TP-Link TL-WR542G User manual

User Guide
TL-WR542G
54Mbps Wireless Router

TL-WR542G 54M Wireless Router User Guide
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COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Specifications are subject to change without notice. is the registered
trademark of TP-LINK Technologies Co., Ltd. Other brands and product names are
trademarks or registered 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 © 2005 TP-LINK Technologies Co., Ltd.
All rights reserved.

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Package contents.............................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 1: About this Guide .............................................................................................. 5
1.1 PURPOSES ................................................................................................................................5
1.2 CONVENTIONS .........................................................................................................................5
1.3 OVERVIEW OF THIS USER GUIDE .............................................................................................5
Chapter 2: Introduction...................................................................................................... 6
2.1 OVERVIEW OF THE ROUTER.....................................................................................................6
2.2 FEATURES ................................................................................................................................6
2.3 PANEL LAYOUT........................................................................................................................7
2.3.1 The Front Panel ...............................................................................................................7
2.3.2 The Rear Panel.................................................................................................................8
Chapter 3: Connecting the Router .................................................................................... 9
3.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .........................................................................................................9
3.2 INSTALLATION ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................9
3.3 CONNECTING THE ROUTER......................................................................................................9
Chapter 4: Quick Installation Guide..................................................................................11
4.1 TCP/IP CONFIGURATION........................................................................................................11
4.2 QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE.................................................................................................12
Chapter 5: Configuring the Router .................................................................................. 16
5.1 LOGIN.....................................................................................................................................16
5.2 STATUS...................................................................................................................................16
5.3 SETUP WIZARD......................................................................................................................17
5.4 NETWORK..............................................................................................................................17
5.4.1 LAN ................................................................................................................................18
5.4.2 WAN................................................................................................................................18
5.4.3 MAC Clone.....................................................................................................................23
5.5 WIRELESS ..............................................................................................................................24
5.5.1 Wireless Settings.............................................................................................................25
5.5.2 MAC Filtering................................................................................................................27
5.5.3 Wireless Statistics...........................................................................................................30
5.6 DHCP....................................................................................................................................30
5.6.1 DHCP Settings ...............................................................................................................31
5.6.2 DHCP Clients List..........................................................................................................32
5.6.3 Address Reservation.......................................................................................................32
5.7 FORWARDING.........................................................................................................................34
5.7.1 Virtual Servers................................................................................................................34
5.7.2 Port Triggering...............................................................................................................36
5.7.3 DMZ...............................................................................................................................37
5.7.4 UPnP..............................................................................................................................38
5.8 SECURITY ..............................................................................................................................39

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5.8.1 Firewall..........................................................................................................................39
5.8.2 IP Address Filtering.......................................................................................................40
5.8.3 Domain Filtering............................................................................................................42
5.8.4 MAC Filtering................................................................................................................44
5.8.5 Remote Management......................................................................................................45
5.8.6 Advanced Security..........................................................................................................46
5.9 STATIC ROUTING....................................................................................................................48
5.10 DDNS..................................................................................................................................49
5.10.1 Oray.net DDNS............................................................................................................50
5.10.2 Comexe.cn DDNS.........................................................................................................50
5.11 SYSTEM TOOLS....................................................................................................................51
5.11.1 Time ..............................................................................................................................52
5.11.2 Firmware......................................................................................................................52
5.11.3 Factory Defaults...........................................................................................................53
5.11.4 Reboot...........................................................................................................................54
5.11.5 Password ......................................................................................................................54
5.11.6 Logs..............................................................................................................................55
5.11.7 Statistics........................................................................................................................55
Appendix A: FAQ............................................................................................................. 57
Appendix B: Configuring the PCs.................................................................................... 60
Appendix C: Specifications.............................................................................................. 65
Appendix D: Glossary ..................................................................................................... 66
Appendix E: Contact Information..................................................................................... 68

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Package contents
The following contents should be found in your box:
• One TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router
• One AC power Adapter for TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router
• One Resource CD for TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router, including:
 This Guide
 Other helpful Information
• Wall-mounting screws
Note: If any of the above contents is damaged or missing, please contact the retailer you
purchased the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router for assistance.

