Belkin Router F5D7234-4user Manual

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Problem: 
My wireless network performance is inconsistent.
Data transfer is sometimes slow.
Signal strength is poor.
I am having difficulty establishing and/or maintaining a Virtual Private 
Network ( VPN) connection.
solution:
Wireless technology is radio-based, which means connectivity and 
the throughput performance between devices decreases when the 
distance between devices increases. Other factors that will cause signal 
degradation (metal is generally the worst culprit) are obstructions such 
as walls and metal appliances. As a result, the typical indoor range of 
your wireless devices will be between 100 to 200 feet. Note also that 
connection speed may decrease as you move farther away from the 
Router or access point. 
In order to determine if wireless issues are related to range, we suggest 
temporarily moving the computer, if possible, five to 10 feet away from 
the Router.  Changing the Wireless Channel
Depending on local wireless traffic and interference, switching the 
wireless channel of your network can improve performance and 
reliability. The default channel the Router is shipped with is channel 11. 
You may choose from several other channels depending on your region 
(see the section titled “Changing the Wireless Channel” on page 47 for 
instructions on how to choose other channels). 
l
imiting the Wireless Transmit Rate
Limiting the wireless transmit rate can help improve the maximum 
wireless range, and connection stability. Most wireless cards have the 
ability to limit the transmission rate. To change this property, go to the 
Windows Control Panel, open “Network Connections” and double-click 
on your wireless card’s connection. In the “Properties” dialog, select the 
“Configure” button on the “General” tab (Windows 98 users will have to 
select the wireless card in the list box and then click “Properties”), then 
choose the “Advanced” tab and select the rate property. Wireless client 
cards are usually set to automatically adjust the wireless transmit rate 
for you, but doing so can cause periodic disconnects when the wireless 
signal is too weak; as a rule, slower transmission rates are more stable. 
Experiment with different connection rates until you find the best one 
for your environment; note that all available transmission rates should 
be acceptable for browsing the Internet. For more assistance, see your 
wireless card’s user manual. 
						

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Problem: 
How do I extend the range of my wireless network?
solution:
Belkin recommends using one of the following products to extend 
wireless network coverage throughout large homes or offices:
•	 Wireless Access Point: A wireless access point can effectively 
double the coverage area of your wireless network. An access 
point is typically placed in the area not currently covered by your 
G Wireless Router, and is connected to the Router using either 
an Ethernet cable or through your home’s power lines using two 
Powerline Ethernet Adapters. 
•	 For 802.11g (54g
™) wireless networks, Belkin offers a Wireless G 
Range Extender/Access Point that can be connected wirelessly to 
a Belkin G Wireless Router, without requiring an Ethernet cable or 
Powerline Ethernet Adapters.  These Belkin products are available at your local retailer, or can be 
ordered from Belkin directly. 
For network /range extension information, please visit: 
www.belkin.com/networking to find out more about:
Wireless G Range Extender/Access Point (F5D7130)
Powerline Ethernet Adapter (F5D4070) 
						

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Problem:
I am having difficulty setting up Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security 
on a Belkin Wireless Router or Belkin Access Point.
solution: 
1�  Log into your Wireless Router or Access Point. 
Open your web browser and type in the IP address of the Wireless 
Router or Access Point. ( The Router’s default is 192.168.2.1, the Access 
Point’s default is 192.168.2.254.) Log into your Router by clicking on the 
“Login” button in the top, right-hand corner of the screen. You will be 
asked to enter your password. If you never set a password, leave the 
password field blank and click “Submit”. 
Click the “Wireless” tab on the left of your screen. Select the 
“Encryption” or “Security” tab to get to the security settings page.
2 �  Select “128-bit WEP” from the drop-down menu. 3
�  After selecting your WEP encryption mode, you can type in your 
hex WEP key manually, or you can type in a passphrase in the 
“Passphrase” field and click “Generate” to create a WEP key from 
the passphrase. Click “Apply Changes” to finish. You must now 
set all of your clients to match these settings. A hex (hexadecimal) 
key is a combination of numbers and letters from A–F and 0 –9. For 
128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 hex keys. 
For example: 
C3 03 0 f af 4 b b2 C3  d4 4 b C3  d4  e7  e4  = 128-bit key
4 �  Click “Apply Changes” to finish. Encryption in the Wireless Router 
is now set. Each of your computers on your wireless network will 
now need to be configured with the same security settings. 
W aRn InG:  If you are configuring the Wireless Router or Access Point 
from a computer with a wireless client, you will need to ensure that 
security is turned on for this wireless client. If this is not done, you will 
lose your wireless connection.
n ote to Mac users:  Original Apple AirPort products support 64-bit 
encryption only. Apple AirPort 2 products can support 64-bit or 128-bit 
encryption. Please check your Apple AirPort product to see which 
version you are using. If you cannot configure your network with 128-bit 
encryption, try 64-bit encryption.  
						

