Linksys Router Setup

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Configure WIFI & Guest For Linksys Router

This Linksys router setup tutorial includes:

  • Configuring the IP address of your Linksys router.
  • Setting the IP address range for devices that are to connect with the Linksys router.
  • Setting up WIFI accounts.
  • Setting up guest WIFI accounts.

Assume you will need WIFI Internet access to be set up at home, and we will demonstrate the setup using Linksys E5600 dual-band WIFI 5 router.

Below are the topics that will be covered in this Linksys router setup article:

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Connect the Linksys Router to Laptop Computer and Modem

Let’s connect the Linksys router, laptop computer and modem (physically).

For the first cable connection, connect the ethernet cable that comes directly from your modem to the WAN port of your Linksys router.

Take a second ethernet cable, connect one end of this cable to the LAN port of the Linksys router, and connect the other end to your laptop computer.

Linksys Router Back View (E5600)

Each Linksys router has 1 WAN port and 4 LAN ports available.

In this example, we will connect to LAN port number 4 of the Linksys router.

Now connect the power adaptor (of the Linksys router) to the power supply, and press the power button to switch on the Linksys router.

Log In to Linksys Router Web Interface

You will first have to access the Linksys router’s web interface to configure the router’s settings.

While your laptop computer is connected to Linksys router, open the web browser (e.g. Google Chrome), and enter the following into the web address bar:

myrouter.local

or (the default IP address)

192.168.11.1

It should open the Linksys router web interface. Enter the password:

admin

Now you are logged in to your Linksys router’s interface.

Configure Linksys Router IP Address

You can use the default IP address of the Linksys router, or change this IP address.

You can also change the name of your Linksys router.

Configuration tab - Linksys Router web interface

Once you have logged in to the web interface of your router, select the Configuration tab.

Connectivity, Local Network - Linksys Router

Click Local Network under Connectivity (from the left side menu).

Linksys Router IP Address, Local Network

You can change the router’s IP address to another IP address.

192.168.11.2 (same network domain as current)
192.168.0.1 (different network domain)
192.168.2.1 (different network domain)

In this example, we will keep the default IP address of the Linksys router:

192.168.11.1

The name of your router is:

Linksys…

You can change the name to something else by typing in the Router Name field, or keep the current router name.

Configure DHCP Server and IP Address Range

DHCP Server IP Address Range (Linksys Router)

While still at the Local Network page, scroll down to configure the DHCP server and IP address range for your Linksys router’s WIFI network.

Make sure the DHCP Server checkbox is checked.

You can leave the Start IP Address as the default has suggested:

192.168.11.100

If you will not have more than 50 users (or devices) connecting to your Linksys router all at the same time, you can leave Maximum Numbers of Users to:

50

Click the Save button.

If you have made changes to the Maximum Numbers of Users field, the IP Address Range will update to reflect the changes that you have made.

But in this example, the range is the default value:

192.168.11.100 to 149

Configure WIFI Internet

Now you need to set up your home WIFI Internet on your Linksys router.

The WIFI Internet allows you to connect all your home devices (including mobile phones, tablet devices, computers, etc) to a single router which grants internet access.

Set the Network Name (SSID) or Wi-Fi Username

Basic Wireless Settings

Under the Configuration tab, click the Wi-Fi option (from the left side menu).

Click Basic Wireless Settings.

Basic Wireless Settings (Linksys Router)

Under 5 GHz Wireless Settings, enter a WIFI username into the Network Name (SSID) field. In this example, we have entered:

gordon5g

Under 2.4 GHz Wireless Settings, enter a WIFI username into the Network Name (SSID) field. An example is that we can enter:

gordon24g

Set the Wi-Fi Password

Keep all other default settings unchanged, and click the Save button.

Wi-Fi Wireless Security

Click Wireless Security (on the left side menu).

Wi-Fi Wireless Security (Linksys Router)

Under both 2.4 GHz Wireless Security and 5 GHz Wireless Security:

  • Select WPA2 Personal in the Security Mode field.
  • Enter the password you wish to use for your router’s WIFI Internet connection in the Passphrase field.

Enable Guest WIFI

What is a guest Wi-Fi network?

A guest Wi-Fi network provides an access point to the Internet that is separate from your primary network in which all your home devices are connecting to.

Why setting up a guest Wi-Fi network?

When you create a separate entry to the Internet with guest Wi-Fi:

  • It prevents guest devices (i.e. not any device originally from your home) that may already have been infected by virus to connect to your home’s network, and prevents virus infecting any of your home devices.
  • You may be sharing files and/or folders within your home network with all your home devices. Access of your shared files and/or folders are not available to the guest users who have logged in to the guest Wi-Fi network.

Set Up the Guest Wi-Fi Account

Wi-Fi Guest Access

Under the Configuration tab, click Wi-Fi, and select Guest Access.

Wi-Fi Guest Access (Linksys Router)

To enable guest WIFI connections, check the Allow Guest Access checkbox.

The guest WIFI usernames are:

gordon24g-guest
gordon5g_5GHz-guest

Click the Change button to change the guest WIFI login password.

If you want to allow more than 5 guest users at the same time, you can increase the value in the Total Guest Allowed field to 25.

Click the Save button.

The guest users will have to open a web browser, and enter the guest password, before they can connect to the guest Wi-Fi connection.

Remote Management Access to Linksys Router

Usually you will have to connect an ethernet cable from your router to your laptop computer, and access the Linksys router web interface with your laptop computer’s web browser.

But you can enable remote management access to your Linksys router web interface.

Administration, Management

Under the Configuration tab, click Administration, and select Management.

Administration, Management (Linksys Router)

To enable remote management access to your Linksys router (i.e. access from Wifi connection remotely):

  • Check the Remote Management checkbox.
  • Keep the Any IP Address radio button checked.

Click the Save button.

If you have enabled remote management access, the best practice is to change the admin password. This is to ensure the security of your router.

Select Password under Administration (from the left side menu), and you can change the admin password of your Linksys router.

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