Wireless networking can be a breeze if you know what you’re doing or have an excellent guide to follow. Cisco notes that wireless networks have marked advantages over wired networks in a wide variety of situations. Like most other projects, you’ll need to know what you want your final product to look like. Most people use wireless networking to ensure mobile phones, PCs, and laptops are all connected to their home network. You don’t need any fancy security addons or anything too complex for a primary network. However, you will need to know the steps in putting together your wireless network from scratch. This article intends to give you a walkthrough of the process so you can get up and running that much faster.
Getting The Right Equipment
When you’re doing a job, even if it’s something you’re doing as a hobby, you need the right tools. For a wireless network, you’ll need these elements
- Broadband Internet Modem: If you don’t have a broadband connection, you may need to inform your ISP. They’ll deal with installation, and you’ll usually be ready to roll in about 24 hours.
- Wireless Router: You can get a router from a local electronics store if you wish. The wireless router is the hub through which you’ll be connecting your PCs and mobile devices.
- Ethernet Cable: You’ll need an ethernet cable to connect your router to the modem and to connect your laptop or desktop to the modem. You will need a minimum of two lengths of cable. Your local electronics shop should have a cable which you can buy at various lengths.
- Adapters: If you’re connecting a desktop to a wireless network, you will need adapters since these machines don’t usually come with wireless support built-in.
Once you’ve got your tools, the next step is to get the network set up.
Setting Up Your Wireless Network
Wireless network setup comes in two phases – installation and configuration. The installation process deals with the physical placement of the infrastructure. So, things like ethernet cables, the wireless router placement, and the broadband model location all fall under this category. Configuration allows the router to distribute the internet to all the connected devices. To install your basic wireless network, these are the steps you should follow.
Step 1: Install the Modem and Place the Router
Your ISP will be glad to install your modem for you and test it to ensure that it’s working. The router should be placed at a location where it can be connected to the modem easily. However, in some houses, the placement of walls makes it difficult to distribute your WiFi signal around the residence. You should take some time choosing a spot that can cover your entire home with the movement. Router placement will determine how long the length of ethernet cable you will need for the install.
Step 2: Installing the Router
The router will need to be plugged in. It would help if you placed the router at your chosen spot, then connect the ethernet cable from the modem to the router. Finally, plug in the router. The lights should start blinking intermittently.
Step 3: Router Configuration
Configuring the router is a bit tricky, but you can figure this out. The second ethernet cable you got will be helpful here. Connect it to a free spot in the router’s cable ports and connect the other end to a PC or a laptop. Open a browser and type in the default address of the router. The address is contained within an insert that comes with the router. It usually looks something like “http ://1.1.1.1,” which is what you’ll enter into the browser. Once you’ve entered the details, a login page will show up. The insert with the router details should also have the default username and password for the router. You’ll use these to log in to the router’s system
Configuring the network is just a simple matter of changing the name and setting up the password. ECPI University mentions that network security is of the utmost importance for anyone setting up a computer network. Each router has a different set of pages, but one of them should be the Local Network or LAN page. Here, you’ll be able to set the name of the network and configure the password. Ideally, you’d want it to be something that’s not too complicated to remember. Once you’ve chosen the name and the password, hit the save button. The router may reboot at this point.
Step 4: Connecting
The final test for setting up the network is testing to ensure that everything’s working correctly. Get a device that can connect to the network and see if you can find the network broadcasting to your location. Once you spot it, hit connect, type in the password you set in the previous step and see if it connects. It may take a few seconds, but it should let you know when you’ve established a connection with your wireless router.
Not As Hard As it Seems
Setting up a basic wireless network doesn’t take a rocket scientist. However, if you want to extend your network or install a wireless network adapter into your PC, you might need to delve into network configuration a bit more. Legends of Tech offers courses in all of these technical aspects of networking and so much more. Check out our courses here or contact us today to find out how you can go from being a layman to a network specialist in no time.