Netgear N 900 Manual

							350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USAJuly 2012
202-10875-05
v1.0
N900 Wireless Dual Band 
Gigabit Router WNDR4500
User Manual 
						

							2
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500 
© 2012 NETGEAR, Inc.
   All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be re produced, transm
 itted, transcribed, stored in a retrie val system, or translated 
into any language in any form or by any means  without the written permission of NETGEAR, Inc.
Te c h n i c a l  S u p p o r t
Thank you for choosing NETGEAR. To register your product,  get the latest product updates, or get support online, 
visit us at http://support.netgear.com.   
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR
Phone (Other Countries): Se e Support information 
 card.
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. © 2012 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
Statement of Conditions
To improve internal design, operational function, and/or  reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes 
to the products described in this  document without notice. NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur 
due to the use, or application of, the produc t(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein. 
						

							3
Contents
Chapter 1 Hardware Setup
Unpack Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Position Your Router  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 2  Getting Started wi th NETGEAR genie
Router Setup Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Use Standard TCP/IP Properties for DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Gather ISP Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Wireless Devices and Security Settings . . . .  . .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Types of Logins and Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
NETGEAR genie Setup  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Use NETGEAR genie after Installa t
 ion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Upgrade Router Firmware  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Router Dashboard (Basic Home Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Add Wireless Devices or Computers 
 to Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Manual Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) Method  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 3  NETGEAR genie Basic Settings
Internet Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Internet Setup Screen Fields  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Attached Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Parental Controls  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
ReadySHARE USB Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Basic Wireless Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Wireless Settings Screen Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Change WPA Security Option and Passphrase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Guest Networks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Guest Network Wireless Security Options . .  . .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 4 NETGEAR genie Advanced Home
Setup Wizard  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
WPS Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Setup Menu  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 
						

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N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500
WAN Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Default DMZ Server  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Change the MTU Size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
LAN Setup  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
LAN Setup Screen Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Use the Router as a DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Address Reservation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Quality of Service (QoS) Setup  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Chapter 5  USB Storage
USB Drive Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
ReadySHARE Access  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
File-Sharing Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Basic Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Add or Edit a Network Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
USB Storage Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . .  .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Safely Remove a USB Drive  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Media Server Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Specify Approved USB Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Connect to the USB Drive from a Remote Co mputer
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Access the Router’s USB Drive Remotely  Using 
 FTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter 6 ReadySHARE Printer
ReadySHARE Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
USB Control Center Utility  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Control Center Configuration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
USB Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Scan with a Multi-Function Printer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
USB Speaker  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Desktop NETGEAR genie  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter 7  Security
Keyword Blocking of HTTP Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Block Services (Port Filtering)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Schedule Blocking  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Security Event Email Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Chapter 8  Administration
Upgrade the Router Firmware  . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
View Router Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Router Information  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Internet Provider (WAN) Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Wireless Settings (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Guest Network (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
View Logs of Web Access or Attempted Web Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 
						

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N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500
Manage the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Back Up Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Restore Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Erase  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Set Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Password Recovery  . . . . . . .  .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Time Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Set Up Time Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Access the Connected USB Hard  Driv
 e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Before You Back up a Large Amount of Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Change the Partition Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Chapter 9  Advanced Settings
Advanced Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Wireless Repeating Function (WDS)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Wireless Repeating Function  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Set Up the Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Set Up a Repeater Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Port Forwarding and Triggering  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Remote Computer Access Basics  . . . . . . .  .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Port Triggering to Open Incoming Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Port Forwarding to Permit External Host  
 Communications  . . . . . . . . . . 94
How Port Forwarding Differs  from Port Triggering
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Set Up Port Forwarding to Local Servers . . .  . .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Add a Custom Service  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Editing or Deleting a Port Forwarding Entry .  . .
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Set Up Port Triggering  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Dynamic DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Static Routes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
USB Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Universal Plug and Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
IPv6  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Traffic Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 10  Troubleshooting
Quick Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Sequence to Restart Your Network  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Check Ethernet Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Wireless Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Troubleshooting with the LEDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Power/Test LED Is Off or Blinking  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Power/Test LED Stays Amber  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
LEDs Never Turn Off  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Internet or Ethernet Port LEDs Are Off . .  . 
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Wireless LEDs Are Off  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 
						

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N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500
The Push N Connect (WPS) Button Blinks
 Amber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Cannot Log In to the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Cannot Access the Internet  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Troubleshooting PPPoE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Troubleshooting Internet Browsing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Changes Not Saved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Wireless Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Wireless Signal Strength  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Restore the Factory Settings and Password  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Troubleshoot Your Ne tw
 ork Using the Ping Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Test the LAN Path to Your Router  . . . . .  . 
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Test the Path from Your  C
 omputer to a Remote Device  . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Appendix A Supplemental Information
Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Appendix B  Notification of Compliance
Index 
						

