NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 User manual

350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
April 2015
202-11398-06
Nighthawk X6
AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Model R8000
User Manual

2
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
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 website. For product updates and web support, visit
http://support.netgear.com.
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR.
Phone (Other Countries): Check the list of phone numbers at http://support.netgear.com/general/contact/default.aspx.
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.

3
Contents
Chapter 1 Hardware Setup
Unpack Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Extend the Antennas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Top View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Turn the LEDs On or Off Using the LED On/Off Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Position Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cable Your Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 2 Connect to the Network and Access the Router
Connect to the Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Wired Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
WiFi Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Types of Logins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Use an Internet Browser to Access the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
NETGEAR genie Automatic Internet Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Log In to the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Change the Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Access the Router with NETGEAR genie Apps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 3 Specify Your Internet Settings
Use the Internet Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Manually Set Up the Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Specify an Internet Connection Without a Login. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Specify an Internet Connection That Uses a Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Specify IPv6 Internet Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Requirements for Entering IPv6 Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Use Auto Detect for an IPv6 Internet Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Use Auto Config for an IPv6 Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Set Up an IPv6 6to4 Tunnel Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Set Up an IPv6 Pass Through Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Set Up an IPv6 Fixed Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Set Up an IPv6 DHCP Internet Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Set Up an IPv6 PPPoE Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Change the MTU Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Enable the Bridge or Add a VLAN Tag Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Enable the Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Add VLAN Tag Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Chapter 4 Optimize Performance
Use Dynamic QoS to Prioritize Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Enable Dynamic QoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Enable Dynamic QoS Using the genie App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
View Bandwidth Utilization By Device and Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
View Bandwidth Utilization By Device and Application Using the genie App46
Edit Device Bandwidth Priority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Configure the Performance Optimization Database Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manually Update the Performance Optimization Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Improve Network Connections with Universal Plug and Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 5 Control Access to the Internet
Set Up Parental Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Allow or Block Access to Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Manage Network Access Control Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Use Keywords to Block Internet Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Delete Keywords from the List to Be Blocked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Block Services from the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Schedule When to Block Internet Sites and Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Avoid Blocking on a Trusted Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Set Up Security Event Email Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 6 Tri-Band WiFi Connections
Tri-Band WiFi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
How Tri-Band WiFi Improves Speed and Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Load Balancing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Benefits of Tri-Band WiFi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Smart Connect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Enable or Disable Smart Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Beamforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Implicit Beamforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Chapter 7 Share USB Devices Attached to the Router
USB Device Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Access a USB Device on the Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Back Up Windows Computers with ReadySHARE Vault. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Back Up Mac Computers with Time Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Set Up a USB Hard Drive on a Mac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Prepare to Back Up a Large Amount of Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Use Time Machine to Back Up onto a USB Hard Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Control Access to the USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Use FTP Within the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
View Network Folders on a USB Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Add a Network Folder on a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

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Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Edit a Network Folder on a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Approve USB Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Safely Remove a USB Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chapter 8 Access USB Devices Through the Internet
Access USB Devices Through the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Set Up FTP Access Through the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Access USB Devices Through the Internet with FTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Dynamic DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Your Personal FTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Set Up a New Dynamic DNS Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Specify a DNS Account That You Already Have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Change the Dynamic DNS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Set Up Your Personal FTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 9 Use the Router as a Media Server
Specify ReadyDLNA Media Server Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Play Music from a USB Device with iTunes Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Play Media from a USB Device on TiVo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Chapter 10 Share a USB Printer
Install the Printer Driver and Cable the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Download the ReadySHARE Printer Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Install the ReadySHARE Printer Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Use the Shared Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
View or Change the Status of a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Use the Scan Feature of a Multifunction USB Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Change NETGEAR USB Control Center Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 11 Network Settings
Disable LED Blinking or Turn Off LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
View WAN Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Set Up a Default DMZ Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Change the Router’s Device Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Change the LAN TCP/IP Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Specify the IP Addresses That the Router Assigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Disable the DHCP Server Feature in the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Reserve LAN IP Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Use the WPS Wizard for WiFi Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Specify Basic WiFi Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Change the WiFi Mbps Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Change the WiFi Password or Security Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Set Up a Guest Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Control the Wireless Radios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Use the WiFi On/Off Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

