Netgear A6200 802 11ac Wifi Usb Adapter Dual Band User Manual

							350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USANovember 2012
202-11093-01
v1.0
802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter 
(A6200)
User Manual 
						

							2
802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200) 
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 befor e you can
  use NETGEAR telephone support. 
NETGEAR recommends registering your product through the NETGEAR  website. For product updates and web 
support, visit  http://support.netgear.com .
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR.
Phone (Other Countries): Check  the li
 st of phone numbers at 
http://support.netgear.com/gen eral/cont act/default.aspx.
NETGEAR recommends that you use only the of
 ficial NETGEAR support resources.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovati on are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of 
NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States  and/or other countries. Information is subject to change 
without notice. Other brand and product names are regi stered trademarks or trademarks of their respective 
holders. © NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
Revision History
Publication Part Number Ve r s i o n  Publish Date Comments
202-11093-01 v1.0November 2012 First publication 
						

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Contents
Chapter 1 Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter
USB Adapter Placement and Performance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Attach the USB Adapter to Your Computer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Expand Your USB Adapter Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
NETGEAR genie Desktop Icon  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
NETGEAR genie Home  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Join a Wireless Network with NETGEAR genie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Network Details  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Join a Network or Connect to a Different Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Join a Hidden Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Install a Standalone Driver without NETGEAR genie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 2  Maintenance
Other Screen  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Sent/Receive Activity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Network  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Help  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Remove the genie Software . . . . . . . . . . . .  . 
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Appendix A  Technical Specifications and  
Factory Default Settings
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Factory Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Appendix B  Notification of Compliance 
						

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1
1.   Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter
This chapter describes how to set up the 802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200) and includes the 
following sections:•      USB Adapter Placement and Performance 
•      NETGEAR genie Desktop Icon 
•      NETGEAR genie Home 
•      Join a Wireless Network with NETGEAR genie 
•      Install a Standalone Driver without NETGEAR genie 
For help installing your USB adapter, see the inst allation gu
 ide that came in the package. The 
installation is also available at the NETGEAR Download Center at  downloadcenter.netgear.com. 
Note:  For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit 
the support website at support.netgear.com.
Note:  Firmware updates with new features and bug fixes are made 
available from time to time on 
downloadcenter.netgear.com . Some 
products can regularly check the site a
 nd download new firmware, 
or you can check for and download new firmware manually. If the 
features or behavior of your pro duct do not match what is described 
in this guide, you might need to update your firmware. 
						

							Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter5
 802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200)
USB Adapter Placement and Performance
You can position the USB adapter to best suit 
your own environment and to ensure maximum 
performance.
Attach the USB Adapter to Your Computer
To attach the USB adapter directly: 
Use the USB adapter without the desktop dock, and connect it directly into a USB port on 
your comp
 uter.
The USB connector on the USB adapter can swivel so the USB adapter can be positioned 
f
 lat against your computer. 
						

							Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter6
802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200) 
To attach the USB adapter using the desktop dock: 
1. 
Insert the USB adapter into the desktop dock.
2.  Connect th
 e USB cable of the desktop dock to your computer USB port. 
						

							Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter7
 802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200)
Expand Your USB Adapter Range
For added range and performance, you can flip the top portion of the USB adapter so that it is 
perpendicular to the USB adapter:
In this position, the internal antennas are extended out from the USB adapter for increased 
W

iFi performance.
NETGEAR genie Desktop Icon
When you install your USB adapter, the NETGEAR genie icon appears in the Windows 
system tray and on the desktop. You can clic k this icon to open NETGEAR genie to make 
changes or connect to a different wireless network. The color of the icon indicates the 
strength of your wireless connection:
 White. 3–5 bars (strong connection)
 Yellow. 1–2 bars (weak connection)
 Red. 0 (zero) bars (no connection)
If you remove your USB adapter, NETGEAR genie is not available, and the icon is not 
d
 isplayed. When you insert the USB adapter again, the icon returns. 
						

							Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter8
802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200) 
NETGEAR genie Home
When you launch NETGEAR genie,
 the Home screen displays. 
This screen shows you at a glance if you are c onnected to a network,
  and if you have Internet 
access. The following options are available:
•      Sele
ct Language . If more than one language is available, you can select a language 
from this drop-down list. NETGEAR genie scr eens are displayed in the language that you 
select.
•      Home  button. Th
 e currently selected Home screen. You can click the  Home button to 
return here from a different screen.
•      Jo
in a Network  button. View a list of wireless networks and join a network.
•      Other  button.
  View more information or check for software updates.
•      Help.
 Display the help.
Status Bar
The status bar is at the bottom of the screen:
Figure 1. Status bar
Network
ConnectionNetwork
Wireless Signal
securitychannel strengthnamestatus Physical
rate 
						

							Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter9
 802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200)
The following information is displayed:
•     
Netwo
rk name. The network name (SSID) of the wireless network to which the USB 
adapter is connected.
•      Connectio
 n status. The connection status is one of th e following (this status is also 
shown in the diagram in the middle of this screen):
- Con
nected to the Internet
-Con
nected to the Router
-No Con
 nection
•      Netwo
rk security . The lock symbol shows whether the network you are connected to 
uses wireless security. An open lock indicates an open network without wireless security, 
such as one that you might use in a coffee shop.
•      W
ireless channel . The wireless channel of the network to which the USB adapter is 
connected.
•      Physica
 l rate. The physical transmission rate for wireless communication.
•      Signal s
 trength. The strength of the wireless signal. Three to five bars indicate a good 
signal. One or two bars indicate a weak signal. 
Join a Wireless Network with NETGEAR genie
In NETGEAR genie, click the  Join a Network button to display the following screen:
The following information, link, and button are displayed:
•      Netwo
rk list . View the wireless networks in the area. Click a network to select it. 
•      Ma
nually Connect to a network . Click this link to join a network without viewing it on the 
network list, or to connect to a hidden netw ork. A hidden network does not broadcast its 
wireless network name (SSID). 
•      Refresh . Click this butt
 on to scan for available networks in the area. 
						

							Set Up Your Wireless USB Adapter10
802.11ac USB WiFi Adapter (A6200) 
Network Details
From the Join a Network screen, you can vi
ew more details about a specific network.
To view network details:
1. In the n
 etwork list, click a network to select it. 
2.  Click the Det
 ails button to display a screen similar to the following one: 
The following information is displayed:
•      Network name
  (SSID). The name assigned to a wireless network. As a security 
measure, some wireless access points do not broadcast their SSIDs. In such cases, the 
network is hidden. The name (SSID) field is bl ank even though the rest of the information 
is displayed.
•      Channe
 l. The channel on which the wireless network operates. NETGEAR recommends 
that you choose a network that uses a different channel from that of neighboring 
networks. 
•      W
ireless Mode. The wireless technology used for the ro uter or access point, such as N, 
A, G, B, or AC.