NETGEAR AirCard 797S User manual

User Manual
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot
NETGEAR, Inc.
350 E. Plumeria DriveSeptember 2020
San Jose, CA 95134, USA202-11925-02

Support
To manage your AT&T account, visit http://www/att.com/HowTo or visit
http://attwifimanager and click the three dot icon in the upper right corner. Or call 611
from any AT&T wireless phone, or 800.331.0500, and when prompted, enter your
device's 10-digit number. (To get the number, visit http://attwifimanager and click the
Dashboard button.)
See your warranty card for warranty and service information. For additional information,
visit http://www.netgear.com/support to access the full user manual (this document)
and to download firmware updates.
Trademarks
©NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR and the NETGEAR Logo are trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc.
Any non-NETGEAR trademarks are used for reference purposes only.
Compliance
For regulatory compliance information, visit http://www.netgear.com/about/regulatory.
See the regulatory compliance document before connecting the power supply.
2
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Contents
Chapter 1 Get Started
Set Up Your Mobile Hotspot...............................................................8
Meet Your Mobile Hotspot..................................................................8
Control Your Device Using the Power Button..............................9
Sleep Mode....................................................................................10
Status LED.......................................................................................10
Connect to the Internet......................................................................10
Recharge the Battery..........................................................................11
Replace a SIM Card............................................................................12
Home Screen.......................................................................................13
Connect to the Mobile Hotspot With Tethering.............................14
Use the USB Micro Cable to Charge Only.......................................15
Security Credentials...........................................................................15
NETGEAR Mobile App for Smartphones and Tablets...................16
Customize the Mobile Hotspot Settings..........................................16
Chapter 2 Use Your Mobile Hotspot
View New Messages From the Mobile Hotspot.............................19
View Messages From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page...................19
Delete a Message From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page...............20
View Alerts From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page..........................20
Manage Your Broadband Network Connection.............................21
View Mobile Broadband Network Status From the Mobile Hotspot
Web Page........................................................................................22
Turn Domestic Data On and Off From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................22
Turn International Roaming On and Off From the Mobile Hotspot
Web Page........................................................................................23
View or Manage Network Mode from the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................23
Connect to Wi-Fi.................................................................................24
Connect Using the Wi-Fi Password.............................................25
Add a WPS-Enabled Wi-Fi Device From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................25
Manage Wi-Fi......................................................................................27
Turn On 5 GHz Wi-Fi From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page.....27
3

Turn On Dual-Band Wi-Fi From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................28
Change Wi-Fi Settings From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page.......29
Turn Guest Wi-Fi On and Off From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page......................................................................................................31
Manage Wi-Fi Security.......................................................................34
Change Wi-Fi Network Name and Password From the Mobile
Hotspot Web Page.........................................................................34
Change Wi-Fi Encryption Settings...............................................36
Chapter 3 Manage Security
Change the Mobile Hotspot Web Page Login Settings................39
Content Filter Levels..........................................................................40
Set Up Content Filtering...............................................................40
Block Access to Websites.............................................................41
Allow Access to Websites.............................................................42
View, Block, or Unblock Connected Devices..................................43
View Connected Devices From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................43
Unblock a Device From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page...........44
View a List of Blocked Devices From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................45
Activate SIM Security..........................................................................45
Enable Port Forwarding.....................................................................46
Enable Port Filtering...........................................................................47
Chapter 4 Maintain Your Mobile Hotspot
Extend Battery Life..............................................................................50
Adjust Wi-Fi Settings to Optimize Battery Life...........................50
Adjust Display Settings to Increase Battery Life.........................51
Turn Off USB Tethering.................................................................51
Turn Off USB Tethering From a Web Browser...........................52
Turn Off USB Tethering From the NETGEAR Mobile App........52
View Details About Your Mobile Hotspot........................................53
Back Up and Restore Mobile Hotspot Settings..............................54
Back Up Mobile Hotspot Settings Using the Web Page...........55
Restore Mobile Hotspot Settings Using the Web Page............55
Restore Mobile Hotspot Settings Using the LCD Display.........56
Configure Mobile Broadband...........................................................57
Enable IP Pass-Through Mode.....................................................57
Enable VPN Pass-Through............................................................58
Configure APN Details..................................................................59
Add an APN for Another Network...........................................60
Select an APN to Use................................................................61
4
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Remove an APN Entry...............................................................62
Enable DMZ.........................................................................................62
Set LAN Options.................................................................................64
Update Mobile Hotspot Software and Firmware............................66
Update in Response to an Alert...................................................66
Update Software Downloaded Over the Air From the Mobile
Hotspot Web Page.........................................................................66
Enable or Disable Factory Reset.......................................................68
Chapter 5 Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Connecting and Disconnecting Devices and
Accessing the Internet.......................................................................71
What do I do if I can’t connect a device to the mobile
hotspot?..........................................................................................71
What do I do if I can’t access the Internet?.................................71
How do I disconnect from the mobile broadband network?....72
How do I find out how many devices are connected to my mobile
hotspot’s Wi-Fi networks?.............................................................72
What do I do if the No Signal icon displays?..............................72
Why can’t my device access the mobile hotspot web page when
connected to a VPN?.....................................................................72
Why can’t my mobile hotspot connect to a computer running
Windows Vista?..............................................................................72
What do I do if my mobile hotspot doesn’t connect to my service
provider’s network?.......................................................................73
Questions About the Mobile Hotspot Web Page..........................74
How do I go back to the mobile hotspot web page?................74
What do I do if I forget my admin login password?..................74
General Questions..............................................................................74
Why isn’t my battery charging?....................................................74
Why is the Signal Strength indicator always low?......................75
Why is the download or upload speed slow?............................75
The LCD screen is not lit. How do I know if the mobile hotspot is
still powered on?............................................................................75
How do I find my computer’s IP address?..................................75
Find the IP address on a Windows 7, Windows Vista, or
Windows XP device...................................................................75
Find the IP address on a Windows 8 device..........................76
Find the IP address on a Mac OS X device............................76
Find the IP address on devices running other operating
systems.......................................................................................76
How do I find a device’s MAC address?......................................76
Find the MAC address on a Windows 7, Vista , or XP
device..........................................................................................77
5
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Find the MAC address on a Windows 8 device or newer....77
Find the MAC address on a Mac OS X device.......................77
What do I do if the Wi-Fi network name doesn’t appear in the list
of networks?....................................................................................78
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
View Alerts...........................................................................................80
SIM Not Installed............................................................................80
SIM Error — Check SIM...................................................................80
Temperature-Related Alerts.........................................................80
Connection Alerts..........................................................................80
Reset the Mobile Hotspot..................................................................82
Reset the Mobile Hotspot From the Mobile Hotspot................82
Reset the Mobile Hotspot From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page.................................................................................................83
Appendix A Specifications
Battery Specifications.........................................................................86
Display Specifications........................................................................87
Environmental Specifications............................................................88
Mechanical Specifications.................................................................88
Mobile Band Specifications...............................................................88
Package Contents...............................................................................89
Port Specifications..............................................................................89
Security Specifications.......................................................................89
Wi-Fi Specifications............................................................................90
6
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

1
Get Started
This product regularly checks for new firmware and downloads any appropriate updates,
or 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 your firmware.
This chapter provides an overview of mobile hotspot features, and instructions for how
to set up your mobile hotspot and connect to the Internet. The chapter covers the
following topics:
• Set Up Your Mobile Hotspot
• Meet Your Mobile Hotspot
• Connect to the Internet
• Recharge the Battery
• Replace a SIM Card
• Home Screen
• Connect to the Mobile Hotspot With Tethering
• Use the USB Micro Cable to Charge Only
• Security Credentials
• NETGEAR Mobile App for Smartphones and Tablets
• Customize the Mobile Hotspot Settings
7

Set Up Your Mobile Hotspot
To set up your mobile hotspot:
1. Insert the battery.
2. Install the back cover.
3. Firmly close the back cover.
4. Press the Power button to power on the mobile hotspot.
Meet Your Mobile Hotspot
Before you connect your mobile hotspot, familiarize yourself with its LCD screen, icons,
buttons, and connectors.
User Manual8Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Power/Wake button Status LED
LCD screen Micro USB charging port
Figure 1. Mobile hotspot buttons and connectors
The mobile hotspot comes with a micro USB charging cable.
Figure 2. Mobile Hotspot Charging Cable
Control Your Device Using the Power Button
The Power button is used to turn the NETGEAR Mobile Hotspot on or off and to choose
which information screen to display on the LCD:
•Turn mobile hotspot on. Press and hold the Power button for 3-4 seconds
•Turn mobile hotspot off. Press and hold the Power button for 3-4 seconds
•Wake up Wi-Fi signal and device screen. Press and release the Power button.
User Manual9Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

