Generic Wireless Hardware Setup
Thanks to Malvagia for this submission.

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Wireless Router:

Physical Connections: The wireless router should have a plug for a power cord, a WAN port, and a switch. The power cord should be plugged into a known good outlet. The WAN port will usually be connected to the modem using straight-through patch cable. The switch may be used for connecting workstations, additional switches, etc. Most routers now have auto-sensing MDI/MDIX ports, so use of a cross-over cable is rarely needed.

Logging into Router: The settings for the router will most likely be accessible via a web-based interface. The default IP address of the router can be found in its manual. Enter this IP address into the address bar of a web browser to access the web based configuration. The default username and password should also be listed in the manual.

WAN Settings: One of the options in the router’s firmware should be for the WAN settings. These settings determine how the router will make a connection with the modem/internet. Most users will choose a Dynamic Connection, meaning that their IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS addresses will be supplied automatically by the ISP. The major distinction will be in whether the ISP is a DSL, Cable, or Satellite provider.

DSL: Most DSL connections use PPPoE. There should be an option for this in the WAN settings, which will allow the user to enter a username and password, for the DSL connection. Entering this information correctly is critical to establishing the connection with the internet, and is the most common error made in PPPoE setups. If any PPPoE software is installed on the workstations, it will need to be disabled or uninstalled, as it will conflict with the router’s settings. There may also be a setting under PPPoE for the MTU. The default MTU for PPPoE is 1492. This should be left alone for the most part, unless one or more workstations are exhibiting behaviors concurrent with a non-optimum MTU setting.

Cable: Most cable internet connections do not require any username or password. There are a few that require what is known as a C-Name or Host Name, but this is fairly uncommon. There should be a setting in the router’s WAN settings that will be labeled something along the lines of Cable, Dynamic, etc. Generally this is the default setting of the router. For this reason, many routers will work with a cable internet connection without configuring anything in the router at all. Some cable ISPs register a MAC address that is allowed to obtain an IP from its network. This is becoming more and more uncommon, but the most routers still allow for it. There should be an area where the user can input the MAC address that the ISP has registered (probably the MAC of the NIC in the computer that was last connected directly to the modem). This is referred to as Cloning or Spoofing the MAC address. For the most part, simply power cycling the modem for a sufficient amount of time should negate the need for cloning the MAC.

Satellite: Most satellite connections can be setup in the same fashion as a Cable connection. Some satellite ISPs also require a C-Name or MAC address.

The other type of WAN configuration, is a Static setup. In this scenario, the user must manually enter the IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS addresses, as provided by the ISP. If it is a DSL connection, a PPPoE username and password may also be required.

LAN Settings: The router should have another area in its firmware for the LAN settings. In this area, the user will be able to alter the default settings for IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway. This section may also include settings for DHCP. If the user wishes to have the router automatically assign IP addresses to the workstations, then DHCP should be enabled (usually the default setting).

Wireless Settings: A third area in the firmware should be devoted to the wireless settings. This will allow the user to set the SSID, Channel, and Encryption settings.

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by No_Strings edited by DrTCP
last modified: 2004-09-02 11:36:59