Netgear Router WGT624 User Manual

							Contentsxi
M-10153-01 Are Login Protocols Used?  ................................................................................... C-18
What Is Your Configuration Information?  .............................................................. C-18
Obtaining ISP Configuration Information for Windows Computers  ....................... C-19
Obtaining ISP Configuration Information for Macintosh Computers  ..................... C-20
Restarting the Network  ................................................................................................ C-21
Appendix D  
Wireless Networking Basics
Wireless Networking Overview  ...................................................................................... D-1
Infrastructure Mode  ................................................................................................. D-1
Ad Hoc Mode (Peer-to-Peer Workgroup)  ................................................................ D-2
Network Name: Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) ................................ D-2
Authentication and WEP ................................................................................................ D-3
802.11 Authentication .............................................................................................. D-3
Open System Authentication ................................................................................... D-4
Shared Key Authentication ...................................................................................... D-4
Overview of WEP Parameters  ................................................................................ D-5
Key Size  .................................................................................................................. D-6
WEP Configuration Options  .................................................................................... D-7
Wireless Channels ......................................................................................................... D-7
 Glossary
List of Glossary Terms  ................................................................................................... G-1
 Index 
						

							M-10153-01 xiiContents 
						

							About This Manual1
M-10153-01
Chapter 1 
About This Manual
This chapter describes the intended audience, scope, conventions, and formats of this manual.
Audience, Scope, Conventions, and Formats
This reference manual assumes that the reader has basic to intermediate computer and Internet 
skills. However, basic computer network, Internet, firewall, and VPN technologies tutorial 
information is provided in the Appendices and on the Netgear website.
This guide uses the following typographical conventions:
This guide uses the following formats to highlight special messages:
This manual is written for the WGT624 wireless router according to these specifications.:
Table 1-1. Typographical Conventions
italicsEmphasis, books, CDs, URL names
bold times romanUser input
courier fontScreen text, file and server names, extensions, commands, IP addresses
Note: This format is used to highlight information of importance or special interest.
Table 1-2. Manual Scope
Product Version 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
Manual Part Number M-10153-01
Manual Publication Date August 2003
Note: Product updates are available on the NETGEAR, Inc. web site at http://
www.netgear.com/support/main.asp. Documentation updates are available on the 
NETGEAR, Inc. web site at http://www.netgear.com/docs. 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
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M-10153-01
How to Use This Manual
The HTML version of this manual includes a variety of navigation features as well as links to PDF 
versions of the full manual and individual chapters.
Figure 1 -1:  HTML version of this manual
1. Left pane. Use the left pane to view the Contents, Index, Search, and Favorites tabs. 
To view the HTML version of the manual, you must have a version 4 or later browser with 
JavaScript enabled.
2. Toolbar buttons. Use the toolbar buttons across the top to navigate, print pages, and more.
The Show in Contents button locates the current topic in the Contents tab.
Previous/Next buttons display the previous or next topic.
The PDF button links to a PDF version of the full manual.
The Print button prints the current topic. Using this button when a 
step-by-step procedure is displayed will send the entire procedure to your 
printer--you do not have to worry about specifying the correct range of pages.
3. Right pane. Use the right pane to view the contents of the manual. Also, each page of the 
manual includes a  link at the top right which links to a PDF file 
containing just the currently selected chapter of the manual.
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3 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
About This Manual3
M-10153-01
How to Print this Manual
To print this manual you man choose one of the following several options, according to your 
needs.
•Printing a “How To” Sequence of Steps in the HTML View. Use the Print button  on 
the upper right of the toolbar to print the currently displayed topic. Using this button when a 
step-by-step procedure is displayed will send the entire procedure to your printer--you do not 
have to worry about specifying the correct range of pages. 
•Printing a Chapter. Use the   link at the top right of any page.
– Click “PDF of This Chapter” link at the top right of any page in the chapter you want to 
print. The PDF version of the chapter you were viewing opens in a browser window. 
Note:  Your computer must have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed in order to view 
and print PDF files. The Acrobat reader is available on the Adobe web site at  
http://www.adobe.com.
– Click the print icon in the upper left of the window. 
Tip: If your printer supports printing two pages on a single sheet of paper, you can save 
paper an printer ink by selecting this feature.
•Printing the Full Manual. Use the PDF button in the toolbar at the top right of the browser 
window.
– Click the PDF button   on the upper right of the toolbar. The PDF version of the 
chapter you were viewing opens in a browser window. 
– Click the print icon in the upper left of the window. 
Tip: If your printer supports printing two pages on a single sheet of paper, you can save 
paper an printer ink by selecting this feature. 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
4About This Manual
M-10153-01 
						

							Introduction2-1
M-10153-01
Chapter 2 
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR® 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router 
WGT624. The WGT624 wireless router provides connection for multiple personal computers 
(PCs) to the Internet through an external broadband access device (such as a cable modem or DSL 
modem) that is normally intended for use by a single PC. This chapter describes the features of the 
NETGEAR 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624.
Key Features of the Router
The 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624 with 4-port switch connects your local area 
network (LAN) to the Internet through an external access device such as a cable modem or DSL 
modem.
The WGT624 wireless router provides you with multiple web content filtering options, plus 
browsing activity reporting and instant alerts -- both via e-mail. Parents and network 
administrators can establish restricted access policies based on time-of-day, web site addresses and 
address keywords, and share high-speed cable/DSL Internet access for up to 253 personal 
computers. In addition to the Network Address Translation (NAT) feature, the built-in firewall 
protects you from hackers.
With minimum setup, you can install and use the router within minutes.
The WGT624 wireless router provides the following features:
• 802.11g wireless networking, with the ability to operate in 802.11g-only, 802.11-turbo-g-only, 
or 802.11b+g modes.
• Easy, web-based setup for installation and management.
• Content Filtering and Site Blocking Security.
• Built in 4-port 10/100 Mbps Switch.
• Ethernet connection to a wide area network (WAN) device, such as a cable modem or DSL 
modem.
• Extensive Protocol Support.
• Login capability. 
						