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Chapter 1: About this Guide
Thank you for choosing the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router. The Router provides
dedicated solution for Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) network. With your network all
connected, your local wired or wireless network can share Internet access, files and fun
for multiple PCs through one ISP account.
It adopts 2x to 3x eXtended RangeTM WLAN transmission technology so that
transmission distance is 2-3 times of traditional 11g/b solutions, up to 855.36m tested in
China. Transmission range is extended to 4-9 times.
It is easy, web-based setup for installation and management. Even though you may not
be familiar with the Router, you may easily finish the configuration with the help of this
guide. Before installing the Router, please look through this guide get to know all the
router functions.
1.1 Purposes
This Guide tells you how to use the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router.
1.2 Conventions
The Router mentioned in this Guide stands for TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router.
1.3 Overview of this User Guide
Chapter 1: About this Guide
Chapter 2: Introduction
Chapter 3: Connecting the Router
Chapter 4: Quick Installation Guide
Chapter 5: Configuring the Router
Appendix A: FAQ
Appendix B: Configuring the PCs
Appendix C: Specifications
Appendix D: Glossary
Appendix E: Contact Information

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Chapter 2: Introduction
2.1 Overview of the Router
The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router integrates firewall, NAT-router and Wireless
AP. Its design is dedicated to Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) Wireless network
solution. The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router will allow you to connect your
network wirelessly better than ever, sharing Internet Access, files and fun, easily and
securely.
In the most attentive wireless security, the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router
provides multiple protection measures. It can be set to turn off wireless network name
(SSID) broadcast so that only station that have the SSID can be connected. The Router
provides wireless LAN 64/128/152-bit WEP encryption security, and WPA and WPA-PSK
authentication and TKIP/AES encryption security. It also supports VPN pass-through for
sensitive data secure transmission.
The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router complies with the IEEE802.11g/b standards
so that data rate is up to 54Mbps. It adopts 2x to 3x eXtended RangeTM WLAN
transmission technology so that transmission distance is 2-3 times of traditional 11g/b
solutions, up to 855.36m tested in China. Transmission range is extended to 4-9 times. It
is compatible with all IEEE802.11g and IEEE802.11b products.
The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router provides flexible access control so that
parents or network administrators can establish restricted access policies for children or
staff. It is built-in NAT and DHCP server supporting static IP address distributing. It also
supports Virtual Server and DMZ host for Port Triggering need, and Remote
management and log so that network administrators can manage and monitor the
network on real time.
The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router is easy-to-manage. Quick Setup Wizard is
supported and friendly help messages are provided for every step. So you can configure
it quickly and share Internet access, files and fun.
2.2 Features
• Complies with IEEE802.11g, IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.3, IEEE802.3u standards
• Built in 4-port 10/100Mbps Switch
• Ethernet connection to a WAN device, such as a cable modem or DSL modem
• Adopts 2x to 3x eXtended RangeTM WLAN transmission technology
• Shares data and Internet access for the network, connecting Internet through
PPPoE on demand and disconnecting when idle
• Supports 54/48/36/24/18/12/9/6/11/5.5/3/2/1/0.5/0.25Mbps wireless LAN data
transfer rates
• Provides 64/128/152-bit WEP encryption security

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• Provides WPA and WPA-PSK authentication and TKIP/AES encryption security
• Provides wireless LAN ACL (Access Control List) filtering
• Built-in NAT and DHCP server supporting static IP address distributing
• Supports Virtual Server, Port Triggering, and DMZ host
• Built-in firewall supporting IP address filtering, Domain Name filtering, and MAC
address filtering
• Supports connecting/disconnecting Internet on a specified time of day
• Supports access control, parents and network administrators can establish
restricted access policies based on time of day for children or staffs
• Supports TCP/IP, PPPoE, DHCP, ICMP, NAT, SNTP
• Supports UPnP, Dynamic DNS, Static Routing, VPN pass-through
• Supports Traffic Stat.
• Supports ICMP-FLOOD, UDP-FLOOD, TCP-SYN-FLOOD filter
• Ignores Ping packets from WAN or LAN ports
• Supports firmware upgrade
• Supports Remote and Web management
2.3 Panel Layout
2.3.1 The Front Panel
The front panel of the TL-WR542G consists of several LED indicators, which is designed
to indicate connections. Viewed from left to right. Table 2-1 describes the LEDs on the
front panel of the Router.
Figure 2-1: Front Panel sketch
Name Action Description
Not lit No Power
Power Lit up Power on
Lit up The Router is Initializing
Flashing The Router works properly
System
Not lit The Router has a hardware error
Not lit There is no device linked to the corresponding port
Lit up There is a device linked to the corresponding port but
no activity
Link/Act
Flashing There is an active device linked to the corresponding
port when activity
Not lit The linked device is 10Mbps
Speed Lit up The linked device is 100Mbps
Not lit The Wireless Radio function is disabled
WLAN Flashing The Wireless Radio function is enabled
Table 2-1 The LEDs description

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2.3.2 The Rear Panel
The Rear panel contains the following features. (Viewed from left to right:)
• Wireless antenna
• Factory Default Reset button
There are two ways to reset the Router's factory defaults:
1. Use the Factory Defaults function on System Tools -> Factory Defaults page in the
Router's Web-based Utility.
2. Use the Factory Default Reset button: First, turn off the Router's power. Second, press
and hold the default reset button then turn on the Router's power, until the system LED
light up (about 3 seconds). Last, release the reset button and wait for the router to reboot.
Note: Ensure the Router is powered on before it restarts completely
• WAN RJ45 port for connecting the Router to a cable or DSL modem
• Four LAN 10/100Mbps RJ45 ports for connecting the Router to the local PCs
• AC power socket: only use the Power adapter supplied with the TL-WR542G
54Mbps Wireless Router, use of a different adapter may result in product
damage.
1WAN 234
RESET
Figure 2-2: Rear Panel sketch

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Chapter 3: Connecting the Router
3.1 System Requirements
 Broadband Internet Access Service (DSL/Cable/Ethernet)
 One DSL/Cable modem that has RJ45 connector (you do not need it if you
connect the Router to Ethernet)
 Each PC on the LAN needs working Ethernet NIC and an Ethernet cable with
RJ45 connectors
 TCP/IP protocol must be installed on each PC
 Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, Netscape
Navigator 6.0 or later
3.2 Installation Environment Requirements
 Not in direct sunlight or near a heater or heating vent
 Not cluttered or crowded. There should be at least 2 inches (5 cm) of clear
space on all sides of the switch
 Well ventilated (especially if it is in a closet)
 Operating temperature: 0℃~40℃(32℉~104℉)
 Operating Humidity: 10%~90%RH, Non-condensing
3.3 Connecting the Router
Before you install the Router, you should have connected your PC to the Internet through
your broadband service successfully. If there is any problem, please contact your ISP.
After that, please install the Router according to the following steps. Don't forget to pull
out the power plug and keep your hands dry.
1) Power off your PCs, Cable or DSL modem and the Router.
2) Locate an optimum location for the Router. The best place is usually near the center
of the area in which your PCs will wirelessly connect. The place must accord with
the Installation Environment Requirements.
3) Adjust the direction of the antenna. Normally, upright is a good direction.
4) Connect the PCs and each Switch/Hub on your LAN to the LAN Ports on the Router,
shown in figure 3-1.
5) Connect the DSL/Cable Modem to the WAN port on the Router, shown in figure 3-1.
6) Connect the AC Power adapter to the AC power socket on the Router, and the other
end into an electrical outlet. The Router will start to work automatically.
7) Power on Your PCs and Cable or DSL modem.

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To LAN
Switch/Hub
4321WAN
To WAN
RESET
（） XDSL Cable Ethernet 、、
Figure 3-1: Physical Installation of the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router

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Chapter 4: Quick Installation Guide
After connecting the TL-WR542G Router into your network, you should configure it. This
chapter describes how to configure the basic functions of your TL-WR542G Wireless
Router. These procedures only take you few minutes. You can access Internet via the
Router immediately after successfully configured.
4.1 TCP/IP configuration
Default IP address of the TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router is 192.168.1.1, and
default Subnet Mask is 255.255.255.0. These values can be seen from the LAN. They
can be changed as you desire, but in this User Guide, we use the default values for
description.
Connect the local PCs to the LAN ports on the Router. And then, there are two means to
configure the IP address for your PCs.
 Configure the IP address manually
1) Set up the TCP/IP Protocol for your PCs. If you need instructions on how to do
this, please refer to Appendix B: "Configuring the PCs."
2) Configure the network parameters. IP address is 192.168.1.xxx ("xxx" is from 2
to 254), Subnet Mask is 255.255.255.0, and Gateway is 192.168.1.1 (The
Router's default IP address)
 Obtain an IP address automatically
1) Set up the TCP/IP Protocol in "Obtain an IP address automatically" mode for
your PCs. If you need instructions on how to do this, please refer to Appendix B:
"Configuring the PCs."
2) Power off the Router and PCs. Then power on the Router first, and then restart
the PCs. The built-in DHCP server will assign IP addresses for the PCs.
Now, you can run the Ping command in the in command prompt mode to verify the
network connection between your PCs and the Router. The following example is in
Windows 2000 OS.
Open a command prompt, and type ping 192.168.1.1, then press Enter key.
If the result displayed similar to that shown in Figure 4-1:

