How to Turn off the Guest Network on My Cisco E1000 Router

To turn off the guest network on a Cisco E1000 router, open the Cisco Connect software on the computer you used to set up the router, click Change in the Guest access section, select no under Allow guest access, and click Finish. The network with -guest at the end of its name then stops being offered, while your main Wi-Fi network keeps working as before.

The rest of this guide explains what that second network is, walks through each step on Windows and Mac, and covers what to do if Cisco Connect is missing or the guest network does not go away.

Why your E1000 has a second network

The Cisco E1000, also sold as the Linksys E1000, is a Wireless-N home router. When it is set up with the Cisco Connect software that came on the setup CD, the software creates two wireless networks:

• Your main network, for example YourNetwork. This is the one your own computers, phones and printers use.
• A guest network with the same name plus -guest, for example YourNetwork-guest.

According to the Linksys E1000 User Guide, guest access is enabled by default. It is meant for visitors: it provides Internet access only and does not give access to your local network or the computers and files on it. A visitor connects to the -guest name, opens a web browser, and types the guest password on a login screen. By default five guests are allowed at once, and the limit can be raised to ten.

Because the guest password is requested on a web page instead of when joining, the guest network may be listed on phones and laptops as an open or unsecured network. That label is the usual reason people want it gone. A visitor still needs the guest password before the Internet works, but if nobody uses the guest network, turning it off is a reasonable way to keep things simple.

What you need before you start

• A computer with Cisco Connect installed. This is normally the Windows PC or Mac that was used to set up the router from the CD.
• A connection to the E1000. The computer must be on the router’s main network, by Wi-Fi or by an Ethernet cable plugged into one of the numbered ports.
• A minute when no guest is online. Anyone using the -guest network loses their connection when you turn it off.

These steps follow the user guide for the E1000. Later Linksys E-Series routers used a renamed version of the software called Linksys Connect, so labels may differ slightly on other models.

How to turn off the guest network in Cisco Connect

1. Open Cisco Connect. On Windows, click Start, then All Programs, then Cisco Connect. On a Mac, click Go in the Finder menu bar, choose Applications, and open Cisco Connect.
2. Find the Guest access section. The main menu has four areas: Computers and devices, Parental controls, Guest access, and Router settings.
3. Click Change. The link is inside the Guest access area. A guest access settings screen opens showing the guest network name, the guest password, and the number of guests allowed.
4. Select no under Allow guest access. This is the setting that controls whether the -guest network exists.
5. Click Finish. This saves the change.

You do not need to change anything else. Your main network name and its password stay the same, so your own devices should not need to reconnect.

How to confirm the guest network is off

Open the Wi-Fi list on a phone or laptop and look for the name ending in -guest. It should no longer be listed. Wi-Fi lists are not always refreshed right away, so if the name is still there, turn Wi-Fi off and back on for that device and look again.

You can also open Cisco Connect again and click Change in the Guest access area. Allow guest access should still be set to no.

If a phone or computer had saved the guest network, the old entry can stay in its list of known networks. It is harmless, but you can remove it. On a Windows PC, see how to forget a Wi-Fi network in Windows 11.

How to turn the guest network back on

The change is easy to undo. Open Cisco Connect, click Change in the Guest access area, select yes under Allow guest access, and click Finish.

The same screen is useful if you would rather keep the guest network and tighten it up instead:

• Password: click Change next to the guest password to set a new one. Do this if the password has been shared with people who no longer need it.
• Total guests allowed: the default is 5, and you can allow up to 10.
• Guest network name: shown here so you can tell visitors which network to pick.

If Cisco Connect is not on your computer

This is the most common obstacle. The E1000 is an older router, and the computer that ran the original setup CD may be long gone.

The E1000 also has a browser-based utility for advanced settings. The user guide says you reach it by typing 192.168.1.1 into a web browser on a connected computer, leaving the user name blank, and entering the router password. The wireless pages described in the guide are Basic Wireless Settings, Wireless Security, Wireless MAC Filter, and Advanced Wireless Settings. The guide does not describe a guest network setting there. It documents guest access only as a Cisco Connect feature. If your router’s browser pages do show a guest option, your firmware differs from the guide, and you can use that option instead.

That leaves these choices:

• Use the original computer. If any computer in the house still has Cisco Connect, make the change from that one.
• Reinstall from the setup CD. If you still have the disc that came with the router, the software is on it. Whether it runs on a current version of Windows or macOS is not something Linksys documents for this model, so treat this as something that may or may not work on a new computer.
• Check Linksys support. Linksys now handles support for this router family. Look up the E1000 on the Linksys Support site to see what software and documentation is still offered.

Only download router software from Linksys itself. Setup tools offered on third-party download sites are not a safe substitute.

Troubleshooting

Cisco Connect cannot find the router

Make sure the computer is connected to the E1000’s main network and not to the guest network or a different router. If Wi-Fi is unreliable, connect the computer to one of the router’s numbered Ethernet ports with a cable and open Cisco Connect again.

The Guest access section is missing or looks different

The steps above match the E1000 user guide. Other routers that use Cisco Connect or Linksys Connect have a similar main menu, but wording and layout can vary by model and software version. Look for Guest access and an Allow guest access choice.

The guest network is still listed after you click Finish

Refresh the Wi-Fi list on the device you are checking, then reopen Cisco Connect to confirm the setting saved as no. Also check the exact name. A neighbor with the same kind of router can have a -guest network of their own that looks similar to yours.

You are thinking about resetting the router

Be careful with this one. The user guide says that holding the Reset button for about five seconds restores the router to its factory defaults. That erases your network name, password and other settings, and you would have to set the router up again. Since guest access is on by default when the router is set up with Cisco Connect, a reset is not a way to remove the guest network.

Frequently asked questions

Is the E1000 guest network a security risk?

Linksys describes guest access as Internet-only, with no access to the local network and its resources, and a guest must enter the guest password on a login page before getting online. So it is not an open door to your computers. Turning it off is still sensible if you never use it, because it leaves one less network and one less password to manage.

Will turning off the guest network affect my main Wi-Fi?

No. The Allow guest access setting applies only to the network ending in -guest. Your main network name and password are not changed by it.

Can I turn off the guest network from the router’s web page at 192.168.1.1?

The E1000 user guide documents guest access only in Cisco Connect and does not list a guest setting among the browser-based utility’s wireless pages. Plan on using Cisco Connect for this change.

What is the guest network password?

Cisco Connect creates it during setup. To see it, open Cisco Connect and click Change in the Guest access area. The settings screen shows the guest network name and password, and lets you replace the password.

How many people can use the guest network?

Five guests by default. The guest access settings screen lets you raise the total to as many as ten.

Next steps

With the guest network off, it is a good time to review the rest of your router’s basics. An older router like the E1000 benefits from having the newest firmware the manufacturer released, so see how to update router firmware. If you also manage a Netgear router, this related guide covers how to change the router password on your Netgear N600.