User Guide Linksys E1550 Wireless-N Router with SpeedBoost
Linksys E1550 Contents Contents Product overview Package contents . Features . . . . . . . Back view . . . . . . Bottom view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Up: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Linksys E1550 Contents How to control access to your wireless network . . . . . . . . . . 30 How to improve security using the built-in firewall 31 How to configure storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 How to create shared folders How to manage group and user access to shared folders How to create a group How to create a new user How to grant group access to a share 32 33 33 34 35 How to configure your router’s storage for remote access . . .
Linksys E1550 Product overview Product overview Package contents SpeedBoost Higher quality antenna technology helps maintain high speeds across greater distances throughout your home. State-of-the-art security Keep Wi-Fi freeloaders and Internet threats at bay with WPA/WPA2 encryption. An SPI firewall helps keep your network protected. Benefits of Fast Ethernet Use the four Fast Ethernet (10/100) ports for quick file sharing between computers and servers.
Linksys E1550 Product overview Back view Port activity indicator Green network activity indicator Power port USB port Internet port Ethernet ports Network and Internet port Power indicator Wi-Fi Protected Setup button •• USB port— To easily share disk storage with other users on your network or on the Internet, connect a USB drive to this port. For more information, see “Using an External Drive” on page 32.
Linksys E1550 Setting Up: Basics Setting Up: Basics How to create a home network 2. Make sure that your modem is working. Your ISP can help you set up your modem and verify that it’s working correctly. 3. Set up your router. See “How to set up your router” on page 3. What is a network? A network is any group of devices that can communicate with each other. A home network can also include Internet access, which requires a router like this one.
Linksys E1550 Setting Up: Basics How to start Cisco Connect To start Cisco Connect on a Windows computer: When you run the setup CD, Cisco Connect (your router’s setup software) is automatically installed onto your computer. You can then use Cisco Connect to easily manage your router. To install Cisco Connect on another computer after your router has been set up, see “How to install Cisco Connect on another computer” on page 5. 1. Click Start, All Programs, then click Cisco Connect.
Linksys E1550 How to install Cisco Connect on another computer Although Cisco Connect is installed onto your computer when you run the setup CD, you may want to manage your router from a different computer on your network. CAUTION After your router has been set up, do not run the setup CD to install Cisco Connect to another computer. If you run the setup CD again, you will be prompted to enter the router’s network name (SSID) and password.
Linksys E1550 How to connect devices to your network Setting Up: Basics 2. Click Computer. How to connect a computer to your network You can connect a computer to your network using an Easy Setup Key (the easiest way) or manually. How to connect a computer using an Easy Setup Key To use an Easy Setup Key, you first need to create one using any available USB drive. After it has been created, you can use the same key to connect several computers to your network.
Linksys E1550 Setting Up: Basics To use your Easy Setup Key to connect a computer to your network: To manually connect a computer to your network: 1. Run Cisco Connect, then click Add device under Computers and devices. The Computers and other devices screen opens. 1. Run Cisco Connect, then click Add device under Computers and devices. The Computers and other devices screen opens. 2. Click Computer. 2. Click Computer. 3. Select Yes, I have an Easy Setup Key, then click Next.
Linksys E1550 How to connect a printer When you install a printer that requires a cable, follow the printer’s instructions for setting it up, then follow your computer’s operating system instructions to share the printer with your network. When you set up a wireless printer, however, it needs to communicate with your router. Before you try to set up your wireless printer, make sure that: •• Your printer has been completely set up except for being connected to the network.
Linksys E1550 3. Write down the Network name (SSID), Security Key, and Security Type information, or click Print these settings if you have a printer attached. Setting Up: Basics How to set up parental controls With your router, you can use parental controls to: •• Set the times that Internet access is allowed. •• Block websites based on their content. •• Block websites that you specify. •• Set the above restrictions for specific computers.
Linksys E1550 2. Enter a password (from 4 to 32 characters), then enter a secret question and answer. •• The password must contain from 4 to 32 valid characters, which are A-Z, a-z, and 0-9. Setting Up: Basics To change the parental controls password: 1. In the Parental controls main screen, click Change parental controls password, then follow the on-screen instructions. •• The answer to the secret question should be something not easily guessed by others.
Linksys E1550 How to select the computers to have parental controls It’s not necessary to set parental controls over each computer on your home network. You can set the controls on only those computers that children can access. Setting Up: Basics How to set parental controls 1. In the Parental controls main screen, click the computer name to set parental controls for. 2. Under Block Internet access, specify when the computer’s Internet access will be blocked: •• Never does not block Internet access.
Linksys E1550 How to set up guest access to your network You can use your router’s guest access feature to provide your guests with access to the Internet, while restricting their access to other resources on your local network. The guest network is shown as an open, unsecure wireless network that your guests can easily connect to. To prevent unauthorized users from using your Internet access, your guest network requires that a password be entered for Internet access.
