Routers have long ceased to be something rare and unusual. Now there is a router in almost every office, as well as in most homes that have Internet access. This article is written for those who have recently purchased this device and are just figuring out how to connect a router to a computer.
As a rule, a desktop computer is connected to a router using a cable. Whereas laptops and netbooks are connected using WiFi. In this article, we will look at the process of connecting using a cable. So, for this we need the following equipment:
- The router itself. About that, you can read in one of our articles;
- Network cable. To connect the router to a computer via cable, you need a Cat 5e network cable. At the same time, it is given on both sides (the method of compression is direct). As a rule, a ready-made crimped network cable about 1.5 meters long is included with the router. This cable is perfect if you plan to place the router on a table next to your computer. If there is no network cable or it is too short, then you will have to purchase it separately.
- Computer with network card. This should not be a problem, since most modern computers (as well as laptops and netbooks) are equipped with a built-in network card.
After you have collected everything you need, you can start connecting the router to your computer. To do this, take a network cable and plug one end into the LAN connector on the router, and the other end into the computer's network card.
Please note that the router may have a large number of network connectors. As a rule, these are 4 LAN connectors (connectors for connecting computers from your local network) and 1 INTERNET connector (connector for connecting to the Internet). You need to plug the cable into one of the LAN connectors (it doesn't matter which one).
As for the network connector on the computer, there is nothing complicated. As a rule, there is only one and is located on the rear panel of the system unit, next to the USB connectors.
If you are using a laptop or, then you need to look for the network connector on the side faces of your device.
After you have connected the network connector on the router and the computer using a network cable, the indicator on the router should turn on, which indicates that a device is connected to the router.
Everything, on this connection of the router to the computer via a network cable is completed. After that, the local network and the Internet should work on the computer.
The fact that the network and the Internet is working will be signaled by a special icon on the taskbar.
If something went wrong, then this icon can be crossed out with a red cross. This means that the network is down.
There are many problems that lead to this situation. The most common problems are:
- Problems with the network cable. The cable is not connected, damaged or incorrectly crimped;
- The network card is disabled in Windows settings;
- Network card not installed;
- The router is not working (disconnected from the power supply or defective);
It is also possible that the local network is working, but there is no access to the Internet. In this case, a yellow triangle will be shown next to the icon.
Today we will talk about how you can connect Wi-Fi to a computer via a network cable. After you have run an Internet cable and connected a Wi-Fi router to it, you can start creating your own small local network. Surely you have not only a desktop computer (or maybe more than one), but also a tablet, a laptop, a smartphone, and a plasma TV. And all this can be combined into one grid with the access of each device to the Internet.
In this case, your whole family can enjoy the Internet at their own discretion, without interfering with each other. Someone will play online games on a computer, someone will watch their favorite movies or videos from YouTube on TV, someone will work or communicate via the Internet on a laptop, and someone at this time can chat via WhatsApp or Viber via mobile phone or smartphone. And all these pleasures can be configured with one access point via a Wi-Fi router.
And in order to create (deploy) such a grid, you need to use one of two connection options:
- Lay a network cable from the router to a desktop computer and TV.
- Connect a desktop computer via an external or internal Wi-Fi adapter. Moreover, this adapter is already built into a laptop, tablet and smartphone.
In this article, we will consider the first connection option.
ConnectionWi— fito a computer via a network cable
Previously, the Internet could only be connected via a telephone line. Now this can be done using a network cable (twisted pair). For this:
- Connect the provider's wire to the wi-fi router in the socket with the inscription WAN(or Internet);
- Plug the twisted-pair network cable into one of the connectors LAN. In which one - it does not matter;
- Connect the other end of the cord to a computer (or laptop) into the connector RJ45. If the computer is turned on, the light next to the connector should blink.
The network cable can be connected both when the router is turned on and when the computer is turned on. It's safe.
If the Internet is not connected
Usually, a computer running Windows 7/8/10 automatically receives an IP address and immediately connects to the Internet. But you may need to make some adjustments yourself.
If the connection to the Internet did not happen automatically, then do the following manipulations:
- Check if the Wi-Fi router is turned on;
- Check if the network cable is well connected to the connectors of the router and the computer;
- Check if the network card is visible in Device Manager. If there is no entry in Device Manager Network adapters”, then you need to install or reinstall the network card driver.
- Turn off the router for 30-40 seconds, and turn it on again. This usually helps.
Configuring a computer network card to connect viaWi— firouter
If, after the above manipulations, the Internet still does not connect, then you must manually enter the IP address for your network card.
