Wireless Routers Setup

Wireless Router Configuration

It is important to set up and configure your wireless router to work correctly with the RPI network. If you do not do this, you may cause other people to lose their network connection. When this occurs, your network port will be disabled, and you will need to take corrective action to resolve the problem before your connection is restored. Also, if your wireless router is not secure, anyone who has a wireless card can access the Internet through your router. If they are involved in any illegal activities that can be traced back to your router, you may be held responsible.

We recommend that anyone running a cable modem router on campus (Cisco, Linksys, Belkin, Dlink, ...) configure the unit with a static IP. You can request a static IP address on-line.

Some units will not work with the campus DHCP servers. If so, you can try upgrading to a newer version of BIOS for the router. That may resolve the problem.

General Router Setup
Linksys Router Setup

General Router Setup

Below are the steps to configure most routers, but does not include any specifics for any individual router. If you need help please consult the wireless router setup for your specific router. If no documentation for your router exists, please e-mail consult@rpi.edu, or call x7777. Let them know that you are trying to set up a wireless router that does not have any documentation available. They will find a time that you can come in and one of the consultants who is familiar with wireless connectivity at Rensselaer will help you configure your wireless router.

Plug the WAN port into the wall
Change the Device IP Address
Change the login Username and Password
Set the SSID to your RCS userid or your dorm and room number
Enable WPA-2
Setup your WPA-2 Key and write it down
Make sure that the WPA-2 Authentication type is set to Shared Key
Configure the router to use DHCP
Limit the number of clients the router will hold to 10-15
Setup any filters, port forwarding , or port triggering
Write Down the following settings: Device IP Address, Username, Password, WPA-2 Key, and SSID . You will need these when you setup individual clients to work with your wireless network.

Installing a Linksys Router

Linksys Installation Instructions (pdf file)

This document will guide you through the installation and configuration of the Linksys wireless router. It is designed to help configure the router so it both works with the RPI network, and is secure.

IP address not generated by RPI network?

A common problem with many newer versions of the WRT54G Linksys Wireless Router is that the computer recognizes the wireless router, but there doesn't seem to be an IP address being generated by the RPI network. The problem is due to a difference between how the router requests an IP from the RPI DHCP servers and how the servers expect to be queried.

To work around this, log into the router web administration interface (usually http://192.168.1.1) with a blank username and the password 'admin' and look for the option to Clone MAC Address. Where this is located varies from one model to another and one version of a product to another. Enter the MAC address of either:

A computer that will remain behind the router (as opposed to directly on the network)
A random MAC address consisting of the letters a-f and 0-9. Making it random (as opposed to trying to spell out a word) reduces the likelihood of a collision with another computer or device on the RPI network.

Last modified: November 10, 2008