NETGEAR WPN824N - RangeMax Wireless-N 150 Router User guide

November 2009
208-10541-01
v1.0
NETGEAR, Inc.
350 E. Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134 USA
RangeMax Wireless-N
150 Router Setup Manual

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©2009 by NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
Trademarks
NETGEAR and the NETGEAR logo are registered trademarks, and RangeMax and Smart Wizard are trademarks of
NETGEAR. Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other
brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.
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.

Contents iii
Contents
Getting to Know Your Wireless Router................................................................................1
Unpacking Your New Router .............................................................................................1
What You Need Before You Begin ....................................................................................6
Updating Your Router Firmware ........................................................................................6
Two Setup Methods: Smart Wizard Setup or Manual Setup .............................................7
Smart Wizard Setup ..........................................................................................................7
Manual Setup ....................................................................................................................8
Product Registration, Support, and Documentation ........................................................13
Accessing the Wireless Router after Installation and Checking for New Firmware .........13
Setting Up and Testing Basic Wireless Connectivity .......................................................16
Implementing Appropriate Wireless Security ...................................................................17
Help with Troubleshooting..................................................................................................18
Basic Troubleshooting .....................................................................................................18
Troubleshooting Connectivity Using the Ping Utility ........................................................24
Technical Specifications.....................................................................................................27
Factory Default Settings ..................................................................................................27
Related Documents .............................................................................................................30

Getting to Know Your Wireless Router 1
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Getting to Know Your Wireless Router
Congratulations on your purchase of a NETGEAR® high-speed wireless router, the RangeMax
Wireless-N 150 Router Model WPN824N.
Before you begin installing your router, check the package contents (see Unpacking Your New
Router). Become familiar with the front and back panels of your router—especially the status
lights—and the important information on the router label (see “Bottom Label” on page 5).
Unpacking Your New Router
The product package should contain the following items:
• The wireless router
• A snap-on stand for your wireless router
• An AC power adapter (varies by region)
• A yellow Ethernet cable
• NETGEAR Installation Guide
• The Resource CD, which includes:
– The Smart Wizard Installation Assistant (Autorun.exe)
– A PDF version of this manual
– A link to the online User Manual
• Warranty and Support Information cards
If any of the parts are incorrect, missing, or damaged, contact your NETGEAR dealer. Keep the
carton, including the original packing materials, in case you need to return the product for repair.
To prepare your router for installation:
1. Carefully peel off the protective film covering the sides of your router.

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2. Set up your wireless router by inserting the router into the stand supplied with your router.
3. Place your router in an area suitable for installation (near an AC power outlet and accessible to
the Ethernet cables for your wired computers).
Figure 1

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Router Front Panel
You can use the status lights on the front of the wireless router to verify various conditions.
Figure 2
Table 1-1. Status Light Descriptions
Item Function Activity Description
1Power On green solid
Off Power is supplied to the router. Power is not supplied to the router.
2
Test On
Off
Slow blinking
The unit is performing the power-on self-test diagnostic.
The unit successfully completed the power-on self-test diagnostic.
The reset button is being pushed, restoring the factory default
settings.
3
Wireless On
Off
Blinking
The wireless interface is enabled.
The wireless interface is turned off.
Data is being communicated over the wireless network.
4
Internet Amber off
Amber on
Amber blinking
Green off
On
Blinking
No Ethernet cable is connected to the modem.
The Ethernet cable connection to the modem is good.
Packets are being transmitted and received from a modem or other
network device, but no IP address has been received.
No IP address has been received.
IP address has been received.
IP address received and data is being transmitted and received.
5LAN Green
Amber The LAN port has detected a 100 Mbps link with an attached device. The LAN port has detected a 10 Mbps link with an attached device.

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Router Back Panel
The rear panel of the WPN824N router contains the items in the list that follows the figure.
The back of the wireless router includes:
1. AC power adapter outlet
2. Power On/Off switch
3. Four local (LAN) 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports for connecting the router to the local computers
4. Internet (WAN) Ethernet port for connecting the router to a cable or DSL modem
5. Wireless On/Off button
6. Factory default reset button
Figure 3
4
3
2
156

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Top Panel
The top of the wireless router includes a dome with status lights that identify the status of the
selected option you chose for either Wireless data status (default), Guest Network status, Live
Parental Controls status, or Broadband Usage Meter status. These status lights are on by default,
but can be turned off by clicking the Dome, or by going to the Network Monitor Display Settings
page and clicking the Turn off LED button. (see “Router Back Panel” on page 4).
Bottom Label
View the label on the bottom of the wireless router to identify the serial number, port connectors,
status lights, and default login information.
Figure 4
Figure 5

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What You Need Before You Begin
Prepare the following before you set up your Product Family:
• Internet service.
• The configuration information your Internet Service Provider (ISP) gave you. Depending on
how your Internet account was set up, you might need one or more of these settings for the
wireless router to access the Internet:
— Host and domain names
— Internet login name and password (frequently an e-mail address and password)
— Domain Name Server (DNS) addresses
— Fixed or static IP address
Your ISP should have provided you with all the information needed to connect to the Internet.
If you cannot locate this information, you can ask your ISP to provide it.
• For cable modem service, use the computer you first used to set up your Internet service.
Updating Your Router Firmware
NETGEAR is always improving the operability and features included with your router. To make it
easy for you to receive the best, most up-to-date features of your router, NETGEAR provides a
variety of methods for updating your product.
• The Smart Wizard installation assistant lets you check for and install updates as part of the
setup activity.
• The router includes an update feature that lets you check for and install updates. You must be
logged in to the router to use this feature.
These options are discussed in “Accessing the Wireless Router after Installation and Checking for
New Firmware” on page 13.

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Two Setup Methods: Smart Wizard Setup or Manual
Setup
You have two methods available for setting up your wireless router:
•Smart Wizard Setup.This option is the easiest. The wizard guides you through the setup
process, automates many of the steps, and verifies that necessary conditions exist and that
steps you perform have been successfully completed. This option requires a PC running
Microsoft Windows.
•Manual Setup. This option is best if you cannot use the wizard on the CD, are replacing an
existing wireless router, or are technically knowledgeable. Follow the instructions in this
manual to set up your wireless router.
Use the setup option that best suites you.
Smart Wizard Setup
The wizard setup process takes about 20 minutes to complete.
1. Insert the NETGEAR CD into a Windows PC. The CD automatically starts and detects the
language you are using on your PC. Accept the language option, or change to a different
language.
2. When the Welcome screen displays, click Setup to start the Smart Wizard. Follow the wizard
instructions.
If the CD does not automatically start, browse the CD and double-click Autorun. Be
sure to double-click the Autorun file that begins with an upper-case A.