Setting up a wireless home network is not that difficult. To make your home network as efficient as possible you must do research before buying a bunch of equipment.
Planning Your Wireless Home Network
Select an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that will fit your needs. There are more but we have listed the top two providers in Franklin County.
- If you are looking for speed, bandwidth and reliablity, Xfinity is your game. They advertise download speeds ranging between 150 Mbps and 1 Gbps depending on your plan.
- At about half that speed is Centurylink advertises download speeds ranging between 25 Mbps to 1 Gbps depending on your plan.
- There are more Internet Service Providers in Franklin County to choose from.
After you have decided on your ISP you will need to either rent or buy your home network equipment. The specific equipment you will need is dictated by your ISP. Your equipment must be compatible with your ISP and the plan you have selected.
- Modem – The minimum equipment required. Some modems have a built in router with wireless ability. Regardless of what features you want your modem to have it must be compatible with your ISP so check with your ISP before buying a modem.
- Router – The router is your primary physical barrier to outside hackers. Think of it as a fence around your yard.
- Repeater – A repeater will extend the physical distance your wireless network can reach. This is only needed if your router will not reach all areas you want covered with your LAN.
Installing Your Wireless Home Network
Now that you have your ISP and LAN equipment you need to connect it to the internet. Your modem will need to be identified and authorized by your ISP. This will require you to call your ISP and give them your Modem MAC Number.
- Connect your modem to the internet
- Connect your router to the modem
- Connect your computers, printers, tablets, cell phones and smart tv to the router
Now you are online and ready to go.
Maintenance of Your Wireless Home Network
Occasionally your internet will just quit working for no apparent reason. A few things to try before calling your ISP are good to remember.
- Reboot your computer and see if that works.
- Unplug your modem and router. Wait 10 sec and restart your modem.
- After your modem is fully restarted and all of its lights are back on restart your router.
- Finally restart your computer and see if you are back online.
If none of these steps work you will need to contact your ISP and see if they are offline.
