Netgear Router WGR614v8 User Manual

							54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v8 User Manual
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v1.1, May 2008
Recording Basic Wireless Settings Setup Information
Before customizing your wireless settings, print this section, and record the following information. 
If you are working with an existing wireless network, the person who set up or is responsible for 
the network can provide this information. Otherwise, you must choose the settings for your 
wireless network. Either way, record the settings for your wireless network in the spaces provided.
•Wireless Network Name (SSID). ______________________________ The SSID identifies 
the wireless network. You can use up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The SSID is case-
sensitive. The SSID in the wireless adapter card must match the SSID of the wireless router. In 
some configuration utilities (such as in Windows XP), the term “wireless network name” is 
used instead of SSID. 
•If WEP Authentication is used, circle one: Open System, Shared Key, or Auto. 
–WEP Encryption Key Size. Choose one: 64-bit or 128-bit. Again, the encryption key 
size must be the same for the wireless adapters and the wireless router.
–Data Encryption (WEP) Keys. There are two methods for creating WEP data encryption 
keys. Whichever method you use, record the key values in the spaces provided.
•Passphrase Method. ______________________________ These characters are 
case-sensitive. Enter a word or group of printable characters and click Generate. Not 
all wireless devices support the passphrase method.
•Manual Method. These values are not case-sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 
hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, a–f, or A–F). For 128-bit WEP, enter 
26 hexadecimal digits.
Key 1: ___________________________________ 
Key 2: ___________________________________ 
Key 3: ___________________________________ 
Key 4: ___________________________________ 
• If WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK authentication is used:
Note: If you select Shared Key, the other devices in the network will not connect 
unless they are also set to Shared Key and are configured with the correct key. 
						

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–Passphrase. ______________________________ These characters are case-sensitive. 
Enter a word or group of printable characters. When you use WPA-PSK, the other devices 
in the network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA-PSK and are configured 
with the correct passphrase. Similarly, when you use WPA2-PSK, the other devices in the 
network will not connect unless they are also set to WPA2-PSK and are configured with 
the correct passphrase. 
Use the procedures described in the following sections to specify the Wireless-G Router. Store this 
information in a safe place.
Changing Wireless Security Settings
This section describes the wireless settings that you can view and configure in the Wireless 
Settings screen, which you access under Setup in the main menu.
Viewing Basic Wireless Settings
To specify the wireless security settings of your router:
1.Log in to the router as described in “Logging In to Your Wireless Router” on page 1-2.
2.Select Wireless Settings under Setup in the main menu.
The available settings in this screen are:
Figure 2-2 
						

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•Name (SSID). The SSID is also known as the wireless network name. Enter a value of up to 
32 alphanumeric characters. When more than one wireless network is active, different wireless 
network names provide a way to separate the traffic. For a wireless device to participate in a 
particular wireless network, it must be configured with the SSID for that network. The 
WGR614v8 default SSID is NETGEAR. You can disable this broadcast as described in 
“Viewing Advanced Wireless Settings” on page 2-10. 
•Region. This field identifies the region where the Wireless-G Router can be used. It might not 
be legal to operate the wireless features of the wireless router in a region other than one of 
those identified in this field.
•Channel. This field determines which operating frequency is used. It should not be necessary 
to change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby 
wireless network. The wireless router uses channel bonding technology to extend the 
bandwidth for data transmission. For more information about the wireless channel 
frequencies, see the online document that you can access from “Wireless Networking Basics” 
in Appendix B.
•Mode. This field determines which data communications protocol is used. You can choose 
from: b and g; or g only.
•Security Options. The selection of wireless security options can significantly affect your 
network performance. The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending 
on both your security settings and router placement. 
WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-
PSK encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook computer, and can cause 
significant performance degradation with a slow computer. Instructions for configuring the 
security options can be found in “Choosing Appropriate Wireless Security” on page 2-1. A full 
explanation of wireless security standards is available in the online document that you can 
access from “Wireless Networking Basics” in Appendix B.
3.Click Apply to save your settings.
Configuring WEP Wireless Security
WEP Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption can be defeated by a determined 
eavesdropper using publicly available tools.
Note: The region selection feature might not be available in all countries. 
						

