Setting up a WiFi network.

In the recent past it was a bit of a ticklish task to set up a WiFi network, with at least some settings needing to be configured manually.

Now, with the latest modem/routers, it is mainly a matter of plugging the three chords into the right places.

1. The power cable into the power point and the modem power socket. It can only be done one way, making it simple.
2. The phone connection into the phone outlet and into the phone socket on the router.
3. The Ethernet cable between the computer and the modem, at least during setting it up.

In some instances, that is all that needs to be done and the modem/router will configure itself with the basic settings.

The modem/router may then need to be configured, via the Ethernet cable and the browser on your computer for the WiFi network.

The main things needed here are : --

Find the signal for the wireless network by browsing available networks, and select the one that is yours.

1. Via the Ethernet cable log into the wireless router and configure the network with an SSID and password.
2. Choose the appropriate network from those that are available and click on 'Connect to this network'
3. Enter the SSID and password for the wireless network into the dialogue box that opens and click on 'Connect'
4. After a few seconds the network icon on the Task Bar should change to indicate that the connection has been established.
5. Hover the cursor over this icon and is should pop up a notification bubble with the speed and condition of the connection.

That's about it! Simple.

There are still some security and optimisation settings that you need to know about and check that they are set correctly.

Security needs to be set to AES encryption and a secure SSID chosen. Use a pass-phrase that is easy to remember and to type but hard to crack. Using both capital and lower case letters, numbers and special characters and having more than a few characters will make it virtually uncrackable.

          e,g, ThisIsAVerySecurePassword2012! = 26 letters, including capitals, 4 numerals and a special character.

If unsure, Google the make and model of the modem, get the Users Manual and look in there for detailed instructions. The underside of the modem will have its make and model along with other useful information about it. The PDF manual should also be easy to find on-line.

Paul