CUSTOMISING WIFI ON A FIBRE MODEM - TG587n V3

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1 CUSTOMISING WIFI ON A FIBRE MODEM - TG587n V3 The field trial modems are not the final customer boxed units so do not have the WiFi SSID and Password preconfigured or readily accessible. The following steps allow a field trialist to customise their WiFi SSID and Password to set up a WiFi network. By default, your WiFi will be switched on. WiFi can be turned on and off manually by pressing the WiFi on/off button on the front of the modem. If the WiFi button LED is green, then WiFi is on. Alternatively, field trialists can use the modems WPS (WiFi Protected Set-Up) functionality buy connecting to products that support WPS. Such products are typically Windows XP (or newer) computers, Android 2.3 (or newer) mobile phones and tablets, as well as some printers, scanners and WiFi peripherals. Refer to Section 9.2 of the Quick Install Guide for WPS instructions.

2 Steps to customise your WiFi SSID and Password 1. Open a web browser such as Internet Explorer (on a PC) of Safari (on an Apple Mac). 2. In the address bar type and press GO or hit the ENTER key. 3. You will be presented with the modems main user interface (UI). 4. Click on the WIRELESS link towards the bottom of the UI.

3 5. This screen is an overview of your wireless configuration. To customise your SSID and password, click on the CONFIGURE link.

4 6. You are presented with the customisation area for WiFi. 7. In the NETWORK NAME (SSID) field, enter your customised name for your WiFi network (this will appear on WiFi enabled devices when they search) In this example the SSID is changed to my.home.wifi (don t use spaces in your SSID) 8. In the WPA-PSK ENCRYPTION KEY field, enter your customised WiFi network password. A mix of at least 8 alpha-numeric characters is recommended to provide a solid level of security. In this example the password is changed to Hand$0ffmyw!f! 9. When complete, click APPLY.

5 Generating a Customised QR Code 1. If you want a QR code for your customised WiFi settings, click on the GENERATE QR CODE IMAGE link at the bottom of the page, otherwise exit the UI. 2. A QR code image based on your SSID / Password is generated and can be printed, scanned or copied.

6 Stopping WiFi Powering Down This modem supports ECO / low power consumption compliance. This means if there are no WiFi devices connected (active), the modem powers down the WiFi automatically. It wakes up every 10 seconds to check for clients wanting to connect. If not, it goes back to sleep for 10 more seconds. Many devices connecting via WiFi turn off WiFi to save power at some point. Some devices have trouble reconnecting when waking up. If you experience such problems, un-tick the Power Reduction Enabled setting. The modem maintains WiFi at full power, even when there are no clients around, or if the client goes to sleep while connected. This setting naturally consumes more power. 1. To disable WiFi power saving, take a tick out of the Power Reduction Enabled box and click Apply.

7 Changing WiFi Channel to Avoid Interference 1. Customers in high density housing or surrounded by a lot of WiFi networks often find their WiFi performance is negatively impacted. By default, the modem constantly scans the WiFi spectrum looking for clear air. A solution is to find a clear channel and manually change your WiFi to operate in clearer spectrum. 2. To change channel, on Channel Selection change it to MANUAL. The screen will refresh and below there will be a Channel drop down menu. This will give you the option to set the channel from 1 to 13. Recommended channels are 1, 2, 6, 10 or 11. Do not use channels 12 or 13 as many devices from the United States, such as Apple products and Xbox, do not operate on them. Mapping your Home to find the Perfect Channel If you have an Android O/S 2.3 or higher mobile phone, there is a useful utility app called WIFI ANALYZER by FARPROC. You can find it in the Google Play Store/Market and it is free. The key functions include: Channel analyzer (so you can see which channels are clear) Channel strength graph (a graphical method of displaying the information above) Signal meter (so you can walk around the home and find dead-spots using a Geiger counter style feedback) It allows you to map signal strength in each room and measure what changes occur when you adjust channel settings or location of the modem. You can use the channel analyzer function to see which channels have less interference and manually change your modem/router channel to the clear air.

8 Tips to Improve WiFi Performance WiFi signal strength and range is dependent on physical and environmental factors outside of Telecom s control. The following tips will help you optimise your WiFi signal: Imagine WiFi as a spherical bubble around your modem. The fewer obstacles and the higher up off the ground your modem is, the further your WiFi bubble will reach. Dense obstacles such as walls, floors, ceilings, hot water cylinders, aquariums etc. limit WiFi performance and range. Do not place the modem near electronic devices such as microwave ovens, cordless phones or wireless transmitters such as baby monitors. Do not place the modem in an enclosed space such as a cupboard, under or behind a desk or large item of furniture. Where possible place your modem up high and in the centre of your home for better WiFi performance and coverage. To benefit from the speed offered by the n standard, it is recommended to connect using n wireless devices only. Connecting older b or g wireless devices may slow down the speed of your whole WiFi network. If you have WiFi coverage issues, you can purchase at your own expense, products such as WiFi range extenders.