The Netgear WNDR3800 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 WNDR3800 Guides
This is the wifi guide for the Netgear WNDR3800. We also have the following guides for the same router:
- Netgear WNDR3800 - How to change the IP Address on a Netgear WNDR3800 router
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Netgear WNDR3800 User Manual
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Netgear WNDR3800 Login Instructions
- Netgear WNDR3800 - How to change the DNS settings on a Netgear WNDR3800 router
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Information About the Netgear WNDR3800 Router
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Netgear WNDR3800 Screenshots
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Reset the Netgear WNDR3800
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.
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 Netgear WNDR3800
To get started configuring the Netgear WNDR3800 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 WNDR3800, follow our Netgear WNDR3800 Login Guide.
Find the WiFi Settings on the Netgear WNDR3800
If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.
Let's start this guide on the Basic Home page of the Netgear WNDR3800. To configure the WiFi settings, click the option of Wireless on the left side of the page.
Change the WiFi Settings on the Netgear WNDR3800
On this new page, you first need to change the factory default Name (SSID) to one of your choosing. It's not really important what you enter here but it's a good idea to avoid personal information. If you need more information on this topic, read our Wireless Names Guide.
Next, check to see what Channel you are using. Everyone should be using channels 1,6, or 11. For more information on this topic, read our WiFi Channels Guide.
Below that is the Security Options. There are quite a few choices here and we recommend the one titled WPA2-PSK[AES]. Learn more in our guide titled WEP vs. WPA.
Once you have done this, create a strong Passphrase. This is the network password. It is very important that you create a strong password of at least 14-20 characters. For more tips read our Password Guide.
Click the Apply button and you are finished. Congratulations!
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 WNDR3800 Info
Don't forget about our other Netgear WNDR3800 info that you might be interested in.
This is the wifi guide for the Netgear WNDR3800. We also have the following guides for the same router:
- Netgear WNDR3800 - How to change the IP Address on a Netgear WNDR3800 router
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Netgear WNDR3800 User Manual
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Netgear WNDR3800 Login Instructions
- Netgear WNDR3800 - How to change the DNS settings on a Netgear WNDR3800 router
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Information About the Netgear WNDR3800 Router
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Netgear WNDR3800 Screenshots
- Netgear WNDR3800 - Reset the Netgear WNDR3800