User Guide EA6900
Linksys EA-Series Contents Contents Product Overview Using an External Drive EA6900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Wall-mounting placement 4 Setting Up: Basics How to create a home network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 What is a network? How to set up a home network 5 5 Where to find more help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 How to install your router . . . . . . . . .
Linksys EA-Series Contents How to put your new router behind an existing router . . . . . 38 To add your router to an existing router or gateway To share an Internet connection To extend your network 38 39 41 How to expose a device to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Port Forwarding and Port Triggering How to set up port forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Linksys EA-Series Product Overview Product Overview Features Wireless-AC technology EA6900 Built with leading 802.11ac wireless technology, your router offers maximum speed and range to create an ultra-powerful network designed for home theater performance. Connect your computers, Internet-ready TVs, game consoles, smartphones and other Wi-Fi devices at blazingly fast transfer rates for an unrivaled experience.
Linksys EA-Series Home theater ready Product Overview Top view Bring the ultimate entertainment experience to your home by connecting computers, Internet-ready TVs, game consoles, media players, and more to your wireless network and the Internet. Simultaneous dual-band N and QoS traffic prioritization technology delivers maximum speed and performance so you can enjoy fast downloads, smooth video and music streaming, and reliable gaming and VoIP.
Linksys EA-Series Product Overview Back view •• Reset button—Press and hold this button for 10 seconds (until the port lights flash at the same time) to reset the router to its factory defaults. You can also restore the defaults using Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. •• Power port—Connect the included AC power adapter to this port. Adjustable Antenna ports CAUTION Use only the adapter that came with your router.
Linksys EA-Series Product Overview Wall-mounting placement The router has two wall-mount slots on its bottom panel. The distance between the slots is 82 mm. Two screws are needed to mount the router. Suggested Mounting Hardware 3-5 mm 7-8 mm 1.5-2 mm NOTE Linksys is not responsible for damages incurred by unsecured wallmounting hardware. Follow these instructions: 1. Determine where you want to mount the router. Make sure that the wall you use is smooth, flat, dry, and sturdy.
Linksys EA-Series 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 install your router” on page 6. 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 EA-Series How to install your router To install your router: 1. Power on your new router. If replacing an existing router, disconnect it. 2. Connect the Internet cable from your modem to the yellow Internet port on your router. Wait until the power light on the front of the router is solid. Setting Up: Basics TIP: Print this page, then record your router and account settings in the table below as a reference. Store your notes in a safe place.
Linksys EA-Series How to configure your router You can change router settings to make your network more secure or to work better with a device or game. Being able to adjust the settings while you’re away from home can help make router administration easier. You can configure your router from anywhere in the world by using Linksys Smart Wi-Fi, but you can also configure your router directly from your home network.
Linksys EA-Series Setting Up: Basics How to disable remote access How to connect directly to your router If you want to configure your router only while you are on your home network, you should disable remote access. You can configure your router by directly accessing it on your home network instead of through the Internet-based Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. To disable remote access: To connect to your router while you are on your home network: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. 1.
Linksys EA-Series •• Many environmental variables can affect the router’s performance, so if your wireless signal is weak, place the router in several locations and test the signal strength to determine the ideal position. •• If possible, upgrade wireless network interfaces (such as wireless network cards in computers) from older wireless standards to 802.11n. If a wirelessly networked device uses an older standard, the performance of the entire wireless network may be slower.
Linksys EA-Series 3. Click the Basic tab. 4. Under Router Password, type the new password, then click OK. Setting Up: Basics How to test your Internet connection speed NOTE To run the speed test, you must be accessing the Internet by using the router you are testing. You cannot run the speed test remotely. To test your Internet connection speed: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. 2. Click Speed Test under Apps. The Speed Test screen opens.
Linksys EA-Series NOTE Internet connection speeds are determined by a variety of factors, including ISP account type, local and worldwide Internet traffic, and number of devices in your home that are sharing the Internet connection. 4. Click Restart Test to run it again, and click Show History to display the results of past tests.
Linksys EA-Series 3. Under Select the type of device to add to your network, click USB Printer. The Add a USB printer screen opens. Setting Up: Basics Because of the wide variety of devices and methods of connecting, you must manually enter network information into the devices for a successful network connection.
Linksys EA-Series •• If the device has a Wi-Fi Protected Setup button, press that button, then click the Wi-Fi Protected Setup button in Linksys Smart Wi-Fi or press the button on the back of your router. Setting Up: Basics How to view device details You can use Linksys Smart Wi-Fi to view any network device’s network infomation. To view network device details: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. 2. Under Apps, click Device List.
