Formatting, Creating or Updating an Easy Setup Key

This post describes How to Format, Create or Update an Easy Setup Key.

What is an Easy Setup Key?

The Easy Setup Key is a USB flash drive that stores Valet or Linksys E-Series Routers settings such as name and password. It is not the same as your wireless adapter. Even though they look similar, they are different and perform different functions.

 

You can insert the Easy Setup Key into any computer's USB port to easily connect that computer to the Valet or Linksys E-Series. If you change the Valet or Linksys E-Series name or password settings, you will be prompted to update your Easy Setup Key with those new settings so you can use it to re-connect other computers. You should always update your key whenever you change your Valet or Linksys E-Series settings.

In this article, I will show you how to perform the following tasks:

• Formatting USB Flash Drive
• Creating/Updating an Easy Setup Key
• FAQs for Using the Easy Setup Key

Before creating the Easy Setup Key, i recommend to format your USB flash drive first.

NOTE :  Altering your USB flash drive will erase all the data you have saved on the drive should you proceed to reformat it. To avoid losing the files, please backup the data before formatting.

Formatting USB Flash Drive

Step 1:
Have a USB flash drive available and insert it into your computer's USB port.

Step 2:
Go to Start  and select Computer.

  

Step 3:
In the Computer window under the Devices with Removable StorageFormat... from the menu. section, right-click on your USB flash drive icon, and select

 

Step 4:
On the File system drop-down list, select FAT32.
 

NOTE:  You may also select NTFS for a larger file size support.

 

Step 5:
Click OK to complete the formatting process.

NOTE:  Formatting your USB flash drive will erase all the data you have saved on it. To avoid losing the files, please backup the data before formatting.

 

Creating/Updating an Easy Setup Key

If you lost your Easy Setup Key, you can easily create one using a regular USB flash drive. Here is a simple guide to create an Easy Setup Key. If you already have an Easy Setup Key and have made changes on the settings in Cisco Connect, follow the steps below to update your Easy Setup Key.

NOTE:  To avoid losing the files, please backup the data in your USB flash drive before creating/updating an Easy Setup Key.

Step 1:
Have a USB flash drive available.

Step 2:
Open Cisco Connect and select Valet settings if you're using a Valet, or Router settings if you're using a Linksys E-Series.

NOTE:  To launch Cisco Connect on a Windows computer, go to Start > All Programs > Cisco Connect. To launch Cisco Connect on a Mac computer, navigate to the Applications folder in Go, and then start Cisco Connect. If you need more help, please click here. 

 

NOTE: The example used here is from a Cisco Valet which is currently available only in North America. If you are using a Linksys E-Series router, select Router settings instead.

Step 3:
On the Valet settings or Router settings page, click Update or create key.

 

Step 4:
Insert your USB flash drive into your USB port. Wait while the wireless settings are being copied to your USB flash drive.

 

Step 5:
When you see this screen, it means that your Easy Setup Key has been created/updated. Remove the Easy Setup Key from your computer and keep it in a safe place.

 

Now, if you wish to add a second computer to your wireless network, simply insert this Easy Setup Key into the computer. To learn more about adding a second computer, click here.