What Is A Router?

If you've done any research on setting up a home network, you probably know you need a router, but you may not know why. A router accepts data packets from one network and forwards them to the proper computer. In a home network, the router usually sits between your LAN (local-area network) and the Internet.

A router also acts as a hub, which ties together computers on a LAN. If you request data from one computer on the LAN, your computer forwards the request through the router, and the information requested travels back to the computer through the router.

Physical Setup

Physically setting up a router is relatively easy if you keep your cables straight. Most routers include a designated WAN (wide-area network) port and multiple LAN ports. Your DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or cable modem connects to the WAN port using an Ethernet cable. You connect your home computers to the router’s LAN ports using Ethernet cables, as well. The design of each router is different, so consult your router’s manual for more information about the location of WAN and LAN ports.

Software Setup

You may have to set some configuration options on your router before you can connect to the Internet, especially if your DSL connection uses PPPoE (Point-to-Point over Ethernet). PPPoE often requires you to install special software on your desktop computer in order to log on to and off of the Internet. Once you configure your router, you’ll be able to uninstall this software.

The proper way to configure your router depends on the brand and model you’re using. In most cases, you configure your router using the Web browser of a PC connected to one of the router’s LAN ports. Consult your router’s documentation for more detailed information.

Wireless

Many routers these days allow you to connect computers on your LAN wirelessly. This option is especially great for notebooks, as it allows you to move from room to room while remaining connected to the Internet.

There are a few different wireless standards, with 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g being the three currently approved standards. Many companies also offer routers based on a draft specification of the 802.11n standard, but as of the time of this writing, the standard was not official.

802.11a has a theoretical top-speed of 54Mbps (megabits per second) and operates on the 5GHz band, making it less susceptible to interference. Unfortunately, 802.11a isn’t compatible with 802.11b/g because 802.11a uses the 5GHz band, and 802.11b/g use the 2.4GHz band. 802.11b is the most established and has a theoretical top speed of 11Mbps. 802.11g is compatible with 802.11b but has a higher top speed of 54Mbps. 802.11n will push the theoretical top speeds to 540Mbps. The 802.11b/g standards operate in the crowded 2.4GHz band and are compatible with one another; 802.11n will operate in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and will therefore be compatible with 802.11a/b/g.

You should configure your router’s wireless security options to prevent others from breaking into your network. WEP (Wired Equivalence Privacy) is widely supported by almost any wireless device, but it’s the least secure standard available. WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is more secure, and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) is better yet. All wireless devices on a network must support a compatible wireless networking standard and the same security standard. See your product’s documentation for more information about security settings.

Ping

You may encounter any number of problems when working with a router. Unfortunately, we don’t have room to explore them here, but you should know how to use the ping command. Ping is one of the most useful network troubleshooting tools. Using ping, you can check to see if your computer can reach other network destinations, whether it’s another computer on the LAN, the router, or a computer on the Internet.

To use ping, open a command prompt. In Windows XP, click Run in the Start Menu and type cmd in the Open field. In Windows Vista, click the type cmd in the Start Menu's Start Search bar. At the command prompt, type ping followed by an IP (Internet Protocol) address or a domain name (such as google.com). If you want to see if you can reach the Internet from your computer, for instance, type ping google.com.

Every computer on the network, including your router, has an IP address that consists of four sets of numbers between 0 and 255 separated by a dot. If you’re router’s IP address is 192.168.0.1, for instance, you can ping the router by typing ping 192.168.0.1. (You can find your router’s IP address in its documentation.)

If you can’t ping the router, ensure that you’ve connected it properly to the computer and have properly configured the desktop. If you can ping the router but you can’t reach the Internet, check the router’s connection to your cable or DSL modem and its configuration settings.

by Chad Denton