2.12.2014.

HowtoSetUpaWirelessRouter(withPictures)wikiHow

HowtoSetUpaWirelessRouter
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ThreeParts:

Edited4weeksago

ConnectingtheHardware

ConfiguringtheRouter

ConnectingYourDevices

Asmoreandmoredevicesareabletoconnecttowirelessnetworks,setting
upawirelessrouterhasbecomeacrucialstepforvirtuallyanyhomenetwork.
Settingupawirelessnetworkwillallowyourdevicestoconnecttotheinternet
frompracticallyanywhereinthehouse,withouttheneedformessywires.To
getstartedsettingyournetworkup,seeStep1below.

Part1of3:ConnectingtheHardware

Purchaseawirelessrouter.Routerscomeinallshapesandsizes.Compare
featurestofindtherouterthatisrightforyou.Ifyouhavemoreareathatyouneed

tocover,orhavelotsofwallsinyourhome,youllneedarouterthatofferstheoptionof
upgradingantenna(s)withhighgaintypesifnotsuppliedinthebox.Ifmorethanone
wirelessdevicewillbeconnectingatthesametimeatdifferentspeeds,aMiMotype
routerisrecommended,otherwisethespeedforalldeviceswilldropthehighest
supportedbyallatthattime.
Allmodernroutersshouldsupport802.11n,orWirelessN).Thisisthemost
stable,offersthefastestspeedsandisbackwardscompatiblewitholder
standardssuchas802.11g.

Connectyourroutertoyourmodem.Routersandwirelessroutersenableyouto
shareyourbroadbandinternetconnectionwithmultipledevices.Todoso,youwill

needtoconnectyourbroadbandmodemtotherouter.Forbestresults,placeyourrouter
nearyourmodem.
ConnecttherouterandthemodemwithanEthernetcable.Mostrouterscome
packagedwithashortEthernetcablethatyoucanuseforthis.
ConnectthemodemtotheWAN/Internetportonyourrouter.Itisusuallyoffset,
andmaybeadifferentcolorfromtheLANports.

ConnectanydevicesyouwanttohardwirewithCAT5(orbetter)Ethernet
cables.Ifyouhavecomputersthatareclose,oravideogameconsoleorTV,you

canconnectthemtotherouterviaEthernet.Thiswillresultinamorestableandfaster
connection,anddoesntrequireanyextraconfiguration.

ConnectatleastonecomputerviaEthernet.Youwillneedatleastone
computerconnectingviaEthernetcableinordertoadjustyourroutersettings.You

candisconnectthiscomputerafterwardsifyouwanttoconnectwirelessly.

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Part2of3:ConfiguringtheRouter

FindtheIPaddressoftherouter.Ifthisisanewinstallationornewrouter,
determinethedefaultIPaddressthatmaybeprintedonalabelaffixedtothe

routerorinthedocumentation.IfyoucantfindtheroutersIPaddressanywhere,you
candoawebsearchfortheroutermodeltoseewhatthedefaultaddressis.[1]
IPaddressesareformattedasfourgroupsofuptothreedigits,separatedby
periods.
MostdefaultIPaddressesare192.168.1.1,192.168.0.1,or192.168.2.1.

Openawebbrowseronthecomputerthatisconnectedtotherouter.Enterin
theIPaddressoftherouterintotheaddressbarandpressEnter.Yourbrowserwill

attempttoconnecttotheroutersconfigurationmenu.
Ifyourroutercamewithaninstallationdisc,youcanruntheconfiguration
programfromthatinstead.Itwillaccomplishmanyofthesamefunctions.

Enteryourusernameandpassword.Inordertoaccesstheconfigurationpage,
youwillneedtobeontherouter'sIPaddressandenteravalidusernameand

passwordattheprompt.Mostroutershaveabasicaccountsetupthatyouwillneedto
usetologon.Thisvariesfrommodeltomodel,butshouldbeprintedontherouterorin
thedocumentation.
Themosttypicalusernameisadmin.
Themosttypicalpasswordsareadminandpassword.
Manyrouterswillonlyrequireausernameandablankpassword,andsome
allowyoutoleaveallfieldsblank.
IfyoucantfigureoutthecorrectIPaddress,yourusernameorpassword,
searchforyourroutermodelonlinetoseewhatthedefaultloginis.Ifithas
beenchanged,presstheResetbuttononthebackoftherouterfor10(to30+
secondsasdictatedintheinstructionsfortheroutermodel)torestorefactory
defaultsandtryagain.

OpentheWirelessSettings.Whenyoulogintoyourrouter,youwillbetakento
theroutersmainmenuorstatusscreen.Therewillbeseveraloptionstochoose

from.TheInternetsectioncanusuallybeleftatdefaultsettings,unlessyoureceived
specificinstructionsfromyourinternetserviceprovider.TheWirelesssectionwillallow
youtosetupyourwirelessnetwork.

