Linksys EA9500 setup – Easy Steps – Manual -Troubleshooting

Linksys EA9500 setup is easy, and you can do it without the installation program “Smart Setup Wizard”. In this article, we will see how to set up Linksys EA9500 router manually as well as using the Smart setup wizard troubleshooting.

The Linksys EA9500 is a high-performance wireless router with tri-band Wi-Fi rates of up to 5.3 Gbps, 8 Ethernet ports, and advanced features including MU-MIMO technology and beamforming. Connecting the Linksys EA9500 router to your modem, accessing the router’s setup page via a web browser, and following the guided setup process are all steps in the setup process. You may also use the Linksys App to easily configure and operate the router. The Linksys EA9500 router, once configured, can provide dependable and fast Wi-Fi coverage for your house or office.

As I said Earlier, you can setup Linksys EA9500 router in 2 different ways.

Manual setup: Like other Linksys routers, you can open the setup page of the router manually using the IP address of the device. Change the Internet connection settings and Wireless network settings.

Smart setup wizard: Setting up the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router is made easy using the Smart Setup Wizard. It is embedded in the firmware and is available even if the router does not have an Internet connection or is in its default settings.

I always prefer to setup all Linksys routers manually instead of any smart wizard or installation CD.

Watch Linksys EA9500 Setup Video

You can watch this video about Linksys EA9500 router setup on my YouTube channel.

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Linksys EA9500 setup without CD or manual installation

Step 1: Check Internet through modem

First make sure that your modem is working. Connect your main computer directly to the modem. Make sure that your main computer is able to access Internet directly through the modem. If you are not able to access internet directly through the modem then contact your service provider and get your modem working first.

Step 2: Make connections

Connect the computer and modem to the Linksys EA9500 router with the Ethernet cable. Connect the modem to the Internet port (WAN) and computer to one of the 4 Ethernet ports. You will see 4 lights lit up on the router, Power, WAN, wireless and Ethernet.

Step 3: Open setup page

Open browser and in the address bar type the number 192.168.1.1 . This is the default IP address of almost all the models of Linksys Routers.

Enter your Router Password then click Log in. The default password is admin. If you have changed it, enter the new password instead. If the default password is not working then you can reset the device to the factory default. Press and hold the reset button for 10 seconds. Release the reset button and wait for 30 seconds. Power cycle the router.

Now you will see the Linksys EA9500 setup page

Step 4: Change Internet connection settings

Click on “Connectivity” tab in the left panel under router settings section.

Click On Internet settings tab at the top.

Now according to your internet service provider, you can change the Internet settings.

Please check the images below for appropriate Internet service provider settings. There will be 2 types of ISPs. Cable ISP and DSL ISP.

For Cable ISP , you need to clone the MAC address of your computer, as shows in the image below. Then power cycle the network.

For DSL ISP, you need to enter the PPPoE user name and password as shown in the image below.

Once you change the Internet connections, you wired computer will be able to access the Internet through the EA9500 .

Step 5: Wireless network settings.

Your wired computer is online and now you will need to create wireless network for your wireless devices.

Click on “Wireless” tab in the left panel of the setup page.

This is a Tri-band wireless router. So you will see 3 different wireless networks – 2.4 GHZ, 5 GHZ1 and 5 GHZ2.

Now you can change the wireless network settings for all the 3 Wifi networks. SSID will be the name of wireless network. Set different SSIDs for different networks so that you can differentiate.

You can keep the same password for all the 3 networks.

You can also Turn OFF individual WiFi network if not required.

Step 6: Connect to Wireless network

Your wireless network is ready. Now you can try to connect to the WiFi network on your wireless computers, laptop or mobile devices.

You will see the newly created Wifi network. Select the required network and try to connect. It will ask you for the Network key or password. Enter the correct password and get connected.

Step 7: Create Guest Network access

You can also create Guest network using this web interface. In the left panel you will Guest Access option. Click on on Guest Access.

Turn ON the Guest Access.

Click on Edit “Guest Network names and passwords”

You can create 2 different Guest networks – 2.4GHZ and 5 GHZ. If you want, you can also disable any one of them.

Change the SSID and set the password for Guest access. Also set the maximum number of guests to be allowed to connect. Apply or save the changes.

Linksys EA9500 setup using Smart Setup Wizard:

The following requirements should be met to avoid any problems during the setup:

• Browser requirements for the router setup and Linksys Smart Wi-Fi access:
  • Microsoft Edge™
  • Internet Explorer® 8 or higher
  • Latest version of Chrome™ and Firefox®
  • Safari® (for Mac® or iPad®)
  • Latest Adobe Flash® Player?
• Materials for setup – You should have the following items:
  • Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router
  • One (1) or two (2) Internet / Ethernet (RJ-45) cables
  • A wireless computer or a computer with an Ethernet port
• Active Internet connection – To check if you are able to access the Internet, connect the modem to the computer using an Ethernet cable as shown in the image below:

Step 1: Make the connections.

Connect the computer to one of the 4 enternet ports and connect the Internet modem to the Internet/WAN port on Linksys EA9500 router.

Step 2:

Launch your web browser and enter “http://linksyssmartwifi.com” in the Address bar then press [Enter].

Step 3:

Tick the checkbox beside I have read and accepted the License Terms for using this software then click Next to proceed.

The Smart Setup will now start to detect your Internet connection.

For Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) customers, the setup will prompt for a PPPoE Account name and Password from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).  Enter the necessary information then click Next to continue.

NOTE:  Once an Internet connection is detected, your router will check for firmware updates.  

If the Smart Setup screen does not show up, press the Reset button at the back of the router for 10 seconds, turn the router OFF and then turn it back ON. Wait a few seconds for the router to boot up and start at Step 1 again.

If no Internet connection is detected, the Your Internet cable is not connected correctly window will appear. Follow the suggested troubleshooting steps on the screen to resolve your connection problem then click Next.

Step 4: Wireless settings

Enter your desired wireless Network Name and wireless Network Password.  This will apply for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks in the fields provided and then click Next.  If you need to rename a unique wireless network name for your 5 GHz network, you can do so after setup by logging into the web interface.

Click Next.

Create a router password and password hint and click Next. 

NOTE:  This is your local admin router’s password only.

How to reset Linksys EA9500 router?

Before resetting EA9500 router, you must know one important thing. Once you reset the router, it will come back to factory default settings and you will lose all the settings of the router.

If your device is already working and configured, then try to avoid resetting it. However, if you are setting up the EA9500 for the first time or if you want to re-configure it then you can reset it.

There is a small reset button on the BACK panel of EA9500. Press and hold for approximately 10 – 15 seconds until the illuminated Linksys logo turns OFF to reset the router to factory defaults.

Once done, unplug the power cable. Wait for 10 seconds. Plug the power cable back in. Wait for 30 seconds. Now reconfigure the device from scratch.

Linksys EA9500 default password

The default IP address for EA9500 is 192.168.1.1.

The default password of EA9500 is admin .

This default password will work only when the router is in factory default settings. If you have already installed the router using smart setup wizard, then you might have changed the router password. You can try finding it through the installation program.

There are 3 different types of passwords used in this network.

1. Router password: Used to login to router setup page.
2. Wireless network password: Used to connect to the wireless network on a wireless device.
3. Guest network password: Used to get connected to Guest WiFi.

If you are looking for the WiFi or Guest Network password, then you can login to router settings page and look for these passwords.

Linksys EA9500 router features:

EASY SETUP
Installation is fast and easy. No CD required.

TRI-BAND WiFi TECHNOLOGY
Three bands that deliver the fastest combined WiFi speeds to more devices.

MU-MIMO
Latest Wireless-AC technology for simultaneously streaming and gaming on multiple devices.

SEAMLESS ROAMING
Enables your device to automatically switch to the strongest WiFi signal as you move around your house when Max-Stream Routers are paired with Max-Stream Range Extenders.**

VERY LARGE HOUSEHOLD
Experience powerful WiFi coverage throughout a large house.

8 GIGABIT ETHERNET PORTS
Transfer data 10x faster than Fast Ethernet, ensuring high-speed connectivity for wired devices.

4×4 AC
Four streams of data for stronger, faster performance when gaming and streaming.

8 HIGH-PERFORMANCE ANTENNAS
Ensure optimal coverage and maximum signal strength – even in large, multi-story buildings.

ADVANCED WIRELESS SECURITY
Safeguard your network with wireless WPA2 encryption and an SPI firewall.

BEAMFORMING TECHNOLOGY
Optimizes performance by focusing wireless signal to connected devices.

USB 3.0 PORT
Share files and add external storage across your network with the USB 3.0 port. USB 3.0 offers enhanced speeds over 2.0.

For detailed features, you can visit Linksys website.

How to upgrade Linksys EA9500 Firmware?

Router firmware is a piece of software that governs the operation of a wireless router. It is stored in the router’s read-only memory (ROM) and governs how the router runs and communicates with other network devices. The router maker may issue firmware upgrades to address security flaws, introduce new capabilities, or improve overall performance. Users can download and install firmware upgrades on their routers to keep them secure and up to date. Router firmware is vital to the performance and security of a wireless network, and it must be kept up to date.

First you will need to download the latest firmware file from the official Linksys website. Download Linksys EA9500 firmware.

Save the firmware file on your computer. Now connect one of your computers to the router with the Ethernet cable. I prefer to use computer connected with the cable. Avoid using mobile devices to upgrade router firmware.

Now open the setup page of Linksys EA9500 router as explained above using 192.168.1.1. Noe go to Router Administration tab. There you will find the option to upgrade Linksys EA9500 firmware. If automatic upgrade is turned ON then it will upgrade the firmware automatically. You do not need to do anything in this case.