Connecting a Wi-Fi router to your PC

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How to connect the Internet from a router to a computer (laptop) via a network cable?

Many articles have been written about connecting to the Internet over a wireless network. Instructions on how to connect, how to solve different problems, errors, etc. д. And in this article we will take a look at how to connect the router to the PC with a network cable, which usually comes with the router. It is a lot easier with a cable connection than with Wi-Fi. But in spite of this, sometimes there are issues with the connection to the router with a network cable (LAN).

All we need is the network cable itself, with which we will connect the computer to the router. This is a normal twisted pair, with RJ-45 connectors on both sides. Such a cable must be included with your router. True, it is short (depending on the router manufacturer). If you need a long cable, you can have one made at a computer store. You can do it yourself but you need a special tool. There are plenty of instructions on the Internet.

As a rule, you can connect 4 devices to your router with a network cable. Exactly 4 LAN connectors you will most likely find on your router. In some cases, the LAN connector may be 1, or 8. It does not matter what version of Windows you have on your computer. The instructions will work for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. It is exactly the same in Windows XP but the IP settings will be slightly different.

The question of how to connect a wi-fi router to the computer is asked by users when they want to use internet throughout the apartment and have free access to the wi-fi network from several devices. In addition, you need to know how many computers you will be able to connect.

Installing and connecting a router. a simple process, which, however, requires careful compliance with the algorithm of actions.

Installing a router can be done in two ways:

The second way is less preferable. In order to make the connection you need three main components:

connecting, wi-fi, router, your

Before you buy a router, it is recommended to study the parameters of your own computers and other devices, because not all routers are compatible with any computer. And the older is the laptop and / or software, the harder it is to find a compatible router.

Some of the most universal routers are Asus routers. ZyXEL has pretty good characteristics, too. Also, before buying, check the signal range of the device.

If you need wi-fi router only for the Internet access from a phone or tablet at home, then you are happy with inexpensive router models designed for 4-6 devices.

However, still pay attention to how many computers can be connected to the network at the same time.

Connect the router with a twisted pair is easy enough, but with such a connection greatly complicates its operation.

In particular, you will not be able to move the computer more than a certain distance away from it. And that is why this option is not applicable to laptops. But it might be a good solution if you have a desktop computer.

This connection to wi-fi and has advantages. For example, it is believed that this way the Internet gives less glitches when working.

  • First connect an Internet cable to the router. Find the WAN port on the back of the device and plug the cable into it. Then take the network wire and connect it to the router’s Ethernet port, and the other end to the appropriate port on your computer.

Entering the IP address of the device into the address bar

Once the IP is prescribed, the setup program will ask you to enter your login and password. Then you can change the password for convenience. After that opens the main menu of wired network settings.

Important! If you are using a wired connection, then pay attention to the number of connectors in the router. As many computers as you can connect to the device.

In case you intend to connect your wi-fi router wirelessly, you will have to configure the connection in two steps. The first of these is the actual settings, and the second is working on network security.

  • In the router menu, go to the “Wi-Fi” tab, and there you will find a tab called “Manual Configuration. The names of the tabs may differ depending on the type of the router, but their meaning is usually obvious.
  • In the main settings, find the SSID field. In it we write the name of the network. This is the name you will see, connect the internet from any device. Set the correct region in which the wi-fi network will work. Next, you need to select a channel for transmitting data. Better to keep the one you originally had. But with time it can be changed if there are problems with access to the Internet.
  • Choose your wi-fi standards. It is reasonable to leave mixed, set by default. Now choose how many users the network can connect to several computers at the same time. If you do not want to limit the number of users, select “0”.
  • Go to the Security tab or Security Settings. In the box at the top select the type of security. WPA2-PSK will work. Write your password in the “Key” field. These measures will protect you from hacking and from hackers using the Internet at someone else’s expense. Only those who know the password can connect to the network.

Wireless security setup

The advantage of this method is that you can surf the net in your entire apartment. And, in addition, only with this type of network it is possible to connect a second, third and more computers that are far away from the device.

