Netgear Router WGR614v8 User Manual

							54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v8 User Manual
Fine-Tuning Your Network 5-21
v1.1, May 2008
• You used a program to optimize MTU for performance reasons, and now you have 
connectivity or performance problems.
If you suspect an MTU problem, a common solution is to change the MTU size to 1400. If you are 
willing to experiment, you can gradually reduce the MTU size from the maximum value of 1500 
until the problem goes away. Ta b l e 5 - 1 describes common MTU sizes and applications.
To change the MTU size:
1.In the main menu, under Advanced, select WA N  S e t u p. 
2.In the MTU Size field, enter a new size between 64 and 1500.
3.Click Apply to save the new configuration.
Note: An incorrect MTU setting can cause Internet communication problems such as the 
inability to access certain Web sites, frames within Web sites, secure login pages, 
or FTP or POP servers.
Table 5-1.  Common MTU Sizes
MTUApplication
1500 The largest Ethernet packet size and the default value. This is the typical setting for non-
PPPoE, non-VPN connections, and is the default value 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 e-mail attachments, 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. 
						

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Overview of Home and Small Office Networking 
Technologies
Common connection types and their speed and security considerations are:
•Broadband Internet. Your Internet connection speed is determined by your modem type, 
such as ADSL or cable modem, as well as the connection speed of the sites to which you 
connect, and general Internet traffic. ADSL and cable modem connections are asymmetrical, 
meaning they have a lower data rate to the Internet (upstream) than from the Internet 
(downstream). Keep in mind that when you connect to another site that also has an 
asymmetrical connection, the data rate between your sites is limited by each side’s upstream 
data rate. A typical residential ADSL or cable modem connection provides a downstream 
throughput of about 1 to 3 megabits per second (Mbps). Newer technologies such as ADSL2+ 
and Fiber to the Home (FTTH) will increase the connection speed to tens of Mbps.
•Wireless. Your Wireless-G Router Model WGR614v8 provides a wireless data throughput of 
up to 300 Mbps using technology called multiple input, multiple output (MIMO), in which 
multiple antennas transmit multiple streams of data. The use of multiple antennas also 
provides excellent range and coverage. With the introduction of the newer WPA and WPA2 
encryption and authentication protocols, wireless security is extremely strong.
To get the best performance, use RangeMax NEXT adapters such as the WN511B for your 
computers. Although the RangeMax NEXT router is compatible with older 802.11b and 
802.11g adapters, the use of these older wireless technologies in your network can result in 
lower throughput overall (typically less than 10 Mbps for 802.11b and less than 40 Mbps for 
802.11g). In addition, many older wireless products do not support the latest security 
protocols, WPA and WPA2.
•Powerline. For connecting rooms or floors that are blocked by obstructions or are distant 
vertically, consider networking over your building’s AC wiring. NETGEAR’s Powerline HD 
family of products delivers up to 200 Mbps to any outlet, while the older-generation XE 
family of products delivers 14 Mbps or 85 Mbps. Data transmissions are encrypted for 
security, and you can configure an individual network password to prevent neighbors from 
connecting.
The Powerline HD family of products can coexist on the same network with older-generation 
XE family products or HomePlug 1.0 products, but they are not interoperable with these older 
products. 
						

							54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v8 User Manual
Fine-Tuning Your Network 5-23
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•Wired Ethernet. As gigabit-speed Ethernet ports (10/100/1000 Mbps) become common on 
newer computers, wired Ethernet remains a good choice for speed, economy, and security. 
Gigabit Ethernet can extend up to 100 meters with twisted-pair wiring of Cat 5e or better. A 
wired connection is not susceptible to interference, and eavesdropping would require a 
physical connection to your network.
Assessing Your Speed Requirements
Because your Internet connection is likely to operate at a much lower speed than your local 
network, faster local networking technologies might not improve your Internet experience. 
However, many emerging home applications require high data rates. For example:
• Streaming HD video requires 10 to 30 Mbps per stream. Because latency and packet loss can 
disrupt your video, plan to provide at least twice the capacity you need.
• Streaming MP3 audio requires less than 1 Mbps per stream and does not strain most modern 
networks. Like video, however, streaming audio is also sensitive to latency and packet loss, so 
a congested network or a noisy link can cause problems.
• Backing up computers over the network has become popular due to the availability of 
inexpensive mass storage. Ta b l e 5 - 2 shows the time to transfer 1 gigabyte (1 GB) of data using 
various networking technologies.
Note: Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, 
including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and 
network overhead, can lower actual data throughput rate.
Table 5-2.  Theoretical Transfer Time for 1 Gigabyte
Network ConnectionTheoretical Raw Transfer Time
Gigabit wired Ethernet 8 seconds
RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N 26 seconds
Powerline HD 40 seconds
100 Mbps wired Ethernet 80 seconds
802.11n wireless 45 seconds
802.11g wireless 150 seconds
802.11b wireless 700 seconds
10 Mbps wired Ethernet 800 seconds
Cable modem (3 Mbps) 2700 seconds
Analog modem (56 kbps) 144,000 seconds (40 hours) 
						

							54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v8 User Manual
5-24 Fine-Tuning Your Network
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							6-1
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Chapter 6
Using Network Monitoring Tools
This chapter describes how to use the maintenance features of your Wireless-G Router Model 
WGR614v8. You can access these features by selecting the items under Maintenance in the main 
menu of the browser interface.
This chapter includes the following sections:
•“Viewing Wireless Router Status Information” on page 6-1”
•“Viewing a List of Attached Devices” on page 6-5
•“Managing the Configuration File” in Chapter 6
•“Upgrading the Router Software” on page 6-7
•“Enabling Remote Management Access” on page 6-11
Viewing Wireless Router Status Information
To view router status and usage information:
1.From the main menu of the browser interface, under Maintenance, select Router Status. The 
Router Status screen displays.
Figure 6-1 
						