							7
1
1.   Hardware Setup
Getting to know your router
The N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500 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, an d protects the devices (PCs, gaming consoles, 
and so on) that you connect to your home network. 
If you have not already set up your new router us ing the inst
 allation guide that comes in the box, 
this chapter walks you through the hardware setup.  Chapter 3, NETGEAR genie Basic Settings, 
explains how to set up your Internet connection.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Unpack Your Router 
• Position Your Router 
• Hardware Features 
For information about ReadySHARE features in your product, see  Chapter 5, USB Storage, and 
www.netgear.com/readyshare . 
For more information about the topics covered  in this manual, visit the Sup
 port website at 
http://support.netgear.com . 
						

							Hardware Setup8
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500 
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 WNDR4500
• AC  power adapter (plug varies by region)
• Category 5 (Cat  5) Etherne
 t cable
• Installation guide with cabling and router setup instructions
If any p
 arts are incorrect, missing, or dam aged, cont
 act your NETGEAR dealer. Keep the 
carton and original packing materials, in ca se you need to return the product for repair. 
Position Your Router
The router lets you access your network from vi rtually anywhere within the operating range of 
your wireless network. However, the operating  distance or range of your wireless connection 
can vary significantly depending on the physical  placement of your router. For example, the 
thickness and number of walls the wireless  signal passes through can limit the range. For 
best results, place your router: 
• Near the  cen

ter of the area where your computers and other devices operate, and 
preferably within line of sight to your wireless devices.
• So it  is accessible to an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables for wired computers. 
						

							Hardware Setup9
 N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500
•
In an elevated location such as a high sh elf, keeping the number of walls and ceilings 
between the router and your other devices to a minimum.
• Away from electrical devices that are potential source
 s 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 me
 tal door or aluminum studs. Large 
expanses of other materials such as glass, in sulated walls, fish tanks, mirrors, brick, and 
concrete can also affect your wireless signal.
When you use multiple access points, it is better if adjacent access points use different radio 
f r

equency channels to reduce interference. The recommended channel spacing between 
adjacent access points is 5 channels (for  example, use Channels 1 and 6, or 6 and 11).
Hardware Features
Before you cable your router, take a moment to become familiar with the label and the front 
and back panels. Pay particular attention to the LEDs on the front panel.
Front Panel
The router front panel has the status LEDs and icons shown in the following figure. 
WPS button and LED
Wireless On/Off button
Power
Internet
2.4 wireless network
5 GHz wireless network
Etherent LAN ports 1–4
USB port 1
USB port 2
Router stand (attached)
Figure 2. Router, front view 
						

							Table 1.  Front panel LED descriptions  
LEDDescription
Power/Test
• Solid amber . The unit is starting up after being powered on.
• Solid green .
  The power is on, and the router is ready.
• Blinkin g 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 . An IP addre
 ss has been received; ready to transmit data.
• Off. No Ethe rnet 
 cable is connected between the router and the modem.
2.4 GHz
• Solid blue . The wireless radio is operating.
• Off. The  
 wireless radio is off.
5 GHz
• Solid blue . The wireless radio is operating.
• Off. The  
 wireless radio is off.
LAN ports 
1– 4 •
Solid green . Th
 e LAN port has detected a 1, 000 Mpbs link with an attached device.
• Solid amber . The 
 LAN port has detected a 10/100 Mbps link with an attached device.
• Off. No link is detected on this port.
USB   
(2 LEDs)
• Solid . The USB device had been accepted by the router and is ready to be used.
• Blinking . Th
 e USB device is in use.
• Off. No  USB device
  is connected, or the Safely  Remove Hardware button has been clicked 
and it is now safe to remove the attached USB device.
Hardware Setup
10
N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500 
The WLAN and WPS buttons toggle the WLAN and WPS functions on and off. 
•
 WLAN On/Off button. 
Pressing and holding the wire less LAN button for 2 seconds 
turns the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless radios on and off. If the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz LEDs 
are lit, th en the

 wireless radio is on. If these LEDs are off, then the wireless radios are 
turned off and you cannot connect wirelessly to the router.
•
 WPS button. You can use this button to use WPS to add a wireless device or 
computer to your wireless network. The  LED below th
 e WPS button blinks green when 
the router is trying to add the wireless device or computer. The LED stays solid green 
when wireless security is enabled in the router.