Linksys E1550 Setting Up: Basics How to change your router’s name and password You can change the name and password of your router, but if you do so, all wireless devices connected to your router will lose their Internet connection until you reconnect them using the new router name and password. CAUTION If you change your router’s name and password using the browserbased utility, you may not be able to manage your router using Cisco Connect.
Linksys E1550 Setting Up: Advanced Setting Up: Advanced How to open the browser-based utility To access some advanced settings, you need to open the browser-based utility. To open the browser-based utility: 2. Enter the user name and password, then click OK. The utility’s main menu opens. TIP If you set up your router without using Cisco Connect, your router’s default password is admin. (You can leave the user name blank.) 1.
Linksys E1550 4. Open a web browser on the computer and open the address 192.168.1.1. A login window appears. Setting Up: Advanced 3. In the Internet Connection Type drop-down list, click the type of Internet connection provided by your ISP. TIP For field descriptions, click Help on the right side of the screen. 5. Enter the default password (admin). (You can leave the user name blank.) The browser-based utility opens to the main menu. 6.
Linksys E1550 3. Review the DHCP Server Setting fields (in the middle of the screen). You can: •• Enable or disable the DHCP server. •• Change the starting address for the DHCP server. •• Change the number of users (253 maximum). Setting Up: Advanced 5. Click Add Clients. The client you selected is added to the Clients Already Reserved table. You can also manually enter a client name, IP address, and MAC address of a device to create a DHCP reservation. 6. Click Save Settings. 4.
Linksys E1550 Setting Up: Advanced To set up DDNS: Setup > DDNS In this example, the domain name registered with TZO.com is BronzeEagle953.linksysnet.com. If an Internet camera had been configured (see “How to set up port forwarding for a single port” on page 39), you could access the camera by typing the domain name into the address bar of your web browser followed by the port number used for the device. For example, if the camera in the above example used port 1024, the URL would be: 1.
Linksys E1550 5. Click Save Settings. Setting Up: Advanced TIP For brief descriptions of the VPN passthrough field settings, click Help in the right side of the screen. More complete descriptions are provided below. •• IPSec Passthrough – IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) is a suite of protocols used to implement secure exchange of packets at the IP layer. The VPN clients on the local network can establish an IPSec VPN tunnel through the router. This option is enabled by default.
Linksys E1550 How to optimize your router for gaming and voice How does my router prioritize traffic to the Internet? Your router has QoS (Quality of Service) settings that can prioritize traffic from your network out to the Internet. Performance for demanding, real-time applications, such as online gaming, VoIP calls, video streaming, and videoconferencing, can be improved by configuring Internet access priorities. QoS is applied only to traffic that is uploaded to the Internet.
Linksys E1550 •• MAC Address and Voice Device—Let you prioritize network traffic based on the device that is accessing the network. For example, if you want your gaming console to have higher priority than your computer for accessing the Internet, you can assign a higher priority to your game console using its MAC address. We recommend giving any voice devices a high priority. a) Select MAC Address or Voice Device from the drop-down list, then enter the name of the device you want to add.
Linksys E1550 To access your router remotely: 1. Open a web browser and enter the Internet address of your router, then press Enter. •• If you selected HTTP for your Access via setting, enter http:// then the IP address. – OR – •• If you selected HTTPS for your Access via setting above, enter https:// then the IP address. 2. Add a colon (:), then the Remote Management Port number. Example: https://69.192.16.
Linksys E1550 5. To prevent local network users from disabling your Internet connection through UPnP, select Disabled (default) next to Allow Users to Disable Internet Access. Otherwise, select Enabled. Setting Up: Advanced 5. Click the Setup tab, then click the Basic Setup page and take note of the DHCP server’s IP Address range (192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.149 by default) To use your old router as an access point: 1.
Linksys E1550 e. Change the wireless channel to a non-conflicting channel. Some manufacturers have an “Auto” function for channel selection that automatically selects a wireless channel that does not interfere with other nearby wireless networks. If your old router supports an Auto function, select that. Otherwise, you may need to manually select the wireless operating channel on your old router. In the 2.4 GHz wireless spectrum, there are only three non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, and 11.
Linksys E1550 TIP Although you can determine your computer’s IP address in many ways, this method is very fast. d. Take note of the IP address. In this example, the IP address is 192.168.100.192. To determine the address range by using a Mac computer: Setting Up: Advanced TIPS An office network often has a wall plate with an Ethernet port that you can connect to.
Linksys E1550 To use their DNS: Setup > Basic Setup 1. Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based utility” on page 14). 2. Click the Setup tab, then click the Basic Setup page. 3. Complete the Static DNS fields with the information provided by your content filtering provider. 4. Click Save Settings. To extend your network This topic covers cases three and four above. NOTE This is a complex process, so this procedure assumes that you have some networking knowledge.
Linksys E1550 7. Click Save Settings to apply your changes. Setting Up: Advanced d. Click Select next to the device that you want to place in the DMZ. In this example, the first device was selected. The corresponding MAC address was copied into the MAC Address field as shown below. e. Click Save Settings to apply your changes. TIP The DHCP Client Table is only available if you select MAC Address.
Linksys E1550 Improving Security Improving Security How do I know if my network is secure? If you configured your router using Cisco Connect, your network is secure. During setup, Cisco Connect creates a name for your network, enables industrystandard WPA/WPA2 wireless security, and assigns a highly secure password for your wireless network and the administrator’s account. To confirm that your network is secure: 1. Run Cisco Connect.
Linksys E1550 To manually set your router’s wireless security settings: Wireless > Wireless Security 1. Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based utility” on page 14). 2. Click the Wireless tab, then click the Wireless Security page. 3. Select your preferred security type from the Security Mode drop-down list For most home networks, we recommend WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode. 4. Enter a passphrase (security key) for your wireless network in the Passphrase field.
Linksys E1550 How to connect a device using its Wi-Fi Protected Setup PIN Improving Security 4. On the client device, enter the PIN listed on the router’s Wi-Fi Protected Setup screen. It is also listed on the bottom of the router. In the example below, the router’s PIN is 32744781. Use this method if your device has a Wi-Fi Protected Setup PIN (Personal Identification Number). To connect a device using the device’s Wi-Fi Protected Setup PIN: Wireless > Basic Wireless Settings 1.
Linksys E1550 How to control access to your wireless network Why would I need to control access to my wireless network? If you used Cisco Connect to configure your router, your wireless network is already secure. By default, Cisco Connect enables industry-standard WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security using WPA2/WPA mixed mode. Cisco Connect configures your network with a complex, 10-character password that is almost impossible to compromise.
Linksys E1550 7. Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page. 8. Click Wireless Client List again to check the updated device list. Only the device you selected remains on the network. Improving Security •• Filter Multicast—Multicasting allows a single transmission to simultaneously reach specific recipients within your local network. Select this option to block multicasting. This option is disabled by default.
Linksys E1550 Using an External Drive Using an External Drive How to configure storage 3. Click Create Share next to the partition you want to share. The Shared Folder screen opens. Why would I need to configure storage? By default, when you connect a storage device to your router, the entire contents of the device are available for read and write access to anyone on your local network (no login credentials are required).
Linksys E1550 c. Click Save Settings at the bottom of the screen, then repeat the above steps to add more folders that you want to share. Using an External Drive How to disable anonymous disk access By default, no password is needed for read and write access to the drive. Before you can manage group and user access to shared folders, you must disable anonymous disk access. To disable anonymous disk access: Storage > Administration 1.
Linksys E1550 3. Under Group Management, click Create New Group. Using an External Drive How to create a new user Two user accounts (Admin and Guest) are preconfigured for router access. The password for the Admin user is the same password that you use to access the router. By default, the user Admin is a member of the group named Admin, and the user Guest is a member of the group named Guest.
Linksys E1550 6. From the Group Member drop-down list, select the group to assign the user to, then click Create. The new user is displayed in the user list. Using an External Drive 4. In the Shared Folder section, click Edit next to the shared folder you want to change group access for. 5. To grant a group access the shared folder, click the group’s name in the Available Groups column, then click >> to move the group to the Groups with Access column. 6.
Linksys E1550 How to configure your router’s storage for remote access Using an External Drive 3. Next to FTP Server, click Enabled. Why would I need to access my router’s storage remotely? If your router’s storage is set up for remote access, you can access your files anywhere you have an Internet connection. To do this, you must enable the router’s built-in FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server. After your router is set up, you can access files from anywhere by using either a web browser or FTP software.
Linksys E1550 How to share folders and set access rights Using an External Drive 6. To apply your changes and enable FTP access, click Save Settings. You can select which folders to share. You can also select which users can access the folders. For more information on managing access rights, see “How to configure storage” on page 32. To configure FTP and control folder access: Storage > FTP Server 1. In the Storage tab’s FTP Server page, click Specify Folder.
Linksys E1550 How to access files remotely To access files remotely, you must first attach a USB drive to your router and set up that storage for remote access. For instructions, see “How to configure your router’s storage for remote access” on page 36. You can then access files from anywhere on the Internet. To access files remotely: 1. Make sure that your router is configured to share files. For more information, see “How to configure your router’s storage for remote access” on page 36.
