Setup Router logo in white Setup router name logo in white
Get Software

Setup WiFi on the Netcomm 3G42W-MB

Thumbnail image of Setup Router Staff
Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 4 minutes

The Netcomm 3G42W-MB router is considered a wireless router because it offers WiFi connectivity. WiFi, or simply wireless, allows you to connect various devices to your router, such as wireless printers, smart televisions, and WiFi enabled smartphones.

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN!

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

Other Netcomm 3G42W-MB Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Netcomm 3G42W-MB. We also have the following guides for the same router:

WiFi Terms

Before we get started there is a little bit of background info that you should be familiar with.

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

NordVPN faster than ever deal!

You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.

Wireless Name

Your wireless network needs to have a name to uniquely identify it from other wireless networks. If you are not sure what this means we have a guide explaining what a wireless name is that you can read for more information.

Wireless Password

An important part of securing your wireless network is choosing a strong password.

Wireless Channel

Picking a WiFi channel is not always a simple task. Be sure to read about WiFi channels before making the choice.

Encryption

You should almost definitely pick WPA2 for your networks encryption. If you are unsure, be sure to read our WEP vs WPA guide first.

Login To The Netcomm 3G42W-MB

To get started configuring the Netcomm 3G42W-MB WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Netcomm 3G42W-MB, follow our Netcomm 3G42W-MB Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Netcomm 3G42W-MB

If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.

router status mac address internet IP
This is the status page from your Netcomm 3G42W-MB router.

You begin on the Basic > Home page of the NetComm 3G42W-MB router. To configure the WiFi settings, click the option at the top of the page labeled WIFI. Then in the box that appears, click Setup.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Netcomm 3G42W-MB

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Netcomm 3G42W-MB router.

This brings you to the page you see here. Find the box titled SSID. This is the name you create in order to identify your network. While it really doesn't matter what you enter here we recommend staying away from personal information. Click this link to learn more about the SSID.

Once this is done, click the Apply/Save button.

Now click WIFI at the top of the page once more and choose the option of Configuration in the blue menu that appears.

router Wi-Fi channel ssid mode
This is the wifi channel page from your Netcomm 3G42W-MB router.

There are a lot of different setting on this page. The only one we are interested in right now is called the Channel. If you have neighbors there is a possibility your channels are interfering with each other. Partially overlapping channels cause a great deal of interference. However if you completely share a channel there is not nearly as much interference due to channel sharing software built into routers. There is only room in the channel spectrum for up to three channels that don't overlap at all. We recommend that everyone use one of these three channels, they are channels 1,6, and 11. Click this link to learn more about your WiFi channels.

Click Apply/Save if you made any changes on this page.

Go back to the top of the page and open the WIFI menu. Choose the option of Security.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Netcomm 3G42W-MB router.

The upper half of this page is dealing with WPS. We don't recommend the use of WPS, as it is an easy way in for a network intruder. Disable all the WPS options on this page. Click this link to learn more about WPS.

Scroll down this page until you come to the heading of Manual Setup AP. Use the first drop down list under this heading called Select SSID to choose the SSID or network name you just created.

Under that is the Network Authentication. This is the security you will be using for your local internet. We recommend WPA2-PSK. Find out why in our WEP vs. WPA guide.

Now locate the box titled WPA Pre-Shared Key. This is the internet password. It is also used with the encryption so it really should be strong. Our recommendation is to use a minimum of 14-20 characters and at least one number, symbol, and capital letter. Click this link to learn more password strengthening ideas.

The last setting that can be changed on this page is called WPA Encryption. The best encryption for home networks is AES.

That's it, you have made your network more secure. Don't forget to click the Apply/Save button before you exit.

Possible Problems when Changing your WiFi Settings

After making these changes to your router you will almost definitely have to reconnect any previously connected devices. This is usually done at the device itself and not at your computer.

Other Netcomm 3G42W-MB Info

Don't forget about our other Netcomm 3G42W-MB info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Netcomm 3G42W-MB. We also have the following guides for the same router: