The Simplicity of a Wireless Network Means More and More of us are Choosing Them in Our Houses

Wireless networks can be pretty amazing things

, especially for people that have a big family and a big house. They can save hours of dragging cables around different areas only to pull them up again the next time you want to do some DIY, and they let a near infinite number of computers connect all at once without any arguments about whose turn it is on the internet. This, coupled with the greater availability of wireless broadband routers, has made wireless networks in the home very popular. Here's a quick guide to setting one up.

Initial setup

Out of the box, wireless routers normally come with their own specific instructions, but generally speaking most of them are set up in one of two ways. Firstly, you can turn to router on and plug it into the phone line, then connect to the router using a cable , almost every wireless router has at least one cable slot in the back , and access the settings from there. However, some newer routers allow you to simply turn them on and connect straight onto the wireless network. The router will need a key, which you can find underneath the router, usually labelled as a WEP or WPA key.

If you've got an old router or a second hand wireless router, you might need to reset the settings to allow access as passwords and keys might have been changed. On most routers, you can do this via a small hole in the back of the system , you'll need something short and thin like a sewing needle or a hairpin to push into the hole, which will then reset the router back to factory settings.

Security

Security is a really important feature of wireless networks. If you don't enable your security features and maintain them, you could find people logging into your network from anywhere nearby, including other houses and people in cars on the street , this happens more than you might think. If someone commits illegal activities on your network while connected, it will be you that will be held responsible, so securing your network is vital.

The good news is that if you've purchased a new router in the last six months or so, you've probably already got everything connected and ready to go. You should be using WPA-PSK protection, and you can use the key that is provided by the router. The best broadband and phone deals should have already given you a secure router. You are welcome to change it, but don't forget to make a note of it somewhere , they can be difficult to remember and you don't want to have to reset the router just because you lost a key!

For those using older routers, you might explore your security settings to find you are using WEP or, even worse, no security at all. WEP is very easy to hack right now, although it's better than nothing! If possible though, set your security to WPA, which is much more difficult to break into and should provide more than enough security for a home network.

The Simplicity of a Wireless Network Means More and More of us are Choosing Them in Our Houses

By: Mike King

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