Initial LinkSys Router Setup with Mac OS X
This is a quick, terse walkthrough of screenshots taken
under OS X 10.2.8 to set up a Powerbook to configure a LinkSys BEFW11S4 Etherfast Cable/DSL Wireless Router, since LinkSys won't tell Mac users what to do.
The procedure on this page is generally applicable to a large number of home network router brands.
Pertinent AppleCare KnowledgeBase articles
All LinkSys router models I've seen, wired and wireless, have nearly identical setup processes.
Although this list is tailored to a LinkSys router, this page on setting up the Mac is
generally applicable to most non-Apple routers that are configured from your computer's browser, and
with only cosemtic changes
Cables
Wire the LinkSys per the manual.
Connect the WAN port to your Cable-DSL router with an Ethernet cable.
Connect any non-wireless Macs with Ethernet cables to the LAN ports.
Plug LinkSys in.
Avoid using the Uplink port, if there is one. That's for adding another router.
Set up Mac to Configure LinkSys
In order to use the Mac's browser to configure the LinkSys, you need to set the Mac up
to connect to the LinkSys Router.
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Open Network Preferences from OS X's System Preferences.
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Set up a New Location for this configuraton. (This is instead of changing your current configuration, so you can go back to it easily if something gets munged.)
Pick New Location from the pull-down menu next to "Location:" on Network Preferences.
(this screenshot has a few extra locations from my system. You'll probably have only one existing Location, "Automatic".)
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In the dialog that appears, Enter a name, such as "LinkSys", for this Location.
Any name you like will do. It will show up in the Location menu later.
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Switch the "Location" pull-down to the new "LinkSys" Location (or whatever you named it.)
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Set the "Show:" pull-down menu to Network Port Configurations in the Network Preference dialog.
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Make sure the Airport and Built-In Ethernet are both checked (that means they are enabled;
if you don't have an Airport card installed, the option won't show up. If you never want to use one o fthe interfaces shown, you can uncheck it).
If you want to still use dial-up, you can check Internal Modem, too.
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You can click and drag on an item on the list to move it around.
The order in which these appear in the list is the order in which the Mac tries to use the interfaces.
You can put either Built-In Ethernet or Airport on top (I suggest Airport if you're using one) but you probably want both above the Internal Modem.
This determines the order in which your Mac will use the connection. If you list Airport first, then the Mac will use it as long as the Airport is on and has a signal.
If you have Ethernet first, then the Mac will use it as long as it has a connection (the catch being, depending on your network settings, the Mac can't always tell if the Ethernet runs to a working internet connection.)
If you have Dial-up on top, the Mac will try to dial the modem rather than use a perfectly good airport or Ethernet connection.
I keep my Airport at the top of the list and manually turn airport Off from the menubar status menu when I dock to the Ethernet cable.
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Set the "Show:" pull-down to Built-in Ethernet.
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Select the TCP/IP tab.
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Set the "Configure:" pull-down menu to "Using DHCP".
Note: If Using DHCP isn't an option on the pull-down, switch to the PPPoE tab and make sure the "Connect using PPPoE" box is not checked.
Setting up the OS X Airport interface
Continue here if you only need an Ethernet connection.
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Set the "Show:" pull-down to Airport.
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Select the TCP/IP tab.
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Set the "Configure:" pull-down menu to "Using DHCP".
Using DHCP here means your Mac will obtain its IP address, netmask and router address automatically from
the LAN DHCP server in the router.
Once the Mac connects to the LinkSys, this screen will show (in grayed text) the actual assigned IP Address,
Netmask, and Router address obtained from the router.
With the LinkSys (default setup), the IP Address will be at the lower end of the range 192.168.1.100 - 192.168.1.199,
the netmask will be 255.255.255.0 and the router will be 192.168.1.1
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Select the Airport tab.
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Set the airport options to remember your password on the Keychain if you want.
(This is a nice convenience, so you don't have to keep re-entering the LinkSys Hex string.)
Set the "allow computer to create networks" if you want. (This is for ad hoc Mac-to-Mac wireless networks without a router.)
Set "Show Airport Status in menu bar" if you like. (This is convenient for checking status and opening Internet Connect.)
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Click Apply Now. That should do it.
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Open Internet Connect application (Applications/Utilities folder).
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Set the Configure: pull-down to Airport.
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Make sure the "Airport Power:" says On. (This is the status or your Mac's Airport card.)
If not, click "Turn Airport On" button.
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Make sure the Network: pull-down shows the name of the router (the SSID name on the router is preset, usually with the router's brand name, e.g. "LinkSys").
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You should show a signal. (The LinkSys will always say "Status: Not available" at the bottom of the screen; an Apple Airport Base Station supplies additional info on the status of your internet connection that it would display here.)
Your Mac is ready
Your Mac is now set up so it can connect to the Router either wirelessly or wired.
You can verify that you have established a functioning connection with the LinkSys router by
re-opening System Preference's Network pane.
Once the Mac has communicated with the LinkSys, you will see that the IP Address assigned
your Mac by the router will be filled in (A LinkSys will assign IP addresses in the range 192.168.1.100 — 192.168.1.200), as will the Subnet mask (255.255.255.0) and Router
address (192.168.1.1):
Note: An IP Address starting with 169.---.---.--- is not a valid DHCP-assigned address (it's called a self-assigned IP address, meaning the Mac made it up for itself).
It means your Mac has not yet obtained an IP Address from the Router's DHCP Server.
Apple offers this KBase Article of advice should this happen.
Connect to the Router
From here, you configure the LinkSys as specififed in the LinkSys manual using your Mac's web browser
by connecting to the router's setup utility at http://192.168.1.1.
(Note: Some newer Linksys models work better using http://192.168.1.1:88;
If you have problems, try that instead.)
(Check your manual for the exact web address to use.)
My procedure for doing that setup on a LinkSys is listed here.
You can check the rest of my home network config info here.
If something above seems missing, confusing or down-right wrong, you can eMail me as car1son at my .Mac account.
(Please be specific at what point things went wrong and how they went wrong.)
Good luck!