How do I set up my wired/wireless network?

Setting up network is complex. Setting up wireless is more complex. And then security adds more complextiy still. It is possible to do it "all in one shot." However doing so will make it nearly impossible to identify where the installation went wrong. Instead, my recommendation is to do this a step at a time, performing each step on the web page that manages your router and on the configuraion utility on PC. After step 2, ensure that you still have a connection, then move on to the next step.

And, whether you are working on a wired or wireless network, it is recommended that you configure the router while using a wired connection

If you have DSL/PPPoE, ensure that you have your logon information before you start.

1. Download and install the latest firmware for the router from the manufacturer's website
2. Download and install the latest drivers and configuration utilty for your PC from the manufacturer's website Wired and Wireless. For wireless do not use the Windows WZC (Wireless Zero Configuration) Utility. It has many known problems, including inability to see connections and dropping connections
3. Perform a hard reset (typically by pressing and holding a pin/button on the back of the router) to reset the router to factory configuration.
4. (Wireless only) Remove any configuration of your wireless card on the PC, if the card was previously configured
5. (Wireless only) If you have a multi-mode router (b,g, pre-N), make sure your router is set to support the right networks. (Some of these routers (e.g.Linksys) can be set for specific networks. For example, if you have both b and g devices, you must set the router to "mixed mode" for both to connect)

Once you have done this, you should access your router's web page to

6. Change your routers password
7. Configure your network connection type. For DSL, you typically need to set it as PPPoE, and then enter your logon/password information. For cable modem, you typically needs to set it to DHCP. No logon or password is required. (DHCP for cable modem is usually the default)
8. Enable IPSec Passthrough if you need to connect to a VPN at the office
9. (Wireless only) Set SSID to your desired setting on router (not the default) and laptops/PCs and verify connectivity to the internet from each laptop / PC Required for wireless only
10. (Wireless only) Set WEP/WPA/WPA2 and verify connectivity (WEP/WPA/WPA2 should be set to something different than the SSID) (Longer is better, less obvious is better) Required for wireless only See security note below
11. (Wireless only) (Optional depending on how paranoid you are) Set MAC filtering and verify
12. (Optional if hosting games) Configure DMZ


Note: Routers now frequently come with autoconfiguration setup software. While there is nothing wrong with this software, you should be aware that this software often does not support non standard configuations (e.g. LAN only, no internet) or all capabilities. (e.g. MAC ID filtering). If your needs extend beyond what the autoconfiguration tool supports, then perform a manual configuration by accessing your router's web page

Security noteOnly WPA/WPA2 is not easily hacked. Any other type of security should only be viewed as enough to stop casual eavesdropping. If you use WEP you should expect that if someone wants your data, that they can get it.

See further discussion in the post about Is wireless safe

Strong Password Note: Make sure you use a strong password. This is a good site for securely generating a strong randon password

I'm connecting to the wrong wireless network
Question : My wirelesss connection shows strong and then every few minutes it drops theconnection and connects me to another wireless network in my building. How do I just lock on to my network and not allow my system to look for other networks?

Answer Shamelessly adpated from DragonsLore
You need to configure your PC so that it does not automatically connect to any network. This could be through the wireless card's own software, or through Window XP's wireless management software.

For WinXP's software which you should not use , right click on your wireless network connection and select "View avaialble networks.

If you have not installed XP_SP2

• Click on the "Advanced" button.
  You see a dialog box with two windows and three tabs.
  Near the bottom right of the first tab, you will see a button marked "Advanced"
  
• Click on this, then make sure the top radio button is selected and the box which says "Automatically connect to any network" is Unchecked
  
• Then click Ok and on the first tab, in the bottom window, arrange the visable networks so your router is the very top in the list.
  
• Click Ok and you should be all set.
  
  If you have XP_SP2 Installed
  
  
• On the left side where it says "Related Tasks," click on "Change Advanced settings"
  A dialog box will pop up with three tabs.
  
• Select the second tab marked "Wireless Networks"
  Near the bottom right of the first tab, you will see a button marked "Advanced"
  
• Click on this, then make sure the top radio button is selected and the box which says "Automatically connect to any network" is Unchecked
  
• Then click Ok, then in the avaiable networks list, arrange the visable networks so your router is the very top in the list.
  
• Click Ok and you should be all set.

My file and print sharing no longer works - and it used to
Perhaps you bought a new router. You have internet access, but I can no longer share files or printers. Here's hot to fix this.

Chances are that you have firewall software on each PC that needs to be reconfigured.

Here's why the IP addresses that your new router assigns dynamically are likely different than the range of addresses your old router assigned.

For example, your old router may have assigned addresses beginning with 192.168.1.100, while your new router may assign addresses beginning with 192.168.2.1 All perfectly OK, and there will be no problem with your internet access.

If you have a software firewall installed on your PC, then you would have previously configured your firewall on each PC to "trust" PCs in the old range.

The solution is to change the software firewall to trust PCs in the new range.

Check the IP address assignments that your router hands out and follow the instructions for your particular firewall to configure the firewall

My wireless network does not reach far enough. What can I do?

1. Relocate the wireless router to a central and/or higher location. Or if your router is on a lower floor, try turning the router upside down. (Routers tend to broadcast their signals out and down, so if you have yours in the basement, the floors above are receiving little signal. Flipping it over can help)
2. Use wireless range extender
3. Add an external antenna
4. Install a Wireless repeater
5. If the option is available in your router, then increase power
6. If a Linksys router, upgrade with third party firmware from Sveasoft's Opensource firmware or HyperWRTthat allows you to boost power. HyperWRT is simpler to use, but has fewer other options
7. Install a remote access point, connected via wired ethernet to the distant router
8. Install a Wireless router and turn off DHCP. Then connect via wired ethernet to the main router.Do not use the WAN port for the uplink in this situation. Only use the LAN ports and the wireless capability
9. Replace router with and 802.11 pre-N router, which is reported to extend range, even when working with legacy b and g devices
10. If you have Wifi router that supports WDS Bridging (Belkin, Buffalo, Linksys) then you can buy another of the same Router, and follow the directions from the manufacturer to turn on Bridging. Leave the box "do not allow clients to connect" unchecked and your routers will talk wirelessly and extend (double?) the range of your existing network. More detail's about bridging the Belkin Wireless Wifi Router 7230-4 F5D7230-4 can be found in wfay's thread (Some people have reported success in bridging Linksys and Belkin routers)

Here's one post on how to successfully bridge a Linksys and Belkin router


By the way,here's what NetGear has to say

How do I check my IP address?

How do get a refresh of the IP address without rebooting?

My IP address starts with 169. What does this mean? How do I get a real one?

You can check your IP address with the Winipcfg command (Windows 98) or the Ipconfig command (Windows NT, 2000, XP) as follows

IP numbers that begin with 192 and 169. Please post the whole set of digits. No one can do anything with the data

Winipcfg

Winipcfg is a network utility available in the Windows9X operating systems. You can use winipcfg to display IP configuration information (including IP address, Gateway, and DNS address.
To use winipcfg from within Windows:

1. Select the Start button on the Task Bar.
2. Select Run.
3. Type winipcfg.
4. The IP Configuration window will be displayed. This displays the IP address and Gateway information.
5. You may need to select the right network adapator in the drop down list
6. Select the More Info>> button to display more information. This displays the DNS server address.
7. Select OK to close the IP Configuration window.

To refresh the IP address without rebooting, press the release button. Then press the renew button

Ipconfig
To use ipconfig from within Windows:

1. Select the Start button on the Task Bar.
2. Select Run.
3. Type cmd.exe.
4. When the DOS command prompt window opens,Type ipconfig.
5. This will display basic IP configuration information. For more options, type ipconfig /?.

To refresh the IP address without rebooting, type ipconfig /release. Then type ipconfig /renew


I am getting an IP address that of the form 169.x.x.x and cannot connect to the internet

Your computer is not getting an IP address from the router (if you have one) or your broadband company (DSL /Cable). As your computer requires an IP address, it then "makes one up" and assigns one to itself.

Here's more information on the "169" problem

See the first post in this thread for troubleshooting tips

Is wireless safe? What should I worry about?

With a strong password, WPA can be viewed as secure. WEP should only be viewed as enough to stop casual eavesdropping. If you use WEP you should expect that if someone wants your data, that they can get it.

WPA is, for all practical purposes, unbreakable. It, like other security does have an exposure - brute force dictionary attacks. i.e. just keep picking passwords and trying them.

To prevent this, choose a strong password. Steve Gibson's password generator site is an ideal place to get a randon password https://www.grc.com/passwords Its one time generation, and is as close to random and strong as anything that can be generated. Because it relies on SSL encryption, the password it serves will be delivered securely to you, even over an otherwise insecure connection

And, because it prevents akami and other services from caching it, no one, even if you generated it over a public computer, can even see what you got once you close the web page, navigate to another site or refresh

If you use your wireless network at home, or at the office, and it is set up as discussed earlier (WPA security; router password; unique SSID ) then you can consider wireless safe enough for financial transactions.

However, when connecting to an unknown access point or a public hot spot, you should only consider information secure if you are using corporate VPN security which sets up a secure end-to-end tunnel

Absent VPN tunnels, from a public hot spot, or unknown access point, do not perform any financial transactions. Do not access anything that requires a password that you would not freely hand out on the street

Even secure websites (those with the little "key / locked" icon) are vulnerable to attacks. For example a Man-In-The-Middle attack coupled with an Evil Twin Access Point can compromise even otherwise secure websites

I took my laptop away for a few days, and when I came back Ihave internet connection but can't share files or printers

In all likelihood, one or both of the following holds true

1. You have software firewalls installed on your PCs and your router is handing out DHCP addresses. In this case, when you reconnect, the router hands out an IP address outside of the "trusted zone." The software firewall then blocks the connection

Solutions: Temporarily disable the software firewall to verify the problem /solution. Then either (a) expand the IP range of the software firewall to match the DHCP assignment range of the router, or restrict the DHCP range of the router to match the software firewall "safe" IP addresses. Reboot and you're good to go

2. You are using the Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Utility (WZC). This has many known problems

Solution: Download and install the latest version of the wireless configuration utility from your wireless NIC card supplier. Use that utility instead of WZC

Compatability: Does the network device I buy have to be the same brand? What about my broadband modem?

a, b, g, n, pre-N: Which do I want?

All network devices that are built to standards are compatable - so when this is true you don't have to worry about brand. And the devices are often backward compatable.

For wired devices. 10/100/1000 baseT wired ethernet devices are compatable/ backward compatable, regardless of brand

For wireless devices

• 802.11a devices are compatable, regardless of brand, and run at 54M
  
• 802.11b devices are compatable, regardless of brand, and run at 10M
  
• 802.11g devices are compatable, regardless of brand,and are backward compatable to all brands of 802.11b hardware, and run at 54M
  
• 802.11 "super g" devices have not yet had their standards finalized and will only work at "super g" speeds (108M) with other "super g" devices of the same brand. However, regardless of brand, they are backward compatable to all brands of 802.11b/g hardware
  
• 802.11 "pre-N" devices have not yet had their standards finalized and will only work at "pre-N" 54M speeds with other "pre-N" devices of the same brand. However, regardless of brand, they are backward compatable to all brands of 802.11b/g hardware
  
  Pre-N devices, due to the use of MIMO (Multiple Input/Mutliple Output Antennas) improve range. This has been benchmarked by a number of independent evaluation sites. This is true even with a pre-N router and legacy b and g devices.
  
  The "bridging" capability (See post about extending range) is not yet standards based and is only guaranteed to work within brand. However, people have reported success in getting Linksys and Belkin devices to successfully bridge with each other. Note that in bridge mode, many vendors only support WEP security, not WPA or WPA 2
  
  Note that when you mix brands, the vendor provided installation wizards are less functional. All vendors, however, support manual configuration
  
  The wired ports on any wireless devices are completely standards based and are compatable with any other wired ethernet device
  

  ---

  
  For Broadband modems
  
  

• Cable modems are standards based, and any brand should work. However your cable company will need to know the MAC address of the cable modem in order for you to pass their security authentication and be allowed to connect
  
  
• DSL modems, on the other hand, are not standards based (on the uplink port). Therefore, you must check with your provider if you want to change modems. (The downlink port that you connect to your own computer/network is ethernet 10base T standards based

Thanks Ellory... very useful info

Now that's motivation. Good work!