Netgear Wn3500rp Universal Dual Band Wifi Extender User Manual

							350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USAOctober 2011
202-11049-01
v1.0
Universal Dual Band WiFi 
Extender – Wallplug Edition
User Manual 
						

							2 Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Wallplug Edition 
Support
Thank you for choosing NETGEAR. 
After installing your device, locate the serial number on the label of your product and use it to register your product 
at 
https://my.netgear.com. You must register your product before you can use NETGEAR telephone support. NETGEAR recommends registering your product through the NETGEAR web site. For product updates and web 
support, visit 
http://support.netgear.com.
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR.
Phone (Other Countries): Check the list of phone numbers at http://support.netgear.com/general/contact/default.aspx.
NETGEAR recommends that you use only the official NETGEAR support resources.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovation are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of 
NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Information is subject to change 
without notice. © NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved. 
						

							3
Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started
How the Extender Works  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
When to Use Your Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Package Contents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Buttons and Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Insert the AC Plug  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Attach the Stand and Power Adapter Cord  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cable Equipment to the Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Install the Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Position the Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Extender Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Music Playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 2  Extender Network Settings
Log In to the Extender  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Use NETGEAR genie After Installation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Add a WPS Client to the Extender WiFi Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Setup Menu  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Connect the Extender to an Existing Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Extender Wireless Settings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Extender IP Address Setup  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Maintenance Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Status Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Attached Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Back Up and Manage Extender Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Set the Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Upgrade the Firmware  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Advanced Wireless Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
ReadySHARE Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
FastLane Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter 3 Troubleshooting
Frequently Asked Questions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Connecting to http://www.mywifiext.net  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Joining WiFi Networks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 
						

							4 Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug
Appendix A Supplementary Information
Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix B Notification of Compliance 
						

							5
1
1.   Getting Started
This chapter covers the following topics: 
•How the Extender Works 
•Hardware Features 
•Install the Extender 
•Position the Extender 
•Extender Performance 
•Music Playback 
For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the support website at 
http://support.netgear.com. 
						

							Getting Started6
Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug 
How the Extender Works
The extender works like a bridge between a WiFi
 router and a computer or wireless device 
outside the wireless router’s range. The extender has two main jobs:
1.  The extend
 er connects to a WiFi network. 
When the extender connects wirelessly to a netwo rk, it
  acts as a network client. This is 
similar to how a computer connects to a network. 
2.  T
he extender acts as an access point for computers. 
The extender has its own wireless network called NETGEAR_EXT that wireless 
compute
 rs can join. In its role as an access point, the extender performs tasks that 
wireless routers do, such as broadcasting its network name (SSID).
The extender needs to do each of these jobs so that both ends of the bridge are in place.
The extender is halfway
between the router
and the computer.
Figure 1. Range extender in a home
When to Use Your Extender
NETGEAR recommends that you connect to t he extender only when your home network 
connection is poor. Because data traffic routed th rough the extender is inherently slower than 
traffic routed directly from the network, the computer should stay on the network if the 
connection is good enough. NETGEAR recommends that you connect through the extender 
network only when the computer is in a “dead  zone” where connection from the network is 
very poor or non-existent. 
						

							Getting Started7
 Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug
The extender LEDs can help you tell if the ex
tender is correctly set up and working as it 
should.
•      The b
est performance is delivered when the Link Rate LED  or  and the 
Wireless Device to Extender LED 
 are green.
•      A worka
 ble performance is delivered when the Link Rate LED is amber and the Wireless 
Device to Extender LED 
 is green.
Hardware Features
The following sections describe the hardware features of the extender.
Package Contents
Your box should contain the items shown in the following figure.
Extender
Stand
Power adapter cord AC plug
Figure 2. Package contents for the extender 
						

							Getting Started8
Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug 
LEDs
The LEDs show how the extender is working.
WPS  Link Rate 2.4 GHz
Wireless Device to Extender Link Rate 5 GHz Power On/Off
Figure 3. Extender front panel
The following table describes the LEDs.
Table 1.  LED Description
LEDDescription
Power
• On. Power is supplied to the extender.
• Of
f . Power is not supplied to the extender.
Link Rate
Indicates a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz wireless connection between the 
extender and a router. The LED tu rns on to indicate the type of 
connection:
•  Gr
een  is best.
•  Amber  is 
 good.
•  Red  is 
poor.
• Off. Not connected to router.
Wireless Device to 
Extende
 rThis LED is solid green when the extender is connected to a wireless 
device.
WPS
This LED indicates a WPS wireless connection.
•  So
lid green . There is wireless security (WPA or WPA2).
•  Blin
king green . A WPS connection is in progress.
•  Of
f. No wireless security. 
						

							Getting Started9
 Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug
Buttons and Ports
The following figure shows the buttons and ports on the extender.
Power
WPS Ethernet port USB port
Reset Factory Defaults Audio port
On/Of
Figure 4. Extender side and bottom panels.
The Power On/Off button and WPS button are on the side panel.
•
Power On/Off button. Use
  this button to turn on and off the extender.
• WPS button . Use
  this button to connect the extender to your existing WiFi network. For 
more information, see  Add a WPS Client to the Extender WiFi Network  on p
 age 20.
The ports and Reset factory settings button are on the bottom panel.
• Audi
o port . Use the Audio port to connect t he extender to your speaker.
• USB port . Use
  the USB port to connect the extender to a printer.
• Res
et factory settings button . To reset the extender to its original factory settings, 
insert a paper clip into the reset hole and hold it until the Power LED flashes.
• Ethe
rnet port . Use the Ethernet port on the extender to connect an Ethernet-enabled 
device wirelessly to your network. 
						

							Getting Started10
Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug 
Insert the AC Plug
You can use the AC plug to plug the extender directly into an outlet, or you can attach the 
stand and plug in the power adapter cord (see 
Attach the Stand and Power Adapter Cord on 
page  11 ).
1
2 3
Figure 5. If you want to plug the extender directly into an outlet, insert the AC plug.

To insert the AC plug:
1 Slid
e the tab on the top of the AC plug into the open position.
2Align the AC plug with
  the extender as shown.
3 Press firmly so
  that the AC plug is securely attached to the extender.
You can now plug the extender into an electrical outlet.