Enteranameforyourwirelessnetwork.IntheWirelesssection,youshouldsee
afieldlabeledSSIDorName.Enterauniquenameforyourwirelessnetwork.This

iswhatotherdeviceswillseewhenscanningfornetworks.
ChecktheboxtoenableSSIDbroadcast.Thiswillessentiallyturnonthe
wirelessnetworksothatitmaybereadilyseenbyanyoneinrangeofthesignal.
*SeetheTipssectionbelowforadditionalinformationontheSSIDsetting.

Chooseasecuritymethod.Choosefromthelistofavailablesecurityoptions.For
thebestsecurity,chooseWPA2PSKastheencryptionmethod.Thisisthemost

difficultsecuritytocrack,andwillgiveyouthemostprotectionfromhackersand
intruders.

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Createapassphrase.Onceyouvechosenyoursecuritymethod,enterina
passphraseforthenetwork.Thisshouldbeadifficultpassword,withacombination

ofletters,numbers,andsymbols.Dontuseanypasswordsthatcouldbeeasilydeduced
fromyournetworknameorfromknowingyou.

Saveyoursettings.Onceyouarefinishednamingandsecuringyourwireless
network,clicktheApplyorSavebutton.Thechangeswillbeappliedtoyourrouter,

whichmaytakeafewmoments.Oncetherouterhasfinishedresetting,yourwireless
networkwillbeenabled.

Changeyourroutersusernameandpasswordfromthedefault.Onceyou
haveyournetworkconfigured,youshouldchangetheusernameandpassword

thatyouusetoaccessyourrouter.Thiswillhelpprotectyourrouterfromunauthorized
changes.YoucanchangethesefromtheAdministrationsectionoftherouter
configurationmenu.[2]

10

Blocksites.Ifyouwanttopreventdevicesthatareconnectedtoyournetwork
fromaccessingcertainwebsites,youcanusebuiltinblockingtoolstorestrict

access.ThesecanbefoundintheSecurity/Blocksectionoftherouter.
Youcanusuallyblockbyspecificdomainnames,orbykeywords.

Part3of3:ConnectingYourDevices

Connectacomputer,tablet,orsmartphonetothewirelessnetwork.Scanfor
thewirelessnetworkwiththeSSIDyouprovidedabove.Onanydevicethat

supportswirelessnetworks,youshouldseeyournewnetworkaslongasyouarewithin
rangeoftherouter.Selectitandyouwillbepromptedforthepassphrase.

Enteryourwirelesspassphrase.Onceyouenterthepassphrase,yourdevice
willbeautomaticallyconnectedtothewirelessnetwork.Thenetworkwillbestored

inyourdevicesmemoryandwillautomaticallyconnectwheneveryouarewithinrange.
Fordetailedinstructionsonselectingandjoiningawirelessnetworkforyour
specificcomputer,tablet,orsmartphone,followthisguide.

Connectyourotherdevices.Besidesothercomputersandtablets,youcan
connectotherdevicesaswell,suchasprinters,gameconsoles,TVsandmore.

Seethefollowingguidesforinstructionsforyourspecificdevice.
Installawirelessprinter.
ConnectaPlayStation3toawirelessnetwork.
ConnectanXbox360toawirelessnetwork.
ConnectaNintendoWiitoawirelessnetwork.
ConnectAppleTVtothewirelessnetwork.

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Wecouldreallyuseyourhelp!
Canyoutellusabout

Canyoutellusabout

Canyoutellusabout

Canyoutellusabout

marksmanship?

healthand
fitness?

Netflix?

clothesand
makeup?

YesIcan

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Tips
Ifyouhaveprocuredausedwirelessrouterfromafriendorstore,
makesuretoresetittofactorysettingsbeforeinstallingit.Itmaytryto
configureyourwirelessnetworkaccordingtotheprevioussystem.Find
theresetbuttonontherouter,andpressitfor30secondswithapinor
pencil.
Forthemostsecurity,considerNOTbroadcastingyournetworkSSID
orName.Bydisablingit,itwillberequiredforapersontonotonly
figureoutthepassphrasebutthey'llhavetodeterminetheSSIDfirst.
It'sanotherlayerofhassleforthemtodealwithandmightjustbe
enoughforthemtotrytoaccesssomeoneelse'snetworkinsteadof
yours.Ofcourse,thatmeansit'llbealittlehardersettingupbutif
you'veseteverythingupwhentheSSIDwasbroadcastgobackand
shutitoff.Everythingwillreconnectfrommemory.

SourcesandCitations
1. http://www.dummies.com/howto/content/howtosetupawifirouter
tousewithyourlapto.navId
323046.htmlrticle/249185/how_to_set_up_a_wireless_router.html
2.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/249185/how_to_set_up_a_wireless_rou
ter.html

ArticleInfo

Categories:FeaturedArticles|WirelessNetworking
Recenteditsby:Jordan,Howiemontego,Steve

Featured
Article

Inotherlanguages:
Portugus:ComoConfigurarumRoteadorSemFio,Italiano:ComeConfigurareun
RouterWireless,Deutsch:EinenWLANRoutereinrichten,Espaol:Cmoconfigurar
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unenrutadorinalmbrico,:,Bahasa
Indonesia:MenyiapkanRouterNirkabel

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