Netgear R7900 Nighthawk X6 Ac3000 Tri Band Wifi Gigabit Router User Manual

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4. Select  ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > Remote Management . 
5. Select the Turn Remote Management On  check box.
6.  In the 
Allow Remote Access By section, specify the external IP addresses to be allowed to 
access the router’s  remote management.
Note: For enhanced security, restrict access to as few external IP addresses 
as practical
Select one of the following:
• Only This Computer . 
 Allow access from a single IP address on the Internet. Enter 
the IP address to be allowed access. 
• IP Address 
 Range. Allow access from a range of IP addresses on the Internet. Enter 
a beginning IP address and an ending IP address to define the allowed ra\
nge. 
• Everyone . 
 Allow access from any IP address on the Internet. 
7.  Specify the port number for accessing the web management interface.
Normal web browser access uses the standard HTTP service port 80. For gr\
eater 
security
 , enter a custom port number for the remote web management interface. Ch\
oose 
a number from 1024 to 65535, but do not use the number of any common ser\
vice port. 
The default port number is 8443, which is a common alternate for HTTP.
8.  Click the  Apply button.
Your changes take effect.
To use remote access:
1.  Launch a web browser on a computer that is not on your home network.
2.  T
ype your router’s WAN IP address into your browser’s address or location field followed by 
a colon (:) and the custom port number. 
For example, if your external address is 134.177.0.123 and you use port \
number 8080, 
enter http://134.177.0.123:8080 in your browser
 . 
						

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Remotely Access Your Router Using the genie App
The genie app allows you to remotely access your router to manage and change its key 
settings using the genie app that is installed on a computer or mobile device. Before you can 
use the remote access feature, you need to update your router to the latest firmware and 
download the latest genie app for your computer or mobile device. 
For more information about how to update your router’s firmware, see Update the Router 
Firmware on page 135. To download the latest genie app for your computer or mobile device, 
visit www.NETGEAR.com/genie.
For more information about how to set up remote access using the genie app, visit 
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/26253/. 
						

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13
13.   Use VPN to Access Your Network
You can use OpenVPN software to remotely access your router using virtual private networking 
(VPN). This chapter explains how to set up and use VPN access.
This chapter includes the following sections:
•Set Up a VPN Connection 
•Specify VPN Service in the Router 
•Install OpenVPN Software on Your Computer 
•Use VPN to Access the Router’s USB Device and Media 
•Use VPN to Access Your Internet Service at Home  
						

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Set Up a VPN Connection
A virtual private network (VPN) lets you use the Internet to securely \
access your network 
when you aren’t home.
Secure
remote access
InternetOpen VPN Client
 
Figure 15. VPN provides a secure tunnel between your home network and a \
remote computer
This type of VPN access is called a client-to-gateway tunnel. The computer is the client, and 
the router is the gateway. To use the VPN feature, you must log in to the router and enable 
VPN, and you must install and run VPN client software on the computer. 
Note: The router currently does not support iOS or Android VPN client 
software.
VPN uses DDNS or a static IP address to connect with your router.
To use a DDNS service, register for an account with a host name (sometim\
es called a  domain name). 
 You use the host name to access your network. The router supports these 
accounts: NETGEAR, No-IP, and Dyn. 
If your Internet service provider (ISP) assigned a static WAN IP address (such as 50.196.x.x 
or 10.x.x.x) that never changes to your Internet account, the VPN can u\
se that IP address to 
connect to your home network. 
						

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Specify VPN Service in the Router
You must specify the VPN service settings in the router before you can use a VPN 
connection.
To specify the VPN service:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the 
network.
2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com in the address field of the 
web browser.
A login screen displays.
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 screen displays.
4. Select ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > VPN Service.
The VPN Service screen displays.
5. Select the Enable VPN Service check box.
By default, the VPN uses the UDP service type and uses port 12974. If you want to 
customize the service type and port, NETGEAR recommends that you change these 
settings before you install the OpenVPN software.
6. To change the service type, scroll down and select the TCP radio button.
7. To change the port, scroll down to the Service Port field, and type the port number that you 
want to use.
8. Click the Apply button.
Your changes are saved. VPN is enabled in the router, but you must install and set up 
OpenVPN software on your computer before you can use a VPN connection.
Install OpenVPN Software on Your Computer 
You must install this software on each computer that you plan to use for VPN connections to 
your router.
To install VPN client software:
1. Visit http://openvpn.net/index.php/download/community-downloads.html.
2. In the Windows Installer section of the screen, double-click the 
openVPN-install-xxx.exe link.
3. Download the file. 
						

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4. To install the Open VPN software on your computer, click the 
openVPN-install-xxx.exe file.
5.  Click the  Next button.
6.  Read the License 
 Agreement and click the  I Agree button.
7. Leave the check boxes selected as shown, and click the  Next button.
8.  T
o specify the destination folder, click the  Browse button and select a destination folder.
9. Click the  Install button. 
						