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Problem: 
I am having difficulty setting up Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security 
on a Belkin client card (Wireless Network Card or Adapter).
solution:
The client card must use the same key as the G Wireless Router or 
access point. For instance, if your Wireless Router or access point uses 
the key 00112233445566778899A ABBCC, then the client card must be 
set to the exact same key.
1�  Double-click the “Signal Indicator” icon to bring up the “Wireless 
Network Utility” screen. The “Advanced” button will allow you to 
view and configure more options of your client card.
2 �  Once the “Advanced” button is clicked, the Belkin Wireless L AN 
Utility will appear. This Utility will allow you to manage all the 
advanced features of the Belkin client card. 
3 �  Under the “Wireless Network Properties” tab, select a 
network name from the “Available Networks” list and click the 
“Properties”  button. 4
�  Under “Data Encryption”, select “WEP”.
5 �  Ensure the box “The key is provided for me automatically” at the 
bottom is unchecked. If you are using this computer to connect to 
a corporate network, please consult your network administrator if 
this box needs to be checked.
6 �  Type your WEP key in the “Network key” box. 
Important:  A WEP key is a combination of numbers and letters from 
A–F and 0 –7. For 128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 keys. This network 
key needs to match the key you assign to your G Wireless Router or 
access point. 
For example:  C3030faf4bb 2C3 d44 bC3 d4e7e 4 =  128-bit key
7�   Click “OK”, and then “Apply” to save the settings.
If you are NOT using a Belkin wireless client card, please consult the 
manufacturer’s user manual for that wireless client card. 
						

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Problem:
Do Belkin products support WPA?
solution: 
note:  To use WPA security, all your clients must be upgraded to drivers 
and software that support it. At the time of this publication, a security 
patch download is available, for free, from Microsoft. This patch works 
only with the Windows XP operating system. 
Download the patch here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=009d8425-
ce2b-47a4-abec-274845dc9e91&displaylang=e n
You also need to download the latest driver for your Belkin Wireless 
802.11g Desktop or Notebook Network Card from the Belkin support 
site. Other operating systems are not supported at this time. Microsoft’s 
patch only supports devices with WPA-enabled drivers such as Belkin 
802.11g products.
Download the latest drivers at http://www.belkin.com/support. Problem:
I am having difficulty setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security 
on a Belkin Wireless Router or Belkin Access Point for a home network.
s
olution:
1�    From the “Security Mode” drop-down menu, select “WPA-PSK 
( n o  s e r v e r )”.
2 �  For “Encryption Technique”, select “TKIP” or “AES”. This setting 
will have to be identical on the clients that you set up.
3 �  Enter your pre-shared key. This can be from eight to 63 characters 
and can be letters, numbers, symbols, or spaces. This same key 
must be used on all of the clients that you set up. For example, 
your PSK might be something like: “Smith family network key”.
4 �  Click “Apply Changes” to finish. You must now set all clients to 
match these settings.  
						

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Problem:
I am having difficulty setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security 
on a Belkin client card (Wireless Network Card or Adapter) for a 
home  network.
s olution:
Clients must use the same key that the G Wireless Router or access 
point uses. For instance, if the key is “Smith Family Network Key” in 
the G Wireless Router or access point, the clients must also use that 
same  key.
1�  Double-click the “Signal Indicator” icon to bring up the “Wireless 
Network Utility” screen. The “Advanced” button will allow you to 
view and configure more options of your client card.
2 �  Once the “Advanced” button is clicked, the Belkin Wireless L AN 
Utility will appear. This Utility will allow you to manage all the 
advanced features of the Belkin client card. 3
�  Under the “Wireless Network Properties” tab, select a 
network name from the “Available Networks” list and click the 
“Properties”  button. 
4 �  Under “Network Authentication”, select “WPA-PSK (no server)”.
5 �  Type your WPA key in the “Network key” box. 
Important:  WPA-PSK is a combination of numbers and letters from 
A-Z and 0-9. For WPA-PSK, you can enter eight to 63 characters. This 
network key needs to match the key you assign to your G Wireless 
Router or access point. 
6 �  Click “OK”, then “Apply” to save the settings.  
						

