If you have received a PPPoE username and password from your internet service provider, you can enter them into the Eco 100 Era router as follows to ensure your internet connection works:
  • Log in to the router's settings menu
  • Go to Network -> Interfaces
  • Click on the ‘Edit’ button next to WAN
  • Select PPPoE in the ‘Protocol’ field and click on the ‘Switch protocol’ button
  • Fill in the ‘PAP/CHAP username’ and ‘PAP/CHAP password’ fields with the details you received from your provider
  • Click on ‘Save’
  • Click on ‘Save & Apply’ at the bottom of the page.
Does your phone or other device display the message ‘no internet connection’ even though it is connected to the wifi of the JRS Eco 100 Era router? In that case, the WAN light with the globe icon on the router will likely not be lit. Check the following points to resolve this issue.

Check the Ethernet cable

First, ensure that the connection between the Eco router and the Internet modem is correct. The Ethernet cable should go from the WAN port on the Eco router to a port labelled 'LAN' on your Internet modem. If your Internet modem has multiple LAN ports, use port 1. See How to install your Eco router: video manual

Turn off your Internet modem for five minutes

Your Internet modem/router may be in Bridge Mode. This is always the case if your modem only has one LAN port. In this case, your Internet service provider (ISP) only allows one unique device (with a unique MAC address) to be connected directly to it. If this is the first time you have connected the Eco router, you may need to reset the connection to the provider network. To do this, remove all Ethernet cables from your modem and turn it off for five full minutes. Then, wait until the modem has finished starting up before connecting the Eco router to LAN port 1. You can also contact your Internet provider's customer service for assistance.

Configure the correct settings for the WAN connection

If you are still unable to connect to the Internet, ask your Internet provider for the necessary settings. In this case, you will usually need a PPPoE username and password. Then configure these settings on the router: How do I set up a PPPoE connection on the JRS Eco 100 Era?
The Eco router is set to Router mode by default. In this mode, the WAN and LAN sides of the router are in different subnetworks. This means that routing between the WAN and LAN takes place. For example, it is not possible to access a network drive connected to the Internet modem/router on the WAN side from the LAN side. In access point mode, however, the router acts as a simple network switch, and all devices connected to it (via WAN, LAN ports, and wifi) are on the same LAN network, creating a single network. This gives you access to the network drive connected to your internet modem/router. Access Point mode is also useful if you have multiple Eco 100 routers and want to be able to seamlessly roam (switch) with your wireless devices when moving from one router to another. Keep in mind that you must then make the wifi network names (SSIDs) and wifi passwords of all secondary Eco routers the same as those of the primary router. Please note: you cannot use Access Point mode for the first Eco router if your internet modem is in bridge mode or does not have routing functionality. This is always the case if your modem only has one LAN port.

To set the Eco router to Access Point mode

  • Log in to the router settings menu
  • Go to the System -> Custom Commands page
  • Click the 'Run' button under 'Switch to AP mode'
  • The router will restart.
In the new situation, your internet modem/router (or the main router on the WAN side) will assign IP addresses to the devices connected via the Eco router via its DHCP server. Please note that the router's settings menu will no longer be accessible via the old address, http://192.168.4.1, and will be assigned a new IP address. To find the new IP address, log in to the main router to which the Eco router is connected and check the list of DHCP leases. You can also use a network scanning app, such as Fing.