For this:
- right-click on the network connection icon on the taskbar. It is located near the clock), and select the item " Network Control Center».
- If this icon is not on the taskbar, then open Control Panel.
AT Windows 7 The control panel is located in the menu " Start».
Select in View small icons", and click on the item " Network and Sharing Center».
Right-click on the network card icon and select " Properties».
Highlight " Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click the " Properties».
Set the switch to " Use the following address” and write the following below:
IP address 192.168.1.5 (the last digit can be anything from 1 to 255)
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Default gateway 192.168.1.1
Preferred DNS Server 192.168.1.1
Alternate DNS server is not needed
Check the box next to " Confirm settings on exit».
If a small window pops up with some kind of warning, click the " Yes».
Now it would be good to restart the computer.
According to my observations, few of those who were able to independently connect a wifi router, if there is a wired Internet, knew how to do it CORRECTLY. That is, set up a wireless network with it and combine different devices into it. As a result, they subsequently face difficulties that could be solved at the design stage of the local network.
Video on connecting the router to the Internet
How to connect wifi router?
Before proceeding to a step-by-step description of connecting a Wi-Fi router, I want to focus your attention on one point.
To create a full-fledged local wireless network, you need to buy exactly such a device as a ROUTER, or it is also called a ROUTER.
The fact is that there are a lot of devices similar in appearance and functionality for various purposes. For example, out of ignorance, it is easy to confuse it with a wired router without WiFi, which also distributes the Internet signal to devices. But only with the help of cables - it does not have an antenna.
Another device similar in appearance is the access point. She generally has slightly different tasks from ours. A characteristic difference between a router and an access point is that it has several sockets for network cables. While at the point he is usually alone.
The point of connecting a router is that it is now, and not your PC, that will connect to the Internet via a cable. To do this, all the necessary parameters required to connect to the provider, which were once applied in your desktop computer, will now be registered in the router settings. And all other devices will already receive the Internet via wifi from it and according to the rules that will be set in it.
For clarity, look at the diagram:
In order to connect a router at home and set up a Wi-Fi network, I used about a dozen models from completely different manufacturers. I can say with confidence that in terms of the actual configuration of the WiFi router and connection to the provider, the difference between them lies only in the details of the graphical design of the administrator panel. Therefore, having learned the principle once on one model, you can apply them to others. Today, as an example, I will illustrate with screenshots from two routers - TrendNet TEW-632BRP and ASUS WL-520GC.
How to connect router to internet via DHCP?
The first setting we will look at is the DHCP server setting.
If earlier the computer was alone and it alone received an IP address from the provider, then we can hook up many computers and gadgets to the router. And this means that it is the router, instead of the computer, that will “communicate” with the provider’s equipment. And already within the framework of our home network between these devices, it will itself assign an internal IP address to each computer, laptop, phone, TV and everything else.
Procedure:
- After connecting to the power supply, first of all, you need to configure the router to communicate with the computer. To do this, insert the Internet cable into the WAN slot on the device. And the other cable, with two plugs, which most likely came with the device, is connected at one end to the computer's network card. Where there used to be an Internet cable. Others - in any of the slots LAN1, LAN2, LAN3 or LAN4 of the router.
I also want to note that it is better to connect the router to the network through an uninterruptible power supply. I had an unfortunate experience when a good Netgear device went haywire due to a power surge. It just began to broadcast wifi not at 100, but at 2 meters. Of course, I had to buy a new one.
- Next, take the installation disk that came with the router. And we start installing drivers and software.
- After that, we need to configure the computer to work with the router. Now we have a network card configured to go directly to the Internet through a provider. So, perhaps, some data is registered in the control panel that it is important for us to save and use after that when working with the router. To do this, go to the TCP / IP v.4 protocol settings as shown in the diagram:
For Windows XP: Start > Control Panel > Switch to Classic View > Network Connections.
In Windows 7: "Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Manage network connections > Change adapter settings".
In the screenshot, I go to the “Wireless Connection” settings, but you don’t have it yet, and since we connected the computer to the router with a cable, you need to select the “Local Area Connection” item:
If you have something indicated here, then write down this data on a piece of paper. This is especially true for those who have lost their service agreement and do not know the data for connecting to the World Wide Web. With a certain type of connection, which will be discussed below, this may come in handy. After that, here, in the network connection settings on the computer, you need to set the IP, gateway and DNS to automatic. We will already enter these parameters in the wireless router itself.
