TP-Link TL-ER604W User manual

TL-ER604W
Wireless N Gigabit Broadband VPN Router
Rev1.0.1
1910010844

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COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Specifications are subject to change without notice. is a registered trademark of
TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. Other brands and product names are 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. Copyright © 2013 TP-LINK TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. All rights
reserved.
http://www.tp-link.com
FCC STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case
the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
1) This device may not cause harmful interference.
2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
CE Mark Warning
This is a class A product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference, in
which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

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CONTENTS
Package Contents..................................................................................................................1
Chapter 1 About this Guide ...................................................................................................2
1.1 Intended Readers ..................................................................................................................2
1.2 Conventions ...........................................................................................................................2
1.3 Overview of this Guide...........................................................................................................2
Chapter 2 Introduction ..........................................................................................................3
2.1 Overview of the Router ..........................................................................................................3
2.2 Features.................................................................................................................................4
2.3 Appearance............................................................................................................................6
2.3.1 Front Panel ................................................................................................................6
2.3.2 Rear Panel.................................................................................................................7
Chapter 3 Configuration ........................................................................................................8
3.1 Network..................................................................................................................................8
3.1.1 Status.........................................................................................................................8
3.1.2 System Mode.............................................................................................................8
3.1.3 WAN ........................................................................................................................10
3.1.4 LAN..........................................................................................................................27
3.1.5 MAC Address...........................................................................................................30
3.1.6 Switch ......................................................................................................................31
3.2 Wireless ...............................................................................................................................37
3.2.1 Wireless Setting.......................................................................................................37
3.2.2 MAC Filtering ...........................................................................................................50
3.2.3 Host Status ..............................................................................................................51
3.3 User Group ..........................................................................................................................52
3.3.1 Group.......................................................................................................................52
3.3.2 User .........................................................................................................................53
3.3.3 View.........................................................................................................................54

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3.4 Advanced .............................................................................................................................55
3.4.1 NAT..........................................................................................................................55
3.4.2 Traffic Control ..........................................................................................................63
3.4.3 Session Limit ...........................................................................................................66
3.4.4 Load Balance...........................................................................................................68
3.4.5 Routing ....................................................................................................................72
3.5 Firewall.................................................................................................................................77
3.5.1 Anti ARP Spoofing ...................................................................................................77
3.5.2 Attack Defense ........................................................................................................80
3.5.3 MAC Filtering ...........................................................................................................82
3.5.4 Access Control.........................................................................................................82
3.5.5 App Control..............................................................................................................88
3.6 VPN......................................................................................................................................89
3.6.1 IKE...........................................................................................................................90
3.6.2 IPsec........................................................................................................................94
3.6.3 L2TP/PPTP............................................................................................................100
3.7 Services .............................................................................................................................104
3.7.1 PPPoE Server........................................................................................................104
3.7.2 E-Bulletin ...............................................................................................................109
3.7.3 Dynamic DNS ........................................................................................................ 111
3.7.4 UPnP .....................................................................................................................116
3.8 Maintenance ......................................................................................................................117
3.8.1 Admin Setup ..........................................................................................................117
3.8.2 Management..........................................................................................................120
3.8.3 License ..................................................................................................................122
3.8.4 Statistics.................................................................................................................123
3.8.5 Diagnostics ............................................................................................................125
3.8.6 Time.......................................................................................................................127

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3.8.7 Logs.......................................................................................................................128
Chapter 4 Application........................................................................................................130
4.1 Network Requirements.......................................................................................................130
4.2 Network Topology...............................................................................................................131
4.3 Configurations....................................................................................................................131
4.3.1 Internet Setting ......................................................................................................131
4.3.2 VPN Setting ...........................................................................................................133
4.3.3 Network Management............................................................................................139
4.3.4 Network Security....................................................................................................143
Appendix A Hardware Specifications ...........................................................................148
Appendix B FAQ .........................................................................................................149
Appendix C Glossary ..................................................................................................151

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Package Contents
The following items should be found in your package:
One TL-ER604W Router
One Power Adapter
One RJ45 Ethernet Cable
Quick Installation Guide
Resource CD
Note:
Make sure that the package contains the above items. If any of the listed items is damaged or missing,
please contact with your distributor.