To revert to the default Router mode setting

  • Log in to the router settings menu
  • Go to the System -> Custom Commands page
  • Click the 'Run' button under 'Revert to Router Mode'
  • The router will restart.
Is the wifi connection interfering, are devices unable to find the wifi network of the JRS Eco 100 Era router, is the connection faltering or is it very slow? This may be due to interference from other wifi networks. These could be your neighbors' wifi routers, a printer broadcasting a Wifi-Direct network, or even other wireless systems that share the 2.4 GHz wifi frequency (including Bluetooth). Also, if the built-in wifi of your internet modem (e.g., Comcast, Verizon, etc.) is not turned off, this can severely disrupt the signal of the Eco router. After all, in most cases, the Eco router is located right next to the internet modem. If this is the case, see: How do I turn off the wifi on my provider's internet router/modem? The best solution to these problems is to switch off the sources of interference. If that doesn't work, you can set the Eco router to a different channel. The procedure below will help you identify the sources of wifi interference and set the router to a free channel.
  1. Go to the settings menu of the JRS Eco 100 Era router.
  2. Go to the Status -> Channel Analysis page. Once the scan is complete, all occupied wifi channels will be displayed. (You can check the wifi names to see whether the wifi of your internet modem is turned off.) Note that the entry ‘Local Interface’ refers to the Eco router itself. Look for a free channel with the least interference. In step 5, you can set the Eco 100 router to this channel. Please note: wifi channels partially overlap each other, and only channel sets with a minimum distance of 5 (e.g. 1, 6, and 11) do not overlap at all. See the image below.
  3. If there are no channels available that are completely free, check the signal strengths of neighboring wifi networks and choose a channel on which only a weak network is present. Because the wifi channels overlap to some extent, it is best to choose a channel that does not have any very strong interferers right next to it.
  4. In addition to scanning the 2.4 GHz band, it is also possible to perform a scan for the 5 GHz band by clicking on the ‘radio1 (5GHz)’ tab. However, there is usually little to be found there because the 5 GHz frequency is more strongly attenuated by walls.
  5. Now we will set up the selected free channel. Go to the Eco 100 Wifi -> Wifi Networks page and press the Edit button next to ‘2.4GHz Radio (longest range)’. Under ‘Channel’ next to ‘Operating Frequency’, you can set the selected channel. When you are done, click the ‘Save & Apply’ button at the bottom of the page.
  6. It is recommended to keep ‘Width’ (the channel bandwidth) at 20 MHz for 2.4GHz, otherwise there is a high chance of overlap with neighboring wifi networks, if there are.
  7. To increase the range of the Eco 100 router, you can also increase the transmission power.
Optional: if some of your devices still have a poor connection, you may need to reduce the beacon interval to 500 or lower. You can do this on the Eco 100 Wifi -> Pro Settings page. This has to do with the devices themselves and only occurs in exceptional cases.
To reset the JRS Eco 100 Era router to its default settings, first wait until it has fully booted up and the lights are steady. You can then reset the router in one of the following ways. In both cases, the router will restart and be ready with the default settings after a few minutes.

Option 1 - Using the ‘Reset’ button

Use a paperclip to press and hold the recessed ‘Reset’ button for about 10 seconds, until the power light starts flashing rapidly.

Option 2 - Using the settings menu

Log in to the router settings menu and go to the System -> Backup / Flash Firmware page. Then click on the ‘Perform Reset’ button.
When the Eco 100 router is in “no signal” mode, the lights will illuminate as shown in the image on the right. To activate the Eco router from this standby mode, modern wifi devices such as phones must be connected to the hidden network “jrs”. You only need to set this up once on your device; your device will then save the data and activate the router automatically the next time. You will notice that this is necessary if the wifi network “jrs” is not listed among the available wifi networks on your wifi device when the Eco 100 router is in Full Eco sleep mode. By connecting to the hidden network “jrs”, you ensure that the Eco 100 router can recognize the connection request from your wifi device. Always connect to this hidden network “jrs”. If you have previously connected to one of the visible networks “JRS-Eco-100(-5)” on your device, we recommend deleting it using the ‘Forget’ option. Instructions for connecting your devices to the “jrs” network can be found in the JRS Eco 100 Era - English User Manual .
The JRS Eco 100 Era has a Wifi scheduler/timer, which allows you to schedule times when the wifi turns off, e.g. at night, and turns back on, e.g. in the morning. This allows you to ensure that the router turns off the wifi even if there are still wifi devices connected. The wired ports will continue to function as normal.
  • Log in to the router's settings screen.
  • Go to the Eco 100 Wifi - Wifi Scheduler page and check the box next to ‘Enable wifi schedule’ under the heading ‘Global Settings’.
  • You can set the rules under the heading ‘Schedule Rules’. You can create different rules for different days of the week. There are two default example rules: ‘Business Hours’ and ‘Weekend’. By checking ‘Enable’ for a rule, you activate it. You can also edit or delete a rule. To create a new rule, click on the ‘Add’ button at the bottom.
  • In most cases, you will want to check ‘Force disabling wifi even if stations associated’: disable wifi even if there are still devices connected. Otherwise, the router will wait to disable it's wifi until there are no more devices connected.
  • When you are finished, click 'Save & Apply' at the bottom to save everything.
There are also three buttons under Global settings:
  • 'Activate wifi': This allows you to manually enable wifi, thereby overriding the Wifi scheduler. It has the same effect as pressing the WPS button on the back of the router.
  • 'Disable wifi gracefully': This causes the router to wait until the last device logs off the wifi, and then it will turn off the wifi.
  • ‘Disable wifi forced’: This causes the router to turn off the wifi immediately. It has the same effect as pressing the WPS button on the back of the router.
Log in to the router's settings screen and go to the Eco-100 Wifi -> Wifi Networks page.

