How to Boost the Range and Signal Strength on a Netgear Wireless Router

Netgear wireless devices are known to woo users for their networking and wireless capabilities, outstanding Wi-Fi range as well as excellent signal strength. That said, Netgear devices are one of the best choices for going wireless.

However, these devices are equally known to pose challenges like poor Wi-Fi signal strength, range, and intermittent connection among other Netgear router problems at times. Don’t worry! I'll discuss some great tips for your Netgear wireless router to help you fine tune it for the optimal results. You can save tremendous time using these tips and happily go wireless.

1. Positioning – It plays an extremely important role in having a good wireless range. Choose a location that is free of obstacles, electrical equipment like microwave ovens, fax machines, mobile phones, and computers etc. You can choose to place the router in the centre of a room or home for even and omni-directional range. You can also mount it on a wall that is empty of electrical, phone wires or metal objects as well as those mentioned above.

2. Point the antennas (of your Netgear router) upward in line as well as view of one another. If your router came without antennas, then buy one or two as per your choice from a third-party manufacturer.

If you are using an external antenna, then it is recommended to place it high as well as away from physical touch with equipment and obstructions etc. If there is a multistory building, then position it at least 45 degrees (or more) high from the ground.

3. Attach an Antenna – As said earlier, you can buy and attach an external antenna to your device in order to enhance the signal strength & range. Follow the instructions mentioned in the above step for the right positioning of the antenna.

4. Choose a strong channel – There are total of 11 channels (13 in Europe) for 802.11g and 802.11b wireless router versions. You can select any one of them for your Netgear device. 802.11g and 802.11b protocols just have three non-overlapping channels. Choose the channel number, which is not being used by anyone else in your neighborhood. Though it is practically impossible, but still options are there.

5. Attach a Powerline Extender – Buy a powerline extender from Netgear (it does offer these little, powerful gadgets) and plug it directly into your router with another end into a power outlet. The extender doesn’t require configuration and is low priced. It simply uses a power line to transmit signals instead of an Ethernet cable.

6. Upgrade Equipment – If your router is an old genius, then it is better to upgrade it. Old devices are prone to transmitting weak signals and thus making your wireless connection perform real slow and sluggish. Thus upgrade your Netgear device to a newer version. You can also visit Netgear’s official website for upgrade options and help.

***RangeMax products of Netgear come with multiple antennas and hence usually don’t pose such problems. Advanced users can also choose to setup their Netgear device as an access point, use a repeater, or site survey etc.

How to Configure Netgear Router for DSL Connection

Netgear wireless router is one of the most popular wireless networking devices allows you to interconnect your computers, laptops, peripheral devices, and non-computer devices etc. Wireless routers is designed to allow wire-free Internet connectivity for multiple computers for home or business network within a selected area. If you want to set it up for DSL connection to access internet wirelessly? However, it can be utterly difficult and time consuming to setup the router device on your own without precise instructions. Don’t worry. Here is your comprehensive support guide that will help you setup your Netgear wireless router device for DSL internet connection.

Instructions:

1. First switch off all the devices and remove all the cables.

2. Connect the Modem to the Internet port of the NETGEAR router and the computer to any of the four LAN ports as shown in the diagram.

3. When powered on, the router will detect the modem itself.

4. Now open up the browser window and in the address bar, type http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 and press enter.

5. When the window pops up asking your login information, type in the default username and password that must have come with the router documentation. Generally, most of the routers come with ‘admin’ (as the default username) and ‘password’ as the default password.

6. Click Setup Wizard on the top left corner, Select Yes for the Setup Wizard to detect the type of internet connection and click Next..

7. The Setup Wizard will detect the type of Internet connection. DSL connections which require a login to connect to the internet will be detected as PPPoE. Click Next

8. The next window will ask your username/password, key in the information given by your ISP, and click on ‘Apply’.

9. The router will then save all the settings, follow rest of the instructions and connect to the internet.