NETGEAR WAX615 User manual

User Manual
Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000
Access Point
WAX615
NETGEAR, Inc.
350 E. Plumeria DriveMarch 2022
San Jose, CA 95134, USA202-12568-01

Support and Community
Visit netgear.com/support to get your questions answered and access the latest
downloads.
You can also check out our NETGEAR Community for helpful advice at
community.netgear.com.
Regulatory and Legal
Si ce produit est vendu au Canada, vous pouvez accéder à ce document en français
canadien à https://www.netgear.com/support/download/.
(If this product is sold in Canada, you can access this document in Canadian French at
https://www.netgear.com/support/download/.)
For regulatory compliance information including the EU Declaration of Conformity, visit
https://www.netgear.com/about/regulatory/.
See the regulatory compliance document before connecting the power supply.
For NETGEAR’s Privacy Policy, visit https://www.netgear.com/about/privacy-policy.
By using this device, you are agreeing to NETGEAR’s Terms and Conditions at
https://www.netgear.com/about/terms-and-conditions. If you do not agree, return the
device to your place of purchase within your return period.
Do not use this device outdoors. The PoE source is intended for intra building connection
only.
Applicable to 6 GHz devices only: Only use the device indoors. The operation of 6 GHz
devices is prohibited on oil platforms, cars, trains, boats, and aircraft, except that
operation of this device is permitted in large aircraft while flying above 10,000 feet.
Operation of transmitters in the 5.925-7.125 GHz band is prohibited for control of or
communications with unmanned aircraft systems.
Trademarks
© NETGEAR, Inc., NETGEAR, and the NETGEAR Logo are trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc.
Any non-NETGEAR trademarks are used for reference purposes only.
Revision History
CommentsPublish DatePublication Part
Number
First publication.March 2022202-12568-01
2
Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point Model WAX615

Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
About NETGEAR Insight......................................................................9
Additional documentation...................................................................9
Chapter 2 Hardware Overview
Unpack the access point....................................................................11
Top panel with LEDs...........................................................................11
Hardware interfaces...........................................................................13
Access point label..............................................................................14
Safety instructions and warnings for an indoor access point........15
Chapter 3 Install the Access Point in Your Network and Access It
for Initial Configuration
Position your access point for best performance...........................19
Set up and connect the access point to your network...................20
Connect to the access point for initial configuration.....................22
Connect over WiFi using the NETGEAR Insight app.................22
Connect over the Internet using the NETGEAR Insight Cloud
portal...............................................................................................24
Connect over WiFi to the local browser UI for initial
configuration..................................................................................25
Connect over the LAN to the local browser UI for initial
configuration..................................................................................29
Configure the access point offline using a directly connected
computer.........................................................................................33
Log in to the access point after initial setup....................................38
What to do if you get a browser security warning..........................39
Chapter 4 Install the Access Point in an Insight Instant Mesh WiFi
Network
What are a root access point and an extender access point?......42
What is an Insight Instant Mesh WiFi network?...............................43
Requirements for placing an extender access point in a mesh WiFi
network................................................................................................44
Install the NETGEAR Insight app to manage an Insight Instant Mesh
WiFi network.......................................................................................45
3

Connect the access point as an extender to a root access point..46
Connect over the Internet using the NETGEAR Insight Cloud
portal....................................................................................................49
Chapter 5 Manage the Basic WiFi Features for a WiFi network
Set up an open or secure WiFi network..........................................51
View or change the settings of a WiFi network...............................60
Remove a WiFi network.....................................................................61
Hide or broadcast the SSID for a WiFi network..............................62
Change the VLAN ID for a WiFi network.........................................63
Change the authentication and encryption for a WiFi network....64
Enable or disable PMF for a WiFi network......................................68
Disable or enable a WiFi network or set up a WiFi activity
schedule..............................................................................................69
Enable or disable band steering with 802.11k RRM and 802.11v
WiFi network management...............................................................71
Chapter 6 Manage the Basic Radio Features
Manage the basic WiFi settings for the radios................................74
Turn a radio on or off.........................................................................77
Change the WiFi mode for a radio...................................................78
Change the channel width for a radio.............................................80
Change the guard interval for a radio.............................................81
Change the output power for a radio..............................................83
Change the channel for a radio........................................................84
Manage Quality of Service for a WiFi radio.....................................85
Chapter 7 Set Up and Manage a Captive Portal
Set up a click-through captive portal for a WiFi network..............88
Set up an external captive portal for a WiFi network.....................91
Register and configure Facebook Wi-Fi for the access point.......94
Set up a Facebook Wi-Fi captive portal for a WiFi network..........96
Unregister the access point from Facebook Wi-Fi.........................97
Chapter 8 Manage Access and Security
Block specific URLs and keywords for Internet access................100
Manage user accounts.....................................................................102
Add a user account......................................................................102
Change the time-out period for a user session.......................103
Change the settings for a user account....................................104
Remove a user account...............................................................105
Manage local MAC access control lists.........................................106
Manually set up a MAC access control List...............................107
Import an existing MAC access control list..............................110
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Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point Model WAX615

