TP-Link Router TL-WR542G User Manual

							TL-WR542G54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 
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¾ SSID -  Enter a value of up to 32 characters. The same SSID must be assigned to all 
wireless devices on your network. The default SSID  is TP-LINK. This value is case-sensitive. 
For example,  TP-LINK is NOT the same as  tp-link. 
¾ Region -  Select your region from the pull-down list. This field specifies the region where the 
wireless function of the router  can be used. It may be illegal to  use the wireless function of the 
router in a region other than one of  those specified in this field. 
¾ Channel  -  The current channel in use. This fiel d determines which operating frequency will 
be used. 
¾  Mode -  Indicates the current mode  54Mbps (802.11g), 11Mbps (802.11b). If you select 
54Mbps (802.11g) , it is compatible with  11Mbps (802.11b). 
These settings are only for basic wireless parameters, for advanced settings, please refer to 
Section 4.5: Wireless.
  
)  Note: 
The change of wireless settings wont take effect  until the router reboots! You can reboot it 
manually. If you need instructions as  to how to do this, please refer to Section 4.12.5: Reboot”
. 
Click the  Next button. You will then  see the Finish page: 
 
Figure 3-10 Quick Setup - Finish 
After finishing all configurations of  basic network parameters, please click Finish button to exit 
this  Quick Setup . 
Chapter 4. Configuring the Router 
This chapter describes eac h Web pages key functions. 
4.1 Login  
After your successful login, you can configure and manage the rout er. There are ten main menus 
on the left of the Web-ba sed utility. Submenus will  be available after you click one of the main 
menus. The eleven main menus are:  Status, Quick Setup, Network, Wireless, DHCP, 
Forwarding, Security, IP & MAC Binding Setting , Static Routing, DDNS and System Tools.  
						

							TL-WR542G54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 
 13 On the right of the Web-based utility, there are the detailed explanations and instructions for the 
corresponding page. To apply any settings y ou have altered on the page, please click the  Save 
button.  
The detailed explanations for each W eb page key’s function are listed below.   
4.2 Status 
The Status page displays the routers current status and confi guration. All information is 
read-only. 
1. LAN 
This field displays the current settings or information for the LAN, including the  MAC address, 
IP address and Subnet Mask.  
2. Wireless  This field displays basic  information or status for wireless function, including  Wireless Radio, 
SSID, Channel, Mode, Wireless MAC address, and IP address.  
3. WAN  These parameters apply to the WA N port of the router, including MAC address, IP address, 
Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS server  and WAN connection type . If PPPoE is 
chosen as the WAN c onnection type, the Disconnect button will be shown here while you 
are accessing the Internet. You can also cut t he connection by clicking the button. If you have 
not connected to the Internet, just click  Connect to establish the connection. 
Traffic Statistics 
This field displays the routers traffic statistics.   
4.  System Up Time  The total up time of the router from when it was switched on or reset. 
    
						

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Figure 4-1 Router Status 
4.3 Quick Setup 
Please refer to  Section 3.2: Quick Installation Guide.  
						

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4.4 Network 
 
    Figure 4-2 the Network menu 
There are three submenus under the Network menu (shown in  Figure 4-2): LAN, WAN and  MAC 
Clone.  Click any of 

them, and you will be able to  configure the corresponding function. The 
detailed explanations for eac h submenu are provided below. 
4.4.1 LAN 
You can configure the IP param eters of LAN on this page.   
 
Figure 4-3 LAN 
¾ MAC Address  -  The physical address of the router, as  seen from the LAN. The value cant 
be changed. 
¾  IP Address - Enter the IP address of your router in dotted-decimal notati on (factory default: 
192.168.1.1). 
¾  Subnet Mask - An address code that determines the  size of the network. Normally use 
255.255.255.0 as the subnet mask.   
)  Note:  
If you change the IP Address of LAN, you must us e the new IP Address to login the router.   
If the new LAN IP Address you set is not in t he same subnet, the IP Address pool of the DHCP 
server will not take effect,  until they are re-configured. 
If the new LAN IP Address you set is not in the  same subnet, the Virtual Server and DMZ Host will 
change accordingly at the same time. 
4.4.2  WAN 
You can configure the WAN por t parameters on this page.  
						

							TL-WR542G54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 
 16 First, please choose the WAN Connection Type (Dynamic IP/S tatic IP/PPPoE/802.1X + Dynamic 
IP/802.1X + Static IP/Big  Pond Cable/L2TP/PPTP) for Internet. The default type is Dynamic IP . If 
you aren’t given any login parameters (fixed IP  Address, logging ID, etc), please select Dynamic 
IP . If you are given a fixed IP  (static IP), please select Static IP. If you are given a user name and 
a password, please select the type of y our ISP provided (PPPoE/BigPond/L2TP/PPTP)
. If you 
are not sure which connection type you use curr ently, please contact your ISP to obtain the 
correct information. 
1.  If you choose Dynamic IP,  the router will automatically get IP parameters from your ISP. 
You can see the page as follows ( Figure 4-4): 
 
Figure 4-4 WAN – Dynamic IP 
This page displays the WAN IP parameters assi gned dynamically by your ISP, including IP 
address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, etc. Click the  Renew button to renew the IP 
parameters from your ISP. Click the  Release button to release the IP parameters. 
MTU Size -  The normal MTU (Maximum Transmission Un it) value for most Ethernet networks 
is 1500 Bytes. For some ISPs you need to reduce the MTU. But this is rarely required, and 
should not be done unless you are sure it  is necessary for your ISP connection. 
If your ISP gives you one or two DNS addresses, select  Use These DNS Servers and enter 
the primary and secondary addresses into the corre ct fields. Otherwise, the DNS servers will 
be assigned dynamically from your ISP.    
						

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) Note: 
If you get address and find error when you go to a W eb site, it is likely that your DNS servers 
are set up improperly. You should contact y our ISP to get DNS server addresses.   
Get IP with Unicast DHCP -  A few ISPs DHCP servers do not support the broadcast 
applications. If you cannot get  the IP Address normally, you can  choose this option. (This is 
rarely required.) 
2.  If you choose  Static IP, you should have fixed IP Parameters  specified by your ISP. The 
Static IP settings page will appear, shown in  Figure 4-5: 
 
Figure 4-5 WAN - Static IP 
You should type the following paramet ers into the spaces provided: 
¾ IP Address -  Enter the IP address in dotted-decim al notation provided by your ISP. 
¾ Subnet Mask -  Enter the subnet Mask in dotted-decim al notation provided by your ISP, 
usually is 255.255.255.0. 
¾  Default Gateway -  (Optional) Enter the gateway IP  address in dotted-decimal notation 
provided by your ISP. 
¾  MTU Size -  The normal MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) value for most Ethernet 
networks is 1500 Bytes. For some ISPs you may  need to modify the MTU. But this is rarely 
required, and should not be done unless you ar e sure it is necessary for your ISP 
connection.  
¾ Primary DNS -  (Optional) Enter the DNS address in  dotted-decimal notation provided by 
your ISP. 
¾  Secondary DNS -  (Optional) Type another DNS addre ss in dotted-decimal notation provided  
						

							TL-WR542G54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 
 18by your ISP if provided.
 
3.  If you choose  PPPoE, you should enter the following parameters ( Figure 4-6):   
 
Figure 4-6 WAN - PPPoE 
¾ User Name/Password -  Enter the User Name and Password provided by your ISP. These 
fields are case-sensitive. 
¾  Connect on Demand -  You can configure the router to  disconnect your Internet connection 
after a specified period of inactivity ( Max Idle Time). If your Internet connection has been 
terminated due to inactivity, Connect on Demand  enables the router to automatically 
re-establish your connection as soon as you atte mpt to access the Internet again. If you wish 
to activate Connect on Demand , click the radio button. If you want your Internet connection 
to remain active at all times, enter 0 in the  Max Idle Time field. Otherwise, enter the number 
of minutes you want to have elapsed befor e your Internet connection terminates. 
Caution : Sometimes the connection cannot be disc onnected although you specify a time to 
Max Idle Time, since some applications is visiti ng the Internet continually in the background. 
¾ Connect Automatically -  Connect automatically after the rout er is disconnected. To use this 
option, click the radio button. 
¾  Time-based Connecting -  You can configure the router to  make it connect or disconnect 
based on time. Enter the start time in HH:MM  format for connecting and end time in HH:MM 
format for disconnecting in the  Period of Time fields.   
) Note:  
						

