Page 2
Specifications are subject to change without notice. is a registered trademark of TP-LINK Technologies Co., Ltd. Other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. No part of the specifications may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative such as translation, transformation, or adaptation without permission from TP-LINK Technologies Co., Ltd.
Page 3
CE Declaration of Conformity For the following equipment: TL-WR542G Is herewith confirmed to comply with the requirements set out in the Council Directive on the Approximation of the Laws of the Member States relating to Electromagnetic Compatibility (89/336/EEC), Low-voltage Directive (73/23/EEC) and the Amendment Directive (93/68/EEC), the procedures given in European Council Directive 99/5/EC and 89/3360EEC.
Page 4
EN 60950-1: 2001 EN 55022: 1998 + A1: 2000 + A2: 2003 EN61000-3-2:2001 EN61000-3-3:2001 EN 55024: 1998 +A1: 2001 + A2: 2003 European standards dictate maximum radiated transmit power of 100mW EIRP and frequency range 2.400-2.4835GHz; In France, the equipment must be restricted to the 2.4465-2.4835GHz frequency range and must be restricted to indoor use.
• Other Helpful Information Wall-mounting screws Note: If any of the listed contents are damaged or missing, please contact the retailer from whom you purchased the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router for assistance. 54M Wireless Router User Guide - 1 -...
54M Wireless Router User Guide Chapter 1: About this Guide Thank you for choosing the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router. This router provides dedicated solution for Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) networks. With your network all connected, your local wired or wireless network can share Internet access, files and fun for multiple PCs through one ISP account.
The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router integrates 4-port Switch, firewall, NAT-router and Wireless AP. Its design is dedicated to Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) wireless network solutions. The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router will allow you to connect your network wirelessly better than ever, sharing Internet Access, files and fun, easily and securely.
2.3 Panel Layout 2.3.1 The Front Panel The front panel of the TL-WR542G consists of several LED indicators, which is designed to indicate connections. Viewed from left to right. Table 2-1 describes the LEDs on the front panel of the router.
WAN RJ45 port for connecting the router to a cable, DSL modem, or Ethernet Four LAN 10/100Mbps RJ45 ports for connecting the router to the local PCs AC power socket: only use the power adapter supplied with the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router, use of a different adapter may result in product damage.
TL-WR542G Chapter 3: Connecting the Router 3.1 System Requirements Broadband Internet Access Service (DSL/Cable/Ethernet) One DSL/Cable modem that has an RJ45 connector (you do not need it if you connect the router to Ethernet) Each PC on the LAN needs a working Ethernet Adapter and an Ethernet cable with...
Page 13
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide RESET To WAN To LAN Switch/Hub XDSL Cable Ethernet ( 、 、 ) Figure 3-1: Hardware Installation of the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router - 7 -...
TL-WR542G Chapter 4: Quick Installation Guide After connecting the TL-WR542G Router into your network, you should configure it. This chapter describes how to configure the basic functions of your TL-WR542G Wireless Router. These procedures only take you a few minutes. You can access the Internet via the router immediately after successfully configured.
TL-WR542G If the result displayed is similar to that shown in figure 4-1, the connection between your PC and the router has been established. Figure 4-2: Failed result of Ping command If the result displayed is similar to that shown in figure 4-2, it means that your PC has not connected to the router.
Page 16
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-4 Login Windows Note: If the above screen does not prompt, it means that your web-browser has been set to a proxy. Go to Tools menu>Internet Options>Connections>LAN Settings, in the screen that appears, cancel the Using Proxy checkbox, and click OK to finish it.
Page 17
TL-WR542G Figure 4-7 Quick Setup - PPPoE User Name and Password - Enter the User Name and Password provided by your ISP. These fields are case sensitive. If you have difficulty with this process, please contact your ISP. If you choose " Dynamic IP", the router will automatically receive the IP parameters from your ISP without needing to enter any parameters.
Page 18
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.
TL-WR542G Chapter 5: Configuring the Router This chapter describes each web page's key functions. 5.1 login After your successful login, you can configure and manage the router. There are ten main menus on the left of the web-based utility. Submenus will be available after you click one of the main menus.
