Wireless router help

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Goddess
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Wireless router help

Post by Goddess »

The Numpty Pants are well and truly on!

Basically I need to know how I go about opening up the wireless on my router so my mum can tune in her laptop to it.

I know how to access the control panel of my router - but from then on it's just a mystery. And what will I have to do on the laptop to find the network??

Can anyone spell it out in basic language what I'm looking for and a rough outline of the order I do it!

Ta muchly!


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Post by Ebikatsu »

Oh bloody hell hubby's not here right now :evil:

Don't you go to your mum's laptop and click applications and then internet settings and choose wireless and then you will see it detecting the signal and a little icon will light up in the bottom right corner beside the time?
We have Linux so I think it should be similar.

When I think about it when we are in Mac D the laptop just pop's up saying it has detected a WiFi and do we want to connect.
Doesn't your mum's do the same if she has the WiFi switched on to detect a source?
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Post by Horus »

Goddess, your router is in all probability belting out a wireless signal as we speak. Do you use a wireless link yourself or do you have an Ethernet cable plugged in between the router and your PC?

Either way, no problem, the easyest way is when your mum arrives, set up her laptop within a few yards of your router (move it away after you have made a connection) and switch it on. Now look on the side of your router to find a SSID number usually on the side or base, you may also see a 'Network Key' number. Let us imagine that you are on a UK 'SKY' provider, then the number would look something like 'SKY99356' (no not mine :lol: )

Look on the task bar on your mums laptop and you should see a symbol that looks like a series of vertical bars (icon may vary) It will usually tell you that it is the 'Wireless Network Connection' if you hover your mouse pointer over the icons at the bottom right of the screen.

Left click on the icon and a pop up menu should appear. At the top it should say that you are not currently connected, below that heading you should see the words 'Wireless Network Connection' or something similar.
If there is a small chevron type arrow along side this, give it a click as it often shows available networks that are not already visible. Below this you should see a list of any networks that the PC is picking up. You may see quite a few or just your own depending on the amount of people with routers near to you.

If your own router is sending out wireless signals then it should be booming in and show up as the strongest signal, usually showing a signal strength of around five vertical bars. Your own signal will be identified as the same number that is on the side of your router, so in the example I gave you would see 'SKY99356' showing in the list.

If you now left click on the one that you think is your signal ('SKY99356' ) you should get an option to 'Connect' Click this option and when asked for the 'Network Key' type in the other numbers/letters on the side of your router, example 'BNGTESDK'. That should then be it :) and the pop up menu will say something like 'SKY99356 Connected' and a signal strength bar should be visible with very high signal strength of say five bars.
You may now move the laptop away from your router into another room or elsewhere and check how well the signal holds up, you should be able to move all around your flat without losing the signal.

Remember that once you have set the 'Network Key' for your mum to use your internet, you do not need to do it again unless you chose the disconnect option on her laptop, best do this before she goes home.

Now two points, if you go through this proceedure , but do not have to enter a 'Network Key' to connect your mums laptop, then your network is open for anyone to use :( and you should check your settings on the router. Second, if you still have problems then you could always plug another Ethernet cable between your router and her laptop.
Hope this helps :D
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Post by Goddess »

Cripey!

Thanks for all the above. Mines running on an ethernet cable at the mo, and when the man helped me to first install it, he told me he turned the wireless off for now as I didn't need it. That was a couple of years ago though - and I forgot what he said to do to turn it on and get it going again!

When I'm doing it, I'll come back and open up this page again - so be prepared - something is bound to go wrong! :roll:
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Post by Horus »

Goddess, you did not say what he had turned off, was it the connection on your PC or the router wireless settings?

If it is turned off in the router settings then you will need to access it as follows:
If you are using XP then go to 'Start' then 'Run' and type in the word "cmd" without the quotes.
At the next DOS window, type the word "ipconfig" again without the quotes, then press 'Enter' (Type this where you see the cursor flashing)
You should now see a list of numbers, look at the one after the words 'Default Gateway' it should look something like 196.163.1.26 (not an actual number). Make a note of this number with the dots in the right places. This is your IP Adress and you may need it.

If you are using Vista, click the swirly globe icon bottom left. Now type the same word in the box above it, it will also appear in the main menu box above that one. Now double left click on the word "cmd" in the top box, again a DOS window will appear. As in XP type in the word 'ipconfig' and press enter. You will see the same lines of numbers as in XP, again you should note down the 'Default Gateway' number.

To access your IP address, open up a web page and type in the following: http://196.163.?.? (Your own number)
This should open up a signing in window that will ask for your 'Username' & 'Password' You will need to know what these are.
Here is a tip: most of these have a user name of 'blank' (nothing has been entered) and a password of 'Admin' unless they have been changed.
Once you are in, you should see an option for 'Wireless' look in this section to see if it has the word 'Enabled' if not change it. Save the options and come out of the setup.
Be very careful not to go changing anything that you are not sure about, you should only have to change the wireless 'Disabled' 'Enabled' option.

Hope this helps. :)
Last edited by Horus on Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Goddess »

Horus wrote:Goddess, you did not say what he had turned off, was it the connection on your PC or the router wireless settings?



To access your IP address, open up a web page and type in the following: http://196.163.?.? (Your own number)
This should open up a signing in window that will ask for your 'Username' & 'Password' You will need to know what these are.
Here is a tip: most of these have a user name of 'blank' (nothing has been entered) and a password of 'Admin' unless they have been changed.
Once you are in, you should see an option for 'Wireless' look in this section to see if it has the word 'Enabled' if not change it. Save the options and come out of the setup.
Be very careful not to go changing anything that you are not sure about, you should only have to change the wireless 'Disabled' 'Enabled' option.

Hope this helps. :)
That bottom bit I know how to do (he made me write the IP number down and stick it to the PC) - I assume the top bit of info was to find out the bottom bit? So I assume I could just start from the bit I quoted of you?
When it was all installed it was all done over the phone with Mr technician and Goddess Numpty in charge of the keyboard :mrgreen:
(Yup! Surprised me too that they hadn't heard of my infamy and banned me from accessing such things as control panels!)

So when it was installed he had me access the bit you talk about and he asked if I wanted the wireless on or off, I said off but can't for the life of me remember what I clicked.

So I just accessed that bit again, found wireless, clicked enable and the WLAN light is now illuminated on the router - so I assume this means I'm good to go? I didn't change any other settings though, so will turn it off again for now until Mum arrives here so I can see if it's secured or not when I check for a link on hers.

Thanks H - you're a little gem!
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Post by Horus »

Great :br: methinks that you are less of a Numpty than you make out ;)
From what you say, I would think that you are ready to go when your mum arrives. Do you have a friend that has a laptop they could bring to your house and get them to search for your wireless signal? If they detect it and they are unable to log on to it without you actually giving them the Network Key, then you are OK security wise. You may even want to give them the Network Key so that they can check that your internet works wireless OK on their PC. Just make sure that you see them disconnect it again before they go home, unless of course they live a long way from you or are very trustworthy.
In answer to your question, yes the 'cmd' & 'ipconfig' were just a way of getting the IP Address that you had already written down (not everyone knows their address)
So the only things you will now need are the SSID code on the side of your router (to identify your own router) and the 'Network Key' code to enter into your mums laptop to give her access.
Anyway glad I could be of some help :)
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Post by Goddess »

;)) Don't go letting all these folk know I ain't really a Numpty!! I'm quite comfy hiding in my disguise!

(PS - Looked over, under and sideways at my router and I don't see an SSID number anywhere on it! We'll come back to that later should it prove to be important!)

Thanks H - Mum arrives tomorrow so I can blind her with science and check it all out then.
:hug:
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Post by BBLUX »

3 Days and our Goddess has not been back here.
Let's hope she is enjoying her mum's visit and has not broken her router. :)
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Post by Hurghadapat »

But why does her mum need to bring lap top when Goddess has PC could she not use her daughters. When my sons came to visit me in Egypt they always used my laptop with no problem at all. :D
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Post by Horus »

BBLUX wrote:3 Days and our Goddess has not been back here.
Let's hope she is enjoying her mum's visit and has not broken her router. :)
Me too Barry :) the last time I gave anyone instructions it was JoJo on how to bleed a radiator :) and she finished up sticking a screwdriver through her water pipes (god knows how, just don't ask :lol: ) but she finished up blaming me for that if you remember :roll:
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Post by Goddess »

:snig:

Actually Horus - We're all wired up wonderfully! (or in mum's case - unwired!)
Worked a treat and I didn't break nothing - honest! I've even password protected it (only for the reason that when I began poking about I discovered 6 unsecured Networks in my area)

But as usual - then the phone lines went down. Got internet back today but no sign of the phone springing into life yet - so figure that one out!

I'll be back soon, just trying to get everything settled down a tad and got a lot on this week.

Thanks for the advice H, would probably have been a right disaster without it!
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Post by Horus »

:Phew: You don't know how glad I am to hear that :) I had visions of you with your router in bits :lol:
What did I tell you about unsecured networks? ;) Anyway you can always log onto one of them if your own internet goes down, they won't know, the only thing they will be aware of is a slower service :P Anyway glad all is OK and hope that you and your mum are having a good time shopping and chatting.
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