Linksys Linksys E1200 User manual

Rev 9- 8/27/2012

Field Electronics Setup Guide
Rev 10 1/23/2013 1 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
CONTENTS
1. Equipment ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2
2. Setting up FCS Router: FTC_FIELD .................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Setting up FCS Router for FTC_PIT.................................................................................................................................... 14
4. Connection configurations - Scoring System Separate from FCS (Recommended).......................................................... 21
5. Create Samantha network configuration flash drives ...................................................................................................... 22
6. Loading the config files onto the samantha modules At Software inspection ................................................................. 25
7. Appendix........................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Revision
Date
Details
1
10/04/2010
Initial Release
2
10/14/2010
Added appendix explaining WiFi Sniffer
3
10/25/2010
Added updated equipment needed list, and wireless configuration utility
settings.
Added critical warning box page 3
4
11/29/2010
Added locations of hex files (page 18)
Expanded instructions for the FTC_PIT router setup
Expanded instructions for flash drive creation
Added connection diagrams to the appendix
5
11/30/2010
Changed connection diagrams
Updated Flash Drive section: Samantha.hex must be manually placed on
flash drive.
6
12/8/2010
Moved WiFi sniffer instructions from the appendix to page 8.
Updated recommendation to use either channel 5 or 8 (was 3 or 8) for
router setup.
Removed option to connect the scoring system with the FCS.
7
12/13/2010
Revised field electronic diagrams to include reminders that the USB cables
must not be more than 5 meters (15 feet), and added a note to reserve USB
ports on the FCS computer for the USB hubs.
8
1/4/2011
Clarified router connection instruction on Page 17
Corrected page number reference on page 19 from “page 5 step 2.4” to
“page 10 step 2.3”
9
8/27/2012
Updated document to include new router (E1200). The Linksys model E3000
has been discontinued by the manufacturer.
10
1/23/2013
Added note about the Logitech Controllers to pages 2 & 3

Field Electronics Setup Guide
Rev 10 1/23/2013 2 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
1. EQUIPMENT
The Samantha FCS Software and installation instructions from:
http://www.usfirst.org/ftc/samantha
For Competition Field (Per Field)
FOR FCS:
oOne WiFi Router (Per 2 fields)
oOne laptop computer per playing field
A mouse (highly suggested over a track pad)
oEthernet cables long enough to connect the FCS Computers to the routers, and the scoring router
to the FCS router (if using the optional scoring system configuration).
oNew Flash Drives ( 2GB recommended capacity, 4GB Max)
At least 3 are needed: 1 for FTA and 2 for Software Inspection It is recommended to have
a few spares on hand.
o8 Logitech Game Controllers and spares
Logitech DualAction or Logitech F310
oNote: The DualAction game controller has been discontinued and replaced by
the F310. You may continue to use the DualAction if you already have them.
o3 externally powered USB Hubs. (2 required, 1 optional)
2 hubs for game controllers
1 hub from game controller hubs to the FCS computer. This hub is optional, not required if
there are enough hubs on the computer to accommodate all connections, leaving at least
one port free for thumb drive access.
oUSB Cables to connect the USB hubs to the FCS computer. A maximum suggested length for USB
cable is 5 meters.
oMonitor for clock display
FOR SCORING SYSTEM
oA Personal computer Running:
Windows XP or Higher, or
Macintosh OS X 10.5 or higher
1024x768 Resolution Monitor (minimum)
A mouse (highly suggested over a track pad)
Wired Ethernet Connection
Audio output wired into the event A/V system
Sun Java, version 1.5 or higher
The ability to adjust firewall settings to allow an FTP server to connect to the Field Control
System (FCS) computers. (if using the optional scoring system configuration)
oA high speed printer or a printer and access to a copy machine
oEthernet connected router (with UDP Multicast not blocked) with at least 3 ports and an internet
port. (if using the optional scoring system configuration)
Scoring System Display Applications Requirements
Each computer used for the display applications should have the following
A Personal computer with:
oWindows XP or Higher, or

