How to set up a Linksys Router

A router is a device that forwards data packets along networks. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs and its ISP’s network. For most home users, they may want to set-up a LAN or WLAN and connect all computers to the internet without having to pay a full broadband subscription to their ISP for each computer on the network. A Linksys router is ideal for this setup. Every model of Linksys router will differ slightly, but the general design is similar across all models, and so the setup is similar across all models as well.

You will need

• Router
• 2 Ethernet cables
• Antennas
• Personal Computer with web browser installed

Instructions

1. Attach the antennas to the router if your Linksys router supports wireless.
2. Plug the ethernet cable from your broadband Internet provider into the port labelled Internet.
3. 3. Plug another Ethernet cable into one of the available ports
4. Plug the other end of the same cable into an ethernet port on your PC.
5. Start your web browser, once it is open go to the URL http://192.168.1.1/. This will take you to a popup box which asks you to enter a username and password.
6. The username is either blank or “admin” and the default password is “admin.”
7. Once you get past the login screen, you will be able to access and change the configuration options for your router.
8. Don’t be intimidated by the large number and variety of options, the Linksys router ships with default settings that enable it to work right out of the box in most environments.
9. Form here the configuration options that you choose are largely up to your own personal preference.
10. If you are setting up a wireless router, it is recommended that you consider setting an SSID to the identify the router as your own and configuring the WEP to encrypt your wireless traffic.

Tips and Warnings

• Although the Linksys routers now ship with a setup wizard intended to simplify basic configuration tasks, it is not recommended that you follow the setup wizard. Instead, simply follow the easy instructions above.