We have DSL. Will any router work? Im new to the whole wireless thing so any help and advice is greatly appreciated.
2007-05-24 13:53:52 · 6 answers · asked by amanda_g_06 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
It does not matter which brand. I am not aware of any compelling reason to buy one brand over another.
I would not bother getting an N router, pretty much all laptops are G and I would get the router to match.
They come with good instructions for installation, so just follow those to get it set up.
Once it is set up:
Change the administrator password on the router.
Make sure the firewall is enabled.
Enable ping blocking.
Change the default router IP address. Only change the third number in the sequence. (I.e. change it from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.xxx.1 where xxx is a number between 1 and 255)
For the wireless, change the SSID
On your laptop snoop around to see what other wireless networks are there. Check to see which channels they are on. Set your channel to be at least 2 away from the stronger signals.
Enable encryption on the wireless. WEP is O.K. WPA is better.
Doing the above will make your computers much harder to attack from outside, will give you the best wireless signal and will stop anyone 'borrowing' your wireless. (People using your wireless slows down your download speed. Also if they go anywhere they should not, your ISP will come knocking on your door not theirs!)
If most of the above is jibberish to you right now, do not worry, it will be clearer after you go through the router set up.
2007-05-24 14:07:32 · answer #1 · answered by Simon T 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should check your DSL modem to see if it has a built-in wireless ability. If not and you purchase a router and plug everything in together then you will have both routers conflicting with each other. Basically any router should work that has wireless ability. Setting it up wireless takes a bit of knowledge so you can secure your wireless connection. If you don't use a key when using wireless and you are broadcasting a wireless signal then anyone can use your wireless connection that is in range.
2007-05-24 14:05:32 · answer #2 · answered by stevenv84 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since you have a DSL connection you will need to buy a Wireless DSL router. It would be wiser to buy a Router that is compatible with your DSL Modem.
It is normally seen that similar products ( preferably from the same company ) work well with each other.
When you buy the Router it will come with a setup CD that will walk you step by step towards configuring your DSL and Modem to work with each other. It will also help you configure the security settings on your wireless router.
Good Luck.
2007-05-24 14:16:48 · answer #3 · answered by ArnieSchivaSchangaran 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're four types of wireless bands A/B/G/N most of the laptops came with a B/G wireless band so you must check that the router you get support this bands, the other thing is you should get your wireless signal secure as soon as you install your router is really easy to do it you just have to follow the instruccions.
2007-05-24 14:32:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does, You have to make sure your Router is compatible certainly. There is also a huge difference among brands, My suggestion is D-Link so far my AirPlus Extreme-G DI-624 is the best wireless router I've used. You really have to stay away from Linksys.
2007-05-24 14:02:32 · answer #5 · answered by Andrew L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your notebook supports wireless-g, make sure your router does the same. All modern notebooks will support this, but older ones might not.
2007-05-24 13:59:12 · answer #6 · answered by astaireboy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