Linksys E8454 User manual

USER GUIDE
AX3200
DUAL-BAND GIGABIT
WiFi 6 ROUTER
Model E8450

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Contents
Product Overview .........................................................................................................3
Front....................................................................................................................................................................3
Back.....................................................................................................................................................................4
Setting Up: Basics ........................................................................................................5
Where to find more help ...............................................................................................................................5
How to install your router ............................................................................................................................5
Advanced Configuration ............................................................................................8
How to open the browser-based utility...................................................................................................8
Basic Router Settings...................................................................................................................................9
Language ............................................................................................................................................................................................10
Internet Setup...................................................................................................................................................................................11
Basic Wi-Fi Settings ...................................................................................................................................13
Wireless Security.......................................................................................................16
Security Option Settings..........................................................................................................................16
WPA2 Personal.................................................................................................................................................................................16
Disabled...............................................................................................................................................................................................16
Troubleshooting .........................................................................................................17
Your router was not successfully set up.............................................................................................17
Your Internet cable is not plugged in message ..............................................................................18
Cannot access your router message..................................................................................................19
After setup.....................................................................................................................................................20
The internet appears to be unavailable ...............................................................................................20
Specifications .............................................................................................................22
Linksys E8450 .............................................................................................................................................22
Environmental...............................................................................................................................................22

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Product Overview
Front
Power light-Blinks blue while router is starting up and during WPS pairing. Blinks yellow if WPS
pairing fails
Internet status light—Is solid blue when connected to the internet and solid yellow when not
connected. Is solid yellow when properly connected to the modem, but not getting an internet signal.
Blinks yellow if no ethernet cable is plugged into the Internet port when setting up as a traditional
router or as the parent node of an EasyMesh Wi-Fi system.
Ethernet activity lights-Each light will be solid blue if an ethernet cable is connected to the
corresponding port. They will blink blue if there is activity on the port.

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Back
Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ (WPS) button (1)-----Press to easily configure wireless security on Wi-Fi
Protected Setup-enabled network devices. The power light on the front of the router will blink blue
while WPS pairing is active.
Reset button (2)—Press and hold for until the power LED starts flashing to reset the router to
factory settings.
Ethernet ports (3)------Connect Ethernet cables (also called network or internet cables) to these
gigabit ethernet (10/100/1000) ports and to other wired devices on your network. The ethernet
activity lights on the front of the router will be blue when a cable is connected to an ethernet port. If
you plan to use this router as the parent node in an EasyMesh Wi-Fi system, you can add child nodes
wirelessly or create wired connections using these ports.
Internet port (4)------Connect an Ethernet cable to this port and to your modem. The internet status light
on the front of the router will be blue only when the router is connected to a modem that is connected
to the internet. If you plan to use this router as a child node in your EasyMesh system, you can add it
wirelessly or use this port to wire it to an ethernet port on parent node that has already been set up.
Note------Go to Basic Wireless Settings section for details on how to add a child node to an EasyMesh
system - wirelessly or wired.
USB 2.0 port (5)-----Connect and share a USB drive on your network.
Power port (6)------Connect the included AC power adapter to this port.
Power switch (7) -----Press | (ON) to turn on the router.

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Setting Up: Basics
Where to find more help
In addition to this user guide, you can find help at Linksys.com/support/E8450(documentation,
downloads, FAQs, technical support, live chat, forums)
Note—Licenses and notices for third party software used in this product may be viewed on
http://support.linksys.com/en-us/license. Please contact http://support.linksys.com/en-
us/gplcodecenter for questions or GPL source code requests.
How to install your router
If you’re setting up this router as a traditional router or as the parent node for EasyMesh Wi-Fi, follow
these steps
1. If replacing an existing router, disconnect that router first.
2. Plug in the router to a power source. Make sure the power switch is in the | (ON) position.
3. Connect your new router to your modem or modem-router.
AModem
OR
B
Modem-Router
Plug one end of the included ethernet
cable into the yellow Internet port on
your new router. If you have a modem,
plug the other end into the Ethernet
(LAN) port on the modem.
Plug one end of the included
ethernet cable to the yellow
Internet port on your new router. If
you have a modem-router, plug the
other end into any available port.
Note—Wait until the power light on the front panel of the router stops blinking and is solid
blue before moving to Step 4.
4. Connect to the network name shown in the Quick Start Guide that came with your router. (You
can change the network name and password later.) Select the option to automatically connect
to this network in the future. If you need help connecting to the network refer to your device
documentation on the provided CD.
Note—You will not have internet access until router setup is complete.
5. Enter http://myrouter.local in a web browser. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete
setup.

