Setup WiFi on the Cisco Linksys E1200

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

The Cisco Linksys E1200 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 Cisco Linksys E1200 Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Cisco Linksys E1200. 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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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 Cisco Linksys E1200

To get started configuring the Cisco Linksys E1200 WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Cisco Linksys E1200, follow our Cisco Linksys E1200 Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Cisco Linksys E1200

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

router setup
This is the setup page from your Cisco Linksys E1200 router.

To configure the WiFi settings of the Cisco Linksys-E1200 router, you should begin on the Basic Setup page. From there, click the choic at the top of the page labeled Wireless. Then beneath that, Basic Wireless Settings.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Cisco Linksys E1200

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Cisco Linksys E1200 router.

The first setting on this page is a choice of Manual or Wi-Fi Protected Setup. We strongly advise against the use of Wi-Fi Protected Setup due to the insecurity of it. Please read our guide titled What is WPS for more information. Our recommendation is to click the dot labeled Manual.

The next choice is the Network Mode. This is basically asking how old are the wireless devices you plan on using to access your network. Since most of us have a range of wireless devices that are accessing the home network, our recommendation is to choose Mixed.

Below that is the Network Name (SSID). This is the name you are going to create that will identify your network from the others around you. I have written a guide on the topic if you want to learn more, it's titled Wireless names. When creating a unique name, be sure to avoid any personal information.

In the Channel Width drop down list, choose Auto (20MHz or 40MHz).

Next is the Channel. There are up to 13 different channels you can choose from and if you don't have any neighbors, it won't matter what channel you use. However if you have any neighbors it does matter. In the spectrum of channels there is only room for up to three channels that don't overlap one another. Channel overlap causes a lot of interference. Be sure you are using channel 1,6, or 11. For more on this topic, read our guide titled WiFi Channels.

The last setting on this page is the SSID Broadcast. If you want to hide your network name, click the dot labeled Disabled. Understand that while this may hide your name from scanning wireless devices, a hacker can still find hidden networks fairly easily.

Click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.

Next, click the option at the top of the page, in blue, labeled Wireless Security.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Cisco Linksys E1200 router.

The first thing you need to do on this page is choose the Security Mode you want to use. Our recommendation is WPA2 Personal. To learn more about this subject, read our guide titled WEP vs. WPA.

Below that is the Passphrase. This is the password you are to use when you want to access your network. A strong password has at least 20 characters. It also has at least one symbol, number, and capital letter. Do not use any personal information in this password, these are easier to guess. Don't use any words found in a dictionary, these can be cracked quite easily. For more on this subject, read our guide titled Choosing a strong password.

When you are finished, click the Save Settings button.

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 Cisco Linksys E1200 Info

Don't forget about our other Cisco Linksys E1200 info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Cisco Linksys E1200. We also have the following guides for the same router: