Setup a Home Wireless Network

In searching the internet I haven't really found an article that will help people setup a network in your home. In most cases you have one of three solutions coming into your home for Internet access.

DSL (Providers of DSL internet service include Verizon, ATT, )

Cable (Providers of Cable internet service include Comcast, Charter, Wow, etc.)

FIOS (Providers of Fiber internet service include ATT and Verizon)

No matter what service you have, they provided you a modem to connect there service from a cable they bring into your home. With DSL they may just of used your existing phone line, with cable they may have just used your existing coax cable but with FIOS they had to bring in some new cable to a modem.

On the Internet Service provided modem they have there connection and your connection at minimum. Your connection looks like an oversized phone plug and is referred to in the network world as an Ethernet RJ45 port and may possible be labeled as LAN (Local Area Network).

Here are some photos of the front and back of a typical DSL modem. Please note that it may not look identical to what your DSL modem is but more then likely has the same ports.

Here are some photos of the front and back of a typical Cable modem. Please not that it may not look identical to what your Cable modem is but more then likely has the same ports.

Now about 90% of the world plugs there computer into the service providers modem to gain internet access. Well this means only one computer has access to the internet at one time. This poses an issue for families that each member has there own computer or what about the Nintendo Wii system or your Tivo System. How are they suppose to connect to the internet? The answer is connect the internet service provider modem to a Wireless router and share that one connection to multiple devices through a Wireless connection.

Let's first talk about what you need from the store....

• (1) Wireless Router (Linksys is the easiest to use and setup and is owned by the world's largest network hardware business, Cisco. I highly recommend the Linksys WRT160N which goes for about $80)
  
• (1) Ethernet cable (most Wireless Routers will come with one ethernet cable, check the box to make sure it states it has one. Also make sure its long enough to connect from where you have the internet service providers modem and where you plan on putting this new Wireless Router)
  
• (1) UPS or Battery Backup (you can use a power strip but this will keep your internet up during a power outage which is handy for us VoIP (or Vonage) users and they aren't that expensive)
  

Once you get your Wireless Router home and unbox it, most of the time they have this annoying sticker over all the ports you need to use stating to Run CD First. This is strictly for Windows users and not intended for any other operating system. Seeing how the world consists of people using more then just Windows this tutorial is focused on non-Windows platforms. So Remove and discard sticker to reveal the ports we will be using.

Looking at this picture the yellow port on the far left (labeled Internet) is where the included cable will plug into and the other end of that cable will plug into your service providers modem (DSL, Cable, FIOS). Any of the blue ports numbered 1, 2, 3 or 4 can be used for any hardware that you have that is not wireless capable but has network capability.

Using one of these blue ports, take another ethernet/network cable and plug into one of the blue ports and plug the other end of that cable into the network card on your computer. (Note: this does not need to be permanent but is required to setup the router initially. After the router is setup you can disconnect the cable and utilize a wireless connection if you choose to do so).

If you purchased a Battery Backup System (UPS), plug your Battery Backup System into the wall giving it power and also go ahead and unplug your service providers modem from the wall outlet and plug into the Battery Backup System. Then plug in the Power Adapter into the Wireless Router and into your UPS/Battery Backup System. (Note: the more items you plug into the Battery Backup System the quicker the battery will drain on a power outage. I recommend only what is necessary to maintain your internet connection & phone)

Now that you should have power to your Battery Backup System, Service Providers Modem and your Wireless Router we are now ready to configure the Wireless Router.

By default, most wireless routers are not providing you with an IP address yet so your computer doesn't know how to talk to the router yet so we need to assign it an IP address manually. All Linksys Routers all come pre-configured with a private address of 192.168.1.1 which means you need to assign your machine an IP address 192.168.1.2 - 254 are your choices. For simplicity sake, let's go with:

IP Address: 192.168.1.5

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

Of course you may not know how to set this information manually in your system.

• Windows XP: Start - Control Panel - Network Settings - Local Area Connection (if you have more then one, look for the one that says Connected under the column Status) - Properties - Internet Protocol (TPC/IP) Properties
  
• Mac OS X: Finder - Applications - System Preferences - Network - Ethernet (if more then one, look for the one that says connected) - Next to Configure change from DHCP to Manually
  

Now you have manually set your IP address, open up your Internet Browser (Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer) and you should be able to access the internet. Of course we aren't done because we must setup some security. So in your browser type: http://192.168.1.1

You should get prompted to login with a username and password. With linksys there are no usernames so leave that blank but type admin (all lowercase letters) in the password box and click Ok to login.

First change the password to access this settings page. Everyone knows its no username and admin as a password so change it to something else that you won't forget. So click on the Administration Tab and enter your new password where it says Router Password

Next step is to setup your Wireless so only people you authorize can use your network/internet. Click on the Wireless Tab. Change the Wireless Network Name (SSID) to be something that identifies this network. When someone is looking for a wireless network on there computer, this name will be advertised.

Next, click on Wireless Security. I suggest using WPA2 Personal which allows you to assign a password which is used to log into your network/internet. Here if someone found my Wireless network called MyWiseGuys.com(1) and clicked on it to join, they would be prompted for a password which they would have to enter mysupersecretpassword to gain access.

If you click on the Setup Tab there is a couple of things to check.

You need to know is your Internet Connection Type. By default, your Router is setup for Automatic Configuration - DHCP which is typical of most cable internet service providers.

If you have DSL then your option is more likely PPPoE which will prompt you for your username and password used to connect to the internet.

Make sure DHCP Server is Enabled.

Now from your computer you should now be able to obtain an IP address automatically. You should also be able to setup your other wireless network devices like your Ninetendo Wii and Tivo to connect to your Wireless Router so they may gain network access as well.

Here is a YouTube video that will show you how to install a linksys wireless router