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Chapter 1 About this Guide
This User Guide contains information for setup and management of TL-ER604W Router. Please read
this guide carefully before operation.
1.1 Intended Readers
This Guide is intended for Network Engineer and Network Administrator.
1.2 Conventions
In this Guide the following conventions are used:
The Router or TL-ER604W mentioned in this Guide stands for TL-ER604W SafeStream Wireless
N Gigabit Broadband VPN Router without any explanation.
Menu Name→Submenu Name→Tab page indicates the menu structure. Advanced→NAT
→Basic NAT means the Basic NAT page under the NAT menu option that is located under the
Advanced menu.
Bold font indicates a toolbar icon, menu or menu item.
<Font> indicate a button.
Symbols in this Guide:
Symbol Description
Note: Ignoring this type of note might result in a malfunction or damage to the device.
Tips: This format indicates important information that helps you make better use of your device.
1.3 Overview of this Guide
Chapter 1 About This Guide Introduces the guide structure and conventions.
Chapter 2 Introduction Introduces the features and appearance of this router.
Chapter 3 Configuration Introduces how to configure the Router via Web management
page.
Chapter 4 Application Introduces the practical application of the Router on the
enterprise network.
Appendix A Hardware Specifications Lists the hardware specifications of this router.
Appendix B FAQ Provides the possible solutions to the problems that may
occur during the installation and operation of the router.
Appendix C Glossary Lists the glossary used in this guide.

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Chapter 2 Introduction
Thanks for choosing the SafeStream Wireless N Gigabit Broadband VPN Router TL-ER604W.
2.1 Overview of the Router
The SafeStream Wireless N Gigabit Broadband VPN Router TL-ER604W from TP-LINK supports
Wireless N speed and Gigabit wired speeds on all ports. It integrates multiple VPN protocols,
high-security and high-performance VPN capabilities, making it an ideal choice for branch offices in
need of cost-effective secure remote connections to headquarters or remote offices. Furthermore,
together with many useful features including hardware-based WiFi On/Off button, Guest Networking,
App Control, and PPPoE Server functions, TL-ER604W is an ideal network solution for home or small
office consumers.
Powerful Data Processing Capability
+ Built-in MIPS 32 network processor and 64MB DDRII high-speed RAM allows the stability and
reliability for operation.
Wireless Feature
+ Wireless N speed provides an incredible high speed experience.
+ Supporting Guest Networking feature, which provides a secure network for guests outside of the
existing, potentially sensitive LAN.
+ Hardware Wi-Fi On/Off button provides an easy way to turn wireless radio on or off
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
+ Providing comprehensive IPsec VPN with DES/3DES/AES encryptions, MD5/SHA1
identifications and automatically/manually IKE Pre-Share Key exchanges.
+ Supporting PPTP/L2TP VPN Server mode to allow the staff on business or remote branch office
to access the headquarter network.
Online Behavior Management
+ Complete Functions of Access Rules can allow managers to select the network service levels to
block or allow applications of FTP downloading, Email, Web browsing and so on.
+ Deploying One-Click restricting of IM/P2P applications to save time & energy while reserving
exceptional groups for certain users.
+ Supporting URL Filtering to prevent potential hazards from visiting the malicious Web sites.
Powerful Firewall
+ Supporting One-Click IP-MAC Binding to avoid ARP spoofing and guarantee a network without
stagnation.
+ Featured Attack Defense to protect the network from a variety of flood attack and packet
anomaly attack.

