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FCC RF Radiation Exposure Statement This equipment complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This device and its antenna must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. “To comply with FCC RF exposure compliance requirements, this grant is applicable to only Mobile Configurations.
Package Contents The following items should be found in your box: One MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router One detachable antenna One AC power Adapter for MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router Quick Installation Guide One Resource CD for MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router, including: •...
The MR5-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 MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router will allow you to connect your network wirelessly better than ever, sharing Internet Access, files and fun, easily and securely.
1.4 Panel Layout 1.4.1 The Front Panel The front panel of the MR5-WR542G consists of several LED indicators, which is designed to indicate connections. View from left to right. Table 1-1 describes the LEDs on the front panel of the router.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Name Status Description Power off Power on Name Status Description The router is initializing Flashing The router is working properly The router has a hardware error There is no wireless device linked to the router...
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide LAN 1,2,3,4: These ports (1, 2, 3, 4) connect the router to the local PC(s). WAN: This WAN port is where you will connect the DSL/cable Modem, or Ethernet Reset button There are two ways to reset to the router's factory defaults: Use the Factory Defaults function on System Tools ->...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Chapter 2. Connecting the Router 2.1 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 the Ethernet)
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 2-1 Hardware Installation of the MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router...
3.1 TCP/IP configuration The default IP address of the MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router is 192.168.1.1. And the default Subnet Mask is 255.255.255.0. These values can be seen from the LAN. They can be changed as you desire, as an example we use the default values for description in this guide.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 3-1 Success result of Ping command If the result displayed is similar to that shown in Figure 3-2, it means that your PC has not connected to the router. Figure 3-2 Failure result of Ping command...
With a Web-based (Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) utility, it is easy to configure and manage the MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router. The Web-based utility can be used on any Windows, Macintosh or UNIX OS with a Web browser. Connect to the router by typing http://192.168.1.1 in the address field of Web browser.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 3-5 Quick Setup Click Next, and then Choose WAN Connection Type page will appear, shown in Figure 3-6. Figure 3-6 Choose WAN Connection Type The router supports three popular ways to connect to Internet. Please select one compatible with your ISP.
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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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 4.2 Status The Status page displays the router's current status and configuration. All information is read-only. This field displays the current settings or information for the LAN, including the MAC address, IP address and Subnet Mask.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 4.3 Quick Setup Please refer to Section 4.2: "Quick Installation Guide." 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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide change accordingly at the same time. 4.4.2 WAN You can configure the WAN port parameters on this page. First, please choose the WAN Connection Type (Dynamic IP/Static 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.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide If your ISP gives you one or two DNS addresses, select Use These DNS Servers and enter the primary and secondary addresses into the correct fields. Otherwise, the DNS servers will be assigned dynamically from your ISP.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-6 WAN - PPPoE User Name/Password - Enter the User Name and Password provided by your ISP. These fields are case-sensitive. Connect on Demand - You can configure the router to disconnect your Internet connection after a specified period of inactivity (Max Idle Time).
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 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"...
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 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.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-9 802.1X + Static IP Settings 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 to start 802.1X authentication.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-10 Big Pond Settings User Name/Password - Enter the User Name and Password provided by your ISP. These fields are case-sensitive. Auth Server - Enter the authenticating server IP address or host name.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 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 your Internet connection, and you will not be able to re-establish your connection automatically as soon as you attempt to access the Internet again.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide case-sensitive. Dynamic IP/ Static IP – Choose either as you are given by your ISP. Click the Connect button to connect immediately. Click the Disconnect button to disconnect immediately. Connect on Demand - You can configure the router to disconnect from your Internet connection after a specified period of inactivity (Max Idle Time).
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-12 PPTP Settings User Name/Password - Enter the User Name and Password provided by your ISP. These fields are case-sensitive. Dynamic IP/ Static IP – Choose either as you are given by your ISP and enter the ISP’s IP address or the domain name.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide all times, enter 0 in the Max Idle Time field. Otherwise, enter the number of minutes you want to have elapsed before your Internet connection terminates. Caution: Sometimes the connection cannot be disconnected although you specify a time to Max Idle Time, since some applications are visiting the Internet continually in the background.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Click the Save button to save your settings. Note: Only the PC on your LAN can use the MAC Address Clone feature. If you click the Save button, the router will prompt you to reboot.
