EA3500 not detected during setup

Question

I got a linksys n750 smart wifi router(EA3500) to use with a scientific atlanta cable modem. Originally I had tried to set it up on my girlfriends laptop but because setup REQUIRES wifi, it failed. (the wifi on that laptop is faulty.) It got up to 85% completed including having set up the SSID and passwords. but failed to set up the internet connection. So I tried to set it up with my laptop instead. I unplugged both the modem and router for more than 5 minutes each and then began the setup. It reached 25% and then claimed to not be able to detect a linksys router. However, I checked my taskbar and it said I was connected to the router under the SSID i had set up previously. So I tried the "I have set up my router and want to connect to it" option, I entered the SSID and PW  but it still could not connect. I used the reset button on the router to hopefully restore it to factory defaults. Now when I try setup it doesnt have the SSID tthat had previously been set( the router is now identified as "Cisco 00259" or something like that) but it still fails at 25%. It still says it can't detect a linksys router. What is going on. I know the Wifi works on this laptop. I have cycled the modem and router enough times to be sure that is not the problem. How do I get past this? 
Error code: 0x82BF010F
Error description: No Linksys Router wireless networks were found.
Model name: EA3500
Model description: unknown
Serial number: unknown
Firmware version: unknown
Operating system: Windows XP SP 3
Software version: 2.0.14294.0
Connection type (WAN): unknown
IP address (LAN): 192.168.1.1
IP address (WAN): unknown
Computer IP address: 192.168.1.146
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Answer 1

Setup should not require wifi. Connect to the router with a ethernet cable and try it again. If the setup doesn't work try logging in to the router with a browser at 192.168.1.1 and set it up manually. The password will be 'admin' without the quotes.