Field Electronics Setup Guide
Rev 10 1/23/2013 3 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
oMacintosh OS X 10.5 or higher
oWired Ethernet Connection
oSun Java, version 1.5 or higher
A large screen display or projector capable of 800x600 resolution (minimum)
For the Pit (where software inspection is done in the pit)
One WiFi Router
One laptop computer
Ethernet cable long enough to connect the FCS computer to the router.
New Flash Drives ( 2GB recommended capacity, 4GB Max)
o2 needed for Software Inspection
o(Same may be used as the competition field, spares are recommended).
8 Logitech Game Controllers and spares.
Logitech DualAction or Logitech F310
oNote: The DualAction game controller has been discontinued and replaced by
the F310. You may continue to use the DualAction if you already have them.
2 USB Hubs (with power adaptors)
USB Cables to connect the USB hubs to the FCS computer. A maximum length for USB cable is 5 meters.
For the Pit (where software inspection is NOT done in the pit)
One WiFi Router
One laptop computer
Ethernet cable long enough to connect the FCS computer to the router.
Flash Drive (same one may be used as the competition field, spares are recommended).

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
Rev 10 1/23/2013 4 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
2. SETTING UP FCS ROUTER: FTC_FIELD
Proper operation and setup of the Field Electronics is vital for a smooth, successful event. All electronic
components must be set up, and tested, well in advance of the event.
Linksys E1200 Router
These instructions are specific for the Linksys E1200 router. Note that the E3000 router has been discontinued by
the manufacturer.
Important: DO NOT use the CISCO Connect CD that is supplied with your router for setup.
2.1. Connect an Ethernet cable from PORT 1 (do not plug into the Internet port) on the router to the
computer that will control the FCS program for your event. Be sure to turn off the wireless network
adapter on your computer.
2.2. Open an Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) window and enter 192.168.1.1 into the
address bar and hit enter. This is the default address of your router. (If nothing comes up, check to make
sure you have plugged the Ethernet cable into PORT 1 and not the port labeled “Internet”).

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
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2.2.1.The router should display a Welcome screen. Do not install the Cisco Connect software. You will
instead configure the router manually.
2.2.2.At the bottom of the welcome screen, click on the link that reads “Continue with an open and
unsecured network(not recommend)”
2.2.3.The web browser should display another screen that indicates that the network is not secure.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
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2.2.4.Check the checkbox (“I understand that my network…”) and press Continue to proceed with the
setup.
2.2.5.The router should prompt you for the router’s user name and password. Enter in the default userid
of admin and the default password of admin and then press the “OK” key to login. Once you’ve
logged in, you might need to reload the page “192.168.1.1” in your browser to continue.
2.2.6.The first time you connect to you router you will see the following pop-up warning. Check the “Do
not show me this again” box and then click OK to dismiss it.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
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2.3. Create a secure password. Click on the administration tab to change the admin password and disable
Local Management Access via Wireless. Save settings by pressing the “Save Settings” button.
After the changes have been successfully saved, hit the “Continue” button and log in with userid “admin” and the
password you just defined.
When the dialog opens, click on the Setup tab, then Basic Setup.
1. Ensure the Internet Connection Type is set to Automatic Configuration - DHCP
2. Change the IP address to 192.168.2.1.
3. Set the starting IP address and the max number of users to 100.
4. Set the time zone appropriately.
5. Critical: Save the settings. A message will appear asking you to “Continue” Click Continue to refresh
the router to the new IP address setting.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
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Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
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2.3. After saving settings:
2.3.1.Open Start > Programs > Accessories and select “Command window.”
At the prompt, type:
Ipconfig /release <press enter> : The following screen should appear showing your IP address 0.0.0.0: (It may take
a minute)
Ipconfig /renew <press enter> The following screen should appear showing your that your IP address is in the
192.168.2.1xx range (Note: it may take a minute for the command to complete).
Close the command window by clicking on the X in the upper right corner.
Default setting
Change this to a 2