A wired network is a bit easier to connect, it doesn’t require so much extra work with security settings as it does with data entry, which you don’t always have on hand. Go to the “Network” tab in the router menu, and from there go to the “Connections” tab.

Fill in the blank fields, if any. If all fields are filled in, confirm your choice.

Go to the “IP Settings” tab. Here you must specify the LAN network address and subnet mask. These data should be spelled out in the service provider’s contract. However, sometimes these data are not specified. In this case you can call the customer support of your provider.

They will have to tell you this information. Confirm your choice by pressing the “Save” or “OK.

Wired network, although more secure, but not very convenient and does not allow you to connect to the Internet on a second or even multiple computers. Nevertheless, the choice of type of connection depends solely on the needs of the user.

In order to connect the router to the computer you need to connect a blue cable into one of the four blue sections. In the computer settings you can configure the connection in the Network and Sharing Center.

What is the difference between a WAN and a LAN connection on a router?

Straight away arises a logical question. what is the difference between WAN and LAN ports on the router, if in the one and the other made the connection cable RJ-45? LAN connectors, as opposed to WAN, are designed for connecting other devices. computers, laptops, printers, IP cameras and so on. to the local network via cable.

  • Into the WAN goes the cable that was pulled into the apartment by the provider to supply the Internet to the router itself
  • To the LAN. a wire from another device that must be connected to the Internet and local network

As I said before, many of them don’t have a wireless wireless adapter (WI-FI 802.11ac or 802.11n), and they can only be connected to the internet with a network cable. That’s why there are often more LAN ports than WAN ports. usually between 2 and 4.

Also the speed of the Internet may vary. For example, inexpensive models of routers Internet speed through WAN will be limited to 100 mbps, while the local network (on LAN) can be gigabit, that is up to 1 Gbit / c.

The same applies to Wireless LAN, where the speed depends on the frequency range. At 2.4 GHz (WI-FI standard 802.11n) is usually limited to 150 or 300 mbps, and at 5 GHz (802.11ac) can reach up to 900 mbps and higher.

How to connect a router to a computer or laptop via cable

The easiest type of connection, which is where you start to set up your wireless network and other router settings, is to connect the router and your computer with a special cable. To establish a connection you only need to insert the connecting wire with RJ-45 connectors in the network card of your computer and a distributing port of the router. After this procedure, the connection will be established automatically and almost instantly.

To connect directly to the router, connect your computer’s network card to the router‘s switch port

The main thing to remember: the cable connecting to the computer must be plugged into the group of distribution sockets, not into the receiving one. If this condition is not met, no connection will take place, because the router will consider the PC as a provider’s server and expect a packet data transfer from it.

Checking the connection

  • Open any web browser, such as Chrome or Yandex.
  • Type http://192 in the address bar.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1
  • After entering the settings, the authorization window will open (login. admin and password. admin).

If the window for entering the login and password of the admin panel did not open, read the following section. Detailed authorization parameters, necessary for the settings can be found on the sticker on the body of the Wi-Fi router. It looks something like this:

Troubleshooting

Lights are not on when turning on the Wi-Fi router to the network.

Cause: Power button on the back of the router is off. Software failure occurred (firmware flash is lost). Failure due to power surge, lightning, etc.д.

Solution: Verify that the on/off button on the back panel is depressed. Reset the router by pressing the “Reset” button on the back with a paperclip, needle or toothpick. If not, replace or repair router.

Cannot access the Wi-Fi router settings, can’t open the admin panel in the browser.

Cause: The cable is plugged into the wrong ports. Ethernet cable is damaged. Computer network card is not working or not properly configured.

Solution: Plug cable into different ports and try to log in again. Replace the cable with the other one. Change network card settings or try to connect to another computer.

Wireless connection

In case you intend to connect your wi-fi router wirelessly, you will have to configure the connection in two steps.

The first is the actual settings, and the second is to work on network security.

