Setup WiFi on the Linksys WRT54GP2

The Linksys WRT54GP2 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.

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 Linksys WRT54GP2

To get started configuring the Linksys WRT54GP2 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 WRT54GP2, follow our Linksys WRT54GP2 Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT54GP2

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

router setup — This is the *setup* page from your Linksys WRT54GP2 router.

Starting on the Basic Setup page of the Linksys WRT54GP2 router click the Wireless link at the top of the page.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT54GP2

wifi wireless — This is the *wifi setup* page from your Linksys WRT54GP2 router.

This should take you to the page you see above. First use the Wireless Network Mode to choose Mixed.

The second thing you can change is the Wireless Network Name (SSID). This is the name you create in order to identify your network. It doesn't matter what you enter here but we recommend avoiding personal information. Learn more about this in our Wireless Name Guide.

Next is the Wireless Channel. For the least amount of interference pick channel 1,6, or 11. Learn more in our WiFi Channels Guide.

If you want to hide your SSID, then click the Disabled option next to Wireless SSID Broadcast.

That's it, just click the Save Settings button. Then click Wireless Security at the top of the page.

router wifi security wireless — This is the *wifi security* page from your Linksys WRT54GP2 router.

This takes you to the page you see here. The first setting is titled Security Mode. We recommend updating your firmware version to allow for WPA2 Pre Shared Key. The next best setting is titled WPA Pre Shared Key. Learn about the differences in these by reading our WEP vs. WPA guide.

Next is the WPA Algorithm. The best choice is AES.

Now you need to enter the WPA Shared Key. This is the password you use to access the internet. We recommend creating a strong password of at least 14-20 characters. Check out our guide for more information, click this link to see our Choosing a Strong Password guide.

That's it, just click the Save Settings button before you exit in order to apply your changes.

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.

Setup WiFi on the Linksys WRT54GP2

Use a VPN Instead

Other Linksys WRT54GP2 Guides

WiFi Terms

Wireless Name

Wireless Password

Wireless Channel

Encryption

Login To The Linksys WRT54GP2

Find the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT54GP2

Change the WiFi Settings on the Linksys WRT54GP2

Possible Problems when Changing your WiFi Settings

Other Linksys WRT54GP2 Info