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WEP offers the following options:
•Open System. With Open System authentication and 64 or 128 bit WEP data encryption, the 
Wireless-G Router does perform data encryption but does not perform any authentication. 
Anyone can join the network. This setting provides very little practical wireless security.
•Shared Key. With Shared Key authentication, a wireless device must know the WEP key to 
join the network. Select the encryption strength (64 or 128 bit data encryption). Manually 
enter the key values, or enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase field. 
Manually entered keys are not case-sensitive, but passphrase characters are case-sensitive.
To configure WEP data encryption:
1.Select Wireless Settings under Setup in the main menu.
2.In the Security Options section, select WEP. The WEP options display.
.
3.Select the authentication type and encryption strength.
4.You can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys. These values must 
be identical on all computers and access points in your network.
Note: If you use a wireless computer to configure WEP settings, you will be disconnected 
when you click Apply. You must then either configure your wireless adapter to 
match the wireless router WEP settings or access the wireless router from a wired 
computer to make any further changes. Not all wireless adapter configuration 
utilities support passphrase key generation.
Figure 2-3 
						

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•Automatic. In the Passphrase field, enter a word or group of printable characters, and 
click Generate. The passphrase is case-sensitive. For example, NETGEAR is not the 
same as nETgear. The four key fields are automatically populated with key values.
•Manual. Enter 10 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, a–f, or A–F). These 
entries are not case-sensitive. For example, AA is the same as aa.
Select which of the four keys to activate.
5.Click Apply to save your settings.
Configuring WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK Wireless Security
Wi-Fi Protected Access with Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK) data encryption 
provides extremely strong data security, very effectively blocking eavesdropping. Because WPA 
and WPA2 are relatively new standards, older wireless adapters and devices might not support 
them. Check whether newer drivers are available from the manufacturer. Also, you might be able 
to use the Push N Connect feature to configure this type of security if it is supported by your 
wireless clients. See “Using Push N Connect (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)” on page 2-12.
WPA–Pre-Shared Key does perform authentication. WPA-PSK uses TKIP (Temporal Key 
Integrity Protocol) data encryption, and WPA2-PSK uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 
data encryption. Both methods dynamically change the encryption keys making them nearly 
impossible to circumvent.
Mixed mode allows clients using either WPA-PSK (TKIP) or WPA2-PSK (AES). This provides 
the most reliable security, and is easiest to implement, but it might not be compatible with older 
adapters.
To configure WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, or WPA-PSK+WPA2-PSK:
1.Select Wireless Settings under Setup in the main menu.
2.Select one of the WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK options for the security type. The third option 
(WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WP2-PSK [AES]) is the most flexible, since it allows clients using 
either WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK. 
Note: Not all wireless adapters support WPA. Furthermore, client software is also 
required. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 does include WPA support. 
Nevertheless, the wireless adapter hardware and driver must also support WPA. 
For instructions on configuring wireless computers or PDAs (personal digital 
assistants) for WPA-PSK security, consult the documentation for the product you 
are using. 
						

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3.In the Passphrase field, enter a word or group of 8–63 printable characters. The passphrase is 
case-sensitive.
4.Click Apply to save your settings.
Viewing Advanced Wireless Settings
This section describes the wireless settings that you can view and specify in the Advanced 
Wireless Settings screen, which you access under Advanced in the main menu.
To configure the advanced wireless security settings of your router:
1.Log in to the router as described in “Logging In to Your Wireless Router” on page 1-2.
2.Select Wireless Settings under Advanced in the main menu.
Figure 2-4 
						

