Linksys WRT51AB Router Manual PDF (Setup & Configuration Guide)

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Dual-Band Wireless A+B Broadband Router

This User Guide covers the steps for setting up a network with the Router. After

going through “Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Dual-Band Wireless A+B

Broadband Router,” most users will only need to use the following chapters:

•

Chapter 3: Connect the Router

This chapter instructs you on how to connect a cable or DSL modem to the

Router and connect your PC(s) to the Router.

•

Chapter 4: Configure the PCs

This chapter instructs you on how to configure your PCs to be DHCP clients,

if you have previously set static IP addresses on your PCs.

•

Chapter 5: Configure the Router’s Basic Settings

This chapter explains how to configure the Router using your web browser

and the Router’s web-based utility. You will configure the Router for Internet

access using the settings provided by your ISP.

When you’re finished with these basic steps, you will be ready to connect to the

Internet. You can also modify the Router’s settings further; for example, you

can adjust security features and other settings to enable online gaming (see

“Chapter 6: The Router’s Web-based Utility”).

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Figure 1-1

Cable or DSL Modem

Router

PC with

Ethernet

Adapter

Notebook with

Wireless Adapter

Notebook with

Wireless Adapter

Dynamic IP Addresses

A dynamic IP address is automatically assigned to a device on the network,

such as PCs and print servers.

These IP addresses are called “dynamic”

because they are only

temporarily

assigned to the PC or device.

After a certain

time period, they expire and may change. If a PC logs onto the network (or the

Internet) and its dynamic IP address has expired, the DHCP server will auto-

matically assign it a new dynamic IP address.

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 net-

work device, such as the Router. By default, the Router’s DHCP Server func-

tion is enabled.

If you already have a DHCP server running on your network, you

must

disable

one of the two DHCP servers. If you run more than one DHCP server on your

network, you will experience network errors, such as conflicting IP addresses.

To disable DHCP on the Router, see the DHCP section in “Chapter 6: The

Router’s Web-based Utility.”

Router Setup Overview

Note:

Even if you assign a static IP address to a PC, other PCs can

still use DHCP’s dynamic IP addressing, as long as the static IP

address is not within the DHCP range of the LAN IP Addresses.

If the dynamic IP addressing fails to provide a dynamic IP address,

refer to “Appendix A: Troubleshooting.”

Note:

You should always you run the Setup Wizard CD-ROM to con-

figure the Router for Internet access. If you wish to manually config-

ure the Router, you may follow the instructions in the Quick

Installation guide or this User Guide.

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Dual-Band Wireless A+B Broadband Router

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The Router’s LEDs display information about the Router’s status.

Power

Green

. The

Power

LED lights up when the Router is powered

on.

Diag

Red

. The

Diag

LED lights up when the Router goes through

its self-diagnosis mode during every boot-up. It will turn off

upon successful completion of the diagnosis.

If this LED stays on for one minute or longer, see “Appendix

A: Troubleshooting.”

The Router’s Front Panel LEDs

Figure 2-2

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.

This clears up any

jammed connections, and is similar to pressing the

Reset

button on your PC

to reboot it.

This will reboot the Router while keeping all of the Router’s settings.

2. If you are experiencing extreme problems with the Router and have tried all

other troubleshooting measures, press the

Reset

Button and hold it down for

10 seconds.

This will restore factory defaults and clear all of the Router’s settings,

including settings such as a new password or wireless settings.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the

Dual-Band Wireless A+B

Broadband Router

The Router’s ports are located on the Router’s back panel.

Internet

The Internet port is where you connect your cable or

DSL modem through an Ethernet network cable.

Your modem connection will not work from any

other port.

Ports 1-4

These four LAN (Local Area Network) ports con-

nect to network devices, such as PCs, print servers,

and network attached storage (NAS). Each of the

ports will auto-detect whether a straight-through or

crossover cable is plugged into it, so there is no need

for an uplink port. Any one of the four ports can

serve as an uplink port to other network devices.

Power

The Power port is where you will connect the power

adapter.

The Router’s Back Panel

Figure 2-1

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Dual-Band Wireless A+B Broadband Router

The Internet Indicators

Link/Act

Green

. The

Link/Act

LED lights up when a successful con-

nection is made between the Router and your cable or DSL

modem (the Internet). The

Link/Act

LED flickers when the

Router is sending or receiving data over the

Internet

port.

100

Orange

. The

100

LED lights up when a successful 100Mbps

connection is made through the corresponding port.

If this LED does not light up, then your connection speed is

10Mbps.

Proceed to “Chapter 3: Connect the Router.”

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The 802.11a WLAN Indicators

Act

Green

. When the

Act

LED flickers, the 802.11a wireless net-

work 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 net-

work is active.

Link

Green

. When the

Link

LED is continuously lit, the 802.11b

wireless network is available.

The LAN Indicators

Link/Act

Green

. The

Link/Act

LED serves two purposes. If the LED

is continuously lit, the Router is successfully connected to a

device through the corresponding port. If the LED is flicker-

ing, the Router is actively sending or receiving data over that

port.

