The Netgear R8500 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.
Other Netgear R8500 Guides
This is the wifi guide for the Netgear R8500. We also have the following guides for the same router:
- Netgear R8500 - Reset the Netgear R8500
- Netgear R8500 - How to change the IP Address on a Netgear R8500 router
- Netgear R8500 - Netgear R8500 Login Instructions
- Netgear R8500 - Netgear R8500 User Manual
- Netgear R8500 - Netgear R8500 Screenshots
- Netgear R8500 - Information About the Netgear R8500 Router
WiFi Terms
Before we get started there is a little bit of background info that you should be familiar with.
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 R8500
To get started configuring the Netgear R8500 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 R8500, follow our Netgear R8500 Login Guide.
Find the WiFi Settings on the Netgear R8500
If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.
After logging into the Netgear R8500 router you should be taken to the Home page. To change your wireless network settings click Wireless on the left hand side of the page.
Change the WiFi Settings on the Netgear R8500
This brings you to a new page.
Be sure to only make your changes in the Wireless Network (2.4GHz b/g/n) section of the page.
Start off by setting a Name (SSID). This will be your network identification and can be anything you like. However, due to security reasons it would be wise to avoid the use of any personal information. For more on this topic visit our Wireless Names Guide.
Next you'll need to set the Channel to either 1, 6, or 11. Want to know why these are the best options? Read our WiFi Channels Guide to find out.
Set the Security Options to WPA2-PSK [AES]. This will give you the best security. For more info check out our WEP vs. WPA Guide.
Choosing the option above will open a box labeled Passphrase. This will be your network password and can be whatever you want. Bear in mind that a strong passphrase contains no personal information and is 14-20 characters in length. For more helpful hints like these take a look through our Choosing a Strong Password Guide.
That's it! You're finished. Just be sure to click Apply before closing 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 R8500 Info
Don't forget about our other Netgear R8500 info that you might be interested in.
This is the wifi guide for the Netgear R8500. We also have the following guides for the same router:
- Netgear R8500 - Reset the Netgear R8500
- Netgear R8500 - How to change the IP Address on a Netgear R8500 router
- Netgear R8500 - Netgear R8500 Login Instructions
- Netgear R8500 - Netgear R8500 User Manual
- Netgear R8500 - Netgear R8500 Screenshots
- Netgear R8500 - Information About the Netgear R8500 Router