Wireless network?

Topic: Wireless network? (Read 4144 times) previous topic - next topic

Wireless network?

June 29, 2006, 10:14:42 PM

does anyone have experience with wireless networks? I am trying to set up the internet on two comeputers in the same house but I am having no luck :flame: I have a linksys broadband router.... is there something else that I need to make this work? I really have no idea what I am doing so please help!

Wireless network?

Reply #1 – June 30, 2006, 12:23:34 AM

You also need cards in your computers.

Wireless network?

Reply #2 – June 30, 2006, 12:41:39 AM

Quote from: tbirdscott

You also need cards in your computers.

yea, i had the "geek squad" do that for me, also, if you have any real distance between the two computers, or a floor or two, you might need something else, idk computer stuff, but its a little antenea u plug into a wall socket between the two, and it gets the signal from the one computer and re-sends it to the second.

Wireless network?

Reply #3 – June 30, 2006, 01:20:45 AM

What grutinator is talking about is a range extender. It basically picks up and re-amplifies the signal. I don't reccomend wireless networking to anyone unless you're 100% positive it's going to work in your house. Even though my PC was only about 50 feet from the wirless router I've NEVER had a good signal and the throughput was for . Never got good download speeds and before I quit using it. Hardwire network, while not as slick, is easier to maintain and 100x more reliable. This may vary, though, depending on the construction of your house. Oh, also beware of using 2.4GHz wireless phones. That's the same frequency that wi-fi operates on and it can play hell with your connection.

So, to recap, basically you need a wireless router, connected to your cable modem (there's a port on the back for it, you'll see):

And a Wireless Network card in any computer that you want to have access to that connection:

EDIT: I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence, but you did get a wireless router, right? One with one or two antennas on the back as pictured above?

Wireless network?

Reply #4 – June 30, 2006, 07:25:38 AM

If you have all the equiptment set up. Next you need to get the on computer to connect to the router. there should be a icon on the bottom right hand corner by the time that shows a computer with radio waves coming out of it. right click on that then view avaible networks. Next refrresh the list. then tell it to connect. Then from there you'll need to open a web browser and goto 192.168.10.1 that should be the router setup page. Get both computer Mac addresses. then turn on mac filtering after you have entered the mac addresses. Next Turn on the encryption and set that up you should be ready to go.

Wireless network?

Reply #5 – June 30, 2006, 09:33:30 AM

Quote

Get both computer Mac addresses. then turn on mac filtering after you have entered the mac addresses.

Just for clarification: that's MAC (machine) addresses...not to be confused with Macintosh computers...that's a whole different ballgame there.

Wireless routers seem to work best when the signal is sent/received on the same floor of the house. I can also pick up a very good signal in my basp00get, one floor below the router. But as mentioned, a lot of things can interfere with the signal: wireless phones, microwaves, flourescent light fixtures, and so on. So you may need to experiment with moving the router around the house and checking signal strength. You also have to consider how many computers there are in the house, and what the central point between them may be, and maybe try the router there first. And be sure to change the name of the network: you wouldn't believe how many people leave the default 'linksys' as the network name. If there's another 'linksys' network near your home, you'll be jumping between networks and latency will be unbelievable.

Wireless network?

Reply #6 – June 30, 2006, 11:35:44 AM

Here are the basic steps to take when connecting the Linksys router:

1. Plug one end of an Ethernet cable into one of your broadband modem's LAN ports and the other end into the Linksys router's Ethernet port. For a router, this is typically called a WAN port.

2. Set up your network. I've included instructions on how to do this below.

3. Once your network is set up, reboot any computer that is part of the network.

4. Verify that your Internet connection is working.

There should be no special settings or "bridging" that you have to enable on the broadband modem unless you do not have a static IP address and most users do not. So there is no address translation that has to be performed. That is the only case where you would need to bridge anything. Otherwise, the broadband modem should automatically "see" the router and the router should "see" the modem plugged into its WAN port and distribute IP addresses to each computer connected to it.

You could try rebooting each computer connected to the router to make sure they release and renew their IP addresses. You have to verify that the Linksys router is using Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP.) This just tells the router to hand out an address from a pool of available ones whenever a computer requests one.

Here are instructions for settings up the Linksys router. Perform these steps with your broadband modem turned off or unplugged.

1. On the computer that is directly connected to the Linksys Router with a network cable, open a web browser.

2. Type http://192.168.1.1 into your browser's Address or Location bar and click Go or press the [Enter] key on your keyboard.

3. A user name and password prompt will appear. Leave the user name field blank and type in "admin" (lowercase) for the password. The password admin is the default password of Linksys Routers.

4. Once logged in, the router's web-based Setup utility should load. In the section labeled Internet Connection Type, or WAN Connection Type depending on router model and firmware version, select the PPPoE option on the drop down list.