Manage neighbor AP detection.....................................................113
Enable neighbor access point detection and move access points
to the Known AP List....................................................................114
Import an existing neighbor access point list in the Known AP
List..................................................................................................116
Set up RADIUS servers.....................................................................119
Chapter 9 Manage the Local Area Network and IP Settings
Disable the DHCP client and specify a fixed IP address..............123
Enable the DHCP client...................................................................124
Set the 802.1Q VLAN and management VLAN............................126
Set an existing domain name..........................................................128
Enable or disable Spanning Tree Protocol...................................129
Enable or disable the network integrity check function..............130
Enable or disable IGMP snooping.................................................131
Enable or disable Ethernet LLDP....................................................132
Enable or disable UPnP...................................................................133
Chapter 10 Manage and Maintain the Access Point
Change the management mode to NETGEAR Insight or
Web-browser....................................................................................136
Change the country or region of operation..................................138
Change the admin user account password..................................139
Change the system name................................................................140
Specify a custom NTP server...........................................................141
Set the time zone..............................................................................142
Manage the syslog settings.............................................................143
Manage the firmware of the access point.....................................144
Let the access point check for new firmware and update the
firmware........................................................................................145
Manually download firmware and update the access point...146
Revert to the backup firmware...................................................148
Use an SFTP server to update the access point.......................149
Manage the configuration file of the access point.......................151
Back up the access point configuration....................................151
Restore the access point configuration.....................................152
Reboot the access point from the local browser UI.....................154
Schedule the access point to reboot.............................................155
Return the access point to its factory default settings.................156
Use the Reset button to reset the access point........................156
Use the local browser UI to reset the access point..................157
Enable SNMP and manage the SNMP settings............................158
Manage the LEDs.............................................................................160
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Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point Model WAX615

Chapter 11 Monitor the Access Point and the Network
Display the access point Internet, IP, and system settings..........163
Display the WiFi radio settings.......................................................166
Display unknown and known neighbor access points................169
Display client distribution, connected clients, and client trends.171
View WiFi and Ethernet traffic, traffic and ARP statistics, and channel
utilization...........................................................................................174
View or download tracked URLs.....................................................176
View, save, download, or clear the logs........................................178
View a WiFi bridge connection.......................................................180
View alarms and notifications.........................................................181
Chapter 12 Manage the Advanced WiFi Features for a WiFi network
Set NAT mode or Bridge mode for addressing and traffic.........184
Enable or disable client isolation for a WiFi network...................185
Enable or disable URL tracking for a WiFi network......................187
Change the format of the DHCP offer messages in a WiFi
network..............................................................................................188
Select a MAC ACL for a WiFi network...........................................190
Set bandwidth rate limits for a WiFi network................................191
Configure advanced rate selection for a WiFi network...............193
Chapter 13 Set up a WiFi Bridge
WiFi base station, WiFi repeater, and WiFi bridge requirements.198
Set up a WiFi bridge between access points................................199
Chapter 14 Manage the Advanced Radio Features
Manage the advanced WiFi settings for the radios.....................203
Manage the maximum number of clients for a radio..................206
Manage the broadcast and multicast settings for a radio...........207
Manage load balancing for the radios..........................................209
Manage sticky clients.......................................................................211
Manage the ARP proxy....................................................................213
Chapter 15 Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Perform a ping test...........................................................................215
Capture WiFi and Ethernet packets...............................................216
Quick tips for WiFi troubleshooting...............................................219
Troubleshoot with the LEDs............................................................220
Power/Cloud LED remains off....................................................221
Power/Cloud LED remains solid amber...................................221
Power/Cloud LED is blinking amber slowly, continuously.....222
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Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point Model WAX615