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+ Possessing MAC Filtering function to block the access of illegal hosts.
Flexible Traffic Control
+ Featured Bandwidth Control with flexible bandwidth management to automatically control the
bandwidth of the host in bi-direction to avoid bandwidth over occupation, as well as optimize
bandwidth usage.
+ Supporting Session Limit to avoid the complaint of a few people to force whole sessions.
Dual-WAN Ports
+ Providing two 10/100/1000M WAN ports for users to connect two Internet lines for bandwidth
expansion.
+ Supporting multiple Load Balance modes, including Bandwidth Based Balance Routing,
Application Optimized Routing, and Policy Routing to optimize bandwidth usage.
+ Featured Link Backup to switch all the new sessions from dropped line automatically to another
for keeping an always on-line network.
Easy-to-use
+ Providing easy-to-use GUI with clear configuration steps and detailed help information for the
users to configure the Router simply.
+ Helping administrators to monitor the whole network status and take actions to malfunctions
according to the recorded log information.
+ Supporting remote management to manage the Router from remote places.
2.2 Features
Hardware
1 fixed gigabit WAN port, 1 interchangeable gigabit WAN/LAN port, 3 fixed gigabit LAN ports
Fanless Design for Quiet Operation
Hardware Wi-Fi On/Off button provides an easy way to turn wireless radio on or off
Supports Professional 4kV common mode lightning protection
Complies with IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.3ab, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n standards
Supports AH, ESP, IKE, PPP protocols
Supports TCP/IP, DHCP, ICMP, NAT, NAPT protocols
Supports PPPoE, SNTP, HTTP, DDNS, UPnP, NTP protocols
Basic Functions
Supports Static IP, Dynamic IP, PPPoE/Russian PPPoE, L2TP/Russian L2TP, PPTP/Russian
PPTP, Dual Access, BigPond Internet connections

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Supports Virtual Server, Port Triggering, ALG, Static Route and RIP v1/v2
Built-in Switch supporting Port Mirror, Port VLAN, Rate Control and so on
Supports to change the MAC address of LAN and WAN port
Supports Logs, Statistics, Time setting
Supports Remote and Web management
Supports Diagnostic (Ping/Tracert) and Online Detection
Wireless
Supports Wireless N speed and 2 detachable 5dBi antennas
Supports WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Encryption
Supports
WDS, Multi-SSID, Guest Network
VPN
Supports IPsec VPN and provides up to 30 IPsec VPN tunnels
Supports IPSec VPN in LAN-to-LAN or Client-to-LAN
Provides DES, 3DES, AES128, AES152, AES256 encryption, MD5, SHA1 authentication
Supports IKE Pre-Share Key and DH1/DH2/DH5 Key Exchanges
Supports PPTP/L2TP Server/Client
Traffic Control
Supports Bandwidth Control
Supports Session Limit
Security
Built-in firewall supporting URL/MAC Filtering
Supports Access Control
Supports Attack Defense
Supports IP-MAC Binding
Supports GARP (Gratuitous ARP)
Deploys One-Click restricting of IM/P2P applications

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2.3 Appearance
2.3.1 Front Panel
The front panel of TL-ER604W is shown as the following figure.
Figure 2-1 Front Panel
LEDs
LED Status Indication
On The Router is powered on
PWR
Off The Router is powered off or power supply is abnormal
Flashing The Router works properly
SYS
On/Off The Router works improperly
On(Green) The wireless function is enabled
Off The wireless function is disabled
WLAN
Flashing(Green) There is data being transferred through wireless
On
(Green/Yellow)
There is a device linked to the corresponding port but no activity.
(Green light indicates the linked device is running at 1000Mbps,
and yellow indicates the linked device is running at 10/100Mbps.)
Off There is no device linked to the corresponding port
WAN,LAN
Flashing
(Green/Yellow)
The corresponding port is transmitting or receiving data. (Green
light indicates the linked device is running at 1000Mbps, and
yellow indicates the linked device is running at 10/100Mbps.)
Interface Description
Interface Port Description
WAN 1~2 The WAN port is for connecting the Router to a DSL/Cable modem or
Ethernet by the RJ45 cable
LAN 2~5 The LAN port is for connecting the Router to the local PCs or switches
by the RJ45 cable