- After that, go to the address "http://192.168.1.1". Typically, configurations with the router occur here, if they did not have to be done at the software installation stage. But you can look in the instructions for the device on which path to enter the router control panel. Since the default IPs on different models may differ. Also, another popular place for short instructions is a sticker on the bottom of the device. Look there too. If there are no instructions in the instructions, or it is lost, then go to the Control Panel, as I described above. Only after right-clicking on "Local Area Connection" in the window that appears, click the "Details" button. In the window that opens, look for IPv4 Default gateway - this is the IP address of the router.
- Now, finally, we go to the address indicated there through the browser (http://IP ADDRESS OF YOUR ROUTER). And we find the DHCP Server item in the menu (in Trendnet it is combined with WAN) and set the range of values for possible IP addresses of devices within your local network. For me it was like this: Start IP - 192.168.10.101, End IP 192.168.10.200. And of course, opposite the DHCP Server item should be the Enabled parameter. Domain Name or Host Name is the name of the future home wifi network. I’ll make a reservation right away that the screenshots below are taken from my devices that are already working or have been working for several years. Their interface is in English, so it would not be easy for a domestic beginner to figure out what's what without help right away - I hope these pictures will help you. Most modern firmware and software are already in Russified form, so it will be even easier to figure it out.
This is how it looked in Trendnet (highlighted in red):
And like this in ASUS:
Setting up a connection between a computer and a router via LAN
Now we will set the parameters for our wifi network at home - IP and router mask. For Trendnet, this is the same item (see Figure 1, highlighted in green), for Asus, the WAN & LAN section is at the very bottom of the settings page. In the first case, I set the IP 192.168.10.1, in the second - 192.168.1.1. This is the address within the local network at which we can access the admin panel through the browser. And through which computers will access the Internet. Mask - default, 255.255.255.0
Connecting a WiFi router to the Internet through the WAN port
These were all flowers, now the most interesting thing is setting up an external connection of the router to the Internet.
There are several types depending on the settings of the provider. This happens in the WAN menu.
There are several more options for connecting to the provider's equipment, but I did not come across them. So I won't talk about them for now.
How to encrypt a WiFi connection
If you did everything right and saved all the settings, then all devices that support wifi should now see a new network with the name you specified. However, this question, how to connect wifi at home, is not yet closed. The home wifi network turned out to be open, that is, anyone can use your Internet access for free. In order to break everyone off and make the wifi network at home available only to its owner, you need to protect the wireless network.
There are several ways, I used two WPE (or Shared Key) AND WPA in my practice. The latter is more reliable, so I will consider it. We go into the security settings. In Trendnet, this is the "Security" menu item, in Asus - "Wireless > Interface".
We select WPE or WPA Personal (PSK, TKIP) in the menu, set a password for authorization - from 7 to 64 characters. And we save. I show how it was for me:
Well, now to enter the Internet through your router, you need to enter a password. The final touch remains - so that there are no problems connecting all kinds of devices to the router and with the operation of programs, we will manually set the DNS servers. The setting of this parameter is located in the same place where the parameters for connecting to the Internet were entered. We activate the function of manually assigning DNS servers and write the IP from Google there:
- DNS Primary (or DNS Server 1): 8.8.8.8
- DNS-Secondary (or DNS Server 2): 8.8.4.4
You can also specify one of the Yandex servers (for example, 77.88.8.8).
As you can see, connecting wifi through a router and making a wifi network at home is quite easy. Hope everything works out for you too!
Now the traditional video for dessert on connecting a router, which will tell you even more clearly about the typical settings for working with the network.
As a rule, most problems occur when connecting to the router via a wireless network. And connecting via a network cable should not cause any difficulties. But, I have already met similar questions several times, and I decided to write a small instruction with a photo, in which I will tell you how to connect a computer (well, or a laptop) to the router using a LAN cable.
And what is there to actually write about here, they took the cable, connected it to the router, then to the computer, and everything is ready. But still, it might be useful for someone.
As a rule, modern routers have 4 LAN connectors. This means that you can connect 4 devices via a network cable. And all of them will receive the Internet from the router, or work in the local network. By the way, read the article on setting up a local network.We will need:
- Router with a free LAN connector (it is yellow).
- Network cable. A small cable is included with the router. But, if you need a longer cable, you can make it yourself. How to do this, I wrote in the article. Or just go to a computer store and ask them to crimp the network cable to the length you need.
- Computer with network card (usually it is integrated into the motherboard). Well, or a laptop, a netbook with an RJ-45 network connector.
Let's get started 🙂
We take our network cable, it looks like this (you may have a slightly different one, I have a different length):
We connect one end of the cable to the yellow connector (LAN) of our router.