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You also can enter 192.168.1.1 in a browser to start setup. If you are using a modem-
router (gateway) and the modem-router uses 192.168.1.x subnet already, you might need
to enter the IP address 10.0.1.1.
Note—If none of those options take you to the setup wizard, go to
www.linksys.com/support/setupIP for more help.
6. Once you are finished with setup, please be sure to register your router so we can keep
you informed security updates, product recalls and other things that will improve your
experience.
Note – Your router becomes a parent node once you complete the setup. You can
change to a traditional Wi-Fi setup by turning off EasyMesh Parent Node on the Basic
Wireless Settings screen of the router’s settings.
If you’re adding this router to your existing E8450 EasyMesh Wi-Fi, follow these steps.
Note—If you have used this router before, reset it to factory default settings before
adding it to your EasyMesh Wi-Fi. You can do this in the Administration tab of the
router’s settings or by pressing and holding the reset button on the back of the router
for 10 seconds.
•Using a computer or mobile device, connect to your parent router (the one
connected to your modem) wirelessly or with an ethernet cable
•Visit myrouter.local in a web browser to log in to the parent router’s settings
oYou also can enter 192.168.1.1 in a browser to access the parent
router’s settings
Note-If neither of those options take you to the parent router’s settings login
screen, go to www.linksys.com/support/setupIP for more help.
•Enter the parent router password. (Default is “admin”.)

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•Go to Wi-Fi > Basic Wireless Settings and click on Add a new node
Note—“EasyMesh Parent Node” must be enabled on your parent router setting
before you click the “Add a new node” button.
•Follow the prompts to add the node to your existing EasyMesh Wi-Fi network.
Note—If you are adding this router to a parent node from another manufacturer,
please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions. This router can’t be added to a Linksys
Velop or Max-Stream mesh Wi-Fi system.

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Advanced Configuration
How to open the browser-based utility
To access some advanced settings, you need to open the browser-based utility. Make sure you are
connected to the router, open a web browser and enter http://myrouter.local in a web browser or go
to the IP address 192.168.1.1.
If you are using a modem-router (gateway) and the modem-router uses 192.168.1.x subnet already,
you might need to enter the IP address 10.0.1.1.
Note—If none of those options takes you to router settings, go to
www.linksys.com/support/setupIP for more help.
The router will prompt you for a password.
If you changed the password during setup, enter the new password. Click LOGIN. If you didn’t change
the password, or skipped setup altogether, the default password is ‘‘admin’’.

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Basic Router Settings
This screen allows you to change the router’s basic configuration.

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Language
Select your language—To change language, select one from the drop-down menu. The language of
the browser-based utility will change within five seconds.

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Internet Setup
The Internet Setup section configures the router to your internet connection. This information can be
provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Internet Connection Type—Select the type of internet connection your ISP provides from the drop-
down menu.
•Automatic Configuration – DHCP (default)
Keep the default only if your ISP supports DHCP or if you connect using a dynamic IP address.
(This option usually applies to cable connections.)
•Static IP
Select if you are required to use a fixed IP address to connect to the internet.
•PPPoE
Select if you have a DSL connection and your ISP uses Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet
(PPPoE).
•PPTP
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is a service that generally applies to connections in
Europe. If your PPTP connection supports DHCP or a dynamic IP address, select Obtain an IP
Address Automatically. If you are required to use a fixed IP address to connect to the internet,
select Specify an IP Address and configure the options that appear.

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•L2TP
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is a service that generally applies to connections in Israel.
Note—Connect on Demand or Keep Alive are options when choosing PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP.
They let you choose whether the router connects to the internet only as needed (useful if your
ISP charges for connect time), or if the router should always be connected. Select the
appropriate option.
•Bridge Mode
Bridge Mode disables all router capabilities and turns the router into an access point. The
router will cease to act as a DHCP server and its built-in firewall as well as the NAT features
will no longer be in effect.
•Wireless Bridge
A wireless bridge wirelessly connects to your main router and can share the internet
connection with devices connected to the bridge’s Ethernet ports.

