Technically Easy

Category: Hardware

Any posts that pertain to specific hardware, but aren’t being reviewed, can be found under this category.

  • Connecting Multiple Computers to Broadband

    Broadband, or high-speed, Internet connection is what many users currently use in their home. Along with high-speed Internet, many users may also use a router to allow multiple computers to connect to the Internet. This post will describe how a router is used to connect multiple computers. To make it easier to understand, I will use where you live as a comparison to how your computer is connected to the Internet.

    (more…)

  • Broadband Internet Connection – Troubleshooting

    Many times as I connect to the Internet I realize that I don’t establish a connection. My modem and router (Linksys BEFSX41) are on and connected, but still I can’t reach the Internet. The purpose of this post is to discuss the steps I take to bringing my modem, router and computer back online.

    Note: This post assumes that you know how to log into your router and know where specific settings, such as the IP addresses are displayed.

    Reset the Equipment

    Before changing the settings, you should first reset all equipment as the first step. The following steps describe the order to reset the equipment:

    1. Turn off the computer.
    2. Turn off or unplug the router.
    3. Turn off or unplug the modem.
    4. Wait 5 seconds.
    5. Plug in the modem and wait for it to come back online.
    6. Plug in the router and wait for it to come back online.
    7. Turn on the computer and login.
    8. Click Start->Run.
    9. Type cmd in the Run dialog box and press OK.
    10. At the DOS command prompt type ipconfig /renew.
    11. Check to see if you once again have a connection to the Internet. If you can’t get an Internet connection then continue on to the next section.

    Checking Router Connectivity

    In this section we will check to ensure that the router has an IP address from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

    1. Open up a Web browser and navigate to your router setup.
    2. Once the setup loads, navigate to the page that displays the IP address assigned by your ISP. For my Linksys router is shown by clicking the Status menu item.
    3. There may be buttons or links to release and renew the IP address. First, release the address, and then renew it. For my Linksys router, I first click the DHCP Release button and then the DHCP Renew button.
    4. An Internet or IP address should now be displayed in the page. If it doesn’t, then check to ensure that the router is connected to the modem and perform the previous step again. If you still don’t get an IP address then skip the next steps and continue directly with the next section.
    5. Click Start->Run.
    6. Type cmd in the Run dialog box and press OK.
    7. At the DOS command prompt type ipconfig /renew.
    8. Check to see if you once again have a connection to the Internet. If you can’t get an Internet connection then continue on to the next section.

    Computer to Modem Connection

    This section will determine if you can actually get an IP address from your modem, which would mean that there is a problem with the router. Follow the next few steps to perform the connection:

    1. Disconnect the cable connecting the router and the computer from the computer.
    2. Disconnect the cable connecting the modem and the router from the router.
    3. Connect the cable from the modem directly into the network card in your computer. Plug the cable into the same location as the router was connected into.
    4. Click Start->Run.
    5. Type cmd in the Run dialog box and press OK.
    6. At the DOS command prompt type ipconfig /renew.
    7. Check to see if you once again have a connection to the Internet. If you don’t then call your ISP technical support number and inform them of a problem. If you do, then there may be an issue with your router. Continue to the next section to see if the router problem can be fixed.
    8. Before continuing, however, ensure that you plug in all the cables as previous to following the steps in the section. This means that the connection should be: modem->router->computer.

    Troubleshooting the Router

    Up to this point we have reset all the equipment, tested the router, and the modem. It has been determined that the problem may be with the router. This section will attempt to solve the issue.

    1. If you closed the Web browser from a previous section then open a Web browser and navigate to your router’s setup.
    2. Navigate to the page containing your Internet Setup. For my router it is the first page that is displayed.
    3. Your setup hear depends on your ISP. Since I have cable as my Internet connection I make sure that setup is set to Obtain an IP automatically. If you have broadband dialup, you may need to select PPPoE and specify a user name an password. Check with the documentation provided by your ISP to determine which setting you should use.
    4. Ensure that DHCP on the router is enabled.
    5. Ensure that the number of IP addresses managed by the router can accommodate the number of computers that will be connected to it.
    6. Save any setting changes you made.
    7. Click Start->Run.
    8. Type cmd in the Run dialog box and press OK.
    9. At the DOS command prompt type ipconfig /renew.
    10. Check to see if you once again have a connection to the Internet. If you can’t, then continue to the next step.
    11. At this point you should try resetting the router to factory defaults and try the previous four steps again. Please read the documentation that came with your router on resetting it.
    12. If it still doesn’t work then there could be a hardware issue with the router. If you just bought it, return it to the store and get a new replacement. If it is an older router, you may need to buy a new one.

    Summary

    This post described how to troubleshoot a broadband Internet connection. I hope that the tips provided here have help to solve connection issues that you may be having.