It doesn't matter which of the four connectors you plug the cable into.
Now we connect the other end of the cable to our computer or laptop.
This is what the network connector looks like on the computer:
After connecting the network cable, one of the four indicators should light up on the router, which indicate the connection to the LAN connector.
Now look at the computer screen. If on the notification panel (bottom, right) you will see the following connection status (as in the screenshot below), then all is well. The Internet is already working.
But, in such a seemingly simple way, problems can also arise. Now some of the most popular, we will consider.
Problems when connecting a computer to a router via a network cable
After connecting, the status on the notification panel may not change, you will see the computer crossed out with a red cross.
In this case, first of all, you need to check the cable with which you connected the computer to the router. How to do it? You can, for example, take another cable, or connect the cable through which the Internet goes directly to the computer. If this connection status changes (even if a yellow triangle appears) then the problem is in the cable. Perhaps there is something gone. Just change it.
It is possible that the network card is simply disabled. Let's check. Go to and find there LAN connection. If there is a status near it Disabled, then right-click on this connection and select Turn on.
If a connection such as No LAN connection at all, then most likely that the driver for your network card is simply not installed. Download and install the driver. If there was a disk included with the computer (laptop), then most likely it has this driver.
Plugged in cable but no internet connection
And this may be. The problem looks like this:
First, you need to determine what the problem is. This may be due to issues on the router side. See the article for this.
But I will tell you in a simple way. If other devices work fine from this router, and there is Internet on them, then most likely the problem is on the computer itself. This is clear:).
And usually there is only one problem.
Go back to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections and right-click on Local Area Connection. Select properties. Then select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and press the button again Properties.
Set to receive IP and DNS automatically and click OK.
Updated: November 11, 2013 by: admin
When using several computers at home, you may want to combine them into one network, while you should think about using a router for more detailed routing and a single connection to the Internet. Such a solution will allow you to get several advantages:
- Ease of connecting multiple devices to the Internet;
- using network folders instead of flash cards and removable hard drives;
- use of a network peripheral device (printer, scanner);
- use one antivirus license on multiple devices, or centrally manage multiple antiviruses.
Of course, to create a network, you need a router. You can find out how to choose the right router for your home.
After you have decided on the router, you should make a kind of markup, that is, determine where each of the network devices will be installed. You need to do this in order to correctly place the router.
Important! When using wireless equipment, try not to obstruct the signal path from the router to the client. In the case of a distributed network (if subscribers are located in different rooms), it is recommended to install the router so that the computers are equidistant from it. In the case of using a wired transmission medium, an approximate marking of the location of all network participants will allow you to prepare patch cords of the required length in advance (you can read about the manufacture of power cords) .
When choosing a Wi-fi router, do not forget to check if all computers have a wireless network card.
When setting up a home network, for each of the subscribers, you should use a network address from any private range, that is, an IP that is not used on the Internet:
- 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255;
- 100.64.0.0 – 100.127.255.255;
- 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255;
- 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255.
On a note! If you have not configured subscriber addresses manually, and at the same time your router does not have the “DHCP” mode of operation (from the English Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, automatic assignment protocolIP addresses to the host), then network clients will be assigned an address from a special stack "APIPA" (from English.Automatic Private IP AddressingIP private range) that includes networks 169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255, and there is no guarantee that networked devices will be able to access each other. It is recommended to configure network cards manually.
When setting addresses, do not forget about network masks - these are additional identifiers of the network address. It is used to distinguish between subnets and is a group of 32 bits, just like IP, but without alternating zeros and ones.
On a note! An IP address, as you know, consists of four decimal numbers, in the range 0 - 255, for example 192.168.0.3. However, the computer perceives information exactly as bits, that is, in the binary number system, respectively, the machine sees the specified address as 11000000.10101000.00000000.00000011. As you can see, there is an alternation of zeros and ones. The subnet mask is also entered in the decimal system, but alternations in it are not allowed - the left side always consists of ones, the right side is padded with zeros up to 32 bits, for example 255.255.255.192 will be perceived as 11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000.
The subnet mask can be used to restrict access to your network. The limit values for the number of devices can be calculated, but it is quite difficult, so it is better to use a special table or calculator. Let's assume you are using a wireless router and there will be a total of five devices in the network (including the router).
Step 1. Go to the site with the IP calculator.
Step 2 Fill in the required fields. The source network can be any private IP. In the "Sizes of subnets" field, specify the number of subscribers in your network. Leave the mask field as default. To process the data, click the "Calculate" button.
