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This article lists the most common issues encountered using the Linksys Wi-Fi and Smart Wi-Fi Routers.
IMPORTANT: For most issues concerning Linksys Wi-Fi Routers, the quickest and easiest workaround would be to powercycle the device. To do this, power OFF the router, unplug the power cord and wait for 10 seconds before plugging it back in.
If the problem still persists after performing a powercycle, you may then proceed with the other workarounds for the issues listed below:
Dropping/Intermittent wireless connectivity
Slow downloads
Slow upload
Router slowdown issue
Forgot the wireless settings of the router
Unable to access the router's web-based setup page
Dropping/Intermittent wireless connectivity
There are many causes of poor wireless signal or connection. Refer to the following solutions in solving these issues:
Cause 1: Your intermittent wireless connection may be caused by the kind of setup you have in your home or office.
Solution: Listed below are articles that you can read to help you resolve dropping connections.
NOTE: The placement of your wireless device is the key to having a good signal from your router. It is important that your router is placed in an open and strategic area since wireless routers use radio waves to communicate. In addition, it is not recommended to place your wireless device or computer right next to the router because the 18 inch radius around the router is a wireless dead zone.
The distance between the router and the wireless device with the best signal strength is three (3) meters.
Cause 2: An intermittent connection may also have something to do with the Internet Service Provider (ISP) you are subscribed to.
Solution: To test if you are having connectivity issues with your ISP, connect one computer directly to the modem using an Ethernet cable and observe the connection. If you are still having intermittent connections, it may be an ISP problem. Contact your ISP for technical guidance.
Cause 3: The wireless security mode you have set may also affect the speed and strength of your wireless signal.
Solution: Make sure that your wireless security mode is set to WPA2 Personal. WEP will reduce the network speed down to G-mode and setting it to WPA2-AES or Open will allow you to attain optimal Wireless-N speeds.
NOTE: Only use Open if you really intend to set up a public wireless network or implement MAC filtering. For maximum security while ensuring compatibility with most wireless devices, do not use special characters in WPA passphrases. Instead, use a combination of upper and lower case letters/numbers.
To learn how to configure your wireless security mode, click here.
Cause 4: Your router’s firmware is outdated.
Solution: If the issue still exists after performing the steps above, this could mean that the router needs a firmware upgrade. To learn how to do this, click here.
NOTE: If the router has the latest firmware version, reload the same firmware version and then reconfigure your router based on your Internet connection type. Select your Internet connection type below for specific instructions:
i. Cable Internet Service
ii. DSL Internet Service
iii. Static IP Account
In addition, here are some other things that you can do to solve dropping connections:
NOTE: Some configurations indicated here are designed for advanced users only. Any incorrect settings may result to poor wireless performance.
Step 1:
Access the router’s web-based setup page. For detailed instructions, click here. If you’re using a Mac® computer, click here for instructions.
Step 2:
On the web-based setup page, go to Administration > Management. Look for the Upnp category and select Disabled. Click Save Settings.
Why this works: Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) allows the automatic configuration of your settings once a device connects to your router. If UPnP is enabled, your router will try to adjust to the new wireless client or may open or close several ports. UPnP should be disabled if you have devices connected to the network that needs port forwarding or triggering.
Step 3:
Go to Wireless > Basic Wireless Settings and change the Channel to 1, 6 or 11 then click Save Settings.
Why this works: In the U.S., the preferred wireless channels are 1, 6 and 11 since they’re considered non-overlapping channels. Changing the channel authorizes your router to connect to a frequency band that has reduced interference and crowding.
Step 4:
Go to Setup > Basic Setup, set MTU to Manual and change the value. To determine the optimal MTU size for your setup, click here. Save your settings.
Why this works: The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is the largest packet size permitted for Internet transmission. If the automatic setting is too large for the connection, the connection might be unstable or you’ll experience packet losses.
Step 5:
Go to Wireless > Advanced Wireless Settings and change the Beacon Interval to 50, Fragmentation Threshold to 2306 and RTS Threshold 2307.
Why this works: The Beacon Interval is the gap before the router sends packet broadcasts to synchronize with your wireless devices. Reducing this ensures the router synchronizes more often, reducing signal drops. RTS and Fragmentation Thresholds reduce packet losses which often occur on areas with a lot of interference.