5. Once PPPoE is selected, enter your Dnet username and password into the router's User Name and Password fields. Be sure to clear the 'Password' field before entering your account password.

6. If the Keep Alive option is not selected, be sure to select it instead of the 'Connect on Demand' option. The 'Keep Alive' option will ensure that your connection stays connected even when it is not in use.

7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Save Settings, or Apply button depending on router model, to save your changes.

8. Once your changes are saved, you will be presented with a button to return or you will be returned to the previous page automatically. If prompted, press Continue to return to the router's Setup page.

9. Close and exit the web browser.

Now you have to power off and turn back on all components in the correct sequence.

1. Shut down your computer.

2. Verify that your broadband modem is turned off either by unplugging the power cord or by using a power switch on the modem.

3. Unplug the power cord from the back of your router and confirm that the front panel lights turn off. At this stage, all devices (your modem, router, and computer) should be powered off.

4. Wait for about 30 seconds.

5. Plug in the broadband modem's power cord. If there is an additional power switch required to power on your modem, be sure to use it to apply power and turn on the modem.

6. Observe the indicator lights located on the modem and wait for the lights to stop blinking. A light indicating Power as well as link should become solid to indicate a connection to your ISP. The names of modem lights will vary depending on which modem you have.

7. Next, plug in the router's power cord. After a few seconds, the Internet light (or WAN lights) on the front of the router as well as additional lights on your modem should turn on to indicate a connection.

8. Turn on your computer.

Once the computer boots up you have to check the connection to see if it is valid.

1. On the computer that is connected to the Linksys Router, open your web browser.

2. Type http://192.168.1.1 into your browser's Address or Location bar and click Go or press the [Enter] key on your keyboard.

3. The user name and password prompt will appear again. Leave the user name field blank, and type in admin (lowercase) for the password.

4. Once logged in, the router's web-based Setup utility should load. Click on the Status tab to load the router's Status page.

5. In the Status page, look for a section labeled Login Status (or PPPoE Status depending on router model and firmware version). This will indicate the status of the connection.

One of the following statuses may appear:

Connecting
If the status repeats with Connecting, your Linksys Router is having problems connecting to your broadband modem. Repeat the 'Power Cycle' steps in Step 5 and try again. Be sure to check for solid status and activity lights on the modem and the Internet light (or WAN lights) on the router. If these lights do not turn on or show any activity, try using different network cables, power cycle all devices as described in Step 5, and try again.

Disconnected
If the status shows Disconnected, your Linksys Router was not able to establish a connection to your broadband modem. Repeat the 'Power Cycle' steps in Step 5 and try again. Be sure to check for solid status and activity lights on the modem and the Internet light (or WAN lights) on the router. If these lights do not turn on or show any activity, try using different network cables, power cycle all devices as described in Step 5, and try again.

Connected
If the status is Connected, your Linksys Router successfully established a connection to the broadband router and you should be able to access the Internet. If you are not able to access the Internet even when the status says, "Connected" then restart the computer and try again.

:D

Wireless network?

Reply #7 – June 30, 2006, 07:18:30 PM

Im using wireless right now. I have no clue how to hook it up properly.

Wireless network?

Reply #8 – July 01, 2006, 08:42:49 AM

just follow the directions provided, should be on a cd that came with the router.
it's not as hard as you think. just make sure to set up your security.

Wireless network?

Reply #9 – July 17, 2006, 07:42:24 PM

UPDATE: I now have a wireless G adapter and after installing it shows that there is a connection but it wont let me access the internet. I dont know what I am doing wrong.. maybe I should let you know that I am using the 2 wire dsl modem that sbc sent, this is the one that the wireless adapter is finding.

Wireless network?

Reply #10 – July 17, 2006, 07:48:04 PM

well I played with it alittle and its saying that I have an invalid IP address.

please help

Wireless network?

Reply #11 – July 17, 2006, 07:54:15 PM

You probably need to spoof/clone the MAC address of the ethernet card that you were using to access the internet.

If you bought a Linksys router...Shazaam

Wireless network?

Reply #12 – July 17, 2006, 09:28:00 PM

I'm still lost

this isnt making any sence to me

Wireless network?

Reply #13 – September 18, 2006, 10:02:15 PM

ok so I finally figured this out for the most part, we have been wireless for about a week but it says that my connection is unsecure. does anyone know how to secure my connection?

Wireless network?

Reply #14 – September 18, 2006, 10:45:18 PM

What kind of router do you have?!?! you can use WEP or WPA, depending on how new your router is. WPA is more secure than WEP, but encryption is better than none at all. Tell us what type of router you have and model number, and we'll go from there!