NETGEAR WNDA4100 User manual

350 East Plumeria Drive

San Jose, CA 95134

USA

December 2011

202-10938-01

v1.0

N900 Wireless Dual Band

USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

User Manual

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated

into any language in any form or by any means without the written permission of NETGEAR, Inc.

Technical Support

Thank you for choosing NETGEAR. To register your product, get the latest product updates, get support online, or

for more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the Support website at

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/app/answers/detail/a_id/984.

Trademarks

NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovation are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of

NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Information is subject to change

without notice. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective

Statement of Conditions

To improve 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

Chapter 1 Set up Your Wireless Adapter

NETGEAR Genie Desktop Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

NETGEAR Genie Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Status Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Join a Wireless Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Network Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Join a Network or Connect to a Different Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Join a Hidden Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Chapter 2 Maintenance

Other Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Remove the Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Appendix A Supplemental Information

Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Factory Default Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Appendix B Notification of Compliance

1. Set up Your Wireless Adapter

This chapter includes the following sections:

• NETGEAR Genie Desktop Icon

• NETGEAR Genie Home

• Join a Wireless Network

For help installing your wireless USB Adapter, see the installation guide that came in the

package.

For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the support website at

http://support.netgear.com.

NETGEAR Genie Desktop Icon

When you install your adapter, the NETGEAR Genie icon appears in the Windows system

tray and on the desktop. You can click this icon to open NETGEAR Genie to make changes

or connect to a different wireless network. The color of the icon indicates the strength of your

wireless connection from 0 (zero) to 5 bars.

Green: 3 to 5 bars

Yellow: 1 or 2 bars

Red: 0 (zero) bars, indicating no connection

If you remove your adapter, NETGEAR Genie is not available, so the icon is not displayed. if

you insert the adapter again, the icon returns.

Set up Your Wireless Adapter

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

NETGEAR Genie Home

When you launch NETGEAR Genie, the home screen displays.

This screen shows you at a glance if you are connected to a network, and if you have Internet

access. The following options are available:

• Select Language. If more than one language is available, you can select a language

from this drop-down list. NETGEAR Genie screens will be displayed in the language that

you selected.

• Home button. The currently selected Home screen. You can click the Home button to

return here from a different screen.

• Join a Network button. View a list of wireless networks and join a network.

• Other button. View more information or check for software updates.

• Help. Display the help.

Status Bar

The status bar is located at the bottom of the screen:

Network Connection Network Wireless

Physical

Signal

security channel strengthname status rate

Figure 1. Status bar

Set up Your Wireless Adapter

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

Network name. The network name (SSID) of the wireless network that the adapter is

currently connected to.

Connection status. This shows the status that is also shown in the diagram in the middle of

this screen.

• Connected to the Internet

• Connected to the Router

• No Connection

Network security. The lock symbol shows whether or not the network you are connected to

uses wireless security. An open lock indicates an open network without wireless security,

such as one that you might use in a coffee shop.

Wireless channel. The wireless channel of the network that the adapter is connected to.

Physical rate. The physical transmission rate for wireless communication.

Signal strength. The strength of the wireless signal. Three-to-five bars indicate a good

signal. One or two bars indicate a weak signal.

Join a Wireless Network

In NETGEAR Genie, click the Join a Network button to display the following screen:

Network list. View the wireless networks in the area. Click a network to select it.

Manual Connect. Click this button to join a network without viewing it on the network list, or

to connect to a hidden network. A hidden network does not broadcast its wireless network

name (SSID).

Refresh. Click this button to scan for available networks in the area.

Set up Your Wireless Adapter

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

Network Details

From the Join a Network screen, you can view more details about a specific network.

To view network details:

1. In the Join a Network screen, click the network to select it

2. Click the Details button to display a screen similar to the one shown here.

The following information is displayed:

• Network Name (SSID). The name assigned to a wireless network. Note that, as a

security measure, some wireless access points do not broadcast their SSIDs. In such

cases, the network is hidden. The name (SSID) field is blank even though the rest of the

information is displayed.

• Channel. The channel that the wireless network operates on. NETGEAR recommends

that you choose a network that uses a channel that is different from that of neighboring

networks.

• Wireless Mode. The wireless technology used for this router such as 11a, n, g, or b.

Set up Your Wireless Adapter

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

• WPS Support. Identifies whether the router or access point for this network supports

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup).

• MAC Address. The unique hardware address of the wireless device broadcasting this

information. Typically, this is a wireless router, gateway, or access point.

Join a Network or Connect to a Different Network

You can use WPS to join a wireless network if your wireless network supports it, or you can

join a wireless network from this NETGEAR Genie screen.

• WPS. Press and hold the WPS button on the side of the adapter for 3 seconds. Then

within 2 minutes, press the WPS button on your wireless router or gateway. Your settings

are saved in a profile with –WPS at the end.

• NETGEAR Genie. Click your wireless network to select it from the list, and then click

Connect. If the network is secure, enter its password or network key.

After the adapter joins the network, it automatically saves the network connection information

to a Windows profile. Windows profiles can be used by Genie and the Windows utility. The

next time you launch NETGEAR Genie, it will automatically connect to the network you

previously joined if there's no change in the network information.

To use WPS to join a wireless network:

1. Press and hold the WPS button on the side of the adapter for 2 seconds.

2. Then within 2 minutes, press the WPS button on your wireless router or gateway

The adapter joins the network, which can take a few minutes. Your settings are saved in a

profile.

Set up Your Wireless Adapter

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

To select and join a wireless network:

1. From NETGEAR Genie, click Join a Network.

2. Look for your network in the list on this screen. If you do not see your network, you might

need to scroll down to view more networks.

If the network name is not displayed, that indicates a hidden network that does not

broadcast its SSID. Use the manual method to connect to a hidden network. See Join a

Hidden Network on page 10.

3. Click the network that you want to join.

4. Click the Connect button.

5. If the wireless network is secure, enter the network password.

The adapter joins the wireless network. This could take a few minutes.

Set up Your Wireless Adapter

N900 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter (WNDA4100)

Join a Hidden Network

A hidden network does not broadcast its SSID.

1. From NETGEAR Genie, click Join a Network.

2. Click the Manually Connect to a network (for hidden networks) link.

You can use WPS to connect, or enter the wireless information yourself.

To manually connect using WPS:

1. Click the Start button.

A dialog pop-up displays with WPS instructions telling you to press the WPS button both

on the adapter and the router.

2. As explained in the pop-up screen, press the WPS button on your adapter. Then go to your

wireless router, gateway, or access point and press its WPS button.

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