Netgear Router WGT624 User Manual

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Chapter 4 
Wireless Configuration
This chapter describes how to configure the wireless features of your WGT624 wireless router. In 
planning your wireless network, you should consider the level of security required. You should 
also select the physical placement of your firewall in order to maximize the network speed. For 
further information on wireless networking, refer to in Appendix D, “Wireless Networking Basics.
Observe Performance, Placement, and Range Guidelines
The operating distance or range of your wireless connection can vary significantly based on the 
physical placement of the wireless firewall. The latency, data throughput performance, and 
notebook power consumption of wireless adapters also vary depending on your configuration 
choices.
For best results, place your firewall:
• Near the center of the area in which your PCs will operate.
• In an elevated location such as a high shelf where the wirelessly connected PCs have 
line-of-sight access (even if through walls).
• Away from sources of interference, such as PCs, microwaves, and 2.4 GHz cordless phones.
• Away from large metal surfaces.
The time it takes to establish a wireless connection can vary depending on both your security 
settings and placement. WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP 
encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook PC.
Note: Failure to follow these guidelines can result in significant performance 
degradation or inability to wirelessly connect to the router. For complete range/
performance specifications, please see Appendix A, “Technical Specifications.” 
						

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Implement Appropriate Wireless Security 
Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can be received well beyond your 
walls by anyone with a compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security features of your 
wireless equipment. The WGT624 wireless router provides highly effective security features 
which are covered in detail in this chapter. Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.
Figure 4-1:  WGT624 wireless data security options
There are several ways you can enhance the security of you wireless network.
•Restrict Access Based on MAC address. You can restrict access to only trusted PCs o that 
unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the WGT624. MAC address filtering adds an 
obstacle against unwanted access to your network, but the data broadcast over the wireless link 
is fully exposed. 
•Turn Off the Broadcast of the Wireless Network Name SSID. If you disable broadcast of 
the SSID, only devices that have the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the wireless 
network ‘discovery’ feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data is still fully 
exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless sniffers.
•WEP. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP Shared 
Key authentication and WEP data encryption will block all but the most determined 
eavesdropper. 
Note: Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11b/g wireless networks at 
ranges of up to 500 feet.
 Such distances can allow for others outside of your 
immediate area to access your network.
1) Open System: Easy but no security
2) MAC Access List: No data security
3) WEP: Security but some performance impact
Wireless Data
Security Options
Range: Up to 300 Foot Radius
WGT624 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
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•Turn Off the Wired LAN. If you disable the wireless LAN, wireless devices cannot 
communicate with the router at all. You might choose to turn off the wireless the LAN when 
you are away and the others in the household all use wired connections.
Understanding Wireless Settings
To configure the Wireless settings of your firewall, click the Wireless link in the main menu of the 
browser interface. The Wireless Settings menu will appear, as shown below.
Figure 4-2:  Wireless Settings menu 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
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The 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networking protocols are configured in exactly the same 
fashion.
•Name (SSID). The SSID is also known as the wireless network name. Enter a value of up to 
32 alphanumeric characters. In a setting where there is more than one wireless network, 
different wireless network names provide a means for separating the traffic. Any device you 
want to participate in a particular wireless network will need to use this SSID for that network. 
The WGT624 default SSID is: NETGEAR.
•Region. This field identifies the region where the WGT624 can be used. It may 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 will be used. It should not be 
necessary to change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another 
nearby access point. For more information on the wireless channel frequencies please refer to 
“Wireless Channels” on page D-7.
•Mode. This field determines which data communications protocol will be used. You can select 
“g only,” 108 Mbps Turbo g only, or “g and b.” “g only” dedicates the WGT624 to 
communicating with the higher bandwidth 802.11g wireless devices exclusively. The “g and 
b” mode provides backward compatibility with the slower 802.11b wireless devices while still 
enabling 802.11g communications. The 108 Mbps Turbo mode only works with other 802.11g 
turbo devices that support this turbo mode.
•Allow Broadcast of Name (SSID). If you disable broadcast of the SSID, only devices that 
have the correct SSID can connect. Disabling SSID broadcast nullifies the wireless network 
‘discovery’ feature of some products such as Windows XP.
•Enable Wireless Access Point. If you disable the wireless access point, wireless devices 
cannot connect to the WGT624. 
•Wireless Card Access List. When the Trusted PCs Only radio button is selected, the WGT624 
checks the MAC address of the wireless station and only allows connections to PCs identified 
on the trusted PCs list.  
						

