Step-by-Step: Creating a Wireless Network - Part 2 Getting to Know Your Wireless Router Aaron Weiss
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 support, 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.
(Click for a larger image)
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 or more wired Ethernet jacks (often labeled 1, 2, 3, 4) for computers on your network that 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 that should have been provided to you when your broadband service was installed or puchased.
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 set up your router you can try DHCP, since it is fully automatic. Should that fail to connect, you'll likely want to contact your broadband provider for configuration details.
