NETGEAR WNDR4000 Network Router User Manual


 
Chapter 3. Wireless Settings | 27
N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR4000 User Manual
Disable SSID Broadcast
By default, the wireless router broadcasts its Wi-Fi network name (SSID) so devices can find
it. If you change this setting to not allow the broadcast, wireless devices will not find your
wireless router unless they are configured with the same SSID.
Note: Turning off SSID broadcast nullifies the wireless network discovery
feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data is still
fully exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test
equipment like wireless sniffers. If you allow the broadcast, be sure
to keep wireless security enabled.
Restrict Access by MAC Address
You can enhance your network security by allowing access to only specific PCs based on
their Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. You can restrict access to only trusted PCs so
that unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the wireless router. The wireless station MAC
address filtering adds additional security protection to the wireless security option that you
have in force. The access list determines which wireless hardware devices are allowed to
connect to the wireless router by MAC address. See
Advanced Wireless Settings on page 74
for the procedure.
Add Clients (Computers or Devices) to Your Network
Choose either the manual or the WPS method to add wireless computers or devices to your
wireless network.
Manual Method
1. Open the software that manages your wireless connections on the wireless device
(laptop computer, gaming device, iPhone) that you want to connect to your wireless
router. This software scans for all wireless networks in your area.
2. Look for your network and select it. If you did not change the name of your network during
the setup process, look for the default Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and select it. The default
Wi-Fi network name (SSID) is located on the product label on the bottom of the wireless
router.
3. Enter the wireless router passphrase and click Connect. The default wireless router
passphrase is located on the product label on the bottom of the wireless router.
4. Repeat steps 1–3 to add other wireless devices.