NOTE: If you are unable to see the Advanced Wireless Settings tab, you can manually add “/Wireless_Advanced.asp” after your setup page’s main setup page URL (i.e. http://192.168.1.1/Wireless_Advanced.asp). Take note that the settings on this page should not be changed unless you know their function.
Once you have saved your settings, you can now powercycle the router, reboot the modem and restart the computer.
A slower-than-normal download may be due to the IPv6 feature on your computer. One of the solutions may be disabling IPv6. Refer to the technical support of your computer’s operating system for instructions on how to disable IPv6 on your computer.
Why this works: The slow download is caused by the use of IPv4 as the default protocol in your network; the slower data transfer is rooted on the “translation” of the data into an IPv6 compatible form.
If the issue still exists after performing the steps above, you can also perform the following troubleshooting tips:
• Isolate the issue by checking if your other computers have the same download speed.
• Check if your computer has the same download speed when connected straight to the modem.
• If the suggested solutions made no changes with the download speed, do the following in order:
i. Firmware Upgrade
ii. Reset the router
iii. Reconfigure the router using: Cable Internet Service, DSL Internet Service, Static IP Account
Linksys Wi-Fi Routers are known for their fast upload and download speeds, so if you experience a slowdown in your upload speed, you may need to set your router's Quality of Service (QoS). This means controlling the priority of your network traffic, ensuring that the data that you consider most important gets through faster.
To learn how to set up QoS, check the link below:
Setting up QoS on a Linksys Wireless-N router
Router slowdown issue
Just like how a computer would slow down if it runs out of Random Access Memory (RAM), your Linksys Wi-Fi Router may also run out of RAM, or may be the cause for consistent problematic configuration or routing issue with your router.
Take for example both Linksys Wi-Fi Router, E1000 that has 32 MB of RAM and the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router, E4200 with 64 MB. The RAM of these routers runs out when the routing tables are maxed out. This is not a common issue when it comes to home or personal use as the 32 MB or 64 MB is enough in this particular setting, in the rare case that if this happens, a workaround would be to powercycle the router and if the problem persists, do a hard reset.
NOTE: Doing this reset procedure will erase all customized or personalized wireless settings you previously had, including wireless security settings.
Step 1:
With the router powered ON, press the Reset button on the device for 10-15 seconds.
Figure 1: Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router, E4200's Reset button is located at the back panel of the device.
Figure 2: The Reset button of Linksys E1200, E1500, E1550, E2500, E3200 and E900 is located at the bottom of the device.
Step 2:
Unplug the router from the outlet. Wait for 30 seconds before plugging it back.
NOTE: Make sure you reconfigure your router according to your security preferences. To know how to set up WEP, WPA or WPA2 personal wireless security on a Linksys wireless router, click here.
Forgot the wireless settings of the router
In order to connect to the wireless network, you need to know its wireless settings. These settings refer to the wireless network name (SSID) and wireless password/passphrase. To check the wireless settings of your router, click here. It is also recommended to take note of your wireless settings in a piece of paper to serve as your quick reference in case you forget it.
Unable to access the router's web-based setup page
The Linksys router’s web-based setup page can be accessed using a wired or wireless computer. To do this, enter the router’s default IP address “192.168.1.1” on your web browser’s Address bar. A user login will appear asking you to enter a user name and password. You may leave the username blank and the password is admin.
However, there are times when you are unable to access the router’s web-based setup page; this may be because:
• The router’s IP address has been changed
• The router’s password has been changed
• The router’s firmware needs to be upgraded
• There is no network connection with the router
• The computer’s firewall may be blocking the connection
Listed below are some articles that you can read to help you resolve the above-mentioned issues:
Checking the Linksys router's IP address
Resetting your Linksys router to factory default settings
Upgrading the Linksys router's firmware
Checking the computer's connection to the router
Checking the Mac® computer's connection to the router
Disabling the firewall on a Windows 7 computer
Related Articles:
Troubleshooting tips in wirelessly connecting to a Linksys router
Optimizing network performance with wireless security
Accessing the router’s web-based setup page
Connecting a USB printer to your Linksys Wi-Fi or Smart Wi-Fi Router using Cisco Connect
Configuring File and Printer Sharing on Windows 7, Vista and XP
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