Netgear N 900 Manual

							NETGEAR genie Advanced Home31
 N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500
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 es tab
 lishes a WPS connection, the LED is solid 
green, and the router WPS screen displays a confirmation message. 
4. Repe at Step 2 and Step 3 to add another WPS client to your network.
Setup Menu
Select 
Advanced > Setup  to display the Setup menu. The following selections are available:
• Internet Setup. This  is a short
 cut to the same Internet Setup screen that you can access 
from the dashboard on the Basic Home screen. See  Internet Setup on page 19
 .
• Wireless Setup. This is a shortcut to the same Wireless Settings screen that you can 
a
 ccess from the dashboard on the Basic Home screen. See  Basic Wireless Settings on 
page  23.
• Guest Network . T
 his is a shortcut to the same Guest Network screen that you can 
access from the dashboard on the Basic Home screen. See  Guest Networks on page  26. 
• WAN  S e t u p . Intern
 et (WAN) setup. See WAN Setup  on page 32.
• LAN Setup . Local are
 a network (LAN) setup. See  LAN Setup on pag e 35.
• QoS Setup .Quality of Service  (QoS) setup
 . See Quality of Service (QoS) Setup  on 
page  38. 
						

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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 . DoS protection protects your LAN against 
denial of service attacks such as Syn flood, Smurf Attack, Ping of Death, Teardrop Attack, 
UDP Flood, ARP Attack, Spoofing ICMP, Null  Scan, and many others. This should be 
disabled only in special circumstances. 
• Default DMZ Server . This feature is somet
 imes helpful when you are playing online 
games or videoconferencing. Be careful when using this feature because it makes the 
firewall security less effective. See the following section,  Default DMZ Server, for more 
details.
• Respond  to Ping on I
 nternet Port. If you want the router to respond to a ping from the 
Internet, select this check box. Use this only  as a diagnostic tool because it allows your 
router to be discovered. Do not select this check box unless you have a specific reason.
• Disable IGMP Prox
 ying. IGMP proxying allows a computer on the local area network 
(LAN) to receive the multicast traffic it is interested in from the Internet. You can select 
this check box to disable the feature if you do not need it.
• MTU Size (in bytes) . The
  normal MTU (Maximum Transmit Unit) value for most Ethernet 
networks is 1500 bytes, or 1492 bytes for  PPPoE connections. For some ISPs you might 
need to reduce the MTU. This is rarely required, and should not be done unless you are 
sure it is necessary for your ISP connection. See Change the MTU Size on p ag
e 33.
• NAT Filtering. Network Address Translation (NAT) det ermines how the
  router processes 
inbound traffic. Secured NAT provides a secured firewall to protect the computers on the 
LAN from attacks from the Internet, but might prevent some Internet games, point-to-point 
applications, or multimedia applications fr om functioning. Open NAT provides a much 
less secured firewall, but allows almost  all Internet applications to function.  
						

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Default DMZ Server
The default DMZ server feature is helpful when you are using some online games and 
videoconferencing applications that are inco
mpatible 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. In some 
cases, one local computer can run the applicati on correctly if that computer’s IP address is 
entered as the default DMZ server.
WARNING:
DMZ servers pose a security risk. A computer designated as the 
default DMZ server loses much of the protection of the firewall 
and is exposed to exploits from the Internet. If compromised, the 
DMZ server computer can be used to attack other computers on 
your network.
Incoming traffic from the Internet is usually discarded by the router unless the traffic is a 
response to one of your local computers or a service that you have configured in the Port 
Forwarding/Port Triggering screen. Instead of  discarding this traffic, you can have it 
forwarded to one computer on your network. This  computer is called the default DMZ server.
To set up a default DMZ server: 
1.On the
 WAN Setup screen, select the  Default DMZ Server check box.
2. T
ype the IP address.
3.Click  App
 ly.
Change the MTU Size
The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is the largest data packet a network device 
transmits. When one network device communicates across the Internet with another, the data 
packets travel through many devices along the way. If any device in the data path has a lower 
MTU setting than the other devices, the data packets have to be split or “fragmented” to 
accommodate the device with the smallest MTU. 
The best MTU setting for NETGEAR equipment is  of
 ten just the default value, and changing 
the value might fix one problem but cause another. Leave MTU unchanged unless one of 
these situations occurs:
• Y
ou have problems connecting to your ISP or other Internet service, and the technical 
support of either the ISP or NETGEAR  recommends changing the MTU setting. These 
web-based applications might require an MTU change:
- A secu
re website that will not open, or displays only part of a web page
-Y
ahoo email
-MSN port
 al
- America Onlin
 e’s DSL service 
						