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The screen displays the progress of the installation and then displays t\
he final installation 
screen.
10.  Click the  Finish button.
11.  Unzip the configuration files that you downloaded and copy them to the f\
older where the 
VPN client is installed on your device. 
For a client device with Windows 64-bit system, the VPN client is instal\
led at 
C:\Program files\OpenVPN\config\ by default.
12.  For a client device with Windows, modify the VPN interface name to  NETGEAR-VPN: 
a. In Windows, select Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.
b.  In the local area connection list, find the local area connection with t\
he device name 
T

AP-Windows Adapter .
c.  Select the local area connection and change its name (not its device na\
me) to 
NETGEAR-VPN.
If you do not change the VPN interface name, the VPN tunnel connection w\
ill fail.
Use a VPN Tunnel
After you set up the router to use VPN and install the OpenVPN applicati\
on on your  computer, you can open a VPN tunnel from your computer to your router over the I\
nternet.
For the VPN tunnel to work, the local LAN IP address of the remote R7900\
 router must use a 
dif
 ferent LAN IP scheme from that of the local LAN where your VPN client co\
mputer is 
connected. If both networks use the same LAN IP scheme, when the VPN tun\
nel is 
established, you cannot access your home router or your home network wit\
h the OpenVPN 
software.
The default LAN IP address scheme for the R7900 router is 192.x.x.x. The most common IP  schemes are 192.x.x.x, 172.x.x.x, and 10.x.x.x. If you experience a conf\
lict, change the IP 
scheme either for your home network or for the network with the client V\
PN computer

. For 
information about changing these settings, see Change the LAN TCP/IP Settings on 
page   11 5. 
						

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To open a VPN tunnel:
1. Launch the OpenVPN application with administrator privileges.
The OpenVPN icon displays in the Windows taskbar.
Tip: Y
ou can create a shortcut to the VPN program, then use the shortcut 
to access the settings and select the run as administrator check 
box. Then every time you use this shortcut, OpenVPN automatically 
runs with administrator privileges.
2.  Right-click the  OpenVPN icon.
A menu displays:
3.  Select  Connect.
The VPN connection is established. You can do the following:
• Launch an Internet browser and log in to your router
 .
• Use Windows file manager to access the router
 ’s USB device and download files. 
						

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Use VPN to Access the Router’s USB Device and Media
To access a USB device and download files:
1. In Windows file manager
 , select the Network folder.
The network resources display. The  ReadySHARE icon is in the Computer section and 
the remote  R7900 icon is in the Media Devices section (if DLNA is enabled in the router\
).
2.  If the icons do not display
 , click the Refresh button to update the screen.
If the local LAN and the remote LAN are using the same IP scheme, the re\
mote R7900 
icon does not display in the Media Devices and Network Infrastructure se\
ctions.
3.  T
o access the USB device, click the ReadySHARE  icon.
4.  T
o access media on the router’s network, click the  R7900 icon.
Use VPN to Access Your Internet Service at Home
When you’re away from home and you access the Internet, you usually u\
se a local Internet 
service provider. For example, at a coffee shop you might be given a code that lets you use 
the coffee shop’s Internet service account to surf the web.
Nighthawk lets you use a VPN connection to access your own Internet serv\
ice when you’re 
away from home. 

You might want to do this if you travel to a geographic location that doe\
sn’t 
support all the Internet services that you use at home. For example, you\
r Netflix account 
might work at home but not in a different country. 
Set Up VPN Client Internet Access in the Router
By default, the router is set up to allow VPN connections only to your h\
ome network, but you 
can change the setting to allow Internet access. Accessing the Internet remotely through a 
VPN might be slower than accessing the Internet directly.
To allow VPN clients to use your home Internet service:
1.  Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connecte\
d to the 
network. 
						

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2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com in the address field of the 
web browser.
A login screen displays.
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 screen displays.
4. Select ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > VPN Service.
The VPN screen displays.
5. Select the Enable VPN Service radio button.
6. Scroll down to the Clients will use this VPN connection to access section, and select the All 
sites on the Internet & Home Network radio button. 
When you access the Internet with the VPN connection, instead of using a local Internet 
service, you use the Internet service from your home network.
7. Click the Apply button.
Your settings are saved.
8. Click the For Windows or For Non Windows button and download the configuration files 
for your VPN clients.
9. Unzip the configuration files and copy them to the folder where the VPN client is installed on 
your device. 
For a client device with Windows 64-bit system, the VPN client is installed at 
C:\Program files\OpenVPN\config\ by default.
Block VPN Client Internet Access in the Router
By default, the router is set up to allow VPN connections only to your home network, not to 
the Internet service for your home network. If you changed this setting to allow Internet 
access, you can change it back.
To allow VPN clients to access only your home network:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the 
network.
2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com in the address field of the 
web browser.
A login screen displays.
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.