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Setup WiFi on the Aztech HW550-3G

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Aztech HW550-3G router is considered a wireless router because it offers WiFi connectivity. WiFi, or simply wireless, allows you to connect various devices to your router, such as wireless printers, smart televisions, and WiFi enabled smartphones.

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN!

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

Other Aztech HW550-3G Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Aztech HW550-3G. We also have the following guides for the same router:

WiFi Terms

Before we get started there is a little bit of background info that you should be familiar with.

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You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.

Wireless Name

Your wireless network needs to have a name to uniquely identify it from other wireless networks. If you are not sure what this means we have a guide explaining what a wireless name is that you can read for more information.

Wireless Password

An important part of securing your wireless network is choosing a strong password.

Wireless Channel

Picking a WiFi channel is not always a simple task. Be sure to read about WiFi channels before making the choice.

Encryption

You should almost definitely pick WPA2 for your networks encryption. If you are unsure, be sure to read our WEP vs WPA guide first.

Login To The Aztech HW550-3G

To get started configuring the Aztech HW550-3G WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Aztech HW550-3G, follow our Aztech HW550-3G Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Aztech HW550-3G

If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.

router status mac address internet IP
This is the status page from your Aztech HW550-3G router.

You start on the Home page of the Aztech HW550-3G router. To configure your WiFi settings, click the link at the top labeled Advanced Mode. Then tick the picture of a router labeled Wireless, then Settings.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Aztech HW550-3G

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Aztech HW550-3G router.

You should now be on the page labeled Wireless Settings. The first thing you need to do is change the SSID. The SSID is the name of the network so you can identify it. Create a unique password without any personal information. For help on this topic, click the link titled Wireless names.

Under that is the Broadcast SSID. If you choose to Enable this, your network is visible to all the surrounding wireless devices. If you decide to Disable this, your network name is hidden from surrounding wireless devices. This does not mean a hacker can't find your network. They have the right scanning tools to find hidden networks. This is like camouflage, you are less of a visible target but not invisible.

Next is the Wireless Mode. This is asking what type of devices you are connecting to your network. The oldest and slowest devices are 11a and 11b. In 2003, 11g became available. In 2009, 11n devices came out. The newest devices as of 2012 are 11ac. Most of us have a mixture of devices, some quite old. We recommend using the most rounded choice. For most routers this is going to be 11b/g/n.

The Channel is next. Check out our WiFi channels guide. In the U.S. there are a total of 11 channels available for home use. Of these 11 channels there are only three that everyone should use. Use channel 1,6, or channel 11.

Nothing else should be changed on this page, simply click the Apply button at the bottom of the page when you are don. Then click Wireless at the top of the page and choose Security from there.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Aztech HW550-3G router.

The first thing on this page is the Security Mode. There are several different security options here. Check out our guide to learn the differences between them, WEP vs. WPA. We strongly recommend using WPA2. This is by far the strongest security choice available today.

Next is the WPA Algorithms. You have the choice of TKIP, AES, or TKIP/AES. We recommend using AES because it is much newer and yet to be cracked.

Under that is the Passphrase (8 to 63 characters). This is the password you use to access your network. This should be a strong password of at least 20 characters. Don't use any personal information in this password. Avoid using any dictionary words either. Your password should look random. We do advise you to use some symbols, numbers, and capital letters within the password. For help in creating a strong password that's easy to remember, check out our guide titled How to choose a strong password.

The last thing on the page is the WPS. WPS undermines any security you have set up. It is extremely easy to hack a computer with WPS. We recommend that you Disable this.

The only thing left to do is click the Apply button at the bottom of the page.

Possible Problems when Changing your WiFi Settings

After making these changes to your router you will almost definitely have to reconnect any previously connected devices. This is usually done at the device itself and not at your computer.

Other Aztech HW550-3G Info

Don't forget about our other Aztech HW550-3G info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Aztech HW550-3G. We also have the following guides for the same router: