Internet access is a crucial part of most people’s everyday lives. Whether it is used to look up directions to a business or for performing at-home work duties, nearly everyone in the U.S. requires an Internet connection. The first step in acquiring access to the Internet is to find the best Internet service provider (ISP) in your area. To do this, sufficient background research must be done on the companies you are considering. If you neglect this step, it could come back to bite you. Another course of action that must be taken is setting up your WiFi network. Don’t know how? No worries! We are here to tell you.
Oftentimes, ISPs will assist their customers in this process if needed, but if you are stubborn or just want to learn how to do it yourself, we’ve got you covered. You’ll first need to purchase a wireless router. A wireless router is used to transmit WiFi signals coming from the modem to all the devices that possess a connection to the Internet. There are two different ways you can obtain a wireless router. You can either rent one from your service provider or purchase one.
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Once you’ve got your router, it must now be installed. If you have rented or bought a router from your ISP, they will likely come to install it for you, sometimes for no fee at all, but if you want to do it yourself or don’t want to pay a fee, you need to take the next steps. Locate your modem and connect an ethernet cable to each device, then plug in the router’s power cable to start it up. The next step requires some patience. Wait up to two minutes to ensure the lights on the router are operating properly.
After the router is up and running, it needs to be configured to match the name and password of the network being used. Open the web browser on your computer and enter the default IP address of your router. When you receive your router, it should come with instructions on how to do this. After entering the address, a sign-in page will appear in which you will enter the router’s default username and password. These will be found in the instructions. Once you’ve entered the sign-in information, the router’s settings will open, and from there, you can create the username of your network and your password and choose encryption. Be sure to press “save” after completing these steps.
You have just successfully installed your router and configured it for use. Congratulations, you have an Internet connection. Open the settings on the device of your choice and choose the WiFi network that matches your router’s new username. This will prompt you to enter the password you came up with, and once you’ve done that, you will be able to access the Internet.