Netgear WAX218PA Installation Guide

NETGEAR, Inc.

350 East Plumeria Drive

San Jose, CA 95134, USA

© NETGEAR, Inc., NETGEAR and the NETGEAR

Logo are trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. Any

non‑NETGEAR trademarks are used for reference

purposes only.

June

2021

NETGEAR INTERNATIONAL LTD

Floor 1,

Building 3,

University Technology Centre

Curraheen Road, Cork,

T12EF21, Ireland

Installation Guide

WiFi 6 AX3600 Dual Band PoE+ Access Point

Model WAX218

Access Point Model WAX218

Mounting bracket with screw holes

for mounting to a solid ceiling or

15/16 in. (23.8 mm) T-bar

Package contents

Two screws and

anchors for ceiling

or wall mounting

Note:

As an option, you can power up your WAX218 by connecting it to a PoE+ switch.

Overview

1

5 GHz WLAN LED

2

2.4 GHz WLAN LED

3

LAN LED

4

Power LED

5

Reset button

6

LAN/PoE+ port

7

DC power connector

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

WAX218

Power adapter

(varies by region)

1.

Launch a web browser and enter

https://www.aplogin.net

(which is the same as

https://192.168.0.100) in the address field.

The login page for the setup process displays.

Your browser might display a security warning, which you can dismiss. For more

information, see

https://kb.netgear.com/000062980/

.

2.

Set a new local device password and, for the main SSID (WiFi network 1, which is

the only SSID enabled by default), assign an SSID name and a WiFi passphrase.

We recommend that you write down the password and passphrase.

3.

Accept NETGEAR’s terms and conditions.

4.

Click the

Apply

button.

Your settings are saved.

5.

Repeat Step 1 of these login steps to log in to the local browser UI using your new

local device password.

You can now view and manage the WAX218 configuration settings.

Step 3. Log in to the local browser UI

During installation and setup, the AP’s LEDs can light in these colors:

Power

Solid amber

. The AP is powered on.

LAN

Solid blue

. The LAN port detects a link with a powered‑on

device.

Blinking blue

. The LAN port is transmitting or receiving data.

2.4 GHz WLAN

Solid blue

. The 2.4 GHz radio is operating without clients.

Blinking blue

. The 2.4 GHz radio is transmitting or receiving

data.

5 GHz WLAN

Solid blue

. The 5 GHz radio is operating without clients.

Blinking blue

. The 5 GHz radio is transmitting or receiving data.

When you power up your new WAX218, the management WiFi network (SSID)

becomes active. We recommend that you use a WiFi‑enabled computer to connect to

the management SSID for set up.

Note:

For security reasons, the management SSID turns off when inactive for 15

minutes. If this happens during setup, press the

Reset

button for 20 seconds to reset

the device to default settings.

1.

On your WiFi-enabled computer (or other WiFi client device), open the software

utility that manages WiFi connections.

The utility scans for all WiFi networks in your area.

2.

Find and select your WAX218’s management SSID.

The default name of the management SSID is printed on the WAX218’s label.

The SSID uses the format “WAX218XXXXXX‑CONFIG‑ONLY,” where XXXXXX is

customized to every device (based on the last six digits of the MAC address).

3.

Enter the default password (network key) printed on the WAX218’s label.

Your WiFi‑enabled computer joins the WAX218’s management SSID.

Step 2. Join the management WiFi network

Sample connections

WAX218

2.5 Gbps PoE+ switch

Router

WiFi clients

Internet

Power up the WAX218 access point (AP) by connecting the LAN/PoE+ port to a PoE+

switch that supplies 802.3at (PoE+) power, or to a power adapter.

The WAX218 LAN/PoE+ port supports Ethernet speeds up to 2.5 Gbps. The following

figure shows a NETGEAR MS510TXPP switch, which supports speeds of 2.5 Gbps

and higher. However, if your Internet connection, modem, or switch support a speed

of 1 Gbps (which is a common speed), the access point LAN connection functions at

1 Gbps.

Before using your AP, we recommend that you update to the latest WAX218 firmware.

1.

On your WiFi‑enabled computer, open the software utility that manages WiFi

connections.

The utility scans for all WiFi networks in your area.

2.

Find and select your WAX218’s main SSID and type the WiFi passphrase.

You can now connect to the Internet.

Note:

If you cannot connect to the Internet, see the user manual at

netgear.com/support/download

for more information.

3.

Visit

netgear.com/support/download

and enter the model number to see if new

firmware is available for your device.

If new firmware is available, download the firmware file to your computer.

4.

Launch a web browser and enter

https://192.168.0.100

in the address field.

5.

Under System Manager, select

Firmware

to view the current firmware version.

6.

In the Firmware Upgrade section, click the

Choose File

button, and browse to the

firmware file on your computer.

7.

Click the

Upload

button. The page displays the upgrade progress.

WARNING:

To avoid corrupting the firmware, do not interrupt the upgrade. For

example, do not close the browser, click a link, or load a new page. Do not power

off the access point.

8.

When the upgrade finishes, reconnect to the main SSID.

The login page displays.

Your WAX218 is now ready for use.

Step 4. Connect to the Internet and update the

firmware

Step 1. Connect and power up the WAX218

This device must be professionally installed. It is the installer’s responsibility to follow

local country regulations including operations within legal frequency channels, output

power and DFS requirements. Vendor or Reseller or Distributor is not responsible for

illegal wireless operations. Please see Device’s Terms and Conditions for more details.

CAUTION:

Terms of Use

Netgear WAX218PA Installation Guide

Netgear WAX218PA Manual

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