Everything is going wireless these days: phones, keyboards, mice, and computer networks to name a few. If you are planning to get multiple computers online at home, then chances are that you purchased a wireless router. Fortunately, even the inexperienced user can set up a router as they all basically work the same way. Wireless Internet router setup is necessary for connecting all of your computers to the network, but once you set it up, you shouldn’t have to modify the network or have any sort of interaction with it whatsoever.

Plugging In

The whole point of wireless Internet is that you can be connected to the Internet without any sort of cables. It’s become a staple of hotels, airports, and many restaurants, and while you might just own a desktop and not want to move around a great deal, a wireless network still gives you greater flexibility and helps you get multiple computers online without the mess and hassle of cables. However for wireless Internet router setup, you may find it easiest to plug your computer into the router (just for the setup process). This ensures connectivity while you set up the wireless channels, firewall, and passwords on the router itself.

Plug the wireless router into an electrical outlet and turn it on. Connect your Internet modem to the router, and temporarily connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable. It’s always easy to change the computer’s connection to a wireless one later. Wireless Internet router setup is actually very simple and quick. Most routers can be accessed by opening up your web browser of choice and typing 192.168.1.1 or some slight variation into the address bar. Check your router’s instructions for the exact destination address.

The first thing that you’ll want to once you’re actually in wireless Internet router setup is to create a password for accessing the router. By default, this is usually blank or 1234, and you can change it one of your liking. You may have to enter your Internet connection information depending on what type of Internet connection you use. Next, pick a wireless channel for the router to operate on, pick a network name for the router, and then connect other computers to the network by selecting your network’s name out of the list. At the end, you can choose other security features like network encryption, but it is not necessary (just recommended) to connect to the Internet. Wireless Internet router setup only takes a few minutes, and it helps you get wireless connectivity throughout the entire house.

When you’re in the market for a new wireless router, you are bombarded with numbers and specifications. Many routers have marketing gimmicks that claim higher speeds if you purchase both the router and wireless adapters from the same brand. There are also plenty of brand names to choose from: Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, Belkin, and the list goes on. Your standard wireless router today is going to run on the 802.11g standard, although many are backward compatible with 802.11b. That’s the most important specification that you’ll look at, so finding the best Internet wireless router in a sea of them can be difficult to manage, but there are a couple tools at your disposal.

Basic to Advanced

With many avid networking specialists, the best Internet wireless routers are the ones that give them a lot of options. The ability to be flashed with third party firmware seems to be a significant option networking enthusiasts look for. Such options make setting up VPNs and tweaking speeds much easier and opens up new possibilities. The average consumer, however, can save a few bucks by going with a less expensive model with some of those options disabled. The best Internet wireless routers for the average consumer simply work without any hassle and can be set up within minutes.

Security features are also important to the best Internet wireless routers. The most recent standard is WPA2 (Wi-fi Protected Access 2), which was created to provide better security over its predecessor, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). You don’t have to set up any security features with your router, but it’s heavily recommended to at least enable some basic encryption and use passwords on your network. Also, a new standard, 802.11n, while not released yet, is nearing the final phases of testing. It will be an improvement over 802.11g, but the currently released 802.11n draft equipment does not offer significantly improved performance, so consumers would do well to stay away from such equipment until the standard is set in stone.

The best Internet wireless routers can be had for anywhere from fifty to one hundred dollars. Any less and you start to run into shoddy craftsmanship – any more, and you don’t gain a substantial amount of options for your dollars. Performance and option wise, you can squeeze a little more out if you pay a lot more, but most people can get a quality router for just $50 or so. Also, most wireless Internet router setup is the same, so you shouldn’t run into any trouble when you create your wireless network and connect all your computers to it.

There are so many different wireless routers out there today that it can be difficult to choose which one best suits your purposes. Do you want to set up a VPN or your own server? Many folks simply want to connect to the Internet, and that is literally all they are concerned with. Others want increased functionality from their routers to do more advanced networking tasks. If you don’t know where to start, a good place to begin looking is at wireless Internet router reviews. First and foremost, you should pick out a number of routers that look like they might have the functionality you desire, and then you can read wireless Internet router reviews to determine the one that suits you best.

Hundreds to Choose From

With hundreds of different router models available, how do you know which one is best for you? Simply determine what functionality you’re looking for to narrow down the results greatly. If you simply want to connect to the Internet, you don’t need to worry about being able to flash third party firmware onto the router. The included firmware will do just fine. However, if you’re looking for setting up your own server, then you’re looking at a different feature set. Wireless Internet router reviews can help you pick out a quality router regardless of what you want to use it for.

There are several various wireless standards that you need to be concerned with. 802.11g is the most common today in households, although you will probably see the router with 802.11b/g functionality. That simply means it can use both 802.11b and 802.11g standards. Also, 802.11n is an upcoming standard with some improvements, and this equipment often has backwards compatibility as well. There is some information that you’ll figure out on your own compatibility-wise, but for all intents and purposes, most wireless routers will work with most wireless adapters. Just keep in mind that you have an 802.11g adapter, your 802.11n router will only work in 802.11g as well, so you’ll have to remember some key specifications when you’re looking at wireless Internet router reviews.

Fortunately, you can get a number of opinions with wireless Internet router reviews. Not only can you find the best wireless Internet routers, but you get both professional and consumer opinions. Professional reviews will likely cover the gamut of functionality included with the router while consumer reviews will give you a perspective most like your own, such as how easy it is to set up and how far away the signal transmits. There’s nothing worse than a weak wireless network that doesn’t give adequate connectivity, and reading some reviews can vastly improve your network performance.