How to Set Up a Wireless Network with Your Roommates

If you are tired of having cables running all over your apartment, consider setting up a wireless network. These days, this is quite easy because wireless networks are so prominent. Many Internet service providers give you a modem that is also a wireless router.  Try calling them and asking to trade in your older modem. Alternately, you can buy a router for $30. Also, be sure that all your roommates’ computers have wireless capability. If they do not, a wireless card can be purchased. Making the investment is the difficult part, but it will make life much easier and your apartment look cleaner.

Think about the Community

Consider the layout of your apartment. Ideally, every room should be able to receive signal from the wireless router. Try and place it in a central location. This may require some additional cabling from the wall to the modem, but it is better than risking a roommate conflict.  Now you can begin setting up the router.

Setting up the Hardware

First, you will need to unplug everything from your modem. Since you will temporarily not have Internet, it may be a good idea to stop and print this page. Once everything is disconnected, unplug the power supply from the modem.  There should be a short cable that came with your wireless router. Plug one end into the “signal out” port on the modem and the other end into the “signal in” port on the router. Now power up the modem. Give it about 30 seconds to connect to the Internet, then power up the wireless router. On the router, the light called “LAN” will indicate that signal is coming through. Time to program your network.

Maintaining Security

There should be a port on the back of the wireless router for you to connect your computer to. It may seem to defeat the point of having a wireless router, but you need this to properly set up your device. As is, your computer is picking up an unsecured wireless network that is probably named after whoever made the router. It will work, but it leaves your network open to anyone who wants to use it. Not only is this likely to slow down your connection, but it is also a potential security risk. So, connect the router to your computer with a hard line. You should have gotten some access codes with the router. When you open your browser, the page will ask you to enter this information.  Here, you can change the name of your network, create a password for the network, and create a password for the administrator. Make sure your network’s password is something that all your roommates can remember. The administrator’s password can be your secret.  Save all your settings and unplug the wire running from your computer to your router.

Your computer should now be detecting a secure network with a unique name. Share the information with your roommates and pack up all those wires that were cluttering your hallways.