Netgear Wna3100 N300 Wireless Usb Adapter User Manual

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Chapter 2
Network Connections and Wireless Security
This chapter explains how to use the Smart Wizard to connect to wireless networks and how to set 
up wireless security on your adpater if you are joining a secured wireless network. 
Viewing Wireless Networks in Your Area
You can use the Networks tab to view all available wireless networks in your area. You can also 
scan to search for wireless networks and refresh the tab.
To view information about wireless networks:
1.Click the   icon to open the Smart Wizard. 
2.Click the Networks tab to display the following screen:
Note: During installation if you selected Windows Utililty instead of the Smart Wizard, 
you will not be able to use these features. If you changed your mind, you can 
remove the WNA3100 v1 software (see “Removing the WNA3100 v1 Software” 
on page 1-10) and use the Resource CD to reinstall the software with the Smart 
Wizard.
Figure 2-1
You can click a column
heading to sort.
The status bar shows
your network connection
and Internet connection.
. 
						

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Joining a Network
During the installation, the Smart Wizard lists the available networks. After installation you can 
use the Join a Network button on the Network tab to view available networks and select the one 
that you want. 
To join a network:
1.Use the   icon to open the Smart Wizard. On the status bar, click Join a Network..
Table 2-1.  Network Tab
Field or ButtonDescription
Network Name (SSID) The name assigned to a wireless network. As a security measure, some 
wireless access points do not broadcast their SSID. In such cases, the SSID 
field is blank even though the rest of the information is still displayed.
Channel The channel determines which operating frequency is used.
N The access point supports wireless N mode.
WPS The access point supports WPS.
Security Identifies whether the wireless network uses security settings such as 
WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, or WEP.
Signal The signal strength of the communications.
MAC Address The hardware address (MAC address) of the wireless device broadcasting this 
information.
Mode The type of wireless network—Access Point (Infrastructure) or Computer-to-
Computer (Ad Hoc)
Help button Display online help.
Join a Network button View networks and join a network. See 
“Joining a Network.”
Connect button Connect to the network that you selected.
Scan button Check for wireless networks. Clicking Scan refreshes the screen.
Close button Close the window. 
						

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A list of networks displays: 
2.How you join the network depends on whether it uses wireless security, and whether it 
supports WPS.
•Open network. This network does not use any wireless security. You might join an open 
network at a coffee shop or public area. Select the network and click Connect.
•Secured network. To join a secured wireless network, select it and click Connect. If the 
network is hidden, you must type its network name (SSID). You are prompted to enter the 
passphrase or key.
•Secured network with WPS. The network uses wireless security and supports WPS. You 
can use the Push N Connect button on your adapter to join this network without entering 
its wireless security settings. See the following section, “Using Push N Connect to Join a 
Network.”
Figure 2-2
WPS
Hidden
network
Join a
Network Push N Connect 
						

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Using Push N Connect to Join a Network
If there is a WPS network in your area, you can use Push N Connect to join it and automatically 
configure the wireless security settings for your adapter.
To join a network:
1.On the Networks tab, select the network and click Connect.
If the router supports Push N Connect (also called WPS), the following screen displays:
2.Press and hold the push button on the side of the wireless-N USB adapter for 2 seconds. The 
LED flashes. 
3.Follow the wizard steps to push the router’s WPS button within 2 minutes, and connect to the 
wireless network. 
Creating a Profile to Connect to a Wireless Network
You can create and save a profile from the Settings tab. 
To set up a profile:
1.Click the   icon to open the Smart Wizard. The Settings tab displays:
Note: To use Push N Connect you need to know the location of the wireless router, and 
you must have access to the router so that you can push its WPS button.
Figure 2-3 
						

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2.Enter the network settings. 
a.In the Profile field, type a name for the profile.
b.In the Network Name (SSID) field, select a network, or enter the SSID.
c.In the Network Type section, make sure that Access Point (Infrastructure) is selected. 
This setting lets you connect to a wireless network. For help with Ad Hoc mode, see 
“Setting Up a Computer-to-Computer (Ad Hoc) Profile” on page 2-6.
3.Click Save Profile.
All the configuration settings are saved in this profile.
4.To use the profile, click Apply.
5.Make sure you can connet to the network.
Use a browser to connect to the Internet, or check for file and printer access on your network. 
You can check the status bar in the Smart Wizard for the current connection status. If you 
cannot connect, see “Troubleshooting Your Wireless Connection” on page 4-2.
Figure 2-4
Note: You will not get a wireless network connection unless the network SSID 
matches exactly the SSID used by the wireless network. 
						

