The Dlink DWR-953 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.
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 Dlink DWR-953 Guides
This is the wifi guide for the Dlink DWR-953. 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 Dlink DWR-953
To get started configuring the Dlink DWR-953 WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.
To login to the Dlink DWR-953, follow our Dlink DWR-953 Login Guide.
Find the WiFi Settings on the Dlink DWR-953
If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.
You begin on the Home page of the Dlink DWR-953 router. To change the WiFi settings you need to click the option of Wi-Fi at the top of the page.
Change the WiFi Settings on the Dlink DWR-953
Make sure the option of Wi-Fi Settings is chosen on the left side of the page.
If you are using 2.4GHz bandwidth stay to the top of the page. If you plan on using 5GHz use the bottom half of the page. I recommend using 2.4GHz unless you live in a large apartment building with more than 3 or 4 very close neighbors.
The first setting you can change is the Wireless Network Name also referred to as the SSID. This is how you identify your network. Create a unique name here that doesn't include personal or router specific information. Learn more in our How to Change your Wireless Name guide.
If you are interested in changing your channel you can do that on this page as well. Take the checkmark out of the box titled Enable Auto Channel Scan. Then below that open up the Channel drop down menu and choose the type of channel you want to use for your network. If you are using 2.4 GHz bandwidth I recommend choosing from channels 1,6 and 11. If you are using 5GHz bandwidth you have more channel options but a much weaker range. Learn more in our guide titled WiFi Channels.
Next is the Security Mode. I recommend using WPA-Personal. Learn what this is and what your other options are in our WEP vs. WPA guide.
Set the WPA Mode to WPA2 and the Cipher Type to AES.
Last of all you need to change the Pre-Shared Key. This is the Internet password. This is the key to your network so don't take this password lightly. It is important that you use at least 14 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Learn more in our Choosing a Strong Password guide.
That's it, just click the blue Apply button when you are finished.
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 Dlink DWR-953 Info
Don't forget about our other Dlink DWR-953 info that you might be interested in.
This is the wifi guide for the Dlink DWR-953. We also have the following guides for the same router: