NetComm NF20 Wireless Security User Guide

Wireless Security Setup Guide
NF20 / NF20MESH

Wireless Security Overview

To guard your home network against the attack and prevent unauthorized access, it is very important that you secure it with the correct authentication type, encryption, and strong secure password. By default, NL19MESH has a secure authentication type, encryption, and randomly generated unique secure password however you can update it to a more secure password or change authentication type or encryption method based on your wireless clients.
If you are planning to change the Wi-Fi network name, password, authentication type, or encryption it is recommended to keep it the same for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band. This will allow the wireless clients to auto-select a suitable band for optimum MESH performance.

Changing the wireless password

1. Connect your device to the Gateway using a wired or wireless connection.
   Important – A computer connected using an Ethernet cable is strongly recommended.

2. Open a web browser (such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox), type the following address into the address bar, and press Enter.
   http://192.168.20.1

3. Enter Gateway Login Username and Password printed on the label at the bottom of Gateway and press Login.

Note –
If no authentication prompt is displayed or you see a request time-out message, refer to “NF20-NF20MESH Connect to Gateway Web Interface Guide” from the FAQs section.

Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/WiFi 5GHz

The gateway allows you to maintain separate wireless settings for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless services.
1 Select the service you want to use (or both) and separately configure them:

1.   Important –
   It is recommended that you use the same Wi-Fi Network Name (SSID) and password for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, allowing clients to choose the more suitable band automatically.

Wireless – Basic (Change SSID)

1. Navigate to Wi-Fi > 2.4 GHz/5 GHz > Basic.
2. Confirm that Enable Wireless and Broadcast SSID are Enabled.

3 Delete the old Wi-Fi Network Name (SSID), in this example the old Wi-Fi network name/SSID is NetComm 8386, and enter a new SSID.
4 Press the Apply button.

Wireless – Security

Selecting a wireless security type:
We highly recommend that you do not change the Network authentication type.
Use the default “WPA2-PSK” authentication type because it is the most secure one. Changing it to another type such as WEP will compromise the security of the gateway.
Selecting a wireless security key:
We do not recommend changing the wireless security key from the default setting. It is randomly generated, reasonably secure, and unique to each unit. Your client devices will still have the same password even if the Gateway is reset to factory default settings. If you want to change it to a more secure password, add numbers and special characters along with upper-case and lower- case characters. Generally speaking, the longer the password, the more secure it is. To change the Wi-Fi security key, navigate to Wi-Fi >  .4GHz/5GHz > Security. Delete all the dots (encrypted password) in the WPA passphrase text entry field. Enter a new password, click the Click here to display button to verify the password, and click Apply button.

Connecting to your Wireless Network

Use your client device to scan for the network name, select the new Wi-Fi network name/SSID (For example:
NetComm 8386) and enter the new Wi-Fi password to join the network.
Windows 10
The following is an example of connecting to the Wi-Fi network using Windows 10.

1. Click the wireless symbol in the bottom right corner of the device. A list of detected networks within range of your computer is displayed. Select your Wi-Fi network name (In this example, it is “NetComm 8386”) and click Connect.
2. Enter the WiFi Network security key/password and click the Next button.
3. Your computer connects to the Wi-Fi network.

If you are facing difficulty connecting the Wi-Fi network name, refer to NF20-NF20MESH Connect to Gateway Web Interface Guide from the FAQs section.

Apple iPhone

The following is an example of connecting to the Wi-Fi network using an Apple iPhone. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings and tap “Wi-Fi”.
When Wi-Fi is turned on, your phone scans for available nearby networks. Tap your Wi-Fi network name/SSID [1] (in this example, it is “NetComm 8386”), enter the Wi-Fi password [2] and press Join [2].

If you are facing difficulty connecting the Wi-Fi network name, refer to NF20-NF20MESH Connect to Gateway Web Interface Guide from the FAQs section.

Android

The following is an example of connecting to the Wi-Fi network using an Android phone. On your Android phone, navigate to Settings > Connections, and tap Wi-Fi.
When Wi-Fi is turned ON [1], your phone scans for available nearby networks.
Tap your Wi-Fi network name/SSID [2] (in this example, it is “NetComm 8386”), enter the Wi-Fi password [3], select Auto-reconnect [3], and then select Connect [4].

The word Connected will appear under your Wi-Fi network name/SSID [4] when the connection is successful. If you are facing difficulty connecting the Wi-Fi network name, refer to NF20-NF20MESH Connect to Gateway Web Interface Guide from the FAQs section.

macOS

1. Click on the Airport/Wi-Fi icon at the top right corner of the screen as shown below.

2. Click Turn Wi-Fi On.
   Note – If you cannot see an Airport icon, your wireless adapter may not be installed or inserted correctly. Please refer to your Mac user guide before continuing with the steps in this guide.

3. A list of Wi-Fi networks including your WiFi network name/SSID is displayed (in this example, it is “NetComm 8386”).

4 Click your WiFi network name/SSID to connect to this network.
5 Enter your WiFi security key/Password and click the Join button to connect to the Wi-Fi network.

If you enter an incorrect Wi-Fi security key, a message will appear, and you will be prompted to enter the correct key again.
6 The Airport icon will now have black lines to indicate signal strength. To see if the computer is connected, click on the Airport icon again. Your Wi-Fi network has a tick next to its name.

The wireless network configuration is complete and you can now use the Internet. You can disconnect the Ethernet cable if you wish.

NF20 / NF20MESH – Wireless Security Setup Guide
FA01370 v. 1.0 August 2021

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