Avinash

 

Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router Home Networking Set up and Troubleshooting help page:

Enable Wireless in Router. By default Wireless is disabled in the router. In order to connect a computer through wireless you have to first enable wireless transmission in the router.

To enable Wireless in Router follow the below steps:

Access the Router setup page from the computer which is connected through a wired connection.

Note: To configure router for first time or to enable wireless, you must connect a computer through Ethernet cable to the router so that you can access router settings page.

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Accessing the router set up page.

  1. Open your internet browser.
  2. In the Address field, type http://192.168.1.1
  3. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.
     
  4. Leave the User Name field blank.
  5. In the Password field, type admin   (admin is the default password for Linksys routers. Other router vendors may  use different default user name and password.)
  6. Click the OK button.       

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Once you access the router settings page the next step is to enable Wireless in the router. Once you enable wireless in the router, wireless LED light will be lit on the router.

How to enable Wireless in WRT54G Wireless-G router:

Configuring the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router With SecureEasySetup.

Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router can be automatically configured by using SecureEasySetup(SES). Using SES you can simply press the button on the Router and wireless Adaptor to configure encryption setting. For SES you don't have to Access Router settings page to enable Wireless security and WEP encryption.

Note: SecureEasySetup (SES) will only work with versions of the Linksys WRT54G router that have the SES symbol on the front panel.

The first device that EarthLink will provide with this capability is the WRT54G version 3.1 with firmware version 4.00.7. SES will allow you to configure encryption on the router as well as the wireless adapters on the network without having to manually configure encryption settings. The wireless adapters supported at this time are:

*       WPC54G - Linksys PCMCIA wireless laptop adapter

*       WPC54GS - Linksys PCMCIA wireless laptop adapter

*       WUSB54GS - Linksys USB wireless adapter

*       WMP54G - Linksys PCI wireless desktop adapter

*       Built-In wireless adapters in some HP laptops

SecureEasySetup will perform the following operations:

*       Automatically assigns a unique SSID

*       Disables broadcast of the SSID

*       Implements WPA security


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How to configuring the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router With SecureEasySetup?

Push the Cisco Systems logo button on the front of the router. The button will turn white and begin to flash.

1.       You will now need to activate the SES function on the first wireless adapter on your network. Each adapter may have it's own Cisco Systems logo button on the hardware adapter itself, or it may have an SES button you must click on inside its software configuration utility. Only attempt to set up one adapter at a time.

2.       When the two devices have established an encryption scheme, the Cisco Systems button on the router will stop flashing. The wireless adapter should now be able to pass data across the network securely.

3.       You will need to push the button again and repeat the process to add each additional wireless adapter to the network

 

To Enable Wireless in  Router folow the below steps.

1.       Type the following URL into your browser: http://192.168.0.1/

2.       Click the "Wireless" tab.

3.       Click the drop down next to Wireless Network Mode, select  Enable. Click the Save settings button at the bottom of the page.

4.       Close your browser once the changes have updated

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After you enable wireless in router you have to configure the wireless adaptor in the computer.

Installing and Configuring the Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter Using SecureEasySetup:

http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=26443

Installing and Configuring the Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter Manually:

http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=26365

Installing and Configuring the Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G Adapter Using SecureEasySetup:

http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=26407

Installing and Configuring the Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G Adapter Manually:

http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=26415

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Once you install  the Wireless G adaptor you have to  use the Wireless adaptor to connect.

Most of the Laptops comes with inbuilt wireless adaptor. As this is a third party adaptor we may not be able to provide help to configure or install the Wireless adaptor. However if the Wireless adaptor is already configured in the Laptop then you will find a Wireless icon in the system tray (You will find a computer icon with waves around it). 

To connect the Laptop or Desktop computer to the Wireless router, Right click on the Wireless icon in the system tray, then click on View Available Wireless Networks.  Select your Linksys wireless network name in the Available wireless networks list (Linksys wireless network name will be . the SSID that you have given in the Wireless router while enabling wireless. If you enable Wireless Encryption the it will ask you for the Network key.

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How to protect a Wireless Connection?

How To Find the WEP Encryption Key on the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router?

http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=27239

If you add new wireless devices to your network, you may need to record the existing WEP encryption key so that you may use it to set up the new device(s). Follow the steps below to find the WEP key on the WRT54G router. If you are setting up WEP encryption for the first time, see KB article 25257.

1.       Type the router's IP address in your browser address bar. The default IP is 192.168.1.1

2.       You will receive a login prompt. Type in the current password for the router. If it is still in default configuration, you will leave the User Name field blank and type "admin" in the Password field to gain entry.

Note: If the password screen doesn't appear after you click enter, make sure the ethernet cable from your computer to the router is in place. See KB article 3901 if you need help connecting the devices properly. If the ethernet cable is connected properly, restart your computer. If you still can't get to the password screen after you restart, see KB article 25475 to set up your network control panel to use DHCP and then try again.

Note: You should change the default password for your router for greater security if you have not already. See KB article 8308 for instructions on changing the password.

