Cisco Linksys-E1550 Router Manual PDF (Setup & Configuration Guide)

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Improving Security

Linksys E1550

To manually set your router’s wireless security settings:

Wireless > Wireless Security

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based

utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Wireless

tab, then click the

Wireless Security

page°

Select your preferred security type from the

Security Mode

drop-down

list For most home networks, we recommend

WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode

Enter a passphrase (security key) for your wireless network in the

Passphrase

field° The most secure type of security key should include a

mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation°

Click

Save Settings

at the bottom of the screen°

How to set up wireless security using

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

Why would I use Wi-Fi Protected Setup?

Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ is a feature

of your router that makes it easy to add devices to your wireless network° If you

have network devices, such as wireless printers, that support Wi-Fi Protected

Setup, then you can use Wi-Fi Protected Setup to add the devices°

Wi-Fi Protected Setup activity light

The power indicator light on the back of the router (or on top for the E4200)

indicates the status of Wi-Fi Protected Setup while you are connecting devices°

•

When Wi-Fi Protected Setup is connecting a network device, the light

flashes slowly°

•

If there is an error, the light flashes quickly for two minutes° Wait until it

stops flashing, then try again°

•

When Wi-Fi Protected Setup has finished connecting a device, the light

is continuously lit °

•

Wait until the light is continuously lit before starting the next Wi-Fi

Protected Setup session°

Connect network devices using one of the three methods below°

NOTE

Wi-Fi Protected Setup configures one device at a time° Repeat the

instructions for each device that supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup°

Connecting a device using the Wi-Fi Protected Setup

button

Use this method if your device has a Wi-Fi Protected Setup button or prompts

you to press the Wi-Fi Protected Setup button on your router°

To connect a device using the Wi-Fi Protected Setup button:

Wireless > Basic Wireless Settings

Press the

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

button on the network device you are

connecting to°

Press the

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

button on the back of the router°

- OR -

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-

based utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Wireless

tab, then click the

Basic Wireless Settings

page°

Click

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

Click the

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

button in the router’s

Wi-Fi Protected

Setup

screen°

After the device has been configured, click

Page 32 / 55

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

(Personal

Identification Number)°

To connect a device using the device’s Wi-Fi Protected Setup PIN:

Wireless > Basic Wireless Settings

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based

utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Wireless

tab, then click the

Basic Wireless Settings

page°

Click

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

Enter the PIN from the device into the

field on the router’s

Wi-Fi

Protected Setup

screen, then click

After the device has been connected, click

How to connect a device using the router’s Wi-Fi

Protected Setup PIN

Use this method if your client device asks for the router’s PIN°

To connect a device using the device’s Wi-Fi Protected Setup PIN:

Wireless > Basic Wireless Settings

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based

utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Wireless

tab, then click the

Basic Wireless Settings

page°

Click

Wi-Fi Protected Setup

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°

Follow the device’s instructions to complete setup°

How to connect a device manually

If you have devices that do not support Wi-Fi Protected Setup, note the wireless

settings in the

Basic Wireless Settings

screen, then manually configure those

devices°

For each wireless network, the Network Name (SSID), Security, and Passphrase

are displayed at the bottom of the screen°

Page 33 / 55

Improving Security

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° If you set up your wireless network manually and have not

enabled wireless security, your wireless network will be an “open” network that

almost anyone nearby with a Wi-Fi-enabled device could access°

What is MAC filtering?

The best way to secure your wireless network is to use

Cisco Connect to automatically configure and secure it° However, if you choose

not to use the built-in security features of your router, you can still control

access to your wireless network using MAC filtering°

Every network device has a unique, 12-digit

MAC

(Media Access Control)

address° Using MAC filtering, you can allow only known MAC addresses onto

your network° You can also exclude specific MAC addresses or deny them

access to your wireless network°

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°

To set up MAC filtering to allow one wireless device access to your

network:

Wireless > Wireless MAC Filter

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based

utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Wireless

tab, then click the

Wireless MAC Filter

page°

Click

Enabled

Select

Permit

TIP

You can also use MAC filtering to prevent specific PCs from

accessing your network by selecting

Prevent

° However, it’s easier

to permit only known devices than to exclude unknown devices°

Click

Wireless Client List

° A separate window opens and displays the

currently connected devices° In the example below, the only device

permitted onto the network is the MacBook° However, two other devices

are also connected to the network°

Next to the device entry, select

Save to MAC Address Filter List

, then

click

Add

° The Mac Address Filter List is updated with the MAC address of

the device you added°

Page 34 / 55

Improving Security

Linksys E1550

Click

Save Settings

at the bottom of the page°

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 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° All web filters are disabled, because enabling them may

cause problems for sites that depend on ActiveX controls, Java, or cookies°

To change your firewall settings:

Security->Firewall

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based

utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Security

tab, then click the

Firewall

page°

Select each setting that you want to change°

TIP

For descriptions of the filters, click

Help

on the right side of the

screen° More complete descriptions are included below°

•

SPI Firewall Protection

—This helps protect your local network from

Internet threats° This option is enabled by default°

CAUTION

To help protect your network, you should keep this option enabled°

•

Filter Anonymous Internet Requests

—This filter blocks Internet

requests from unknown sources such as ping requests° This option is

enabled by default°

•

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°

•

Filter Internet NAT Redirectio

n—This filter prevents a local computer

from using a URL or Internet IP address to access the local server° Select

this option to enable the filter° This option is disabled by default°

•

Filter IDENT (Port 113)

—This filter prevents port 113 from being

scanned by devices from the Internet° This option is enabled by

default°

•

Proxy

- This filter blocks the use of Internet proxy servers° To deny

proxy requests, select this option° Proxy access is allowed by default°

•

Java

- This filter blocks Java, so you may not be able to access Java

content on websites° To deny Java requests, select this option° Java

content is allowed by default°

•

ActiveX

- This filter blocks ActiveX, so you may not be able to access

ActiveX content on websites° To deny ActiveX requests, select this

option° ActiveX content is allowed by default°

•

- This filter blocks cookies, which are data stored on your

computer and used by websites when you interact with them° To deny

cookie requests, select this option° Cookie usage is allowed by default°

Click

Save Settings

to update your changes°

Page 35 / 55

Using an External Drive

Linksys E1550

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 are

required)° However, you can also create shared folders that you can configure

to share only with specified groups°

To control access to the USB drive attached to your router, you need to

perform two tasks:

Create one or more shared folders (see “How to create shared folders”

below)

Manage group and User Access to Shared Folders (see “How to share

folders and set access rights” on page 37)

How to create shared folders

To create a shared folder:

Storage > Disk

Log into the browser-based utility (see “How to open the browser-based

utility” on page 14)°

Click the

Storage

tab, then click the

Disk

page°

Click

Create Share

next to the partition you want to share° The

Shared

Folder

screen opens°

If you want to share the entire partition, select

Share Entire Partition

then click

Save Settings

at the bottom of the screen°

- OR –

If you want to share a specific folder:

Enter a unique name in the

Display Name

field°

Click

Select

next to the folder name you want to share°

•

To open a subfolder, click

Enter into Folder

•

To navigate to a previous folder, click

Return to Upper Folder

•

To create a new folder, type the name into the

New Folder

field,

then click

Create

Using an External Drive

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