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Managing Profiles
If you use your computer to connect to different wireless networks, you can create a profile for 
each wireless network. Then you can easily load the profile that has all the settings that you need 
to join the network you are using at the time. You manage your profiles in the Settings tab:
There are two special profile names: Default and Profile. 
•Default. The profile named Default automatically scans for any wireless network. You cannot 
change this profile name. 
•Profile. If you do not enter a name in the Profile Name field, the name Profile is used to save 
your settings. If you do this more than once, you are asked if you want to replace the previous 
settings stored in Profile.
Priority Button
You can use the Priority button to specify which wireless network you prefer to connect to first. 
• You can click the Move Up and Move Down buttons to adjust the order.
• The adapter uses the priority order when it automatically attempts to connect to a wireless 
network.
• The profile for the network that you are currently connected to is automatically saved as the 
first-priority profile. 
Setting Up a Computer-to-Computer (Ad Hoc) Profile
The Computer-to-Computer setting uses Ad Hoc mode. Ad Hoc mode is an 802.11 networking 
framework in which devices or computers communicate directly with each other, without the use 
of a router or access point. For example, this mode is used when two Windows computers are 
configured with file and print sharing enabled, and you want to exchange files directly between 
them. 
Figure 2-5
Select a profile name
Save Delete Set priority 
						

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To create an Ad Hoc mode profile:
1.Click the   icon to open the Smart Wizard. The Settings tab displays:
2.Enter the network settings.
a.Select Computer-to-Computer (Ad Hoc) for the network type.
b.Select or enter the network name (SSID) for the Ad Hoc network.
c.In the Profile field, type the name of the profile.
d.Click Apply.
3.Save your settings in a profile. 
a.Click Save Profile, and all the configuration settings are saved in this profile.
b.Click Apply, then click Close to exit the Smart Wizard, or click Cancel to return to the 
previous settings.
4.Configure the computer network settings. 
a.Configure each computer with either a static IP address or with the IPX protocol.
b.Restart the computers. 
Note: Ad Hoc mode does not work using DHCP settings. Ad Hoc mode requires either 
static IP addresses (such as 192.168.0.1
) or the IPX protocol. For help setting up 
static IP addresses, see the PC Networking Tutorial on the Resource CD.
Figure 2-6 
						

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5.Verify wireless connectivity between your peer devices with the ping program:
a.On the Windows taskbar, select Start > Run.
b.Assuming the target PC is configured with 192.168.0.1 as its IP address, type:
ping -t 192.168.0.1 
and then click OK.
c.A continuous ping is sent to the device with the 192.168.0.1 static IP address. The ping 
response should change to Reply.
At this point the connection is established. 
Starting a Computer-to-Computer (Ad Hoc) Network Connection
1.On the Settings tab of the Smart Wizard, select or type the network name (SSID).
2.Select the Computer-to-Computer (Ad Hoc) network type.
Figure 2-7
Figure 2-8
Note: If you cannot connect, see “Ad Hoc Mode Is Not Working Correctly” on page 4-4 
and “Troubleshooting Tips” on page 4-1. 
Note: for Windows Vista computers, you must have administrator rights. Otherwise, 
this option is not available for selection. 
						

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3.Click Initiate Ad Hoc. The Ad Hoc Setting screen displays:
4.In the Start Ad Hoc drop-down list, select the wireless standard (802.11g or 802.11b) for your 
Ad Hoc computer-to-computer network.
5.In the Channel drop-down list, Automatic should work. If you notice interference problems 
with another nearby wireless device, select a channel that is not being used by other nearby 
wireless networks. Use the Networks tab to view the channels in use in your area.
6.Click OK.
About Wireless Security
Many networks use wireless security to encrypt wireless data communications. To connect to a 
network with wireless security, you must set up the wireless-N USB adapter with exactly the same 
kind of wireless security settings. If you use the Smart Wizard to set up security, you can take 
advantage of Push N Connect (WPS) to set up WPA-PSK [TKIP] security. Otherwise, you can 
manually set one of the following types of wireless security used for home networks:
• WPA-PSK [TKIP] or WPA2-PSK [AES]. See “Setting Up WPA-PSK [TKIP] or WPA2-
PSK [AES] Security” on page 2-10.
•WEP. See “Setting Up WEP Encryption Security” on page 2-11.
For more information about wireless security, click the link to “Wireless Networking Basics” in 
Appendix B. 
Figure 2-9
Note: The channel number differs depending on the country. The connection speed 
automatically defaults to the highest speed. 
						

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Wireless Network Name (SSID) and Security Settings
If you do not use WPS, then you need to know the security settings to join a secured wireless 
network. You can save the settings in a profile. You can also print this page, fill in the wireless 
network settings, and put it in a safe place for future reference.
•Network Name (SSID) ______________________________ 
•If WPA2-PSK or WPA-PSK authentication is used: 
Passphrase: 
______________________________ These characters are case-sensitive. 
•If WEP authentication is used:
–WEP encryption key size. Circle one: 64-bit or 128-bit. 
–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 below.
•Passphrase method: 
______________________________ This is case-sensitive. Not 
all wireless devices support the passphrase method.
•Manual method. These values are not case-sensitive. For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hex 
digits (any combination of 0–9 or a–f). For 128-bit WEP, enter 26 hex digits.
Key 1: 
_____________________________ Key 2: _____________________________ 
Key 3: 
_____________________________ Key 4: _____________________________ 
Setting Up WPA-PSK [TKIP] or WPA2-PSK [AES] Security
To configure WPA-PSK (TKIP) or WPA2-PSK (AES) security:
1.Run the WNA3100 v1 Smart Wizard.
a.Make sure that the wireless-N USB adapter is fully inserted in a USB port in your 
computer.
b.Use the   icon to open the Smart Wizard. The Settings tab displays.
2.Configure the security settings. 
a.In the Profile field, select the profile, or type in a profile name.
b.In the Network Name (SSID) field, select the network, or enter the SSID.
Note: You will not get a wireless network connection unless the network SSID 
matches exactly what is configured in the access point.