Setup WiFi on the Cisco Linksys E2500

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 4 minutes

The Cisco Linksys E2500 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.

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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 E2500 Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Cisco Linksys E2500. 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 E2500

To get started configuring the Cisco Linksys E2500 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 E2500, follow our Cisco Linksys E2500 Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Cisco Linksys E2500

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

router setup
This is the setup page from your Cisco Linksys E2500 router.

This guide begins on the Basic Setup page of the Cisco Linksys-E2500 router. To configure the WiFi settings, click the link titled Wireless. Then beneath that, click the link titled Basic Wireless Settings.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Cisco Linksys E2500

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Cisco Linksys E2500 router.

On this page, you have the choice of either Manual or Wi-Fi Protected Setup. We strongly recommend choosing Manual. WiFi Protected Setup is an extremely insecure option. For more on this, click the link titled What is WPS.

Next, is the Network Mode. This is asking how old your wireless devices are that are connecting to the internet. Most of us have a range of ages. Click the choice of Mixed.

Now we come to the Network Name (SSID). This is the name you give your network so that you can identify it later on. We recommend not using any personal information here. To learn more about this subject, click the link titled Wireless names.

Leave the Channel Width at Auto (20MHz or 40 MHz).

Now check the Channel you are on. The channel should be 1,6, and 11. There is only room in the spectrum for up to three channels that don't overlap. Overlapping channels cause a lot of interference. For more on this topic, click the link labeled WiFi Channels.

Lastly, if you want to hide your network name choose Disabled next to SSID Broadcast. 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. Then click Wireless Security at the top of the page in blue.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Cisco Linksys E2500 router.

On this page, you have the choice of 5GHz Wireless Security or 2.4GHz Wireless Security. Fill in the section titled 2.4 GHz Wireless Security.

Choose the Security Mode of WPA2 Personal. For more on why this is the best choice, click the link titled WEP vs. WPA.

Now enter the Passphrase. This is the password you use to access your network. A strong password should contain at least one symbol, number, and capital letter. This password should be 20 characters long or longer. It should not contain any personal information in it. You should also avoid using words that can be found in a dictionary. For help in creating a strong and memorable password, click the link titled Choosing a strong password.

That's all there is to it, simply click Save Settings and you are done.

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 E2500 Info

Don't forget about our other Cisco Linksys E2500 info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Cisco Linksys E2500. We also have the following guides for the same router: