Linksys wireless router config for bridge mode

Did you know that you can use your Linksys wireless router as a bridge by converting it to bridge mode?

Bridges extend your existing network and are good for segment networks. In computer networking, bridges are network devices that store and send data/information in the form of packets. Configuring your Linksys wireless router to bridge mode is possible, and yes you can do it yourself.

To configure your Linksys wireless router to bridge mode, use an Ethernet cable to connect your PC to the Linksys wireless router and turn on the router, On your PC, visit the Linksys admin panel and configure the IP address settings.

Why configure a Linksys router to bridge mode

Linksys routers are configured to bridge mode for various reasons. The first reason is if an Internet Service Provider (ISP) needs it, or if you want to share resources such as a wireless printer or PC on a network with two routers. Another reason for configuring to bridge mode is if you want to use the Linksys router as an access point on a network that already exists. Sometimes, you may want to disable some features on your router to get it to work with third-party devices. In this case, you will need to configure your router to bridge mode. The last reason why you would want to configure bridge mode on your router is if you are experiencing Network Address Translation (NAT) issues and want to troubleshoot them. These issues are usually related to when the IP address conflicts with your router’s.

It’s important to note that when you configure your Linksys router to bridge mode, features including DHCP, NAT, and firewall on your router will be disabled.

What do I need?

Begin you begin, make sure that you have a Linksys Wi-Fi router, an active internet connection with a modem-gateway from your ISP, and two Ethernet cables – one for connecting your router to the PC and another for connecting the modem-gateway to the Linksys router’s internet port.

Steps

Firstly, use one of the Ethernet cables to connect your PC to the Linksys router and then connect the router’s power adapter to a power source. Wait for the router to fully power back on before proceeding. Check the router’s power light and make sure it turns to solid green and then continue to the next step. Once it turns to solid green, on your PC, open a web browser, and in the address bar, type in 192.168.1.1 and hit Enter. This is the router’s default IP address where you can configure your Linksys setting. After the page loads, in the login fields, enter the username and password and log in. Once logged in, go to connectivity and click on ‘Internet Settings’. On the next screen, select ‘Edit’ and click on the dropdown menu. From this menu, select ‘Connection’, and under ‘connection type’, select Bridge mode.

You now have to configure your router’s IP address. There are two options to choose from – Obtain IPv4 automatically and Define IPv4 address. Choose the first option if you want to get all your modem-router gateway’s IP address details automatically for your Linksys wireless router. The second option is if you wish to specify a specific IP address for the router. If you choose the second option, then go ahead and click on ‘Internet IPv4 address, default gateway, subnet, and DNS fields and enter the required information. You can get all this information from your ISP. Once done, to save and apply the changes, click on the ‘Save’ button, and on the warning screen, select ‘yes’. Congratulations, you have successfully configured your Linksys wireless router in bridge mode. You can now connect the router-modem gateway to the Linksys wireless router’s IP address and wait for the internet to be detected. Once the router detects your internet, your internet will be restored, and finally, click on ‘yes’.

A Summary table

FAQs

What’s the difference between a router and a bridge?

There are several differences between a router and bridge with the main one being the type of address scanned. A router scans the device’s IP address while a bridge scans the device’s MAC address.

What is an IPv4 address?

Devices on a network communicate using an internet protocol and IPv4 is one of the protocols. The protocol uses a 32-bit number to identify a device’s network interface.