How to Set Up a Wireless Router
As more and more devices are able to
connect to wireless networks, setting up a wireless router has become a crucial
step for virtually any home network. Setting up a wireless network will allow
your devices to connect to the internet from anywhere in the house, without the
need for messy wires. To get started setting your network up, see Step 1 below.
Ad
Part 1 of 3: Connecting the Hardware
1
Purchase a wireless router. Routers come in all shapes and
sizes. Compare features to find the router that is right for you. If you have
more area that you need to cover, or have lots of walls in your home, you’ll
need a router with more antennas.
- All modern routers should
support 802.11n, or Wireless-N). This is the most stable and quickest
frequency, and is backwards compatible with older standards such as
802.11g.
Ad
2
Connect your router to your modem. Wireless routers enable you to
share your broadband internet connection with multiple devices. To do so, you
will need to connect your broadband modem to the router. For best results,
place your router near your modem.
- Connect the router and the
modem with an Ethernet cable. Most routers come packaged with a short
Ethernet cable that you can use for this.
- Connect the modem to the
WAN/Internet port on your router. It is usually offset, and may be
color-coded (typically yellow).
3
Connect any devices you want to hardwire. If you have computers that are
close, or a video game console or TV, you can connect them to the router via
Ethernet. This will result in a more stable and faster connection, and doesn’t
require any extra configuration.
4
Connect at least one computer via Ethernet. You will need at least one computer
connecting via Ethernet cable in order to adjust your router settings. You can
disconnect this computer afterwards if you want to connect wirelessly.
Part 2 of 3: Configuring the Router
1
Find the IP address of the router. Most newer routers have this
printed on a label affixed to the router. Older models will have this listed in
the documentation. If you can’t find the router’s IP address anywhere, you can
do a web search for the router model to see what the default address is.[1]
- IP addresses are formatted as
four groups of up to three digits, separated by periods.
- Most default IP addresses are
192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 192.168.2.1.
2
Open a web browser on the computer that is connected to the
router. Enter in
the IP address of the router into the address bar and press Enter. Your browser
will attempt to connect to the router’s configuration menu.
- If your router came with an
installation disc, you can run the configuration program from that
instead. It will accomplish many of the same functions.
3
Enter your username and password. In order to access the
configuration page, you will need to enter a valid username and password. Most
routers have a basic account set up that you will need to use to log on. This
varies from model to model, but should be printed on the router or in the
documentation.
- The most typical username is
“admin”.
- The most typical passwords are
“admin” and “password”.
- Many routers will only require
a username and a blank password, and some allow you to leave all fields
blank.
- If you can’t figure out your
username and password, search for your router model online to see what
the default login is. If it has been changed, press the Reset button on
the back of the router for 10 seconds to restore factory defaults.
4
Open the Wireless Settings. When you log in to your router, you
will be taken to the router’s main menu or status screen. There will be several
options to choose from. The Internet section can usually be left at default
settings, unless you received specific instructions from your internet service
provider. The Wireless section will allow you to set up your wireless network.
5
Enter a name for your wireless network. In the Wireless section, you should
see a field labeled SSID or Name. Enter a unique name for your wireless
network. This is what other devices will see when scanning for networks.
- Check the box to enable SSID
broadcast. This will essentially “turn on” the wireless network.
6
Choose a security method. Choose from the list of available
security options. For the best security, choose WPA2-PSK as the encryption
method. This is the most difficult security to crack, and will give you the
most protection from hackers and intruders.
7
Create a passphrase. Once you’ve chosen your security
method, enter in a passphrase for the network. This should be a difficult
password, with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Don’t use any
passwords that could be easily deduced from your network name or from knowing
you.
8
Save your settings. Once you are finished naming and
securing your wireless network, click the Apply or Save button. The changes
will be applied to your router, which may take a few moments. Once the router
has finished resetting, your wireless network will be enabled.
9
Change your router’s username and password. Once you have your network
configured, you should change the username and password that you use to access
your router. This will help protect your router from unauthorized changes. You
can change these from the Administration section of the router configuration
menu.[2]
10
Block sites. If you want to prevent devices that are connected to your
network from accessing certain websites, you can use built-in blocking tools to
restrict access. These can be found in the Security/Block section of the
router.
- You can usually block by
specific domain names, or by keywords.
Part 3 of 3: Connecting Your Devices
1
Connect a computer, tablet, or smartphone to the network. Scan for the wireless network. On
any device that supports wireless networks, you should see your new network as
long as you are within range of the router. Select it and you will be prompted
for the passphrase.
2
Enter your wireless passphrase. Once you enter the passphrase, your
device will be automatically connected to the wireless network. The network
will be stored in your devices memory and will automatically connect whenever
you are within range.
- For detailed instructions on
selecting and joining a wireless network for your specific computer,
tablet, or smartphone, follow this guide.
- 3
Connect your other devices. Besides other computers and
tablets, you can connect other devices as well, such as printers, game
consoles, TVs and more. See the following guides for instructions for your
specific device.
CCTV Camera Pros provides the following instructions for our
incase you need to install or replace a hard disk drive. Please follow
the below instructions to install a new hard drive into your
surveillance DVR. Please note that you should first contact CCTV Camera
Pros if you believe that your hard drive is not working properly before
you open up your DVRs case. It does not happen often but from time to
time hard disk drives do go bad like any other electronic component.