3.       Click on the Wireless tab across the top menu, and choose the Wireless Security tab that appears underneath it.

4.       On the Wireless Security screen, the Security Mode should already be set to WEP if you have been using this form of encryption. There may be more than one key listed on this screen. Make note of the Default Transmit Key selection. This is the key that is in use on the network. Find the corresponding key below this entry and record it for use on your other wireless devices.

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Configuring WPA and WPA2 Encryption on the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router.

http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=25695

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Troubleshooting Wireless connection issues:

Unable to browse web sites after connecting with wireless router.

1. Make sure the wireless icon in system tray shows connected when you place the mouse pointer on the Wireless icon. Alternately you can verify if the Wireless is connected or not by following the below steps.

Click on Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network Connections or Network and Dial-Up  connections. Check if Wireless connection say connected.

2. Wireless connection says it is connected but still unable to access web sites.

  Set the Dial up connection to "Never dial a Connection" in Internet Options and make sure that the TC\IP properties of the  Wireless Adaptor card is set to  DHCP.

3. Disable Firewall software temporarily and try to access web sites.

4. Set the Internet Explorer security setting to default (Medium) level.

5. Try to browse web sites using different browser.

6 Check if you can access Web Sites using IP address. Ex: http://64.233.189.104

7. Check if you can ping a web site from the command prompt.

8. Click on Start->Run->Type cmd and hit enter. At DOS prompt type ping  www.google.com and see if the result is 100% packet loss or not.

9.If you are unable to ping www.google.com the try to ping the Google IP address.

ping 64.233.189.104

10. Try Hard coding the DNS addresses in Wireless card TCP\IP Properties.

11. Change the Wireless transmission channel in Router. Change it to 6 or 9.

12. Disable Wireless Encryption in the Router and then try to browse web sites.

13. Power cycle the wireless router and the computer.

14. If still unable to browse then reset the router using reset button and reconfigure it  without enabling wireless encryption.

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Getting Association (signal strength), but no Internet access.  I’m able to get association (signal Strength), but I can’t access the internet.

If you’re able to get associated to your access point (This means you’re getting signal strength) but not able to get online, please check the following:

Windows 2000/XP

  1. Click on the Start menu and click on the Run option.
  2. When the “Run” window appears, input cmd into the “Open” field.
  3. When the “DOS Prompt” appears, input ipconfig /all and hit the [Enter] key.
    1. If you have a “Auto Configuration” IP address
      1. Check to make sure that you don’t have WEP enabled on your Access point.  If you do you’ll need to configure your adapter for WEP (see article Answer ID 749 for more information).
      2. If WEP is not enabled on your Access Point, please see if WEP is enabled on your Adapter (see article Answer ID 749 for more information).
    2. If you have an IP address (If you have a Linksys router this would most likely be 192.168.1.xxx)
      1. Check in the “DNS Servers” area and see if you have anything in there, if not, type in ipconfig /release and then restart your computer.  Repeat the steps 1 – 3 for checking the  DNS again, if you still don’t have anything then please see the article Answer ID 534 for information on setting up a static IP address.
      2. If you do see DNS, please see the article  Answer ID 721  for information on fixing the problem

Windows 98/ME

  1. Click on the Start menu and click on the Run option.
  2. When the “Run” window appears, input winipcfg into the “Open” field.
  3. When the “IP Configuration” window opens, select your “Wireless Adapter” from the drop down menu and click
    the More Info.. button.
    1. If you have a “Auto Configuration” IP address
      1. Check to make sure that you don’t have WEP enabled on your Access point.  If you do you’ll  need to configure your adapter for WEP (see  Answer ID 749 for more information).
      2. If WEP is not enabled on your Access Point, please see if WEP is enabled on your Adapter (see article Answer ID 749 for more information).
    2. If you have an IP address (If you have a Linksys router this would most likely be 192.168.1.xxx)
      1. Check in the “DNS Server” area and see if you have anything in there, if not, then click the Release All button and restart the computer.  Run through steps 1 – 3 again and see if you  get DNS, if not please see the article  Answer ID 534  for information on setting up a static IP address.
      2. If you do see DNS, please see the article  Answer ID 721 for information on fixing the problem.

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Please follow these instructions to setup WEP with a Linksys Wireless Adapter under Windows XP.  Before you begin, please have your 10-digit or 26-digit WEP key available to input.  If a Non-Linksys adapter is being used, please see Answer ID 946 for more information.

Configuring WEP on an existing connection

  1. Click on the Start button and click on the Run option.
  2. When the “Run” window opens, type in ncpa.cpl into the “Open” field.
  3. When the “Network Connections” window opens, right click on your Wireless Network Connection icon and select the Properties option.
  4. After the “Wireless Network Connection Properties” window opens, click on the Wireless Networks tab.
  5. When the “Wireless Networks” area appears, go to the “Preferred networks” pane (which is the second pane), and click on your SSID.  Then, click the Properties button.
  1. When the “SSID Properties” window opens, check the option for Data Encryption (WEP enabled) or click on the “Data Encryption” dropdown box then select WEP.
  2. Uncheck the This key is provided for me automatically box.
  3. Input your Wireless Network WEP Key into the “Network Key”* and “Confirm network key”* fields.
    *Note:  If you are using 128 Bit WEP, we recommend typing the key into a document, then cutting and pasting it into the “Network Key” and “Confirm Network Key” fields.