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
Rev 10 1/23/2013 10 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
2.4. Open an Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) and enter 192.168.2.1 into the address
bar to continue configuring the router.
2.5. Login to the router using “admin” and the password you established.
2.5.1.The Wi-Fi Protected Setup is selected by default, so you must click on the wireless tab and select the
manual setup bullet:
The E1200 is a 2.4GHz router only. Unlike with the E3000, you do not need to disable the 5GHz band for the
E1200. You must, however, configure the 2.4GHz band settings for the E1200:
1. Select: “Wireless-B only” from the drop down menu next to 2.4GHZ Network Mode.
2. Enter FTC_FIELD into the Network Name (SSID): box.
3. Use a Wifi sniffer to determine the ‘quietest’ channel available at your venue. (see “Using a ‘Wifi Sniffer’ to
Determine a Quiet Channel” below) Once the sniffer has determined the quietest channel, select a channel
from the drop down. Note: Generally, channels 5 or 8 are good choices as they are least used channels for
public WiFi networks.
4. Click on Save Settings
5. Hit the “Continue” button and log in with “admin” and the password you defined.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
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USING A “WIFI SNIFFER” TO DETERMINE A QUIET CHANNEL.
The Linksys wireless routers are set up into 11 channels. A good analogy is 11 rooms with fairly thin walls all lined
up in a row. When the router communicates on any given channel, it’s like a few people having a meeting, and
that meeting can be heard about 2 rooms in either direction. More routers using the same channel adds people to
the party and therefore the noise that can be heard nearby. Using a WiFi sniffer can help you find the ‘quietest’
rooms (channels). NOTE: FTC_FIELD and FTC_PIT must be on different channels.
“inSSIDer” is a free program for windows machines that can detect the noise levels across the channels. It is a
free, downloadable program that installed on a windows machine with an active wireless card. No other
hardware is required to use this program. To download, go to: http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider
Clicking the download button will download the
installer. After running the installer, go to the start
menu->Programs->MetaGeek->inSSIDer 2.0.
Open the program. This screen will appear:
Hit F10, and the view will change to mini mode.
Click on the “2.4 GHz Channels” tab, and then “start” in the top right corner.
After a few seconds, data will start to populate the graph. Below are examples of a fairly noisy and fairly quiet
area. Note the noisiest channels fall on 1, 6 and 11. A good choice for your channel would be 5 or 8.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
Rev 10 1/23/2013 12 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
Noisier:
Quieter:
The height of the line corresponds to strength and the width is the channels it covers. The intention is to find the
channel with the least amount and weakest (shortest) signals nearby. In both cases, channel 5 is a good option (in
the first figure, the green line is FTC_FIELD). Channel 8 is also a good option on the first example.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_FIELD
Rev 10 1/23/2013 13 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
Critical Step
2.3. Setup Security
Click on the wireless Security tab:
1. Change the 2.4GHz security mode to WPA2 Personal.
2. Change the passphrase to something unique and give it to the software inspectors and field tech advisor.
Do not share it with the teams. Passphrase must be at least 8 characters and contain no spaces. For
extra security, use at least one upper and one lower case alpha character, at least one number and one
special character such as !@#$%^&*.
3. Click on Save Settings
4. Reboot the router one more time by returning to the Setup tab, scrolling to the bottom of the screen and
clicking on “reboot”.
When the router configuration file returns after rebooting, your FTC_FIELD router is ready to use.
CRITICAL STEP: Write down these settings and keep them safe from teams but readily available to volunteers
around the FCS. This is especially important if the person who sets up the routers is not available during an
event and the routers need to be reset.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_PIT
Rev 10 1/23/2013 14 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
3. SETTING UP FCS ROUTER FOR FTC_PIT
These instructions are specific for an Linksys E1200 router. Note that the E3000 router has been discontinued by
the manufacturer.
Note: If you plan to set up multiple routers using the same computer, it may be necessary to run the ipconfig
/release, /renew command to connect next router.
*Note: The SamRC27 version of the FCS does not support dual routers.
You must be using Version 1.1.3 or later to set up an FTC_PIT router. The latest version of the FCS may be
downloaded from www.usfirst.org/ftc/samantha
Important: DO NOT use the CISCO Connect CD that is supplied with your router for setup.
3.3. Connect an Ethernet cable from PORT 1 (do not use the Internet Port) on the router to the computer
that will control the FCS program in the pit. Be sure to turn off the wireless network on your
computer.
3.4. Open an Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) window and enter 192.168.1.1 into the
address bar and hit enter. This is the default address of your router. (If nothing comes up, check to
make sure you have plugged the Ethernet cable into PORT 1 and not the port labeled “Internet”).
3.4.1. The router should display a Welcome screen. Do not install the Cisco Connect software. You will
instead configure the router manually.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_PIT
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4
3.4.2.At the bottom of the welcome screen, click on the link that reads “Continue with an open and
unsecured network(not recommend)”
3.4.3.The web browser should display another screen that indicates that the network is not secure.
3.4.4.Check the checkbox (“I understand that my network…”) and press Continue to proceed with the
setup.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_PIT
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3.4.5.The router should prompt you for the router’s user name and password. Enter in the default userid
of admin and the default password of admin and then press the “OK” key to login. Once you’ve
logged in, you might need to reload the page “192.168.1.1” in your browser to continue.
3.4.6.The first time you connect to you router you will see the following pop-up warning. Check the “Do
not show me this again” box and then click OK to dismiss it.
3.5. Create a secure password. Click on the administration tab to change the admin password and disable
Local Management Access via Wireless. Save settings by pressing the “Save Settings” button.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_PIT
Rev 10 1/23/2013 17 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
After the changes have been successfully saved, hit the “Continue” button and log in with userid “admin” and the
password you just defined.
When the dialog opens, click on the Setup tab, then Basic Setup.
1. Ensure the Internet Connection Type is set to Automatic Configuration - DHCP
2. Change the IP address to 192.168.1.1.
3. Set the starting IP address and the max number of users to 100.
4. Set the time zone appropriately.
5. Critical: Save the settings. A message will appear asking you to “Continue” Click Continue to refresh
the router to the new IP address setting.

