Linksys Home Router Modem Link Problems

Today I was setting up a new Linksys N600 home router, model E2500, and experiencing some strange problems. The router was not receiving any IP address via DHCP when connected to the modem, even though the laptop I was using did get an IP address and had a perfectly working Internet connection when I connected it directly to the modem.

I fiddled around with router settings for a while, and eventually called tech support. Three potentially important things happened, but I'm not sure which actually fixed the problem:

• The router was reset to factory defaults with the old paperclip method.
• It was given one distinct SSID for each frequency (it's a dual-band), with no spaces in either.
• Its public MAC address was changed to be the same as the laptop's MAC address.

Whichever was the important part, the router is now working as expected, and clients can connect to the Internet via its Wi-Fi.