Setting Wi-Fi password

D-LINK network equipment is well known both in Russia and abroad. The entry-level wireless router D-LINK DIR-300 stands out in a wide range of devices. With its low price, excellent reliability and good technical characteristics, it became the first truly affordable home Wi-Fi router. The model turned out to be so successful that it is still being produced. What are the differences between routers of different years of release, how to connect and configure them for the most efficient work - the topic of our article.

Router appearance, technical characteristics

D-LINK DIR-300 is an entry-level router (router) designed for use in a home or small office. It allows you to connect clients to the Internet both via cable (twisted pair) and wireless (WiFi). Four computers can be connected using a cable connection, and any number of clients using Wi-Fi. However, with each client connected via Wi-Fi, the access speed will drop. If one client can run at 150 Mbps, two are already at 75 Mbps, and so on.

The router has been on the market for over ten years, during which time three generations (revisions) of this router have been released.

DIR-300 revision A

The oldest router in the lineup, long out of production, although you can buy it on the secondary market. The b / g wireless module provides speeds up to 54 Mbps in ideal conditions.

DIR-300A is a veteran in the line of routers

The Ethernet ports of the router allow organizing a local network with an access speed of up to 100 Mbps. But the Internet speed for local network clients will be almost twice lower: a small amount of RAM and a weak processor allow the DIR-300 rev. A process internet traffic at a speed not exceeding 50 Mbps. If you are connected to the Internet with a faster tariff plan, you should replace your old router with a more efficient one.

Branded gray-orange interface - the hallmark of early models of D-LINK routers

DIR-300NRU revisions B1, B3, B5

The abbreviation NRU in the model name means that the wireless module complies with the N standard and can provide a theoretical Wi-Fi speed of up to 150 Mbps. The RU prefix indicates that the model has been developed and produced for the market of the former CIS countries.

DIR-300NRU B1 - strict appearance and 150 Mbps over the air

A dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 350 MHz and 32 megabytes of RAM allows you to install alternative firmware on these routers, such as OpenWRT and DD-WRT, which significantly expands the capabilities of the router and improves its stability. The processor speed is sufficient to work with tariff plans up to 100 Mbps.

OpenWRT - Powerful Router Software

DIR-300NRU revisions B7, D1, A1

These router flavors are built on a new hardware platform, so alternative firmware won't work on them. But the standard software was also significantly redesigned: the usual web interface was changed to a new one, with an interactive map of client connections and the ability to change many settings without restarting the router.

New D-LINK software saves the user from manipulating alternative firmware

Models B7 and D1 are produced in a vertical version of the case, and model revision A will probably be remembered by you for its appearance in the form of a black cylinder.

DIR-300NRU A1 - space design and very terrestrial characteristics

DLINK DIR-300A was the first wireless router that I purchased almost 10 years ago. Simple and unpretentious, it worked without shutting down for almost 5 long years, without failures and without "freezing", and only connecting to another, faster Internet provider made me replace my old friend with a new router. But thanks to the DD-WRT firmware, the veteran is still in the ranks, working as a wireless network repeater in a country house. Low speed has become the trump card of this router - it hardly heats up, which means it can work stably in difficult climatic conditions, for example, in hot summer.

Table: Comparative characteristics of D-LINK DIR-300 routers of different revisions

Video: installing OpenWRT firmware on a D-LINK DIR-300 router

Preparing the router for work

In order for D-LINK DIR-300 to connect all your devices with a single home network and provide each client with access to the Internet, you need to take a number of preparatory measures. The router must be connected with cables to the provider's network and home computers, and the network cards of the clients must be configured to automatically receive addresses. After that, you can configure access to the Internet and create a wireless network.

Connecting a router, preparing for configuration

The router connection scheme is simple: the provider's cable is plugged into the Internet socket, computers of the local network - to the LAN1-LAN4 network connectors. Smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices connect using a Wi-Fi network.

Creating a home network based on DIR-300NRU

Configuring a computer network card to work with a router

A DHCP server is automatically activated in the router "out of the box" - the router will itself issue network addresses to connected computers. Therefore, before starting to configure the router, it will be useful to make sure that the network adapter of your computer or laptop is configured to automatically obtain a network address.

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Network Connections from the user menu.

   Calling up network connections from the user menu

2. Select the required adapter in the network connections window and open its properties using the right mouse button.

   The properties of the network adapter contain TCP / IP settings

3. Select TCP / IP settings from the list of protocols and open them for editing.

   TCP / IP is the main conductor of the wireless network

4. Configure automatic acquisition of network address and DNS server address as shown in the screenshot, and then click OK.

   Automatic address acquisition is set

Modem web interface, configuration and access protection

The modem's web interface, through which most of its settings are performed, is located at 192.168.1.1. The username is admin, and the default password is empty, so you don't need to enter it. Change the access password immediately after the initial setup of the modem. This will protect your network from third-party interference.

1. Switch to advanced settings mode.

   Quick settings and connection status on the main page of the modem

2. In the "System" section, follow the link "Administrator password".

   Access to system parameters is hidden in advanced settings

3. Enter your password and click the "Apply" button.

   Enter your password and confirmation in the field below

Video: configuring routers of the DIR-300 family

Internet Service Provider Connection Settings

The router's web interface allows you to set up an Internet connection both in a semi-automatic mode (using the setup wizard) and in a completely manual mode. Before starting the setup, make sure your internet connection is activated by your service provider. To do this, try connecting to the Internet without a router by connecting the provider's cable to the computer's network card.

Fast Internet Connection Wizard

For a technically unprepared user, D-LINK has implemented a Click'nConnect tool in the router software, which requires the user to go through just three screens of simple settings with a choice of the connection type and authorization parameters. The router will automatically determine the rest of the connection options, provided that the cable of the Internet provider is already connected.

1. Open the web interface by entering 192.168.1.1 in your internet browser.
2. In the "Network" section, follow the Click'nConnect link.

   All step-by-step "wizards" are launched from the quick settings page

3. Check if the ISP cable is connected to the WAN port of the router.

   Check if the ISP cable is connected to the WAN port

4. Select from the list the type of connection that your Internet provider uses, for example - PPPoE.

   Select internet connection protocol

5. Enter the authorization parameters from the contract: login, password and name of the VPN server (if an L2TP or PPTP connection is used). To access additional settings, move the switch in the lower left corner of the window to the "Details" position.

   Enter your username and password from your contract with the provider

6. Check the settings in the system report window and if there are no errors, press the "Save" button.

   Check if the settings are correct and click the "Save" button

If you are used to "keeping your finger on the pulse" and want to make the settings manually, you can do this by switching to the advanced settings mode.

Through the advanced settings menu, the connection to the Internet provider is configured

L2TP configuration

L2TP is a type of VPN in which the "tunnel" can be established not only over TCP / IP, but also over lower-level protocols: ATM, X.25, and Frame Relay. The protocol provides encrypted traffic, so L2TP connections are used more often on corporate networks than for private individuals to connect to the Internet.

1. Manual configuration of connections comes from the advanced settings menu

2. Create a new internet connection

3. Enter the account parameters in the window that opens: login, password and VPN server address.

4. For static connection, enter the IP addresses assigned by the ISP

5. Click the Apply button.
6. Returning to the window with the list of connections, activate the created entry as the default connection.

   Make the created entry active by default

PPPoE setup

Connection via PPPoE protocol is the most common among Internet providers, and it is easier to configure it than the others, since only a username and password are required from the authorization parameters.

1. From the advanced settings menu, go to the WAN link in the Network section.

   For PPPoE connection, follow the WAN link from the advanced settings menu

2. In the list of network interfaces that appears, click the Add button to create a new connection.

   Create a new connection using the "Add" button

3. Enter the account parameters in the window that opens: connection type (PPPoE), login and password.

   Set the connection type to PPPoE, and take the login and password of the connection from the contract with the provider

4. If a digital TV set-top box or "smart" TV is connected to the router, set the IGMP checkbox to the on position.

   Activate the options for watching IPTV. Do not forget to assign one of the LAN ports to connect your TV box

5. Click the Apply button.
6. Returning to the window with the list of connections, activate the created entry as the default connection.