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SSID - Enter a value of up to 32 characters. The same name (SSID) must be assigned to all wireless devices in your network. The default SSID is TP-LINK, but it is recommended strongly that you change your networks name (SSID) to a different value. This value is case-sensitive. For...
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 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.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide • WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK - Select WPA/WPA2 authentication type based on pre-shared passphrase. • WPA /WPA2 - Select WPA/WPA2 authentication type based on Radius Server. Authentication Options - You can select one of the following authentication options: •...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Passphrase - You can enter a WPA or WPA2 passphrase between 8 and 63 characters long. Group Key Update Period - Specify the group key update interval in seconds. The value can be either 0 seconds or from 30 seconds and up, 1-29 seconds are not usable figures.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide which depend on the station's MAC addresses. MAC Address - The wireless station's MAC address that you want to access. Status - The status of this entry either Enabled or Disabled. Privilege - Select the privileges for this entry. You may select one of the following Allow / Deny / 64-bit / 128-bit / 152-bit.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide To add additional entries, repeat steps 1-6. Note: When 64-bit, or 128-bit, or 152-bit is selected, WEP Key will be enabled. To modify or delete an existing entry: Click the Modify in the entry you want to modify. If you want to delete the entry, click the Delete.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Note: If you select the radio button Allow the stations not specified by any enabled entries in the list to access for Filtering Rules, the wireless station B will still not be able to access the router, however, other wireless stations that are not in the list will be able to access the router.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 4.6 DHCP Figure 4-21 The DHCP menu There are three submenus under the DHCP menu (shown in figureFigure 4-21): DHCP Settings, DHCP Clients List and Address Reservation. Click any of them, and you will be able to configure the corresponding function.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 2880 minutes. The default value is 120 minutes. Default Gateway - (Optional.) Suggest to input the IP address of the LAN port of the router, default value is 192.168.1.1 Default Domain - (Optional.) Input the domain name of your network.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-24 Address Reservation MAC Address - The MAC address of the PC of which you want to reserve IP address. Assigned IP Address - The IP address of the router reserved. Status - The status of this entry either Enabled or Disabled.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Note: The function won't take effect until the router reboots. 4.7 Forwarding Figure 4-26 The Forwarding menu There are four submenus under the Forwarding menu (shown in Figure 4-26): Virtual Servers, Port Triggering, DMZ and UPnP. Click any of them, and you will be able to configure the corresponding function.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Port list does not have the service that you want to use, type the number of the service port or service port range in the Service Port box. Type the IP Address of the computer in the Server IP Address box.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide some of these applications that can work with an NAT router. You can set up Port Triggering on this page shown in Figure 4-29: Figure 4-29 Port Triggering Once configured, operation is as follows: 1.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Select the Enable checkbox to enable. Click the Save button to save the new rule. Figure 4-30 Add or Modify a Triggering Entry There are many popular applications in the Popular Application list. You can select it, and the application will fill in the Trigger Port, incoming Ports Range boxes and select the Enable checkbox.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide IP Address assigned to it because its IP Address may change when using the DHCP function. You can set up DMZ host on this page shown in Figure 4-31: Figure 4-31 DMZ To assign a computer or server to be a DMZ server:...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Status - Either Enabled or Disabled, “Enabled” means that port is still active. Otherwise, the • port is inactive. Click Refresh to update the Current UPnP Settings List. 4.8 Security Figure 4-33 The Security menu There are six submenus under the Security menu (shown in Figure 4-33): Firewall, IP Address Filtering, Domain Filtering, MAC Filtering, Remote Management and Advanced Security.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-34 Firewall Settings Enable Firewall - the general firewall switch is on or off. Enable IP Address Filtering - set IP Address Filtering is enabled or disabled. There are two default filtering rules of IP Address Filtering, either Allow or Deny passing through the router.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-35 IP address Filtering To disable the IP Address Filtering feature, keep the default setting, Disabled. To set up an IP Address Filtering entry, click Enable Firewall and Enable IP Address Filtering on the Firewall page, and click the Add New…...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide WAN IP Address - Enter a WAN IP Address or a range of WAN IP Addresses in the field, in dotted-decimal notation format. For example, 61.145.238.6 – 61.145.238.47. Keep the field open, which means all WAN IP Addresses have been put into the field.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-37 Domain Filtering 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…...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Click the Disabled All button to make all entries disabled. Click the Delete All button to delete all entries Click the Next button to go to the next page and the Previous button to return to the previous page.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-40 Add or Modify a 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).
