So, you've finally decided to add a wireless network to your home? Here's how to start.
Step 1
Make sure you have a broadband cable or dsl connection to the Internet, unless you plan on using the new network for local file sharing between your computers.
Step 2
Choose a wireless standard, there are four different standards commonly used at this time, which are: A, B, G, and N. It will generally cost more for the faster standards (G and N) than the slower ones (A and B.) For serious gaming, pick Pre-N, for Internet surfing or business work pick B or G. (N is not a released standard yet, it is in the late stages of development.)
Step 3
Buy a router that has your preferred wireless signal, some popular brands are Linksys, Netgear, D-link and Buffalo.
Step 4
Connect the router to the ethernet cable from the broadband modem and turn the router on. The router should automatically broadcast the wireless signal, and if the modem is working, so should the Internet.Note, you have to manually input the IP configuration given to you by your ISP.
Step 5
Keep in mind that you will also need a wireless adapter for the computer as well if not already installed or built in to the computer. It is recommended (if possible) to use the same brand name router and adapter.
Step 6
Be sure to secure your wireless network, by turning on the WEP encryption, changing the administrator password, and adding MAC filtering. Refer to your router's documentation for information on these settings.
Tips
- MIMO is costly, so unless you want ultimate coverage and transfer speed there is no need to buy it.
- Unless you have gigabyte (extremely fast) Internet, your Internet speed will not be affected much by a high-end router rather than a cheap router. Only computer transfer speed is affected, because the Internet speed is so much slower than all of the standards.
- The N standard has not yet been published, that is, agreed upon by the international standards organization,(IEEE 802.11n) so any N or pre-N router may or may not be compatible with other wireless standards in the future. The G standard should be more than enough more most users. The MIMO technology, (multiplex in multiplex out) has been shown to be successful in increasing range and data throughput. This is expected to be a key component of any future N standard, but is currently available in some pre-N models.
- The speeds of the wireless do not represent the speeds that you will be getting to the Internet. The speed indicated by the router is the connection between the router and the individual computer(s). Normally the Internet connection speed is much slower than the connection from the computer(s) to the router (e.g. internet connection is anywhere from 1-6Mb/s and a wireless G connection is up to 54Mb/s).
- Using a firewall can help protect any computer network, wireless or not, from hackers.
Warnings
