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Chapter 5: Configuring the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Setup Tab - Basic Setup

Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

recommended size, entered in the

Size

field, is 1500. You should leave this value in the 1200 to 1500 range. To

have the Router select the best MTU for your Internet connection, keep the default setting,

Auto

.

Network Setup

The Network Setup section changes the Router’s local network settings. Changes to the Router’s wireless

network settings are performed through the Wireless tab.

Router IP

IP Address and Subnet Mask

. This shows both the Router’s IP Address and Subnet Mask, as seen by your

network. The default IP Address is

192.168.1.1

, and the default Subnet Mask is

255.255.255.0

. In most cases,

keeping the default values will work.

DHCP Server Settings

The settings allow you to configure 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. If you choose to enable the Router’s DHCP server option, you must make sure

there is no other DHCP server on your network.

DHCP Server

. DHCP is enabled by factory default. If you already have a DHCP server on your network, or you

don’t want a DHCP server, then select

Disabled

(no other DHCP features will be available).

Assign Static DHCP

. Every time a PC reboots, it is assigned a new local IP address by the Router. If you want a PC

to be assigned the same IP address every time it reboots, then click the

Assign Static IP

button.

On the

Static DHCP Client List

screen, enter the static local IP address in the

Assign this IP

field, and enter the

MAC address of the PC in the

To this MAC

field. Then click the

Enabled

checkbox. When you have finished your

entries, click the

Save Settings

button to save your changes. Click the

Cancel Changes

button to cancel your

changes. To exit this screen, click the

Close

button.

If you want to see a list of DHCP clients, click the

DHCP Client Table

button. On the

DHCP Client Table

screen, you

will see a list of DHCP clients with the following information: Client Names, Interfaces, IP Addresses, and MAC

Addresses. From the

To Sort by

drop-down menu, you can sort the table by Client Name, Interface, IP Address, or

MAC Address. If you want to add any of the DHCP clients to the Static DHCP Client List, then click the

Save to

Static DHCP Client List

checkbox and then click the

Save Settings

button. Click the

Cancel Changes

button to

cancel your changes. To view the most up-to-date information, click the

Refresh

button. To exit this screen, click

the

Close

button.

Figure 5-6: Static DHCP Client List

Figure 5-7: DHCP Client Table

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Chapter 5: Configuring the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Setup Tab - Basic Setup

Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

Start IP Address

. Enter a value for the DHCP server to start with when issuing IP addresses.

Because the

Router’s default IP address is 192.168.1.1, the Starting IP Address must be 192.168.1.2 or greater, but smaller

than 192.168.1.254. The default Starting IP Address is

192.168.1.100

.

Maximum Number of Users

. Enter the maximum number of PCs that you want the DHCP server to assign IP

addresses to. This number cannot be greater than 253. The default is

50

.

IP Address Range

. The range of DHCP addresses is displayed here.

Client Lease Time

. The Client Lease Time is the amount of time a network user will be allowed connection to the

Router with their current dynamic IP address. Enter the amount of time, in minutes, that the user will be “leased”

this dynamic IP address. After the time is up, the user will be automatically assigned a new dynamic IP address.

The default is 0 minutes, which means one day.

Static DNS

1-3

. The Domain Name System (DNS) is how the Internet translates domain or website names into

Internet addresses or URLs. Your ISP will provide you with at least one DNS Server IP Address. If you wish to use

another, type that IP Address in one of these fields. You can type up to three DNS Server IP Addresses here. The

Router will use these for quicker access to functioning DNS servers.

WINS

. The Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) manages each PC’s interaction with the Internet. If you use

a WINS server, enter that server’s IP Address here. Otherwise, leave this blank.

Time Settings

Change the time zone in which your network functions from this pull-down menu. Click the checkbox if you want

the Router to automatically adjust for daylight savings time.

Change these settings as described here and click the

Save Settings

button to apply your changes or

Cancel

Changes

to cancel your changes. Help information is shown on the right-hand side of the screen. For additional

information, click

More

.

dynamic ip address

: a temporary IP

address assigned by a DHCP server.

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Chapter 5: Configuring the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Setup Tab - MAC Address Clone

Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Setup Tab - MAC Address Clone

A MAC address is a 12-digit code assigned to a unique piece of hardware for identification. Some ISPs will

require you to register a MAC address in order to access the Internet.

If you do not wish to re-register the MAC

address with your ISP, you may assign the MAC address you have currently registered with your ISP to the Router

with the MAC Address Clone feature.

MAC Address Clone

Enabled/Disabled

. To have the MAC Address cloned, select

Enabled

from the drop-down menu.

MAC Address

. Enter the MAC Address registered with your ISP here.

Clone My PC’s MAC

. Clicking this button will clone the MAC address of the PC you are currently using.

Change these settings as described here and click the

Save Settings

button to apply your changes or

Cancel

Changes

to cancel your changes. Help information is shown on the right-hand side of the screen. For additional

information, click

More

.

Figure 5-8: Setup Tab - MAC Address Clone

mac address

: the unique address that a

manufacturer assigns to each networking device.

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Chapter 5: Configuring the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Basic Wireless Settings

Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Basic Wireless Settings

The basic settings for wireless networking are set on this screen.

Wireless Network

Wireless-A Settings

If you are using a Wireless-A network, then configure these settings.

Mode

. To enable Wireless-A (802.11a) networking, select

Enabled

. Otherwise, select

Disabled

.

Turbo Mode

. Using this mode enables high-speed connections but severely limits range. To function, Turbo Mode

must be enabled on both the Router and wireless PCs. Turbo Mode is not compatible with Windows XP and works

only with Linksys Wireless-A adapters. To increase the speed of your wireless transmissions up to

72 Mbps, select

Enabled

. (Keep in mind that the Router’s range diminishes in Turbo Mode.) If you do not want to

use Turbo Mode, select

Disabled

.

Network Name (SSID)

. The SSID is the network name shared by all devices in a wireless network. The SSID

must be identical for all devices in the wireless network. It is case-sensitive and must not exceed 32 keyboard

characters in length. Make sure this setting is the same for all devices in your wireless network. For added

security, you should change the default SSID (

linksys-a

) to a unique name.

Channel

. Select the appropriate channel from the list provided to correspond with your network settings. All

devices in your wireless network must broadcast on the same channel in order to communicate. If you want the

Router to automatically scan for a clear channel, then select

Auto (DFS)

.

SSID Broadcast

. When wireless clients survey the local area for wireless networks to associate with, they will

detect the SSID broadcast by the Router. To broadcast the Router's SSID, keep the default setting,

Enabled

. If you

do not want to broadcast the Router's SSID, then select

Disabled

.

Wireless-G Settings

If you are using a Wireless-B, Wireless-G, or Wireless B+G network, then configure these settings.

Mode

. From this drop-down menu, you can select the wireless standards running on your network. If you have

both 802.11g and 802.11b devices in your network, keep the default setting,

Mixed

. If you have only 802.11g

devices, select

Wireless-G Only

. If you have only 802.11b devices, select

Wireless-B Only

. If you do not have

any 802.11g and 802.11b devices in your network, select

Disabled

.

NOTE:

If Turbo Mode is enabled, then the auto-scan

will not function, and you must select one of the

following channels:

42

,

50

, or

58

.

Figure 5-9: Wireless Tab - Basic Wireless Settings

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Chapter 5: Configuring the Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Basic Wireless Settings

Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router

Network Name (SSID)

. The SSID is the network name shared by all devices in a wireless network. The SSID

must be identical for all devices in the wireless network. It is case-sensitive and must not exceed 32 keyboard

characters in length. Make sure this setting is the same for all devices in your wireless network. For added

security, you should change the default SSID (

linksys-g

) to a unique name.

Channel

. Select the appropriate channel from the list provided to correspond with your network settings. All

devices in your wireless network must broadcast on the same channel in order to communicate.

SSID Broadcast

. When wireless clients survey the local area for wireless networks to associate with, they will

detect the SSID broadcast by the Router. To broadcast the Router's SSID, keep the default setting,

Enabled

. If you

do not want to broadcast the Router's SSID, then select

Disabled

.

Change these settings as described here and click the

Save Settings

button to apply your changes or

Cancel

Changes

to cancel your changes. Help information is shown on the right-hand side of the screen. For additional

information, click

More

.