Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product WNA3100 Netgear
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202-10539-01 December 2009 NETGEAR , Inc. 350 E. Plumeria Drive San Jose, CA 95134 USA Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual.
ii v1.0, December 2009 © 2009 by NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved. Technical Support When you register your product at http://www.netgear.com/register , we can provide you with faster expert technical support and timely notices of product and software upgrades.
v1.0, December 2009 iii • Consult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for assistance FCC Caution: Any change or modification to the product not expressly approved by NETGEAR could void the user’s authority to operate the device.
v1.0, December 2009 iv Product and Publication Details Model Number: WNA3100 v1 Publication Date: December 2009 Product Family: Wireless-N USB Adapter Product Name: Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 Home or Business Product: Home Language: English Publication Part Number: 202-10539-01 Publication Version Number: 1.
v v1.0, December 2009 Contents About This Manual Conventions, Formats, and Scope .................................................................................. vii Revision History ..................................................................
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual vi v1.0, December 2009 Setting Up WEP Encryption Security ..................................................................... 2-11 Monitoring Statistics .................................................
vii v1.0, December 2009 About This Manual The NETGEAR ® Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual describes how to install, configure, and troubleshoot the Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual viii v1.0, December 2009 Revision History Part Number Version Number Date Description 202-10539-01 1.0 November 2009 Original publication.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-1 v1.0, December 2009 Chapter 1 Installation with Custom Setup This chapter explains custom installation for your Wireless-N USB Adapter. With custom setup you can specify where the files are installed.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-2 v1.0, December 2009 Observe Wireless Location and Range Guidelines For best performance, place the wireless-N USB adapter at least 4 feet (over 1 meter) away from the wireless router or access point.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-3 v1.0, December 2009 5. When prompted, browse to select the destination folder for your wireless adapter software, and then click Next . 6. Select one of the following methods to configure and manage your wireless network: • Smart Wizard .
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-4 v1.0, December 2009 Then, Install Your WNA3100 v1 Adapter You are prompted to insert your adapter: 1. Locate a USB port on your PC. 2. Insert the adapter into the USB port, or connect it with the USB cable.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-5 v1.0, December 2009 3. Click Next . The WNA3100 v1 software detects the adapter. Follow the onscreen prompts to install the driver. 4. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. How you connect to a network depends on what you selected during custom installation.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-6 v1.0, December 2009 • If your router supports Push 'N' Connect (also called WPS) click Next . The following screen displays: Press and hold the push button on the side of the wireless-N USB adapter for 2 seconds.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-7 v1.0, December 2009 3. Click Finish , and the Smart Wizard Settings screen displays. You are now connected to a wireless network! The WNA3100 v1 icon appears in the system tray and on the desktop so you can open the Smart Wizard to make changes or connect to a different wireless network.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-8 v1.0, December 2009 WNA3100 v1 Icon The WNA3100 v1 icon is on the desktop and in the Windows system tray, on one end of the taskbar in the Microsoft Windows desktop. The WNA3100 v1 icon changes colors depending on the condition of the adapter.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-9 v1.0, December 2009 Smart Wizard Status Bar Click the icon to open the Smart Wizard Settings tab. The status bar is located at the bottom of the Settings tab. The following table describes how to interpret the Smart Wizard status bar.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-10 v1.0, December 2009 Wireless-N USB Adapter LED The LED on the wireless-N USB adapter indicates the condition of the wireless link, as described in the following table. Removing the WNA3100 v1 Software To remove the wireless adapter software: 1.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-11 v1.0, December 2009 3. Select the Remove radio button and then click Next . 4. Follow the onscreen prompt to disconnect your adapter. A message displays confirming that the software has been removed.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 1-12 v1.0, December 2009 3. Click OK . When the file has been downloaded a message like the following displays: 4.
2-1 v1.0, December 2009 Chapter 2 Network Connections and Wireless Security This chapter explains how to use the Smart Wizard to connect to wireless networks and how to set up wireless security on your adpater if you are joining a secured wireless network.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-2 v1.0, December 2009 Joining a Network During the installation, the Smart Wizard lists the available networks. After installation you can use the Join a Network button on the Network tab to view available networks and select the one that you want.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-3 v1.0, December 2009 A list of networks displays: 2. How you join the network depends on whether it uses wireless security, and whether it supports WPS. • Open network . This network does not use any wireless security.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-4 v1.0, December 2009 Using Push 'N' Connect to Join a Network If there is a WPS network in your area, you can use Push 'N' Connect to join it and automatically configure the wireless security settings for your adapter.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-5 v1.0, December 2009 2. Enter the network settings. a. In the Profile field, type a name for the profile. b. In the Network Name (SSID) field, select a network, or enter the SSID. c. In the Network Type section, make sure that Access Point (Infrastructure) is selected.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-6 v1.0, December 2009 Managing Profiles If you use your computer to connect to different wireless networks, you can create a profile for each wireless network. Then you can easily load the profile that has all the settings that you need to join the network you are using at the time.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-7 v1.0, December 2009 To create an Ad Hoc mode profile: 1. Click the icon to open the Smart Wizard. The Settings tab displays: 2. Enter the network settings. a. Select Computer-to-Computer (Ad Hoc) for the network type.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-8 v1.0, December 2009 5. Verify wireless connectivity between your peer devices with the ping program: a. On the Windows taskbar, select Start > Run. b. Assuming the target PC is configured with 192.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-9 v1.0, December 2009 3. Click Initiate Ad Hoc . The Ad Hoc Setting screen displays: 4. In the Start Ad Hoc drop-down list, select the wireless standard (802.11g or 802.11b) for your Ad Hoc computer-to-computer network.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-10 v1.0, December 2009 Wireless Network Name (SSID) and Security Settings If you do not use WPS, then you need to know the security settings to join a secured wireless network. You can save the settings in a profile.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-11 v1.0, December 2009 c. In the Security section, select WPA-PSK [TKIP] or WPA2-PSK [AES] , and enter the passphrase. For more about WPA2-PSK, click the link to “Wireless Networking Basics” in Appendix B .