Configuring WEP on a new connection

  1. Click on the Start button and click on the Run option.
  2. When the “Run” window opens, type in ncpa.cpl into the “Open” field.
  3. When the “Network Connections” window opens, right click on the Wireless Network Connection icon and click on the View Available Wireless Networks option.
  4. Click on your SSID that your Wireless Network is using (linksys is the default SSID on all Linksys Wireless products).
  5. Input your Wireless Network WEP Key into the “Network Key” and “Confirm network key” fields.
  6. Click on the Connect button.

After completing these steps the Wireless Adapter should be setup with WEP and able to communicate.

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This document assumes that the LAN IP address of the router is 192.168.1.1.  If not, then please adjust accordingly.

Windows 2000/XP

  1. Click on the Start menu, and then click on the Run option.
  2. When the “Run” window appears, input control ncpa.cpl into the “Open” field.
  3. After the “Network and Dial up Connections” or “Network Connections” window opens, right click on the Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection which controls the connection to the router.
  4. After the “Local Area Connection Properties” or the “Windows Network Connection Properties” window appears, click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) then click on the Properties button.
  5. Once the “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties” window opens, change the option from “Obtain an IP address automatically” to Use the following IP address.  Set the options under “Use the following IP address” and “Use the following DNS server addresses” to the following:
  • IP: 192.168.1.20 (If there are multiple computers being setup with static IP's, then the next computer would be .25, and next would be .30, etc)
  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  • Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
  • Preferred DNS server:  192.168.1.1
  1. Click OK then OK or Close.

 

Windows 98/ME

  1. Click on the Start menu, and then click on the Run option.
  2. When the “Run” window opens, input control netcpl.cpl into the “Open” field, then click on the OK button.
  3. When the “Network” window opens, locate the TCP/IP for the Wireless or Ethernet adapter in the PC, and click on it.   Once it’s highlighted, click on the Properties button.
  4. Change option from Obtain Automatically to Specify and input:
  • IP: 192.168.1.20 (If there are multiple computers being setup with static IP's, then the next computer would be .25, and next would be .30, etc)
  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  1. Click on the Gateway tab, and input 192.168.1.1 into the “Default Gateway” field and click the Add button.
  2. Click on the DNS Configuration tab, then go to the “Host Name” field and input Computer, then go to the “DNS Server Search Order” field and input 192.168.1.1 then click the Add button.
  3. Click OK then OK once more, then windows will prompt for a restart

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I’m unable to get online even though I have good signal and a valid IP address, what can I do?

This problem is normally caused by the RTS threshold being to high for the environment that it’s located in.  Please use the following links to access information on lowing the RTS threshold:

If a Non-Linksys Wireless Router or Wireless Access point is being used, then please contact the manufacturer of the Wireless Router or Wireless Access Point and advise them to lower the “RTS Threshold” to the value of 2304, which should resolve the issue.

 

Please use the instructions below to setup lower the Advanced Wireless Settings on a Linksys Wireless Router, to help with various wireless network connectivity issues:

Accessing the Routers Setup Page

  1. Open a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape.
  2. When the browser window opens, go to the Address bar and type in the router's IP Address and click on the Go button (192.168.1.1 is the default IP address of Linksys Routers).

     
  3. A window will appear prompting for a “User Name” and a “Password”.  Leave the “User Name” field blank, and type in the router's password and click on the OK button to login (admin is the default password).
  4. The router's web-based “Setup” utility should then load.

Accessing the Wireless Section
After accessing the “Setup” page, please locate the logo in the upper left hand corner of the “Setup” page, and follow whichever instructions most closely match the logo you see:

These instructions are for the logo on the left, once completed, please move to the next step:

  1. From the “Setup” page, click on the Wireless tab.
  2. After the “Wireless” area appears, click on the Advanced Wireless Settings sub-tab.
  3. When the “Advanced Wireless Settings” area appears, set the following:
  1. After adjusting the “Advanced Wireless Settings” as prescribed above, click on the Save Settings or Apply button.
  2. Once the settings have been saved, restart the troublesome PC’s and they should become up and running.

Please only use these instructions if the logo on the left matches the one seen on the Router, if the logo doesn't match please follow the steps above these instructions.

  1. From the “Setup” page, click on the Advanced tab.
  2. After the “Filters” area appears, click on the Wireless tab.
  3. When the “Advanced Wireless Settings” area appears, set the following:
  1. After adjusting the “Advanced Wireless Settings” as prescribed above, click on the Apply button.
  2. Once the settings have been saved, restart the troublesome PC’s and they should become up and running.

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