Linksys EA6900 Owner's Manual

Setting Up: Advanced

Linksys EA-Series

d.  Network mode—Your choice depends upon the clients that will 

connect to your network. If all of your devices are Wireless-N capable, 

you can select Wireless-N Only for either or both bands.
On the 2.4 GHz band, you can select:

 

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On the 5 GHz band, you can select:

 

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Mixed (default), which accepts connections from 802.11a or 

802.11n clients 

 

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Wireless-N Only (802.11n only)

 

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e.  Security mode—You can set up different security options for the 

5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks. If the security mode you select requires 

a passphrase, a

 

Passphrase field appears, and you must enter a 

passphrase. You can select:

 

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None (no security)

 

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Wireless-N networks should use the WP2-Personal security 

mode for best performance.

f.  Channel width—We recommend that you keep the default (Auto) 

setting for each band. In Auto  mode, the router and the network 

clients automatically switch to the 40 MHz mode if:

 

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Your wireless clients support the 40  MHz mode (sometimes 

called Bonded mode) in which two 20 MHz channels are bonded 

together for better performance.

 

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There is no adjacent interference.

With more available channels and less chance of interference on the 

5 GHz band, you have the option to force the 40 MHz mode. 
On the 2.4 GHz band, you can select:

 

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On the 5 GHz band, you can select:

 

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g.  Channel—Choose the operating channel for each band. Your 

router will automatically select the channel with the least amount 

of interference if you leave the default Auto setting. We recommend 

keeping the default settings for both bands.

4.  To save your changes, click OK.

Why would I need to control access to my wireless network? By default, 

Setup enables industry-standard WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security using 

WPA2/WPA mixed mode. If you set up your wireless network manually and 

have not enabled wireless security, your wireless network will be an “open” 

network that almost anyone nearby with a Wi-Fi-enabled device could access. 
What is MAC filtering? If you choose not to use the built-in security features 

of your router, you can still control access to your wireless network using 

MAC filtering. Every network device has a unique, 12-digit MAC  (Media 

Access Control) address. Using MAC filtering, you can allow only known MAC 

addresses (known devices) onto your network. You can also exclude specific 

MAC addresses or deny them access to your wireless network.

MAC filtering is not strong security. The best way to secure your 

network is to use the router’s WPA2 security setting.