Home network via wifi

After you have all the equipment, you'll need to set up your modem and Internet connection. If your modem wasn't set up for you by your Internet service provider ISP , follow the instructions that came with your modem to connect it to your PC and the Internet. If you're using cable, connect your modem to a cable jack. Put your wireless router somewhere where it will receive the strongest signal with the least amount of interference.

For better results, follow these tips:. Place your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home.

Position the wireless router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects , such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your PC and the router's signal, the more likely that you'll be using the router's full signal strength. Reduce interference.

Some networking equipment uses a 2. This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted. You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5. Security is always important; with a wireless network, it's even more important because your network's signal could be broadcast outside your home. If you don't help secure your network, people with PCs nearby could access info stored on your network PCs and use your Internet connection.

Change the default user name and password. This helps protect your router. Most router manufacturers have a default user name and password on the router and a default network name also known as the SSID. Someone could use this info to access your router without you knowing it. To help avoid that, change the default user name and password for your router.

See the documentation for your device for instructions. Set up a security key password for your network. Wireless networks have a network security key to help protect them from unauthorized access. See the documentation for your router for more detailed info, including what type of security is supported and how to set it up. In Windows 7 or Windows 8. Best Linux Laptops. Best Wireless iPhone Earbuds. Best Bluetooth Trackers. Best eReaders. Best VPN. Browse All News Articles. Windows 11 Uninstall Clock.

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The Best Tech Newsletter Anywhere Join , subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. Booster vs. Everything You Need to Know. How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. The home network diagram below shows the structure of a typical small home network. For most home networks the Wireless Router or Hub which connects the network to the Internet will be the main component of the home or small home office network, and in many cases it will be the only component.

This short video shows how to use a Wireless Home Hub BT or router to create a home network that is connected to the Internet. DSL Modem — converts digital signals into analogue signals that are suitable for sending over a telephone line. Often included as part of the connection socket. The Wireless router will need to connect to the telephone line, cable or fibre network access point in your home. However you can usually change the location by using telephone extension cables or longer WAN cables.

Because the Wireless Router provides the Wireless access point then you should place it in a central location, if possible, to get the best wireless reception.

The easiest way of testing you signal strength in various locations is to use the inSSIDer Wi-Fi checker which is an App that you can install on your Android Tablet or phone. The general idea is to place the Wireless router in its preferred location and then move around the house with the inSSIDer Wi-Fi checker, and check the signal strength, and then adjust the location if necessary. To administer the home router you access it via a web browser, and login using a username and password. Before you allow devices to connect to your home network you should make some basic changes to the default setup parameters of your router.

The standard way of connecting a Wi-fi device to a Wi-fi network is the connect to the network and enter the password when prompted. The devices then connect without requiring you to enter a password. See Wiki on WPS. This is provided automatically by a service called DHCP which, by default, is provided by the home router. You can also assign addresses manually, and these are known as static addresses. Static Addresses are not normally assigned but are often required when using Port forwarding.

They can be assigned on the network settings of the device, but preferably on the DHCP server using reserved addresses. Additionally the addresses used on your home network are known as internal addresses.

When you connect to the Internet your device will use an external IP address. See Internal vs external IP addresses for a more detailed explanation. The main tool you use is the ipconfig windows or ifconfig linux tool. Your home router is your gateway to the Internet. When viewing your configuration some devices refer to it as the default router whereas other use the term default gateway. For security reasons you may find the need to split your home network. This is especially true in small business networks like restaurants etc were customers are also given access to the network.

Many modern routers will provide guest networks for this purpose, and is easy to setup. Another common method, but not as simple is to use VLANs. A firewall protects your home or small business network computers and devices from intruders on the Internet. It effectively acts like a one way digital gate blocking access to your network from devices on the Internet, but at the same time allowing devices on your network to connect to devices on the Internet.

Generally there is no configuration required as the default behaviour is only to allow connections from the local network to the Internet, and not from the Internet to the home network. However if you do require devices on the Internet to connect into your network often required by gamers then you can configure port forwarding.

Shared devices like switches and Wireless access points are network choke points just like traffic lights and roundabouts on a road. LAN Speed test is a very useful tool for testing your local network speeds. See understanding Home network speeds.

For Internet speeds you can use online speed test sites. See Understanding Internet speeds and speed tests. In my experience most problems are easily diagnosed, and fixed with a little patience and perseverance. Having a good understanding of how your network fits together, and works is essential for successful troubleshooting.

A- See Understanding home network speeds. You have to finish following quiz, to start this quiz:. You have reached 0 of 0 points, 0. You are getting a Bad Wi-Fi signal is some parts of your home What can you try to solve the problem? We have ATT internet fiber with a router that is extended by Google home pods 4 placed throughout our house. We have TVs, amplifiers, printers, computers, phones, Google speakers, etc. We are using dynamic IP. It seems to me with the IP changing all the time, devices take their time connecting when the IP address changes.

Am I correct in my thinking here, and how can we get everything to stay connected. It is more likely to be the Wi-fi connectivity. A device on dynamic IP keeps its address and is unlikely to loose it on a home network.

Rgds Steve. I am in a rural area and my grandmother broke a hip and elbow this year. I am not technology Savy after a bad accident but I need to go back to work. The only company in the middle of cowboy hell nowhere Oklahoma is who I already have and my phone company entirely to slow 15 Mbps download and 1 upload. Not quite sure about the setup but think that you are using your daughters connection with wi-fi.

Is that correct? If I have a mixed setup as you have described will I be able to transfer files from a wifi tablet to my wired primary computer? Any help someone please? Are you sure they are on the two subnets. What are the ip addresses of an example device on each subnet? Do you have any other devices routers,switches other then the mesh devices and the virgin router? I just had a quick look trough the manual and it defaults to router mode as you are still using the virgin router put it in access point mode rgds steve.

Hello, I would like to setup a home network using a standard router and then connect the network to the internet using a mobile phone. Are there instructions available for this type of setup?

Is there a better way. Perhaps using a bridge? Regards, Al Plevna Ontario. The easiest way is to use a router with mobile capability. There are lots available as they are used for travelling.

In this case mobile is used as a backup. I have an existing Belkin router and need to expand the coverage to three locations.. What do I need to accomplish this task. I have very slow dsl modem, however I want to run my other computer on a home network to share files how can i bypass the slow modem that came with bell to get the connections between the other computers the fastest to share files between the computers.

Just get a GB ethernet switch and plug all your ethernet cables into it and one cable connects your GB switch to the modem Ethernet which gives your devices Internet access. The smart phone picks up its signal from the output of the router. Is there another way, or only with that cable. Fibre has been delayed in my area for mths.