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Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Enable or Disable the Wireless Radios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Set Up a Wireless Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Specify WPS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Use the Router as a Wireless Access Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Chapter 12 Manage Your Network
Update the Router Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Change the admin Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Recover the admin Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
View Router Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Display Internet Port Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Check the Internet Connection Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
View and Manage Logs of Router Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Monitor Internet Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Custom Static Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Set Up a Static Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Edit a Static Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Delete a Static Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
View Devices Currently on the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Manage the Router Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Back Up Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Restore Configuration Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Erase the Current Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Remotely Access Your Router Using the genie App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Chapter 13 Use VPN to Access Your Network
Set Up a VPN Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Specify VPN Service in the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Install OpenVPN Software on Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Use a VPN Tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Use VPN to Access the Router’s USB Device and Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Use VPN to Access Your Internet Service at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Set Up VPN Client Internet Access in the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Block VPN Client Internet Access in the Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Use a VPN Tunnel to Access Your Internet Service at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Chapter 14 Specify Internet Port Settings
Set Up Port Forwarding to a Local Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Add a Custom Port Forwarding Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Edit a Port Forwarding Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Delete a Port Forwarding Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Application Example: Make a Local Web Server Public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
How the Router Implements the Port Forwarding Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Set Up Port Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Add a Port Triggering Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

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Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Enable Port Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Application Example: Port Triggering for Internet Relay Chat . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Chapter 15 Troubleshooting
Quick Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Sequence to Restart Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Check Ethernet Cable Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Wireless Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Troubleshoot with the LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Standard LED Behavior When the Router is Powered On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Power LED Is Off or Blinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Power LED Stays Amber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
LEDs Never Turn Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Internet or Ethernet Port LEDs Are Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
WiFi LED Is Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Cannot Log In to the Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Cannot Access the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Troubleshoot PPPoE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Troubleshoot Internet Browsing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Changes Not Saved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Wireless Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Troubleshoot Your Network Using the Ping Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Test the LAN Path to Your Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Test the Path from Your Computer to a Remote Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Appendix A Supplemental Information
Factory Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

8
1
1. Hardware Setup
The Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router with six high-performance antennas and three
network bands—one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz bands, delivers combined WiFi connection
speeds of up to 3200 Mbps WiFi:
•600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band 256 QAM (802.11n)
•1300 Mbps on 5 GHz band 1 (802.11ac)
•1300 Mbps on 5 GHz band 2 (802.11ac)
Nighthawk X6 is ideal for homes with increasing number of WiFi-connected devices and
provides double the bandwidth of typical dual-band routers.
Nighthawk X6 also provides fast central storage, backup, and streaming to every device in your
home with the USB 3.0 port (10 times faster than USB 2.0). Sharing content across your network
is easy, whether you’re accessing stored photos and music to printing wirelessly. Stream your
stored media files anywhere on the network to DLNA screens. Share your music with
AirPlay-compatible devices from a USB hard drive connected to the router. Use the free
NETGEAR ReadySHARE Vault app to back up your Windows computers to a USB hard drive
connected to Nighthawk X6.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Unpack Your Router
•Extend the Antennas
•Top View
•Rear Panel
•Position Your Router
•Cable Your Router
For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the support website at
http://support.netgear.com.

Hardware Setup
9
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Unpack Your Router
Your package contains the following items.
AC3200 Smart WiFi Router
Ethernet cable
Power adapter
Figure 1. Package contents
Extend the Antennas
Position the antennas for the best WiFi performance.
To extend the antennas:
Position all of the antennas vertically as shown.