Linksys E1550 Port Forwarding and Port Triggering Port Forwarding and Port Triggering How to set up port forwarding 3. Click the Applications & Gaming tab, then click the Single Port Forwarding page. Why would I use port forwarding? Port forwarding is a feature that forwards inbound traffic from the Internet on a specific port or ports to a specific device or port on your local network.
Linksys E1550 How to set up port forwarding for multiple ports Port Forwarding and Port Triggering 8. Select Enabled next to the IP Address field. Why would I set up port forwarding for multiple ports? Port forwarding is a feature that forwards inbound traffic from the Internet on a specific port to a single device on your local network. Unlike a web camera that typically only requires a single port to be forwarded, some applications require forwarding of multiple ports.
Linksys E1550 To set up port range forwarding: Applications & Gaming > Port Range Forwarding 1. Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based utility” on page 14). 2. Set up a DHCP reservation for the IP address of the computer on which you installed the software. (See “How to set up the DHCP server on your router” on page 15). In this example, the IP address of the desktop computer with BitTorrent installed is 192.168.1.140. 3.
Linksys E1550 How to configure your Xbox for online gaming Port Forwarding and Port Triggering 4. Enter the port and protocol information as shown in the image below. Why would I set up my Xbox for online gaming? Online gaming adds another dimension to using your Xbox. As with other online gaming applications and gaming consoles, you need to forward multiple ports to use your Xbox for online gaming.
Linksys E1550 Maintaining and Monitoring Maintaining and Monitoring How to back up and restore your router configuration Why do I need to back up my router configuration? As with any valuable data, you should back up your router configuration. Your router might contain many customized settings. Those settings would be lost if you reset your router to its factory defaults, and you would need to re-enter all of them manually. If you back up your router configuration, restoring settings is easy.
Linksys E1550 To reset your router to factory defaults with the reset button: 1. With your router connected to power and turned on, press and hold the Reset button on the bottom of your router for 5-10 seconds. Maintaining and Monitoring How to upgrade the router’s firmware Why would I need to upgrade my router’s firmware? Linksys may periodically publish a firmware upgrade either to fix a problem or to add features to your router. IMPORTANT Do not interrupt the upgrade process.
Linksys E1550 4. Click the Downloads tab, then select the hardware version for your router from the Select Hardware Version drop-down list. 5. Compare the latest available firmware version on the website with your current version. If there is a newer version, click Release Notes to see if the newer version contains new features you want or solves a problem you are having. 6. If you want the new version, click Download and save the file to your computer. Take note of the file location.
Linksys E1550 To check your router status using the browser-based utility: Status > Router Status > Local Network Status > Wireless Network Status > Ports 1. Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based utility” on page 14). 2. Click the Status tab, then click the Router page. Detailed information about your router status is displayed. Maintaining and Monitoring 4. Click DHCP Client Table to display the currently assigned IP addresses. 5.
Linksys E1550 How to disable the Ethernet port status lights Why would I want to disable the Ethernet port status lights? Depending on the placement of the router in a home, some users might find the lights distracting. You can easily disable the lights using Cisco Connect, but you can also disable them using the browser-based utility. Maintaining and Monitoring To disable the lights using the browser-based utility: Status > Ports 1.
Linksys E1550 How to test your Internet connection What utilities are included in my router to test my Internet connection? Your router includes two diagnostic tests, Ping and Traceroute, that let you check network connections, including network devices and your Internet connection. Maintaining and Monitoring A window opens showing the ping test results. You will see a response for each successful ping. NOTE If an Internet URL fails to respond to ping, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the site is down.
Linksys E1550 A window opens with the test results. Maintaining and Monitoring 5. Select the log you want to see from the Type drop-down list. •• Incoming Log—The source IP addresses and destination port How to configure and use logs What kind of logging capabilities does my router have? Your router can track all traffic for your Internet connection.
Linksys E1550 Specifications Specifications Linksys E1550 Environmental Model Name Linksys E1550 Description Wireless-N Router with SpeedBoost Model Number E1550 Standards 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.3u Ports Power, Internet, Ethernet (1-4), USB Buttons Reset, Wi-Fi Protected Setup LEDs Power/Wi-Fi Protected Setup, Internet, Ethernet (1-4) Cabling Type CAT 5e Transmitted Power 802.11b: 16.5 ± 1.5 dBm 802.11g: 14.5 ± 1.5 dBm Dimensions 7.95” x 1.34” x 6.
Linksys E1550 Browser-based Utility Menu Structure Browser-based Utility Menu Structure Linksys E1550 Security Language Internet Setup Internet Connection Type Optional Settings Network Setup Router Address DHCP Server Setting Time Zone DDNS DDNS DDNS Service MAC Address Clone MAC Address Clone Advanced Routing NAT Dynamic Routing (RIP) Static Routing Wireless Basic Wireless Settings Configuration View Wireless Security Wireless Security Guest Access Guest Access Wireless MAC Filter Wireles
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