wanting to go wireless?

Question

iv got my daughter a laptop for xmas i paid £99.99 for the router from pc world for that and instalation which is happening thursday that was the deal of the day anyway they told me to have laptop up and running i havent even took it out of box yet . What do i need to do just switch it on and so when they connect it all as i said its for xmas will i be to put laptop away again untill then .Then just plug it back in then should be simple enough should,nt it and where do they put the router will it be connected to my internet modem downstairs r what pretty new to all this any 1ns answer will be helpfull xx

And will she have internet on straight away are have i got more money to pull out xx

Answer 1

You bought a laptop for your daughter for Christmas, are having somebody to come to your home to hook it up for you, you bought a router for wireless. Did I understand you correctly?

First off, yeah, your router will be connected to your modem. The modem is how you get Online from your ISP. The router is hooked into the modem, and your computer(s) are hooked up to the router, either wired, or wireless.

For a wired connection, you take the RJ45 plugged into your wired adapter which is in your computer, and located at the back. It gets unplugged from your modem, and then plugged into one of the ports at the back of the router. The router is plugged into the port in the modem that your computer was once plugged into.

For wireless, your daughters laptop must have a wireless adapter. It is new, so it probably has two adapters, one for a wired connection, and one for a wireless connection. When she is at home, she can either plug a RJ45 cable up to her computer and then plug the other end into a port in the router, or she can use her wireless adapter for a wireless connection.

It sounds like you have bought everything you need. You already have the cable for your computer as it is hooked up to your modem. The router probably came with a cable for hooking up into the modem. Check to make sure the router has a RJ45 cable, along with the power cable. If it doesn't, you will need to purchase one before the technician arrives. Perhaps the technician will have a spare cable, but make sure by purchasing one at your local electronics store. Plus, when the company supplies one they usually charge more than if you bought it at the store yourself.

Now, as you want to allow your daughter to use wireless technology, you will need to setup your routers security. It is not difficult, but some can get bogged down in the details the first time as it seems like a lot of steps.

Here is a link to help you get started:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1427&page=1

Here is another from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/maintain/connections.mspx

At the bottom of this page is a link for Troubleshooting your Network Connection, so read that too.

You can also use the links to the left and at the upper top of the page, you know the blue wording showing where you are at in this section of the Microsoft websites. To return to the original home page where you will find more information, simply click on the blue, "Home and Small Business Netwroking" words at the top of the page. This will quickly take you to the Networking Home page where you will find many other topics, just follow the links around and read as you wish. Here I will give it to you:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/default.mspx

Be sure to setup the security in your router. This is VERY important unless you want anyone in your neighborhood to jump onto your Internet connection or enter your computers.

At the above link, click on "Securing your Network" link. Then, in the list, (you really should read it all, it is all relevent to your issue) click on the blue wording, "How to secure your wireless home network with Windows XP". If you have Vista, the procedures are much the same, but you may want to go to the Vista website. Let me locate it for you, hold on a moment:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb878035.aspx

Now, the information in the above link may seem too technical for you. Just forget anything which seems too difficult, such as domain connections, or server connections, and just follow the advice on hooking up a computer to a wireless network.

Let me find a more simple page:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/default.mspx

The above link is the portal into all things Vista. Just click on the Networking icon and words at the top of the page and you will be taken to relevent pages to assist in hooking up a Vista computer. Here I will locate the wireless page for you, but please do browse around these pages, it is very informative and you should put the home page in your Favorits for future needs.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/networking.mspx

The above page is filled with all things Vista wireless network related. First click on the links about securing your wireless connection. This is very important, DO NOT skip these steps!

The major areas you need concern yourself with are:

Setting an Administrative password in your routers configuration pages. You access these pages via your web browser using an IP address you will locate in your routers User Manual. Depending upon the brand, it could be: 192.168.1.1, mine is a Belkin so its browser address is: 192.168.2.1

Each computer will be given a Private IP Address by the DHCP Server in your router. They are in the same range as the routers configuraiton page IP address, but are higher numbers. If your routers configuraiton page IP address is: 192.168.1.1, then the first computer hooked up Private IP address will be: 192.168.1.2, and the next will be: 192.168.1.3 and so on and so forth. These Private IP addresses hide each computer behind the router. Your router will use the IP address your ISP assigned you when you connected with them, and it changes every so often. That address is the only one that the Internet "sees", your router routes all incoming and outgoing traffic from and to the Internet via the Public IP address the router aquires from the modem.

The next thing you need to do is change your SSID. Your SSID is the "name" of your network wireless connection. Make sure it is simple, and also change that connections name in your Network folder. Just right click on it and then select Rename. Type the name in the box by the connections icon. Simple. This way both the router and your wireless connection shares the same name so during trouble shooting you will know if you need to work with your wired conneciton or your wireless connection.

Next you need to enable your routers firewall. Usually, this is located under Settings and could be called NAT firewall. Just click on the dot in front of Enable, and then click to save your changes. Easy.

Next, setup a MAC address Enabled List. (You can do this later if you wish). This list specifies which computers are allowed on your wireless network, keeping out all computers NOT on the list.

To discover your MAC address for each computer: In Windows XP: Click Start-Run, then type in cmd and click OK. A command prompt session will open. Type in ipconfig /all. There is a space between "ipconfig" and "/all". Hit Enter.

Details of your adapters will scroll down the window. Locate the manufacturs name of your adapter, under that is "Physical Address" and after that a seriers of numbers and letters in groups of two with a : in between them. It is usually five groups of two numbers and letters, like this:

11:15:b7:c9:45

No two MAC addresses are the same, each is different so as to not duplicate on any network in the world.

Make sure you write down this address, the name of the adapter, and the computer is is in. This MAC address is what you type into the routers MAC address Allow list. Do this for both computers you want to allow on your wireless network.

Finally, you need to set your encryption. You do this last, (The MAC Address Allow list can be created after this if you prefer,, but do it soon as you can) as you will temporarily lose your internet connection until you put your encryption password into each computers network connection. It is simple, so don't be concerned. Each computer HAS to have the identical password entered in order to access the wireless network. Anyone who you wish to allow access later, such as a friend or family member will have to type this password when connecting to access the wireless connection. For safety reasons this is important, otherwise everyone can jump onto your wireless connection and even access your files if it is not secured.

To enter your wireless password into that connections configuration, simply run the Wireless Network Connection Wizard, (Windows XP). To run the Wireless Network Connection Wizard:

Click Start-Control Panel, switch it to classic viw, then click on the icon for the Wireless Network Connection Wizard and then follow the instructions on each dialog box. For XP make sure your Workgroup Name is the same for each computer, Vista it doesn't matter if the Workgroup Name is the same.

To locate your Workgroup Name, or to create one, click Start-Control Panel, switch to classic view, then click on the System Info icon. Click on Computer Name tab. At the bottom is a button to click to enter or change the Workgroup name. OR, if you do not have a Workgroup Name yet, simply create it while running the Wireless Network Connection Wizard. Please note that the Computer Name and the Workgroup Name are two seperate names. The Workgroup name must be the same for all XP connected computers, but each Computer name must be different.

If you want your daughter to share files and a printer you must enable file and printer sharing, which you can do while running the Wireless Network Connection Wizard.

If you do not want your daughter to share files or a printer, you do not need to enable these options, or if you just want her to connect to the wireless network or for a friend or family member to connect (If you have a MAC Address Allow List in the router, you will need to add, temporarily the new computers MAC address to this list. You remove it after the family member of friend has left, or you can leave it in if you think they will be using your wireless network on a regualr basis)

simply click on View available wirless networks and click on the name (SSID) of your wireless routers connection, and then you or they can enter the password, repeat, and then click Connect at the bottom of the View Available Wireless Connections dialog box page.

I hope this isn't too much information. Please do not feel overwhelmed. Once you read the informaiton and follow the instructions in your routers manual, and connect a few computers you will find this as simple as eating pie! It really is easy and is getting easier with each new Windows version. Vista is even easier than XP, and now there is a simple way to transfer settings from computer to router to computer with a simple USB stick loaded with the configuration settings. All you do is run one Wizard, plug in the USB stick when instructed, unplug it when instructed, take it to the router, plug it into the routers USB port, wait for the routers to blink twice, unplug and take to each computer and plug it in.

Good luck and much fun this Christmas season. Oh, and much fun learning about Networking! It really IS fun if you don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed. Take it step by step and you will be just fine.

Answer 2

The internet modem should plug into your wireless modem. The computers connect to the wireless modem via a wirless card/receiver

If you hook up the laptop now and make sure it is working, then you can box it back up for xmas and when it is brought out and turned on it should work just fine.

Concern you might have is if the wireless modem is strong enough to put out a signal through your house. (for example, Can the laptop receive the wireless modem's signal from your daughter's bedroom?)

The connection is effected by the number of walls between the computer and the wireless modem.

If you need more help, then feel free to email me: [e-mail]

Answer 3

Depending on your expertise, installation could be a good investment. Make sure they secure it for you. You may as well leave the router plugged in until christmas (although hidden for the surprise value of course).

I have found that wireless signals don't travel too far in my house (very old - thick walls) so I have installed a few powerline network adapters. They are great, and a wireless network can be extended using them to, for example, the end of your garden.

Answer 4

confident, microwaves and the frequencies of AM and FM, (and television) announces are all electromagnetic waves. each and each has the potential to hold ability, that is recovered and utilized. Ever pay attention of a crystal set? this is the finest variety of AM radio! (i turn into construction them whilst i turn into 5 years previous!) A crystal set gets radio frequency ability from a printed station, and makes use of it to make sound in earphones. in case you have an particularly solid antenna, (or are very on the factor of an AM station), it rather is feasible to force a loudspeaker from this sign! At one time I labored at a 50,000 watt AM radio station transmitter, and lived a pair of mile away. I had a crystal set in the basement that used a pair of 40 foot antenna and a chilly water pipe floor. The sign from that station and generated over 50 Volts! (it would desire to force a speaker that could desire to be heard over lots of the living house!) yet this is an unusual subject. yet there's a topic. collectively as i turn into producing loads of voltage, (for a crystal set), it would desire to basically generate a pair of watts - not sufficient to do any recommended artwork. It turn right into a interest, not something extra. whilst the human physique is uncovered to RF fields, undesirable issues can take place, like cataracts in the eyes, maximum cancers of the floor or someplace else and different complications. (that is partly why I had to have cataract surgical technique!) in actuality, as a Ham radio operator, I ought to word of those issues, and make certain that any transmissions I make won't divulge myself or everyone else to possibility. And this is quite frequency based - some frequencies are extra risky than others! the secret's that with a view to transmit usable ability over any distance, the levels of RF could be risky and not allowed. (additionally, frequency spectrum is particularly crowded and getting extra so each and on a daily basis, with technologies ingesting up further and extra spectrum very just about by ability of the day, and a powerful sign at one frequency wipes out something on interior of reach frequencies.) So it rather is a wonderful thought, yet there is not any way that this is done - so we are caught with wires for the foreseeable destiny.

Answer 5

YOUR WIRELESS ROUTER REPLACES YOUR MODEM DOWNSTAIRS AND YOU BOTH SHARE THE CONNECTION IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN SOLD A DUMMY YOU ONLY REQUIRE ONE CONNECTION FOR BOTH YOUR COMPUTERS YOU WILL FIND THAT THE LAPTOP SHOULD WORK OUT OF THE BOX
I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO CONNECT TO ON THURSDAY YOU ALREADY HAVE A SERVICE PROVIDER