Linksys E1550 - Manual

2 Product overview Linksys E1550 Back view Ethernet ports USB port Wi-Fi Protected Setup button Internet port Power port Power indicator • 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...

3 Setting Up: Basics Linksys E1550 3 How to create a home network 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 A typical home network may include multiple computers, a ...

4 Setting Up: Basics Linksys E1550 How to start Cisco Connect 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 rout...

5 Setting Up: Basics 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...

6 Setting Up: Basics Linksys E1550 How to connect devices to your network 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 n...

7 Setting Up: Basics Linksys E1550 To use your Easy Setup Key to 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 2. Click Computer 3. Select Yes, I have an Easy Setup Key , then click Next The C...

8 Setting Up: Basics 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, howe...

9 Setting Up: Basics 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 4. Follow your device’s instructions for entering the wireless network information into the device 5. After the device c...

11 Setting Up: Basics 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 To select computers that will have parental controls...

14 Setting Up: Advanced Linksys E1550 14 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: 1. Run Cisco Connect, click Change under Router settings , click Advanced settings , then click OK – or – Ope...

15 Setting Up: Advanced Linksys E1550 4. Open a web browser on the computer and open the address 192.168.1.1 A login window appears 5. Enter the default password ( admin ) (You can leave the user name blank ) The browser-based utility opens to the main menu 6. After you finish changing settings, cli...

16 Setting Up: Advanced 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) 4. If you change any of the settings, click Save Sett...

17 Setting Up: Advanced Linksys E1550 To set up DDNS: Setup > DDNS 1. Sign up for DDNS service at either www.dyndns.org or www.tzo.com 2. Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based utility” on page 14) 3. Click the Setup tab, then click the DDNS page 4. In the DDNS Ser...

21 Setting Up: Advanced 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...

22 Setting Up: Advanced 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 How to use a router as an access point How can I use my old router as an ac...

23 Setting Up: Advanced 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 ...

25 Setting Up: Advanced 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 you...

27 Improving Security Linksys E1550 27 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 industry-standard WPA/WPA2 wireless security, and assigns a highly secure passw...

28 Improving Security 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...

29 Improving Security Linksys E1550 How to connect a device using its Wi-Fi Protected Setup PIN 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. L...

31 Improving Security 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 How to improve security using the built-in firewall Why would I need to change my security set...

32 Using an External Drive Linksys E1550 32 How to configure storage 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 ar...

33 Using an External Drive 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 How to manage group and user access to shared folders To manage access to shared folders, you need to disable Anonymous Disk Access, the...

34 Using an External Drive Linksys E1550 3. Under Group Management , click Create New Group 4. Complete the Group Name and Description fields 5. From the Access drop-down list, select read-only to grant read-only rights to the group, or select read-and-write to grant read and write rights to the gro...

35 Using an External Drive 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 7. To change the user name, description, or group membership, or to temporarily disable the account, click Edit 8. To...

36 Using an External Drive Linksys E1550 How to configure your router’s storage for remote access 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 ena...

37 Using an External Drive Linksys E1550 How to share folders and set access rights 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 fold...

38 Using an External Drive 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 f...

39 Port Forwarding and Port Triggering Linksys E1550 39 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 You can set up port forwa...

40 Port Forwarding and Port Triggering Linksys E1550 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...

43 Maintaining and Monitoring Linksys E1550 43 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 los...

44 Maintaining and Monitoring 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 To reset your router to factory defaults using the browser-b...

45 Maintaining and Monitoring 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 Releas...

47 Maintaining and Monitoring 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 Conne...

48 Maintaining and Monitoring 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 Interne...

49 Maintaining and Monitoring Linksys E1550 A window opens with the test results 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 Your router supports four types of logs: To enable and view router logs...

50 Specifications Linksys E1550 50 Linksys E1550 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, Int...

51 Browser-based Utility Menu Structure Linksys E1550 51 Linksys E1550 Setup Basic Setup LanguageInternet Setup Internet Connection TypeOptional Settings Network Setup Router AddressDHCP Server Setting Time Settings Time Zone Reboot DDNS DDNS DDNS Service MAC Address Clone MAC Address Clone Advanced...