Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Use this guide to install: WRT55AG User Guide
COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS Specifications are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2003 Linksys, All Rights Reserved. Instant Wireless, Linksys, and the Linksys logo are registered trademarks of Linksys Group, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective proprietors.
Instant Wireless® Series Note: Combinations of power levels and antennas resulting in a radiated power level of above 100 mW equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) are considered as not compliant with the above mentioned directive and are not allowed for use within the European community and countries that have adopted the European R&TTE directive 1999/5/EC and/or the CEPT recommendation Rec 70.03. For more details on legal combinations of power levels and antennas, contact Linksys Corporate Compliance.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Chapter 1: Introduction The Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Help Advanced Tabs Advanced Wireless Internet Filter Port Forwarding Routing DDNS 55 56 56 60 63 66 68 Appendix A: Troubleshooting Common Problems and Solutions Frequently Asked Questions 70 70 81 Appendix B: How to Ping Your ISP’s E-mail & Web Addresses 89 Appendix C: Configuring Wireless Security Background WEP Encryption 92 92 93 Appendix D: Finding the MAC Addres
Instant Wireless® Series Features • • • • • • • • • • • • • Dual-band, tri-standard Access Point communicates with Wireless-A (802.11a), Wireless-B (802.11b), and Wireless-G (draft 802.
Instant Wireless® Series DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Servers PCs and other network devices using dynamic IP addressing are assigned a new IP address by a DHCP server. The PC or network device obtaining an IP address is called the DHCP client. DHCP frees you from having to assign IP addresses manually every time a new user is added to your network. A DHCP server can either be a designated PC on the network or another network device, such as the Router.
Instant Wireless® Series Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router The Router’s Back Panel The Router’s ports, shown in Figure 2-1, are located on the Router’s back panel. Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router The Reset Button The Reset button can be used in one of two ways: 1. If the Router is having problems connecting to the Internet, press the Reset button for just a moment with a paper clip or a pencil tip.
Instant Wireless® Series The 802.11a WLAN Indicators Act Green. When the Act LED flickers, the 802.11a wireless network is active. Link Green. When the Link LED is continuously lit, the 802.11a wireless network is available. The 802.11b WLAN Indicators Act Green. When the Act LED flickers, the 802.11b wireless network is active. Link Green. When the Link LED is continuously lit, the 802.11b wireless network is available.
Instant Wireless® Series Chapter 3: Connect the Router Overview Note: These directions on connecting the Router are provided only to help when you are making the connections. If you are using the Setup Wizard, make your connections only when the Wizard asks. The Router’s setup consists of more than simply plugging hardware together.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Wireless Connection to a PC Chapter 4: Configure the PCs If you want to use a wireless connection to access the Router, follow these instructions: Overview 1. Before you begin, make sure that all of your network’s hardware is powered off, including the Router, PCs, and cable or DSL modem.
Instant Wireless® Series Configuring Windows 98 and Millennium PCs Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 3. Click the IP Address tab. Select Obtain an IP address automatically. 1. Click the Start button. Select Settings and click the Control Panel icon. Double-click the Network icon. 2. On the Configuration tab, select the TCP/IP line for the applicable Ethernet adapter. Do not choose a TCP/IP entry whose name mentions DUN, PPPoE, VPN, or AOL. If the word TCP/IP appears by itself, select that line.
Instant Wireless® Series Configuring Windows 2000 PCs Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 3. Make sure the box next to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is checked. Highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click the Properties button. 1. Click the Start button. Select Settings and click the Control Panel icon. Double-click the Network and Dial-up Connections icon. 2. Select the Local Area Connection icon for the applicable Ethernet adapter (usually it is the first Local Area Connection listed).
Instant Wireless® Series Configuring Windows XP PCs Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 3. Make sure the box next to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is checked. Highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click the Properties button. The following instructions assume you are running Windows XP with the default interface. If you are using the Classic interface (where the icons and menus look like previous Windows versions), please follow the instructions for Windows 2000. 1.
Instant Wireless® Series Chapter 5: Setting Up the Dual-Band Wireless A + G Broadband Router Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 3. As shown in Figure 5-2, you will need to have your PC connected to an active Internet connection. The Setup Wizard will use this connection to detect what type of Internet access you have. Verify that you are set up correctly to your Internet connection and click the Next button to continue.
Instant Wireless® Series 5. Now, power off your modem and disconnect your Internet connection. Then, connect the Router as shown on the screen displayed. If you have a cable connection, you will see a screen similar to that shown in Figure 5-4. If you have a DSL connection, you will see a screen similar to that shown in Figure 5-5. When the connections are made, click the Next button to continue. Figure 5-4 Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 6a.
Instant Wireless® Series If you are using Windows 2000, the instructions will start as shown in Figure 5-10. Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 7b. When connecting to the Internet through a DHCP connection: If you have a cable connection, you will see a screen similar to that shown in Figure 5-14. If you have a DSL connection, you will see a screen similar to that shown in Figure 5-15. Enter the information just as you do when logging onto your Internet connection, and click the Next button.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 8. As shown in Figure 5-17, the Basic Settings screen for your 2.4GHz/54g (802.11g-draft) wireless products will appear. Enter the Network Mode, SSID, and the channel at which the network broadcasts its wireless signal. Then, click the Next button to continue. 9. As shown in Figure 5-18, the Basic Settings screen for your 5 GHz/802.11a wireless products will appear.
Instant Wireless® Series Chapter 6: Configuring the Router’s Basic Settings with the Web-Based Utility This chapter will show you how to configure the Router to function in your network and gain access to the Internet through your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Detailed description of the Router’s web-based utility can be found in “Chapter 7: The Router’s Web-based Utility.” The instructions from your ISP tell you how to set up your PC for Internet access.
Instant Wireless® Series Automatic Configuration - DHCP PPPoE If you are connecting through DHCP or a dynamic IP address from your ISP, perform these steps: If your DSL provider says that you are connecting through PPPoE (you use a user name and password to access the Internet), perform these steps: A. Keep the default setting, Automatic Configuration DHCP, as the Configuration Type, shown in Figure 6-4. B.
Instant Wireless® Series 5. To configure the Router for your wireless network(s), perform these steps: A. To enable 5GHz, 802.11a wireless networking, make sure the 5GHz, 802.11a Enable radio button is selected. Then click the Change 5GHz Settings button, and customize the SSID, Channel, and WEP encryption settings as needed. Then click the Apply button to save your changes. For more information, refer to “Chapter 7: The Router’s Web-based Utility.
Instant Wireless® Series Note: For added security, you should always change the password through the Password screen of the web-based utility. To apply any of the settings you change on a page, click the Apply button. To cancel any changes you’ve entered on any page, click the Cancel button. To get additional information about any screen’s features, click the Help button. Setup The Setup screen is the first screen you see when you access the web-based utility.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Static IP PPPoE If you are required to use a permanent IP address to connect to the Internet, then select Static IP, as shown in Figure 7-5. Some DSL-based ISPs use PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) to establish Internet connections. If you are connected to the Internet through a DSL line, check with your ISP to see if they use PPPoE. If they do, you will have to enable PPPoE, as shown in Figure 7-6.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Connect on Demand: Max Idle Time You can configure the Router to cut the Internet connection after it has been inactive for a specified period of time (Max Idle Time). If your Internet connection has been terminated due to inactivity, Connect on Demand enables the Router to automatically re-establish your connection as soon as you attempt to access the Internet again. If you wish to activate Connect on Demand, click the radio button.
Instant Wireless® Series 5GHz, 802.11a 5GHz, 802.11a (WEP) The 5GHz, 802.11a portion of the Setup screen, shown in Figure 7-8, allows you to configure your 5GHz, 802.11a wireless network settings. Mode If you do not have any 802.11a devices in your network, you can disable this broadcasting by selecting Disable. The 5GHz, 802.11a (WEP) screen, shown in Figure 7-9, allows you to configure your 5GHz, 802.11a WEP settings.
Instant Wireless® Series Check all the values, and click the Apply button to save your 5GHz, 802.11a WEP settings. To cancel any changes you’ve entered on this page, click the Cancel button. To get more information about the features, click the Help button. 2.4GHz, 54g/Wireless-G The 2.4GHz, 802.11g-draft portion of the Setup screen, shown in Figure 7-10 allows you to configure your 2.4GHz, Wireless-G wireless network settings.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Passphrase Instead of manually entering WEP keys, you can enter a Passphrase. This Passphrase is used to generate one or more WEP keys. It is case-sensitive and should not be longer than 16 alphanumeric characters. This Passphrase function is compatible with Linksys wireless products only. [If you want to communicate with non-Linksys wireless products, enter the WEP key(s) manually on the non-Linksys wireless products.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Cookies - A cookie is data stored on your PC and used by Internet sites when you interact with them. To enable cookie filtering, click the Cookies box. DMZ The DMZ hosting feature allows one local user to be exposed to the Internet for use of a special-purpose service such as Internet gaming or videoconferencing. DMZ hosting forwards all the ports at the same time to one PC.
Instant Wireless® Series 4. Double-click the firmware upgrade file you extracted. 5. Click the Upgrade button, and follow the on-screen instructions. Important: When you are upgrading the firmware, do NOT turn off the Router, and do NOT press the Reset button. Multicast Pass-Through IP Multicasting occurs when a single data transmission is sent to multiple recipients at the same time.
Instant Wireless® Series DHCP The DHCP screen, shown in Figure 7-15, allows you to configure the settings for the Router’s Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server function. The Router can be used as a DHCP server for your network. A DHCP server automatically assigns an IP address to each computer on your network.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router SNMP Status The SNMP tab, shown in Figure 7-17, allows you to customize the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) settings. SNMP is a popular network monitoring and management protocol. The Status screen, shown in Figure 7-18, displays the Router’s current status and configuration. All information is read-only. Figure 7-17 The Identification settings let you designate the Contact, Device Name, and Location information for the Router.
Instant Wireless® Series Firmware Version The version number of the firmware currently installed is displayed here. Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Internet Configuration Type The type of Internet connection is displayed here. Current Time The current time, as set from the Setup tab, is displayed here. Host Name The Host Name is the name of the Router. This entry is necessary for some ISPs. Domain Name The Domain Name is the name of the Router's domain. This entry is necessary for some ISPs.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Linksys Website Clicking this link will take you to Linksys’s website, www.linksys.com, provided you are connected to the Internet. Wireless MAC Filters Online User Guide in PDF Format and Adobe Website Clicking the Online User Guide in PDF format link opens the Router’s User Guide. The User Guide is in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document File (.pdf) format, so you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
Instant Wireless® Series Transmission Rate The rate of data transmission should be set depending on the speed of your wireless network. You can select from a range of transmission speeds (6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54Mbps), or you can select Auto to have the Router automatically use the fastest possible data rate and enable the AutoFallback feature. Auto-Fallback will negotiate the best possible connection speed between the Router and a wireless client. The default value is Auto.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Fragmentation Threshold This value specifies the maximum size for a packet before data is fragmented into multiple packets. If you experience a high packet error rate, you may slightly increase the Fragmentation Threshold. Setting the Fragmentation Threshold too low may result in poor network performance. Only minor reduction of this value is recommended. In most cases, it should remain at its default value of 2346.
Instant Wireless® Series 3. Select if you wish to Disable or Enable Internet access for those PCs you listed on the List of PCs screen by clicking the radio button beside either option. 4. You can filter access to various services accessed over the Internet, such as FTP or Telnet, by selecting a service from the pull-down menus next to Services. If a service isn’t listed, you can click the Add Service button Figure 7-24 to open the Service screen, shown in Figure 7-24, and add a service to the list.
Instant Wireless® Series Protocol TCP Click this checkbox if you want to forward the data transmissions that use the TCP protocol. Protocol UDP Click this checkbox if you want to forward the data transmissions that use the UDP protocol. IP Address For each application, enter the IP Address of the PC running the specific application. Enable Click the Enable checkbox to enable port forwarding for the relevant application.
Instant Wireless® Series Routing On the Routing screen, shown in Figure 7-27, you can set the routing mode of the Router. Gateway mode is recommended for most users. Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 4. To set up a static route between the Router and another network, select a number from the Static Routing drop-down list. (A static route is a predetermined pathway that network information must travel to reach a specific host or network.) 5.
Instant Wireless® Series Show Routing Table Click the Show Routing Table button to view all of the valid dynamic and static route entries in use (see Figure 7-28). The Destination LAN IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and Interface information are displayed for each entry. Click the Refresh button to display the most up-to-date data. Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router DDNS Service To enable DDNS Service, select Enable and follow these instructions: 1.
