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User Manual Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P NETGEAR, Inc. February 2019 350 E. Plumeria Drive 202-11946-01 San Jose, CA 95134, USA...
Contents Chapter 1 Hardware Setup Unpack Your Router................10 Extend the Antennas................10 LEDs and Buttons on the Top Panel..........11 Rear Panel....................12 Router Label..................13 Position the Router................13 Cable Your Router................15 Chapter 2 Connect to the Network and Access the Router Connect to the Network..............17 Wired Connection................17 WiFi Connection................17 WiFi Connection Using WPS............17...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Manage the MTU Size................38 MTU Concepts................38 Change the MTU Size..............40 Chapter 4 Control Access to the Internet Enable Circle With Disney..............42 Enable Circle With Disney On Your Router........43 Enable Circle With Disney Using the Circle App......44 Allow or Block Access to Your Network..........44...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Use the WiFi On/Off Button............78 Enable or Disable the WiFi Radios..........78 Set Up a WiFi Schedule..............79 Specify WPS Settings................79 Set Up the Router as a WiFi Access Point........80 Set Up the Router in Bridge Mode...........82 Set Up a Bridge for a Port Group or VLAN Tag Group....83...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Use the Reset Button..............110 Erase the Settings................110 Chapter 8 Share USB Storage Devices Attached to the Router USB Device Requirements..............113 Connect a USB Storage Device to the Router......113 Access a Storage Device Connected to the Router From a Windows-Based Computer.............114...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Install OpenVPN Software on Your Mac Computer....141 Install OpenVPN Software on an iOS Device......142 Install OpenVPN Software on an Android Device....142 Use a VPN Tunnel on Your Windows Computer......143 Use VPN to Access the Router’s USB Device and Media....145 Use VPN to Access Your Internet Service at Home......145...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Test the Path From a Windows-Based Computer to a Remote Device....................166 Chapter 14 Supplemental Information Factory Settings................169 Technical Specifications..............172...
• Extend the Antennas • LEDs and Buttons on the Top Panel • Rear Panel • Router Label • Position the Router • Cable Your Router For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit the support website at netgear.com/support.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Unpack Your Router Your package contains the router, the power adapter, and an Ethernet cable. Figure 1. Package contents Extend the Antennas Position the antennas for the best WiFi performance. To extend the antennas: Position all of the antennas vertically as shown.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P LEDs and Buttons on the Top Panel The status LEDs and buttons are located on the top of the router. Table 1. LED and button descriptions LEDs and Buttons Descriptions Power Solid amber. The router is starting.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Table 1. LED and button descriptions (Continued) LEDs and Buttons Descriptions WiFi On/Off Pressing this button for two seconds turns the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi radios on and off. button with LED If this LED is solid white, the WiFi radios are on.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • Internet port. One Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 WAN port to connect the router to an Internet modem such as a cable modem or DSL modem. • USB port. Use the USB 3.0 port to connect the router to a USB storage device.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Position the router according to the following guidelines: • Place the router near the center of the area where your computers and other devices operate and within line of sight to your WiFi devices.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Cable Your Router The following image shows how to cable your router: Figure 4. Cable your Router To cable your router: 1. Unplug your modem’s power, leaving the modem connected to the wall jack for your Internet service.
Connect to the Network and Access the Router You can connect to the router’s WiFi networks or use a wired Ethernet connection. This chapter explains the ways you can connect and how to access the router and log in. The chapter contains the following sections: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Connect to the Network You can connect to the router’s network through a wired or WiFi connection. If you set up your computer to use a static IP address, change the settings so that it uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 4. Within two minutes, on your WPS-enabled device, press its WPS button or follow its instructions for WPS connections. Your WPS-enabled device connects to the WiFi network. Types of Logins Separate types of logins serve different purposes. It is important that you understand the difference so that you know which login to use when.
