I continue to talk about routers from the Mercusys company. In this article, I will show you how to set up your Mercusys AC12. It is an inexpensive, dual-band router that can provide Internet access in an apartment, house, or even a small office. But for devices to be able to connect to the Internet through a router, it must be configured correctly. What we are going to do in this article. And for those who have not yet bought a Mercusys AC12 router, I have prepared a small review.
Many people think that setting up a router on their own is very difficult, or even impossible. But this is not the case. Manufacturers try to keep the customization process as simple as possible. They complete their devices with detailed instructions, make the most simple and understandable control panel (web interface) in different languages, a quick setup wizard, hide complex and not very important parameters in separate sections, etc. Mercusys also tried its best in this regard. In my case, the version is AC12 (RU). The kit includes instructions in Russian and Ukrainian. Such routers are officially supplied to Ukraine. Control panel in Russian. There is also AC12 (EU). If you come across this model, then most likely everything will be in English. But this does not matter, you can navigate according to my instructions.
When we first go into the Mercusys AC12 settings, it will offer us to configure all the most important parameters. There are only three pages. Setting a password for the web interface, setting up the Internet and Wi-Fi network. Therefore, I will show you how to go through this "quick setup", and, just in case, I will show you how to separately change the necessary parameters.
How to connect Mercusys AC12?
Plug in the power adapter. Then connect the Internet to the WAN port (it's orange). If you will be configuring the router from a computer or laptop (which has a LAN port), then I recommend connecting to the router via a cable (it is included in the kit).
The cable does not need to be connected to the computer. You can immediately connect to the router via Wi-Fi. If you have already turned on the router, then your devices should find at least one Wi-Fi network named "MERCUSYS ...". The factory SSID (name) is listed on the bottom of the device. This can be done not only from a laptop, but also from mobile devices.
By default, the network is not secure. You don't need a password to connect.
Internet access may not be available. This is because we have not yet configured the router.
Mercusys AC12 setup
We need to go to the web interface. To do this, in the browser go to the addresshttp://mwlogin.net.
It may come in handy: what to do if it does not go into the settings of the router.
The router will immediately prompt us to come up with and set a password, which will need to be entered in the future to enter the settings. We specify the password twice and try not to forget it (it is better to write it down).
The next step is to set up your internet connection. These are the most important settings.
If necessary, you can skip the quick setup and go to the control panel.
You need to select the type of Internet connection that your ISP operates on. Most likely it is "Dynamic IP", PPPoE, L2TP, or "Static IP". In all cases, except for "Dynamic IP", you need to set the required parameters. This is a username and password, or static IP addresses. These parameters are issued by the provider.
I think everything is clear here. We select our connection type, if necessary, set the parameters and click "Next". If you do not know what settings to set at this stage, then check with your provider for this information.
And the last step is setting up a Wi-Fi network.
Here you can change the name of the wireless network in both bands and set a password for Wi-Fi. To put a different password on a network in the 5 GHz range, you need to uncheck the "Copy 2.4 GHz wireless network password" checkbox.
Click on the green checkmark. The router will save all settings and reboot.
After rebooting, you need to reconnect to Wi-Fi, since we have changed the network name and password.
That's all. If the Mercusys AC12 distributes the Internet and everything works, then the setup is complete.
If you are confused in the settings, the router has already been configured, forgot the password, or something else, then you can reset the settings. To restore the factory settings on the Mercusys AC12, you must press the "Reset" button and hold until all indicators light up and go out.
After reboot, all settings and passwords will be deleted.
You can go to the control panel again at http://mwlogin.net. But you will need to specify the password that we set in the first step.
Advanced (additional) settings
Open the control panel at mwlogin.net and enter the password that you set during the quick setup.
The home page has three tabs:
- Device management (in the screenshot below). Where all connected devices are displayed. There you can block them, or limit the Internet speed for them.
- Net. Internet connection setup.
- Wireless mode. There you can change the name of the wireless network, password, or disable the Wi-Fi network. For example, in the 5 GHz band.
The rest of the parameters are in the "Advanced settings" section.
Let's consider some parameters. Which you might find useful.
In the "Network" - "WAN" section (in the screenshot above), you can configure your Internet connection. If it didn't work through the quick setup wizard.
IPTV settings. You can select the "Bridge" mode and connect an IPTV set-top box to the selected LAN port, or enable 802.11Q VLAN.
MAC address settings. You will need this section when the provider makes a binding by MAC address. You can clone the MAC address from the computer (to which they are connected via cable), or register the address manually. There you can also see the MAC address of your Mercusys AC12, so that if necessary, register it with your provider.
Separate sections with wireless network settings. For 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. You can start a guest network. But only in the 2.4 GHz band.
Wireless bridge WDS. Mercusys AC12 can be configured in bridge mode (WDS). In this mode, we can connect our router to another Wi-Fi network. For example, to expand the coverage of a wireless network, or to use the AC12 as a Wi-Fi receiver.
Parental control. If necessary, you can set up parental controls. Add a device and set the time when this device can access the Internet.
Or access control, where you can create a whitelist, or a blacklist of devices that are either denied or allowed to connect to your network.
Many useful settings can be found in the section "System Tools"... Where can I update the firmware, configure access to the web interface, set the time, reset the settings, save / restore settings from a backup, change the password from the control panel, run diagnostics, view the system log, or restart the router.
I see no reason to consider in detail each page from the web interface. Each page has a button in the form of a question mark. Click on it and help appears. Everything is described in great detail there.
If you were unable to configure your router, or you have questions about setting up some special functions, then ask questions in the comments. And don't forget to leave your feedback on the Mercusys AC12.
