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NETGEAR WNDA3100 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    202-10329-01 December 2007 NETGEAR , Inc. 4500 Great America Parkway Santa Clara, CA 95054 USA NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual[...]

  • Page 2

    ii v1.0, December 2007 © 2007 by NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.. T echnical Support Please refer to the support informat ion card that shipped with your prod uct. By registering your product at http://www .netgear .com/r egister , we can provide you with faster expert te chnical support and timel y notices of pro duct and software upgrades. NE[...]

  • Page 3

    v1.0, December 2007 iii • Connect the equipment to an out let other than the receive r’ s • Consult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for assi sta n ce FCC Caution: Any change or modification to the product not expressly approved by Netg ear could void the user ’s authority to opera te the device. FCC RF Radiation Exposure and [...]

  • Page 4

    v1.0, December 2007 iv Eesti [Estonian] Käesolevaga kinnitab NETGEAR, Inc. seadme NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter W NDA3100 vastavust direktiivi 1999/5/EÜ põhinõuetele ja nimetatud direktiivist tulenevatele te istele asjakohastele säte tele. English Hereby , NETGEAR, Inc. , declares that this NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band W ire[...]

  • Page 5

    v1.0, December 2007 v Product and Publication Det ails Slovensko [Slovenian] NETGEAR, Inc. izjavlja, da je ta NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 v skladu z bistvenimi zahtevami in ostalimi relevantnimi doloèili direktive 1999/5/ES. Slovensky [Slovak] NETGEAR, Inc. týmto vyhlasuje, že NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band W ireless [...]

  • Page 6

    v1.0, December 2007 vi[...]

  • Page 7

    vii v1.0, December 2007 Content s About This Manual Conventions, Formats, and Scope ............... ................... ................ ................... .............. ix How to Use This Manual ................. ................... ................ ................ .................... ........... x How to Print This Manual ....................[...]

  • Page 8

    viii v1.0, Decemb er 2007 Adding Profiles ................... ................ ................ .................... ................ ................ ..... 5 Setting Up a Profile to Connect to an Acc ess Point or Router ..................... ................... .. 5 Setting up a Computer-to-Computer (Ad H oc) Profile ........ ................ ....[...]

  • Page 9

    ix v1.0, December 2007 About This Manual The NETGEAR ® RangeMax™ Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual describes how to install, configure and troubleshoot the NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100. The information in this manual is intended for readers with intermediate comput er and Internet skills. Conve[...]

  • Page 10

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual x v1.0, Decemb er 2007 • Scope . This manual is written for the RangeM ax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 according to these specifications: For more information about networ k, Internet, firewall, and VPN technologies, see the links to the NETGEAR website in Appen[...]

  • Page 11

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual xi v1.0, December 2007 – Printing a PDF chapter . Use the PDF of This Chapter link at the top left of any page. • Click the PDF of This Chapter link at the top left corner of any page in the chapter you want to print. The PDF version of the chapter you were viewing opens in [...]

  • Page 12

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual xii v1.0, Decemb er 2007[...]

  • Page 13

    1-1 v1.0, December 2007 Chapter 1 Basic Setup This chapter describes how to install your Ra ngeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 and set up basic wireless connectivity on your wireless local area network (WLAN). Advanced wireless network set up is covered in “Network Connections and W ireless Security” in Chapter 2 . What Y ou Need[...]

  • Page 14

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-2 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 • 5 Mbytes of free hard disk space. • V ista, W indows XP Home, or W indows XP P rof essional. Some versions of W indows ask for the original W indows operating system installation files to co mplete the installation of the WNDA3100 driver software.[...]

  • Page 15

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 1-3 v1.0, December 2007 What Is in the Box The product package should contain the following it ems: • NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 • USB cable and adapter cradle • Installation Guide for the NETGEAR RangeM ax™ Dual Band W ir eless-N USB Ada[...]

  • Page 16

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-4 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 Inst allation T o complete this installation you must: 1. Install the WNDA3100 software. 2. When prompted, insert the wireless USB adapter and foll ow the W indows XP F ound New Hardware wizard prompts (unless using V ista). 3. Set up the wireless USB a[...]

  • Page 17

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 1-5 v1.0, December 2007 4. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the NETGEAR WNDA3100 software. • For W indows XP , if a W indows logo testing message appears, click Continue Anyway . • If a message that W indows V ista cannot verify the publisher of thi s driver displ[...]

  • Page 18

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-6 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 3. For W indows V ista computers, the adapter an d driver are automati cally added. Click Next and then go to the following section “Using the Smart W izard to Set Up Y our W ireless-N USB Adapter” on page 1-6 . For W indows XP computers, the Found [...]

  • Page 19

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 1-7 v1.0, December 2007 Y ou are prompted to let the wizard help you connect to a network (recommended). 2. Click Next to continue. The Smart W i zard find s the wireless networks in your area, and displa ys the following screen: 3. Select the wireless network from the drop-d ow[...]

  • Page 20

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-8 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 5. After you have review ed the settings, click Finish . The Settings screen displays: The icon appears in th e system tray and on the desktop. The wizard initiates your wireless connection, which could take up to a minu te. 6. Use the status bar to ver[...]

