[PLUG] Setting up Linksys WRT54GL

wes plug at the-wes.com
Sat Mar 26 03:42:51 UTC 2011


you can put tomato or another aftermarket firmware on it, but this is
probably not ideal in your situation. From what I've seen, you subscribe to
the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school, which means you are unlikely
to be willing to replace your D-Link with the Linksys. This means you're
going to end up with 2 routers on 1 network - this is a path to problems.
There are a couple of options.

For simplicity, I advise putting the Linksys in place of the D-Link. You can
configure it however you want.

Since you're not going to do that, what you need to do is use the Linksys as
a switch rather than a router. The way to do this is to leave the Internet
(or input) port empty, and connect the Linksys to the D-Link on one of the
numbered LAN ports. Use the Linksys' configuration webpage to change its
local IP to 192.168.0.something, preferably something you can remember, like
2. Then, turn OFF its internal DHCP server. Now it will act just like a
wireless switch.

As far as wireless security, MAC address based lockdowns are useless. You
can set a WPA password and put that into the phone and laptop.

-wes

On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 8:01 PM, Patrick J. Timlick <p.j.timlick at ieee.org>wrote:

> I suggest putting www.polarcloud.com/tomato on it.  Tomato works better
> and
> is easier than stock.  My WRT54GL has been running Tomato for years.  I
> found enough info online to get mine going, although it took several hours.
> -- Patrick Timlick
>
> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 7:20 PM, John Jason Jordan <johnxj at comcast.net
> >wrote:
>
> > My home is all ethernet, so I have never bothered with wireless
> > devices. However, I now desire to set up a recently acquired Linksys
> > WRT54GL so that only my laptop and phone can connect. The laptop
> > normally sits in its mini-dock where it is connected via ethernet,
> > but I want it to connect to wireless in case I want to take it to
> > another part of the house. The phone and my laptop are my only wireless
> > devices.
> >
> > I started by doing a factory reset, since I acquired it used. Then I set
> > it up with a cable to the input port on the WRT54GL to my D-Link router,
> > which is 192.168.0.1. Then I connected a cable from one of the other
> > four ports on the WRT54GL to my 16-port switch that connects to the
> > wall outlets in the house. Nice flashy lights all around. From my Fedora
> > laptop Firefox brings up the web administration page at
> > http://192.168.1.1. My laptop and my phone both see it as well (as
> > "linksys"), and can connect, although the phone can't go anywhere at
> > all and the laptop can't go anywhere if I disconnect the ethernet.
> >
> > There are a zillion settings on the web administration pages, and I
> > don't understand most of them. I have the MAC address of the phone, and
> > I suppose ifconfig will give me similar information for the laptop. I'd
> > like to set it up so that the WRT54GL will give automatic permission to
> > just the phone and the laptop, and perhaps password authentication if I
> > want to let someone else into it temporarily.
> >
> > I have spent an hour fiddling with the web administration pages, but
> > can't get it working. I need help from someone familiar with the
> > settings for a WRT54GL router. Anyone willing to help a dummy?
> > _______________________________________________
> > PLUG mailing list
> > PLUG at lists.pdxlinux.org
> > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
> >
>
>
>
> --
> p.j.timlick at ieee.org
> www.timlick.com
> 503-476-3119
> 10990 NE Paren Springs Rd.
> Dundee OR 97115
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