PPTP setup

Configuring a PPTP connection is no different from the L2TP configuration discussed earlier. In the same way, two types of connection are supported: with static and dynamic addresses. Login, password and VPN server name are enough for authorization. Please note that this type of connection creates a heavy load on the router processor. If your tariff plan provides for a connection with a speed of 90 Mbps or higher, you should think about buying a new, more efficient router.

1. From the advanced settings menu, go to the WAN link in the Network section.

   Manual configuration of PPTP connection comes from the advanced settings menu

2. In the list of network interfaces that appears, click the Add button to create a new connection.

   Create a new PPTP access connection

3. Enter the account parameters in the window that opens: login, password and VPN server address. If the symbolic server address is not provided by your ISP, enter it in TCP / IP address format.
4. If the secondary connection is static and not dynamic IP, enter the DNS server addresses, network address, netmask, and gateway address.

   For a static PPTP connection, enter the IP addresses assigned by the ISP

5. Click the Apply button.
6. Returning to the window with the list of connections, activate the created entry as the default connection.

Static IP configuration

If you connect to the Internet with a static IP address, your login and password are not required. In the parameters of the created connection, you enter the address received from the provider, the subnet mask and the gateway address, after which the router is ready to work.

Home network and wireless settings

After the router's Internet connection is configured, it remains to configure the wireless network and the connection of wired clients, thereby completing the creation of the home network. Never create a wireless network without password protection, even if you have MAC address binding enabled. An attacker can easily clone the MAC address and connect to your network.

Configuring Wi-Fi (creating an access point, changing a password)

The second step after setting up the connection to the provider will be to enable and configure the wireless access point, which will allow you to distribute the Internet to devices with a WIFI module: laptop, tablet, smartphone.

1. It is better to configure the wireless network from the advanced settings menu

2. Click the "Advanced Settings" button.
3. Make sure the wireless enable slider is in the green (on) position.

   Make sure WI-FI is on

4. Open basic wireless settings. Here, set the name of the wireless network, the broadcast channel, and the name of the guest network. Guest network clients will receive internet but will not be able to connect to the local network.

   Enter the network name and select the broadcast channel

5. Return to the main screen and open the wireless security settings. In them, set the type of encryption and password for accessing WIFI.

   Create and enter a wireless network access password

6. Returning to the main screen, click on the save settings link in the upper right corner.

The password set for the wireless network is used by the router to encrypt the transmitted data. The more characters in the password, the more reliable the encryption, but the load on the router processor is higher. The optimal key size is 8-13 characters.

Port mapping

Some users need to get access from the resources of their local network from the Internet. Access to home network folders, a picture from a home IP camera, remote administration with Remote Administrator or Team Viewer and dozens of other applications you need. To organize the possibility of such access, so-called port forwarding is required, that is, the router connects the external network port and the internal port. Configuring port forwarding is easy using the modem's web interface functions.

1. Open an internet browser and go to the web interface of the router at 192.168.1.1.

   Add a new rule

2. In the window with the list of mapped ports, click the "Add" button.
3. In the port settings dialog, fill in the following fields in sequence:
   
4. Click the Apply button in the lower right corner of the screen.

Setting up IPTV (digital TV)

Setting up IPTV allows you to select one of the four network ports for transmitting a digital video stream to it. This port can be used to connect a network media player, Smart-TV or digital TV set-top box.

A few months ago, family friends asked for help in connecting SmartTV to their home router - DLINK DIR-300. Connected using the IPTV Setup Wizard, the TV perfectly showed one and a half hundred digital channels, but none of the Internet services worked: youtube, mail, online cinema, even the weather forecast complained about the lack of an Internet connection and did not start. A study of the documentation suggested that for the simultaneous transmission of a video stream and Internet traffic to the port, it was necessary to configure a Dual Acsess connection, but the existing router software did not allow this, and the owners did not want to flash the router with an alternative firmware so as not to lose the warranty. Still, a solution was found: we connected a Wi-Fi adapter to one of the TV's USB ports and configured a connection to the router's wireless network through it. And through the Ethernet connection, there was a digital video stream. The price of the issue is about 500 rubles, and a new router with support for Dual Acsess would have cost much more.

LAN and DHCP Server Settings

Advanced mode of the router allows you to configure the parameters of the dhcp server, LAN and internal interface of the router.

Switching D-Link DIR-300 to repeater (repeater) mode

The stock software does not support switching the router to the repeater (repeater) mode. If you bought a new, more powerful router, and you want to use the old DIR-300 to expand your wireless coverage, you can try installing the alternative DD-WRT firmware, in which the repeater mode is configured in just a few clicks.

1. Install the DD-WRT firmware using the firmware restore (update) function.
2. Disable the WAN interface and DHCP server on the Installation tab (section Basic Settings). Enter the network setting data to the repeater. The device must be on the same network as the main router. We will have a network 192.168.128.0/255.255.255.0, the gateway to which is the machine with the address 192.168.128.5. It is also a DNS server. For the future Dir-300 repeater, a free address 192.168.128.2 was selected, which is not distributed by the DHCP server.

   Enter the details of the network address, subnet mask and gateway

3. Specify the type of wireless network as "Repeater-bridge", and the name of the wireless network must be identical to the network name on the main router. In this case, your network is DizAr_net. Save the settings again.

   Firmware status page - repeater mode activated

Unfortunately, DD-WRT firmware does not support all DLINK DIR-300 models. On the project site, you can download the update images for revision A1 (the oldest is DIR-300) and for version DIR-300NRU of revisions B1-B3.

Video: Installing DD-WRT Firmware on D-LINK DIR-300

D-Link DIR-300 Administration

A router is a standalone device that can work for weeks without user intervention. If problems do arise, then you cannot do without the manipulations of the network administrator. You may need to reboot the router or reset it to factory settings, and in severe cases, even update the firmware.

Resetting the router to factory settings

You may need to reset the router to factory settings if the device does not work properly and access to the web interface is impossible. Fortunately, all D-LINK DIR-300 routers have a hardware reset option.

Firmware update (firmware)

Updating the internal software will help resolve bugs, improve performance, and improve the stability of the router.

1. Check the revision of your router, this information is on the sticker located on the bottom cover of the device.

   

   The manufacturer's website contains firmware files for all revisions of the router

2. From the router's advanced settings screen, select the Firmware Update link in the System section.
3. Use the "Browse" button to specify the path to the firmware file and click the "Update" button.

   Specify the path to the firmware file and start the update process

4. The router will start the update procedure, which will take about 10 minutes.

Be very careful when choosing a firmware file. Software from a router of a different revision or even an older version of the software may make your device completely inoperable when installed. It will be possible to restore it only at the service center.

Reboot the router

The easiest way to reboot the router is by turning off the power by unplugging its AC adapter. If the router is installed in an inaccessible place, you can also reboot it through the web interface.

The D-Link DIR 300 NRU router is an updated model of the previous version of the DIR 300. All network devices of this brand are of good quality, an attractive and simple interface and, most importantly, a pleasant price. Let's find out what is remarkable about this model with the most common modifications B5 and B7, how to install it for home use and, if necessary, flash the device.

The router is often used for a home network

This router differs from the previous model in support of the 802.11n standard. In this device, the maximum speed is up to 150 Mbps, which is quite enough for home use. Externally, the router looks pretty standard, the interface provides 4 LAN ports for creating a local network, 1 WAN port, a reset button to return to factory settings.

Due to the external location of the antenna, the device provides an optimal Wi-Fi signal coverage area. The router is quite simple to configure or upgrade to any subscriber, which makes it even more attractive among other models of network equipment. It also has its own zest - in addition to the standard functions, it is possible to enable or disable the connection on a schedule.