  • Page 21

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 1-9 v1.0, December 2007 • LED status light . The LED on the w ireless USB adapter shows the network connection. Solid indicates a connection. The LED blinks when the wireless USB adapter is looking for a network association and when it is sending or receiving data. See “W ir[...]

  • Page 22

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-10 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 The following table describes how to in terpret the Smart W izard status bar. The connection status is useful in isolating a problem. For example, if you are connected to a router , but not to the Internet, then check the router’ s Internet connectio[...]

  • Page 23

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 1-11 v1.0, December 2007 In V ista, there is one more optio n: Enable NETGEAR Smart W izard. If you clear the check mark for Enable NETGEAR Smart W izard, the NETGEAR Smart W izard is disabled, and you must set up the wireless adapter with V ista auto-configuration. Wireless-N U[...]

  • Page 24

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-12 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 1. The wireless USB adapter comes with three black fasteners. Locate the one with a prickly side, and attach it to the plastic crad le on the middle of the outside rear . 2. Insert the wireless USB adapter in the pl astic cradle, and connect the USB ca[...]

  • Page 25

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 1-13 v1.0, December 2007 Removing the WNDA3100 Sof tware Y ou can remove the wireless adapter softwa re in these two ways: • Select the W indows S tart menu > RangeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 program group > uninstall option, and then follow the screen[...]

  • Page 26

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 1-14 v1.0, Decemb er 2007[...]

  • Page 27

    2-1 v1.0, December 2007 Chapter 2 Network Connections and Wireless Security This chapter explains how to use your W ireless-N USB Adapter to connect to your wireless local area network (WLAN) and how to set up wireless security for the W ireless-N USB Adapter so that it matches the wireless security settings for your network. If you chose the W ind[...]

  • Page 28

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-2 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 Underst anding the Smart Wizard These instructions explain how to use the N ETGEAR WNDA3100 Smart W izard to change the wireless USB adapter wireless settings. When you have install ed the software from th e Resource CD, the icon appears on your desktop[...]

  • Page 29

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-3 v1.0, December 2007 2. Click the Networks tab to display the following screen: The following buttons are located at the bottom of the Networks tab: • Help . Display online help. • Find a Network . V iew netw orks and join a netw ork . See “Finding a Network” on page [...]

  • Page 30

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-4 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 • Mode . Identifies the type of wireless network — Access Point (Infrastructure) or Computer- to-Computer (Ad Hoc) Finding a Network During the WNDA3100 software installation, the Sm art W izard lists the available networks. After installation you c[...]

  • Page 31

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-5 v1.0, December 2007 4. Review you settings, and click Finish . The Smart W izard initiates your wireless connection. Y ou can use the status bar to verify your network connection. Fo r more information, see “Smart W izard Status Bar” on page 1-9 . Profiles The WNDA3100 S[...]

  • Page 32

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-6 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 1. Use the icon to open the Smart W i zard. The Settings tab displays: 2. Enter the network settings. a. In the Network T ype section, make sure that Access Point (Infrastructure) is selected. b. In the Profile field , type the name of the profile. c. I[...]

  • Page 33

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-7 v1.0, December 2007 Use a browser to connect to the Internet, or ch eck for file and printer access on your network. Y ou can check the status bar in the Smart W izard for the current connection status. Setting up a Computer-to-C omputer (Ad Hoc) Profile The Computer -to-Com[...]

  • Page 34

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-8 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 2. Enter the network settings. a. Select Computer -to-Computer (Ad Hoc) for the network type. b. Select or enter the network name (SSID) for the Ad Hoc network. c. In the Profile field, type the name of t he profile. d. Click Apply . 3. Save your settin[...]

  • Page 35

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-9 v1.0, December 2007 c. A continuous ping will be sent to the device with the 192.168.0.1 static IP address. The ping response sh ould change to Reply . At this point the connection is established. S t arting a Computer-to-Comput er (Ad Hoc) Network Connection 1. On the Setti[...]

  • Page 36

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-10 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 5. In the Channel drop-down list, Automatic should work. If you notice interference pr oblems with another nearby wireless device, select a channel that is not being used by any o ther wireless networks near your wirele ss adapter . Use the Networks ta[...]

  • Page 37

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-11 v1.0, December 2007 Wireless Network Name (SSI D) and Security Settings Print this form, fill in the configuration paramete rs, and put it in a safe place for possible future reference. For an existing wirele ss network, the pe rson who set up the network can prov ide this [...]

  • Page 38

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-12 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 Setting Up WP A-PSK Security T o configure WP A-PSK security: 1. Run the WNDA3100 Smart W izard. a. Make sure that the WNDA3100 software is in stalled and the wireless USB a dapter is fully inserted in a USB port in your computer . b. Use the icon to o[...]

  • Page 39

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-13 v1.0, December 2007 Setting Up WEP Encryption Security Follow the steps below to configure WEP encryption security: 1. Run the WNDA3100 Smart W izard. a. Make sure that the WNDA3100 software is installed and the wireless USB adapter is connected to the USB po rt in your com[...]