The access point functions as a PoE PD and the Power/Cloud
LED remains solid amber............................................................222
Power/Cloud LED does not light blue in the NETGEAR Insight
management mode.....................................................................223
Power/Cloud LED does not stop blinking amber, green, and
blue................................................................................................224
2.4G or 5G WLAN LED is off.......................................................225
The extender access point and root access point cannot
connect..............................................................................................225
Troubleshoot WiFi connectivity for a WiFi client device.............227
Troubleshoot Internet browsing.....................................................228
You cannot log in to the access point over a LAN connection....228
Changes are not saved....................................................................229
You enter the wrong password and can no longer log in to the
access point.......................................................................................229
Troubleshoot your network using the ping utility........................230
Test the LAN path to your access point....................................231
Test the path from your computer to a remote device...........231
Appendix A Factory Default Settings and Technical Specifications
Factory default settings...................................................................234
Technical specifications...................................................................238
Appendix B Mount the Access Point to a Wall or Ceiling
Mounting parts.................................................................................241
Mount the access point on a wall...................................................242
Mount the access point to a T-bar..................................................243
Unmount the access point...............................................................247
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Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point Model WAX615

1
Introduction
This manual is for the following NETGEAR Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point
model WAX615.
Model WAX615, in this manual referred to as the access point, support IEEE 802.11ax,
four (2+2) streams of WiFi 6, and dual-band concurrent operation at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
with a combined throughput of 3000 Mbps (600 Mbps at 2.4 GHz and 2400 Mbps at
5 GHz). The 5 GHz radio supports 160 MHz bandwidth.
The access point functions as a Power over Ethernet plus (PoE+) powered device (PD)
in an existing network connected to a PoE+ switch. Model WAX615 supports an optional
power adapter for connection to a regular switch. The PoE+ Ethernet port supports a
high speed up to 2.5 Gbps.
This chapter contains the following sections:
• About NETGEAR Insight
• Additional documentation
Note: For more information about the topics that are covered in this manual, visit the
support website at netgear.com/support/.
Note: Firmware updates with new features and bug fixes are made available from time
to time at netgear.com/support/download/. You can check for and download new
firmware manually. If the features or behavior of your product does not match what is
described in this manual, you might need to update the firmware.
Note: In this manual, WiFi network means the same as SSID (service set identifier or
WiFi network name) or VAP (virtual access point). That is, when we refer to a WiFi network
we mean an individual SSID or VAP.
8

About NETGEAR Insight
For NETGEAR Insight Premium and Insight Pro subscribers, the access point supports
the NETGEAR Insight Cloud portal and Insight app:
•Insight Cloud portal: Lets you configure and manage the access point through the
portal of the Insight cloud-based management platform.
•Insight app: Lets you configure and manage the access point from your iOS or
Android mobile device and connects to the Insight cloud-based management
platform.
This user manual describes the local browser user interface (UI). For information about
the NETGEAR Insight Cloud portal and Insight app, visit
netgear.com/business/services/insight/subscription and see the NETGEAR knowledge
base at netgear.com/support/product/insight.aspx.
If you install the access point as a NETGEAR Insight managed device, the settings for
features that you can manage through the Insight Cloud portal and Insight app are
masked out in the local browser UI. However, using the local browser UI, you can still
manage the settings for certain features that might not yet be supported in Insight. For
more information, visit the NETGEAR knowledge base at
netgear.com/support/product/insight.aspx and search for What is Hybrid Management
Mode.
Additional documentation
The following documents are available at netgear.com/support/download/:
•Installation guide
•Data sheet
For information about the NETGEAR Insight Cloud portal and Insight app, visit
netgear.com/business/services/insight/subscription and see the NETGEAR knowledge
base at netgear.com/support/product/insight.aspx.
User Manual9Introduction
Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point Model WAX615

2
Hardware Overview
The NETGEAR Insight Managed WiFi 6 AX3000 Access Point model WAX615 is an
indoor access point that supports the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi bands.
The chapter contains the following sections:
• Unpack the access point
• Top panel with LEDs
• Hardware interfaces
• Access point label
• Safety instructions and warnings for an indoor access point
10