Instant Wireless® Series Appendix A: Troubleshooting Common Problems and Solutions This appendix consists of two parts: “Common Problems and Solutions” and “Frequently Asked Questions.” Provided are possible solutions to problems that may occur during the installation and operation of the Router. Read the descriptions below to help solve your problems. If you can’t find an answer here, check the Linksys website at www.linksys.com. 1. I need to set a static IP address on a PC.
Instant Wireless® Series For Windows XP: The following instructions assume you are running Windows XP with the default interface. If you are using the Classic interface (where the icons and menus look like previous Windows versions), please follow the instructions for Windows 2000. A. Click Start and Control Panel. B. Click the Network and Internet Connections icon and then the Network Connections icon. C.
Instant Wireless® Series D. Make sure you have the right cable. Check to see if the Internet column has a solidly lit Link/Act LED. E. Make sure the cable connecting from your cable or DSL modem is connected to the Router’s Internet port. Verify that the Status page of the Router’s web-based utility shows a valid IP address from your ISP. F. Turn off the computer, Router, and cable/DSL modem. Wait 30 seconds, and then turn on the Router, cable/DSL modem, and computer.
Instant Wireless® Series 7. I need to set up online game hosting or use other Internet applications. If you want to play online games or use Internet applications, most will work without doing any port forwarding or DMZ hosting. There may be cases when you want to host an online game or Internet application. This would require you to set up the Router to deliver incoming packets or data to a specific computer. This also applies to the Internet applications you are using.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router E. Click the option Never dial a connection. This will remove any dial-up pop-ups for PPPoE users. C. Perform the upgrade using the Upgrade Utility, TFTP program or Router’s web-based utility through its Help tab. For Netscape 4.7 or higher: A. Start Netscape Navigator, and click Edit, Preferences, Advanced, and Proxies. B. Make sure you have Direct connection to the Internet selected on this screen. C. Close all the windows to finish.
Instant Wireless® Series If your difficulties continue, change the Size to different values. Try this list of values, one value at a time, in this order, until your problem is solved: 1462 1400 1362 1300 16. The Diag LED stays lit continuously. • The Diag LED lights up when the device is first powered up. Meantime, the system will boot up itself and check for proper operation. After finishing the checking procedure, the LED turns off to show that the system is working fine.
Instant Wireless® Series Does the Router support ICQ send file? Yes, with the following fix: click ICQ menu -> preference -> connections tab->, and check I am behind a firewall or proxy. Then set the firewall timeout to 80 seconds in the firewall setting. The Internet user can then send a file to a user behind the Router. I set up an Unreal Tournament Server, but others on the LAN cannot join.
Instant Wireless® Series If DMZ Hosting is used, does the exposed user share the public IP with the Router? No. Does the Router pass PPTP packets or actively route PPTP sessions? The Router allows PPTP packets to pass through, supporting up to five sessions. Is the Router cross-platform compatible? Any platform that supports Ethernet and TCP/IP is compatible with the Router.
Instant Wireless® Series What is roaming? Roaming is the ability of a portable computer user to communicate continuously while moving freely throughout an area greater than that covered by a single access point. Before using the roaming function, the workstation must make sure that it is the same channel number with the access point of dedicated coverage area. To achieve true seamless connectivity, the wireless LAN must incorporate a number of different functions.
Instant Wireless® Series How do I reset the Router? Press the Reset button on the back panel for about ten seconds. This will reset the Router to its default settings. How do I resolve issues with signal loss? There is no way to know the exact range of your wireless network without testing. Every obstacle placed between the Router and a wireless PC will create signal loss. Lead glass, metal, concrete floors, water and walls will inhibit the signal and reduce range.
Instant Wireless® Series Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Step One: Pinging an IP Address Step Two: Pinging for a Web Address The first step to determining your ISP’s web and e-mail server address is to ping its IP address. While the IP address returned above would work as your e-mail server address, it may not be permanent. IP addresses change all the time. Web addresses, however, usually don’t.
Instant Wireless® Series Appendix C: Configuring Wireless Security Background The Router offers two wireless security features. The basic feature is Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption, an encryption method used to protect your wireless data communications. WEP uses 64-bit, 128-bit, or 152-bit keys to provide access control to your network and encryption security for every data transmission. To decode a data transmission, each point in a network must use an identical key.
