NETGEAR WN3500RP User manual

Universal Dual Band WiFi Extender – Desktop/Wallplug
WN3500RP Installation Guide
Extended Wireless Range
Existing Router Range
5 GHz Wireless
2.4 GHz Wireless
2.4 AND 5 GHz
WIRELESS
EXTENSION
EXISTING
ROUTER
CONNECT WIRED
DEVICES WIRELESSLY

Technical Support
Thank you for selecting NETGEAR products.
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.
Phone (US only): 1-888-NETGEAR
Phone (Other Countries):
See http://support.netgear.com/general/contact/default.aspx.
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. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or
trademarks of their respective holders. © NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
Statement of Conditions
In the interest of improving internal design, operational function, and/or
reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes to the products
described in this document without notice. NETGEAR does not assume any
liability that may occur due to the use or application of the product(s) or circuit
layout(s) described herein.

1
Contents
Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Place the Extender and Apply Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Connect the Extender to an Existing
WiFi Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Extender Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
FastLane™ Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
One-Port WiFi Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
When to Use the Extender Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
ReadySHARE Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Music Playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Wireless SSIDs and Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2
Hardware Features
The LEDs on the front show how the extender is working.
Link Rate. Indicates a 2.4 GHz
or 5 GHz wireless connection
between the extender and a
router. The appropriate LED
lights to indicate the type of
connection:
• Green is best.
• Amber is good.
• Red is poor.
• Off. Not connected to router.
WPS
Link Rate
to
Extender
2.4 GHz
Wireless
Device
Link Rate
5 GHz
Power
On/Off
Wireless Device to Extender.
This LED is solid green when
the extender is connected to a
wireless device.
WPS. This LED indicates
a WPS wireless connection.
• Solid green. There is wireless
security (WPA or WPA2).
• Blinking green. A WPS
connection is in progress.
• Off. No wireless security.

The top and side panels have the following features:
On/Off button. Use this button to turn
the extender on and off.
Reset
factory
settings
On/Off
button
WPS
button
Ethernet
port
Audio
port
USB
port
WPS button. Use this button to connect
the extender to your existing WiFi
network. For more information, see
Connect the Extender to an Existing WiFi
Network on page 7.
Ethernet port. Use the Ethernet port on
the extender to connect an Ethernet-
enabled device wirelessly to your
network.
Audio port. Use the Audio port to
connect the extender to your speaker.
USB port. Use the USB port to connect
the extender to a printer.
Reset factory settings. 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.
3

4
Insert the AC plug like this:

5
Attach the stand like this:

6
Getting Started
The WiFi Range Extender extends the wireless network to include the
area outside the range of your existing WiFi network. The extender
supports both desktop and wall plug placement. Follow these steps to
set up the extender.
Place the Extender and Apply Power
1. Place the extender an equal distance between your router and the
wireless device located outside the range of your router.
DO DON’T
Tip: If you have to use a different location, move the
extender closer to the device, but still within the
wireless range of the router. Configure the
extender and router in the same room. Once you
have verified the working connection, move the
extender to a location that is midway between
the router and your computer, and still displaying
a green link rate.
2. Plug the extender into an electrical outlet, and wait 1 minute until
the extender starts. The Power LED turns green.

7
Connect the Extender to an Existing
WiFi Network
To extend the range of your WiFi network, you must connect the
extender to your existing WiFi network. You have two options to
connect the extender to your network.
Option 1: Connecting with WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
WPS lets you easily join a secure WiFi network without typing the
network name and password. The WPS button is a physical
button on the WiFi router, gateway, or access point.
If your router supports WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), NETGEAR
recommends that you use Option 1; otherwise, go to Option 2.
Tip: WPS does not support WEP network security.
If you are using WEP security, use Option 2
to connect.
Option 2: Connecting without WPS, using the web browser
setup guide
The web browser setup guide walks you through the necessary
steps to connect your extender to an existing WiFi network.

8
Connecting with WPS (Option 1)
1. Press the WPS button on back panel of the extender. The WPS
LED on the front blinks.
2. Within 2 minutes, press the WPS button on your wireless router,
gateway, or access point.
If successful, the WPS LED on your extender turns solid green,
the 2.4 GHz Link Rate LED lights up, and the extender is
connected to your existing WiFi network.
Note: If the 2.4 GHz Link Rate LED does not
turn green, repeat steps 1 and 2, or
make sure your router supports WPS.
3. If your router supports the 5 GHz band, repeat steps 1 and 2 to
connect the extender to the 5 GHz band. The 5 GHz Link Rate LED
on your extender lights up.
The extender’s wireless network name (SSID) changes to your
existing WiFi network name, with _2GEXT or _5GEXT at the end
of the name, depending on whether the extender is connecting to
your WiFi network in 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.
Existing WiFi network name: MyNetworkName
New Extender network name: MyNetworkName_2GEXT
To connect additional WiFi devices to your extender network, use
the same network security key (password) as the one that is set
on your existing wireless network/wireless router.

9
Connecting with the web browser setup guide (Option 2)
1. Once the extender is powered on and the Power LED is
green, use a wireless network manager on a computer to find
and connect to NETGEAR_EXT (the SSID) wireless network.
Tip: You can use any wireless network manager
utility on a computer or tablet to find and connect
to the extender wireless network.
After the connection with the computer is established, the
Wireless Device to Extender LED turns green. Next, you
must connect the extender to your existing WiFi network.

