Netgear Router WGR614v9 User Manual

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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 
WGR614v9. 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”
•“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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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 
						

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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 
						

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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. 
						

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To restore your settings from a saved configuration file, enter the full path to the file on your 
computer, or click Browse to browse to the file. When you have located it, click Restore to send 
the file to the router. The router then reboots automatically.
Erasing the Configuration
Under some circumstances (for example, if you move the router to a different network or if you 
have forgotten the password) you might want to erase the configuration and restore the factory 
default settings. After an erase, the router’s username is admin, the password is password, the 
LAN IP address is 192.168.1.1 (or 192.168.1.1), and the router’s DHCP server is enabled.
To erase the configuration, click the Erase button in the Settings Backup screen.
To restore the factory default configuration settings when you do not know the login password or 
IP address, you must use the restore factory settings button on the rear panel of the router (see 
“Restoring the Default Configuration and Password” on page 7-13).
Upgrading the Router Software
The routing software (also called firmware) of the Wireless-G Router is stored in flash memory, 
and can be upgraded as NETGEAR releases new software. Your router can download and install 
the new software, or you can download upgrade files from the NETGEAR website and manually 
send the upgrade file to the router using your browser.
Wa r n i n g :  Do not interrupt the reboot process.
Tip: To ensure that you are always using the latest router firmware, enable the Firmware 
Upgrade Assistant feature so that the router will automatically detect a new version 
of the firmware on the Internet and alert you to its availability. 
						

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The Checking for Firmware Updates screen appears at login unless you clear the Check for 
Updated Firmware Upon Log-in check box.
A screen is also provided for upgrading the router. From the main menu of the browser interface, 
under Maintenance, select Router Upgrade to display the Router Upgrade screen.
From this screen, you can check for new software versions by clicking the Check button. If a new 
version is found, you can download and install it in one step. To enable the Smart Wizard to 
automatically check for a new software version upon login, select the Check for New Version 
Upon Log-in check box.
Alternatively, you can manually install an upgrade file stored on your computer.
Figure 6-6
Figure 6-7 
						

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Upgrading Automatically to New Router Software
If you have selected Check for New Version Upon Log-in, your router alerts you to the new 
software when you log in. Otherwise, you can click the Check button in the Router Upgrade 
screen to search for new software.
If the router discovers a newer version of software, the message on the left displays when you log 
in. If no new software is available, the message on the right displays.
To automatically upgrade to the new software, click Yes to allow the router to download and install 
the new software file from NETGEAR.
When the upload is complete, your router automatically restarts. The upgrade process typically 
takes about 1 minute. Read the new software release notes to determine whether you must 
reconfigure the router after upgrading.
Tip: Before upgrading the router software, use the router Settings Backup screen to save 
your configuration settings. A router upgrade might cause the router settings to 
revert to the factory defaults. If this happens, after completing the upgrade, you can 
restore your settings from the backup.
Figure 6-8
Wa r n i n g :  When uploading software to the Wireless-G Router, do not interrupt the Web 
browser by closing the window, clicking a link, or loading a new page. If the 
browser is interrupted, it could corrupt the software.  
						

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Upgrading Manually to New Router Software
To manually select, download, and install new software to your router:
1.Under Maintenance on the main menu, select Router Status. Note the version number of your 
router firmware.
2.Go to the WGR614v9 support page on the NETGEAR website at
http://www.netgear.com/support.
3.Check the most recent firmware version offered against the firmware version shown on your 
Router Status screen.
4.If the version on the NETGEAR website is more recent, download the file to your computer.
5.Under Maintenance on the main menu, select Router Upgrade.
6.Click Browse, and locate the firmware image that you downloaded to your PC (the file ends in 
.img or .chk). 
7.Click Upload to send the firmware to the router.
When the upload is complete, your router automatically restarts. The upgrade process 
typically takes about 1 minute. Read the new software release notes to determine whether you 
must reconfigure the router after upgrading.
Wa r n i n g :  When uploading software to the Wireless-G Router, do not interrupt the Web 
browser by closing the window, clicking a link, or loading a new page. If the 
browser is interrupted, it could corrupt the software.