Step 3 Check out the calculation results. The calculator automatically selects the subnet mask as close as possible to the required one. Pay attention to the column "Required size", it contains the given value of hosts and "+2". These two additional addresses are the address of the network itself (in this case 10.19.1.0) and the broadcast address (to broadcast to all addresses on the network, in this case 10.19.1.7).
On a note! Of course, since all information in computers is processed in binary, the number of computers on a subnet must be a power of two. The nearest value containing 5 devices is 2 3 , that is 8.
Setting up a router
TP-Link is selected as a router. The main methods for connecting to routers are described. To set up a home network, the most important is the DHCP setting, so we will dwell on it in more detail.
Step 1. Start the DHCP service. Enter the start and end addresses found using the calculator. Don't forget to specify the IP lease period (this parameter provides an additional guarantee of security, since the IP of each device changes after a specified period of time). As the default gateway, you should specify the router itself. Specifying a domain for a workgroup is not relevant. The DNS server in domain networks is specified by the domain controller; for the home network, it is recommended to use the address 8.8.8.8 (Google's DNS server).
Step 2 The "List of clients" option contains records about each network subscriber, namely, a comparison of the MAC address with the IP address.
Step 3"Address Reservation" is used to avoid leasing specific network components, such as printers.
Setting up a Windows 7 network connection
After assigning network addresses to all devices, including the router, you can begin to form a network group.
Step 1. Launch the "Run" window by pressing the "Win + R" buttons on the keyboard.
Step 2 Enter the line "sysdm.cpl".
Step 3 Check the name of the network group or domain. All devices must belong to the same group.
Step 4
Step 5
Important!
Step 6 Enter network management by right-clicking on the network connections icon.
Step 7 To configure connection options, use the link to change network access settings in the left frame.
Step 8 Expand the list of home network profile options.
Step 9 Check the recommended options. Network discovery must be enabled in order for multiple network devices to "see" each other. Printer sharing is enabled as needed. Access to directories is configured on each individual computer. Encryption settings in the homegroup, where all devices are known to you, are irrelevant. Home network connections are best left under the control of the operating system.
Step 10 To share a directory, go to its "Properties". Call the menu with the right button and click the corresponding line.
Step 11 In the settings window, switch to the "Access" tab.
Step 12 To configure, use the "Share ..." button.
Step 13 To restrict access, you can specify specific users (used in a domain) or select the “All” option (for a workgroup).
Step 14 To “share” (from the English share - share) a network printer, enter the “Devices and Printers” through the start menu.
Step 15 Select the device that you want to make network and enter its properties. Call the menu with the right button and select the corresponding line.
Step 16 In the dialog box, go to the "Access" tab.
Step 17 To configure, use the "Sharing settings" option.
Important! You must have administrator rights.
Step 18 Check the options to enable printer access. When working in a domain, it is also recommended to check the "Add to Active Directory" option to facilitate the search for a network device.
Step 19 To connect to a network printer or folder, you need to find in the network environment the computer on which you configured access to these resources.
Step 20 Upon entering the network computer, you will be presented with a list of available resources.
Step 21 To connect the printer on the subscriber's PC, you need to call the context menu, and go to the "Connect ..." item, after the driver is automatically installed, the network device will be available on the subscriber's computer.
Important! If the bitness of the server computer and the subscriber computer are different, additional ones may be required for the printer to work correctly.
Step 22 To facilitate access to shared resources, you can configure a network resource on the subscriber computer as a network drive. This can be done through the menu, when selecting the item "Connect a network drive ...".
Step 23 In the expanded wizard, specify the letter that will correspond to the drive. Pay attention to the option "Restore at login". If it is inactive, then the drive will become disconnected every time you reboot or turn off the power.
Step 24 Upon completion of the installation, the network folder will be available as a regular hard drive through "My Computer".
Windows 10 network setup
Step 1. Call the system list using the combination "Win + X". In the window that opens, go to the "System" section.
Step 2 To configure connection options, use the change sharing settings link in the left frame of the window.
Step 3 In the window that opens, switch to the "Computer Name" tab.
Step 4 Check the workgroup or domain name. All devices must belong to the same group.
Step 5 To switch to another group, select the "Change ..." button.
To switch to a different group, click the "Change ..." button.
Step 6 Change the station name and connect to the desired group or domain.
Important! Changes will only be applied after a reboot.
On a note! Folder access settings are similar to those for Windows 7.
Conclusion
We have considered the main aspects of setting up a network for operating systems of the Windows family. In order to increase information security, do not forget to calculate the subnet mask and use the DHCP service.
Video - How to set up a network between computers through a router