Full/Col

Green

. The

Full/Col

LED also serves two purposes. If this

LED is lit up solidly, the connection made through the corre-

sponding port is running in Full Duplex mode. If the LED

flickers, the connection is experiencing collisions (when two

PCs send data at the same time). Infrequent collisions are

normal.

100

Orange

. The

100

LED lights up when a successful 100Mbps

connection is made through the corresponding port.

If this LED does not light up, then your connection speed is

10Mbps.

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Dual-Band Wireless A+B Broadband Router

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3. Connect a different Ethernet network

cable from your cable or DSL modem

to the Internet port on the Router’s rear

panel. This is the only port that will

work for your modem connection.

4. Power on the cable or DSL modem.

5. Connect the power adapter to the

Router’s Power port, and then plug the

power adapter into a power outlet.

•

The

Power

LED on the front panel will

light up green as soon as the power adapter is connected properly.

•

The

Diag

LED will light up red for a few seconds. It will turn off when the

self-test is complete. If this LED stays on for one minute or longer, see

“Appendix A: Troubleshooting.”

6. Power on one of your PCs.

Note:

You should always plug

the Router’s power adapter into

a power strip with surge pro-

tection.

Figure 3-2

Figure 3-3

Have you

checked that the

Link/Act

LEDs for all your LAN con-

nections and the

Link

LED for your Internet connection light up?

If all of your

Link

LEDs are not lighting up, make sure that all your

cables are securely plugged in, and that all of your hardware is pow-

ered on properly. Verify that the modem is plugged into the Internet

port on the Router.

Chapter 3:Connect the Router

The Router’s setup consists of more than simply plugging hardware together.

You will have to configure your networked PCs to accept the IP addresses that

the Router assigns them (if applicable), and you will also have to configure the

Router with setting(s) provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The installation technician from your ISP should have left the setup informa-

tion for your modem with you after installing your broadband connection. If

not, you can call your ISP to request that data.

Once you have the setup information you need for your specific type of Internet

connection, you can begin installation and setup of the Router.

If you want to use a PC with an Ethernet adapter to configure the Router, go to

“Wired Connection to a PC and Boot-Up.” If you want to use a PC with a wire-

less adapter to configure the Router, go to “Wireless Connection to a PC and

Boot-Up.”

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.

2. Connect one end of an Ethernet net-

work cable to one of the LAN ports

(labeled 1-4) on the back of the

Router, and the other end to an

Ethernet port on a PC.

Repeat this step to connect more PCs, a switch, or other network devices to

the Router.

Overview

Wired Connection to a PC

Figure 3-1

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Dual-Band Wireless A+B Broadband Router

Chapter 4: Configure the PCs

The instructions in this chapter will help you configure each of your comput-

ers to be able to communicate with the Router.

To do this, you need to configure your PC’s network settings to obtain an IP (or

TCP/IP) address automatically, so your PC can function as a DHCP client.

Computers use IP addresses to communicate with the Router and each other

across a network, such as the Internet.

First, find out which Windows operating system your computer is running. You

can find out by clicking the

Start

button. Read the side panel of the Start menu

to find out which operating system your PC is running.

You may need to do this for each computer you are connecting to the Router.

The next few pages tell you, step by step, how to configure your network set-

tings based on the type of Windows operating system you are using. Make sure

that an Ethernet or wireless adapter (also known as a network adapter) has been

successfully installed in each PC you will configure. Once you’ve configured

your computers, continue to “Chapter 5: Configure the Router’s Basic

Settings.”

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Important:

By default Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP has

TCP/IP installed and set to obtain an IP address automatically.

If your PC does not have TCP/IP installed, click

Start

and then

Help

. Search for the keyword

TCP/IP

. Then follow the instruc-

tions to install TCP/IP.

Overview

If you want to use a wireless connection to access the Router, follow these

instructions:

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.

2. Connect an Ethernet network cable

from your cable or DSL modem to the

Internet port on the Router’s rear

panel.

This is the only port that will

work for your modem connection.

3. Power on the cable or DSL modem.

4. Connect the power adapter to the Power port, and then plug the power

adapter into a power outlet.

•

The

Power

LED on the front panel will light up green as soon as the power

adapter is connected properly.

•

The

Diag

LED will light up red for a few seconds and turn off when the self-

test is complete. If this LED stays on for one minute or longer, see “Appendix

A: Troubleshooting.”

4. Power on one of the PCs on your wireless network(s).

5. For initial access to the Router through a wireless connection, make sure the

PC’s wireless adapter has its SSID set to

linksys

(the Router’s default set-

ting), and its WEP encryption is

disabled

. After you have accessed the

Router, you can change the Router and this PC’s adapter settings to match

the your usual network settings.

The Router’s hardware installation is now complete.

o to “Chapter 4: Configure the PCs.”

Wireless Connection to a PC

Note:

You should always plug the Router’s power adapter into a power

strip with surge protection.

Figure 3-4

Note:

You should always change the SSID from its default,

linksys

and enable WEP encryption.

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