Netgear WGU-624 Wireless Router and WG511T PC Card - Setting up
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The router is a standalone device which requires no drivers on the part of the computer plugging into it. It operates using standard CAT-5 10/100 cabling to a computer and the primary interface with it is through the web browser of your choice.
Of course, it is not absolutely necessary to be continuously hard-wired to the router—it can communicate via wireless a to a wireless server or via wireless b/g, however, when initially setting it up, it is advisable to have an actual cable connecting your computer to it.
The default IP address for the device is 192.168.1.1, which is printed on the label on the bottom of the unit, as well as the default SSID (service set identifier) and administrative log-in information.
If things get out of hand, one can reset the router to default settings by holding the reset button on the back of the device for more than 30 seconds.
When you initially connect to the router, the Setup Wizard automatically starts. It will give you the choice of automatically detecting your Internet connection.
Of course, given the nature of my home network, I opted to set up manually. You can use the router to connect directly to a DSL or cable modem and have it automatically connect, giving it the username and password required, if necessary. It can obtain an IP address dynamically or you can assign a static address. You can even change the MAC address of the unit.
If you aren’t going to use the wireless a, you can uncheck the “Enable 2.4GHz 54Mbps 802.11g Radio” box (this option is also available on the wireless g).
Okay, there is a “router upgrade” option, allowing you to dial into Netgear and download the latest firmware available for the device. One thing I learned about the WGU-624 is that the 2.0.1.1 firmware upgrade is of dubious quality and many people had problems with it, including failure of the machine after the upgrade was complete. What’s more, once you go to 2.x, you can’t roll the firmware back if you wanted to.
Interestingly, I learned this from Netgear’s own support forums, which suddenly disappeared, completely, when it became obvious that their latest and greatest patches weren’t. I feel guilty because the forums were shut down shortly after I mentioned to their online support people that I didn’t want to upgrade to the 2.0.1.1 firmware on the WGU-624 because of what I read in their forums. I don’t think my comment was the catalyst that lead to the shutdown, but the coincidence is scary to contemplate.
My reason for calling up Netgear is that I could not get the WPA-PSK to work between the router and the PC Card (I have two cards, and neither of them worked). Their solution, of course, was to tell me to upgrade the firmware to 2.0.1.1. After I told them my concern over the firmware upgrade, they stopped talking to me.
Among other problems associated with this class of Netgear device is overheating, and there are quite a few people who have modified their wireless routers by putting more holes in the case and adding fans to them. While I have had some heat-related issues, in my opinion they are due more to location than anything else (in the hotbox garage from heck or in an alcove above the computer tower).
I am running this router as an extension of the network controlled by my firewall appliance, so once I made the numerous changes to the settings, I saved them using the Backup Settings option in the router settings page.
One thing to keep in mind when dealing with complex networks like mine—when you change the IP address of the router, you will have to reconnect to it using the new IP. Proxy settings in your browser can also cause some consternation during the setup process.