Instant Wireless® Series Appendix D: Finding the MAC Address and IP Address for Your Ethernet Adapter Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router 3. Write down the Adapter Address as shown on your computer screen (see Figure E-3). This is the MAC address for your Ethernet adapter and will be shown as a series of numbers and letters. The MAC address/Adapter Address is what you will use for MAC address cloning or MAC filtering.
Instant Wireless® Series 2. In the command prompt, enter ipconfig /all. Then press the Enter key. Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router Appendix E: Glossary 802.11a - One of the IEEE standards for wireless networking hardware. Products that adhere to a specific IEEE standard will work with each other, even if they are manufactured by different companies. It specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps and an operating frequency of 5GHz. The 802.
Instant Wireless® Series Adapter - Printed circuit board that plugs into a PC to add to capabilities or connectivity to a PC. In a networked environment, a network interface card is the typical adapter that allows the PC or server to connect to the intranet and/or Internet. Ad-hoc Network - An ad-hoc network is a group of computers, each with a wireless adapter, connected as an independent 802.11 wireless LAN.
Instant Wireless® Series asymmetric transfer rates: around 36 Mbps downstream (from the Internet to the computer), and from 200 Kbps to 2 Mbps upstream (from the computer to the Internet). CAT 5 - ANSI/EIA (American National Standards Institute/Electronic Industries Association) Standard 568 is one of several standards that specify "categories" (the singular is commonly referred to as "CAT") of twisted pair cabling systems (wires, junctions, and connectors) in terms of the data rates that they can sustain.
Instant Wireless® Series code). Even if one or more bits in the chip are damaged during transmission, statistical techniques embedded in the receiver can recover the original data without the need for retransmission. To an unintended receiver, DSSS appears as low power wideband noise and is rejected (ignored) by most narrowband receivers. However, to an intended receiver (i.e.
Instant Wireless® Series Unlike e-mail programs in which graphics and program files have to be "attached," FTP is designed to handle binary files directly and does not add the overhead of encoding and decoding the data. Full Duplex - The ability of a device or line to transmit data simultaneously in both directions. Gateway - A device that interconnects networks with different, incompatible communications protocols.
Instant Wireless® Series IPX (Internetwork Packet EXchange) - A NetWare communications protocol used to route messages from one node to another. IPX packets include network addresses and can be routed from one network to another. MDIX (Medium Dependent Interface Crossed) - On a network hub or switch, a MDIX port connects to a computer using a straight-through cable. To connect a MDIX port to another hub or switch, use a crossover cable. ISM band - The FCC and their counterparts outside of the U.S.
Instant Wireless® Series Packet - A unit of data routed between an origin and a destination in a network. Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products. Ping (Packet INternet Groper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online. It is used to test and debug a network by sending out a packet and waiting for a response.
Instant Wireless® Series Software - Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a particular task is called a "program." The two major categories of software are "system software" and "application software." System software is made up of control programs such as the operating system and database management system (DBMS). Application software is any program that processes data for the user. A common misconception is that software is data. It is not.
Instant Wireless® Series VPN (Virtual Private Network) - A technique that allows two or more LANs to be extended over public communication channels by creating private communication subchannels (tunnels). Effectively, these LANs can use a WAN as a single large "virtually private" LAN. This removes the need to use leased lines for WAN communications through secure use of a publicly available WAN (such as the Internet).
Instant Wireless® Series Appendix G: Warranty Information Environmental Dimensions 7.32" x 1.89" x 6.89" (186 mm x 48 mm x 175 mm) Unit Weight 0.88 lbs. (0.4 kg) Power External, 5V DC, 2.5A Certifications FCC, CE Marking, Wi-Fi Operating Temp. 32ºF to 104ºF (0ºC to 40ºC) Storage Temp.
Instant Wireless® Series Appendix H: Contact Information For help with the installation or operation of the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router, contact Linksys Technical Support at one of the phone numbers or Internet addresses below. Sales Information Technical Support RMA Issues Fax Email Web site FTP site 800-546-5797 (1-800-LINKSYS) 800-326-7114 949-271-5461 949-265-6655 support@linksys.com http://www.linksys.com ftp://ftp.linksys.com www.linksys.