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide Figure 5-1: Router Status 5.3 Quick Setup Please refer to Section 4.2: "Quick Installation Guide." 5.4 Network Figure 5-2: the Network menu There are three submenus under the Network menu (shown in figure 5-2): LAN, WAN and MAC Clone.
TL-WR542G 5.4.1 LAN You can configure the IP parameters of LAN on this page. MAC Address - the physical address of the router, as seen from the LAN. The value can't be changed. IP Address - Enter the IP address of your router in dotted-decimal notation (factory default: 192.168.1.1).
Page 22
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide Figure 5-4 WAN – Dynamic IP This page displays the WAN IP parameters assigned 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.
Page 23
TL-WR542G Figure 5-4a: WAN - 802.1X + Dynamic IP User Name - Enter the user name for 802.1x authentication provided by your ISP Password - Enter the password for 802.1x authentication provided by your ISP. Click Login button to start 802.1x authentication.
Page 24
TL-WR542G If you are also given a user name and a password for 802.1x authentication, you should select 802.1x + Static IP for WAN Connection Type, a box will then appear requesting a user name and a password, shown in figure 5-5a: Figure 5-5a: WAN - 802.1X + Static IP...
Page 25
TL-WR542G Caution: Sometimes the connection cannot be disconnected although you specify a time to Max Idle Time, since some applications is visiting the Internet continually in the background. Connect Automatically - Connect automatically after the router is disconnected. To use this option, click the radio button.
TL-WR542G it is necessary for your ISP. Service Name/AC Name - The service name and AC (Access Concentrator) name, this should not be done unless you are sure it is necessary for your ISP. 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...
SSID - Enter a value of up to 32 characters. The same name (SSID) must be assigned to all wireless devices on your network. The default SSID is TP-LINK, but it is recommended strongly that you change your networks name (SSID) to a different value.
Page 28
TL-WR542G wireless function of the router in a region other than one of those specified in this field. If your country or region is not listed, please contact your local government agency for assistance Channel - This field determines which operating frequency will be used. It is not necessary to change the wireless channel unless you notice interference problems with another nearby access point.
Page 29
TL-WR542G Hexadecimal format stands for any combination of hexadecimal digits (0-9, a-f, A-F) in the specified length. WEP Key settings - Select which of the four keys will be used and enter the matching WEP key information for your network in the selected key radio button.
TL-WR542G 5.5.2 MAC Filtering The Wireless MAC Filtering for wireless networks are set on this page, figure 5-11: Figure 5-11: Wireless MAC address Filtering The Wireless MAC Address Filtering feature allows you to control wireless stations accessing the router, which depend on the station's MAC addresses.
Page 31
TL-WR542G Figure 5-12: Add or Modify Wireless MAC Address Filtering entry To add or modify a MAC Address Filtering entry, follow these instructions: Enter the appropriate MAC Address into the MAC Address field. The format of the MAC Address is XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX (X is any hexadecimal digit). For example: 00-0A-EB-B0-00-0B.
TL-WR542G 1. Click the Enable button to enable this function. 2. Select the radio button: Deny the stations not specified by any enabled entries in the list to access for Filtering Rules. 3. Delete all or disable all entries if there exist any entries already.
TL-WR542G Figure 5-13: The router attached wireless stations MAC Address - The connected wireless station's MAC address Current Status - The connected wireless station's running status, one of STA-AUTH / STA-ASSOC / AP-UP / WPA / WPA-PSK /WPA2/WPA2-PSK/None Received Packets - packets received by the station Sent Packets - packets sent by the station You cannot change any of the values on this page.
TL-WR542G DHCP Server - Enable or Disable the DHCP server. If you disable the Server, you must have another DHCP server within your network or else you must manually configure the computer. Start IP Address - This field specifies the first of the addresses in the IP address pool.
TL-WR542G 5.6.3 Address Reservation When you specify a reserved IP address for a PC on the LAN, that PC will always receive the same IP address each time when it accesses the DHCP server. Reserved IP addresses should be assigned to servers that require permanent IP settings. This page is used for address reservation (shown in figure 5-17).
TL-WR542G Note: The function won't take effect until the router reboots. 5.7 Forwarding Figure 5-18: the Forwarding menu There are four submenus under the Forwarding menu (shown in figure 5-18): Virtual Servers, Port Triggering, DMZ and UPnP. Click any of them, and you will be able to configure the corresponding function.
TL-WR542G protocols supported by the router). Enable - The Enable checkbox to enable the virtual server entry. Common Service Port - Some common services already list in the pull-down list. To setup a virtual server entry: Select the service you want to use from the Common Service Port list, and select the ID you want to use, and click Copy to button.
Page 38
TL-WR542G Once configured, operation is as follows: 1. A local host makes an outgoing connection using a destination port number defined in the Trigger Port field. 2. The router records this connection, opens the incoming port or ports associated with this entry in the Port Triggering table, and associates them with the local host.
TL-WR542G Select the protocol used for Incoming Ports Range from the pull-down list, either TCP or UDP, or All. Select the Enable checkbox to enable. Click the Save button to save the new rule. There are many popular applications in the Popular Application list. You can select it and the ID, then click the Copy to button, the application will fill in the Trigger Port, incoming Ports Range boxes and select the Enable checkbox.
TL-WR542G To assign a computer or server to be a DMZ server: Click the Enable radio button Enter the local host IP Address in the DMZ Host IP Address field Click the Save button. Note: After you set the DMZ host, the firewall related to the host will not work.
TL-WR542G 5.8 Security Figure 5-23: the Security menu There are six submenus under the Security menu (shown in figure 5-23): Firewall, IP Address Filtering, Domain Filtering, MAC Filtering, Remote Management and Advanced Security. Click any of them, and you will be able to configure the corresponding function.
TL-WR542G Enable MAC Filtering - set MAC Address Filtering is enabled or disabled. You can select the default filtering rules of MAC Address Filtering, either Allow or Reny accessing the router. 5.8.2 IP Address Filtering The IP address Filtering feature allows you to control Internet Access by specific users on your LAN based on their IP addresses.
TL-WR542G Keep the field open, which means all LAN IP Addresses have been put into the field. LAN Port - type a LAN Port or a range of LAN ports in the field. For example, 1030 - 2000. Keep the field open, which means all LAN ports have been put into the field.
Page 44
TL-WR542G Before adding a Domain Filtering entry, you must ensure that Enable Firewall and Enable Domain Filtering have been selected on the Firewall page. To Add a Domain filtering entry, click the Add New… button. The page " Add or Modify a Domain Filtering entry "...
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide Click the Next button to go to the next page and the Previous button to return to the previous page. For example, if you want to block the PCs on your LAN to access websites www.xxyy.com.cn,...
TL-WR542G To add or modify a MAC Address Filtering entry, follow these instructions: Enter the appropriate MAC Address into the MAC Address field. The format of the MAC Address is XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX (X is any hexadecimal digit). For example: 00-0E-AE-B0-00-0B. Type the description of the PC in the Description field. Fox example: John’s PC.
TL-WR542G Web Management Port - Web browser access normally uses the standard HTTP service port 80. This router’s default remote management web port number is For greater security, you can change the remote management web interface to a custom port by entering that number in this box provided. Choose a number between 1024 and 65534, but do not use the number of any common service port.
Page 48
TL-WR542G Packets Statistic interval (5 ~ 60) - The default value is 10. Select a value between 5 and 60 seconds in the pull-down list. The Packets Statistic interval value indicates the time section of the packets statistic. The result of the statistic used for analysis by SYN Flood, UDP Flood and ICMP-Flood.
TL-WR542G Host IP Address- The IP address that blocked by DoS are displayed here. Host MAC Address - The MAC address that blocked by DoS are displayed here. To update this page and to show the current blocked host, click on the Refresh button.
TL-WR542G To delete all the entries: Click the Clear All button. Click the Save button. Note: You can set up to 8 entries. 5.10 DDNS The router offers a Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS) feature. DDNS lets you assign a fixed host and domain name to a dynamic Internet IP Address. It is useful when you are hosting your own website, FTP server, or other server behind the router.
TL-WR542G Figure 5-36: Oray.net DDNS Settings To set up for DDNS, follow these instructions: Type the User Name for your DDNS account. Type the Password for your DDNS account. Click the Login button to login the DDNS service. Connection Status - the status of the DDNS service connection is displayed here.
TL-WR542G Figure 5-36: Comexe.cn DDNS Settings To set up for DDNS, follow these instructions: Type the domain names your dynamic DNS service provider gave. Type the User Name for your DDNS account. Type the Password for your DDNS account. Click the Login button to login to the DDNS service.
