[PLUG] Setting up Linksys WRT54GL

[Michael Ewan]

On 3/25/2011 7:20 PM, John Jason Jordan 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
>

The default factory settings should work fine for unprotected WiFi 
access.  Is the D-Link router handing out DHCP?  I'm also assuming the 
D-link is acting as your NAT firewall.  Where did the WRT54GL get its IP 
address?  First thing to check is the default route that the WRT54GL is 
using (should be 192.168.0.1), you won't get anywhere unless that is 
correct.  Once you get traffic outbound from the WiFi connections, then 
you can start locking it down.  I have a WRT54G (I think the L just 
means Linux compatible).  The Wireless security settings I have are:
WPA Personal
TKIP
Shared key
You should also enable MAC filter
On the Administration tab, disable remote management.