-- You will likely never get a security update on the official firmware.
-- Stock firmware has no band steering, and no fast roaming
-- USB port is disabled in stock firmware, but is enabled in third party options.
Greatest Hits
Here are the greatest hits from the past two mega-threads. No names but the OP can be found in search. No assertion of accuracy.
EDIT: UPDATED instructions for enabling MESH (thanks to @rbtcordell for the original source):
1-Setup your Main router completely.
2-Plug your child node using the wan port to the main router lan port, wait for a solid purple light on the child node before proceeding
3-Log into your main router web admin.
4-Click on CA at the bottom right.
5-Click on Connectivity and CA Router setup.
6-Click on both Add Wired and Add Wireless nodes buttons. Wait for the Add wireless button to re-enable.
7-Click Done adding Child Nodes and then Apply.
8-Now the child node light should start flashing purple and turn into a mesh mode when it turns blue. (be patient, it may take a while for the light to start flashing)
9-Disconnect Ethernet and wait for blue light again.
10-Move node to desired location.
I would make one edit "Plug your child router using the wan port to the main router lan port, wait for a solid purple light on the child node before proceeding" (I think purple but it's been a week, maybe it was blue.)
Here are exact steps I did for mesh mode with ATT Fiber modem:
Setup Parent Node
-UNPLUGGED ATT MODEM AND PLUGGED BACK IN
-PLUG CHARGER INTO LINKSYS#1
-CONNECTED ETHERNET CABLE FROM ATT MODEM>TO LINKSYS#1 INTERNET PORT
-CONNECTED PC ETHERNET TO ETHERNET PORT #3 OF LINKSYS#1
-TURN ON POWER SWITCH ON BOTTOM>LIGHT EVENTUALLY TURNS SOLID BLUE (READY FOR INTERNET)
-WEBBROWSER ENTERED: myrouter.local (192.168.1.1 DOES NOT WORK)>SIGN IN>ACCESS ROUTER:ENTER PW FROM BOTTOM>SIGN IN
-CONNECTIVITY>TIMEZONE EASTERN>APPLY>INTERNET SETTINGS TAB>TYPE OF INTERNET CONNECTION>EDIT>SAYS "AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION-DHCP"-NO CHANGES
CHILD NODES ONLY:
3-Plug your base/child nodes (LINKSYS #2,#3,#4...) using the INTERNET PORT (NOT LAN PORTS) to "LINKSYS#1/PARENT"-ANY ETHERNET PORT#1>TURN ON #2,#3,#4>wait for a solid purple light on the child node before proceeding(reboot if needed)
4-Log into your main router web admin: myrouter.local
5-Click on CA at the bottom right.
6-Click on Connectivity ON LEFT SIDE>CLICK TAB: CA Router setup.
7-Click on both Add Wired and Add Wireless nodes buttons(IF NOT CLICKABLE CLICK-DONE ADDING CHILD NODES THEN CLICK AGAIN) (DONT CLICK DONE ADDING CHILD NODES YET). Wait for the Add wireless button to re-enable.
8-Click Done adding Child Nodes and then Apply. (IF CLICKING APPLY DOES NOT MAKE COLOR FLASH MEANS YOU ARE NOT CONNECTED TO INTERNET PORT)
9-Now the child node light should start flashing purple and turn into a mesh mode when it turns blue (IF DONT TURN BLUE>POWER OFF THEN ON).
10-Disconnect Ethernet CABLE FROM LINKSYS #2 INTERNET PORT and wait for blue light again.
11-Move node to desired location
12-repeat for all other child nodes:>CLICK OK> GOTO STEP #3
If I recall the steps, this is what worked for me:
1. Power on the LN1301.
2. Connect your computer to the factory wifi network (I guess an ethernet cable could work too). You can do this without connecting the LN1301 to the internet or a router or anything, it will just warn you that you're not connected.
3. In a browser go to 192.168.1.1 or http://linksysXXXXX.lo
4. CA → Connectivity → Internet Settings → Static IP
5. IPv4 address of your choosing, subnet = mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway = your existing router IP, DNS 1 = your existing router IP
6. Click Apply and wait
7. Optional: connect to the LN1301 wifi, whatever it is, and see if you can go to the new IP in your browser. If you connected this to your existing router, wait a bit, then see if the LN1301 with its new IP shows up on your existing router's device list.