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4. Follow the onscreen instructions. The router connects to the Internet. 5. If the browser does not display the NETGEAR installation assistant, do the following: • Make sure that the computer is connected to one of the LAN Ethernet ports or over WiFi to the router.
With the Nighthawk app, you can easily install and manage your router. The app automatically updates the router to the latest firmware, allows you to personalize your WiFi network, and even helps register your router with NETGEAR. The Nighthawk app is available for iOS and Android mobile devices.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Your router’s WiFi network name (SSID) and network key (password) are on the router label. 3. Launch the Nighthawk app on your mobile device. 4. Follow the instructions that display on the app to install your router and connect to the Internet.
Specify Your Internet Settings Usually, the quickest way to set up the router to use your Internet connection is to allow your router to detect the Internet connection when you first access the router with a web browser. You can also customize or specify your Internet settings. This chapter contains the following sections: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Use the Internet Setup Wizard You can use the Setup Wizard to detect your Internet settings and automatically set up your router. The Setup Wizard is not the same as the pages that display the first time you connect to your router to set it up.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 3. Enter the router admin user name and password. The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 12. Click the Test button to test your Internet connection. If the NETGEAR website does not display within one minute, see You Cannot Access the Internet on page 162. Specify an Internet Connection That Uses a Login To view or change the basic Internet setup: 1.
15. Click the Apply button. Your settings are saved. 16. Click the Test button to test your Internet connection. If the NETGEAR website does not display within one minute, see You Cannot Access the Internet on page 162. Specify IPv6 Internet Connections You can set up an IPv6 Internet connection if the router does not detect it automatically.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 4. Select ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > IPv6. The IPv6 page displays. 5. From the Internet Connection Type menu, select the IPv6 connection type: • If you are not sure, select Auto Detect so that the router detects the IPv6 type that is in use.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The page adjusts. The router automatically detects the information in the following fields: • Connection Type. This field indicates the connection type that is detected. • Router’s IPv6 Address on WAN. This field shows the IPv6 address that is acquired for the router’s WAN (or Internet) interface.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To set up an IPv6 Internet connection by using a 6to4 tunnel: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • Secured. In secured mode, which is the default mode, the router inspects both TCP and UDP packets. • Open. In open mode, the router inspects UDP packets only. 10. Click the Apply button.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 3. Enter the router admin user name and password. The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • Secured. In secured mode, which is the default mode, the router inspects both TCP and UDP packets. • Open. In open mode, the router inspects UDP packets only. 10. Click the Apply button.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 7. (Optional) In the Domain Name (If Required) field, enter a domain name. You can type the domain name of your IPv6 ISP. Do not enter the domain name for the IPv4 ISP here. For example, if your ISP’s mail server is mail.xxx.yyy.zzz, type xxx.yyy.zzz as the domain name.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 4. Select ADVANCED > Advanced Setup > IPv6. The IPv6 page displays. 5. From the Internet Connection Type menu, select PPPoE. The page adjusts. The router automatically detects the information in the following fields: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 10. (Optional) Select the Use This Interface ID check box and specify the interface ID to be used for the IPv6 address of the router’s LAN interface. If you do not specify an ID here, the router generates one automatically from its MAC address.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P prefix, which is also indicated by the underline (_) under the IPv6 address. If no address is acquired, the field displays Not Available. 6. (Optional) In the DHCP User Class (If Required) field, enter a host name.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P mechanism relies on an algorithmic mapping between the IPv6 and IPv4 addresses that are assigned for use within the service provider’s network. This mapping allows for automatic determination of IPv4 tunnel endpoints from IPv6 prefixes, allowing stateless operation of 6rd.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • Get Automatically from ISP. Your ISP uses DHCP to assign your DNS servers. Your ISP automatically assigns this address. • Use These DNS Servers. If you know that your ISP requires specific servers, select this option.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The best MTU setting for NETGEAR equipment is often the default value. In some situations, changing the value fixes one problem but causes another. Leave the MTU unchanged unless one of these situations occurs: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Table 2. Common MTU sizes (Continued) Application 1458 Used in PPPoA environments. 1436 Used in PPTP environments or with VPN. Change the MTU Size To change the MTU size: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network.
