Wireless networks have become one of the greatest innovations in home computing, but if improperly setup they can be the cause of endless headaches and serious security problems. This guide will help you start off on the right foot and create a secured network that will provide infinite happiness*.

First things first, you must have a broadband Internet connection such as cable Internet or DSL to create a wireless network and a computer running Windows XP SP2 or newer. Some older machines can be used with the right hardware but typically aren’t worth the effort. Just about any broadband connection will do, but you will want to make sure it provides decent download rates if you will be using multiple computers on the network (anything greater then 1mbps DSL is sufficient in most cases.)

The next item on the list will be a sturdy wireless router. There are many opinions when it comes to brand and model, but as a general guideline you’ll do pretty well with a mid-to-upper range 802.11g router from any of the three major manufacturers, which are D-link, Linksys, and Netgear. Recently 802.11n routers have been taking over a lot of shelf space, but you’ll want to avoid the technology as it still hasn’t been officially accepted as a standard and you won’t see any benefits unless all of your wireless devices are N-compliant. In addition to the extra cost 802.11n routers have proven to be unstable unless you purchase just the right one. If you have newer machines and want to give an 802.11n router a chance you can’t go wrong with any of the D-link routers or the Linksys WRT160N and WRT310N.

Once you have a router the only other piece of equipment you may need are wireless adapters for any computers you want to run that don’t already have the hardware built-in. Just about any laptop built in the last four years should already come properly equipped and your router should have four or more Ethernet ports in the back that wired equipment can utilize. USB wireless adapters are preferred but some older machines that don’t have USB 2.0 ports may have trouble keeping up with them.

Now that you have all of the hardware you need it’s time to wire everything up and secure the router. First things first, take the router setup CD that was lurking in the box, break it, than discard it. Your typical setup disc is nothing but trouble.

1. Disconnect your broadband connection from the computer it is currently connected to (if it’s a new connection and hasn’t been setup yet, make sure to connect it to a computer first and follow the ISP’s setup instructions first,) than connect it to the WAN port on your router.
2. Run the Ethernet cable included with the router from one of the LAN ports on the back of the device to the computer’s Ethernet port.
3. Unplug the power from the Internet device and router, then reconnect the router’s power, wait for the power indicator to stop blinking, than reconnect the Internet device’s power.
4. Reboot the computer and verify that you can browse the Internet. If web pages are inaccessible you may need to perform steps 3 & 4 again or your ISP may require special attention.

This is the point where most people stop, but we need to soldier on and make sure the neighbors can’t mooch off you and that none of your data falls into the wrong hands. Before continuing you’ll need to come up with a network name that is easy to remember, but not anything too personal like a favored password or your last name as it will be broadcast from the router and can be seen by anyone in your area with a wireless device. You’ll also need to come up with a password which needs to be between 8 and 63 characters (numbers and/or letters.) This information is case sensitive.

5. With the computer connected to the router press the Windows Key + R, than type in “cmd” and press enter. In the command window that pops up, type in “ipconfig”, press enter again, than write down the number listed after the “Default Gateway” (it will be something like 192.168.1.1.) If using a Mac to setup the router you’ll need to click on the magnifying glass in the upper-right of the screen, type in “network utility”, than click on the radar-looking thing. A window should appear that will display the Gateway’s address (you may need to go through each entry in the Interface drop-box before you find the right one.)
6. On the same computer open up a browser window (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc.,) than type the default gateway address into the address bar and press enter. You may be prompted for a username and password which should be listed in the router’s documentation.
7. Once the password is entered you’ll be taken to the router’s configuration page. Decline any invitations to have the router configure itself or choose to perform an advanced configuration if it prompts. Some routers like to update their operating software when you first login and you’ll want to allow the process to finish before we change any settings.
8. Look for the wireless settings section on the router’s interface and click on the button or link. This should bring you to a screen that has a box for the SSID or network name as well as some options for wireless security. Enter the name that you wrote down earlier, then click the Ok or Apply button to commit the changes.
9. If the configuration page you’re currently on has a section for wireless security, than you can proceed, otherwise look on the Interface for a link to click to get to the wireless security page. Here you’ll be able to choose the type of encryption you want as well as the key. WPA should be the minimum level you select, WPA2 is a tad more secure but not supported on older equipment.

   Choose the level of security you wish to go with, than enter your key into the proper field (this is a case sensitive item) and hit the Ok or Apply button to commit the changes.

10. Search for a section in the router’s configuration where you can change the admin password for the device (usually under “Administration” or something similar.) You’ll want to create something reasonably strong, I’d say five characters or more. This password will replace whatever you had to enter to access the router initially (on Linksys routers you’ll also have to start entering “admin” in the username box.)

That’s it! Power cycle all of the equipment (remember step 4?) than try to access the Internet. If you can’t reach the Internet you may need to power cycle the equipment a few more times until it finally picks up (especially with cable Internet service.) Once the Internet is reachable you can pull the Ethernet cable from the computer if it will be used wirelessly, than reboot all of the computers in the home. Once the computers are active again connect each one to the network (see the stub to the right) and check that you can browse the Internet.

*infinite happiness not guaranteed.