8. Go back to CA → Connectivity → Internet Settings → Bridge Mode
9. Click OK to the warning
10. Wait a long time
11. Maybe wait some more
12. The device is probably now in bridge mode. You can probably connect to its network again. You can tell it's in bridge mode if you go to your existing router/gateway's IP and it connects. For instance, I could connect to the Linksys network, and go to 192.168.1.1, and my ASUS router admin page came up.
13. You can probably open a browser and connect to the LN1301 settings page. You should be able to connect at the IP you assigned, and also by going to http://linksysXXXXX.lo
14. Optional: now go to Wi-Fi Settings and change the Wi-fi name (SSID) and password to whatever you want. if you change it to your existing SSID and password, all your devices should connect to it seamlessly.
15. Add mesh children per the CA instructions published everywhere.
16. Warning: in my case, my existing, slower gateway/router was still grabbing devices before the LN1301 mesh could connect. I guess maybe the mesh takes a split second to decide a handoff, and the ASUS router was slightly quicker. So I turned the radios off on that router. Now just the LN1301 mesh network is being broadcast.
17. Optional: Install the Ubiquiti Wifiman app and see how your signal is and how the mesh is handing you off between devices.
I do not know if the Static IP part is really required, do you? I wonder if you could just throw the LN1301 into bridge mode, and then peek at your existing router/gateway to see what IP it got assigned. However, I imagine best practice is to assign a stable IP to it anyway.
just finished setting this up with 4 nodes. Kept Linksys stock FW. Connected node#1 from internet port to LAN port of ATT modem(in passthru mode);keep all settings as is in DHCP/Auto; then connected the next 3 nodes using internet port connected to ethernet#1 of node#1. All 4 show all solid blue. Never had to do static ip, never had to change to bridge/AP. Installed app and works fine.
Starting from a factory fresh unit (or reset).
1. Download the linksys ap on android or ios.
2. Power on the unit with a WAN connection to the internet port. The WAN can be your router if you are trying to set an AP
3. on your android or iOS, connect wirelessly to the Linksys Name network and password on the bottom of the unit.
4. After you are connected, launch the linksys app.
5. Click on router, enter the password on the bottom of the unit. Once you are connected to the linksys, you can modify it. under local network settings, you can enter a static IP. click save. it will reboot and continue once you are reconnected to the linksys wireless network,
6. . Under internet setting you can set bridge mode, click save. it will reboot
7. next time you logon to the linksys, you can check to see what IP address it has, Use that IP to access the unit on a web page. Sometimes the router doesnt assign the address correctly or use the static address.
Yes, I think you are on to something and that's the correct method; the key is not connecting the LN1301's WAN port to another router's LAN jack during initial setup and use the LN1301 default wifi network SSID to change the settings.
It seems the DHCP server of the master router will change the LN1301's IP when it's connected making setting anything ineffective.
When the LN1301 is all set up via its default wifi SSID with the correct Static IP and you have Bridge mode activated with the master router's IP specified for the Gateway and DNS1 then connect the LN1301's Bridge WAN port to the master router's LAN jack. That should make the settings stick and the LN1301 should become a transparent/seamless bridge with the correct Static IP, gateway and DNS1 settings.
Of course! Pretty much any router can be used as an AP by disabling the DHCP server and plug in the rest of the network to the LAN port.
set it as an Access Point.
1. Disable DHCP (optional)
2. Set the device to Bridge Mode under Connectivity tab
3. Connect cable from your router to a LAN port.
4. Get some nail polished and a round sticker to cover the annoying flashing right light.
5. Click the 'AC' at the bottom of the page to see the detail configurations of wifi.
Also, be patient...once you've disconnected the lan cable and moved the node to its home and plug it back in, it will boot with flashing magenta light for a bit, then flash red...I thought I'd done something wrong. Redid the entire setup, and same thing....then I decided to simply wait, and sure enough...the flashing red finally went to blue.
