How to Choose a Wireless Router

How to Choose a Wireless Router

A wireless router is a critical piece of hardware in a home local area network, or LAN. It can also be troublesome and difficult to install and maintain. Looking carefully for the best wireless router can be helpful for those who want to profit from a wireless high-speed Internet connection in the home or a small business, or anywhere else that wireless routers are used. Although everyone's shopping experience is different, here are some common steps to help you choose a wireless router that will be a good fit for your wireless network.

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Steps

1. 

1

Evaluate signal strength. Different wireless routers are rated for different signal strengths. Even for a small apartment, signal strength can be an issue even with the most-up-to-date router. Figure out which one fits your network needs. Signal strength is best evaluated by real-life tests, and not from manufacturer's published specifications. (see "Tests" below).

• Understand obstacles in an interior home environment, as well as the specific distance that the signal will need to go for use in any particular part of the building.

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2. 2

Decide on speed. Make sure the router will support an existing Internet connection (Cable, DSL, etc.)

• Look at Mbps, or megabits per second. For the latest routers, the theoretical limit is 600 mbps; most up-to-date routers support 300 mbps (802.11N standard). The previous standard (802.11G) is 54 Mbps. Check the manufacturer's documentation or ask a knowledgeable salesperson about the specifications.

• 802.11N. Find out whether your client devices all support 802.11N standard. If all of them do, you are safe to choose 802.11N router. If they don't (and have 802.11G instead), keep in mind that when N device is used at the same time with G device, effective speed is greatly reduced.

• 2.4 GHz, 5GHz and non/concurrent dual-band:

• If you need to use G and N devices at the same time, a dual-band router will help to avoid interference: you can connect a G device to 2.4GHz, and an N device to 5 GHz.
• Remember that the concurrent dual-band router and dual-band client wifi adapter don't always mean double speed. If your PC has only one Wi-Fi adapter, you can only connect to one band at a time. Even if you have 2 adapters, under Windows it doesn't give you double speed, only the maximum of either.
• 5GHz gives weaker signal compared to 2.4GHz, especially at longer distance from router.
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Test your choice of equipment. Find a real-life speed throughput and range tests for the models you consider. Specifications give only a theoretical maximum, while tests will show how it will actually perform. Search the following website on Google, smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/view SmallNetBuilder comparison charts and cnet.com.au/internet-networking/modems-routers/reviews.htm CNet.com.au reviews that offer test speed throughput

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Choose encryption. Think about the need for encryption. Wireless routers often employ WPA or other kinds of encryption to protect the network from intruders. You may need technical assistance from your router's manufacturer.

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Keep in mind compatibility issues. One of the other essential elements of choosing the best wireless router is to figure out how it will complement existing pieces of hardware in a home network.

• Look at matching the brand of a wireless router with the brand of existing network cards. For computer workstations or other hardware without built-in network capability, some network cards or cartridges allow the computer to access the wireless network. When the router matches these small adaptors or cards, the LAN connection may have better speed.
• Think about matching a video game console. For example, the Nintendo Wii is a household hardware element that is often connected to a home wireless network. Although Nintendo does not promote a specific brand of wireless router, understanding compatibility with video game consoles can be another factor in choosing your router and other network equipment (client Wi-Fi adapters; NAS etc).
5. 6

Evaluate customer support. Buy a wireless router from a company with good customer support. Technical support and assistance may be critical for installing or dealing with the device.

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Compare warranties. One strategy for buying the best wireless router is to select one that will be guaranteed to last a certain length of time. Look carefully at warranty provisions and make this part of the pro and con list for specific brands and models.

How to Set Up a Wireless Router

How to Set Up a Wireless Router

Three Parts:Connecting the HardwareConfiguring the RouterConnecting Your Devices

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.

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Part 1 of 3: Connecting the Hardware

1. 

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.

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2. 

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).

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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.

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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

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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.
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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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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]

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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

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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.

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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.
2. 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.