Control Access to the Internet The router comes with a built-in firewall that helps protect your home network from unwanted intrusions from the Internet. This chapter includes the following sections: • Enable Circle With Disney • Allow or Block Access to Your Network •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Enable Circle With Disney Circle with Disney is a parental control technology that helps you monitor your children’s devices that are connected to your network. You can enable Circle using your router web interface or you can enable Circle using the Circle app.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Enable Circle With Disney On Your Router You can enable Circle using the router web interface, but you must use the Circle app to finish setting up your Circle account. Before enabling Circle, make sure that your router is running the latest firmware and that your router is in router mode.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 13. Enter the code that was sent to your cell phone. The Circle app verifies the code. 14. Tap the AWESOME button. 15. Select a subscription plan and follow the onscreen instructions to set up your preferences.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The Access Control page displays. 5. Select the Turn on Access Control check box. You must select this check box before you can specify an access rule and use the Allow and Block buttons. When this check box is cleared, all devices are allowed to connect, even if a device is in the blocked list.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 3. Enter the router admin user name and password. The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Block Services From the Internet You can block Internet services on your network based on the type of service. You can block the services all the time or based on a schedule.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 9. Select a filtering option: • Only This IP Address. Block services for a single computer. • IP Address Range. Block services for a range of computers with consecutive IP addresses on your network.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To specify a trusted computer: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router admin user name and password.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. Click the View list of allowed devices not currently connected to the network link. The list displays. 7. Select the check box for a device. 8. Use the Add button, Edit button, and Remove from the list button as needed.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up Security Event Email Notifications The router can email you its logs of router activity. The log records router activity and security events such as attempts to access blocked sites or services.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 10. To send alerts when someone attempts to visit a blocked site, select the Send Alerts Immediately check box. Email alerts are sent immediately when someone attempts to visit a blocked site.
Optimize Performance You can set up the router to optimize performance for applications such as Internet gaming, high-definition video streaming, and VoIP communication. By default, the router uses Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service (WMM QoS). This chapter contains the following sections: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Use Dynamic QoS to Optimize Internet Traffic Management Dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) helps improve your router’s Internet traffic management capabilities through better application and device identification, bandwidth allocation, and traffic prioritization techniques. Dynamic QoS resolves traffic congestion when the Internet bandwidth is limited and different demands compete for bandwidth.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • I want to define my Internet Bandwidth. If you know what your download and upload speed are, select this radio button and enter your download and upload speeds in the fields.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To manually update the Dynamic QoS database: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router user name and password.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 5. Select the Help improve the Dynamic QoS feature by sharing analytics with NETGEAR check box. 6. Click the Apply button. Your settings are saved. Improve Network Connections With Universal Plug and Play Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) helps devices such as Internet appliances and computers access the network and connect to other devices as needed.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P at the expense of more network traffic. Longer durations can compromise the freshness of the device status but can significantly reduce network traffic. 7. Type the advertisement time to live in hops.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive. The BASIC Home page displays.