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•
You use VPN and have severe performance problems.
• You used a program to optimize MTU fo r p
 erformance 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. If you are 
willing to experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU from the maximum value of 1500 
until the problem goes away. The followi ng table describes common MTU sizes and 
applications. 
Table 2.  Common MTU Sizes   
MTUApplication
1500 The largest Ethernet packet size and the default value. This is the typical setting for 
non-PPPoE, non-VPN c

onnections, and is the default va lue for NETGEAR routers, 
adapters, and switches.
1492 Used in PPPoE environments.
1472 Maximum size to use for pinging. (Larger packets are fragmented.)
1468 Used in some DHCP environments.
1460 Usable by AOL if you do not have large emai l att

achments, for example.
1436 Used in PPTP environments or with VPN.
1400 Maximum size for AOL DSL.
576 Typical value to connect to dial-up ISPs.
 
To change the MTU size:
1.Select  Advance d > Setup > W
 AN Setup. 
2. In the MTU Size field, enter a new size between 64 and 1500.
3. Click  Apply  to save  the settings. 
						

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 N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500
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
• Sub net mask.  255
 .255.255.0
These addresses are part of the designated priva te 
 address range for use in private networks 
and should be suitable for most applications. If your network has a requirement to use a 
different IP addressing scheme, you can ma ke those changes in the LAN Setup screen.
To change the LAN settings:
Note:If you change the LAN IP address of the router while connected 
through the browser, you will be di sconnected. You will have to open 
a new connection to the new IP address and log in again.
1.Select  Advanced > Setup > LAN Setup  to display the following screen:
2.Enter the settings that you want to customize. These settings are described in the following 
section,  LAN Setup Screen Settings .
3. Click  Appl
 y to save your changes. 
						

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LAN Setup Screen Settings
LAN TCP/IP Setup
•
IP Address. The LAN IP address of the router.
• IP Sub
net 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 D
irection . Router Information Protocol (RIP)  allows a router to exchange routing 
information with other routers. This setting  controls how the router sends and receives 
RIP packets. Both is the default setting. With the Both or Out Only setting, the router 
broadcasts its routing table periodically. With the Both or In Only setting, the router 
incorporates the RIP information that it receives.
• RIP V
ersion . This controls the format and the broadcasting method of the RIP packets 
that the router sends. It recognizes both formats when receiving. By default, the RIP 
function is disabled. 
RIP-1  is universally su
 pported. It is adequate for most networks, unless you have an 
unusual network setup. 
RIP-2  ca
rries more information. Both RIP-2B and RIP-2M send the routing data in RIP-2 
format. RIP-2B uses subnet broadcasting. RIP-2M uses multicasting.
Use Router as a DHCP Server  
This check box is usually selected so that  the router functions as a Dynamic Host 
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. 
• S
tarting IP Address . Specify the start of the range for the pool of IP addresses in the 
same subnet as the router.
• Ending IP Addres
 s. Specify the end of the range for the pool of IP addresses in the 
same subnet as the router.
Address Reservation
When you specify a reserved IP address for a computer on the LAN, that computer receives 
the same IP address each time it accesses the router’s DHCP server. Assign reserved IP 
addresses to servers that require permanent IP settings. 
Use the Router as a DHCP Server
By default, the router functions as a DHCP se rver, allowing it to assign IP, DNS server, and 
default gateway addresses to all computers  connected to the router’s LAN. The assigned 
default gateway address is the LAN address of the router. The router assigns IP addresses to 
the attached computers from a pool of addresses  specified in this screen. Each pool address 
is tested before it is assigned to avoid duplicate addresses on the LAN. For most 
applications, the default DHCP and TCP/IP se ttings of the router are satisfactory.  
						