10
2. Open a web browser window from the same computer, and the
browser should take you directly to the onscreen setup guide.
Tip: You can always access the extender settings
again by typing www.mywifiext.net in your
browser address bar.

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3. The web browser setup guide walks you through the following
steps:
• Selecting the WiFi network you would like to extend.
• Entering the security password for the existing network.
• Choosing the name for your new extender network.
• Connecting your wireless devices to your new extender
network.
Extender Configuration Settings
If you want to make changes after initial setup, or you wish to run the
setup again, you can always access the extender configuration
settings. To access the settings:
1. Make sure that your device is connected to the WN3500RP.
2. In your device’s browser address bar, enter:
www.mywifiext.net
3. When prompted to log in, use the following information:
User name: admin
Password: password

12
Extender Performance
The Link Rate LED indicates the performance of the 2.4 GHz or 5
GHz wireless connection from the extender to a router.
• The best performance is delivered when the Link Rate LED is
green.
• A workable performance is delivered when the Link Rate LED is
amber.
• A red Link Rate LED indicates a poor connection or no
connection.
• If the Link Rate LED is off, there is no connection between the
extender and the router.
Tip: Make sure that your Wireless Device to Extender
LED is green before you check the Link Rate
LED for performance.

13
To improve extender performance:
1. Move the extender closer to the router or to a different location
with a better line of sight.
2. As you move the extender, check the Link Rate and the Wireless
Device to Extender connection LEDs on the front panel until you
find a good location. These LEDs should remain solid green.

14
FastLane™ Technology
Fastlane™ Technology offers maximum WiFi performance. It
provides high-speed WiFi with a dedicated band connecting the
extender and the wireless device, and a second band connecting the
extender and the router. It is ideal for HD gaming and HD video
streaming.
To enable FastLane Technology:
1. After you have set up the extender, switch to FastLane mode by
logging in to www.mywifiext.net to access the Extender
Settings screen.
2. In the menu options on the left side of the Settings table, select
Advanced > Operating Mode.
3. Select FastLane Technology.
4. Review the two FastLane Technology options, and select the one
that suits your setup.
5. Click Apply.
Tip: To maximize performance, FastLane limits
device connection to the band you select.
NETGEAR recommends that you choose the
band that most of your devices support.

15
One-Port WiFi Adapter
Once the extender is connected to your existing wireless WiFi
network, you can use the Ethernet port on the extender to connect a
device wirelessly to your network. Simply plug the Ethernet cable
from your Ethernet-enabled device (connected TV, Blu-ray player,
gaming console) to the Ethernet port of the extender, and enjoy
wireless connectivity.
When to Use the Extender Wireless
Network
NETGEAR recommends that you connect to the extender wireless
network only when a computer or wireless device is in a “dead zone”
where the network connection to your existing router is very poor or
nonexistent. This is because data traffic routed through the extender
wireless network is slower than traffic directly from the original
wireless router network.
If you cannot connect from your wireless device to the extender,
move the extender to a different location halfway between the device
and the router. If, after you try several locations, the device cannot
connect to the extender, move the extender closer to the device.

16
ReadySHARE Printer
ReadySHARE Printer lets you connect a USB printer to the
extender’s USB port, and access it wirelessly.
To enable ReadySHARE Printer:
1. Connect the USB printer to the extender’s USB port with a USB
printer cable.
2. Install the USB printer driver software on each computer that will
share the printer. If you do not have the printer driver, contact the
printer manufacturer to find and download the most recent printer
driver software.
3. On each computer that will share the printer, download the
NETGEAR USB Control Center utility. The NETGEAR USB utility
has a Mac version and a Windows version, which you can access
from the ReadySHARE Printer area of the page you access using
this URL: www.netgear.com/readyshare

17
NOTE:
• You must install this utility before you can use the ReadySHARE
Printer feature.
• For the ReadySHARE Printer feature to work, this utility must be
run in the background.
• When the status is Available, you can use the USB printer.
• Some firewall software, such as Comodo, blocks the
ReadySHARE Print utility from accessing the USB printer. If you
do not see the printer in the utility, you can disable the firewall
temporarily to allow the utility to work.
4. If your printer supports scanning, make sure that the printer is in the
Available state, and click the Network Scanner button. Clicking this
button activates the Scanner window so you can use the printer for
scanning.
For more detailed information about ReadySHARE Printer, see the
User Manual by clicking the Documentation link in the router web
management interface or on the WN3500RP product page on the
Support website: http://support.netgear.com.

18
Music Playback
The WN3500RP supports the DLNA DMR function, which means you
can stream your network music and play it back through the
WN3500RP audio jack.
• Windows7 users can use Windows Media Player (WMP) to play
back music.
• Android phone, iPhone, or iPad users can download NETGEAR
genie to play back music (go to http://www.netgear.com/genie).
• DLNA DMR supports mp3, wave. flac, and aac file formats.
• The 3.5 mm stereo port supports earphones and powered
speakers.
Wireless SSIDs and Passwords
Use this space to record your new extender network name (SSID)
and extender security settings, in case you must add additional
wireless devices to your extender in the future.
Enter your wireless information here:
Router network name (SSID) ____________________________
Router security password _______________________________
Extender network name (SSID) __________________________
Extender security password _____________________________