How to Setup a Wireless Connection

Wireless connections provides the user an opportunity to avoid the hassles of wiring. Users can sit comfortably at a remote location which is within the range of a wireless network and use the benefits of the computer network. One may often think how to setup a wireless connection, so here are some simple steps which can be followed to accomplish the task.

Components of a Wireless Connection
Following are the equipments required for the setup of a wireless network:

• Wireless router
• Participating desktops or laptops
• Network adapter (in case it is not in-built)

How to Setup a Wireless Connection
Following are some simple steps which can be followed in the setup process of a wireless connection:

1. Select a trusted brand of wireless router which has enough number of ports for the equipments to be included in the network. It is good to look out for a wireless network adapter of the same brand or one which is compatible with the wireless router. A network adapter of the same brand as the wireless router makes the setup a bit easier.
2. Next step involves the connection of the wireless router to a modem. One can follow the instructions provided in the documentation that comes along with the wireless router, in case he / she is unsure about the connection of the router to the modem. If he is comfortable with making the connections, all he has to do is to take a cable from the modem and connect it to the wireless router in the WLAN port.
3. Configuration of the wireless router can be easily done by connecting it temporarily with a network. Using an web browser, one can setup these configurations by opening the router properties and providing a unique SSID, which should differ from any existing network names within the network area.
4. While making the network connections, one should also take care of the wireless network security issues. A security breach can be harmful for any kind of confidential or classified data within the network. For the purpose of security, one should configure WEP (wired equivalent privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) encryption schemes. WPA provides a stronger wireless data encryption algorithm than WEP, however, both provide security against snoopers and hackers. WEP or WPA protects the wireless network from deliberate or accidental intrusion by any non-authorized user.
5. Next step is to set the administrative password which restricts the authorized privileges to an administrator or network technician, for security purpose. Save the settings of the wireless router and unplug it from the computer.
6. Connect all the computers or laptops to the network. Most of the modern computers and laptops can automatically detect existing wireless networks. Install the wireless network adapter by plugging it into a Universal Serial Bus (USB) slot.
7. After making sure all the connections have been made, check if the devices show correct lights. Generally if all the connections are made correctly, the network cards show green light and the router's wireless LAN (WLAN) light is turned on at all times, even if no device is connected to it. In case any problem occurs, flip through the pages of the user manual again or contact a technician.

For properly setting up a wireless connection, it is important to get the best hardware and software one can afford. One can also share devices like printers, scanners, etc. with the help of wireless network. It is also important to make note of the IP addresses, names assigned to the network and hosts and MAC addresses, in order to avoid problems at the time of troubleshooting. For optimum performance, it is a good to use hardwares and softwares which follow a single standard. A wireless router following 802.11g will not be giving expected bandwidth if the host uses a 802.11b based network adapter.