NETGEAR A8000 Nighthawk A8000 WiFi 6/6E USB 3.0 Adapter User Manual

: June 9, 2024
: NETGEAR

Table of Contents

Get Started and Connect to a WiFi Network
Monitor and Maintain the Adapter
Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions
Troubleshooting
Factory Default Settings and Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

NETGEAR A8000 Nighthawk A8000 Wi Fi 6/6E USB 3.0 Adapter User Manual

Get Started and Connect to a WiFi Network

The NETGEAR A8000 WiFi 6E USB Adapter connects your notebook or desktop
computer over Wi Fi to an 11ax or other network for applications such as lag- free video streaming throughout your home, online gaming, and secure and reliable Internet connections.

This chapter describes how to set up and connect the A8000 WiFi 6E USB Adapter, in this manual referred to as the adapter, to a WiFi network. The chapter includes the following sections:

Copy or Download the A8000 Installation Program on page 5
Set Up and Install the Adapter on page 5
Join a WiFi Network on page 6

NOTE: For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the support website at support.netgear.com.

NOTE: You can register your A8000 with NETGEAR and receive notifications
with firmware updates. Firmware updates with new features and bug fixes are made available from time to time at downloadcenter.netgear.com.

Copy or Download the A8000 Installation Program

The adapter installation program is provided:

On the USB thumb drive included in the A8000 package.
On the NETGEAR download site.

To obtain the A8000 standalone adapter installation program:

Copy or download the installation program
a. Copy the installation program from the supplied USB thumb drive to your computer.

b. Visit https://www.netgear.com/A8000-download and download the latest software file.

Follow the steps in Set Up and Install the Adapter on page 5 to run the installation program

Set Up and Install the Adapter

Before you begin using your adapter, set up the adapter by running the installation program.

To install the Windows standalone adapter:

ake sure your computeris running an up-to-date version of Windows 10 or Windows 11. For more information about updating Windows, see Microsoft’s Update Windows support article.
Complete the steps described in Copy or Download the A8000 Installation Program on page 5 to download the latest software file for Windows.
Run the A8000 installation program:
a. To start extraction of the installation files, double-click on the file that was copied or downloaded and is namedA8000 Windows Installation Program V.xxxx, where xxxx is the version number.
b. Double-click on the file that was copied or downloaded and is named A8000 Windows Installation Program V.xxxx.exe where xxxx is the version number.
NOTE: If a User Account Control window appears that asks if you want to allow the app to make changes to your device, select Yes.
c. Follow the prompts to complete installation. When prompted, you can remove the USB thumb drive, and insert the Nighthawk® A8000 WiFi 6 & 6E USB 3.0 adapter into your computer’s USB port.
NOTE: The installation program gives you the option to disable other WiFi adapters. For best performance, we recommend that you disable other adapters
Click Finish to exit the installation wizard.

Join a WiFi Network

The adapter can join a known WiFi network by using the adapter standalone driver.

Install the adapter’s standalone driver.
Use the WiFi network settings on your computer to join a WiFi network (see Join a Network Using the Adapter Drive r on page 6).

Join a Network Using the Adapter Driver

This task describes how to join a WiFi network using the adapter.

NOTE: The adapter provides the best performance with a USB 3.0 port but is compatible with a USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port

To join a WiFi network:

Connect your adapter to your computer’s USB port with or without the desktop cradle.
a. With the desktop cradle, place the adapter into the desktop dock and connect the USB cable to the USB port on your computer.
NOTE: NETGEAR does not recommend that you use another cable to connect the adapterto the USB port on your computer. Use the desktop dock with the attached cable that is supplied in the package. Using another USB cable might affect the performance and correct functioning of the adapter.

NOTE: When the adapter is placed in the desktop dock, you can fold out the adapter to its maximum angle for increased WiFi performance.
b. Without the desktop cradle, insert the adapter into a USB port on your computer
Open the Wifi network settings on your computer by right-clicking the Wi Fi icon. ( ) or the No Internet Access icon ( ), which display in the lower right corner of your screen
(Windows 11 only) Click Manage Wi-Fi connections ( >), which is next to the WiFi icon.
Select your network’s name
Click Connect.
Enter the network security key (WiFi password).
Click Next. When you see the message “Connected, secured,” setup is complete.
Press the ESC key on the desktop to exit Wi Fi network settings.

Monitor and Maintain the Adapter

This chapter includes the following sections:

Upgrade the Adapter Software on page 10
Uninstall the Adapter Software on page 10

View the Connection Status and Details

You can check your network connection status in Windows.

To view connection status and details:

Select the Start button, then type Settings.
Select Settings > Network & internet.

Upgrade the Adapter Software

You can upgrade the Adapter software by downloading and running the latest Installation program.

If you have registered with NETGEAR on your A8000, then when there is a new versionrelease, NETGEAR will notify you that an update is available.

Uninstall the Adapter Software

You can uninstall the adapter:

From the Windows Settings interface.
By using the adapter Installation Program

To uninstall using Windows, select Start > Settings > Apps > Netgear A8000 WiFi 6 &6 E Adapter > Uninstall.
To uninstall using the A8000 Installation Program:
a. Double-click on the installation program.
b. Select Uninstall to remove the software.

Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions

This chapter covers the following topics:

Troubleshooting on page 12
Frequently Asked Questions on page 13

Troubleshooting

This section provides the following troubleshooting sections:

Adapter LED Is Not Lit on page 12
When I Connect to the Network, I Cannot Access Shared Resources Such as Printers on page 12
Adapter Lost Its IP Address on page 12

Adapter LED Is Not Lit

If the LED is not lit, use these troubleshooting tips:

Remove and reinsert the adapter.
Check the Windows device manager to see if the adapter is recognized and enabled. Reinstall the adapter software, if necessary.
Insert the adapter in a different USB port on your computer if one is available

When I Connect to the Network, I Cannot Access Shared Resources Such as Printers

Try these troubleshooting tips:

Make sure that the router or access point is physically connected to the Ethernet network.
Make sure that the IP addresses and the Windows networking settings are configured correctly.

Adapter Lost Its IP Address

The adapter might lose its IP address after you upgrade the adapter software but do not reboot your computer. Either restart your computer, or connect to a different router or access point.

Frequently Asked Questions

This section addresses the following frequently asked questions (FAQs):

Do USB Ports Go into Sleep Mode if No Traffic Is Going to or from the Port? on page 13
How Can I Improve the Speed of My WiFi Connection? on page 13
How Can I View the IP Address of the Adapter? on page 14

Do USB Ports Go into Sleep Mode if No Traffic Is Going to or from the Port?

USB devices go into sleep mode if a Windows USB feature called Selective Suspend is enabled, which it is by default. If your adapter or another USB device goes into Selective Suspend mode, the network disconnects. To prevent this type of network disconnection, disable Selective Suspend.

To disable Selective Suspend mode:

Select Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Edit Plan Settings > Change Advanced Power Settings > USB Settings .
Change the setting for Selective Suspend mode to Disabled.

How Can I Improve the Speed of My Wi Fi Connection?

The connection speed can vary depending on the type of USB port on your computer, the capacity of the router or access point for the Wi Fi network, and the type of Internet connection. The following limits might apply:

If the physical rate is limited to 54 Mbps, the adapter might be connected to an 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g network. If you want a faster physical rate, connect to an 802.11ac or 802.11n network, if available.
If the physical rate is limited to 54 Mbps, the network security might be WPA (TKIP). When WPA (TKIP) security mode is configured on the router or access point, WiFi regulations allow the adapter to connect at up to 54 Mbps only. For a faster connection, configure the security for the router or access point as WPA2 or WPA + WPA2 mixed WiFi security. The connection speed still depends on the WiFi capacity of the router or access point.
If your computer does not include a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port, the physical rate is limited to the 14 Mbps of the USB 1.1 legacy standard.

How Can I View the IP Address of the Adapter?

To check your Adapter IP Addres:

Select the Start button.
Select Settings.
Select Settings > Network > Internet > Properties.

Factory Default Settings and Technical Specifications

This appendix covers the following topics:

Factory Default Settings on page 16
Technical Specifications on page 16

Factory Default Settings

The following table lists the default settings of your adapter.

Table 1. Factory default settings

Default Settings

WiFi communication| Enabled
Country/region| United States (varies by region)
Operating mode| 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11a, 802.11g, or 802.11b
Data rate|

Up to 1200 Mbps with a WiFi router or access point that supports 802.11ax 6.0GHz
Up to 1200 Mbps with a WiFi router or access point that supports 802.11ax 5.0GHz
Up to 574 Mbps with a WiFi router or access point that supports 802.11ax 2.4GHz
Backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi

Technical Specifications

The following table provides technical specifications for the adapter.

Table 2. Technical specifications

Feature	Description
Antenna	Two dual-band dipole antennas
Standards	IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Radio data rate	Autosensing

Table 2. Technical specifications (Continued)

Feature	Description
Frequency

2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz CCK and OFDM modulation
5 GHz and 6GHz with OFDM, 802.11n MCS0-15, and 802.11ac MCS0-9 coding scheme

Encryption|

WPA2-PSK [AES]
WPA3
WPA-PSK [TKIP]
40-bit (also called 64-bit) WEP data encryption
128-bit WEP data encryption

Power| 5V USB supply
Bus interface| USB 3.0, compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1
Provided drivers|

Microsoft Windows 11
NOTE: For connecting to the 6GHz WiFi band, Microsoft Windows 11 is required. Microsoft Windows 10 only supports 2.4/5GHz.
Microsoft Windows 10

Dimensions| Adapter: 93.0 x 31.4 x 14.45 mm (3.66 x 1.24 x 0.57 in) Cradle: 63.14 x 44.67 x 35.19 mm (2.49 x 1.76 x 1.39 in)
Weight| Adapter: 28g (0.99oz); Cradle: 90g (3.17oz)
Operating temperature| 0–35°C (32–95°F)
Regulatory compliance (certification)| USA/FCC, EU/CE, UK/UKCA, Canada/ISED, Australia/RCM, New Zealand/RSM, Japan/TELEC and VCCI, Korea/KC, China/SRRC, Singapore/IMDA, Taiwan/NCC and BSMI, UAE/TDRA, Saudi Arabia/CIT

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