Mine was purple when I had it connected in bridge mode to my network via its LAN port. I connected it via the WAN port and rebooted it, it then turned blue after booting. For what it's worth, before plugging it in I had already assigned it a persistent DHCP IP on my main router.
using it as mesh with two units. Got to be patient and wait for the lights to changed color after following instructions to click the CA at bottom right of admin page. For this model the WPS button on the bottom is unlabeled.
used web interface with only router pwd. Still no account. The little CA text at the bottom right is easy to miss but Wifi Icon on 2nd mesh backhaul, when wired backhaul showed different connection icon. I do agree in some ways app was easier to see when 2nd AP finally was connected as a child not a independent AP.
Nevermind the "CA" is so tiny wow!
Actually I found that the mandatory signup with linksys is only if you try to set up the router through the app or mobile. If you use a regular browser (connect to the default WiFi with the password indicated on the router) you can go to the default address and login locally using the reset code on the router sticker.
Before plugging in the 1st child be sure to complete set up on the parent. When you mention your "main router" into which you plug in the "1st parent," what is that device and what role is it to play in your network when all is said and done?
You need to connect to the parent and set it up at first. Log in to it via the Linksys admin web page that's at 192.168.1.1 (if using a mobile browser be sure to switch to desktop mode or it'll send you to the cloud log in which at first you should avoid; you'll know you're in the wrong, cloud, place if it asks for log in and password - local access page only asks for password). At any rate, Be sure you get the page that only asks for the Password (it's the one printed on the bottom of the parent device). Finish setting up the parent, it'll reboot. Then, once again logged in, you will see the CA on bottom right. Then plug in the child. Then do the mesh set up as described in the previous threads. Hope this helps.
When the Linksys is set to router mode (which it is by default) and you connect it to your existing router, and your existing router is using the 192.168…… ip range, the Linksys will choose a different ip range 10.x…… and the setup page for the Linksys will be 10.x.1.1. That is why you were getting the admin page for your existing router when you went to 192.168.1.1.
Can anyone tell me how to access the web interface wirelessly? I try 192.168.1.1 and nothing comes up, even though I am connected fine to the LN1301. Never mind, figured it out. http://myrouter.local/ works.
You're probably hooking this up to your existing gateway/router which is already using 192.168.1.1. By default the Linksys is running in router mode so it will create a different subnet, 10.x.1.1. You can find out the IP address for the Linksys by connecting a device to it and viewing the info for the connection.
For the record, you can access the device at its IP or at http://linksysXXXXX.lo
Factory resets: you have to hold down the reset button on the bottom a full 20 seconds. Even beyond when the red light turns off. It will be dark for a bit, and then it will boot.
Actually I would recommend at first using 2 Linksys LN1301s for a simple Bridge/AP + Mesh setup as it's relatively easy to configure and a good way to see if the LN1301s will work for you before using several LN1301s as a true Router+Mesh solution.
You need to change the Static IP address before switching to Bridge mode though. (CA>Connectivity>Internet Settings>Type of Internet Connection>Static IP Once that's done THEN switch to Bridge Mode)
Did you setup/change the IP address before switching to bridge mode? You need to enter your Asus router's IP in Default Gateway and DNS1 section of the LN1301 's Static IP menu if you want the Asus to detect all the devices that are connected to the bridge and mesh nodes. (CA>Connectivity>Internet Settings>Type of Internet Connection>Static IP Once that's done THEN switch to Bridge Mode)
For Bridge/AP Mode your Static IP address should look something like this... (Replace question marks with your relevant IP info)
Code:
Internet Address: 192.168.?.?? (The IP address that you want the LN1301 to have)
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.?.?? (The IP of the router that you want the LN1301 to act as a bridge for)
DNS1: 192.168.?.?? (IP of your router that the LN1301 connects to as a bridge)
DNS2: 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS Service)
I would also recommend restarting the entire mesh setup once you have everything properly configured and connected via the option in LN1301's webgui. (CA>Troubleshooting>Diagnostic>Restart Mesh WiFi system)
I would recommend disabling UPnP as soon as possible as it's a security risk. CA>Connectivity>Administration>UPnP
Also disabling Remote Access helps to secure things a bit as well. You won't be able to remotely manage the LN1301 over the internet though. CA>Connectivity>Administration>Remote Access
Linksys routers get those options [power adjustment] in the stock firmware too though basic. Access the wireless settings tab and at the bottom, there is a button for "CA". This should reveal all radios and can toggle them individually and set individual SSIDs for the 2.4ghz1 + 5ghz1 5ghz2 radios. You can access the other hidden wireless settings by replacing the "/home.html" part of url with "/advanced-wireless.html". Here I set my 2.4ghz radio to medium power and kept 5Ghz at high.
if i do wired backhaul mesh, will the third radio be used in any firmware (stock or openwrt)?