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6-2 Using Network Monitoring Tools
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Ta b l e 6 - 1 describes the router status fields.
Table 6-1. Wireless Router Status Fields
Field Description
Account Name The host name assigned to the router.
Hardware Version The hardware version of the router.
Firmware Version The version of the current software installed in the router. This will 
change if you upgrade your router.
Internet Port These settings apply to the Internet (WAN) port of the router. 
MAC Address The Media Access Control address. This is the unique physical 
address being used by the Internet (WAN) port of the router. 
IP Address The IP address being used by the Internet (WAN) port of the router. If 
no address is shown, or is 0.0.0.0, the router cannot connect to the 
Internet.
DHCP If set to None, the router is configured to use a fixed IP address on 
the WAN. If set to DHCP Client, the router is configured to obtain an 
IP address dynamically from the ISP.
IP Subnet Mask The IP subnet mask being used by the Internet (WAN) port of the 
router. For an explanation of subnet masks and subnet addressing, 
click the link to the online document “TCP/IP Networking Basics” in 
Appendix B.
Domain Name Server The Domain Name Server addresses being used by the router. A 
Domain Name Server translates human-language URLs such as 
www.netgear.com into IP addresses.
LAN Port These settings apply to the Ethernet (LAN) port of the router. 
MAC Address The Media Access Control address. This is the unique physical 
address being used by the LAN port of the router. 
IP Address The IP address being used by the Ethernet (LAN) port of the router. 
The default is 192.168.1.1.
DHCP Identifies whether the router’s built-in DHCP server is active for the 
LAN-attached devices.
IP Subnet Mask The IP subnet mask being used by the Ethernet (LAN) port of the 
router. The default is 255.255.255.0. 
						

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2.Click Connection Status to display the connection status.
Wireless Port These settings apply to the wireless port of the router. 
Name (SSID) The wireless network name (SSID) being used by the wireless port of 
the router. The default is NETGEAR.
Region The geographic region where the router is being used. It might be 
illegal to use the wireless features of the router in some parts of the 
world.
Channel Identifies the channel of the wireless port being used. Click the link to 
the online document “Wireless Networking Basics” in Appendix B for 
the frequencies used on each channel. 
Mode Indicates the wireless communication mode: b and g; g only.
Wireless AP Indicates whether the radio feature of the router is enabled. If not 
enabled, the Wireless LED on the front panel is off.
Broadcast Name Indicates whether the router is broadcasting its SSID.
Figure 6-2 Table 6-1. Wireless Router Status Fields (continued)
Field Description 
						

							54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v8 User Manual
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Ta b l e 6 - 2 describes the connection status settings.
Click the Release button to release the connection status items (that is, all items return to 0).
Click the Renew button to renew to the connection status items (that is, all items are 
refreshed).
Click the Close Window button to close the Connection Status screen.
3.Click Show Statistics to display router usage statistics.
Table 6-2. Connection Status Settings
ItemDescription
IP Address The IP address that is assigned to the router.
Subnet Mask The subnet mask that is assigned to the router.
Default Gateway The IP address for the default gateway that the router communicates with.
DHCP Server The IP address for the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server that provides 
the TCP/IP configuration for all the computers that are connected to the router.
DNS Server The IP address of the Domain Name Service server that provides translation of 
network names to IP addresses.
Lease Obtained The date and time that the lease was obtained.
Lease Expires The date and time that the lease will expire.
Figure 6-3 
						

							54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v8 User Manual
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Ta b l e 6 - 3 describes the router statistics.
To change the polling frequency, enter a time in seconds in the Poll Interval field, and click 
Set Interval.
To stop the polling entirely, click Sto p.
Viewing a List of Attached Devices
The Attached Devices screen contains a table of all IP devices that the router has discovered on the 
local network. From the main menu of the browser interface, under Maintenance, select Attached 
Devices to view the table.
Table 6-3. Router Statistics
ItemDescription
System Up Time The time elapsed since the router was last restarted.
Port The statistics for the WAN (Internet) and LAN (Ethernet) ports. For each port, the 
screen displays the following:
Status The link status of the port.
TxPkts The number of packets transmitted on this port since reset or manual clear.
RxPkts The number of packets received on this port since reset or manual clear.
Collisions The number of collisions on this port since reset or manual clear.
Tx B/s The current transmission (outbound) bandwidth used on the WAN and LAN ports.
Rx B/s The current reception (inbound) bandwidth used on the WAN and LAN ports.
Up Time The time elapsed since this port acquired the link.
Poll Interval The intervals at which the statistics are updated in this screen. 
Figure 6-4 
						

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For each device, the table shows the IP address, NetBIOS host name or device name (if available), 
and the Ethernet MAC address. To force the router to look for attached devices, click Refresh.
Managing the Configuration File
The configuration settings of the Wireless-G Router are stored within the router in a configuration 
file. You can back up (save) this file to your computer, restore it, or reset it to the factory default 
settings.
From the main menu of the browser interface, under Maintenance, select Backup Settings.
The following sections describe the three available options.
Backing Up and Restoring the Configuration
The Restore and Backup options in the Settings Backup screen let you save and retrieve a file 
containing your router’s configuration settings.
To save your settings, click Back Up. Your browser extracts the configuration file from the router 
and prompts you for a location on your computer to store the file. You can give the file a 
meaningful name at this time, such as comcast.cfg.
Note: If the router is rebooted, the table data is lost until the router rediscovers the 
devices. 
Figure 6-5
Tip: Before saving your configuration file, change the administrator password to the 
default, password. Then change it again after you have saved the configuration file. 
If you forget the password, you will need to reset the configuration to factory 
defaults.