Hardware Setup
10
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Top View
The status LEDs and buttons are located on the top of the router.
WPS button
WiFi On/Off button
LEDs
Figure 2. Router LEDs and buttons
Table 1. LED and button descriptions
LED Description
Power • Solid amber. The router is starting.
• Blinking amber. The firmware is upgrading, or the Reset button was pressed.
• Solid white. The router is ready.
• Blinking white. The firmware is corrupted.
• Off. Power is not supplied to the router.
Internet • Solid white. The Internet connection is ready.
• Solid amber. The router detected an Ethernet cable connection to the modem.
• Off. No Ethernet cable is connected between the router and the modem.
2.4 GHz
Wireless • Solid white. The 2.4 GHz WiFi radio is operating.
• Blinking. The router is sending or receiving WiFi traffic.
• Off. The 2.4 GHz WiFi radio is off.
5 GHz WiFi 1 • Solid white. The 5 GHz-1 WiFi radio is operating.
• Blinking. The router is sending or receiving WiFi traffic.
• Off. The 5 GHz-1 WiFi radio is off.
5 GHz WiFi 2 • Solid white. The 5 GHz-2 WiFi radio is operating.
• Blinking. The router is sending or receiving WiFi traffic.
• Off. The 5 GHz-2 WiFi radio is off.

Hardware Setup
11
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
You can use the LED On/Off switch on the rear panel of the router to turn the LEDs on the
top of the router on or off. See Turn the LEDs On or Off Using the LED On/Off Switch on
page 12.
Rear Panel
The rear panel connections and buttons are shown in the following figure.
USB 3.0Ethernet Internet PowerPower
port
LAN ports 1–4
USB 2.0
port port connector On/Off
LED On/Off
switch
Reset
button
Figure 3. Router rear panel
Pressing the Reset button restores the factory settings. See Factory Settings on page 180.
USB 3.0 port
USB 2.0 port
The USB 1 LED is for the USB 3.0 USB port on the front panel. The USB 2 LED is for the USB
2.0 port on the rear panel.
• Solid white. A USB device is connected and is ready.
• Blinking. A USB device is plugged in and is trying to connect.
• Off. No USB device is connected or someone clicked the Safely Remove Hardware
button, and it is now safe to remove the attached USB device.
Ethernet ports
1-4
The LED color indicates the speed: white for Gigabit Ethernet connections and amber for 100
Mbps or 10 Mbps Ethernet connections.
• Solid. A powered-on device is connected to the Ethernet port.
• Blinking. The port is sending or receiving traffic.
• Off. No device is connected to this Ethernet port.
WiFi On/Off
button with LED
Pressing this button for two seconds turns the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi radios on and off.
If this LED is lit, the WiFi radios are on. If this LED is off, the WiFi radios are turned off and you
cannot use WiFi to connect to the router.
WPS button with
LED
This button lets you use WPS to join the WiFi network without typing the WiFi password. The
WPS LED blinks white during this process and then lights solid white.
Table 1. LED and button descriptions (continued)
LED Description

Hardware Setup
12
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Turn the LEDs On or Off Using the LED On/Off Switch
To turn the LEDs on or off using the LED On/Off switch:
Slide the LED On/Off switch on the rear panel to the On or Off position.
LED On/Off switch
The Power LED stays lit even if the LED On/Off switch is in the Off position.
Position Your Router
The router lets you access your network anywhere within the operating range of your
wireless network. However, the operating distance or range of your wireless connection can
vary significantly depending on the physical placement of your router. For example, the
thickness and number of walls the wireless signal passes through can limit the range.
Additionally, other wireless access points in and around your home might affect your router’s
signal. Wireless access points are routers, repeaters, WiFi range extenders, and any other
device that emits a wireless signal for network access.
Position your router according to the following guidelines:
Position your router according to the following guidelines:
•Place your router near the center of the area where your computers and other devices
operate, and within line of sight to your wireless devices.
•Make sure that the router is within reach of an AC power outlet and near Ethernet cables
for wired computers.
•Place the router in an elevated location, minimizing the number walls and ceilings
between the router and your other devices.
•Place the router away from electrical devices such as these:
-Ceiling fans
-Home security systems
-Microwaves
-Computers
-Base of a cordless phone
-2.4 GHz cordless phone