  • Page 40

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-14 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 3. Select the WEP encryption strength you will use. • 64-bit WEP data encryption • 128-bit WEP data encryption 4. Select Create with Passphrase , and enter the passphrase. The configuration utility automatically generates the WEP keys. If the passp[...]

  • Page 41

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-15 v1.0, December 2007 S t atistics T ab The Statistics tab provides real time and historical trend information about the data traf fic and performance of your wireless adapter . • T ransmit/Receive Performanc e (%) . A real-time graph identies the total, receive, and transm[...]

  • Page 42

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-16 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 About T ab The About tab displays the current version information. The following inform ation is displayed in the About tab: • Regional Domain . T his is the region setting for the wireless adapter . The approved channels for the region are automatic[...]

  • Page 43

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 2-17 v1.0, December 2007 Advanced Settings Y ou can use the Advanced Settings screen to configure the preamble (GHz) that the adapter uses. The available settings are Auto, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz. Y o u can use the 5GHz range to avoid interference in the 2.4GHz rang e. The 2.4GHz ra[...]

  • Page 44

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 2-18 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 2. In the Advanced section of the screen, select the setting that you want fr om the drop-down list. Changing the setting in the Preamb le field affects which options are available in the W ireless Mode section of this screen. Y ou can change the pream[...]

  • Page 45

    3-1 v1.0, December 2007 Chapter 3 Wireless Network Performance This chapter explains how to use your Ra ngeMax Dual Band W ireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 to connect to your wireless local area network (WLAN) and how to set up wireless security for the wireless USB adapte r so that it matches the wirel ess security se ttings for your network. Optimi[...]

  • Page 46

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 3-2 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 – Computers and fax machines (no closer than 1 foot) – Copying machines, elevators, and cell phones (no closer than 6 feet) – Microwave ovens (no closer than 10 feet) • Choose your settings. – Use a scanning utility to determine what othe r wi[...]

  • Page 47

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 3-3 v1.0, December 2007 In the network sh own in the previous figure, the two PCs with gigabit (1000 Mbps) Ethernet adapters have a gigabit connection through the router to the storage server . W ith a high-speed router this connection allo ws for extremely fast backups or quick[...]

  • Page 48

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 3-4 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 T o get the best performance, use newer adapte rs such as RangeMax adapte rs for your computers. A high-speed router might be compatible with older 802.1 1b and 802.1 1g ad apters, but the use of these olde r wireless technologies in your network can re[...]

  • Page 49

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 3-5 v1.0, December 2007 • Backing up computers over the network has become popular due to the availability of inexpensive mass storage. Ta b l e 3 - 1 shows the time to transfer 1 gigabyte (1 GB) of data using various netw ork ing technolog ies. T able 3-1. Theoretic al T rans[...]

  • Page 50

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 3-6 v1.0, Decemb er 2007[...]

  • Page 51

    4-1 v1.0, December 2007 Chapter 4 T roubleshooting This chapter provides information about troublesh ooting your RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100. For information about connecting to wireless networks and the Internet, see “Basic Setup” in Chapter 1 . T roubleshooting T ip s Use the following information to solve common prob l[...]

  • Page 52

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 4-2 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 Throughput is only 54 Mbps or only 14 Mbps. The RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Ada pter WNDA3100 can operate at faster speeds. • At 54 Mbps you are probably connecting to a standard 802.1 1g network. See Chapter 3, “Wireless Network Performance?[...]

  • Page 53

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Manual 4-3 v1.0, December 2007 Ad Hoc Mode Is Not W orking Correctly Y ou must click the Initiate Ad Hoc button before you click Apply . Here is how you start a n Ad Hoc network: 1. Fill in the Network Name (SSID) field. 2. Select the Computer -to-Computer (Ad Hoc) network type. 3. Cli[...]

  • Page 54

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual 4-4 v1.0, Decemb er 2007[...]

  • Page 55

    A-1 v1.0, December 2007 Appendix A T echnical S pecifications and Factory Default Settings T echnical Specifications The following table pr ovides technical specif ications for the wireless USB adapter. Antenna 2 integrated internal wireless anten nas S tandards 802.1 1a, 802.1 1n draf t 2.0, 802.1 1g, or 802.1 1b Radio Data Rate 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 1[...]

  • Page 56

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual A-2 v1.0, Decemb er 2007 Factory Default Settings The following table lists the default settings of you r wireless USB adapter. Feature Descr iption Smart Wizard Enabled Wireless Wireless Communication Enabled Wireless Network Name (SSID) Any (will conne ct to first wireless ne[...]

  • Page 57

    B-1 v1.0, December 2007 Appendix B Related Document s This appendix provides links to reference documents you c an use to gain a more complete understanding of the technolog ies used in your NETGEAR prod uct. Document Link Windows XP and Vista Wireless Configuration Utilities Application Note http://documentation.netgear .co m/r efer ence/ enu/winz[...]

  • Page 58

    NETGEAR RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N USB Adapter WNDA3100 User Ma nual B-2 v1.0, Decemb er 2007[...]