User Manual A8000 Nighthawk® A8000 WiFi 6/6E USB 3.0 Adapter February 2023 202-12604-01 NETGEAR, Inc. 350 E.
A8000 Support and Community Visit netgear.com/support to get your questions answered and access the latest downloads. You can also check out our NETGEAR Community for helpful advice at community.netgear.com. Regulatory and Legal Si ce produit est vendu au Canada, vous pouvez accéder à ce document en français canadien à https://www.netgear.com/support/download/. (If this product is sold in Canada, you can access this document in Canadian French at https://www.netgear.com/support/download/.
Contents Chapter 1 Get Started and Connect to a WiFi Network Copy or Download the A8000 Installation Program........................5 Set Up and Install the Adapter............................................................5 Join a WiFi Network..............................................................................6 Join a Network Using the Adapter Driver.....................................6 Chapter 2 Monitor and Maintain the Adapter View the Connection Status and Details...........................
1 Get Started and Connect to a WiFi Network The NETGEAR A8000 WiFi 6E USB Adapter connects your notebook or desktop computer over WiFi to an 11ax or other network for applications such as lag-free video streaming throughout your home, online gaming, and secure and reliable Internet connections. This chapter describes how to set up and connect the A8000 WiFi 6E USB Adapter, in this manual referred to as the adapter, to a WiFi network.
A8000 Copy or Download the A8000 Installation Program The adapter installation program is provided: • On the USB thumb drive included in the A8000 package. • On the NETGEAR download site. To obtain the A8000 standalone adapter installation program: 1. Copy or download the installation program a. Copy the installation program from the supplied USB thumb drive to your computer. b. Visit https://www.netgear.com/A8000-download and download the latest software file. 2.
A8000 To install the Windows standalone adapter: 1. Make sure your computer is running an up-to-date version of Windows 10 or Windows 11. For more information about updating Windows, see Microsoft's Update Windows support article. 2. Complete the steps described in Copy or Download the A8000 Installation Program on page 5 to download the latest software file for Windows. 3. Run the A8000 installation program: a.
A8000 NOTE: The adapter provides the best performance with a USB 3.0 port but is compatible with a USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port. To join a WiFi network: 1. Connect your adapter to your computer's USB port with or without the desktop cradle. a. With the desktop cradle, place the adapter into the desktop dock and connect the USB cable to the USB port on your computer. NOTE: NETGEAR does not recommend that you use another cable to connect the adapter to the USB port on your computer.
A8000 2. Open the Wifi network settings on your computer by right-clicking the WiFi icon. ( ) or the No Internet Access icon ( your screen ), which display in the lower right corner of 3. (Windows 11 only) Click Manage Wi-Fi connections (>), which is next to the WiFi icon. 4. Select your network's name 5. Click Connect. 6. Enter the network security key (WiFi password). 7. Click Next. When you see the message "Connected, secured," setup is complete. 8.
2 Monitor and Maintain the Adapter This chapter includes the following sections: • Upgrade the Adapter Software on page 10 • Uninstall the Adapter Software on page 10 9
A8000 View the Connection Status and Details You can check your network connection status in Windows. To view connection status and details: 1. Select the Start button, then type Settings. 2. Select Settings > Network & internet. Upgrade the Adapter Software You can upgrade the Adapter software by downloading and running the latest Installation program. If you have registered with NETGEAR on your A8000, then when there is a new version release, NETGEAR will notify you that an update is available.
3 Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions This chapter covers the following topics: • Troubleshooting on page 12 • Frequently Asked Questions on page 13 11
A8000 Troubleshooting This section provides the following troubleshooting sections: • Adapter LED Is Not Lit on page 12 • When I Connect to the Network, I Cannot Access Shared Resources Such as Printers on page 12 • Adapter Lost Its IP Address on page 12 Adapter LED Is Not Lit If the LED is not lit, use these troubleshooting tips: • Remove and reinsert the adapter. • Check the Windows device manager to see if the adapter is recognized and enabled. Reinstall the adapter software, if necessary.
A8000 Frequently Asked Questions This section addresses the following frequently asked questions (FAQs): • Do USB Ports Go into Sleep Mode if No Traffic Is Going to or from the Port? on page 13 • How Can I Improve the Speed of My WiFi Connection? on page 13 • How Can I View the IP Address of the Adapter? on page 14 Do USB Ports Go into Sleep Mode if No Traffic Is Going to or from the Port? USB devices go into sleep mode if a Windows USB feature called Selective Suspend is enabled, which it is by defa
A8000 How Can I View the IP Address of the Adapter? To check your Adapter IP Address: 1. Select the Start button. 2. Select Settings. 3. Select Settings > Network > Internet > Properties.
A Factory Default Settings and Technical Specifications This appendix covers the following topics: • Factory Default Settings on page 16 • Technical Specifications on page 16 15
A8000 Factory Default Settings The following table lists the default settings of your adapter. Table 1. Factory default settings Default Settings WiFi communication Enabled Country/region United States (varies by region) Operating mode 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11a, 802.11g, or 802.11b Data rate • Up to 1200 Mbps with a WiFi router or access point that supports 802.11ax 6.0GHz • Up to 1200 Mbps with a WiFi router or access point that supports 802.11ax 5.
A8000 Table 2. Technical specifications (Continued) Feature Description Frequency • 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz CCK and OFDM modulation • 5 GHz and 6GHz with OFDM, 802.11n MCS0-15, and 802.11ac MCS0-9 coding scheme Encryption • WPA2-PSK [AES] • WPA3 • WPA-PSK [TKIP] • 40-bit (also called 64-bit) WEP data encryption • 128-bit WEP data encryption Power 5V USB supply Bus interface USB 3.0, compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.
