The Netgear CG4500BDv2 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.
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 Netgear CG4500BDv2 Guides
This is the wifi guide for the Netgear CG4500BDv2. 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.
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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 Netgear CG4500BDv2
To get started configuring the Netgear CG4500BDv2 WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.
To login to the Netgear CG4500BDv2, follow our Netgear CG4500BDv2 Login Guide.
Find the WiFi Settings on the Netgear CG4500BDv2
If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.
Beginning with the page you see above, click the option of Wireless. This is in the center of the page and in the left sidebar.
Change the WiFi Settings on the Netgear CG4500BDv2
You should now see a page like the one above. On this page we will discuss four settings:
Before you start, you need to decide what size wireless range you need. The 2.4GHz frequency is much larger than the 5GHz frequency. If you decide to go with 2.4GHz fill out the top half of the page. If you decide to go with 5GHz fill out the bottom half.
- The Name (SSID): This is the name you give your network so you can recognize it later. Be creative here but avoid personal information. Learn more on our Change your Wireless Name page.
- The Channel: If you decide you want to change the channel, make sure to use channels 1, 6, or 11 on the 2.4GHz frequency. Find out why in our WiFi Channels guide.
- The Security Options: Here you can see a list of different options. The best choice is WPA2-PSK [AES]. Find out why in our WEP vs. WPA guide.
- The Passphrase: This is the network password. It is a good idea to have a strong password. If you are interested in learning how to do this properly read our Creating a Strong Password page.
When you are finished click the green Apply button at the top of the page.
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 Netgear CG4500BDv2 Info
Don't forget about our other Netgear CG4500BDv2 info that you might be interested in.
This is the wifi guide for the Netgear CG4500BDv2. We also have the following guides for the same router: