How to set up a Wi-Fi router

Actually, in order to eliminate all the questions and problems that arise, we present this article. It is universal: although each company has its own interface, its own firmware - in general the setup is identical. When we have connected the router to the computer and to the network, we must reset the settings to factory settings. To do this, look for the “Reset” button on your router and press it for ten seconds. After that, release it and wait a couple of minutes until the device reboots.



Now we go to the Network and Sharing Center - this item is located in the Control Panel, which can be accessed from the Start menu. If we see “Local Area Connection” active, it means that the first stage of setup was successful.

Now we need to prepare the protocol itself. To do this, click on the inscription “Local Area Connection” with the left mouse button, find “Properties”, in them - “Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and click below again “Properties”. In them we must check the boxes “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain a DNS server address automatically” - even if there is any data that needs to be entered manually, it will be entered directly in the router interface. We confirm our choice with the "OK" button.

Now let's take a look at the underside of your router. Ideally, the following data should be located there: http interface address, login and password for authentication in it. If they exist, that's just wonderful. If not, we'll try to figure it out ourselves.

Open the browser. No matter what - Opera, Chrome, Mozilla, or any other one - the one you use. We need to enter the http address of the router interface control panel in the address bar. Typically this is http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1. If you see a message about authentication, it means you are already on the right track. Now, directly, login and password - enter into the login either the data from the bottom of the router, or admin or user, or leave an empty line. The password is identical, either data from the device, or also admin or user, or password, 1234, 0000, or - again - an empty line. One of the options will probably be correct. The most possible option is "admin:admin" or "user:user".

As soon as we logged into the web interface, we need to look for the word WAN in the menu. This is the basic setting. Here we select the type of connection (we don’t know - leave it as is or find out from the provider), register the IP address, subnet mask, gateways and other data that the provider provides you. If the data should be provided automatically, check the appropriate boxes. After setting, apply the parameters.

The second important setting is, of course, WiFi. Here we need to return to the main menu again and search for the keywords “WiFi”, “Wireless” or “Wireless network”.

Briefly on terms. SSID is the name of your router. It is displayed on any device that searches for routers in range.

Channel is the frequency at which your router operates. Here you should take the opportunity and switch the channel from the “auto” mode to any channel you like - from 1 to 14. It is recommended to choose from 6 to 14, but if you notice speed fluctuations or incorrect operation of the wireless network, you should change the channel to another. To analyze channels, there are also special utilities that display which channel has the most routers.

Authentication method - protecting your router. WPA/WPA2 is the most secure as it is password protected. The WPA key is precisely a means of protection - this very password.

You can also limit the number of clients in the router settings in order to limit unauthorized connections. Calculating this is quite simple: count all your equipment connected to this router, and also add a couple of slots for “random” devices (for example, guests will come to you who want to use your router). In this article, we looked at the basic minimum that is required to set up a router. If there is still something unclear to you, welcome to the comments. Good luck with your setup!