Wireless Pre-N Router Share your high-speed connection without cables User Manual F5D8230-4 Table of Contents 1 Introduction Advantages of a Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Revolutionary 108 Mbps Wireless Pre-N Technology with MIMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Placement of your Wireless Pre-N Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Product Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3 Knowing your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Easy Install Wizard Software System Requirements . . . . . . 11 4 Connecting and Configuring your Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5 Alternate Setup Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 6 Using the Web-Based Advanced User Interface . . . . . . . . . . 42 Changing LAN Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Viewing the DHCP Client List Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Configuring the Wireless Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Setting WPA Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Setting WEP Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Using the Access Point Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Setting MAC Address Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Configuring the Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Using the Dynamic DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Restarting the Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Updating the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 7 Manually Configuring Computer Network Settings . . . . . . . . 77 8 Recommended Web Browser Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 9 How to Set Up your Network to Operate with AOL® for Broadband and your Network Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 10 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 11 Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Introduction section Thank you for purchasing the Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router (the Router). Following are two short sections--the first discusses the benefits of home networking, and the other outlines best practices that maximize your wireless home network range and performance. Please be sure to read through this User Manual completely, and pay special attention to the section entitled "Placement of your Wireless Networking Hardware for Optimal Performance" on the next page. By following our simple setup instructions you will be able to use your Belkin Home Network to: · · · · · · Share one high-speed Internet connection with all the computers in your home Share resources, such as files and hard drives among all the connected computers in your home Share a single printer with the entire family Share documents, music, video, and digital pictures Store, retrieve, and copy files from one computer to another Simultaneously play games online, check Internet e-mail, and chat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Here are some of the advantages of setting up a Belkin Wireless Network: Mobility ­ you'll no longer need a dedicated "computer room"--now you can work on a networked laptop or desktop computer anywhere within your wireless range Easy installation ­ Belkin's Easy Installation Wizard makes setup simple Flexibility ­ set up and access printers, computers, and other networking devices from anywhere in your home Easy Expansion ­ the wide range of Belkin networking products let you expand your network to include devices such as printers and gaming consoles No cabling required ­ you can spare the expense and hassle of retrofitting Ethernet cabling throughout the home or office Widespread industry acceptance ­ choose from a wide range of interoperable networking products 1 Introduction Revolutionary 108Mbps Wireless Pre-N Technology with MIMO Your Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router uses a new smart antenna technology called Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). MIMO is a smart antenna technique that increases speed, range, reliability, and spectral efficiency for wireless networking systems. MIMO technology will be used for 802.11n, a standard for next-generation 802.11 products that boosts throughput to 100Mbps. The element that makes Belkin's Pre-N MIMO technology different from a conventional radio is the use of three antennas and two simultaneous data streams to deliver wireless transfers around your home or office. A conventional radio uses one antenna to transmit a data stream. Belkin's smart antenna radio (MIMO), on the other hand, uses three antennas. This design helps combat distortion and interference. Belkin's Pre-N MIMO is multidimensional. It builds on one-dimensional smart antenna technology by simultaneously transmitting two data streams through the same channel, which increases wireless capacity. Think of conventional radio transmission as a two-lane highway. The speed limit governs the maximum allowable flow of traffic through that lane. Compared with conventional radios, one-dimensional smart antenna systems help move traffic through that lane faster and more reliably--analogous to a four-lane road on which traffic consistently moves at a rate closer to the speed limit. Belkin's Pre-N MIMO helps traffic move at the speed limit and opens more lanes--to become the superhighway in this example. The rate of traffic flow is multiplied by the number of lanes that are opened. During the 1990s, Stanford University researchers Greg Raleigh and V.K. Jones showed that a characteristic of radio transmission called multipath, which had previously been considered an impairment to radio transmission, is actually a gift of nature. Multipath occurs when signals sent from a transmitter reflect off objects in the environment and take multiple paths to the receiver. The researchers showed that multipath can be exploited to multiplicatively increase the capacity of a radio system. If each multipath route could be treated as a separate channel, it would be as if each route were a separate virtual wire. A channel with multipath then would be like a bundle of virtual wires. 