Hardware Setup
13
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
•Place the router away from large metal surfaces, large glass surfaces, and insulated
walls such as these:
-Solid metal doors
-Aluminum studs
-Fish tanks
-Mirrors
-Brick
-Concrete
Cable Your Router
The following image shows how to cable your router:
Modem
Power adapter
Ethernet cable
Ethernet cable
DSL or cable
Router
Figure 4. Router cabling
To cable your router:
1. Unplug your modem’s power, leaving the modem connected to the wall jack for your
Internet service.
If your modem uses a battery backup, remove the battery.
2. Plug in and turn on your modem.
If your modem uses a battery backup, put the battery back in.
3. Connect your modem to the Internet port of your router with the yellow Ethernet cable that
came with your router.
4. Connect the power adapter to your router and plug the power adapter into an outlet.
5. Slide the LED On/Off switch on the rear panel to the on position.
6. Press the Power On/Off button on the rear panel of the router.

14
2
2. Connect to the Network and
Access the Router
You can connect to the router’s WiFi networks or use a wired Ethernet connection. This chapter
explains the ways you can connect and how to access the router and log in.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Connect to the Network
•Types of Logins
•Use an Internet Browser to Access the Router
•Change the Language
•Access the Router with NETGEAR genie Apps

Connect to the Network and Access the Router
15
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Connect to the Network
You can connect to the router’s network through a wired or WiFi connection. If you set up
your computer to use a static IP address, change the settings so that it uses Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
Wired Connection
You can connect your computer to the router using an Ethernet cable and join the router’s
local area network (LAN).
To connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable:
1. Make sure that the router is receiving power (its Power LED is lit).
2. Connect an Ethernet cable to an Ethernet port on your computer.
3. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to one of the numbered Ethernet ports.
Your computer connects to the local area network (LAN). A message might display on
your computer screen to notify you that an Ethernet cable is connected.
WiFi Connection
You can connect to the router’s WiFi network with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) or you can
find and select the WiFi network.
To use WPS to connect to the WiFi network:
1. Make sure that the router is receiving power (its Power LED is lit).
2. Check the WPS instructions for your computer or wireless device.
3. Press the WPS button on the router for 3–5 seconds.
The WPS LED on the router blinks white.
4. Within two minutes, on your computer or WiFi device, press its WPS button or follow its
instructions for WPS connections.
The WPS LED on the router lights solid white when the computer or WiFi device
connects to your router.
To find and select the WiFi network:
1. Make sure that the router is receiving power (its Power LED is lit).
2. On your computer or wireless device, find and select the WiFi network.
The WiFi network name is on the router’s label.
3. Join the WiFi network and enter the WiFi password.
The password is on the router’s label.
Your wireless device connects to the WiFi network.

Connect to the Network and Access the Router
16
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
Label
The label on the router shows the login information, WiFi network name and network key
(password), MAC address, and serial number.
Figure 5. Router label
Types of Logins
Separate types of logins have different purposes. It is important that you understand the
difference so that you know which login to use when.
Types of logins:
•ISP login. The login that your ISP gave you logs you in to your Internet service. Your
service provider gave you this login information in a letter or some other way. If you
cannot find this login information, contact your service provider.
•WiFi network key or password. Your router is preset with a unique wireless network
name (SSID) and password for wireless access. This information is on the router label.
•Router login.This logs you in to the router interface from an Internet browser as admin.
Use an Internet Browser to Access the Router
When you connect to the network (either with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable), you can use an
Internet browser to access the router to view or change its settings. The first time you access
the router, NETGEAR genie automatically checks to see if your router can connect to your
Internet service.
NETGEAR genie Automatic Internet Setup
You can set up your router with the NETGEAR genie automatically, or you can use the genie
menus and screens to set up your router manually. Before you start the setup process, get
your ISP information and make sure that the computers and devices in the network have the
settings described here.

Connect to the Network and Access the Router
17
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
When your Internet service starts, your Internet service provider (ISP) typically gives you all
the information needed to connect to the Internet. For DSL service, you might need the
following information to set up your router:
•The ISP configuration information for your DSL account
•ISP login name and password
•Fixed or static IP address setting (special deployment by ISP; this setting is rare)
If you cannot locate this information, ask your ISP to provide it. When your Internet
connection is working, you no longer need to launch the ISP login program on your computer
to access the Internet. When you start an Internet application, your router automatically logs
you in.
NETGEAR genie runs on any device with a web browser. Installation and basic setup takes
about 15 minutes to complete.
To use NETGEAR genie to set up your router:
1. Turn the router on by pressing the On/Off button.
2. Make sure that your computer or wireless device is connected to the router with an Ethernet
cable (wired) or wirelessly with the preset security settings listed on the label.
Note: If you want to change the router’s WiFi setting, use a wired connection
to avoid being disconnected when the new WiFi settings take effect.
3. Launch an Internet browser.
The screen that displays depends on whether you accessed the router before:
•The first time you set up the Internet connection for your router, the browser goes to
http://www.routerlogin.net and the NETGEAR genie screen displays.
•If you already used the NETGEAR genie, type http://www.routerlogin.net in the
address field for your browser to display the NETGEAR genie screen.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions.
NETGEAR genie guides you through connecting the router to the Internet.
5. If the browser cannot display the web page, do the following:

Connect to the Network and Access the Router
18
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
•Make sure that the computer is connected to one of the four LAN Ethernet ports or
wirelessly to the router.
•Make sure that the router is receiving power and that its Power LED is lit white.
•Close and reopen the browser or clear the browser cache.
•Browse to http://www.routerlogin.net.
•If the computer is set to a static or fixed IP address (this setting is uncommon),
change it to obtain an IP address automatically from the router.
6. If the router does not connect to the Internet, do the following:
a. Review your settings. Make sure that you selected the correct options and typed
everything correctly.
b. Contact your ISP to verify that you have the correct configuration information.
c. Read Chapter 15, Troubleshooting. If problems persist, register your NETGEAR
product and contact NETGEAR technical support.
Log In to the Router
When you first set up your router, NETGEAR genie automatically starts when you launch an
Internet browser on a computer that is connected to the router. If you want to view or change
settings for the router, you can use genie again.
To log in to the router:
1. Launch a web browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
Change the Language
By default, the language is set to Auto.
To change the language:
1. Launch an Internet browser from a computer or wireless device that is connected to the
network.
2. Type http://www.routerlogin.net or http://www.routerlogin.com.
A login screen displays.
3. Enter the router user name and password.

Connect to the Network and Access the Router
19
Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router
The user name is admin. The default password is password. The user name and
password are case-sensitive.
The BASIC Home screen displays.
4. In the upper right corner, select a language from the list.
5. When prompted, click the OK button to confirm this change.
The screen refreshes with the language that you selected.
Access the Router with NETGEAR genie Apps
The genie app is the easy dashboard for managing, monitoring, and repairing your home
network. The genie app can help you with the following:
•Automatically repair common wireless network problems.
•Easily manage router features like Live Parental Controls, guest access, Internet traffic
meter, speed test, and more.
To use the genie app to access the router:
1. Visit the NETGEAR genie web page at www.NETGEAR.com/genie.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
3. Launch the genie app.
The genie app dashboard screen displays.

20
3
3. Specify Your Internet Settings
Usually, the quickest way to set up the router to use your Internet connection is to allow the genie
to detect the Internet connection when you first access the router with an Internet browser. You
can also customize or specify your Internet settings.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Use the Internet Setup Wizard
•Manually Set Up the Internet Connection
•Specify IPv6 Internet Connections
•Change the MTU Size
•Enable the Bridge or Add a VLAN Tag Group