•Cycle through screens. Press and release the Power button.
•If the factory reset via the Power button feature is enabled, perform a factory reset.
Press and hold the Power button for 3-4 seconds until the the shut down screen
displays and continue pressing and holding the Power button until the Factory Reset
screen displays. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the factory reset.
Sleep Mode
Your device automatically enters sleep mode to save power when no Wi-Fi client
connects for more than five minutes.
In sleep mode, Wireless Radio is disabled.
Press the Power button to turn the display on and exit sleep mode.
Wireless Radio is enabled and Wi-Fi devices can reconnect to the hotspot.
The time required to recover the network connection varies by environment, settings,
etc.
Status LED
The status LED indicates data connection status:
•Blue,slow blink. The mobile hotspot is ready.
•Blue,double-blink. The mobile hotspot is transferring data.
•Amber,slow blink. The mobile hotspot is not connected to the network or is in
standby mode.
Connect to the Internet
When you turn on your mobile hotspot, it automatically connects to the network in your
area. Connect your device to the mobile hotspot Wi-Fi network to access the Internet.
User Manual10Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

To connect to the Internet:
1. Press and release the Power button to turn on the mobile hotspot.
2. On your laptop or Wi-Fi device, open your Wi-Fi network connection manager.
3. Connect your device to the hotspot with the Wi-Fi name and password.
Note: Your Wi-Fi network name is different from this example.
Recharge the Battery
Your battery comes partially charged.
To recharge your battery:
1. Connect the micro USB charging cable to your mobile hotspot.
2. Connect the other end of the cable to the USB port on your computer or to the USB
charger.
User Manual11Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Replace a SIM Card
To replace a SIM card:
1. Remove the back cover by lifting the corners.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Slide out the SIM card.
4. Insert the replacement SIM card.
User Manual12Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

5. Insert the battery.
6. Install the back cover.
Home Screen
You can use the home screen icons to view the mobile hotspot’s status, configure Wi-Fi
settings, view data usage details, and view system alerts.
Signal strength
Network indicator
Battery
WiFi details
Connected devices
Unviewed messages
Figure 3. LCD screen display
Table 1. Icons
DescriptionIcons
This indicates the strength of the mobile broadband network signal.
User Manual13Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Table 1. Icons (Continued)
Your 4G LTE wireless device displays one of the following network indicators to let you know which wireless
network you are connected to.
•Connected to AT&T’s 4G LTE network.
•Connected to AT&T’s HSPA+ network.
This indicates the battery is charging.
This indicates the battery is fully charged.
This indicates there are unread alerts.
Connect to the Mobile Hotspot With
Tethering
You can connect a computer to the mobile hotspot using the micro USB cable instead
of connecting with Wi-Fi. This kind of cable connection is called tethering.
Note: The tethering feature is not available on the model AC797ABS-1A1NAS, but you
can use your computer to access the mobile hotspot web page.
Note: The first time you use the micro USB cable to connect to the mobile hotspot your
computer’s operating system detects the new device.
To install drivers on computers running Windows:
1. Ensure that the mobile hotspot is powered off.
2. Connect the mobile hotspot to your computer using the USB cable.
If powered off, the mobile hotspot automatically powers on.
User Manual14Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

Note: Make sure that your computer has access to Internet when you first use the
tethering feature because your computer might need to access the Internet in order
to download the required software driver.
After the driver is installed, you can visit the mobile hotspot web page to customize
your mobile hotspot’s advanced settings. This is an optional step.
Use the USB Micro Cable to Charge Only
You can log in to the mobile hotspot and specify a setting so that the micro USB cable
is used only for charging and not to access the mobile hotspot using a web browser.
You might want to do this if a wall socket is not available to charge the mobile hotspot.
To specify a Micro USB cable charge-only setting:
1. From a computer that is connected to your network, launch a web browser.
2. Enter http://attwifimanager/ or http://192.168.1.1
A login window opens.
3. Enter the mobile hotspot user name and password.
The default login password is printed on the product label underneath the battery.
The password is case-sensitive.
The mobile hotspot dashboard displays.
4. Select Settings > Router.
The Router Setup page displays.
5. Scroll down to the DMZ section of the page.
6. In the Use USB for drop-down menu, select Charge only.
Your settings are saved. When you connect the USB micro cable, the mobile hotspot
battery charges, but you cannot use the tethered connection to access the mobile
hotspot with a web browser.
Security Credentials
Two passwords are associated with the mobile hotspot:
•Wi-Fi password. Use this to connect your computer or Wi-Fi device to your mobile
hotspot network. This character string is unique to your device. It displays on the
main mobile hotspot screen. If the screen is blank (a power-saving feature), press
User Manual15Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