Manage Network Settings The router comes ready for WiFi, Ethernet, and USB connections. You can customize the router’s network settings. We recommend that you install the router and connect it to the Internet before you change its network settings. This chapter includes the following sections: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P View or Change WAN Settings You can view or configure wide area network (WAN) settings for the Internet port. You can set up a DMZ (demilitarized zone) server, change the maximum transmit unit (MTU) size, and enable the router to respond to a ping to its WAN (Internet) port.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • Disable IGMP Proxying. IGMP proxying allows a computer on the local area network (LAN) to receive the multicast traffic it is interested in from the Internet. If you do not need this feature, you can select this check box to disable it.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 5. Select the Default DMZ Server check box. 6. Type the IP address. 7. Click the Apply button. Your settings are saved. Change the Router’s Device Name The router’s default device name is based on its model number. This device name displays in the file manager when you browse your network.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P These addresses are part of the designated private address range for use in private networks and are suitable for most applications. If your network requires a different IP addressing scheme, you can change these settings.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • RIP-2. This format carries more information. Both RIP-2B and RIP-2M send the routing data in RIP-2 format. RIP-2B uses subnet broadcasting. RIP-2M uses multicasting. 8. Click the Apply button. Your settings are saved.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. Specify the range of IP addresses that the router assigns: a. In the Starting IP Address field, type the lowest number in the range. This IP address must be in the same subnet as the router.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The LAN Setup page displays. 5. Clear the Use Router as DHCP Server check box. 6. Click the Apply button. Your settings are saved. 7. (Optional) If this service is disabled and no other DHCP server is on your network, set your computer IP addresses manually so that the computers can access the router.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 8. Click the Apply button. The reserved address is entered into the table. The reserved address is not assigned until the next time the computer contacts the router’s DHCP server. Reboot the computer, or access its IP configuration and force a DHCP release and renew.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive. The BASIC Home page displays.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The WPS process automatically sets up yourr WPS-enabled device with the network password when it connects. The router WPS page displays a confirmation message. Specify Basic WiFi Settings The router comes with preset security. This means that the WiFi network name (SSID), network key (password), and security option (encryption protocol) are preset in the factory.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P When this check box is selected, the router broadcasts its network name (SSID) so that it displays when you scan for local WiFi networks on your computer or mobile device. 7. To change the network name (SSID), type a new name in the Name (SSID) field.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To change the WiFi Mbps settings: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router admin user name and password.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 7. For the 5GHz-2 WiFi band, select a setting from the Mode menu: • Up to 360 Mbps. Legacy mode. This mode allows 802.11ac, 802.11n, and 802.11a devices to join the selected WiFi network in the 5 GHz band of the network but limits 802.11ac and 802.11n devices to functioning at up to 360...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 5. In the Wireless Network (2.4 GHz b/g/n) section, select a percentage from the Transmit Power Control menu. 6. In the Wireless Network (5 GHz a/n/ac) section, select a percentage from the Transmit Power Control menu.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. To change the WiFi security for the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz WiFi network, select a Security Options radio button. • None. An open WiFi network that does not provide any security. Any WiFi device can join the WiFi network.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P By default, these networks are configured as open networks without security but are disabled. You can enable one or both networks. You can also change the SSIDs for these networks. To set up a guest network: 1.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • WPA2-PSK [AES]. WPA2 provides a secure and fast connection but some older WiFi devices do not detect WPA2 and support only WPA. Select WPA2-PSK [AES] security to allow 802.11n devices to connect to the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz guest WiFi network at the fastest speed.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P the router, it might be easier to press its WiFi On/Off button. If you are away from the router or already logged in, it might be easier to enable or disable them.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up a WiFi Schedule You can turn off the WiFi signal from your router at times when you do not need a WiFi connection. For example, you might turn it off for the weekend if you leave town.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To specify WPS settings: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router admin user name and password.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To set up the router as an AP: 1. Use an Ethernet cable to connect the Internet port of this router to an Ethernet port in the other router. 2. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the network.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up the Router in Bridge Mode You can use your router in bridge mode to connect multiple devices wirelessly at the faster 802.11ac speed. You need two routers: one set up as a router and the other set up as a bridge.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The Wireless Settings window opens. 8. Specify the settings of the other router to which this router will connect: a. Select the wireless network frequency (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz). For 802.11ac mode, select 5 GHz.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To configure a port group and enable the bridge: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P packets that are sent between the IPTV device and the router’s Internet port from being processed through the router’s network address translation (NAT) service. You can add VLAN tag groups to a bridge and assign VLAN IDs and priority values to each VLAN tag group.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P (Continued) Field Description Priority Enter a value from 0 to 7. Select the check box for a wired LAN port or WiFi port. If your device is connected to an Ethernet port on the router, select the LAN port check box that corresponds to the Ethernet port on the router to which the device is connected.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • The Gateway IP Address field specifies that all traffic for these addresses will be forwarded to the ISDN router at 192.168.1.100. • A metric value of 1 works because the ISDN router is on the LAN.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P • Gateway IP Address. Enter the IP address of the gateway. The IP address of the gateway must be on the same LAN segment as the router. • Metric. Enter a number from 1 through 15.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Delete a Static Route To delete a static route: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To set up Ethernet port aggregation: 1. Set up Ethernet port aggregation on your device before connecting it to your router. Note: If your device supports a static link aggregation group (LAG) only, you must enable static LAG before you connect your device to Ethernet ports 1 and 2 on the router.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Your settings are saved. View or Change the Router Ethernet Port Aggregation Mode To view or change your router's Ethernet port aggregation mode: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up WAN Aggregation to Get Multi-Gig Internet To get multi-gig Internet with your router, you can set up Internet port aggregation (or WAN aggregation) by aggregating the Internet port and Ethernet port 1 on the router.
