Configuring your home wireless network with internet access isn’t as difficult as it seems. At first it can seem intimidating, but it’s really not, and you could probably do it in under half an hour.
When you’re at the store perusing their collection of routers, don’t worry about which one will work with your computer. Any router will work with either a Mac or a PC.
Most routers that are used today don’t require any additional setup. They use what is called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocal (DHCP), which basically tells the server to go do it’s own thing. This way the server will automatically give you an IP address and you don’t have to worry about it.
When you’re setting up the router you don’t want to use the default settings because it could compromise your security. Basically, everybody uses the default, and trust us, it’s just safer if you take the extra steps to customize it.
To personalize your settings, the first thing you want to do is change your SSID — which is the little name that pops up when you’re trying to steal your neighbor’s wifi, not that we’ve ever done that or anything.
While you’re in the wireless settings, look for the option to turn on wireless security. Once it’s turned on it will prompt you to create a key, which is basically your network password. You’ll be limited to using the numbers 0 through 9 and the letters A through F because the key will need to be entered as hexadecimal. Depending on how difficult you want to make it for your neighbor, your key will either need to be 10 or 26 characters. So while you can’t enter “boobs” as your key, you should still try to stick to something you can remember.
Congratulations! Your wireless network has now been setup and you will soon be the envy of the neighborhood.