If your main parent node only has a single 5GHz radio, you will not be able to see or configure the second 5GHz radio, it will just adopt the same settings as your primary 5GHz.
You can just keep it disable it in openwrt if you want. All radios start off disabled anyway.
will it mesh over wired backhaul or only wirelessly?
If you don't want to mesh, you can make all of them dumb APs with backhauls and enable 802.11k/r/v for fast handoffs for clients (you could also enable 802.11r for mesh).
I don't see the option for Bridge Mode under the Connectivity tab.
internet settings-> type of internet connection
I am using current as wired ap on stock firmware. You have to bridge it and assign preferallly a static ip on main Routers. Also ensure you disable dhcp on Linksys...
You can connect the LN1301 as a wired bridge to the Asus router and then add additional child mesh clients to the LN1301 thus giving additional nodes. I plan to do something similar when my LN1301s arrive; connect it as a bridge to my main router and add nodes/mesh clients to the LN1301. The plan is to connect all my IP cameras plus smart devices to the LN1301 mesh network and use my Netgear RAX38 router as an exclusive DFS 5GHz network for all my high priority wireless streaming devices.
… I realize that but if you get 2 LN1301s you can essentially get an additional node for the Asus. One LN1301 will connect to the Asus router as a bridge and the other LN1301 will be a node/mesh to expand the WiFi range of the Asus. A bit convoluted but it should work.
After a scan of channels I switched from auto to less congested channels for each of the 5ghz bands and it is now comparable to my eero's speeds. But I don't get why it wasn't smart enough to find these better channels on auto out of the box. Also, was surprised that the stock firmware limited the channel options you could select to 36 - 48 for the lower 5ghz band and 149 - 165 for the higher 5ghz band.
with stock firmware, auto is 80mhz, then if you want you can manually limit it to 40 or 20 mhz.
I don't use mesh at all. My house has (Coax) cable connected to all 3 floors, basement, 1st and 2nd floor. With MoCA adapters (from Amazon or ebay), these 2 Linksys routers (as AP) are hard-wired to my main Asus router. All you need to do is set up WiFi channels (in both 2.4 and 5 G) to make sure they don't overlap. I only use channels 1, 6 & 11 for 2.4G with 20 MHz bandwidth. For 5G, I use 40 MHz bandwidth only.
Was able to rename the linksys network's name and password to be the same as the new spectrum router it was replacing. Spared me from having to reconfigure everything on my network.
It wasn't all smooth at first mind you. I kept getting disconnects; especially with the streaming IP cameras. But I discovered by disabling Express Forwarding all my streaming issues went away. (CA>Connectivity>Administration>Express Forwarding).
I'm guessing that Cisco's/Linksys' proprietary Express Forwarding routing protocol was causing havoc with the IP cams streaming capabilities. Also, disabling Node Steering seemed to make things more stable as well; mesh nodes no longer disconnect from the router when Node Steering is disabled. (CA>Wi-Fi Settings>Advanced>Node Steering)
Does the stock firmware not let you have separate SSIDs for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz even on the non-guest private WiFi?
It does have separate SSIDs for main network. Not sure how that works with guest.
On stock there is a 2.4g guests and on main 3 ssids you can configure one 2.4g and two 5g ones.
You can use one of the 5g ones as guest but I guess it may not be isolated....
Yeah totally could do that, just turn off DHCP on both Linksys units, have your existing router hand out IP's. Turn off wifi on your existing router if you want to keep things simple with the new units handling all the wifi. If you don't want to run a cable upstairs, having the second unit do wireless mesh off the main downstairs should work, just might have to really play around with placement so you get a good signal between them.
But...
