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Setup WiFi on the Linksys WRT160N

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 7 minutes

The Linksys WRT160N 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 Linksys WRT160N Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Linksys WRT160N v2. 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 Linksys WRT160N

To get started configuring the Linksys WRT160N WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Linksys WRT160N, follow our Linksys WRT160N Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT160N

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

router setup
This is the setup page from your Linksys WRT160N router.

Starting on the Basic Setup page of the Linksys WRT160Nv2 router, click the Wireless option at the top of the page.

This should take you to the Basic Wireless Settings page.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT160N

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Linksys WRT160N router.

The page you see above is titled Wi-Fi Protected Setup. Do not use WPS, it is insecure. WPS can be cracked fairly quickly using brute force attacks. If your router allows you to, we recommend turning WPS off. Learn more in our What is WPS Guide.

To the right of Wireless Configuration at the top of the page, click the radio button labeled Manual.

This places you on a page that unfortunately we do not have. The first setting should be called Network Mode. From this drop down menu choose the appropriate wireless standard you are using to access your network. This is referring to the age of the wireless devices you are using. The oldest standard is Wireless-B dating from 1999 through 2003. Newer wireless devices from 2003 to 2009 are considered Wireless-G. Newer than that is Wireless-N and AC. Most people have a range of wireless devices so we recommend selecting the option of Mixed.

The next setting is titled Network Name (SSID). This name is your network identification. You should create an original name here. It doesn't matter what you enter here but we recommend avoiding personal information for your security. Learn more in our guide, get there by clicking this link.

Below that you are asked for the Radio Band you want to use. We recommend choosing Auto.

Now you need to choose the Channel you want to broadcast on. Please read our WiFi Channels Guide before continuing. Using the Wide Channel list, we recommend selecting channel 6. Then in the Standard Channel drop down menu choosing either channel 1 or 11.

When you have made the appropriate changes here, click the Save Settings button. Then go back to the top of the page, in the blue bar, and click the Wireless Security option.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Linksys WRT160N router.

This takes you to a page like the one you see above. First, use the Security Mode drop down menu to choose WPA2 Personal for maximum security. If you want more information on this topic, read our Security Mode guide.

The Encryption is next. We suggest using AES.

Below that is the Passphrase. This is the password you use to access your network. It is very important that you change the default password the router comes with. Hackers know these passwords and always try these first. Create a strong password of at least 14 characters using a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters. Read our password guide for more info.

Nothing else needs to be changed on this page. Just don't forget to click the Save Settings button before you log out.

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 Linksys WRT160N Info

Don't forget about our other Linksys WRT160N info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Linksys WRT160N v2. We also have the following guides for the same router: