Networking 101, Courtesy of Linksys

I purchased the Linksys Wireless Router two years ago because I had a new laptop that had an internal wireless card. I wanted to be able to use my laptop anywhere in my house. I had a desktop also that I was going to connect the router to, which in turn my laptop would use that connection and become wireless.

Although I am not an expert in computers, I do rate myself as being at an intermediate level. I had some knowledge though and had confidence in myself that I could install this product.

I purchased the Linksys Wireless Router at Best Buy and I assume you can find this type of product at any electronic store. I paid at the time $75.00 but now I see that they are retailing for less, approximately $50.00-$60.00.

Included in the box are the following:

*Wireless-G Broadband Router
*Setup Wizard CD-ROM with Norton Internet Security
*User Guide on CD-ROM
*Power Adapter
*Network Cable
*Quick Installation
*Registration Card

Specifications (Listed On The Box):

*Model No. WRT54G
*Standards - IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b
*Ports/Buttons - Internet: One 10/100 RJ-45 Port for Cable/DSL Modem, Lan: Four 10/100 RJ-45 Switched Ports, Power Port, Reset Button
*LEDs - Power, DMZ, WLAN, LAN (1,2,3,4), Internet
*Power - External, 12V DC, 1 A
*Dimensions (W x H x D) - 7.31" x 1.88" x 6.16" (186mm x 48mm x 154mm)
*Weight - 1.06 lbs. (0.48 kg)

Minimum Requirements

*200 MHz or Faster Processor
*64 MB of RAM (Random Access Memory)
*Internet Explorer 5.5 or Netscape Navigator 4.7 or Higher for Web-based configuration
*CD-ROM Drive
*Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP
*Network Adapter

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Breaking It Down

1. (According to www.mobileburn.com): Mbps, with a lower case 'b', means "megabits per second", and is used to state the number of bits of data that can flow through a network connection, also known as bandwidth. MBps (capital 'B') refers to megabytes per second, and as such denotes the number of bytes of data that a connection can transfer per second.

This router, which is a Wireless-G has data rates up to 54Mbps while the other type, Wireless-B has data rates up to 11Mbps. From what I have read Wireless-G is good if you are going to be transferring large amounts of data from one computer to another in the network. Also that Wireless-B is less money than Wireless-G. You can also find out which one to use by checking what type of network card you have. The network card is what enables your computer to connect to another computer in the same network.

2. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. I had no idea what this was until I looked it up. This aspect of telecommunications seems very involved and while I pondered how to try and explain it, I myself could not put it into my own words. Therefore, you can actually do a search on www.wikipedia.org and read about this topic if you would like.

3. LAN, local area network. This one is very easy to explain. LAN is a group of computer together that share the same link. You will find this in an office, a school, or like the network I set up by using this router.

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Router In Front

The front of the router is blue and the rest of it is black. On the top it says Linksys Wireless-G 2.4 GHz Broadband Router. (The higher the GHz the faster it will work)

Toward the back there are 2 antennas that you fold up, the left one to the left and the right to the right. On the front you will notice several buttons.

*Power - when this is lit you know the router is turned on.

*DMZ - (According to www.searchsecurity.com): (demilitarized zone) is a computer host or small network inserted as a "neutral zone" between a company's private network and the outside public network. It prevents outside users from getting direct access to a server that has company data.

*WLAN - (Wireless Local Area Network) This will always stay lit. It is what you are using the router for, to network one computer to another.

*1,2,3,4 - These are the four available ports you have on your router. My laptop default port was 1 but I could have changed it to any of those numbers. This is determined by where you plug in the cable on the back of the router. If you plug it in 2, then the 2 will be lit up, plug in 3, then the 3 will be lit up, etc.

*Internet - when this is lit (and mine flickers) it shows that you have a connection to the internet.

Router In Back

*Reset - This is a reset button that will restore all connections to the factory installed options. You can press this in and hold for a few seconds to do this.

*Internet Port - This is where the cable from your modem goes and connects you to the internet.

*1,2,3,4 - These ports as explained before allow you to connect up to 4 computers to share the internet.

*Power - The AC Adapter plug goes here.

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Setting Up

Installing your Linksys Wireless Router to your main computer is very easy. All you need to do is put the installation disk in and follow the on-screen instructions. They will take you step by step and as long as you follow the instructions you should have no problems. This was the easiest part of everything because it is like you have someone there next to you helping you with each step to set up the router.

Once you install the router to your computer then it may get a little tricky. Although I do know some things about computers the whole part about encrypting your information seems to make me nervous. I know that you want to have security enabled so that no one else can access your data. You do this by creating a password, generating a key code, and choosing what level of encryption you want. Encryption is basically changing data so that when it is sent over the internet others cannot see it. That is why some websites you access have that security lock on the bottom. This means your information is being encrypted and is safe.

I actually have neighbors around me who have not set up this type of security and when I load my wireless network I can see theirs as well. This means that anyone can connect to their network. By taking these extra security measures, no one will be able to access your network without knowing your specific information. This specific information is what you need to input into the computer you are attaching to your network in order for it to work properly.

The Home Stretch

While all of this may sound difficult, it really is not. I was able to not only set up my network once, but I just did it recently again in my new home. I recommend when you are putting in and setting up your security information for the computer which the router is hooked up, to write everything down. The computer you are setting up to the network will need you to input all of the exact same information in order to work.

The Bright Side

If you have any problems at all you can go to www.linksys.com and they actually have online support. Within a few seconds you will be connected with a live technical support representative. I had to do this because I was setting up a new laptop and for some reason it was not connecting to the network. The representative guided me step by step on what to do. Never once did I feel pressured or rushed, they took their time and when all was said and done my network was up and running!

FYI

If at any time you want to view, change, or update your information for your network, in your browser just type 192.168.1.1

It will ask for Username and Password. Leave the Username blank and put the password in that you created when setting up your router. Everything there is explained as well however do not change anything that is already typed in unless you know exactly what you are doing.

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Summary

I feel confident that if you are trying to set up a home network the Linksys Wireless Router is what you are looking for. Just follow the instructions, everything is step by step. Don't forget that you also have the free online assistance should you need it. Your network will be running as well and you enjoy sharing pictures, music files, etc. from one computer in your home/office to another.