Setting up a Wireless Network
The good news is that setting up a wireless network is usually pretty simple. At its most basic level you'll need a wireless router or access point (this can also be referred to as a "base station"), plus one or more wireless adaptors to add wireless capability to your computers. Many newer laptops already have wireless built in which makes things even easier.
Need help with the terminology of Wireless Networks? Then visit our Wireless Network Glossary
Access Point or Router?For most home networks a wireless broadband router is a good starting point. This will combine your Internet connection and wireless network in one (and often some Ethernet points into the bargain).
If you already have a broadband router that you're happy with then you can just go for an access point and connect it to the router. This has one other advantage in that it allows you to place your main wireless connection point in a better position for coverage than might be possible with a combined unit.
Choosing a Wireless RouterWhen you're choosing a wireless router, you should consider the same things as you would with any other equipment...range, speed and standards. There are many good 802.11b/g routers on the market, but the Linksys Wireless-G series routers are frequently rated above others for coverage and throughput. It's worth reading some current reviews to see what best suits your needs at the right budget.
Installing a Wireless Router
Wireless routers are designed to work easily out of the box. In most cases, it should be a matter of plugging the router into the power supply and then connecting it to your DSL line (a DSL modem should already be built in to the router), or cable modem, and then applying some basic setup.
The router should provide a web browser setup and may even have a setup CD-ROM to guide you through configuration. It is likely that you will need to add your login details (username and password) and possibly line details (these will be provided by your ISP and are often auto-negotiated between the router and network).
Another element of configuration that you may want to change is the network name or SSID. You can set this to any alphanumeric value up to 32 characters in length, but remember that this can be seen by wireless devices that are "browsing" for a network so be careful.
Finally, you should consider configuring encryption for your wireless network. At the very least configure WEP, but ideally WPA which has stronger encryption. You will need to configure an encryption key, a type of password, which will vary in length as follows:
IP Addressing on your Wireless Network
If you have fixed IP addresses on your local network you will either need to change your router's internal IP address to match that range or change the addresses on other devices. The best option is to change your PCs to use DHCP. DHCP is a protocol which will issue IP addresses automatically to devices on a network and is usually enabled by default on wireless routers.
By default DHCP is enabled automatically in all network connections so if you're setting up a new network you won't need to worry about it. If you need to set it on an existing network connection then select the "View network connections" option from My Network Places, double-click on the network connection you want to change and click on the properties button. Select the "Internet Protocol" option, click on the properties button and select the "obtain an IP address automatically" and "obtain DNS server address automatically" options.
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Setting up a Wireless Network for Windows XP
If you have Windows XP SP2 on your PC you can use the Wireless Network Setup Wizard to create a connection to your wireless network.
The easiest way to open the Wireless Network Setup Wizard is through the Start Menu: go to All Programs, Accessories, then Communications, and you'll find it there. If you can't find it, you might need to visit Microsoft's Windows Update at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com to get it.
The first thing you'll see is the welcome message. Click Next. Type the SSID for your network (the one you configured on your router or access point). To setup encryption, select the "Manually assign network key" option. Also, if your wireless card supports the stronger WPA encryption then tick that box too (NOTE the router and all adaptors in your network have to be set up to use the same encryption method and key).
Click Next again and enter the encryption key that you configured on your wireless router or access point.
Click next again and you'll see the following screen:
If you have a USB flash drive you can save the wireless configuration to the flashdrive which makes it even easier to add other Windows XP SP2 computers to the network. Alternatively you can choose the option for manual setup which lets you print the settings out.
Connectivity problems
If you are having problems or want to change wireless networks then right-click on the wireless icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen (it looks like a pair of small computer screens). On the menu that appears, click 'View Available Wireless Networks'. Now, you should see a list of the wireless networks your computer is in range of. Look for the name of your own network.
A common problem is to find that your computer is trying to connect to another network near you, usually one belonging to your neighbours. If their wireless network has a wide range, it's not at all unusual for you to be able to receive their signal in your house.
To make sure Windows knows which network is yours, you need to click 'Change the order of preferred networks' on the left of the available networks screen (in XP Professional you may need to click the advanced button). You should click the 'Add' button to add the name of your network to this list, and use 'Remove' to take away any that aren't yours. When you've highlighted your network, click Properties, and then go to the Connection section. Make sure 'Connect when this network is in range' is ticked. If all else fails, you might have to take your printout from the Wireless Network Setup Wizard and enter that information on each computer.
For further troubleshooting tips see our Wireless troubleshooting section.
© Russell Card The UKITbits editorial team 2006
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