Linksys EA-Series Information about the device appears on the screen. Setting Up: Basics How to set parental controls To set parental controls: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. 2. Under Apps, click Parental Controls. The Parental Controls screen opens. 4. Click OK. How to set up parental controls With your router, you can use parental controls to: •• Set the times that Internet access is allowed.
Linksys EA-Series •• Click Edit to change the Internet access schedule. You can click and drag to select or deselect a block of time. Setting Up: Basics How to configure your guest network You can use your router’s guest network to provide your guests with access to the Internet, while restricting their access to other resources on your local network. To prevent unauthorized users from using your Internet access, your guest network requires that a password be entered for Internet access.
Linksys EA-Series To set up guest access to your network: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See ““How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. 2. Under Apps, click Guest Access. Your guest network, which was set up during your router installation, is displayed. Setting Up: Basics 3. Click OK to apply your changes. TIP The first time your guest tries to access the Internet through a web browser, they will see the Guest access screen.
Linksys EA-Series Setting Up: Basics How to customize Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Customizing the Device List You can customize your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi home page by adding or removing widgets. Widgets are miniature versions of menus that let you change basic settings or check the status of your network. You can change the icon and text description of each device on your network. Using widgets To change the device appearance: 1. In the Device List, click the device you want to change the appearance for.
Linksys EA-Series Using an External Drive Overview How to attach a USB drive You can attach most USB drives (including a thumb drive or a high-capacity external drive) to the USB port on your router. You can then use the drive as networked storage, as a media server (for media-enabled devices such as a networked TV), and as an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server. You can also specify which users can access the content on the drive. Menus are subject to change.
Linksys EA-Series How to use secured folder access 4. In the Authorized users list, type a Username and Password for each new user. Why would I need to use secured folder access? By default, when you connect a USB drive to your router, the entire contents of the drive are available for read and write access to anyone on your local network (no login credentials are required). However, you can also make the drive and its folders secure, so that only authorized users can access the drive’s contents.
Linksys EA-Series 8. If you need to set up the shared folder: a. Click Create new share. The Create New Share dialog box opens. 9. Click Add User. 10. In the Authorized users list, you can also: •• Click Edit to change a user’s credentials. •• Click Shares to change the shares that a user can access. •• Click Delete to delete the user account. How to access shared folders To access shared folders while on your network: 1. While in Linksys Smart Wi-Fi, click USB Storage under Apps. 2.
Linksys EA-Series TIPS File managers display content in many ways, but you can usually use these common actions to navigate through folders: •• •• •• Click or double-click a folder name to open it. Click, double-click, or right-click a file to open, copy, or view it. Drag a file from another window and drop it into the shared folder’s window to copy it to the shared folder. (To copy a file to the shared folder, your user account must have write access.) To configure your router as a media server: 1.
Linksys EA-Series 5. Click Add New Folder. The Add a new folder dialog box opens. How to connect your UPnP device to the media server After you set up your router’s media server, you need to connect an UPnPcompatible device (such as an UPnP-compatible game console or digital media player) to the network so that you can play the media server’s content. To connect an UPnP device to your router’s media server: 1.
Linksys EA-Series 4. Click the setting for Enable FTP Server to turn it on. 5. We recommend that you keep the default settings for FTP Port and Encoding, unless you are an advanced user and have reason to change them. 6. Click OK. 7. Click the Status tab. 8. Note the information under FTP Server. This is the information you will need to access the attached storage remotely. The address that was provided on the Status tab above, starting with ftp://...
Linksys EA-Series Setting Up: Advanced Setting Up: Advanced How to manually set up your router How to manually set up your Internet connection Although running your router’s setup software is the easiest way to set up and maintain your router, advanced users may want to manually configure their router. Be careful when changing settings using this method. Running Setup configures your router’s Internet connection.
Linksys EA-Series 4. Select your ISP’s Internet connection type from the drop-down list. Complete the Optional Settings only if required by your ISP. TIP For field descriptions, click Help at the top of the screen. 5. Click OK. IPv6 Internet connection settings IPv6 is a new IP protocol that uses simplified packet headers and requires IPSec. It also has improved support for mobile IP and computing devices.
Linksys EA-Series How to get the most out of your dualband router I bought a dual band router, but I’m not sure that I’m getting the most out of it. What should I check? Of the many reasons for owning a dual-band router, the most common is to ensure available bandwidth for streaming highdefinition video. At the same time, owners want to make sure that their video streams won’t be interrupted by other wireless network traffic.