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Reset button
Use the button to restore the Router to the factory defaults. With the Router powered on, use a pin to
press and hold the Reset button (about 4~5 seconds). After the SYS LED goes out, release the Reset
button. If the SYS LED is flashing with a high frequency about two or three seconds, it means the Router
is restored successfully.
Wifi button
Press this button to enable or disable WI-FI.
2.3.2 Rear Panel
The rear panel of TL-ER604W is shown as the following figure.
Figure 2-2 Rear Panel
Antenna
The router provides two external detachable antennas for receiving and transmitting the wireless data.
Power
The power socket is where you will connect the power adapter. Please use the power adapter provided
with this TL-ER604W SafeStream Wireless N Gigabit Broadband VPN Router.
On/Off
Press this button to turn on or turn off the Router.
Note:
Please use only the power cord provided with this Router.

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Chapter 3 Configuration
3.1 Network
3.1.1 Status
The Status page shows the system information, the port connection status and other information
related to this Router.
Choose the menu Network→Status to load the following page.
Figure 3-1 Status
3.1.2 System Mode
The TL-ER604W Router can work in three modes: NAT, Non-NAT and Classic.
If your Router is hosting your local network’s connection to the Internet with a network topology as the
Figure 3-2 shown, you can set it to NAT mode.

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Figure 3-2 Network Topology - NAT Mode
If your Router is connecting the two networks of different areas in a large network environment with a
network topology as the Figure 3-3 shown, and forwards the packets between these two networks by
the Routing rules, you can set it to Non-NAT mode.
Figure 3-3 Network Topology – Non-NAT Mode
If your Router is connected in a combined network topology as the Figure 3-4 shown, you can set it to
Classic Mode.
Figure 3-4 Network Topology – Classic Mode
Choose the menu Network→System Mode to load the following page.

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Figure 3-5 System Mode
You can select a System Mode for your Router according to your network need.
NAT Mode
NAT (Network Address Translation) mode allows the Router to translate private IP addresses within
internal networks to public IP addresses for traffic transport over external networks, such as the
Internet. Incoming traffic is translated back for delivery within the internal network. However, the
Router will drop all the packets whose source IP addresses are in different subnet of LAN port. For
example: If the LAN port of the Router is set to 192.168.0.1 for IP address and 255.255.255.0 for the
Subnet Mask, then the subnet of LAN port is 192.168.0.0/24. The packet with 192.168.0.123 as its
source IP address can be transported by NAT, whereas the packet with 20.31.76.80 as its source IP
address will be dropped.
Non-NAT Mode
In this mode, the Router functions as the traditional Gateway and forwards the packets via routing
protocol. The Hosts in different subnets can communicate with one another via the routing rules
whereas no NAT is employed.
Note:
In Non-NAT mode, all the NAT forwarding rules will be disabled.
Classic Mode
It's the combined mode of NAT mode and Non-NAT mode. In Classic mode, the Router will first
transport the packets which are compliant with NAT forwarding rules and then match the other packets
to the static routing rules. The matched packets will be transmitted based on the static routing rules
and the unmatched ones will be dropped. In this way, the Router can implement NAT for the packets
without blocking the packets in the different subnet of the ports.
3.1.3 WAN
3.1.3.1 WAN Mode
TL-ER604W provides two adjustable WAN ports. You can set the number of WAN ports on this page.
Choose the menu Network→WAN→WAN Mode to load the following page.

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Figure 3-6 WAN Mode
WAN Mode
WAN Ports: Select the total number of WAN ports you prefer to use. The
Router support one WAN and dual WAN. The Router will adjust
the physical ports accordingly, which can be illustrated on the
following port sketch.
Note:
By default, TL-ER604W is set to work in the mode of dual WAN ports.
3.1.3.2 WAN1
TL-ER604W provides the following six Internet connection types: Static IP, Dynamic IP,
PPPoE/Russian PPPoE, L2TP/Russian L2TP, PPTP/Russian PPTP and BigPond. To configure the
WAN, please first select the type of Internet connection provided by your ISP (Internet Service
Provider).
Tips:
It’s allowed to set the IP addresses of both the WAN ports within the same subnet. However, to
guarantee a normal communication, make sure that the WAN ports can access the same network,
such as Internet or a local area network.
Choose the menu Network→WAN→WAN1 to load the configuration page.
1) Static IP
If a static IP address has been provided by your ISP, please choose the Static IP connection type to
configure the parameters for WAN port manually.