Manage Your Router This chapter describes the router settings for administering and maintaining your router and home network. The chapter includes the following sections: • Update the Router Firmware • Change the admin Password • Enable admin Password Recovery • Recover the admin Password •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Update the Router Firmware You can log in to the router and check if new firmware is available, or you can manually load a specific firmware version to your router. Check for New Firmware and Update the Router The router firmware (routing software) is stored in flash memory.
To manually upload a firmware file to your router: 1. Download the firmware for your router from the NETGEAR Download Center, save it to your desktop, and unzip the file if needed. Note: The correct firmware file uses an extension.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Change the admin Password You can change the default password that is used to log in to the router with the user name admin. This password is not the one that you use for WiFi access.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To enable password recovery: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router admin user name and password.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. Enter the saved answers to your security questions. 7. Click the Continue button. A window opens and displays your recovered password. 8. Click the Login again button. A login window opens.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Display Internet Port Statistics To display Internet port statistics: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. To change the polling frequency, enter a time in seconds in the Poll Interval field and click the Set Interval button. To stop the polling entirely, click the Stop button. Check the Internet Connection Status To check the Internet connection status: 1.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 8. To exit the screen, click the Close Window button. View and Manage Logs of Router Activity The log is a detailed record of the websites you accessed or attempted to access and other router actions.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P View Devices Currently on the Network You can view all computers or devices that are currently connected to your network. To view devices on the network: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 3. Enter the router admin user name and password. The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 12. To display more information about the data traffic on your router and to change the poll interval, click the Traffic Status button. Manage the Router Configuration File The configuration settings of the router are stored within the router in a configuration file.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 3. Enter the router user name and password. The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Remote Access You can access your router over the Internet to view or change its settings. You must know the router’s WAN IP address to use this feature. Note: Be sure to change the password for the user name admin to a secure password.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 7. Specify the port number for accessing the router web interface. Normal web browser access uses the standard HTTP service port 80. For greater security, enter a custom port number for the remote router web interface. Choose a number from 1024 to 65535, but do not use the number of any common service port.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Disable LED Blinking or Turn Off LEDs The LEDs on the top panel of the router indicate activities and behavior. You can disable LED blinking for network communications, or turn off all LEDs except the Power LED.
Your settings are saved. Change the NTP Server By default, the router uses the NETGEAR NTP server to sync the network time. You can change the NTP server to your preferred NTP server. To change the NTP server to your preferred NTP server: 1.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Return the Router to Its Factory Default Settings Under some circumstances (for example, if you lost track of the changes that you made to the router settings or you move the router to a different network), you might want to erase the configuration and reset the router to factory default settings.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To erase the settings: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router user name and password.
