Possibly the dumbest newbie question ever!

Hey,

I have never used any kind of wi-fi before. I have a 6 year old desktop that I don't think even has an ethernet card. We currently connect to the internet via a cable modem.

I have bought a notebook which is not here yet, but has been shipped. It's definitely a desktop replacement, meaning, as you may have guessed, I'm totally planning on recycling the old desktop and having only one computer in my house, which will be the notebook. Integrated wireless is on it, of course. I bought a router from amazon.com (d-link DI624) which HAS arrived, but since the notebook's not here yet, I can't jump in.

Now for the dumb question...

Do I have to have a computer that remains connected to the cable modem and the router? Or, can I just hook up the router to the modem and then be surfing in the living room? One of the big reasons I went with a notebook was the ability to surf on my couch, instead of at the desk in the office... The router is, I think, a router/access point combo (shows up in both categories on amazon.com), but the diagram on the back of the box definitely shows a "main" computer connected to the modem. Is that just for set up? I did also buy a port replicator, so could I hook the modem up to that, instead? Some of these questions may be answered by the set-up software, but I can't even test install the router to the desktop, as there's no ethernet.

Help! And, sorry for being so uneducated on this topic!

 

dsl/cable modem --[rj45/ethernet cable]-- wifi router --[wireless signal]-- notebook

that's all u need

plug the cable modem into the wif router with an ethernet cable. you're good to go

 

That's what I thought, but I was getting panicky that it wasn't shown in any diagram I've seen. Thanks! Pshew!

 

the router should have an entry level setup guide, or you can find more info online.

it should be fairly straight forward. youll use a cat5, cat5e, or cat6 cable to connect the RJ-45 socket (looks like a bigger phone cable) to the same on the router. youll want to connect to the port on the router called "uplink"

the software on the modem and the router should take care of the details by themselves. you will probably have to reboot the modem. unplug the power, count to 12, plug it back in.

when you turn on the wireless on your notebook, it should have some sort of utility pop up and let you know whats going on. if not, windows usually handles it okay.

at that point, if youre worried about minor security, you will want to connect to the router and change some things.

open your webbrowser. in the address bar, type "192.168.1.1" without the quotes. you will get a popup that wants a username and password. this will be in your router's user manual. it is probably admin admin.

once into the router settings, you will want to change the password. you will also want to change the ssid, which is the "name" of your wireless network.

that's all that you really need to do. there are more options if you want to make it more secure, but i wont go into those unless you need for me too.

happy wlan!

 

Terrific! Thanks for the introductory info. I feel silly for not knowing - I'm truly not computer illiterate - but have just always worked with desktops.

 

One thing you'll probably have to do is initially connect your laptop to the router via cable. Most routers have the wireless disabled by default and require you to do the initial setup wired. I've used d-link routers and they come with very good instructions with large diagrams for each step you'll need to take. Also I highly recommend setting up at least minimal security for your new network. Wifi protected access or wpa would be your best choice and I personally have not had any problems with security enabled with speed issues. If you do have speed issues you can always set up the router to only allow your computers to connect. Good luck

 

Sounds good - thanks for more great info!

 

You're welcome, I think you'll be quite thrilled with being able to sit back in the recliner and surf the web while you watch tv or listen to the stereo. It's the ultimate way to multi-task in your every day life. Once I went wireless I've never gone back, those desk chairs get really uncomfortable.

PS. There are no dumb questions, not knowing something just means you haven't had the chance to learn something new. The only dumb questions are those that you don't ask in fear of sounding dumb. None of us were born knowing it all, we learn by helping each other out.

 

Chaninemp,

Actually, you may want to verify that this cable modem is infact an RJ45 capable modem. I have see some DSL modems that use USB as the interface. This would make your current setup completely useless since you can't connect a USB modem to a LAN/WLAN router.

Check the cable modem and see if the cable that connects to the computer looks like a large phone jack. If so, you're OK. If the cable connector looks like a metallic rectangle/square (depends on the side you're looking at), then that means it's a USB modem. In this event, the only solution I can think of is either to change the modem to an ethernet modem or get a USB to ethernet adapter to convert your USB connection to an ethernet connection. But going this route will cost you more money.

Once change or verified that it's an RJ45 (large phone jack) ethernet interface, then you should be set. The previous mentioned steps should get you up and running in no time.

-Vb-

 

Yep, the modem has an ethernet jack, as well as a USB port. I've been using the USB for the desktop, since it doesn't have ethernet, but will set up as advertised with the ethernet for the new notebook. The router came with the cable, so I think I'm set. Thanks!

 

Sounds good. After the notebook shows up, make sure the ethernet connection on the modem works. A user had a similar type of modem, but it turned out the ethernet port wasn't enabled on the modem. Just contact your ISP and get a replacement modem. That should get everything running.

Good Luck!

-Vb-