and quickly release the Power button. The default Wi-Fi password is also printed on
a label under the battery.
For information about changing Wi-Fi passwords, see Change Wi-Fi Encryption
Settings on page 36.
•Guest Wi-Fi password. When the guest Wi-Fi network is enabled, guests can use
this password to access the network.
•Admin login password. Use this to log in to the mobile hotspot web page as an
administrator. You must log in as an administrator to use certain features and to
make changes to your mobile hotspot settings. The default login password is printed
on the product label underneath the battery. The password is case-sensitive. The
admin login password can be 5–31 characters.
NETGEAR Mobile App for Smartphones and
Tablets
Download and use the complimentary NETGEAR Mobile app to view your connection,
settings, and data usage from your smartphone or tablet. Search the app store for
NETGEAR Mobile.
To manage all mobile hotspot settings, visit the mobile hotspot web page at
http://attwifimanager/ or http://192.168.1.1.
Customize the Mobile Hotspot Settings
You can personalize the mobile hotspot and change its settings on the web page.
To log in to your mobile hotspot web page:
1. From a computer or Wi-Fi device that is connected to the mobile hotspot, launch a
web browser.
2. Enter http://attwifimanager/ or http://192.168.1.1.
The mobile hotspot web page displays.
User Manual16Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

3. Enter the administrator login password.
The default login password is printed on the product label underneath the battery.
The password is case-sensitive.
User Manual17Get Started
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

2
Use Your Mobile Hotspot
This chapter explains how to use your mobile hotspot. The chapter covers the following
topics:
• View New Messages From the Mobile Hotspot
• View Messages From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page
• Delete a Message From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page
• View Alerts From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page
• Manage Your Broadband Network Connection
• Connect to Wi-Fi
• Manage Wi-Fi
• Change Wi-Fi Settings From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page
• Turn Guest Wi-Fi On and Off From the Mobile Hotspot Web Page
• Manage Wi-Fi Security
18

View New Messages From the Mobile
Hotspot
You can tell from your mobile hotspot display if you have unviewed messages, and you
can view them directly from there.
This hotspot display indicates you have an unread message.
Note: Although you can view messages directly on the mobile hotspot, use the mobile
hotspot's web page to delete them.
To view messages from the mobile hotspot display:
1. Press the Power button to wake the mobile hotspot.
2. Continue to press and release the Power button until the new message displays on
the screen.
3. If the message length spans more than one page, press and release the Power button
to continue viewing the message.
4. Select the message to read the full text.
View Messages From the Mobile Hotspot
Web Page
To view messages from the mobile hotspot web page:
1. From a computer or Wi-Fi device that is connected to the mobile hotspot, launch a
web browser.
2. Enter http://attwifimanager/ or http://192.168.1.1.
The mobile hotspot web page displays.
User Manual19Use Your Mobile Hotspot
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot

3. Enter the administrator login password.
The default login password is printed on the product label underneath the battery.
The password is case-sensitive.
The home page displays.
4. Select Messages.
A list of messages displays, showing the first portion of the text.
5. Click a message to read the full text.
Delete a Message From the Mobile Hotspot
Web Page
To delete a message from the mobile hotspot web page:
1. From a computer or Wi-Fi device that is connected to the mobile hotspot, launch a
web browser.
2. Enter http://attwifimanager/ or http://192.168.1.1.
The mobile hotspot web page displays.
3. Enter the administrator login password.
The default login password is printed on the product label underneath the battery.
The password is case-sensitive.
The home page displays.
4. Select Messages.
A list of messages displays, showing the first portion of the text.
5. Select the message and click the Delete button.
The message is deleted.
View Alerts From the Mobile Hotspot Web
Page
Your mobile hotspot displays alerts to advise you of device status changes. When there
are outstanding alerts, the alerts displays on the screen. Alerts remain as long as the
User Manual20Use Your Mobile Hotspot
AirCard 797S Mobile Hotspot