Changing the name or wifi password of a wifi network

In the default configuration of the JRS Eco 100 Era router, there are 4 networks:
  • 2.4 GHz band (longest range):
    • 1. jrs (hidden network)
    • 2. JRS-Eco-100 (visible network)
  • 5 GHz band (highest speed):
    • 3. jrs (hidden network)
    • 4. JRS-Eco-100-5 (visible network)
The ‘jrs’ networks are essential for the Full Eco mode to function. Connect your devices to the hidden ‘jrs’ network so that they can wake the router from its zero-EMF sleep mode. See JRS Eco 100 Era - English User Manual . By the way, most Windows computers will also be able to wake up the router when they connect to the visible 'JRS-Eco-100' or 'JRS-Eco-100-5' network. To change the name or password of one of these wifi networks, click on the ‘SSID’ or ‘Wifi key’ field for the relevant network:
  • SSID: The name of the Wi-Fi network.
  • Wifi key: The wifi password for this network. You can use the button with the asterisk to make the password visible.
Click on the ‘Save & Apply’ button at the bottom of the page to apply the change. The ‘jrs’ network, which we recommend connecting your devices to, is available on both wifi bands under the same name. Please note that if you change the password for the ‘jrs’ network, you must make exactly the same change for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (two entries). Networks with the same name must also have the same wifi password!

Adding wifi networks

You can add a guest network, for example, using the ‘Add’ button for the desired wifi band (2.4 or 5 GHz).

Deactivating an entire wifi band (2.4 or 5 GHz)

It is possible to permanently deactivate an entire wifi band (2.4 or 5 GHz) if you wish, e.g. to reduce radiation even further. All wifi networks on this band will then no longer be available. To do this, press the red ‘Disable’ button for one of the wifi bands 2.4 or 5 GHz. This wifi band will now always remain off (deactivated). Please note: If you press Disable for 2.4 GHz, the Full Eco function will not work and the 5 GHz wifi, if active, will not go into Full Eco sleep mode when no wifi devices are connected. If you want to disable one wifi band, we therefore recommend choosing 5 GHz. This makes it possible to permanently deactivate the 5 GHz band to reduce radiation, while still being able to switch the 2.4 GHz band on and off by pressing the WPS button. Pressing the WPS button will only switch the non-deactivated wifi bands on and off. If you later decide to re-enable the wifi band, you can use the "Enable" button.

Advanced

  • Removing wifi networks: In general, we recommend leaving the wifi networks as they are. If you still want to remove the visible networks, e.g. because you don't need them, you can do so using the ‘Remove’ button. The additional wifi networks do not result in more radiation, because the beacon signals from all wifi networks are transmitted in a single pulse.
  • Automatic selection of 2.4 or 5 GHz by your devices: Your device (e.g., phone) automatically selects the best connection for the ‘jrs’ network: 2.4 or 5 GHz. If you do not want this and want to be able to explicitly choose the wifi band on your phone, you can rename the 5 GHz ‘jrs’ to, for example, ‘jrs5’.
  • Advanced wifi network settings: With the ‘Advanced settings’ button next to a wifi network, you can change advanced settings for this network, such as the security type. Regarding WPA2/WPA3 security: The router is set to WPA2 security by default, since many older devices that only support WPA2 are still in circulation. However, if you do not use such devices, you can safely switch the security for all wifi networks to WPA3. Although a WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode is available, the WiFi Alliance no longer recommends its use for wifi routers as it is not always stable with all devices.
When the router is in Full Eco standby mode, the 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi lights are off and the power light turns off for 1 second every 4 seconds. If this does not happen, the router is not in Full Eco standby mode. There are a number of possible causes for this:

The router is still in Learning Mode

After you have installed the Eco 100 Era router, it first enters Learning Mode. To recognize which devices belong to you, the router keeps a list of devices that you have previously connected to the router: the registration list. Then, if no new wifi devices are added to the registration list within 24 hours, the router automatically switches permanently to Full Eco mode, in which it is completely radiation-free when no devices are connected to the wifi. If you wish, you can skip the learning mode via the settings menu on the Eco 100 Wifi -> Pro Settings page.

There are devices connected to the wifi

In the router's settings menu, on the Eco 100 Wifi -> Registered Devices page, you can see which devices are keeping the router's wifi active. These are the devices with ‘Connected now’ next to them. To put the router into standby/sleep mode, you need to turn off the wifi on these devices. Even if your wireless devices are not connected but their Wi-Fi is still on, they can still send connection requests that keep the router awake.

Location Services

You may need to disable the ‘improve location accuracy’ setting on your wireless device or disable location services altogether. If the setting is enabled, your device will continue to broadcast wifi scans even when wifi is turned off!
There are several ways to turn the JRS Eco 100 Era router's wifi off and back on.

Using the WPS button on the router

On the JRS Eco 100 Era, the small WPS button on the back acts as a wifi on/off button. Press the button for 1 second to turn off the wifi. When successful, the wifi lights on the router will turn off. Press again to turn the wifi back on. Even if the wifi has been turned off by the wifi scheduler, you can use the WPS button to turn the wifi back on.

Wifi Scheduler page in the settings menu

From the router's settings menu, go to Eco 100 Wifi -> Wifi Scheduler and use the ‘Activate Wifi’ button (to turn it on) or the ‘Disable Wifi forced’ button (to turn it off). This has exactly the same effect as the WPS button. To set up a time schedule for the Wifi Scheduler, see How can you set times on the JRS Eco 100 Era when the wifi turns off, for example at night?

Permanently deactivate a wifi band

It is possible to permanently deactivate an entire wifi band (2.4 or 5) if you wish, e.g. to reduce radiation even further. You can do this on the Eco 100 Wifi -> Wifi Networks page. See How do I change the wifi password, name, or other settings of a wifi network on the JRS Eco 100 Era? Switching the wifi on and off with the WPS button will then no longer work for the deactivated wifi band.

Automatic Full Eco mode

If you turn off wifi on all your wifi devices (phones, etc.) so that the devices are no longer connected to wifi, the Eco 100 router will automatically go into 100% radiation-free Full Eco sleep mode. Once you turn wifi back on on one of your devices, the router's wifi will automatically turn back on.
The JRS Eco 100 Era comes with a default transmit power setting of 63 milliwatts. This is lower than standard routers, and you can reduce it further if you wish, or increase it, depending on the size of your home and how much range you want. There are two separate sliders: one for 2.4 Gigahertz and one for 5 Gigahertz. All modern routers have 2 frequencies. The 2.4 Gigahertz has the best range, and the 5 Gigahertz allows you to achieve the highest Wifi speed, but 5 GHz is more attenuated by walls and ceilings. If you want, you can also switch off the 5 Gigahertz completely. You can do this with the red Disable button on the Eco 100 Wifi -> Wifi Networks page. See How do I change the wifi password, name, or other settings of a wifi network on the JRS Eco 100 Era?
The settings menu of the JRS Eco 100 Era router can be accessed by typing http://192.168.4.1 in the address bar of your browser. Log in with the username root and the 10-digit ‘Router pwd’ or ‘Admin key’ found on the label on the bottom of the router. All JRS Eco settings can be found under the heading ‘Eco 100 Wifi’.
JRS Eco 100 Era - English User Manual Eco 100 Era: Manuals & Tech Q&A