• Add a Network Folder on a USB Storage Device • Edit a Network Folder on a USB Storage Device • Manage the ReadyDLNA Media Server • Safely Remove a USB Storage Device For more information about ReadySHARE features, visit netgear.com/readyshare.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P USB Device Requirements The router works with most USB-compliant external flash and hard drives. For the most up-to-date list of USB devices that the router supports, visit kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18985/~/readyshare-usb-drives-compatibility-list. Some USB external hard drives and flash drives require you to load the drivers onto the computer before the computer can access the USB storage device.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Access a Storage Device Connected to the Router From a Windows-Based Computer To access the USB storage device from a Windows-based computer: 1. Connect a USB storage device to a USB port on your router.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. Right-click the USB device and select Map network drive. The Map Network Drive window opens. 7. Select the drive letter to map to the new network folder. 8. Click the Finish button.
By default, the USB storage device is available to all computers on your local area network (LAN). 3. Download ReadySHARE Vault from netgear.com/readyshare and install it on each Windows-based computer. 4. Launch ReadySHARE Vault.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To enable FTP access within your network: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 5. Scroll down to the Available Networks Folder section and adjust the following settings: • Share Name. If only one USB device is connected, the default share name is USB_Storage. You can click the name or you can type it in the address field of your web browser.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P If a single device is attached to the USB port, the radio button is selected automatically. 6. Click the Create Network Folder button. The Add Folder window opens. If this window does not open, your web browser might be blocking pop-ups. If it is, change the browser settings to allow pop-ups.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive. The BASIC Home page displays.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Manage the ReadyDLNA Media Server By default, the router acts as a ReadyDLNA media server, which lets you view movies and photos on DLNA/UPnP AV-compliant media players, such as Xbox360, Playstation, and NETGEAR media players.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P The user name is admin. The password is the one that you specified the first time that you logged in. The user name and password are case-sensitive. The BASIC Home page displays.
Use Dynamic DNS to Access USB Storage Devices Through the Internet With Dynamic DNS, you can use the Internet to access USB devices attached to the router’s USB ports when you’re not home. This chapter includes the following sections: • Set Up and Manage Dynamic DNS •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up and Manage Dynamic DNS Internet service providers (ISPs) assign numbers called IP addresses to identify each Internet account. Most ISPs use dynamically assigned IP addresses. This means that the IP address can change at any time. You can use the IP address to access your network remotely, but most people don’t know what their IP addresses are or when this number...
With your customized free URL, you can use FTP to access your network when you aren’t home through Dynamic DNS. To set up your FTP server, you must register for a NETGEAR Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service account and specify the account settings. See Set Up a New Dynamic DNS Account on page 126.
12. Follow the onscreen instructions to register for your NETGEAR Dynamic DNS service. Specify a DNS Account That You Already Created If you already created a Dynamic DNS account with NETGEAR, No-IP, or Dyn, you can set up the router to use your account.
9. For a No-IP or Dyn account, in the User Name field, type the user name for your account. 10. For a NETGEAR account at No-IP, in the Email field, type the email address for your account. 11. In the Password (6-32 characters) field, type the password for your DDNS account.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To change your settings: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens. 3. Enter the router admin user name and password.
Remotely Access a USB Device Using ReadyCLOUD NETGEAR ReadyCLOUD for routers lets you remotely access files stored on a USB storage device that is connected to the router. Before you can use ReadyCLOUD, you must create a ReadyCLOUD account and register your router.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 4. Click the Create Account link. The Create a MyNETGEAR account page displays. 5. Complete the fields to set up your account, and click the Create button. You are now ready to register your router with your ReadyCLOUD account.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 8. After registration, visit readycloud.netgear.com. 9. Click the Sign In link, enter your ReadyCLOUD user name and password, and click the Sign In button. The ReadyCLOUD page displays the router that you registered and the contents of the USB storage device that is connected to the router.
You can share this USB printer among the Windows-based and Mac computers on your network. For more information about the features available in the NETGEAR USB Control Center, see the ReadySHARE Printer User Manual, which is available at http://downloadcenter.netgear.com.
You must install the ReadySHARE Printer utility on each computer that will share the printer. After you install it, the utility displays as NETGEAR USB Control Center on your computer. For more information about how to use the NETGEAR USB Control Center, visit https://www.netgear.com/support/product/ReadySHARE_USB_Printer.aspx.
USB printer and prints the document. If another computer is already connected to the printer, your print job goes into a queue to wait to be printed. 4. If your document does not print, use the NETGEAR USB Control Center to check the printer status.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 5. To release the printer so that all computers on the network can use it, click the Disconnect button. The status changes to Available. Now any computers on the network can use the printer.
Use VPN to Access Your Network You can use OpenVPN software to remotely access your router using virtual private networking (VPN). This chapter explains how to set up and use VPN access. The chapter includes the following sections: • Set Up a VPN Connection •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up a VPN Connection A virtual private network (VPN) lets you use the Internet to securely access your network when you aren’t home. This type of VPN access is called a client-to-gateway tunnel. The computer is the client, and the router is the gateway.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 6. To change the service type, scroll down and select the TCP radio button. 7. To change the port, scroll down to the Service Port field, and type the port number that you want to use.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 9. In the Windows Installer section of the page, double-click the openVPN-install-xxx.exe link. 10. Download and install the Open VPN software on your computer, click the openVPN-install-xxx.exe file. 11. Click the Next button.
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18. For a client device with Windows, modify the VPN interface name to NETGEAR-VPN: a. On your computer, go to the Networks page. If you are using Windows 10, select Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P c. Select the local area connection and change its name (not its device name) to NETGEAR-VPN. If you do not change the VPN interface name, the VPN tunnel connection will fail. For more information about using OpenVPN on your Windows computer, visit https://openvpn.net/index.php/open-source/documentation/howto.html#quick.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Install OpenVPN Software on an iOS Device You must install this software on each iOS device that you plan to use for VPN connections to your router. To install VPN client software on an iOS device: 1.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To install VPN client software on an Android device: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P established, you cannot access your home router or your home network with the OpenVPN software. The default LAN IP address scheme for the router is 192.x.x.x. The most common IP schemes are 192.x.x.x, 172.x.x.x, and 10.x.x.x. If you experience a conflict, change the IP scheme either for your home network or for the network with the client VPN computer.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Use VPN to Access the Router’s USB Device and Media To access a USB device and download files from you Windows-based computer using VPN: 1. On your Windows-based computer, open the Windows file manager and select Network.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Set Up VPN Client Internet Access in the Router By default, the router is set up to allow VPN connections only to your home network, but you can change the settings to allow Internet access. Accessing the Internet remotely through a VPN might be slower than accessing the Internet directly.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P To allow VPN clients to access only your home network: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 4. When the VPN connection is established, launch your Internet browser. Use VPN to Access Your Network User Manual...
Manage Port Forwarding and Port Triggering You can use port forwarding and port triggering to set up rules for Internet traffic. You need networking knowledge to set up these features. This chapter includes the following sections: • Manage Port Forwarding to a Local Server •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Manage Port Forwarding to a Local Server If your home network includes a server, you can allow certain types of incoming traffic to reach the server. For example, you might want to make a local web server, FTP server, or game server visible and available to the Internet.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P 11. Click the Add button. The service displays in the menu. Add a Custom Port Forwarding Service The router lists default services and applications that you can use in port forwarding rules. If the service or application is not predefined, you can add a port forwarding rule with a custom service or application.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P You can enter a port range and fixed ports in one rule, for example, external (30–50, 78, 100–102), internal (40–60, 99, 200–202). With this rule, external ports 30–50 are forwarded to internal ports 40–60.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Delete a Port Forwarding Entry To delete a port forwarding entry: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P How the Router Implements the Port Forwarding Rule The following sequence shows the effects of a port forwarding rule: 1. When you type the URL www.example.com in your browser, the browser sends a web page request message with the following destination information: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Note: If you use applications such as multiplayer gaming, peer-to-peer connections, real-time communications such as instant messaging, or remote assistance (a feature in Windows XP), enable Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). Add a Port Triggering Service To add a port triggering service: 1.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Enable Port Triggering To enable port triggering: 1. Launch a web browser from a computer or mobile device that is connected to the router network. 2. Enter http://www.routerlogin.net. A login window opens.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P you can tell the router, “When you initiate a session with destination port 6667, you must also allow incoming traffic on port 113 to reach the originating computer.” The following sequence shows the effects of this port triggering rule: 1.
