP requires that you type something in the password field). • Be sure to select the FTP (via Internet) check box in the USB Storage Advanced Settings screen.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 To access your USB device: 1. Click the network device name or the share name in your computer’s network folders list. 2. For SMB://readyshare, click Connect. Note: If you logged in to the router before you connected your USB device, you might not see your USB device in the router screens until you log out and then log back in again. Add or Edit a Network Folder 1.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • To edit a folder, select its radio button, and then click Edit. 3. You can use this screen to select a folder, to change the share name, or to change the read Access or write access from All – no password to admin. The user name (account name) for All – no password is guest. The password for admin is the same one that is used to log in to the router. By default, it is password. 4. Click Apply for your changes to take effect.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 FTP. Disabled by default. FTP (via internet). Disabled by default. If you enable this setting, remote users can access the USB drive through FTP over the Internet. This setting supports both downloading and uploading of files. Available Network Folders You might need to scroll down to view this section of the screen: • Share Name. If only 1 device is connected, the default share name is USB_Storage.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Media Server Settings By default, the router is set up to act as a Ready DLNA Media server, which lets you view movies and photos on DLNA/UPnP AV–compliant media players, such as Xbox360, Playstation, and NETGEAR’s Digital Entertainer Live. To view these settings, select Advanced > USB Storage > Media Server to display the following screen: By default the Enable Media Server check box and the Automatic (when new files are added) radio button are selected.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 To set up approved USB devices: 1. Select Advanced > Advanced Setup > USB Settings. The following screen displays: 2. Click the Approved Devices button. The USB Drive Approved Devices screen displays: This screen shows the approved USB devices and the available USB devices. You can remove or add approved USB devices. 3. To add an approved USB device, select it from the Available USB Devices list, and then click Add. 4.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 If you want to work with another USB device, you have to first click the Safely Remove USB Device button for the currently connected USB device. Connect the other USB device, and repeat this process. Connect to the USB Drive from a Remote Computer To connect to the USB drive from remote computers with a web browser, you have to use the router’s Internet port IP address. If you are using Dynamic DNS, you can type the DNS name, rather than the IP address.
6. 6 ReadySHARE Printer ReadySHARE Printer is compatible with Macs and Windows PCs. It lets you connect a USB printer to the router’s USB port, and access it wirelessly. This chapter contains the following sections: • ReadySHARE Printer • USB Control Center Utility • Desktop NETGEAR genie For additional about ReadySHARE features, see www.netgear.com/readyshare.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 ReadySHARE Printer You can connect a USB printer to the router’s USB port, and share it among Windows and Mac computers on the network. To set up ReadySHARE Printer: 1. Connect the USB printer to the router’s USB port with a USB printer cable. 2. Install the USB printer driver software on each computer that will share the printer.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 4. Follow the instructions to install the NETGEAR USB Control Center utility. 5. After you have installed the utility, select the language.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 6. If this is the first time you are accessing the utility, you are asked to select the printer and click the Connect button. Once the connection is established, the status changes to Manually connected by xxx.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Note that you can click the Disconnect button at any time to release the connection. The status then changes to Available. Once the Connect button has been clicked once on all of the computers in the network, the utility on each of them automatically handles the printing queue and handling. The status of the printer should appear as Available on all of the computers. • When the status is Available, you can use the USB printer.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 • You can set the value for the default time-out time from the Tools > Configuration screen. • The USB Control Center utility must be running for the computer to be able to print to the USB printer attached to the router. If you exit the utility, printing does not work. • Some firewall software, such as Comodo, blocks the ReadySHARE Print utility from accessing the USB printer.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 USB Control Center Utility The USB Control Center Utility allows you to control a shared USB device from your computer that is connected to the USB port on your router. The utility allows you to control a printer, a scanner, or an audio speaker. The utility has to be installed on each computer on your network from which you want to control the device. You can download this utility for PC and Mac at www.netgear.com/landing/en-us/readyshare.aspx.
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500v2 Control Center Configuration Select Tools >Configuration to display the following screen: Automatically execute when logging on Windows. Enable this utility to start automatically when you are logged in to Windows. Timeout. Specify the timeout value for holding the USB resource when it is not in use. Language. Select the display language for this utility. USB Printer The first time you use a printer, you need to click Connect.
