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Setup WiFi on the Zhone 1518-A1

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Zhone 1518-A1 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 Zhone 1518-A1 Guides

This is the wifi guide for the Zhone 1518-A1 v4. 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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NordVPN is the fastest VPN deal!

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 Zhone 1518-A1

To get started configuring the Zhone 1518-A1 WiFi settings you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Zhone 1518-A1, follow our Zhone 1518-A1 Login Guide.

Find the WiFi Settings on the Zhone 1518-A1

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

router setup
This is the setup page from your Zhone 1518-A1 router.

This wireless setup guide begins on the Quick Setup page of the Zhone 1518-A1-NA router. To start configuring this router's wireless settings, click Wireless on the left hand side of the page. Below that, make sure you're on the tab marked Basic.

Change the WiFi Settings on the Zhone 1518-A1

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Zhone 1518-A1 router.

This takes you to the page you see above.

Start off by setting an SSID. This will be your wirless network name, and can be anything you like (though we recommend avoiding any personal information). Enter your desired network name into the box marked SSID. Want to learn more about network identification? Check out our Wireless Names Guide.

Be sure to click Apply/Save before leaving the page.

Now click Security on the left hand side of the page.

router wifi security wireless
This is the wifi security page from your Zhone 1518-A1 router.

This takes you to a new page.

Scroll down until you find the heading Manual Setup AP. Open the Select SSID drop down menu and choose the SSID you just created.

Now be sure to set the Network Authentication to WPA2-PSK. Why is this the best option? See our WEP vs. WPA Guide for more information.

In the box labeled WPA Pre-Shared Key you'll enter your desired network password. A strong password consists of 14-20 characters and contains no personal information. For more helpful tips on creating a strong password, take a look at our Choosing a Strong Password Guide.

Finally, set the WPA Encryption to AES.

Congratulations! You're finished. Just be sure to click Apply/Save when you're happy with these settings.

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 Zhone 1518-A1 Info

Don't forget about our other Zhone 1518-A1 info that you might be interested in.

This is the wifi guide for the Zhone 1518-A1 v4. We also have the following guides for the same router: