Linksys EA6500 FAQs



HARDWARE INFORMATION
What are the main features of the Linksys EA6500?The Linksys EA6500 is a draft 802.11ac WiFi router with dual USB 2.0 ports. It comes with the new SimpleTap™ card to easily connect mobile devices that support Near Field Communications (NFC).
What are the requirements for setting up the Linksys EA6500?
  • Windows® OS requirements (For Printer Utility): XP SP3, Vista SP1, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, Windows 10
  • macOS® requirements (For Printer Utility): OS X Leopard 10.5.8 or later, Snow Leopard 10.6.1 or later, Lion 10.7
What is 802.11ac, and what kind of speeds does it support? The draft 802.11ac technology works on the 5 GHz band. The Linksys can have speeds of up to 1300 Mbps wirelessly when matched with an 802.11ac adapter.
Can the Linksys EA6500 be used with 802.11a/b/g/n devices?

Yes, but it will only be as fast as the supported technology of the device you are using.

What’s the default IP address of the Linksys EA6500? The default IP address is 192.168.1.1 for the Linksys EA6500. 
Will using the Linksys EA6500 and another 802.11ac device speed up my internet connection? No, the internet connection speed that you are getting from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will be far less than the up to 1300 Mbps that 802.11ac supports. To see what kind of internet connection speed you have, use the Speed Test feature of the Linksys cloud account.
What is the purpose of having up to 1300 Mbps if it won’t speed up my internet connection? This extra speed helps move data (such as High-Definition videos and regular file transfers from devices) around the network.
Which WiFi band is used to achieve up to 1300 Mbps speed? The 5 GHz band only.
What can the USB ports on the Linksys EA6500 be used for? The USB port can support up to two USB storage devices or two printers, or a combination of one of each device. In connecting either a USB storage device or a printer, you now have access to those devices from anywhere on the network. Printing is only supported on Windows® and OS X® computers.
What are the supported media files on the Linksys EA6500 media server? Below is a list of media file formats that are supported by the Linksys EA6500 media server:

Video

.ASF (usingWMV and WMA codec), .FLV, .F1V, .F4V (Flash video H.263 codec with mp3 audio), .MP4 (H.264 codec & AAC Audio codec or Microsoft MPEG-4 v1, 2, 3 and ISO MPEG-4 v1), .MPEG, .MPG, .MLV, .MPEG-1

Audio

.MP3, .WAV

Photo

.BMP, .GIF, .JPG, .JPEG, .JPE, .PNG
What are the storage devices and printers supported by the Linksys EA6500? The Linksys EA6500 is compatible with most storage devices and printers.
Can I wall mount my Linksys EA6500? The Linksys EA6500 is versatile enough to be either a tabletop display or a vertical wall-mounted router. If you would like to wall-mount your router, you will find mounting holes on the bottom of the router chassis. This will enable the device to be placed on a wall or other vertical surface. When choosing a good location for wall-mounting your Linksys EA6500, consider cable limitations (if you have a wired computer setup) as well as the wall structure where it will be placed.

WIFI TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTED
Since only the 802.11ac works on the 5 GHz band, what is the 2.4 GHz band used for?

Most devices only support the 2.4 GHz band. With the Linksys EA6500, the 2.4 GHz network can support 802.11b/g/n devices.

What is the maximum speed that I can achieve with an 802.11n adapter on the 2.4 GHz network?You can have up to 450 Mbps.
What devices should be on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands?
  • 2.4 GHz network – will only be able to cater to devices in your network that are 802.11n (N-only) and 802.11g (G-only), or a combination of both. The Mixed mode will allow backward compatibility with Wireless-B/-G/-N devices.
  • 5 GHz network - will only be able to cater to devices in your network that are Mixed, N only, and AC only. The Mixed mode will still allow backward compatibility for 802.11a devices.
What Channel width options are supported on the 802.11ac technology?The 2.4 Channel width supports Auto and 20 MHz only settings. The Auto mode supports both 20 MHz and 40 MHz.

The 5 GHz Auto supports Auto, 20 MHz only, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz settings.
What is the Linksys cloud account?The Linksys cloud account ensures secure access to your router, even when you're away from home. Linksys does not share the information you enter when creating your account but uses this only to verify that you have access to your home router settings.
What is SimpleTap™?The SimpleTap feature is a simplified way to connect your supported NFC mobile phone via WiFi to the Linksys EA6500. The router comes with a SimpleTap™ card. You will need to download the Linksys app and tap the card on your phone. Your phone will then connect to your router via WiFi. Your phone must have the NFC feature enabled for the SimpleTap feature to work.
How do I connect my Androidâ„¢ smartphone using the SimpleTap card?sf140161-002_en_v7.png
Can I disable the SimpleTap feature on the router?Yes. You can do so using your Linksys cloud account. 
My phone does not support NFC. Can I still connect it wirelessly to the router?Yes. Using your phone settings, search for your router’s SSID, enter a passphrase if prompted, and your phone will connect to your WiFi just like any other WiFi device.
What mobile devices are supported with the Linksys app? The Linksys app supports Android mobile phones and tablets, iOS mobile phones, and iPad® tablets.

LINKSYS SMART WIFI FEATURES

How do I manage my kids' internet access?
The Linksys cloud account offers basic Parental Controls that allow you to limit access to the internet and specific websites for individual devices. For example, you can set internet restrictions on computers and devices used by your children without affecting internet access to other computers or devices used by adults. The router will automatically update when the firmware is available.
What is Guest Access?Guest Access lets your house guests use your internet connection without having access to your other computers or devices. When you set up your router, a secure Guest network is created automatically on the router’s 2.4 GHz band.
What are Parental Controls?Parental Controls limit what your kids can do online on their computers or other devices such as a gaming system with internet access or a smartphone. Controls are set for specific devices, not for the entire home network. You can then have different limits for computers and devices used by younger children than those used by teens or adults in your home.
What is Media Prioritization? Media Prioritization (now called Priority) lets you decide which devices or applications get network bandwidth priority. For example, if you have a smart TV or a computer that you often stream movies with, you can move that device to the top of the priority list so that it gets the bandwidth it needs to keep movies running smoothly. It won’t have to compete with other devices on your network for bandwidth.
What is Speed Test?Speed Test (now called Speed Check) allows you to see your current upload and download speeds to and from your home network. It shows you how fast the internet connection from your ISP is. However, factors such as the number of devices connected to your network at the same time as well as running applications and activities such as video streaming and Voice over Internet Phone (VoIP) that require a large amount of bandwidth can affect the upload and download speed of your internet.
What is an FTP Server?An FTP Server lets you access the folders on your USB storage device remotely. You can access the content using a web browser or FTP software such as Core FTP.
What is a Media Server? A Media Server lets you share content on your USB device across your network. Your router can act as a media server if it has a USB storage device attached and if you have UPnP® AV-enabled or DLNA®-certified devices in your home. These include digital media players, gaming consoles with a built-in media player (e.g., PS3™), and digital picture frames.
How do I configure the share and permission settings for two hard drives on my Linksys EA6500?You will be able to configure the share and permission settings for the two hard drives connected to your Linksys EA6500 one at a time. You can do this by going to the USB Storage menu and selecting the specific hard drive name on the drop-down option.

When the two USB drives are detected, the LinksysSmartWiFi.com page shows data for each drive as well as the drop-down menus for the tabs.
Can I set up two USB printers using the dual USB ports of the Linksys EA6500? Yes, you will be able to add two printers. The setup is the same as adding a single printer on the router. Once the router detects the second printer, it will be configured in a similar process.
What is the Secure Folder Access feature? Secure Folder Access allows you to set read/write permissions to a folder/share on a USB drive connected to the router.
How many guests can connect to the Guest network? You can connect up to 50 guests simultaneously.
How many sites can be blocked for each device in the Block specific sites feature of Parental Controls? You can block a maximum of 10 sites per device.
I did a LAN to LAN cascading at home then disabled the DHCP service of my Linksys EA6500. Can I still map USB drives connected to my Linksys EA6500? Yes, the USB storage function of the Linksys EA6500 will still work.
Can I add or create a Game and an Application to the Priority list that are using the same port numbers? No. You can only add either but not both at the same time.
Does the Linksys EA6500 have a Port Forwarding feature? Yes. The Linksys EA6500 has a Port Forwarding feature.

TROUBLESHOOTING
My Parental Controls blocks HTTPS but returns a blank page instead of redirecting to the Parental Controls screen. Is this normal behavior?Yes, for HTTPS this is by design. Some HTTP sites that redirect to HTTPS will produce a blank screen as well.
Does this support IPv6 RD for its internet connection?Yes. It supports IPv6 RD and 6to4 tunneling.

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