Setting up a router

To install hardware and configure Wi-Fi, you should follow these steps:

• Enter the device parameters interface - for this, enter your IP address in the address bar of the browser (in most cases it is 192.168.0.1), after which you need to enter the word admin in the login field, the password must be left blank.

Note. These actions will be effective if the D-Link DIR router has not been configured before. If you need to re-configure, return it to its original state - before starting the parameters, hold down the reset key for 20 seconds, after which there will be a return to the factory settings.

• To set up a Wi-Fi connection, select the section with the same name in the menu, select the main settings tab.
• In the window that appears, enter the data to activate the connection - the name of the network, the country where you are, the channel and the type of wireless mode.

Internet connection setup

To directly configure the connection to the network, you need to go to the “Network” menu, to the “Connections” tab. If you need to create new parameters, it is advisable to select the “Add” button and fill in the data in the window that appears - their content depends on the provider. For each of the types of PPPoE, PPtP, NAT connection, you need to enter certain data, which is in the contract from the service provider - using the form, you can consistently enter all the necessary information.

You can check the connection status on D-Link DIR in the “Status” section, “Network statistics” tab.

Password setting

In order to secure your network, install the key that you will need to enter to connect to the Internet. This is done as follows:

• From the Wi-Fi menu, select the Security Settings tab.
• Check the box to enable WEP, after which the password setting information will appear.
• Select the WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK mixed encryption type from the drop-down list in the list of network authentications - it is the most reliable for protecting the network from hacking.
• On the next line, enter your passkey - make it complex enough to prevent unauthorized users from connecting to your connection.

Additionally, it is advisable to secure not only the network, but also the router configuration menu itself, changing the standard login and password data to your own combinations. This is done like this:

• Go to the "System" section, open the "Administrator password" window.
• Enter new combinations to access the settings, after which you will need to re-enter the parameters menu using the login and password you just set.

Saving changes

In the parameters of the router there is a separate menu for saving changes or returning to factory settings, it is located in the “System” section, in the “Configuration” line. Here you can save the changes made, return to the initial settings or save the file with the current data in order to restore the connection later if necessary.

Installing new firmware

If you want to update your router software, do the following:

• Find and download the firmware file from the World Wide Web, the main thing is to choose the right software version, focusing not only on the model number of the router, but also on the hardware revision of the device, the data about which is written on the back of the router in the form of a H / W combination. There are different versions - B2, B5, B7 and others, they all differ from each other.
• Go to the router menu through a browser using the IP address.
• Open the "System" section, select the "Software update" tab.
• A line will appear in the window to indicate the path to the new firmware file for hardware revision B5, B7. Find it on your computer, then click "Update".

Thanks to the above steps, you can install a D-Link DIR 300 NRU router, configure it to work with the Internet and distribute a signal via Wi-Fi, and, if necessary, change or update its firmware for the equipment to work correctly. As you can see, all this is done quite simply and affordable, the process will not take much of your time.

In order to configure a network connection through the Dlink Dir-300 NRU rev. B7 to work on the GTK network, you need to do the following:

1. Connect the network cable of your computer to any of the 4 LAN ports of the router. The GTK cable must be connected to the WAN port (sometimes called the Internet port).
2. Open a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) and go to http: //192.168.0.1
3. Enter the User Name and Password. Default username: admin, password admin, as it shown on the picture:
   
   
4. When you first log in, the router will ask you to change the password
   
   
5. Click the "ok" button and on the next page enter a new password to enter the router's control panel and save the changes.
   
   
6. In the control panel of the router, select the item "Configure manually"
   
   
7. Create a connection
   
   
8. Select the "Dynamic IP" connection type, press the save button.
   
   
9. We return to the main page, select "configure Wi Fi"
   
   
10. Turn on the wireless connection, click the Next button
    
    
11. In the SSID field, enter the name of your wireless network, click Next
    
    
12. Configuring Wireless Security:
    under "Network Authentication" select WPA2-PSK
    enter a key in the field below, at least 8 characters
    Click Next
    
    
13. save settings
    
    
14. in the "system" tab, select the "save and reload" item
    
    
15. the router is ready to use.