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

							Tri-Band WiFi Connections 71
 Nighthawk
 X6 AC3000  Tri-Band WiFi  Router
For example, if three mobile devices are connected to one 5 GHz band, th\
e fourth device is 
automatically connected to the other 5 GHz band.
Internet
PrinterLegacy devices
Dual-band wireless devices IP camera
Dual-band AC wireless devices
iPad Phone Fast
2.4 WiFi band
Up to 450 Mbps
Faster
5 GHz WiFi Band 1
Up to 1.3 Gbps
Fastest
5 GHz WiFi Band 2
Up to 1.3 Gbps
MacBook Pro MacBook Air iPhone
Desktop computer
Figure 10. Load balancing in a tri-band WiFi network
Slower devices like printers, older computers, or an IP camera connect t\
o the 2.4 GHz band. 
The availability of two 5 GH bands prevents overloading when many device\
s use WiFi at the  same time.
Benefits of Tri-Band WiFi
The tri-band WiFi network outperforms the dual-band network in several w\
ays:
• More bandwidth is available.
Even with more devices connected to the network, because the connections\
 are spread 
across two dif
 ferent bands, each device gets a larger share of the available WiFi 
bandwidth. The capacity of the computers in  Figure  9, A tri-band network offers two 
dedicated 5 GHz bands on page  70 is 1,300 Mbps. The computers share a 5 GHz WiFi 
band, and the WiFi connection of each is 650 Mbps, compared to 325 Mbps \
shown in 
Figure   8, Dual-band WiFi network with one 5 GHz WiFi band  on page
  69. 
• Smart Connect directs WiFi traf
 fic to the appropriate lane.
With Smart Connect, older devices do not slow down faster devices.
• The router uses load balancing to avoid network congestion in each WiFi \
band.
With load balancing, you don’t need to share your WiFi connection wit\
h as many devices. 
						

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Smart Connect
Smart Connect balances your 5 GHz WiFi connections into two different radio bands: the 5 
GHz radio 1 band and the 5 GHz radio 2 band. The router uses Smart Connect to choose the 
best radio band for your device to give you the best WiFi performance.
Nighthawk X6 2.4 GHz
450 Mbps
Legacy
devices
5 GHz WiFi band 1
1300 Mbps Fast
dual-band
devices
5 GHz WiFi band 2
1300 Mbps Faster
dual-band
devices
Same WiFi network 
name and password for both 5 GHz 
bands—only one 
visible 5 GHz band
Figure 11. Smart Connect
For Smart Connect to work, both 5 GHz radio bands must use the same wire\
less network 
name (SSID) and network key (password). That means that when you connect to the router 
with WiFi, you see only one 5 GHz SSID that connects to both 5 GHz radio\
 bands.
Note: If you enable Smart Connect and the SSID and passwords for both  
5 GHz radio bands do not match, the WiFi settings for 5 GHz band 1 
overwrite the WiFi settings for 5 GHz band 2. 
Enable or Disable Smart Connect
To enable or disable Smart Connect:
1.  Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connecte\
d 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. 
						

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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 screen displays.
4.  Select  W
 ireless.
5. Select or clear the Smart Connect – One Wireless Network Name (SSID) for both 5 GHz 
radios  check box.
Selecting this check box turns on Smart Connect and clearing this check \
box turns off 
Smart Connect.
6.  Click the  Apply button. 
Your settings are saved. 
						

							Tri-Band WiFi Connections 
74 Nighthawk  X6 AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi Router 
Beamforming
Beamforming means that your router actively tracks clients and directs Wifi to the client, 
rather than just blasting it out in all directions. This means better WiFi range and performance 
for your wireless devices.
The router uses explicit and implicit beamforming to improve WiFi performance. Explicit 
beamforming requires the client to support beamforming. Typically 802.11ac clients support 
beamforming. Implicit beamforming means that the router can support beamforming even 
with clients that do not support beamforming. This router supports implicit beamforming for 
both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz clients, which means that it provides the beamforming benefits of 
better range and performance for all wireless devices, even older 802.11a/b/g/n clients, not 
just the latest WiFi clients.
Implicit Beamforming
Implicit beamforming means that the router can use information from client devices that 
support beamforming to improve the WiFi signal. This feature is enabled by default, but you 
can disable it. 
To disable implicit beamforming:
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 > Wireless Settings.
The Wireless Settings screen displays.
5. Scroll down below the WPS Settings section of the screen and clear the Enable Implicit 
BEAMFORMING check box.
6. Click the Apply button.
Your settings are saved. 
						

							75
7
7.   Share USB Devices Attached to the 
Router
This chapter describes how to access and configure USB storage devices attached to your 
router. The USB port on the router can be used only to connect USB storage devices like flash 
drives or hard drives or a printer. Do not connect computers, USB modems, CD drives, or DVD 
drives to the router USB port.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•USB Device Requirements 
•Access a USB Storage Device on the Network 
•Back Up Windows Computers with ReadySHARE Vault 
•Back Up Mac Computers with Time Machine 
•Control Access to the USB Device  
•Use FTP Within the Network 
•View or Change Network Folders on a USB Device 
•Add a Network Folder on a USB Device 
•Edit a Network Folder on a USB Device 
•Safely Remove a USB Device 
For more information about ReadySHARE features, visit www.netgear.com/readyshare.  
						

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USB Device Requirements
The router works with most USB-compliant external flash and hard drives.\
 For the most 
up-to-date list of USB devices that the router supports, visit 
http://kbserver.netgear.com/readyshare .
Some USB external hard drives and flash drives require you to load the d\
rivers onto the 
computer before the computer can access the USB device. Such USB devices\
 do not work 
with the router

.
The router supports the following file system types for full read/write \
access: • F
AT16
•F
AT32
•NTFS
• NTFS with compression format enabled
• Ext2
• Ext3
• Ext4
• HFS
• HFS+
Access a USB Storage Device on the Network
ReadySHARE lets you access and share a USB device connected to the route\
r USB port. (If 
your USB device uses special drivers, it is not compatible.) 
USB 3.0 port
Figure 12. The blue USB 3.0 port on the rear panel of the router provide\
s the fastest access

To connect a USB storage device to the router: Connect your USB storage device to the USB port on the router.
If your USB device uses a power supply, you must use it when you connect the USB 
device to the router
 . 
						

							Share USB Devices Attached to the Router 
77  Nighthawk X6 AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi Router
When you connect the USB device to the router USB port, it might take up to two minutes 
before it is ready for sharing. By default, the USB device is available to all computers on 
your local area network (LAN).
To access the USB device from a Mac: 
1. Connect your USB storage device to the USB port on the router.
If your USB device uses a power supply, you must use it when you connect the USB 
device to the router.
When you connect the USB storage device to the router’s USB port, it might take up to 
two minutes before it is ready for sharing. By default, the USB drive is available to all 
computers on your local area network (LAN).
2. On a Mac that is connected to the network, launch Finder and select Go > Connect to 
Server.
The Connect to Server screen displays.
3. Enter the smb://readyshare in the Server Address field.
4. Click the Connect button.
5. When prompted, select the Guest radio button.
6. If you set up access control on the router and you allowed your Mac to access the network, 
select the Registered User radio button and enter admin for the name and password for 
the password. 
For more information about access control, see Allow or Block Access to Your Network 
on page 57.
7. Click the Connect button.
A screen automatically opens and displays the files and folders on the device.
To access the USB storage device from a Windows computer: 
1. Connect your USB storage device to a USB port on the router.
If your USB device uses a power supply, you must use it when you connect the USB 
device to the router.
When you connect the USB storage device to the router’s USB port, it might take up to 
two minutes before it is ready for sharing. By default, the USB drive is available to all 
computers on your local area network (LAN).
2. Select Start > Run.
3. Enter \
eadyshare in the dialog box.
4. Click the OK button.
A screen automatically opens and displays the files and folders on the device.
To map the USB device to a Windows network drive: 
1. Connect your USB storage device to the USB port on the router. 
						

							Share USB Devices Attached to the Router 78
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 Tri-Band WiFi  Router 
If your USB device uses a power supply, you must use it when you connect the USB 
device to the router.
When you connect the USB device to the router’s USB port, it might take up to two 
minutes before it is ready for sharing. By default, the USB drive is ava\
ilable to all 
computers on your local area network (LAN).
2.  Select  Start > Run .
3.  Enter  \
eadyshare in the dialog box.
4.  Click the  OK button.
A screen automatically opens and displays the USB Storage device.
5.  Right-click the USB storage device and select  Map network drive. 
						

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The Map Network Drive screen displays:
6. Select the drive letter to map to the network folder.
7.  Click the  Finish button.
The USB device is mapped to the drive letter that you specified.
8.  T
o connect to the USB storage device as a different user, select the  Connect using 
different credentials check box, click the  Finish button, and do the following:
a. T
ype the user name and password.
b.  Click the OK button.
The USB storage device is mapped to the drive letter that you specified.\
Back Up Windows Computers with ReadySHARE Vault
Your router comes with free backup software for all the Windows computers\
 in your home.  Connect a USB hard disk drive (HDD) to the USB port on your router for\
 centralized, 
continuous, and automatic backup.
To back up your Windows computer:
1.  Connect a USB HDD to the USB port on the router
 .
2.  Install the genie app on each Windows computer
 .
To download the genie app, visit www.netgear.com/genie .
3.  Download ReadySHARE V
 ault from www.netgear.com/readyshare and install it on each 
Windows computer.
4.  Launch ReadySHARE V
 ault. 
						

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80 Nighthawk  X6 AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi Router 
5. Use the dashboard or the Backup tab to set up and run your backup.
Back Up Mac Computers with Time Machine
You can use Time Machine to back up your Mac computers onto a USB hard drive that is 
connected to one of the router’s USB ports. You can access the connected USB hard drive 
from your Mac with a wired or wireless connection to your router.
Set Up a USB Hard Drive on a Mac
NETGEAR recommends that you use a new USB HDD or format your old USB disk to do the 
Time Machine backup for the first time. Use a blank partition to prevent some issues during 
backup using Time Machine. The router supports GUID or MBR partitions.
To format your USB hard disk drive and specify partitions:
1. Connect a USB HDD to the USB port on the router.
2. On your Mac, go to Spotlight (or the magnifying glass) at the top right of the screen and 
search for Disk Utility.
3. To format your USB device, open the Disk Utility, select your hard disk drive, click the Erase 
tab, and click the Erase button.
4. Click the Partition tab.
5. In the Partition Layout menu, set the number of partitions that you want to use.
6. Click the Options button.
The partition schemes display.
7. Select the GUID Partition Table or Master Boot Record radio button.
8. For the format, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
9. Click the OK button.
10. Click the Apply button.
Your settings are saved.
Prepare to Back Up a Large Amount of Data
Before you back up a large amount of data with Time Machine, NETGEAR recommends that 
you follow this procedure.
To prepare to back up a large amount of data:
1. Upgrade the operating system of the Mac computer.
2. Verify and repair the backup disk and the local disk.
3. Verify and repair the permissions on the local disk.
4. Set Energy Saver: