Home Wi-Fi setup
KPN Box 12 + Linksys mesh

Goal: the KPN Box 12 does the internet. The Linksys does all the Wi-Fi. One network name in the whole house.

How the boxes connect

Fiber cable → converter → KPN Box 12 (black Sagemcom box) → Linksys main node → other Linksys nodes.

The Linksys main node must connect to a yellow LAN port on the KPN Box 12 with a cable. Check this before you start.

Step 1. Measure the internet speed at the cable

1. Connect the laptop to a yellow LAN port on the KPN Box 12 with a cable.
2. Turn off Wi-Fi on the laptop.
3. Open speedtest.net and press Go.
4. Write down the download number here: ______ Mbps. This is the best speed the house can get.

If this number is much lower than the KPN subscription, call KPN. Wi-Fi changes will not help.

Step 2. Update the Linksys

1. Open the Linksys app on your phone.
2. Menu → Administration (or Network Administration) → Firmware Update → Check for updates.
3. Install the update if there is one. Wait until all nodes show a solid blue or white light.

Step 3. Put the Linksys in Bridge Mode

Bridge Mode makes the Linksys a Wi-Fi-only device. The KPN Box 12 stays the router.

1. Linksys app → Menu → Advanced Settings → Internet Settings.
2. Connection Type → choose Bridge Mode.
3. Save. The Linksys restarts. Wait 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Make sure the phone is back on the Linksys Wi-Fi and the app shows all nodes online.

Step 4. Turn off the Wi-Fi of the KPN Box 12

Two Wi-Fi networks in one house fight each other. Only the Linksys should send Wi-Fi.

1. On the laptop (still on the cable), open http://192.168.2.254
2. Log in with the Admin password from the sticker on the bottom of the KPN Box 12.
3. Go to Wi-Fi (Wifi). Set both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz to off. Save.
4. Check that the Wi-Fi light on the KPN Box 12 is off.

Step 5. Give the Linksys the old network name (optional)

If you give the Linksys the same Wi-Fi name and password that the KPN Box 12 had, every phone, TV and printer reconnects by itself.

1. Linksys app → Menu → Wi-Fi Settings.
2. Set the Wi-Fi name to the Wi-Fi Name on the KPN sticker.
3. Set the password to the Wi-Fi password on the KPN sticker. Copy it exactly, upper and lower case.
4. Save. Wait 2 minutes. Devices reconnect.

Step 6. Place the nodes

The house is spread out, so node placement matters more than any setting.

• Put one node on each floor and in each far wing of the house.
• Put nodes in the open, on a shelf or table, at waist height or higher. Not in a cupboard, not behind the TV, not on the floor.
• Keep at most one wall or one floor between a node and the next node. Dutch brick and concrete block Wi-Fi.
• Put the main node just outside the meter cupboard, not inside it, if the cable allows.
• Linksys app → each node → the app shows the connection to the parent node. If it says weak, move the node closer to the previous one.

Step 7. Use a cable between nodes where you can

A cable between two nodes gives about double the speed at the far node. Wi-Fi between nodes loses half the speed at each hop.

1. Find wall Ethernet sockets in the house that go back to the meter cupboard.
2. Connect that socket in the meter cupboard to a yellow LAN port on the KPN Box 12.
3. Plug a Linksys node into the wall socket in the room. The node uses the cable by itself. No setting needed.

Step 8. Test

1. Stand next to each node with your phone. Run speedtest.net.
2. Compare with the number from Step 1. Near the main node: close to that number. Near a far node: at least a quarter of it.
3. Walk through the house on a video call. The call should not drop.

If something goes wrong

• No internet after Step 3. Unplug the KPN Box 12 and the Linksys main node. Wait 30 seconds. Plug in the KPN Box 12 first. Wait 2 minutes. Then plug in the Linksys.
• Linksys app cannot find the nodes. Make sure the phone is on the Linksys Wi-Fi, not on mobile data.
• Locked out of 192.168.2.254. The Admin password is on the sticker on the bottom of the KPN Box 12. Type it exactly.
• TV box does not work. Connect the KPN TV box with a cable to the KPN Box 12, not to the Linksys.
• Undo everything. Linksys app → Advanced Settings → Internet Settings → Connection Type → Automatic (DHCP). Then turn the KPN Wi-Fi back on at 192.168.2.254.

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