							TL-WR542G54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 
 19Only when you have configured the system time on 
System Tools -> Time page, will the 
Time-based Connecting  function can take effect. 
¾ Connect Manually -  You can configure the router to make it connect or disconnect manually. 
After a specified period of inactivity ( Max Idle Time), the router will disconnect from the 
Internet connection, and you will not be able to  re-establish your connection automatically as 
soon as you attempt to access the Internet again.  To use this option, click the radio button. If 
you want your Internet connection to remain  active at all times, enter 0 in the Max Idle Time 
field. Otherwise, enter the number time in mi nutes that you wish to have the Internet 
connecting last unless a new link is requested. 
Caution : Sometimes the connection cannot be disc onnected although you specify a time to 
Max Idle Time, since some applications are visiti ng the Internet continually in the background. 
Click the  Connect button to connect imm ediately. Click the Disconnect button to disconnect 
immediately. 
Click the  Advanced Settings  button to set up the advanc ed option, the page shown in  Figure 
4-7 will then appear: 
 
Figure 4-7 PPPoE Advanced Settings 
¾  Packet MTU -  The default MTU size is 1480 bytes, which value is usually fine. For some 
ISPs, you need modify the MTU. This should not  be done unless you are sure it is necessary 
for your ISP. 
¾  Service Name/AC Name -  The service name and AC (Acce ss Concentrator) name, these 
should not be configured unless you are su re it is necessary for your ISP.  
						

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¾ ISP Specified IP Address -  If you know that your ISP does not  automatically transmit your IP 
address to the router during login, click “ Use the IP Address specified by ISP” check box 
and enter the IP Address in dotted-decima l notation, which your ISP provided. 
¾ Detect Online Interval -  The default value is 0, you can  input the value between 0 and 120. 
The router will detect Access Concentrator online at every inte rval between seconds. If the 
value is 0,  it  means, do not detect. 
¾  DNS IP address -  If you know that your ISP does not  automatically transmit DNS addresses 
to the router during login, click “ Use the following DNS servers ” checkbox and enter the IP 
address in dotted-decimal notation of your ISP’s primary DNS server. If a secondary DNS 
server address is available, enter it as well. 
Click the  Save button to save your settings. 
4.  If you choose 802.1X + Dynamic IP, you should enter the follow parameters( Figure 4-8) : 
 
Figure 4-8 802.1X + Dynamic IP Settings 
¾ User Name - Enter the user name for 802.1X auth entication provided by your ISP 
¾ Password -  Enter the password for 802.1X authe ntication provided by your ISP. 
Click Login  to start 802.1X authentication.  
						

							TL-WR542G54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 
 21Click Logout
 to end 802.1X authentication. 
¾ Host Name  - This field is required to be  filled by some service provider. 
5.  If you choose 802.1X + Static IP,  you should enter the follow parameters( Figure 4-9) : 
 
Figure 4-9 802.1X + Static IP Settings 
¾ User Name - Enter the user name for 802.1X auth entication provided by your ISP 
¾ Password -  Enter the password for 802.1X authe ntication provided by your ISP. 
Click Login  to start 802.1X authentication. 
Click Logout  to end 802.1X authentication. 
¾ IP Address  - Enter the IP address in dotted-decim al notation provided by your ISP. 
¾ Subnet Mask  - Enter the subnet Mask in dotted-de cimal notation provided by your ISP. 
¾ Default Gateway  - (Optional) Enter the default gateway IP address in dotted-decimal 
notation provided by your ISP. 
6.  If you choose  Big Pond Cable, you should enter the following parameters ( Figure 4-10):