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_PIT
Rev 10 1/23/2013 18 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
3.6. After saving settings:
3.6.1.Open Start > Programs > Accessories and select “Command window.”
At the prompt, type:
Ipconfig /release <press enter> : The following screen should appear showing your IP address 0.0.0.0: (It may take
a minute)
Ipconfig /renew <press enter> The following screen should appear showing your that your IP address is in the
192.168.1.1xx range (Note: it may take a minute for the command to complete).
Default setting
Change this to a 2

Field Electronics Setup Guide FTC_PIT
Rev 10 1/23/2013 19 ©2012 FIRST Tech Challenge
Critical
FTC_PIT MUST be on a different
channel than was used for
FTC_FIELD.
Close the command window by clicking on the X in the upper right corner.
3.7. Open an Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox) and enter 192.168.1.1 into the address
bar to continue configuring the router.
3.8. Login to the router using “admin” and the password you established.
3.8.1.The Wi-Fi Protected Setup is selected by default, so you must click on the wireless tab and select the
manual setup bullet:
The E1200 is a 2.4GHz router only. Unlike with the E3000, you do not
need to disable the 5GHz band for the E1200. You must, however,
configure the 2.4GHz band settings for the E1200:
1. Select: “Wireless-B only” from the drop down menu next to 2.4GHZ
Network Mode.
2. Enter FTC_PIT into the Network Name (SSID): box.
3. Use a Wifi sniffer to determine the ‘quietest’ channel available at your venue. (see “Using a ‘Wifi Sniffer’ to
Determine a Quiet Channel” below) Once the sniffer has determined the quietest channel, select a channel