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Basic Wi-Fi Settings
EasyMesh Settings
If one router isn’t providing whole-home Wi-Fi coverage, you can turn on the EasyMesh feature and
add more E8450 routers to your network. Once the feature is turned on by checking the box for
EasyMesh Parent Node, the router connected to your modem becomes the parent node in your mesh
network. Add child nodes by clicking ‘‘Add a new node.’’ Then, press the WPS button on your child node
for 3 seconds. Connecting a child node should take between 70~80 seconds in most cases. You can
check the progress on the parent node’s setting screen.
Once the child node is added, click Mesh information to see node and the devices connected to them
for the entire mesh network.
If a child node fails to join your network, move the child node closer to the parent node. Follow the
prompts on the parent node’s settings screen to try again.
Once you add a child node wirelessly, you can connect it with an ethernet cable to ensure a consistent
signal. This is called wired backhaul. Make sure the cable comes from one of the ports labeled
Ethernet on the parent node and into the port labeled Internet on the child node.
You can turn off Easy Mesh Parent Mode at any time and use the parent node as a traditional router.
Any child nodes will be disconnected from your Wi-Fi.
Note—You can’t add an E8450 router to an EasyMesh system if the router has already been set up.
If you have used the router before, reset it to factory settings. Press and hold the reset button on the
back of the router for 10 seconds or reset it in the Administration tab of the router’s settings.
If you don’t see the EasyMesh option in your router settings, make sure to upgrade to the latest
firmware. Firmware version needs to be 1.1.00 or above to support EasyMesh.
If a child node is too far away from another working node, the power light on the front of the child
node will be solid yellow. Move the child node closer to a working node until the child node's power

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light is solid blue. If your child node power light blinks yellow, it means the child node lost connection
to a working node. Check the closest node first. If the closest node is running normally, move the child
node closer to it. If that doesn't work, reset the new child node and try to add it to your mesh system
again.
Control all settings in your EasyMesh network through the parent node. Changes apply to all child
nodes.
5GHz Network Mode-----Select the wireless standards your network will support.
•Mixed (default)
Keep the default if you have Wireless-A, Wireless-N, Wireless-AC, or Wireless-AX devices in
your network.
•Wireless-AC Mixed
Select if you have Wireless-A, Wireless-N, or Wireless-AC devices in your network.
•Wireless-A Only
Select if you have only Wireless-A devices.
•Wireless-N Only
Select if you have only Wireless-N devices.
•Disabled
Select if you have no Wireless-A, Wireless-N, Wireless-AC and Wireless-AX (5 GHz) devices in
your network. 5GHz radio will be off after you choose this option.
Note—If you are not sure which mode to select, keep the default, Mixed.
2.4GHz Network Mode-----Select the wireless standards your network will support.
•Mixed (default)
Keep the default if you have Wireless-B, Wireless-G, Wireless-N 2.4GHz devices in your
network.
•Wireless-B/G Only
Select if you have Wireless-B, Wireless-G devices in your network.
•Wireless-B Only
Select if you have only Wireless-B devices.
•Wireless-G Only
Select if you have only Wireless-G devices.
•Wireless-N Only
Select if you have only Wireless-N 2.4G devices.
•Disabled
Select if you have no Wireless-B, Wireless-G, and Wireless-N (2.4 GHz) devices in your
network. 2.4GHz radio will be off after you choose this option.
Note—If you are not sure which mode to select, keep the default, Mixed.

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Network Name (SSID)
The Service Set Identifier (SSID) is a name used by devices to connect to a wireless network. SSIDs
are case-sensitive and must not exceed 32 characters. The default SSIDs for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
networks are LinksysXXXXX and LinksysXXXXX_5GHz, respectively. The Xs represent the last five
digits of the router’s serial number, which can be found on the bottom of the router. If you changed
the SSID, both bands have the new SSIDs. You may give them different names through the browser-
based utility.
Note—If you restore the router’s factory default settings (by pressing the Reset button or
using the Configuration > Administration > Device Reset screen), the Network Name will
return to its default value. Change the Network Name back to its original name, or you will
have to reconnect all devices on your wireless network to the new network name.
Channel Width
Keep the default, Auto (20 MHz or 40 MHz) for best performance in a 2.4 GHz network using
Wireless-B, Wireless-G and Wireless-N (2.4 GHz) devices. For a channel width of 20 MHz, select 20
MHz only. For the best performance in a 5 GHz network, keep the default Auto (20, 40 or 80 MHz).
Channel
Select the channel from the drop-down list. Keep the default, Auto, if you are not sure which channel
to select.
SSID Broadcast
Keep the default, Enabled, to broadcast the router’s SSID. When wireless clients survey the local area
for wireless networks to associate with they will detect the SSID broadcast by the router. Attempting
to hide your Wi-Fi name does not make your Wi-Fi more secure. Anyone truly interested in accessing
your network can find it even if you turn off this feature. If you still do not want to broadcast the
router’s SSID, select Disabled.

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Wireless Security
The router offers the following wireless security options:
WPA2/WPA3 Mixed Personal, WAP2 Personal, WPA2 Enterprise, WPA3 Personal, WPA3 Enterprise
(WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access.)
WPA3 is the strongest security option.
Security Option Settings
WPA2 Personal
If you select WPA2 Personal, each device in your wireless network MUST use WPA2 Personal and the
same passphrase.
If you are not sure whether a device supports WPA2 or WPA3 Personal, select WPA2/WPA3 Mixed
Personal option in Security Mode.
Passphrase-----Enter a passphrase of 8-63 characters. This is the Wi-Fi password that provides
access to the network. It can be the same as entered in setup.
Disabled
If you choose to disable wireless security, you will be informed that wireless security is disabled when
you first attempt to access the internet. You will be given the option to enable wireless security or
confirm that you understand the risks but still wish to proceed without wireless security.

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Troubleshooting
You can find more help from our award-winning customer support at Linksys.com/support/E8450.
Your router was not successfully set up
If you could not complete setup in the browser-based interface, you can try the following:
•Press and hold the Reset button on your router with a paperclip or pin until the power light
on the front of the router turns off and starts blinking (about 10 seconds). Type
192.168.1.1 in a browser to try setup again.
•If you are using a modem-router (gateway) and the modem-router is using the IP address
192.168.1.x, you might need to enter the IP address 10.0.1.1.
Note—If none of those options take you to the setup wizard, go to
www.linksys.com/support/setupIP for more help.
•Temporarily disable your computer’s firewall (see the security software’s instructions for
help). Install the router again.
•If you have another computer, use that computer to install the router.

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Your Internet cable is not plugged in message
If you get a “Your Internet cable is not plugged in” message when trying to set up your router:
•Make sure that an ethernet or internet cable (or a cable like the one supplied with your router)
is securely connected to the yellow Internet port on the back of the router and to the
appropriate port on your modem. This port on the modem is usually labeled Ethernet.
•Make sure that your modem is connected to power and is turned on.
If your internet service is cable, verify that the cable
modem’s CABLE port is connected to the coaxial cable
provided by your ISP.
If your internet service is DSL, make
sure that the DSL phone line is
connected to the modem’s DSL port.

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•If your computer was previously connected to your modem with a USB cable, disconnect the
USB cable.
•Install the router again.
Cannot access your router message
To access your router, you must be connected to your own network. If you currently have wireless
internet access, the problem may be that you have accidentally connected to a different wireless
network.
To fix the problem on Windows computers, do the following*:
1. On your Windows desktop, click on the wireless icon in the system tray. A list of available
networks will appear.
2. Click your own network name. Click Connect. In the example below, the computer was
connected to another wireless network named wraith_5GHz. The wireless network name of the
Linksys E series router, Damaged_Beez2.4 in this example, is shown selected.
3. If you are prompted to enter a network security key, type your password (security key) into the
network security key field. Click OK.
4. Your computer will connect to the network, and you should be able to access the router.
*Depending on your version of Windows, there could be some differences in wording or icons in these
steps.

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To fix the problem on Mac computers, do the following:
1. In the menu bar across the top of the screen, click the Wi-Fi icon. A list of wireless networks will
appear.
2. In the example below, the computer was connected to another wireless network named
wraith_5GHz. The wireless network name of the Linksys E series router, Damaged_Beez2.4 in
this example, is shown selected.
3. Click the wireless network name of your Linksys E series router (Damaged_Beez2.4 in the
example).
4. Type your wireless network password (Security Key) into the Password field. Click OK.
After setup
The internet appears to be unavailable
If the internet has difficulty communicating with your router, the problem may appear as a “Cannot
find [internet address]” message in your web browser. If you know that the internet address is correct,
and if you’ve tried several valid internet addresses with the same result, the message could mean that
there’s a problem with your ISP or modem communicating with your router.
Try the following:
•Make sure that the network and power cables are securely connected.
•Make sure that the power outlet that your router is connected to has power.
•Reboot your router.
•Contact your ISP and ask about outages in your area.
The most common method of troubleshooting your router is to turn it off, then back on again. Your
router can then reload its custom settings, and other devices (such as the modem) will be able to
rediscover the router and communicate with it. This process is called rebooting.