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Figure 3-7 WAN – Static IP
The following items are displayed on this screen:
Static IP
Connection Type: Select Static IP if your ISP has assigned a static IP address for your
computer.
IP Address: Enter the IP address assigned by your ISP. If you are not clear,
please consult your ISP.
Subnet Mask: Enter the Subnet Mask assigned by your ISP.
Default Gateway: Optional. Enter the Gateway assigned by your ISP.
MTU: MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) is the maximum data unit
transmitted by the physical network. It can be set in the range of
576-1500. The default MTU is 1500. It is recommended to keep the
default value if no other MTU value is provided by your ISP.
Primary DNS: Enter the IP address of your ISP’s Primary DNS (Domain Name
Server). If you are not clear, please consult your ISP. It’s not allowed
to access the Internet via domain name if the Primary DNS field is
blank.
Secondary DNS: Optional. If a Secondary DNS Server address is available, enter it.
Upstream Bandwidth: Specify the bandwidth for transmitting packets on the port.

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Downstream Bandwidth: Specify the bandwidth for receiving packets on the port.
2) Dynamic IP
If your ISP (Internet Service Provider) assigns the IP address automatically, please choose the
Dynamic IP connection type to obtain the parameters for WAN port automatically.
Figure 3-8 WAN – Dynamic IP
The following items are displayed on this screen:
Dynamic IP
Connection Type: Select Dynamic IP if your ISP assigns the IP address
automatically. Click <Obtain> to get the IP address from your
ISP’s server. Click <Release> to release the current IP address of
WAN port.
Host Name: Optional. This field allows you to give a name for the Router. It's
blank by default.
MTU: MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) is the maximum data unit
transmitted by the physical network. It can be set in the range of
576-1500. The default MTU is 1500. It is recommended to keep

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the default value if no other MTU value is provided by your ISP.
Get IP Address by
Unicast:
The broadcast requirement may not be supported by a few ISPs.
Select this option if you can not get the IP address from your ISP
even if with a normal network connection. This option is not
required generally.
Use the following DNS
Server:
Select this option to enter the DNS (Domain Name Server)
address manually.
Primary DNS: Enter the IP address of your ISP’s Primary DNS (Domain Name
Server). If you are not clear, please consult your ISP.
Secondary DNS: Optional. If a Secondary DNS Server address is available, enter
it.
Upstream Bandwidth: Specify the bandwidth for transmitting packets on the port.
Downstream
Bandwidth:
Specify the bandwidth for receiving packets on the port.
Dynamic IP Status
Status: Displays the status of obtaining an IP address from your ISP.
“Disabled” indicates that the Dynamic IP connection type is not
applied.
“Connecting” indicates that the Router is obtaining the IP
parameters from your ISP.
“Connected” indicates that the Router has successfully
obtained the IP parameters from your ISP.
“Disconnected” indicates that the IP address has been
manually released or the request of the Router gets no response
from your ISP. Please check your network connection and consult
your ISP if this problem remains.
IP Address: Displays the IP address assigned by your ISP.
Subnet Mask: Displays the Subnet Mask assigned by your ISP.

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Gateway Address: Displays the Gateway Address assigned by your ISP.
Primary DNS: Displays the IP address of your ISP’s Primary DNS.
Secondary DNS: Displays the IP address of your ISP’s Secondary DNS.
3) PPPoE
If your ISP (Internet Service Provider) has provided the account information for the PPPoE connection,
please choose the PPPoE connection type (Used mainly for DSL Internet service).
Figure 3-9 WAN - PPPoE