How to Configure a Linksys

Configure your Linksys router securely.

A Linksys wireless router will enable you to access your high-speed Internet service from any computer within range that is equipped with a wireless connection. While configuring your Linksys router, you want to make sure that the connection is secure so that unauthorized computers cannot log into your wireless network, as this can compromise the security of your network as well as slow down your connection speed.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Ethernet cables

Instructions

1. Connect your high-speed modem to the Linksys router's Internet port using an Ethernet cable. Connect the modem to the computer's Ethernet port using another Ethernet cable. Check the front panel of the router to make sure that the LEDs are lit, as they should be if the connection is working.

2. Open a web browser on your computer, and enter the IP address of the Linksys router in the browser's address bar. You can get the IP address from the manual that comes with the router.

3. Enter your username and password in the window that appears. Typically, the default username and password will both be "admin". After entering the username and password, the router's setup page will appear.

4. Set the Internet connection type to "Automatic Configuration - DHCP" in the router's Setup page. Click "Save settings".

5. Click "MAC address clone" on the setup page (for cable connections only). Click "Enabled" under this setting, and then click "Clone my MAC address". Then click "save settings" again. Your Linksys router should now be configured for your cable connection.

6. Change the local IP address on the setup page to the correct one for your router, which is the same one that you entered in the web browser's address bar above (for DSL connections only). Click "Save settings". Click the status tab on the setup page and verify that the Internet IP Address field under the status tab has the correct IP address that you just entered. If it does, then your Linksys router is configured for your DSL connection.

7. Click on the "Administration" tab of the setup page and change the password to something that is hard to guess, re-entering it in the confirmation field below. Remember this password, as you will need it to log into your wireless setup page later.

8. Change your wireless network name (SSID) under "Basic wireless settings" to something unique. Click on the "Disable" button under ""Wireless SSID broadcast" on the same page so that your wireless connection will not be visible to others (optional).

9. Configure your security settings under "Access restrictions" and "Wireless security" by setting the security mode to WEP, WPA or WPA2. WPA and WPA2 are more secure than WEP, but may not work on older computers. Create a security key (a sequence of letters and symbols that is hard to guess) and enter it in the "WPA shared key" field. Your Linksys connection is now secure and only people with the key will be able to connect to it.

References

• Cisco Systems: Accessing the Linksys Wireless-G VPN Router's Web-Based Setup Page
• Cisco Systems: Setting-Up a Linksys Wireless-G VPN Router with DSL Internet
• Cisco Systems: Setting-Up a Linksys Wireless-G VPN Router with Cable Internet Service
• University of Southern Maine: Configure and Set Up Security for Your Linksys Wireless Router