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Figure 4-1: Successful result of Ping command
Congratulations! The connection between your PC and the Router has been established.
If the result displayed similar to that shown in Figure 4-2:
Figure 4-2: Failed result of Ping command
It means that your PC has not connected to the Router. Please check it following these
steps:
1) Is the connection between your PC and the Router correct?
Note: The Link/Act LEDs of LAN port on the Router and LEDs on your PC's adapter
should be lit.
2) Is the TCP/IP configuration for your PC proper?
Note: If the Router's IP address is 192.168.1.1, your PC's IP address must be within
the range of 192.168.1.2 ~ 192.168.1.254, Gateway must be 192.168.1.1
4.2 Quick Installation Guide
With Web-based (Internet Explorer or Netscape® Navigator) utility, the TL-WR542G
54Mbps Wireless Router is easy to configure and manage. The Web-based utility can be
used on any Windows, Macintosh or UNIX OS with web browser.
Connect to the Router by typing http://192.168.1.1 in the address field of web browser.
Figure 4-3: Login to the Router
After a moment, a login window will appear similar to that shown in Figure 4-4. Enter
admin for the User Name and Password, both in lower case letters. Then click the OK
button or press Enter key.

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Figure 4-4: Login Windows
If the User Name and Password are correct, the Setup Wizard page will appear, shown
in figure 4-5. If not, please click the Setup Wizard link on the left of the main menu.
Figure 4-5: Setup Wizard
Click Next button, the Choose WAN Connection Type page will appear, shown in
figure 4-6.
Figure 4-6: Choose WAN Connection Type
The TL-WR542G 54Mbps Wireless Router supports three popular ways to connect to
Internet. Please select the exact one according to your ISP. And then click Next button to
enter the necessary network parameters.

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1) If you choose "PPPoE", you will see this page shown in figure 4-7:
Figure 4-7: Setup Wizard - PPPoE
User Name and Password - Enter the User Name and Password provided by your
ISP. These fields are case sensitive. If you have difficulty with this process, please
contact your ISP.
2) If you choose "DHCP", the Router will automatically get IP parameter from your ISP
without entering any parameter.
3) If you Choose "Static IP", the Static IP settings page will appear that shown in figure
4-8:
Figure 4-8: Setup Wizard - Static IP
Note: The IP parameters should have been provided by your ISP.
 IP Address - This is the WAN IP Address as seen by external users on the
Internet (including your ISP). Enter the IP address into the field.
 Subnet Mask - The Subnet Mask is used for WAN IP address, usually is
255.255.255.0
 Default Gateway - Enter the gateway into the box if required.
 Primary DNS - Enter the DNS Server IP address into the boxes if required.
 Secondary DNS - If your ISP provides another DNS server, enter it into this
field.
After you complete the above, click Next button, the Wireless settings page will appear,
shown in figure 4-9.

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Figure 4-9: Setup Wizard - Wireless settings
In the page, you can configure the follow wireless parameter:
 Wireless Radio - indicates whether the Access Point feature of the Router is
enabled or not. If disabled, the WLAN LED on the front panel will not be lit and
wireless stations will not be able to access the Router. If enabled, the WLAN
LED will be lit up and wireless stations will be able to access the Router.
 SSID - Enter a value of up to 32 characters. The same SSID must be assigned
to all wireless devices in your network. The default SSID is TP-LINK. This
value is case-sensitive. For example, TP-LINK is NOT the same as TP-Link.
 Channel - the current channel in use. This field determines which operating
frequency will be used.
 Mode - Indicates the current mode (54Mbps (802.11g), 11Mbps (802.11b)). If
you select 54Mbps (802.11g), it is compatible with 11Mbps (802.11b).
These settings are only for basic wireless parameters, for advanced settings, please
refer to section 5.5: "Wireless."
Note: The change of wireless settings won't take effect until the Router reboots! You can
reboot it manually. If you need instructions on how to do this, please refer to section
5.11.3: "rebooting the Router"
Click Next button, you will see the Finish page:
Figure 4-10: Setup Wizard - Finish
After finishing all configurations of basic network parameters, please click Finish button
to exit this Setup Wizard.

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Chapter 5: Configuring the Router
This chapter describes each web page's key functions.
5.1 login
After your successful login, you can configure and manage the Router. There are ten main
menus on the left of the web-based utility. Submenus will be available after you click one
of the main menus. The ten main menus are: Status, Setup Wizard, Network, Wireless,
DHCP, Forwarding, Security, Static Routing, DDNS and System Tools. On the right of
the web-based utility, there are the detailed explanations and instructions for the
corresponding page. To apply any settings you have altered on the page, please click the
Save button.
There are the detailed explanations for each web page's key functions below.
5.2 Status
The Status page displays the Router's current status and configuration. All information is
read-only.
1) LAN
This field displays the current settings or information for LAN, including MAC address,
IP address and Subnet Mask.
2) Wireless
This field displays basic information or status for wireless function, including Wireless
Radio, SSID, Channel, Mode, Wireless MAC address and IP address.
3) WAN
These parameters apply to the WAN port of the Router, including MAC address, IP
address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS server and WAN connection type.
If PPPoE is chosen for WAN connection type, the Disconnect button will be shown
here while you are accessing the Internet. You also can cut the connection by clicking
the button. If you have not connected to the Internet, a Connect button will be shown,
you can then establish the connection by clicking the button.
4) Traffic Statistics
This field displays the Router's traffic statistics.
5) System Active Time
The time of the Router running from it's powered on or reset.

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Figure 5-1: Router status
5.3 Setup Wizard
Please refer to Section 4.2: "Quick Installation Guide."
5.4 Network
Figure 5-2: the Network menu

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There are three submenus under the Network menu (shown in figure 5-2): LAN, WAN
and MAC Clone. Click any of them, and you can configure the corresponding function.
The detailed explanations for every submenu are provided below.
5.4.1 LAN
You can configure the IP parameters of LAN on this page.
Figure 5-3: LAN
 MAC Address - the physical address of the Router, as seen from the LAN.
The value can't be changed.
 IP Address: Enter the IP Address of your Router in dotted-decimal notation
(factory default: 192.168.1.1).
 Subnet Mask: An address code that determines the size of the network.
Normally use 255.255.255.0 as the subnet mask.
Note:
a. If you change the IP Address of LAN, you must use the new IP Address to login the
Router.
b. If the new LAN IP Address you set is not in the same subnet, the IP Address pool in
the DHCP sever will not take effect, until they are re-configured.
c. If the new LAN IP Address you set is not in the same subnet, the Virtual Server and
DMZ Host will change accordingly at the same time.
5.4.2 WAN
You can configure the WAN port parameters on this page.
First, please choose the WAN Connection Type (DHCP/Static IP/PPPoE/802.1x +
DHCP/802.1x + Static IP) to the Internet. The default type is DHCP. If you aren’t given
any login parameters (fixed IP Address, logging ID, etc), please select DHCP. If you are
given a fixed IP (static IP), please select Static IP. If you are given a user name and a
password, please select PPPoE.If you are not sure which connection type you use
currently, please contact your ISP to obtain the correct information.
1. If you choose DHCP, the Router will automatically get IP parameters from your ISP.
You can see the page as follows (figure 5-4):

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Figure 5-4 WAN - DHCP
This page displays the WAN IP parameters assigned dynamically by your ISP,
including IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, etc. Click Renew button to
renew the IP parameters from your ISP. Click Release button to release the IP
parameters.
MTU Size: The normal MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) value for most Ethernet
networks is 1500 Bytes. For some ISPs you need to reduce the MTU. But this is
rarely required, and should not be done unless you are sure it is necessary for your
ISP connection.
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 ISP.
Note: If you get ‘Address not found' errors when you go to a Web site, it is likely
that your DNS servers are set up improperly. You should contact your ISP to get
DNS server addresses.
Get IP with Unicast DHCP: A few ISPs' DHCP servers do not support the
broadcast applications. If you can't get the IP Address normally, you can choose this
option. (You need not check this option usually).
If you are also given a user name and a password for 802.1x authentication, you
should select 802.1x + DHCP for WAN Connection Type, and a user name and a
password will appear shown in figure 5-4a: