Initial setup - Router

This WiFi Guide is mostly designed to help users set up a home wireless network using a wireless router connected to a broadband ISP (cable or DSL). This section describes how to set up the router when you have previously had your PC directly connected to the broadband modem. See the note below if you already have a wireless network.

Using a wireless router is the easiest way to establish an Internet connection with your PPC at home. However, it is not the only way. I refer the reader to the Alternate Setups section for using WiFi with a dial-up connection on a PC or for using a wireless adapter on your PC to share its network connection (using an ad-hoc connection between the PC and PPC and Internet Connection Sharing on the PC).

Now, for the setup procedure with a router. The first necessity is to read the new router's manual and try to follow its directions. Failing that, check out the suggestions in this section of the Guide. If you are still not sure what to do, post a question in the Wireless Communications forum at Aximsite.

1. Gather the configuration information you have for your working DSL or cable modem connection to the Internet:

   WinXP

   1. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   2. Double-click the Network Connections icon.
   3. Right click on Local Area Connection (Ethernet adapter), and select Status.
   4. Click on Support tab and then click on Details. Write down all information including physical address (this is the MAC address). Close windows back the one showing Local Area Connection (Ethernet adapter) Right click on and select Properties.
   5. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on Properties
   6. Make a note if “Obtain an IP address automatically” is marked otherwise, make sure the IP address, subnet mask and gateway information are the same as you obtained from the Status window.
   7. Right click on the Windows Start icon on your PC's desktop and select Explore to open a Window, scroll down in the left pane and select "My Network Places." The default setup when sharing is enabled on WinXP is for a "SharedDocs on xxx (yyy)" to be created on the hard drive. The yyy in this name is the PC's name on your network.
   
   

   Win98, Win98SE, Win95

   1. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   2. Double-click the Network icon. The Network window opens, which displays a list of installed components.
   3. Select the Identification tab and write down your computer name.
   4. Select the Configuration tab.
   5. Select TCP/IP, and then click Properties. The TCP/IP Properties dialog box opens.
   6. Select the IP Address tab. If an IP address and subnet mask are shown, write down the information. If an address is present, your account uses a fixed (static) IP address. If no address is present, your account uses a dynamically-assigned IP address.
   7. Select the DNS Configuration tab. Write down your host and domain names if these fields are filled in and the DNS numbers.
   8. Click on the Gateway tab. If an IP address appears under Installed Gateways, write down the address. This is your ISP’s gateway address.
   9. Close the network window(s). Some broadband ISP link your subscription to the MAC address of the computer they initially set you up on. Fortunately, broadband routers are set up to mimic these addresses but first you need to find out what your network card’s MAC address is. In Start, Run, type winipcfg and enter. Click on ‘more info’ and record the MAC address information. [Note: depending on how your computer is configured, you may need to select your Ethernet adapter from the dropdown list on this window.]
2. Go into the network settings on the PC as described above and configure it to for automatic IP (DHCP)[Note: this is the default setting so it is unlikely that you'll need to change this.]
3. Power off all equipment (including cable modem, router, and PC(s))
4. Install the router between the DSL or cable modem and one computer.
5. Restart the modem, router, and then the computer (in that order - see note below).
6. Use your browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox, for example) to configure the router. Entering the router’s IP into the address box and pressing enter does this. For most Linksys, the IP is 192.168.1.1; for Netgear and D-Link, 192.168.0.1; Belkin, 192.168.2.1; Siemens, 192.168.254.254. The setup procedures vary somewhat between different brands, but use the computer (from iii above) or host (from vii) as the router name. You may need to use the MAC cloning feature to enter your previously connected PC’s adapter card’s physical address.
   Certain home routers use a short preamble by default - this does not work with some PPCs so change it to a long preamble.
   If your router is 802.11g, make sure it it set to mixed mode (B+G) as almost all wireless card adapters and PPCs with built-in WiFi only work on B. If your router is "Enhanced G" (that is, it claims to operate at 108Mbps), you may need to disable the 'enhanced' mode (sometimes called 'turbo mode') as these also will not work with an 802.11b device.
   [Note: I do not recommend setting the security features on the initial setup. Doing so can make it difficult to troubleshoot problems. These features can (and should) be added after the connections are first working. See Setting security for details.]
   Save the settings and logoff of the setup utility.
7. Go online to test the connection.

Note: Some users have found the sequence of enabling the router is important to their being able to connect to the Internet. The order I list here is recommended by all equipment I have used, and works fine for me, but some members at Aximsite find their PPCs time out (reporting page not found) unless they turn on the router first, allowing it to initialize, then the cable modem, and then the wireless equipment (including the PPC).