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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.
The router delivers the following p
 arameters to any LAN device that requests DHCP:
• An 
IP address from the range you have defined
•Sub
net mask
•Gateway IP add
 ress (the router’s LAN IP address)
• Primary DNS server (if you e
 ntered a primary DNS address in the Internet Setup screen; 
otherwise, the router’s LAN IP address)
• Second
 ary DNS server (if you entered a seco ndary DNS address in the Internet Setup 
screen)
To use another device on your network as the DHCP server, or to manually configure the 
n
 etwork settings of all of your computers, clear the Use Router as DHCP Server  check box 
and click  Apply. Otherwise, leave this check box selected. If this service is not enabled and 
no other DHCP server is available on your ne twork, you need to set your computers’ IP 
addresses manually or they will not be able to access the router.
Address Reservation
When you specify a reserved IP address for a co mputer on the LAN, that computer always 
receives the same IP address each time it accesses the router’s DHCP server. Reserved IP 
addresses should be assigned to computers or  servers that require permanent IP settings. 
To reserve an IP address: 
1.I
n the Address Reservation section of the screen, click the  Add button. 
2. In th
e IP Address field, type the IP address to assign to the computer or server. (Choose an 
IP address from the router’s LAN subnet, such as 192.168.1.x.) 
3. T
ype the MAC address of the computer or server.
Tip:I
f the computer is already on y our network, you can copy its MAC 
address from the Attached Devices screen and paste it here.
4. Click  App
 ly to enter the reserved address into the table. 
The reserved address is not assigned until the next time the computer contacts the 
router’
 s DHCP server. Reboot the computer,  or access its IP configuration and force a 
DHCP release and renew.
To edit or delete a reserved address entry, select the radio button next to the reserved 
a
 ddress you want to edit or delete. Then click  Edit or Delete . 
						

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N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4500 
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 Rout er can provide QoS prioritization over the 
wireless link and on the Internet connection. To  configure QoS, use the QoS Setup screen. 
Select Advanc ed > Setup
  > QoS Setup to display the following screen: 
Enable WMM QoS for Wireless Multimedia Applications
The N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router supports Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service 
(WMM QoS) to prioritize wireless voice and  video traffic over the wireless link. WMM QoS 
provides prioritization of wireless data pa ckets from different applications based on four 
access categories: voice, video, best effort, and background. For an application to receive 
the benefits of WMM QoS, both it and the client running that application have to have WMM 
enabled. Legacy applications that do not support WMM and applications that do not require 
QoS, are assigned to the best effort category, which receives a lower priority than voice and 
video. 
WMM QoS is enabled by default. You can disable it in the QoS Setup screen by clearing the 
Enable WMM  check b

ox and clicking Apply.
Set Up QoS for Internet Access
You can give prioritized Internet access to the following types of traffic:
•Specific applications
• Specific online games
• Individ ual Ethernet LAN ports of the router
• A spe cific device by MAC address 
						

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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 Se
tup 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  T
 urn Internet Access QoS On check box.
2. Click the Set up QoS Rule  butt
 on to see the existing priority rules. On this screen you can 
edit or delete a rule by selecting its radio button and clicking either the  Edit or Delete button. 
You can also delete all of the rules by simply clicking the  Delete All button.
3.To add a priority rule, scroll down to the bottom of the QoS Setup screen and click  Add 
Priority Rule to display the following screen:
4. In the QoS Policy for field, type the name of the application or game. 
						

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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 
Appli
 cation or Add a New Game,  as applicable. 
a. If you add  a new en
 try, 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. In th e Connection Type list, select either  TC
 P, UDP,  or both ( TCP/UDP ), and specify 
the port number or range of port numbers used by the application or game.
7. From  the Priority list, select the priority that this traffic should receive relative to other 
app
 lications and traffic when accessing the Internet. The options are Low, Normal, High, and 
Highest.
8. Click  Apply  to
  save this rule to the QoS Policy list and return to the QoS Setup screen.
QoS for a Router LAN Port
To create a QoS policy for a device connected to one of the router’s LAN ports:
1.Select  Advance d > Setup > Qo
 S Setup to display the QoS Setup screen. Select the 
Turn Internet Access QoS On  check box.
2. Click the Setup QoS  R
 ule button.
3. Click the Add Prio rity 
 Rule button.