  • Securing a Wireless Network

    Securing a Wireless Network

    I use both a wired and wireless network at home. I am fortunate enough to have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides up to three IP addresses. I connected a switch to my modem, and two routers (one wired, and the other wireless) to the switch. Each router has a separate IP address from my ISP. My desktop is connected to the wired router, while two laptops connect to the wireless one. I can connect either laptop to the wired router with a network cable if I choose to as well.

    (more…)

  • Setting Up a Home Network

    With the increase in high-speed or broadband usage, it is more common to see more homes connecting multiple computers to the Internet. Setting up a home network to allow multiple computers to connect to the Internet is easy to do.

    Use the following steps to get your network running.

    1. Necessary Equipment

      Before creating a network, ensure that you have the necessary equipment. You will need the following:

      1. A broadband internet connection. This includes cable and DSL, but not dial-up.
      2. A router, preferably one that includes a firewall.
      3. A desktop or laptop with a network card. If you currently use broadband, then the card the modem is plugged into is your network card.

      Once all the equipment is unpacked and ready to go, it is time to connect it all up.

    2. Connecting the Router

      At this point you may want to print the instructions first before continuing. The next few steps will require your Internet connection to be disconnected temporarily while all the equipment is connected together.

      To connect the router, use the following steps:

      1. Disconnect your computer from the modem by removing the network cable from the modem. This will now prevent you from connecting to the Internet since you are no longer connected to the modem.
      2. At the back of the router, there are several ports. They look like large telephone jacks. Connect the network cable from your computer into one of these ports.

        Note: Some routers have a port that can be used to connect a computer or your modem into. These ports are usually labeled Internet or Uplink. Don’t plug your computer into this port.

      3. Connect the power cable into the router and ensure that it is on. There should be lights on that indicate which port your computer is connected to. If you are unsure of where to look, please read the documentation that came with the router.
      4. If the computer is off, turn it on and log in. Once the computer has finished loading, click Start->Run and then type cmd.exe in the Run window.
      5. A DOS command prompt should be displayed on the screen. At the prompt type ipconfig. If your computer is connected to the router correctly, you should see some important information:
        • IP Address This is the address assigned to your computer from the router. Usually it would be in the form 192.168.1.nnn, where nnn is a number between 1 and 255.
        • Subnet Mask This is also assigned by the router, and usually is 255.255.255.0.
        • Default Gateway This is the internal IP address of your router. This information is important because using a browser a connecting to that IP address will open up the router setup.

        Save the default gateway address, since we will be using that next.

      6. Open a Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape) and type in the following address: http://Default Gateway IP Address where Default Gateway IP Address is the address from the previous step.
      7. When prompted for a user ID and password, use the one supplied by the router. You can find this information in the documentation that came with your router. Router makers have different user IDs and passwords.
      8. The first step to securing the router is to change the administrative password, and if possible, the administrative ID. One of the options in the setup will allow you to change the password. Make it easy to remember, but not easy to guess.
      9. Don’t close your Web browser just yet before we connect the modem. If you do, simply reopen the Web browser and navigate back to your router setup.
    3. Reconnecting to the Internet

      Once the router has been connected to your computer, it is now time to restore your Internet connection.

      1. Connect a network cable into the modem, in the same port as last time.
      2. With that same cable, connect it into the port labeled Uplink or Internet on your router. A good indication that a connection has been made is a new light may be lit on your router.
      3. Open up a new Web browser and try to connect to the Internet. If you get a Web page then your Internet connection is up and running. If you don’t see a Web page, then continue to the next step.
      4. Return to the router setup Web browser. There should be a page that indicates your IP address assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Once again, please check the documentation for the location of this page. This will usually contain a refresh button. Click that button to update the router information with that provided by your ISP. If an IP address is populated in that page, then you have now re-established your connection to the Internet.
      5. Open up a new Web browser and try to connect to the Internet. If you get a Web page then your Internet connection is up and running. If you don’t see a Web page, then continue to the next step.
    4. Troubleshooting

      If you are having trouble accessing the Internet after connecting the modem, use the following steps to solve the problem:

      1. Disconnect the power from your modem and router.
      2. Wait a few seconds, then connect the power to the modem.
      3. Once the modem has finished loading, connect the power to the router.
      4. Wait for the router to finish starting, then attempt to connect to the Internet.
      5. If you still can’t connect, click Start->Run and then type cmd.exe.
      6. At the DOS prompt, type ipconfig /release to release all your network connections.
      7. Once you get the prompt again, type ipconfig /renew to refresh all the network connections.

    Notes

    If you would like to disconnect the router and connect directly to the modem, which I don’t recommend, use the following steps:

    1. Power of the router.
    2. Remove the cable from the computer that is connected to the router.
    3. Remove the cable from the router that is connected to the modem.
    4. Connect the cable from the modem to the network card in the computer.