  • In the menu of the router open the tab “Wi-Fi“, and there you will find the tab with the name “Manual settings”. The names of the tabs may vary depending on the type of router, but their meaning is usually obvious.
  • In the main settings find the SSID field. Here you can write the network name. This is the name you will see, connect the internet from any device. Set the correct region in which the wi-fi network will work. Next, it is necessary to select a channel for data transmission. It is best to leave the one that is originally specified. But you can change it in time, if you have problems with Internet access.
  • Choose your wi-fi standards. It is advisable to leave the mixed, set by default. Now choose how many users of the network will be able to connect to it several computers simultaneously. If you don’t want to limit the number of users, choose “0.
  • Go to the “Security” or “Security Settings” tab. In the box at the top, select the type of protection. WPA2-PSK will work. Write your password in the “Key” field. This will protect you from hacking and from people who like to use the internet at other people’s expense. Only someone who knows the password can connect your device to the network.

Configure wireless security

The advantage of this method is that you can use the Internet in the whole apartment.

And, only with this type can a second, third, or more computers that are far away from the device be connected to the network.

Pay attention to the program InSSIDer. It is a handy utility that allows you to scan available Wi-Fi networks, get a lot of useful information about them and choose the best access point for your device.

Connecting a Wi-Fi router to a computer with a cable

Many users are curious to know how to configure the Internet on the computer through a cable from a router, and how difficult it is.

All that is needed is just the cable that will be used to connect the PC to the router. Usually it is a twisted pair connection with RJ-45 jacks on both sides.

It is sometimes the case that the cord is short. If you need a long cable, you can buy one at a computer store.

You can also make a cable without any help, but in this case you need a special machine. You can find a lot of recommendations on the internet.

Most likely there are exactly 4 LAN ports on your router. Sometimes there may be more or fewer LAN ports.

These instructions are good for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. In Windows XP, the connection is exactly the same, but the IP settings will be slightly different.

In this little step-by-step instructions “for dummies” will tell how to connect the router to your computer through a network cable.

In what situations might this be necessary

Obviously, by and large, connecting via cable requires PCs that don’t have a Wi-Fi receiver. If you buy a PC adapter you can get rid of wires.

Usually it is recommended to connect the router via cable to configure it and, obviously, to update the firmware. In various cases, if Wi-Fi does not work on the PC, and the user needs to connect to the network, or the connection speed is low, you can use cable. Connection via wireless is in any case more stable than via air.

Wireless Wi-Fi network

Next, let’s move on to the wireless network. Its radical difference from the wired network described above is the absence of any wires, that is, the signal propagates through the air by means of a radio signal.

As already written in the beginning of the article. both the computer and the router must be equipped with wireless modules. In most cases it can be determined by the presence of an antenna, but there are also models with internal antennas.

Connecting your computer to your router

To connect your computer to the router, plug the router into the network, and look at the LEDs. Make sure that the wireless network indicator is lit.

When the icon lights up, it means that the router has activated its wireless module, and now we need to search for its network. Press the icon of wireless networks in the system tray and see the list of detected networks.

Finding your network, click on the name twice. If necessary, enter your username and password. Default network name consists of the router name, but it can be changed. It is also necessary to set up security in the form of a login and password.

Configure the Wi-Fi

Going into the router settings. If for some reason the Wi-Fi router does not work (forced shutdown, unknown network name), then you can use a wired connection. If the name/password doesn’t match, you’ll need to perform a reset by pressing the “Reset” button on the back of the router.

When resetting, not only the username/password, but also all the other settings will be reset to their factory values!

To configure Wi-Fi, go to the menu “Wi-Fi”

Go to the “Main settings” submenu. In the SSID field write the network name. It should consist of English letters. Leave “auto” in the “Channel” field, the router itself will choose the most unloaded channel. In the “Wireless mode” set all the possible modes. Set the number of clients to zero, i.e. unlimited. If you want to limit it, enter the corresponding value. Press “Change”. Next, let’s configure the wireless network security. It is necessary, since the range of the signal is quite large, and we can be connected even from the street.

Configure Wi-Fi Security

Switch to the submenu “Security settings”.

In the “Network authentication” select the most resistant to the crack of WPA-PSK, and in the “Encryption key” field think up and write the password. Password should not be shorter than eight characters, and you can only use Latin characters and numbers. After setting up click “Save and reload”.