How do you configure a wireless router to your modem?

[GingerSnaps]

Eathlink has been busy all day and when I got in touch with one of their "experts" I couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand me.

I have to connect my router to my desktop. I just received my refurbished notebook from Dell today so I need to connect both of them to the router.

Any help would be appreciated.

[neohippie]

1. What kind of modem?

You can only use a router wireless or wired if you have a high speed connection like DSL or Cable. They aren't made to use with dial up modem

[GingerSnaps]

2. I have Earthlink DSL

It's hooked up on my desktop and I wanted to hook my notebook up to it.

Earthlink sent me a router and some kind of little stick type of thing that you put in the notebook.

I'm good at drawing but not good at technical stuff.

[neohippie]

7. DSL is more complicated

Ok, if you have it already hooked up to a desktop, then you will need to power everything off, the cable modem, the desktop and the router.

I think the stick thing is probably a USB wireless network card. if it has a small rectangular plug on one end.

You will need some information for the DSL configuration of the router.

Before you try and do this you probably want to print out some instructions online from your desktop. I can't believe that Earthlink didn't give you installation instructions.

[GingerSnaps]

4. Linksys

Linksys is the brand of the router and the modem is by netopia.

[ShaneGR]

15. The #1 thing you can do for yourself.... CALL LINKSYS....

They will lead you through anything you need to do, provided your DSL modem is already working... they'll be able to help you set-up the linksy router.

[GingerSnaps]

24. After I got so aggravated with the DNS situation I did

It took several calls to India but I finally hung up and fixed it. The guy kept arguing me that I gave out my account number to someone else along with my password.

Several weeks back I had one too many glasses of wine but I didn't go home with a guy at least I don't think I did and I certainly wouldn't have given him my password and account information.

[Nicholas_J]

3. Its a real pain in the ass

I have a wireless router that I dread trying to set up in my closet. I got a good deal from Tiger Direct I had a wireless router once before, couldnt get it to work and sent it back. There are problem with dell computers and windows xp and wireless routers. The problem with windows xp is that it will not recognize 3COM network adpater cards, so if you have one in your computer, there is virtually nothinf\g you can do to get the operating system to regocnize the existance of the network adapter. Switchj down to windows 98 or ME and the computer will recognize the card in a shot. At that point connecting the modem to the router through the USB connection or the one of the ethernet connections and running the software should set things up automatically

[GingerSnaps]

6. My Dell burnt up a few weeks back

Dell was not going to replace it but I called them back and someone in India decided that it wasn't my fault and sent me a refurbished one.

I need to take my notebook to class but I need to install the router.

[Nicholas_J]

25. All you need to do is hook up the dsl mosem to the router.

If you have a card, put it into the PCMCIA slot, if you have that little long thing with a wire on it, that hooks up to the USB port on the notebook. Make sure your Network adapter is available in the Network setting on the Control Pannel. Run the software for the router on the notebook. That should locate everything automatically.

[GingerSnaps]

26. On the box it tells you not to use the software

Why did they put it in if you can't use it. Is that the software that I should use?

[Nicholas_J]

28. That makes no sense to me.

Why would they include it.

Well you can also run the network wizard. Or there is a device sharing wizard in Windows XP, Windows ME, and I thnk windows 98 that runs you through the steps to share a single device on ,pre than one computer. I think it will also work to hook a single device up to the router and therefore the modem that is attached to the router. When you run it it should detect the device attached to the USBport and then detect the network device attacked to the router.

If you run the help program in windows, using the words internet sharing, you will get several listings. like using Internet device sharing, and so on, you can read these and go from there. Also try to do a help seach under "wireless connections" and that will take you to some information and even link you to the wizard as well

[neohippie]

5. If you have a high speed connection

You would connect the Cable/DSL modem to the Wide Area Network (WAN) port on the back of the router. Then you would connect your computer using a CAT 5 or 6 network cable to the Local Area Network (LAN) port

(same type of cable would connect the router to the modem as well)

If you have DSL its a little more difficult, you will need to configure your router to login to your ISP, with a cable modem its really straight forward and it will work if you power the cable modem on first then the router then the computer.

[neohippie]

11. Here is a helpful website

http://www.linksysfix.com/check/index.html?CallerID=KB

Linksys has some nice utilities to help configure your wireless router for you.

Ok, here is what you need to do.

1. The wireless router has multiple LAN ports on the back of it but only 1 WAN port.

2. The WAN port is where the Netopia DSL modem plugs into the router.

3. The LAN port is where you plug the network cable from the Desktop to the router instead of the DSL modem


The problem is that you need to configure the router to work with you DSL account, and you will simply need your earthlink login name and password to do that.

Here is the earthlink link for DSL modem setup

http://support.earthlink.net/mu/1/psc/img/walkthroughs/hardware/UHP/6898.psc.html

I would advise you to find a friendly neighborhood computer geek, get them to help you with the offer of free home cooked meal or over beer.

[DS1]

8. What's the problem?

Have your wireless NIC scan for your network, find it, connect.

[GingerSnaps]

12. NIC

:shrug:

[DS1]

14. Network card

you need a wireless network card in your computer in order to connect to a wireless network

looks like this

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=301438&pfp=BROWSE

[neohippie]

16. Linksys wireless routers have wired ports too

You should be able to use the wired LAN ports on the router for the desktop and the radio transciever for the laptop

[GingerSnaps]

18. That will do

:hug:

[GingerSnaps]

21. I have the one that looks like a stick

Thanks for the link.

[ShaneGR]

9. What kind of wireless router do you have? nt

[GingerSnaps]

17. Lynksys

On the outside of the box that it came in it said to not run the software that came with it. Why would they include the software if your not suppose to run it?

[mike_c]

10. basic steps....

on edit: lots of new info up while I was typing, but I'll leave this anyway....

1) see reply #1

2) visit the router manufacture's web site and download installation and configuration instructions if you don't have them already

3) turn off everything, including your cable/DSL modem

4) connect the modem to the router's incoming ethernet connection

5) connect the router to one computer's network interface card (or just the ethernet connection if your computer has one on the motherboard

6) turn on/power on the modem and wait until an active connection is up-- if it's a cable modem, that might take a couple of minutes-- I don't have any experience with DSL

7) turn on/power on the router-- check the manufacturer's instructions regarding status lights-- when the router is working...

8) boot the first computer. At this point you should be able to log onto the router, usually by directing your browser to a specific IP address (the router's address) and using a generic user name (i.e. "admin") and password. See the config. instructions.

9) once everything is set up, plug the laptop into the router (I'm assuming a direct cable between your laptop's built in network connection and the router-- there are a couple of extra steps if you're using a wireless connection or a PCMCIA ethernet connection). Boot the laptop. You should have a shared network connection now. There are other things to do if you want to set up file sharing, printer sharing, and so on, but the first step is to get your shared connection up and running.

[GingerSnaps]

13. I had them right before my notebooks

Fan went out and the hard drive got so hot that it went out.

[neohippie]

20. Linksys default settings for router

You should be able to configure the router from the desktop if your desktop is wired (network cable from computer to router) by using Internet Browser.

point browser to the address http://192.168.1.1

a login prompt will appear, leave username blank use admin for password.

you need to go through the step by step router configuration on the web pages.

[GingerSnaps]

19. Thanks all

:grouphug:

[frylock]

22. please do yourself a favor and change the default ssid and ip..

there are 3 Linksys routers in my area, and all of them have the default configurations. Not that I'm complaining; I usually leech their bandwidth whenever my ISP suffers an outage.

[GingerSnaps]

23. Thank you all

I got it up and running but the DNS numbers are screwed up. It took forever to get it up and running.

I had to talk to someone in India several different times because the DNS number came back that it was a bad number.

[neohippie]

27. This linksys link should check your wireless settings for you

http://www.linksysfix.com/check/index.html?CallerID=KB

And yes, you should change your default SSID and your password, before someone else changes it for you and locks you out of your own router.