Linksys MR20EC Hydra 6: Dual-Band Mesh WiFi 6 Router Frequently Asked Questions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HARDWARE INFORMATION

1. What is the Linksys MR20EC Hydra 6: Dual-Band Mesh WiFi 6 Router?
2. What is Wi-Fi 6?
3. Where can I find the router’s serial and model numbers?
4. What is the warranty on the router?
5. Does the router have indicator lights?
6. Can the router be wall-mounted?
7. What can I plug into the USB port on the router?

SETUP AND INSTALLATION

1. How do I set up the router?
2. What are the requirements for setting up the router?
3. How do I access the router’s dashboard?
4. What is the default WiFi name and password of the router?
5. How do I add another router to my network?
6. How do I reset the router to factory defaults?
7. What is the router's default administrative password?
8. Is the Linksys Mesh WiFi system compatible with Starlink?

SECURITY

1. What WiFi security modes does the router support?
2. Does the router support Parental Controls?

ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING

1. How do I upgrade the router’s firmware?
2. Does the router support bridge mode?
3. How do I access the storage device connected to the router?
4. Can I connect a USB printer to the router?
5. How do I safely eject my hard drive from the router?
6. How do I secure my hard drive from unauthorized access?
7. What file system formats does the External Storage feature support?
8. Can I connect a USB storage device to the router and manage it as an FTP server or media server?
9. What is Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)?
10. How do I enable the DFS feature of the router?
11. Can I use DFS in my network with other routers on child modes?
12. Can my clients connect to a DFS channel?
13. I have enabled DFS channels and I am experiencing WiFi disconnection at times, how can I resolve this?
14. My Linksys mesh router isn't working with my ISP's 5G router. What should I do?
15. Does this support IPv6 RD for its internet connection?

HARDWARE INFORMATION

1. What is the Linksys MR20EC Hydra 6: Dual-Band Mesh WiFi 6 Router?

The Linksys MR20EC Hydra 6: Dual-Band Mesh WiFi 6 Router uses Intelligent Mesh™ and provides you with ultra-fast Wi-Fi® 6 technology to keep your connection going strong. The Linksys app makes it easy to set up the Linksys MR20EC so you can access the internet from anywhere. For additional information, click here.

2. What is Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 is based on the 802.11ax technology that delivers more speed, coverage, and capacity than ever before. With this, you can have gigabit speeds for a faster connection to handle all the latest streaming, gaming, and mobile technology.

3. Where can I find the router’s serial and model numbers?

You can find the serial number and the exact model number on the product label at the bottom of the router.

4. What is the warranty on the router?

The warranty is dependent on the country of purchase. For more information on the router’s warranty period, click here.

5. Does the router have indicator lights?

Yes. The router has indicator lights that show the status of the device. To learn more, click here.

6. Can the router be wall-mounted?

Yes. You can set the router on a desk or mount it to the wall.

7. What can I plug into the USB port on the router?

The Linksys MR20EC has one USB 3.0 port for external storage devices only. This feature is only supported on the parent router. If you connect a USB drive to a router used as a child node, the drive will not be detected.

SETUP AND INSTALLATION

1. How do I set up the router?

You can set up the router through the Linksys app.

2. What are the requirements for setting up the router?

Below are the requirements for setting up the Linksys MR20EC:

Internet connection
Latest version of the Linksys app
Linksys cloud account for remote access

3. How do I access the router's dashboard?

You can access the dashboard through the Linksys app. To learn more, click here.

4. What is the default WiFi name and password of the router?

The default WiFi name of the router is _LinksysSetupxxx (the xxx is the last three digits of the router’s MAC address). Each node has a unique pre-assigned WiFi password located at the bottom of the router.

5. How do I add another router to my network?

For instructions on how you can add another router as a child node, click here.

6. How do I reset the router to factory defaults?

There are two ways to reset the router to factory defaults:

Hardware reset – Press and hold the reset button until you see a fourth red light flash.
Software reset – Log in to your Linksys cloud account to access the router's LinksysSmartWiFi.com page. Under Router Settings, click Troubleshooting > Diagnostics, then, click Reset under Factory reset.

7. What is the router's default administrative password?

The default password of an unconfigured router is admin.

8. Is the Linksys Mesh WiFi system compatible with Starlink?

Yes. For the Linksys router to work with Starlink, you will need a Starlink ethernet adapter which you can find in the Starlink shop. Connect one end of the ethernet cable to the Starlink ethernet adapter and the other end to the Internet port of your Linksys router. Learn how to set up the Linksys router with Starlink.

SECURITY

1. What WiFi security modes does the router support?

The router supports these security settings:

WPA2™/WPA3™ Mixed Personal
WPA3 Personal Only
WPA2 Personal
Enhanced Open Only
Open and Enhanced Open
Open

2. Does the router support Parental Controls?

The router supports the free basic Parental Controls feature.

ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING

1. How do I upgrade the router’s firmware?

By default, the Automatic Firmware Update feature on the router is enabled and will upgrade the firmware whenever a new version is available. If you disable the Automatic Firmware Update option on the Linksys app, you will get a prompt whenever a new firmware release is available. When this happens, select Update Available to upgrade the firmware.

2. Does the router support bridge mode?

Yes. For step-by-step instructions, click here.

3. How do I access the storage device connected to the router?

To access the storage device, you need to first identify its IP address for SMB access. For instructions, click here.

4. Can I connect a USB printer to the router?

No. This is not supported.

5. How do I safely eject my hard drive from the router?

To safely eject the hard drive from the router, simply click on Eject located on both the Linksys app and LinksysSmartWiFi.com page. To learn more, click here.

6. How do I secure my hard drive from unauthorized access?

You can enable the Authentication option for the external storage device and enter the following information:

Username – use a minimum of four and a maximum of 12 alphanumeric characters.
Password – use a minimum of four and a maximum of 50 alphanumeric characters

The characters for the username and password must be alphanumeric or include valid characters like “_” or “-“.

7. What file system formats does the External Storage feature support?

The router supports NTFS, FAT32, FAT, and HFS+.

8. Can I connect a USB storage device to the router and manage it as an FTP server or media server?

No. This is not supported.

9. What is Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)?

Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) is a spectrum-sharing mechanism that allows multiple WiFi networks to coexist with radar systems. It automatically selects a frequency that does not interfere with certain radar systems while operating in the 5 GHz band. The benefits of using DFS channels are less WiFi interference and better WiFi performance.

10. How do I enable the DFS feature of the router?

To know how to enable the DFS feature, click here.

11. Can I use DFS in my network with other routers on child modes?

No. Other routers on child modes that do not support DFS will have connectivity problems.

12. Can my clients connect to a DFS channel?

Only if your clients support DFS channels. If your clients do not support DFS channels, they can connect to the 2.4 GHz band instead.

13. I have enabled DFS channels and I am experiencing WiFi disconnection at times, how can I resolve this?

If the router detects other devices using DFS channels such as radar systems near your location, your router will choose another channel to use and this will cause a momentary WiFi disconnection. To avoid this, you can disable DFS.

14. My Linksys mesh router isn't working with my ISP's 5G router. What should I do?

For the Linksys mesh router to work with a 5G router, your ISP must provide a 5G router with an ethernet port for connection to the parent node.

15. Does this support IPv6 RD for its internet connection?

Yes. It supports IPv6 RD and 6to4 tunneling.