Troubleshooting This chapter provides information to help you diagnose and solve problems you might experience with your router. If you do not find the solution here, check the NETGEAR support site at http://support.netgear.com for product and contact information. The chapter contains the following sections: •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Quick Tips This section describes tips for troubleshooting some common problems. Sequence to Restart Your Network If you must restart your network, follow this sequence: 1. Turn off and unplug the modem.
• Make sure that the power adapter is securely connected to your router and securely connected to a working power outlet. • Make sure that you are using the power adapter that NETGEAR supplied for this product. • If the Power LED blinks slowly and continuously, the router firmware is corrupted.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P If the error persists, a hardware problem might be the cause. Contact Technical Support at netgear.com/support. Internet or Ethernet Port LEDs Are Off If either the Ethernet port LEDs or the Internet LED does not light when the Ethernet connection is made, check the following: •...
Make sure that Caps Lock is off when you enter this information. • If you are attempting to set up your NETGEAR router as a replacement for an ADSL gateway in your network, the router cannot perform many gateway services. For example, the router cannot convert ADSL or cable data into Ethernet networking information.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P If your router is still unable to obtain an IP address from the ISP, the problem might be one of the following: Your Internet service provider (ISP) might require a login program. Ask your ISP whether they require •...
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Typically, your ISP provides the addresses of one or two DNS servers for your use. If you entered a DNS address during the router’s configuration, restart your computer. Alternatively, you can configure your computer manually with a DNS address, as explained in the documentation for your computer.
Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Note: Be sure to click the Apply button if you change settings. If your WiFi device finds your network but the signal strength is weak, check these conditions: • Is your router too far from your computer or too close? Place your computer near the router but at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) away and see whether the signal strength...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P If the path is not functioning correctly, one of the following problems might be occurring: Wrong physical connections • For a wired connection, make sure that the numbered LAN port LED is lit for the port to which you are connected.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P of a single computer connected to that modem. If your ISP does this, configure your router to “clone” or “spoof” the MAC address from the authorized computer. Troubleshooting User Manual...
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Supplemental Information This appendix includes technical information about your router. The appendix covers the following topics: • Factory Settings • Technical Specifications...
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Factory Settings You can reset the router to the factory default settings that are shown in the following table. For more information about resetting the router to its factory settings, see Return the Router to Its Factory Default Settings on page 110.
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Table 3. Router factory default settings (Continued) Feature Default Settings Firewall and WAN security Inbound (communications Disabled (except traffic on port 80, the HTTP port) coming in from the Internet) Outbound Enabled (all)
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Nighthawk X6S AC3600 Tri-Band WiFi Router Model R7960P Technical Specifications Table 4. Router specifications Feature Description Data and routing protocols TCP/IP, RIP-1, RIP-2, DHCP, PPPoE, PPTP, Bigpond, Dynamic DNS, UPnP, and SMB Power adapter North America: • 120V, 60 Hz, input •...
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† NETGEAR makes no express orimplied representations or warranties about this product’s compatibility with any future standards. 802.11ac 1300 Mbps is approximately 3x faster than 802.11n 450 Mbps. Up to 1300 Mbps wireless speeds achieved when connecting to other 802.11ac 1300 Mbps devices.