How To Set Up Wireless Network At Home

The wonderful mobility that wireless devices provides us makes it important to know how to set up a wireless network at home. This will save you from having to pay the ridiculous amount many Internet providers charge for hooking up a wireless network.

Here are the basic steps in setting up a wireless network at home:

1. Select and purchase wireless equipment. Some modems provided by Internet Service Providers (ISP) come with a wireless router but this is an exception rather than the rule. You will need a wireless router. The most reliable brands out there are Linksys, Netgear, Belkin and D-Link. Almost all new laptops come with wireless adapters but rarely in desktops. There are USB wireless adapters you can just plug into your desktops USB port to give your desktop Wi-Fi capabilities. It is smart to purchase wireless network devices of the same brands. This lowers the chances of conflict between devices.
2. Locate the best spot for your router. Do pick a spot that is within a network cable's reach of your modem. Your router should come with a network cable in the box. Most routers have a range of 300 feet.
3. Physically set up your router. Take the network cable that came with your new router and hook this up to your modem. Most modems will have only one network cable jack. Plug one end of the cable into it and the other end will go into the port behind your router that is typically labelled "WAN" for Wide Area Network or "Internet." Make sure both router and modem are powered up.
4. Connect your computer to the router. Fire up your computer and connect to your router. You can do this by taking another network cable and plugging into a free port behind your router. You can also hook up to the router through Wi-Fi. The SSID, name of the wireless broadcast of your new router, will usually be the brand name of the router. For example if you bought a Linksys router, the SSID of its wireless broadcast will "Linksys." Different router brands have different names but they are usually found on the instructions that come with the router. Open up your browser once you're connected to your router.
5. Configure your router's settings. Brand new routers typically can be accessed on your favorite Internet browser by typing "192.168.1.1" on the browser's URL address. Consult your router's manual in case it comes with a different IP address and the login information of your router as well. Chances are your router will need a username and password before allowing you to configure its settings from your browser. Take note this login is different from the password of your Wi-Fi network as it is simply the login to connect to your router's settings. Select the "Wireless" tab once you see your router's setting page on the browser. On this wireless settings page you can change the name of your router's SSID to go with your wireless network. Name it whatever you wish. This will be the name you select from any wireless device when you want to connect to your network.
6. Protect your wireless network. Locate the wireless security section on the "Wireless" page on your browser. It is usually named "Wireless Security" in most brands of routers. Here you can give your wireless network a password. Any device wishing to connect to your wireless network at home will need to plug in this password. Most home users will best benefit from the "WPA-Personal" type of password. Select this from the drop-down list on this page.
7. Save and restart. Click the "Save" button on the page and your wireless router will restart on its own. This will take about twenty seconds. 

Your wireless network is ready to use. Please take note these instructions will work with most major brands of routers as outlined above. If not, consult your router's manual as there should just be minor discrepancies such as the IP address and login information needed to access your router's settings.

Sit back on your couch with your wireless computer and enjoy the comfort Wi-Fi brings.

Sources:

IEEE