This article applies to both a NETGEAR Smart Switch with a Smart user interface (UI) and a Smart Switch with a traditional UI.
After you register your switch with your NETGEAR account, you can get a registration key, access the switch offline or not connected to the Internet, and before you log in to the device UI, enter the registration key. After you enter the registration key, you are no longer prompted to activate your warranty. Instead, the Device UI login page displays. With a registration key, someone other than the administrator could configure the switch without having to register it.
To retrieve a registration key, you must first connect your switch to a network and register the switch to a NETGEAR account:
- For information about registering a switch, see How do I register my NETGEAR switch?
- For information about how to get a registration key, see How do I find my NETGEAR registration key?
After you get a registration key, you can access the switch offline and enter the key before you log in to the device UI.
If you register your switch with your NETGEAR account and then access the switch connected to the Internet, you do not need a registration key because you are not prompted to activate your warranty. Instead, the Device UI login page displays.
To access a Smart Switch offline and enter the registration key before you log in:
- Change the IP settings of your computer to be in the same subnet as the IP settings of the switch.
If the DHCP client of the switch is enabled and you remove the switch from the network with the DHCP server, the IP address reverts to the default IP address of 192.168.0.239 with a subnet of 255.255.255.0. If you already disabled the DHCP client and assigned a static IP address to the switch, change the IP settings of your computer to be in the same subnet as the static IP address.
For more information about changing the IP settings on your computer, see one of the following knowledge base articles at the NETGEAR website:
- Windows-based computer: See the following article:
https://kb.netgear.com/27476 - Mac: See the following article, which is written for an access point but is also valid for a switch:
https://kb.netgear.com/000037250
- Connect your computer to the switch using an Ethernet cable.
- Power on the switch by connecting its power cord.
- Open a web browser, and enter http://192.168.0.239.
This is the default IP address of the switch. If you already disabled the DHCP client and assigned a static IP address to the switch, enter the static IP address of the switch.
The Enter Registration Key page displays.
Note: Your browser might display a security warning because of the self-signed certificate on the switch. This is expected behavior. You can proceed, or add an exception for the security warning. For more information, see the following article, which also applies to switches: What do I do if I my browser displays a security message? - Type or paste the registration key.
- Click the Submit button.
The registration takes effect on the switch, and you are no longer prompted to activate your warranty when you log in. - If the Device UI login page displays, enter one of the following credentials:
- Device admin password: Enter the device admin password. The default device admin password is password.
The first time that you enter the default device admin password, the Change Default Password page displays, requiring you to customize the device admin password. - Insight network password: If you previously logged in to the device UI, you changed the management mode to NETGEAR Insight, and you added the switch to an Insight network location, enter the Insight network password to access the device UI. (In such a situation, the Insight network password replaces the switch device admin password.)
- Click the Go button.
- If the Change Default Password page displays, specify and confirm a new device admin password, click the Submit button, and log in again with your new password.
For a Smart Switch with a Smart UI, the Dashboard page displays; For a Smart Switch with a traditional UI, the System Information page displays.
You can now configure the switch. - After you complete the configuration of the switch, reconfigure the computer that you used for this process to its original TCP/IP settings.
You can now connect your switch to your network using an Ethernet cable.