Netgear R6900 Nighthawk Ac1900 Smart Wifi Router User Manual

							If you are away from the router or already logged in it might be easier to enable or disable them. You can also turn
the 
WiFi radios off and on based on a schedule. (See Set Up a WiFi Schedule on page 
172.)
Use the WiFi On/Off Button To turn the WiFi radios off and on with the WiFi On/Off button: •
Press the WiFi On/Off button on the top of the router for two seconds.
If y

ou turned off the WiFi radios, the WiFi On/Off LED and the WPS LED turn off. If you turned on the WiFi radios,
the WiFi On/Off LED and the WPS LED light.
Enable or Disable the WiFi Radios
If you used the WiFi On/Off button to turn off the WiFi radios, you can’t log in to the router to turn them back on.
Y

ou must press the WiFi On/Off button again for two seconds to turn the WiFi radios back on.
T

o enable or disable the WiFi radios: 1.
Launch a web browser from a computer or WiFi device that is connected to the network.
2. Enter 
http://www.routerlogin.net.
A login window opens.
3. Enter the 
router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home page displays. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							4.
Select ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings. Your 
router might display information that is different from this example.
5. In the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz sections, select or clear the 
Enable Wireless Router Radio check boxes.
Clear
ing these check boxes turns off the WiFi feature of the router for each band.
6. Clic

k the 
Apply button.
If you turned off both WiFi radios, the WiFi On/Off LED and the WPS LED turn off. If you turned on the WiFi
radios, the WiFi On/Off LED and the WPS LED light.
Set Up a WiFi Schedule You can turn off the WiFi signal from your router at times when you do not need a WiFi connection. For example,
y

ou might turn it off for the weekend if you leave town.
To set up the WiFi schedule: 1.
Launch a web browser from a computer or WiFi device that is connected to the network.
2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net.
A login windo

w opens. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							3.
Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home page displays.
4. Select 
ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings.
The 
Wireless Settings page displays.
5. Click the 
Add a new period button. 6.
Use the menus, radio buttons, and check boxes to set up a period during which you want to turn off the WiFi
signal.
7. Click the 
Apply button.
The Wireless Settings page displays.
8. Select the 
Turn off wireless signal by schedule check box to activate the schedule.
9. Clic
k the Apply button.
Y

our settings are saved.
Manage the WPS Settings Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) lets you join the WiFi network without typing the WiFi password. You can change the
WPS default settings.To manage WPS settings: 1.
Launch a web browser from a computer or WiFi device that is connected to the network.
2. Enter 
http://www.routerlogin.net. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							A login window opens.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home page displays.
4. Select 
ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings.
The 
Wireless Settings page displays.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. The Router’s PIN field displays the fixed PIN that you use to configure the 
router’s WiFi settings from another
platform through WPS.
6. To disable the PIN, clear the 
Enable Router’s PIN check box.
By def
ault, the 
Enable Router’s PIN check box is selected and the router’s PIN is enabled. For enhanced
secur
ity, you can disable the 
router’s PIN by clearing the Enable Router’s PIN check box. However, when you
disable the 
router’s PIN, WPS is not disabled because you can still use the physical WPS button. The PIN function might temporarily be disabled automatically if the router detects suspicious
attempts to break into the 
router’s WiFi settings by using the router’s PIN through WPS.
Note
7. T
o allow the WiFi settings to be changed automatically when you use WPS, clear one or both of the 
Keep
Existing Wireless Settings
 check boxes.
By default, both 
Keep Existing Wireless Settings check boxes are selected. We recommend that you leave
these chec
k boxes selected. If you clear a check box, the next time a new WiFi client uses WPS to connect to
the router, the router’s associated WiFi settings change to an automatically generated random SSID and
passphr

ase. For information about viewing this SSID and passphrase, see Specify Basic WiFi Settings on page
163
.
Clear a 
Keep Existing Wireless Settings check box only if you want to allow the WPS process to change the
associated SSID and passphr
ase for WiFi access. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							WARNING:
If you clear a Keep Existing Wireless Settings check box and use WPS to add a
computer or WiFi device to the router’s WiFi network, the associated SSID and
passphrase are automaticall

y generated and other WiFi devices that are already
connected to the router’s WiFi network might be disconnected. 8.
Click the 
Apply button.
Your settings are saved.
Use the Router as a WiFi Access Point Y

ou can set up the router to function as a WiFi access point (AP) on the same local network as another router. When
the router functions as a WiFi AP, many router-related features are disabled.
If y
ou want to change the router’s function, use a wired connection to avoid being disconnected
when the ne

w function takes effect.
Tip
To set up the router as an AP: 1.
Use an Ethernet cable to connect the yellow Internet port on the back panel of the 
router to a LAN port on the
other router. 2.
Launch a web browser from a computer or WiFi device that is connected to the network.
3. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net.
A login windo

w opens.
4. Enter the 
router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home page displays.
5. Select 
ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless AP.
The 
Wireless AP page displays. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							6.
Select the Enable AP Mode check box.
The page adjusts.
7. Scroll down and select the radio button for the IP address setting that you want to use:
•Get dynamically from existing router. The other router on the network assigns an IP address to the router
while the router
 functions in access point mode.
• Enable fixed IP settings on this device (not recommended)
. Use this setting if you want to manually
assign a specific IP address to the router while it functions in access \
point mode. Using this option effectively
requires advanced network experience. To avoid interference with other routers or gateways on your network, NETGEAR recommends
that you use different WiFi settings on each router. You can also turn off the WiFi radio on
the other router or gateway and use the 
router only for WiFi client access.
Note
8. Clic
k the Apply button.
The IP address of the 
router changes, and you are disconnected.
9. T
o reconnect, close and restart your browser and enter http://www.routerlogin.net.
Use the Router in 

WiFi Bridge Mode
You can use your router in WiFi bridge mode to connect multiple devices with WiFi at the faster 802.11ac speed.
T

o do this, you need two WiFi routers: one set up as a router and the other set up as a bridge. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							Figure 13. Router in bridge mode with an 802.11ac WiFi connection
Installing a router as a bridge offers the following benefits:
•
You can take advantage of gigabit WiFi speeds on current devices.
• Use gigabit WiFi for applications like video and gaming.
• Connect multiple devices like NAS, Smart TV, NeoTV, Blu-ray player, and game consoles at gigabit WiFi speeds
using a WiFi link.
• Avoid the need for separate WiFi adapters for each device.
For example, you could install the first router in a room such as a home office where \
your Internet connection is
located.
Then set up the second router in bridge mode. Place the router in bridge mode in a different room such as the room
where your home entertainment center is located. Cable the router in bridge mode to your Smart TV, DVR, game
console, or Blu-ray player, and use its 802.11ac WiFi connection to the first router. To set up bridge mode: 1.
Make a note of the WiFi settings of the other router to which this router will connect.
Y
ou must know the SSID, WiFi security mode, WiFi password, and operating frequency (either 2.4 GHz or 5
GHz).
2. Launch a web browser from a computer or WiFi device that is connected to the network of the router that will
run in bridge mode.
3. Enter 
http://www.routerlogin.net. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							A login window opens.
4. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home page displays.
5. Select ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Wireless Settings.
The 
Wireless Settings page displays.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the use other operation mode
 check box.
7. Select the 
Enable Bridge mode radio button. 8.
Click the 
setup bridge mode wireless settings button. 9.
Enter the settings of the other router to which this router will connect\
, that is, the settings of the router that will
function as a br

idge: Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							a.
From the Choose a Wireless Network menu, select the WiFi network frequency (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz).
F
or 802.11ac mode, select 5 GHz.
b. In the 
Name (SSID) field, enter the WiFi network name (SSID).
c. In the Security Options section, leave the WPA2-PSK [AES] radio button selected or select another radio
b

utton.
d. If prompted, type the passphrase (the WiFi password that you use to connect with WiFi to the other router).
10. Click the 
Apply button.
The settings for the other router are saved and the Wireless Settings page displays.
11. Click the 
Apply button on the Wireless Settings page.
Your settings are saved.
Set Up a WiFi Distribution System The router can function as a WiFi base station or a WiFi repeater in a WiFi distribution system (WDS). A WDS
e

xpands a WiFi network through multiple access points. A WiFi base station connects to the Internet, wired and
WiFi clients can connect to the base station, and the base station sends\
 its WiFi signal to an access point that
functions as a WiFi repeater. Wired and WiFi clients can also connect to a WiFi repeater, but the repeater connects
to the Internet through the WiFi base station. The following figure shows a WiFi repeating scenario. Figure 14. WiFi repeating scenario
Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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							For you to use the WiFi repeating function, WPA2-PSK [AES], WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES], or WPA/WPA2
Enterprise security for your router cannot be enabled and the router cannot use the auto channel feature. If you
want to use security, the only type of security that is supported with the WiFi repeating function is WEP legacy
security, which requires the 2.4 GHz radio band to function in the Up to 54 Mbps mode.
For WiFi repeating, you must set up a WiFi base station and a WiFi repeater:
• WiFi base station
. The router functions as the parent access point that bridges traffic to and from the child
repeater access point. The base station also handles WiFi and wired local computers. To configure this mode,
you must know the MAC addresses of the child repeater access point. Often, the MAC address is on the product
label.
• WiFi repeater. The router
 sends all traffic from its local WiFi or wired computers to a remote access point. To
configure this mode, you must know the MAC address of the remote parent access point.
The 
router is always in dual-band concurrent mode, unless you turn off one radio. If you enable the WiFi repeater
in either radio band, the WiFi base station or WiFi repeater cannot be enabled in the other radio band. However, if
you enable the WiFi base station in either radio band and use the other radio band as a WiFi router or WiFi base
station, dual-band concurrent mode is not affected.
Before you can set up a WiFi network with WDS, both access points must meet the following conditions:
• Use the same SSID, WiFi channel, and encryption mode.
• Be on the same LAN IP subnet. That is, all of the access point LAN IP addresses are in the same network.
• All LAN devices (wired and WiFi computers) are configured to operate in the same LAN network address range
as the access points.
Set Up the Base Station
The WiFi repeating function works only in hub and spoke mode. The units cannot be daisy-chained. You must know
the WiFi settings for both units. You must know the MAC address of the remote unit. First, set up the base station,
then set up the repeater. To set up the base station: 1.
Launch a web browser from a computer or WiFi device that is connected to the network.
2. Enter 
http://www.routerlogin.net.
A login window opens.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home page displays.
4. Select 
Wireless.
The Wireless Setup page displays. Manage the WiFi Network Settings
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