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-12 v1.0, December 2009 b. In the Network Name (SSID) field, select the network, or enter the SSID. c. In the Security section, select WEP . 3. Select the WEP encryption strength you will use. • 64-bit WEP data encryption • 128-bit WEP data encryption 4.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-13 v1.0, December 2009 5. Save your settings in a profile. a. Click the Save Profile button. All the configuration settings are saved in this profile. b. Click Apply . c. Click Close to exit the configuration utility.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-14 v1.0, December 2009 About Your Smart Wizard The About tab displays the current version information. Figure 2-13 Table 2-3. About Tab Settings About Tab Field Description Device Regional Domain This is the region setting for the wireless adapter.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-15 v1.0, December 2009 Advanced Settings The default advanced settings usually work fine. Except for the power saving setting, changing the settings incorrectly could cause your wireless connection to fail.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 2-16 v1.0, December 2009 • Wireless Mode . Depending on your wireless adapter, you can choose some of the available 802.11 wireless protocols. • Fragmentation Threshold . This is the maximum packet size used for fragmentation.
3-1 v1.0, December 2009 Chapter 3 Wireless Network Performance This chapter explains how to use your wireless-N USB adapter to connect to your wireless local area network (WLAN) and how to maximize the performance of your wireless-N USB adapter within your network.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 3-2 v1.0, December 2009 – 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.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 3-3 v1.0, December 2009 In planning your network, think about which tasks will have the heaviest traffic flow between them.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 3-4 v1.0, December 2009 • Wireless A high-speed wireless router can provide a wireless data throughput of up to 300 Mbps using technology called multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), in which multiple antennas transmit multiple streams of data.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 3-5 v1.0, December 2009 • Streaming MP3 audio requires less than 1 Mbps per stream and does not strain most modern networks. Like video, however, streaming audio is also sensitive to latency and packet loss, so a congested network or a noisy link can cause problems.
4-1 v1.0, December 2009 Chapter 4 Troubleshooting This chapter provides information about troubleshooting your wireless-N USB adapter. Troubleshooting Tips Use the following information to resolve common situations you might encounter. Also, refer to the knowledge base on the NETGEAR website at http://www.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 4-2 v1.0, December 2009 • If you do not have a USB 2.0 port on your computer, the throughput is limited to the 14 Mbps of the USB 1.1 standard. 5. I connected wirelessly to a network, but I cannot access the Internet.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 4-3 v1.0, December 2009 To fix this problem you can: • Click to open the Smart Wizard. At the bottom of the Settings tab, click Apply . The Smart Wizard tries again to connect to the router and get an IP address.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual 4-4 v1.0, December 2009 1. Select Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. 2. Select Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) Q815485, and then click Remove . • You might receive an error message that states that some programs on the computer might not work correctly if the update is removed.
A-1 v1.0, December 2009 Appendix A Technical Specifications and Factory Default Settings Technical Specifications Antenna 1 integrated internal wireless antenna Standards 802.11n, 802.11g, or 802.11b Radio data rate 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54, 108, 140, 246, and 300 Mbps (Auto Rate Sensing) Frequency 2.
Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter WNA3100 User Manual A-2 v1.0, December 2009 Factory Default Settings Feature Description Smart Wizard Enabled Wireless Communication Enabled Wireless Network Name (SSID) Any (will connect to first wireless network that responds) Security Disabled Network Type Infrastructure Transmission Speed Auto a a.
B-1 v1.0, December 2009 Appendix B Related Documents This appendix provides links to reference documents you can use to gain a more complete understanding of the technologies used in your NETGEAR product. Document Link Using Microsoft Vista and Windows XP to Manage Wireless Network Connections http://documentation.
An important point after buying a device Netgear WNA3100 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Netgear WNA3100 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Netgear WNA3100 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Netgear WNA3100 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Netgear WNA3100 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Netgear WNA3100, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Netgear WNA3100.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Netgear WNA3100. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Netgear WNA3100 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