2 Introduction section To exploit the benefits the virtual wires offer, MIMO uses multiple, spatially separated antennas. MIMO encodes a high-speed data stream across multiple antennas. Each antenna carries a separate, lower-speed stream. Multipath virtual wires are utilized to send the lower-speed streams simultaneously. Wireless is not as well-behaved as a bundle of wires. Each signal transmitted in a multipath environment travels multiple routes. This makes a wireless system act like a bundle of wires with a great deal of leakage between them, causing transmitted signals to jumble together. The MIMO receiver uses mathematical algorithms to unravel and recover the transmitted signals. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 Introduction Placement of your Wireless Pre-N Router Important Factors for Placement and Setup Your wireless connection will be stronger the closer your computer is to your Router (or Access Point). Typical indoor operating range for wireless devices is between 100 and 200 feet. In the same way, your wireless connection and performance will degrade somewhat as the distance between your Router (or Access Point) and connected devices increases. This may or may not be noticeable to you. As you move further from your Router (or Access Point), connection speed may decrease. Factors that can weaken signals simply by getting in the way of your network's radio waves are metal appliances or obstructions, and walls. If you have concerns about your network's performance that might be related to range or obstruction factors, try moving the computer to a position between five and 10 feet from the Router (or Access Point) in order to see if distance is the problem. If difficulties persist even at close range, please contact Belkin Technical Support. Note: While some of the items listed below can affect network performance, they will not prohibit your wireless network from functioning; if you are concerned that your network is not operating at its maximum effectiveness, this checklist may help. 1. Wireless Router or Access Point Placement Place your Router (or Access Point), the central connection point of your network, as close as possible to the center of your wireless network devices. To achieve the best wireless network coverage for your "wireless clients" (i.e., computers enabled by Belkin Wireless Notebook Network Cards, Wireless Desktop Network Cards, and Wireless USB Adapters): · Ensure that your Router's (or Access Point's) networking antennas are parallel to each other, and are positioned vertically (toward the ceiling). If your Router (or Access Point) itself is positioned vertically, point the antennas as much as possible in an upward direction. · In multistory homes, place the Router (or Access Point) on a floor that is as close to the center of the home as possible. This may mean placing the Router (or Access Point) on an upper floor. 4 Introduction section · Try not to place the Router (or Access Point) near a cordless 2.4GHz phone. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 2. Avoid Obstacles and Interference Avoid placing your Router (or Access Point) near devices that may emit radio "noise," such as microwave ovens. Dense objects that can inhibit wireless communication include: · Refrigerators · Washers and/or dryers · Metal cabinets · Large aquariums · Metallic-based UV tinted windows If your wireless signal seems weak in some spots, make sure that objects such as these are not blocking the signal's path (between your computers and Router or Access Point) 3. Cordless Phones If the performance of your wireless network is impaired after attending to the above issues, and you have a cordless phone: · Try moving cordless phones away from Routers (or access points) and your wireless-enabled computers. · Unplug and remove the battery from any cordless phone that operates on the 2.4GHz band (check manufacturer's information). If this fixes the problem, your phone may be interfering. · If your phone supports channel selection, change the channel on the phone to the farthest channel from your wireless network. For example, change the phone to channel 1 and move your Router (or Access Point) to channel 11. See your phone's user manual for detailed instructions. · If necessary, consider switching to a 900MHz or 5GHz cordless phone. 4. Choose the "Quietest" Channel for your Wireless Network In locations where homes or offices are close together, such as apartment buildings or office complexes, there may be wireless networks nearby that can conflict with yours. Use the Site Survey capabilities found in the Wireless Utility of your wireless adapter to locate any other wireless networks that 5 Introduction are available (see your wireless adapter's user manual), and move your Router (or Access Point) and computers to a channel as far away from other networks as possible. · Experiment with more than one of the available channels, in order to find the clearest connection and avoid interference from neighboring cordless phones or other wireless devices. · For Belkin wireless networking products, use the detailed Site Survey and wireless channel information included with your wireless network card. See your network card's user guide for more information. These guidelines should allow you to cover the maximum possible area with your Router (or Access Point). Should you need to cover an even wider area, we suggest the Belkin Wireless Range Extender/Access Point. 5. Secure connections, VPNs, and AOL Secure connections typically require a user name and password, and are used where security is important. Secure connections include: · Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections, often used to connect remotely to an office network · The "Bring Your Own Access" program from America Online (AOL), which lets you use AOL through broadband provided by another cable or DSL service · Most online banking websites · Many commercial websites which require a username and password to access your account Secure connections can be interrupted by a computer's power management setting, which causes it to "go to sleep." The simplest solution to avoid this is to simply reconnect by rerunning the VPN or AOL software, or by re-logging into the secure website. A second alternative is to change your computer's power management settings so it does not go to sleep; however, this may not be appropriate for portable computers. To change your ...