Linksys EA-Series d. Network mode—Your choice depends upon the clients that will connect to your network. If all of your devices are Wireless-N capable, you can select Wireless-N Only for either or both bands. On the 2.4 GHz band, you can select: •• Mixed •• Wireless-N Only •• Wireless-G Only On the 5 GHz band, you can select: •• Mixed (default), which accepts connections from 802.11a or 802.11n clients •• Wireless-N Only (802.11n only) •• Wireless-AC Only e.
Linksys EA-Series Example: Because each MAC filtering configuration is unique, the following procedure uses the simplified example of setting up MAC filtering to allow one wireless device access to the network. Setting Up: Advanced 5. Click Add MAC Address, then enter the MAC address into the MAC Filter List and click Save. TIP You can also use MAC filtering to prevent specific PCs from accessing your network by selecting Deny.
Linksys EA-Series How to improve security using the built-in firewall Why would I need to change my security settings? By default, the firewall settings in your router have been optimized for most home environments, so no changes are needed. The SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall is enabled by default. In addition, anonymous Internet requests and IDENT requests are filtered by default.
Linksys EA-Series Changing IPv6 firewall settings On some router models, the IPv6 firewall lets you customize IPv6 port services for applications. When users send these types of requests to your network via the Internet, the router will allow those requests to the appropriate computers. NOTE To use your router’s IPv6 Internet connectino settings, IPv6 service from your ISP (Internet service provider) is required. For more information on this service, ask your ISP. To set IPv6 firewall settings: 1.
Linksys EA-Series 3. Click the Local Network tab. Setting Up: Advanced How to set up DHCP reservation Why would I use it? DHCP reservation allows you to assign a unique, fixed IP address to a specific device on your network. Assigning a fixed IP address is a good way to manage devices such as print servers, web cameras, network printers, and game consoles.
Linksys EA-Series 5. Click Edit to change the reservation details, or click Delete to delete the reservation. Setting Up: Advanced 3. Under Router Settings, click Security, then click the Apps and Gaming tab. The DDNS screen opens. TIP For field descriptions, click Help at the top of the screen.
Linksys EA-Series How to clone a MAC address On any home network, each network device has a unique MAC (Media Access Control) address. Some ISPs register the MAC address of the device (usually a router or a computer) connected directly to the modem. If your computer’s MAC address is registered with your ISP and you do not want to re-register the MAC address, then you can clone the address (assign the registered MAC address of your previous device to your new router).
Linksys EA-Series 3. Enable each setting that you want to change. •• 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. •• PPTP Passthrough – PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) allows Setting Up: Advanced To configure media prioritization: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi.
Linksys EA-Series 5. To prioritize an application or game, select the name in the drop-down list, then click and drag the icon next to the name to the High Priority list. Setting Up: Advanced a. Set the maximum Downstream Bandwidth. If you set the bandwidth lower than the actual bandwidth of your router, performance may be limited. b. Set the maximum Upstream Bandwidth. c. To help manage traffic priority with devices that support WMM, turn on WMM Support.
Linksys EA-Series To configure the router for VoIP: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. 2. Under Router Settings, click Connectivity, then click the Administration tab. Setting Up: Advanced How to configure UPnP What is UPnP? UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) allows devices connected to a network to discover each other and automatically create working configurations.
Linksys EA-Series Setting Up: Advanced How to use a router as an access point To view your new router’s settings: How can I use this new router as an access point? If you have a large area to cover with your wireless signal, or if part of your home has weak signals due to interference, you can use this router to extend the range of your old router’s wireless network. 2. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. To set up your new router as an access point: 1.
Linksys EA-Series 6. To reconfigure the wireless network on your old router: a. Open the wireless network setup page. b. Change the network name (SSID) to match the name of your new network. Having the same network name and security settings enables you to seamlessly roam between your new router and your old router. c. Change the security mode to match the security mode on your new router. d.
Linksys EA-Series 4. At the end of setup, follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account. NOTE: As part of the router setup process, you will be sent a verification e-mail. From your home network, click the link in the e-mail to associate your router with the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi account. Make sure that the link opens in a supported web browser, such as Internet Explorer 8 or higher, Firefox 8 or higher, Google Chrome 10 or higher, and Safari 5 (for Mac) or higher.
Linksys EA-Series 2. Connect an Ethernet network cable to a LAN/Ethernet port on your upstream network to the yellow Internet port on your router. CAUTION Connect the upstream network to your router’s yellow Internet port, not one of the blue Ethernet ports. If you connect to an Ethernet port, you create IP addressing problems for the office network. TIPS An office network often has a wall plate with an Ethernet port that you can connect to.
Linksys EA-Series 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. To extend your network or add wireless capabilities: 1. If you want to extend your network, you may also follow the instructions above. One example of this might be to provide a separate wireless network for your children to keep their wireless network traffic separate from your wireless network.