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Understanding WEP Authentication and Encryption
Restricting wireless access to your network prevents intruders from connecting to your network. 
However, the wireless data transmissions are still vulnerable to snooping. Using the WEB data 
encryption settings described below will prevent a determined intruder from eavesdropping on 
your wireless data communications. Also, if you are using the Internet for such activities as 
purchases or banking, those Internet sites use another level of highly secure encryption called SSL. 
You can tell if a web site is using SSL because the web address begins with HTTPS rather than 
HTTP.
Authentication Scheme Selection 
Figure 4-3:  Encryption Strength
The WGT624 lets you select the following wireless authentication schemes. 
• Automatic. 
• Open System.
• Shared key. 
Be sure to set your wireless adapter according to the authentication scheme you choose for the 
WGT624 wireless router. Please refer to “Authentication and WEP” on page D-3 for a full 
explanation of each of these options, as defined by the IEEE 802.11 wireless communication 
standard.
Note: The authentication scheme is separate from the data encryption. You can 
choose an authentication scheme which requires a shared key but still leave the 
data transmissions unencrypted. If you require strong security, use both the 
Shared Key and WEP encryption settings
. 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
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Encryption Strength Choices
Choose the encryption strength from the drop-down list. Please refer to “Overview of WEP 
Parameters” on page D-5 for a full explanation of each of these options, as defined by the IEEE 
802.11 wireless communication standard.
•Disable. No encryption will be applied. This setting is useful for troubleshooting your wireless 
connection, but leaves your wireless data fully exposed.
•64-bit or 128-bit WEP. When 64-bit or 128-bit is selected, WEP encryption will be applied. 
If WEP is enabled, you can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys. 
These values must be identical on all PCs and access points in your network.
There are two methods for creating WEP encryption keys:
•Passphrase. Enter a word or group of printable characters in the Passphrase box and click the 
Generate button. These characters are case sensitive.
•Manual. 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 (any combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F). These 
values are not case sensitive.
Default Factory Settings
When you first receive your WGT624, the default factory settings are shown below. You can 
restore these defaults with the Factory Default Restore button on the rear panel. After you install 
the WGT624 wireless router, use the procedures below to customize any of the settings to better 
meet your networking needs.
FEATUREDEFAULT FACTORY SETTINGS
Wireless Access PointEnabled
Wireless Access List (MAC Filtering)All wireless stations allowed
SSID broadcast Enabled
SSID NETGEAR
11b/g RF Channel11
Modeg and b
Authentication TypeOpen System
WEPDisabled 
						

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Before You Change the SSID and WEP Settings
Before customizing your wireless settings, print this form and record the following information. If 
your working with an existing wireless network, the person who set up or is responsible for the 
network will be able to provide this information. Otherwise, you will choose the settings for your 
wireless network. Either way, record the settings for your wireless network in the spaces below.
•Network Name (SSID): The Service Set Identification (SSID), called the wireless 
network name in Windows XP, identifies the wireless network. You may use up to 32 
alphanumeric characters. Record your customized SSID on the line below. 
Name (SSID):______________________________
Note: The SSID in the wireless router is the SSID you configure in the wireless adapter 
card. For the access point and wireless nodes to communicate with each other, all must be 
configured with the same SSID.
•Authentication. The authentication setting, “Open System” or “Shared Key,” is unrelated 
to encryption of transmissions. The two bands can use different authentication settings. 
Choose “Shared Key” for more security, circle one: Open System or Shared Key
Note: If you select shared key, the other devices in the network will not connect unless 
they are set to Shared Key as well.
•WEP Encryption Strength. Choose the key size. Circle one: 64 or 128 bits.
•WEP Encryption Keys. The WGT624 provides two methods for creating WEP 
encryption keys:
–Passphrase. ______________________________
 Enter a word or group of printable 
characters. These characters are case sensitive. When you enter the Passphrase and 
click the Generate button on the WGT624, the keys will be generated.
–Manual. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0-9 or a-f). 
These values are not case sensitive. For 128-bit WEP, enter 26 hexadecimal digits.
Whichever method you use, record the key values in the spaces below.
Key 1: ___________________________________
 
Key 2: ___________________________________
 
Key 3: ___________________________________
 
Key 4: ___________________________________
 
Use the procedures described in the following sections to configure the WGT624. Store this 
information in a safe place. 
						

