Home Networking Simplified, Part 1

An example of a wireless router.

A while back, I wrote a walkthrough regarding the setup of a Wi-Fi extender or "booster." Well today I am going to give you the other half of this story. Most of the process of setting up a wireless router is quite similar, however, there are some differences.

Since the router connects from the modem to a host computer, if you're doing this for the first time, you will arguably want to follow the directions exactly as they are shown on the box. Typically, though, one of the things that is typically noted in a router's manual is that the user should shut down their modem before installing the router.

I actually did this with the first one I ever used, and honestly, it isn't absolutely necessary. If anything, it is going to make things take longer, and occasionally you'll get a faulty piece of hardware if you are renting a modem from your internet provider. When that happens, and the internet doesn't come up right away, you'll most likely wonder if you did something wrong. From personal experience, it took three modems, and two line connection tightening trips to have continuous internet when I was at my parents' house.

At any rate, the process of setting up a router is fairly similar to the instructions outlined in my previous post. The last couple of routers I've used came with a setup CD, so once you connect the router to power, your modem, and computer, you should be all set. All that is needed is to pop in the CD and follow the directions it asks for. Most routers will have a "default" default gateway (trust me, there is no intentional double-negative being used here) of 192.168.1.1. I've noticed that Netgear's basic products like to have a custom URL, such as routerlogin.net, or something similar, and this will also yield the same result.

Before you try this, make sure the router is working. On a Windows PC, the easiest method is to open a Command Prompt by typing "command" or "cmd" depending on your OS version into a run/search box and entering the term "IPCONFIG." This term is not case sensitive, and if your numbers start with 169 for the address or gateway, then you most likely have run into trouble. Typically only a manual reset (using the pinhole button) is needed, but sometimes it is just easier to unplug and reconnect your router or modem. If all as well, your situation should look like the one in the previous paragraph.

Anyway, after you have logged into the router, you can (and should) change the default SSID. This term refers to the name of the network that pops up when you try to connect (i.e. Starbucks, Verizon, etc.) and the associated password. Write this new info down and keep it in a safe place until you or your device have it memorized, and can look it up in your browser settings later.

Once you have done this, you should be good to go! Happy surfing! :)