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The available settings in this screen are:
•Enable Wireless Router Radio. If you disable the wireless router radio, wireless devices 
cannot connect to the Wireless-G Router. If you will not be using your wireless network 
for a period of time, you can clear this check box and disable all wireless connectivity.
•Enable SSID Broadcast. Clear this check box to disable broadcast of the SSID, so that 
only devices that know the correct SSID can connect. Disabling SSID broadcast nullifies 
the wireless network discovery feature of some products such as Windows XP.
•Fragmentation and CTS/RTS Thresholds. The Fragmentation Threshold, CTS/RTS 
Threshold, and Preamble Mode options are reserved for wireless testing and advanced 
configuration only. Do not change these settings.
•WPS Settings. 
•Router PIN. This is the PIN number you use on a registrar (for example, from the 
Network Explorer on a Vista Windows PC) to configure the wireless settings of the 
router through WPS. This PIN is also on the router product label.
•Disable the Router PIN. Disable the router PIN to disable accessing the router 
wireless security via its PIN. 
Figure 2-5
Note: The router may temporarily disable the PIN function when it detects 
suspicious attempts to break into the its wireless settings by using WPS to 
access the router with its PIN. 
						

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•Keep Existing Wireless Settings. This shows whether the router is in the WPS 
Configured state. If this option is not checked, adding a new wireless client 
will change the routers wireless settings to an automatically generated random 
SSID and security key. If this option is checked, some external registrars like 
Windows Vista may not see the router. 
•Wireless Card Access List. For information about this list, see “Restricting Wireless 
Access by MAC Address” on page 2-17.
Using Push N Connect (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
If your wireless clients support Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), you can use this feature to configure 
the router’s network name (SSID) and security settings and, at the same time, connect a wireless 
client securely and easily to the router. Look for the   symbol on your client device. WPS 
automatically configures the network name (SSID) and wireless security settings for the router (if 
the router is in its default state) and broadcasts these settings to the wireless client. 
When you add wireless clients, whether or not they are WPS enabled, the added devices must 
share the same network name (SSID) and security passphrase. For more information, see 
“Connecting Additional Wireless Client Devices after WPS Setup” on page 2-16.
The Wireless-G Router provides two methods for connecting to a wireless client that supports 
WPS, described in the following sections: 
•“Push Button Configuration” on page 2-13”
•“Security PIN Entry” on page 2-14
Note: When you make changes to the Basic Wireless Settings page, the 
router automatically enables the Keep Existing Wireless Settings 
option
.
Note: NETGEAR’s Push N Connect feature is based on the Wi-Fi Protected Setup 
(WPS) standard (for more information, see http://www.wi-fi.org). All other Wi-Fi-
certified and WPS-capable products should be compatible with NETGEAR 
products that implement Push N Connect. 
						

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Push Button Configuration
The Wireless-G Router Model WGR614v8 supports using the software button WPS method.
Using the Software Button in the Add WPS Client Screen
1.Log in to the router as described in “Logging In to Your Wireless Router” on page 1-2.
2.Select Add WPS Client in the main menu, and click Next.
3.Select the Push Button setup method.
4.Click the   button in the Add WPS Client screen. The following screen displays:
The green   button light on the Wireless-G Router begins to blink in a regular pattern. 
While the button light is blinking, you have 2 minutes to enable WPS on the device you are 
trying to connect to the router.
5.In the wireless client, follow its specific networking instructions to enable WPS, to allow it to 
connect to the router.
Figure 2-6
Figure 2-7 
						

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The Wireless-G Router’s green   button light ceases blinking and remains on when one of 
these conditions occurs:
• The router and the client establish a wireless connection.
• The 2-minute window period expires for establishing a WPS connection. If the Keep 
Existing Wireless Settings option is not checked and the connection is not established, 
there will be no WPS security settings change in the Wireless-G Router.
Security PIN Entry
There are two ways to enable a wireless client to join a network using a PIN: using the router’s 
security PIN or using the wireless client’s security PIN.
Using the Router’s Security PIN
1.Obtain your router’s security PIN from the Advanced Wireless Settings screen.
2.On the wireless client, follow its specific networking instructions to enter the router’s security 
PIN and to establish a wireless connection with the router.
Using the Wireless Client’s Security PIN
1.Log in to the router as described in “Logging In to Your Wireless Router” on page 1-2.
2.Select Add WPS Client in the main menu, and click Next.
3.Select the PIN Number setup method.
4.On the wireless client, obtain its security PIN, or follow its specific networking instructions to 
generate a client security PIN.
5.In the Add WPS Client screen of the Wireless-G Router, enter the client security PIN in the 
Enter Client’s PIN field. 
Figure 2-8