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• Front panel LEDs for easy monitoring of status and activity.
• Flash memory for firmware upgrade.
802.11g Wireless Networking
The WGT624 wireless router includes an 802.11g wireless access point, providing continuous, 
high-speed 54 Mbps access between your wireless and Ethernet devices. The access point 
provides:
• 802.11g wireless networking at up to 108 Mbps.
• 802.11g wireless networking, with the ability to operate in 802.11g-only, 802.11-turbo-g-only, 
or 802.11b+g modes, providing backwards compatibility with 802.11b devices or dedicating 
the wireless network to the higher bandwidth 802.11g devices.
• 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption security.
• WEP keys can be generated manually or by passphrase.
• Wireless access can be restricted by MAC address.
• Wireless network name broadcast can be turned off so that only devices that have the network 
name (SSID) can connect.
A Powerful, True Firewall with Content Filtering
Unlike simple Internet sharing NAT routers, the WGT624 is a true firewall, using stateful packet 
inspection to defend against hacker attacks. Its firewall features include:
• Denial of Service (DoS) protection.
Automatically detects and thwarts DoS attacks such as Ping of Death, SYN Flood, LAND 
Attack, and IP Spoofing.
• Blocks unwanted traffic from the Internet to your LAN.
• Blocks access from your LAN to Internet locations or services that you specify as off-limits.
• Logs security incidents.
The WGT624 will log security events such as blocked incoming traffic, port scans, attacks, 
and administrator logins. You can configure the router to email the log to you at specified 
intervals. You can also configure the router to send immediate alert messages to your email 
address or email pager whenever a significant event occurs. 
						

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• The WGT624 prevents objectionable content from reaching your PCs. The router allows you 
to control access to Internet content by screening for keywords within web addresses. You can 
configure the router to log and report attempts to access objectionable Internet sites.
Security
The WGT624 wireless router is equipped with several features designed to maintain security, as 
described in this section.
• PCs Hidden by NAT 
NAT opens a temporary path to the Internet for requests originating from the local network. 
Requests originating from outside the LAN are discarded, preventing users outside the LAN 
from finding and directly accessing the PCs on the LAN.
• Port Forwarding with NAT 
Although NAT prevents Internet locations from directly accessing the PCs on the LAN, the 
router allows you to direct incoming traffic to specific PCs based on the service port number 
of the incoming request, or to one designated “DMZ” host computer. You can specify 
forwarding of single ports or ranges of ports.
Autosensing Ethernet Connections with Auto Uplink 
With its internal 8-port 10/100 switch, the WGT624 can connect to either a 10 Mbps standard 
Ethernet network or a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet network. Both the LAN and WAN interfaces are 
autosensing and capable of full-duplex or half-duplex operation. 
The router incorporates Auto Uplink
TM technology. Each Ethernet port will automatically sense 
whether the Ethernet cable plugged into the port should have a ‘normal’ connection such as to a 
PC or an ‘uplink’ connection such as to a switch or hub. That port will then configure itself to the 
correct configuration. This feature also eliminates the need to worry about crossover cables, as 
Auto Uplink will accommodate either type of cable to make the right connection.
Extensive Protocol Support
The WGT624 wireless router supports the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol  
(TCP/IP) and Routing Information Protocol (RIP). For further information about TCP/IP, refer to 
Appendix B, “Network, Routing, Firewall, and Basics.” 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
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• IP Address Sharing by NAT 
The WGT624 wireless router allows several networked PCs to share an Internet account using 
only a single IP address, which may be statically or dynamically assigned by your Internet 
service provider (ISP). This technique, known as NAT, allows the use of an inexpensive 
single-user ISP account.
• Automatic Configuration of Attached PCs by DHCP 
The WGT624 wireless router dynamically assigns network configuration information, 
including IP, gateway, and domain name server (DNS) addresses, to attached PCs on the LAN 
using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). This feature greatly simplifies 
configuration of PCs on your local network.
• DNS Proxy 
When DHCP is enabled and no DNS addresses are specified, the router provides its own 
address as a DNS server to the attached PCs. The router obtains actual DNS addresses from 
the ISP during connection setup and forwards DNS requests from the LAN.
• PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) 
PPPoE is a protocol for connecting remote hosts to the Internet over a DSL connection by 
simulating a dial-up connection. This feature eliminates the need to run a login program such 
as Entersys or WinPOET on your PC.
Easy Installation and Management
You can install, configure, and operate the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624 within 
minutes after connecting it to the network. The following features simplify installation and 
management tasks:
• Browser-based management 
Browser-based configuration allows you to easily configure your router from almost any type 
of personal computer, such as Windows, Macintosh, or Linux. A user-friendly Setup Wizard is 
provided and online help documentation is built into the browser-based web Management 
Interface.
• Smart Wizard
 
The WGT624 wireless router Smart Wizard automatically senses the type of Internet 
connection, asking you only for the information required for your type of ISP account.
• Firmware Auto-Update
 
The WGT624 wireless router automatically checks the Internet to see if a newer version of 
firmware is available. If so, it asks you if you want to install the upgrade. This lets you take 
advantage of product enhancements for your WGT624 as soon as they become available.