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Problem:
I am having difficulty setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security 
on a Belkin client card (Wireless Network Card or Adapter) for a 
business.
solution:
1�    Double-click the “Signal Indicator” icon to bring up the “Wireless 
Network Utility” screen. The “Advanced” button will allow you to 
view and configure more options of your client card.
2 �   Once the “Advanced” button is clicked, the Belkin Wireless L AN 
Utility will appear. This Utility will allow you to manage all the 
advanced features of the Belkin client card.
3 �   Under the “Wireless Network Properties” tab, select a 
network name from the “Available Networks” list and click the 
“Properties”  button. 4
�   Under “Network Authentication”, select “WPA”.
5 �   In the “Authentication” tab, select the settings that are indicated by 
your network administrator.
6 �  Click “OK”, then “Apply” to save the settings.  
						

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Problem:
I am having difficulty setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security 
and I am NOT using a Belkin client card for a home network.
solution:
If you are NOT using a Belkin WPA Wireless Desktop or Wireless 
Notebook Network Card and it is not equipped with WPA-enabled 
software, a file from Microsoft called “Windows XP Support Patch for 
Wireless Protected Access” is available for free download:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en
note:  The file that Microsoft has made available works only with 
Windows XP. Other operating systems are not supported at this time. 
You also need to ensure that the wireless card manufacturer supports 
WPA and that you have downloaded and installed the latest driver from 
their support site.
Supported Operating Systems:
•	 Windows XP Professional 
•	 Windows XP Home Edition e
nabling WP a-P sK (no server)
1�  In systems running Windows XP, click “Start > Control Panel > 
Network Connections”.
2 �  Right-click on the “Wireless Networks” tab. The “Wireless Network 
Connection Properties” screen appears. Ensure the “Use Windows 
to configure my wireless network settings” box is checked.
3 �  Under the “Wireless Networks” tab, click the “Configure” button, 
and you will see the client card properties screen. 
4 �  For a home or small business user, select “WPA-PSK” under 
“Network Administration”. 
5 �  Select “TKIP” or “AES” under “Date Encryption”. This setting will 
have to be identical to the G Wireless Router or access point that 
you set up.
6 �  Type your encryption key in the “Network key” box. 
Important:  Enter your pre-shared key. This can be from eight to 63 
characters and can be letters, numbers, or symbols. This same key 
must be used on all of the clients that you set up.
7�   Click “OK” to apply settings. 
						

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What is the difference between 802 �11b, 802 �11g, 802 �11a, and 
draft- n?
Currently there are four levels of wireless networking standards, which 
transmit data at very different maximum speeds. Each is based on 
the designation 802.11(x), so named by the IEEE, the board that is 
responsible for certifying networking standards. The most common 
wireless networking standard, 802.11b, transmits information at 
11Mbps; 802.11a and 802.11g work at 54Mbps; and Draft-N works up 
to 300Mbps. Draft-N, the precursor to the upcoming 802.11n release, 
promises speeds that exceed 802.11g, and up to twice the wireless 
coverage area. See the following chart for more detailed information. Wireless Comparison Chart
Wireless 
Technology
8 0 2
�11b 8 0 2�11g 8 0 2�11a belkin draft- n
s peed 11M b p s 54Mbps54MbpsUp to 300Mbps 
f requency Common 
household 
devices such as 
cordless phones 
and microwave 
ovens may 
inter fere with 
the unlicensed 
band 2.4GHz Common 
household 
devices such as 
cordless phones 
and microwave 
ovens may 
inter fere with 
the unlicensed 
band 2.4GHz5GHz— 
uncrowded 
band
Common 
household 
devices such as 
cordless phones 
and microwave 
ovens may 
inter fere with 
the unlicensed 
band 2.4GHz
Compatibility Compatible with 
8 0 2 .11gCompatible with 
8 0 2 .11bIncompatible 
with 802.11b or 
8 0 2 .11gCompatible 
with 802.11g or 
8 0 2 .11b
Coverage Depends on 
interference—
typically 
100 –200 ft. 
indoorsDepends on 
interference—
typically 
100 –200 ft. 
indoorsInter ference 
range is 
typically 
50 –100 ft. 
Up to 800% 
wider coverage 
than standard 
8 0 2 .11g
a dvantage Mature—legacy 
technology  Common—
widespread 
use for Internet 
sharingLess 
interference— 
great for 
multimedia 
applicationLeading edge— 
best coverage 
and throughput 
						

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Technical s upport
You can find technical support information at http://www.belkin.com/
networking or www.belkin.com through the tech support area. If you 
want to contact technical support by phone, please call: 
US:  877-736-5771
  800-223-5546 ext. 2263
  310-898-1100 ext. 2263
UK:  0845 607 77 87
Australia: 1800 235 546
New Zealand: 0800 235 546
Singapore: 65 64857620
Europe: www.belkin.com/support