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 4.8.5 Remote Management You can configure the Remote Management function on this page shown in Figure 4-41. This feature allows you to manage your Router from a remote location, via the Internet. Figure 4-41 Remote Management Web Management Port - Web browser access normally uses the standard HTTP service port 80.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-42 Advanced Security settings 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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide default is disabled. If enabled, the ping packet from the Internet cannot access the router. Forbid Ping Packet from LAN Port - Enable or Disable forbidding Ping Packet to access the router from the LAN port. The default value is disabled. If enabled, the ping packet from the LAN port cannot access the router.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-45 IP & MAC Binding Setting • MAC Address - The MAC address of the controlled computer in the LAN. • IP Address - The assigned IP address of the controlled computer in the LAN.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide To find an existing entry: Click the Find button (shown in Figure 4-45). Enter the MAC Address or IP Address. Enter the Find button in the next page (shown in Figure 4-47). Figure 4-47 Find IP & MAC Binding Entry Click the Enable All button to make all entries enabled.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide • Delete - Delete the item. Click the Bind All button to bind all the current items, available after enable. Click the Load All button to load all items to the IP & MAC Binding list.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-50 Add or Modify a Static Route Entry To modify or delete an existing entry: Click the Modify in the entry you want to modify. If you want to delete the entry, click the Delete.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-51 Dyndns.org 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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-52 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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-53 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.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Factory Defaults, Backup and Restore, Reboot, Password, Log and Statistics. Click any of them, and you will be able to configure the corresponding function. The detailed explanations for each submenu are provided below. 4.12.1 Time...
To upgrade the router's firmware, follow these instructions: Download the latest firmware upgrade file from the TP-LINK website (www.tp-link.com). Click Browse to view the folders and select the downloaded file.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 4.12.3 Factory Defaults This page (shown in Figure 4-57) allows you to restore the factory default settings for the router. Figure 4-57 Restore Factory Default Click the Restore button to reset all configuration settings to their default values.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 4.12.5 Reboot This page (shown in Figure 4-59) allows you to reboot the router. Figure 4-59 Reboot the router Click the Reboot button to reboot the router. Some settings of the router will take effect only after rebooting, which include: •...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Note: The new user name and password must not exceed 14 characters in length and must not include any spaces. Enter the new Password twice to confirm it. Click the Save button when finished.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4-62 Statistics Current Statistics Status - Enable or Disable. The default value is disabled. To enable, click the Enable button. If disabled, the function of DoS protection in Security settings will be ineffective.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide 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. The telephone cord plugs into the Line port of the ADSL Modem.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Login to the router, click the “Network” menu on the left of your browser, and click "WAN" submenu. On the WAN page, select “Dynamic IP” for "WAN Connection Type", finish by clicking “Save”. Some ISPs require that you register the MAC Address of your adapter, which is connected to your cable/DSL Modem during installation.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure A-5 Add or Modify a Virtual server Entry Note: Your opposite side should call your WAN IP, which is displayed on the “Status” page. How to enable DMZ Host: Login to the router, click the “Forwarding” menu on the left of your browser, and click "DMZ"...
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure A-7 Remote Management Note: If the above configuration takes effect, to configure to the router by typing http://192.168.1.1:88 (the router’s LAN IP address: Web Management Port) in the address field of the Web browser.
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Appendix B: Configuring the PCs In this section, we’ll introduce how to install and configure the TCP/IP correctly in Windows XP. First make sure your Ethernet Adapter is working, refer to the adapter’s manual if needed.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 2 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: Setting IP address automatically...
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 3 Setting IP address manually Select Use the following IP address radio button. And the following items available If the router's LAN IP address is 192.168.1.1, type IP address is 192.168.1.x (x is from 2 to 254), and Subnet mask is 255.255.255.0.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Figure 4...
MR5-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router User Guide Appendix D: Glossary ™ 2x to 3x eXtended Range WLAN Transmission Technology - The WLAN device 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.
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MR5-WR542G 54Mbps 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.
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