Step-by-Step: Creating a Wireless Network – Part 2 Chapel Hill NC

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Originally published at Internet.com

In Part 1 of "Creating a Wireless Network" we considered which equipment you'd need to meet your goals for speed, range, and security. Gear in hand, let's set up the hardware and walk through a few simple configuration steps to bring your wireless network to life.

For the purpose of this guide, let's assume you have two pieces of wireless gear: a wireless broadband router and a portable computer with wireless capability. If your portable computer does not have built-in wireless, you may use either a wireless card or USB adapter as described in Part 1. In either case, follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing the device drivers that came with the hardware.

Step 1: Get To Know Your Wireless Router

Figure 1. On the rear of a typical wireless router you'll see several connections (from right to left in Figure 1): * A power input jack one. * One or more wired Ethernet jacks (often labeled 1, 2, 3, 4) for computers on your network which don't have wireless ability. * One Ethernet jack for your broadband connection, often labeled "WAN" or "Internet." * A reset button. On most routers you can depress this button for 30+ seconds to restore all configuration settings to their factory defaults.

Depending on the model, some wireless routers will also have a small switch on the back to physically enable or disable the wireless network. You should verify that this switch is set to "on" to use the wireless functionality.

Some costlier routers may also feature two Ethernet inputs for two incoming broadband connections, for users who have both cable and DSL, for example.

Step 2: Determine Your Broadband Type

If you are not connecting your wireless router to a broadband connection, and only intend to use wireless networking for your local network rather than connecting to the Internet, skip this section.

Most people will connect their wireless router to an incoming broadband service. You need to know how your broadband service lets you onto its network, information we'll use in Step 5 to configure your router. There are three common broadband connection methods: * DHCP aka Dynamic IP : The most common type of broadband connection, especially for cable modem users. Basic network parameters are automatically assigned to your router by the broadband modem. * PPPoE: An increasingly common connection type, especially for DSL users in some parts of the country. PPPoE requires you to supply a username and password to initiate your broadband connection, information which should have been provided to you when your broadband service was installed or purchased. * Static IP: Less common for home residential users, somewhat more common for business broadband. Your broadband provider would have supplied you with a set of numeric addresses you need to connect to the network, as they are not assigned automatically.

If you don't know which of the above your broadband service uses, when we setup your router you can try DHCP, since it is fully automatic. Should that fail to connect, you may contact your broadband provider for details.

Step 3: Connect Your Router To a Wired PC For Initial Setup

Figure 2.

Before you place the router in its ideal location, we will first set things up with a temporary wired connection to a computer. Either a desktop PC or portable computer with an Ethernet jack will do, although hooking up to a portable may require less climbing behind or under furniture.

3A. Your router probably included an Ethernet cable in the box. Use this or another Ethernet cable you have to connect the network jack on your computer to one of the local ports on the router - those labeled 1, 2, and so on. It doesn't matter which, as long as you do not connect the cable to your router's "WAN"/"Internet" port.

Also connect the Ethernet cable from your broadband modem to the "WAN"/"Internet" port on your router.

Now your router is connected via cable to both your broadband modem and your computer.

3B. It often helps to reboot your broadband modem at this point -- the easiest way is to unplug it from power and plug it back in. Most broadband modems will take a little while to reboot, anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.

Boot (or reboot) your computer as well.

Step 4: Open Web Browser and Connect to Wireless Router Administration Interface

You manage and configure your wireless router using a Web browser. To connect to your router you need to know its default IP address and connect your browser to http://routeripaddress. For example, if you own a Linksys brand wireless router, its default IP address is 192.168.1.1, and therefore you open your browser to the URL http://192.168.1.1.

Most wireless routers also require you to log in to access configuration pages. Quite likely, your router includes a manual or a "quick setup" guide which details both its default IP address and default login. Some common IP addresses and logins for popular brands include: Brand Default Address Default Username Default Password Belkin 192.168.2.1 D-Link 192.168.0.1 admin Linksys 192.168.1.1 or admin admin or Netgear 192.168.0.1 admin password SMC 192.168.2.1 smcadmin Zyxel 192.168.1.1 admin or 1234

Figure 3. Note that means to leave the field blank. These defaults describe many models