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Setup WiFi on the Linksys WRT54GL

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

The Linksys WRT54GL 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 faster than ever deal!

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 WRT54GL Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Linksys WRT54GL. 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.

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

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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 WRT54GL

To get started configuring the Linksys WRT54GL 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 WRT54GL, follow our Linksys WRT54GL Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT54GL

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

router setup
This is the setup page from your Linksys WRT54GL router.

Starting on the Basic Setup page of the Linksys WRT54GL click the link titled Wireless at the top of the page.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT54GL

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Linksys WRT54GL router.

This takes you to the page you see here. First, use the Wireless Network Mode to choose the option of Mixed.

Next, use the Wireless Network Name (SSID) box to enter a new name for you network. This name acts as an identification name. It doesn't really matter what you enter here but we recommend avoiding personal information. Learn more in our guide called How to Change your Wireless Name.

After that is the Wireless Channel. This should be set to either 1,6, or 11. To learn more about this read our WiFi Channels Guide.

Do not change the green button labeled Status:SES Inactive. SES is similar to WPS. Read our What is WPS Guide for more information.

Tick the Save Settings button, then going back to the top of the page click Wireless Security.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Linksys WRT54GL router.

On this new page, use the Security Mode drop down list to pick WPA2 Personal. Learn why in our WEP vs. WPA guide.

Next is the WPA Algorithm. Our recommendation is AES.

The last thing you need to change is the WPA Shared Key. This is the password for your internet access. Create a strong random looking password. Try and use some symbols, numbers, and capital letters. Learn more in our Choosing a Strong Password Guide.

That's it, just 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 Linksys WRT54GL Info

Don't forget about our other Linksys WRT54GL info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Linksys WRT54GL. We also have the following guides for the same router: