How to configure Cisco wireless router in Packet Tracer
Setting up a wireless network is a basic but important part of learning computer networking. In Cisco Packet Tracer, a popular tool for students and beginners, you can use the Cisco WRT300N wireless router to build and test a simple wireless setup. If you’re wondering how to configure a Cisco wireless router in Packet Tracer, don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds once you know the steps. This router lets you connect devices without cables, set up a Wi-Fi name (SSID), and even give out IP addresses using DHCP. Learning this will help you understand how real-life wireless networks work at home or in small offices. In this article, we’ll go through the Cisco WRT300N setup in Packet Tracer step by step so you can build your own wireless network with confidence.
Wireless Router Lab Setup in Packet Tracer
For configuring a wireless router in Packet Tracer, drag and drop a wireless router WRT300N, 3 laptops, and a smartphone. The smartphone will connect directly to the router, but laptops will not. Because laptops don’t have wireless adapters by default. How to configure wireless adapters in the laptops: see our last article, where we have configured wireless adapters in the laptops.
When you configure wireless adapters in all of the laptops, then our lab topology will look like this:
As our laptops and a smartphone have been connected to the wireless routers, the next step is to access the wireless router.
We can access this router in Packet Tracer in two ways:
- Clicking on the router
- Access the router from a laptops
Clicking on the router is an easy way, but when we access it from a laptop, then it will prompt for username and password as
Click on the laptop1, then click on Desktop, and at the last select Web Browser. Write the IP address of the wireless router (192.168.0.1) and press enter.
The username of the router is “admin,” and the password is also “admin”; at the last press “ok.”
This is the simple GUI setup of the wireless router in Packet Tracer.
Set Up Wireless Network SSID
We will change some setup in the router for our hands-on practice. First, we will change SSID of the router as below:
As we have changed the SSID, all the connections from laptops and smartphones have been disconnected.
To connect it again, follow the below steps.
Go to each laptop and a smartphone; Click on Desktop and then on PC Wireless as below.
Click on Connect, Refresh it and when an SSID has appeared, then click on Connect.
We have configured Laptop for connectivity, which is now connected to the router as below;
In the same way connect all of the devices. When all the devices are configured in this way, then our topology look like as the first one.
How to Change the Password of the Router
The next step on our topology to change the password of the router.
Just follow the instruction in the diagram as given below in the numbering format:
When we change password on the router, then all of the end devices are disconnected from the router, so how do we rejoin them again?
Click on the laptop, and follow the steps in the below screenshot.
Just like the above password setting on the laptop, follow the same instruction for all the other devices as well.
When you configured password settings on all of the laptops and smartphones, then ping from laptop 1 to laptop 2 as below for connectivity:
How to Block a Device in the Wireless Router
Sometimes it is need to block someone from the wireless network, but how to block them? Lets follow the below instruction.
Find the MAC address of the person’s device, note it, and then write it in the wireless router in the “wireless MAC filter” portion.
First find the device MAC of the device in CMD through the “ipconfig /all” command; we are going to block the smartphone device from accessing the wireless network.
Click on the smartphone, then click on Desktop and at the last click on the cmd and write the below command “ipconfig /all” in the cmd.
Note the MAC address (Physical Address), which is 0010.119A.3A09;
Open the wireless router GUI configuration and write the above mac address in the specified portion (no. 6).
Now you will see that the smartphone will have no connection with the wireless router, as below in the screenshot, because we have blocked it.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to set up and configure a Cisco wireless router in Packet Tracer, you can try building your own wireless network step by step. From changing the Wi-Fi name to setting passwords and blocking devices, these basics help you understand real wireless networks better. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll feel confident managing networks for school or home!