Say you name all the ssids the same, or have your phone/car to auto connect to the 2.4ghz ssid and the 5ghz ssid. While you are driving into the driveway its going to connect to the 2.4ghz (50-100mbs) and stay there forever. While you are walking around the house your phone is going to hold onto that node for bloody life till you lose connection and it connects to the next nearest node.
I have come to the conclusion that unless i can get fast roaming to work, im better off with just 3 APs with a wired backhaul and the wifi tweaked so that things dont connect to them till they are well within range, and the APs boot them off as soon as bandwidth gets even a little iffy. And i can easily do that with dd-wrt.
As an aside, this is also while "mesh with wired backhaul" is just marketing nonsense. A properly configured multi-access point system functions exactly the same, including in terms of client handoffs between access points. A "wired mesh" doesn't add anything to that other than being configured correctly out of the box.
stock firmware and security
1. disable UPNP
2. it is okay to leave [wireless admin access] on. just make sure to change the password (by default it has same password as original wifi password from bottom of router)
3. Change wifi encryption to wpa2/wpa3.
Reset instructions:
With your node connected to power and turned on, press and hold the Reset button on the bottom. The light on top of the node will turn red and fade in pulses. Do not release the button until the light goes out and then turns bright red.
Unfortunately Bridge/AP mode for the LN1301 is very basic without any Device List; you will need to use the list in your Asus. However devices connected to the LN1301 bridge should show up as wired on your Asus.
Devices with the "..." are connected to the LN1301 bridge and those with the wifi icon are directly connected to your master Asus router; at least it should look that way and that's how it appeared in my old Netgear Rax38 when I was using the LN1301 as a bridge.
You can try using the WiFi Analyzer [google.com] for Android as well. If anything is connected to the LN1301 network it will show up as Belkin International. Also, in your device's status info that is connected to wifi, look for the MAC address of the SSID network; if the MAC starts with 80:69:1A [macaddress.io] then it's connected to the LN1301.
More unfortunately, guest network hosted on LN1301 runs on a separate network, 192.168.3.X. Main router wont see any devices connected to the mesh via guest network wifi. This is a serious problem as you will have no idea of anything nefarious on guest network. On a + side, your main network is fully isolated from the guests.
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DD-WRT runs FLAWLESS on this !!!
Here are the details from another thread:-
https://slickdeals.net/f/17735319-linksys-ln1301-tri-band-ax4200-wifi-6-wireless-router-20-free-shipping?p=1753
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https://slickdeals.net/f/17735319-linksys-ln1301-tri-band-ax4200-wifi-6-wireless-router-20-free-shipping?t=1773
Also, here's a link to some of the basic support docs for it from the Linksys site …
https://support.linksys
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This is the first time I have a TriBand router and I'm wondering what the optimal configuration should be if this is just configured as an AP. Do you enable all 3 radios even though there is no backhaul? If so, do you configure all 3 SSIDs with the same name?
OpenWrt is sort of the same, with a more basic default feature set, but more available features that can be installed. Still no app or remote admin with limited parental control.
Some people use AdGuard home, on or off router, for parental controls.
All of this is way more complicated than eero and suitable only for more technical users. I personally would keep the Eero if it's working for you. I was considering it, but don't want to pay their monthly fee.
I dont see how it will enhance security unless I put other firmware (openwrt,ddwrt) that can handle a VLAN. But then I need to replace all my dumb switches to managed switches. The other option is if I create a guest network and put all my ioT stuff on it. But I dont know how the stock firmware handles access on the guest LAN running in bridge mode. The other possibility is that since these are so cheap, I get an additional 1-2 units, and simply make an iOT AP and let my router/firewall deal with the access controls. This latter seems easiest, dont need a VLAN since it is a physical LAN, dont need managed switches, and just need one 10/100Mbps ethernet cable to the AP. Comments?
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Will I notice an upgrade if I switch to this Linksys router?
I read that this can integrate with the mesh on an AT&t network? Is there another router that can do this? Probably for cheap or hackable?
My parents complain about their AT&t router, this would have been a great addition to help them. They are being charged for each mesh extender, and it doesn't even work well, keeps disconnecting. Can anyone offer an alternative? 🥺
Will I notice an upgrade if I switch to this Linksys router?
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