Linksys EA-Series Setting Up: Advanced 4. Click the setting for DMZ to turn it on. 5. Select Enabled. 6. In the Source IP Address section, select Any IP Address to allow access to your DMZ device from the entire Internet, or select the alternate button and enter a range of allowed source addresses. 7. In the Destination IP Address section, enter the last three digits of the IP address of the device that will be in the DMZ. The rest of the IP address is already completed.
Linksys EA-Series Port Forwarding and Port Triggering Port Forwarding and Port Triggering How to set up port forwarding 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 EA-Series How to set up port forwarding for multiple ports 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 EA-Series To set up port range forwarding: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart WiFi” on page 7. 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 34). In this example, the IP address of the desktop computer with BitTorrent installed is 192.168.1.140. 3. Under Router Settings, click Security. 4. Click the Apps and Gaming tab. 5.
Linksys EA-Series Port Forwarding and Port Triggering 3. Under Router Settings, click Security. 4. Click the Apps and Gaming tab. 5. Click Port Range Triggering. The Port Range Triggering screen opens. 6. Click Add a new Port Range Triggering. 7. In the Device or Application field, enter a descriptive name (such as PS3 Headset). 8. For single ports, enter the same port number in each Triggered range and Forwarded range field. 9.
Linksys EA-Series 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 EA-Series Maintaining and Monitoring How to upgrade the router’s firmware How to restore factory defaults 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. If you’ve tried previous troubleshooting steps and your network still doesn’t work, you may need to restore your router’s factory defaults.
Linksys EA-Series A confirmation screen opens. Maintaining and Monitoring 3. Click the Status tab. Detailed information about your router status is displayed. TIP For field descriptions, click Help at the top of the screen. 5. Click Yes to confirm. All settings and logs are deleted, and your router is returned to its factory default settings.
Linksys EA-Series Maintaining and Monitoring How to disable the Ethernet port status lights How to test your Internet connection Why would I want to disable the Ethernet port status lights? Depending on the placement of the router in a home, you might find the lights distracting. You can easily disable the lights using Linksys Smart Wi-Fi.
Linksys EA-Series b. Select a number of times to ping from the Number to ping dropdown list. c. Click Start to Ping. A window opens showing the ping test results. You will see a response for each successful ping. Maintaining and Monitoring 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 and record that information in a log. To enable and view logs: 1. Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi.
Linksys EA-Series Troubleshooting Troubleshooting This chapter can help you solve common setup issues and connect to the Internet. You can find more help from our award-winning customer support at linksys.com/support. Your router was not successfully set up If Linksys Smart Wi-Fi did not complete the setup, you can try the following: •• Press and hold the Reset button on your router with a paperclip or pin until the LED starts flashing (about 10 seconds), then install the router again.
Linksys EA-Series Troubleshooting Your Internet cable is not plugged in message If you get a “Your Internet cable is not plugged in” message when trying to set up your router, follow these troubleshooting steps. To fix the problem: 1. Make sure that an Ethernet or Internet cable (or a cable like the one supplied with your router) is securely connected to the yellow Internet port on the back of the router and to the appropriate port on your modem.
Linksys EA-Series 3. Click your own network name, then click Connect. In the example below, the computer was connected to another wireless network named JimsRouter. The name of the Linksys E-Series network, BronzeEagle in this example, is shown selected. Troubleshooting To fix the problem on Mac computers: 1. In the menu bar across the top of the screen, click the AirPort icon. A list of wireless networks appears. Linksys Smart Wi-Fi has automatically assigned your network a name.
Linksys EA-Series Troubleshooting After setup To reboot your router using Linksys Smart Wi-Fi: The Internet appears to be unavailable 2. Under Router Settings, click Troubleshooting. If the Internet has difficulty communicating with your router, the problem may appear as a “Cannot find [Internet address]” message in your web browser.
Linksys EA-Series Troubleshooting You cannot access Linksys Smart Wi-Fi To access your router directly, see “How to manually set up your router” on page 24: All other troubleshooting has been unsuccessful If you’ve tried previous troubleshooting steps and your network still doesn’t work, you may need to restore your router’s factory defaults.
Linksys EA-Series Specifications Specifications Linksys EA6900 Environmental Dimensions 10.8” x 1.58” x 7.25” (256 x 40 x 184 mm) Unit Weight 18.84 oz (534 g) Power 12V, 3.5A Certifications FCC, IC, CE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/draft ac, Windows 7, Windows 8, DLNA 3 external antennas Operating Temp. 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C) Ports Power, USB (2), Internet, Ethernet (1-4), R-SMA (3) Storage Temp.
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