							Reference Manual for the 108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624
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How to Set Up and Test Basic Wireless Connectivity
Follow the instructions below to set up and test basic wireless connectivity. Once you have 
established basic wireless connectivity, you can enable security settings appropriate to your needs.
1.Log in to the WGT624 firewall at its default LAN address of http://192.168.0.1 with its default 
user name of admin and default password of password, or using whatever LAN address and 
password you have set up.
2.Click the Wireless Settings link in the main menu of the WGT624 firewall.
Figure 4-4:  Wireless Settings menu
3.
Choose a suitable descriptive name for the wireless network name (SSID). In the SSID box, 
enter a value of up to 32 alphanumeric characters. The default SSID is NETGEAR.
Note: The SSID of any wireless access adapters must match the SSID you configure in the 
108 Mbps Wireless Firewall Router WGT624. If they do not match, you will not get a wireless 
connection to the WGT624.
4.Set the Region. Select the region in which the wireless interface will operate. 
5.Set the Channel. The default channel is 11.
This field determines which operating frequency will be used. It should not be necessary to 
change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby 
wireless router or access point. Select a channel that is not being used by any other wireless 
networks within several hundred feet of your firewall. For more information on the wireless 
channel frequencies please refer to “Wireless Channels” on page D-7. 
6.For initial configuration and test, leave the Wireless Card Access List set to “Everyone” and 
the Encryption Strength set to “Disabled.” 
7.Click Apply to save your changes. 
						

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Configure and test your PCs for wireless connectivity.
Program the wireless adapter of your PCs to have the same SSID and channel that you 
configured in the router. Check that they have a wireless link and are able to obtain an IP 
address by DHCP from the firewall.
Once your PCs have basic wireless connectivity to the firewall, then you can configure the 
advanced wireless security functions of the firewall.
How to Restrict Wireless Access by MAC Address
To restrict access based on MAC addresses, follow these steps:
1.Log in to the WGT624 firewall at its default LAN address of http://192.168.0.1 with its default 
user name of admin and default password of password, or using whatever LAN address and 
password you have set up.
2.Click the Wireless Settings link in the main menu of the WGT624 firewall.
Note: If you are configuring the firewall from a wireless PC and you change the 
firewall’s SSID, channel, or security settings, you will lose your wireless connection 
when you click on Apply. You must then change the wireless settings of your PC to 
match the firewall’s new settings.
Note: When configuring the firewall from a wireless PC whose MAC address is not in 
the Trusted PC list, if you select Turn Access Control On, you will lose your wireless 
connection when you click on Apply. You must then access the wireless router from a 
wired PC or from a wireless PC which is on the access control list to make any further 
changes. 
						

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From the Wireless Settings menu, click the Setup Access List button to display the Wireless 
Access menu shown below.
Figure 4-5:  Wireless Card Access List Setup
4.
Click Add to add a wireless device to the wireless access control list. The Available Wireless 
Cards list displays.
5.Click the Turn Access Control On check box.
6.Then, either select from the list of available wireless cards the WGT624 has found in your 
area, or enter the MAC address and device name for a device you plan to use. You can usually 
find the MAC address printed on the wireless adapter.
Note: You can copy and paste the MAC addresses from the firewall’s Attached Devices menu 
into the MAC Address box of this menu. To do this, configure each wireless PC to obtain a 
wireless link to the firewall. The PC should then appear in the Attached Devices menu.
7.Click Add to add this wireless device to the Wireless Card Access List. The screen changes 
back to the list screen. Repeat these steps for each additional device you wish to add to the list.
8.Be sure to click Apply to save your wireless access control list settings.
Now, only devices on this list will be allowed to wirelessly connect to the WGT624.