TL-WR542G 5.11.1 Time You can set time manually or get GMT from the Internet for the router on this page (shown in figure 5-39): Time Zone - Select your local time zone from this pull down list. Date - Enter your local date in MM/DD/YY into the right blanks.
To upgrade the router's firmware, follow these instructions: Download a more recent firmware upgrade file from the TP-LINK website (www.tp-link.com). Run a TFTP Server on a PC on your LAN, and take the file in the TFTP server’s path.
TL-WR542G Figure 5-42: Reboot the router Click the Reboot button to reboot the router. Some settings of the router will take effect only after rebooting, which include: • Change LAN IP Address. (System will reboot automatically) • MAC Clone (system will reboot automatically) •...
TL-WR542G 5.11.6 Log This page (shown in figure 5-44) allows you to query the Logs of the router. The router can keep logs of all traffic. You can query the logs to find what happened to the router. Click the Refresh button to refresh the logs.
Page 57
TL-WR542G The IP Address displayed with statistics IP Address The total amount of packets received and transmitted by the router. Packets Total The total amount of bytes received and transmitted by the router. Bytes The total amount of packets received and transmitted in the last Packets Packets Statistic interval seconds.
TL-WR542G Appendix A: FAQ How do I configure the router to access Internet by ADSL users? First, configure the ADSL modem configured in RFC1483 bridge model. Connect the Ethernet cable from your ADSL modem to the WAN port on the router.
Page 59
TL-WR542G MAC register, login to the router and click the "Network" menu link on the left of your browser, and then click "MAC Clone" submenu link. On the "MAC Clone" page, if your PC’s MAC address is proper MAC address, click the "Clone MAC Address"...
Page 60
TL-WR542G I want to build a WEB Server on the LAN, what should I do? Because the WEB Server port 80 will interfere with the WEB management port 80 on the router, you must change the WEB management port number to avoid interference.
Page 61
TL-WR542G The wireless stations cannot connect to the router. Make sure the "Wireless Router Radio" is enabled. Make sure that the wireless stations' SSID accord with the router's SSID. Make sure the wireless stations have right KEY for encryption when the router is encrypted.
TL-WR542G Appendix B: Configuring the PCs In this section, we’ll introduce how to install and configure the TCP/IP correctly in Windows 95/98. First make sure your Ethernet Adapter is working, refer to the adapter’s manual if needed. Install TCP/IP component On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Page 63
TL-WR542G Figure B-3: Configuration tab Click on Properties. The following TCP/IP Properties window will display and the IP Address tab is open on this window by default. Now you have two ways to configure the TCP/IP protocol below: • Assigned by DHCP Sever...
Page 64
TL-WR542G Figure B-5: Gateway tab Choose Disable DNS on the DNS configuration tab, as shown in the following figure: Figure B-6: DNS Configuration tab • Setting IP address manually Select Specify an IP address on IP Address tab, as shown in the following figure.
Page 65
TL-WR542G Figure B-7: IP Address tab Type the router’s LAN IP address (the default IP is 192.168.1.1) into the New gateway field on the Gateway tab, and click on the Add button, as shown in the figure: Figure B-8: Gateway tab On the DNS Configuration tab, click Enable DNS radio, and type your computer name in to the Host field and a Domain (such as szonline.com)
Page 66
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide click Add button. Shown below: Figure B-9: DNS Configuration tab Now, all the configurations are finished, it will take effect after reboot. - 60 -...
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide Appendix D: Glossary WLAN Transmission Technology - The WLAN device 2x to 3x eXtended Range with 2x to 3x eXtended Range WLAN transmission technology make its sensitivity up to 105 dB, which gives users the ability to have robust, longer-range wireless connections.
Page 69
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide NAT (Network Address Translation) - NAT technology translates IP addresses of a local area network to a different IP address for the Internet. PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) - PPPoE is a protocol for connecting remote hosts to the Internet over an always-on connection by simulating a dial-up connection.
TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide Appendix E: Contact Information For help with the installation or operation of the TP-LINK TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router, please contact us. support@tp-link.com E-mail: http://www.tp-link.com Website: - 64 -...