How to Set Up a D-Link Wireless Network With Charter Cable
Charter Cable Internet is a high-speed Internet service, allowing fast-file downloads, low latency for online gaming and excellent video streaming capabilities. With a D-Link wireless router, you can stream all of this high-speed cable Internet goodness to all of your Internet-ready devices in your home without having to run cables. Charter Cable Internet is much easier to set up than DSL Internet, and with a few steps you'll be up and running, enjoying your Internet from anywhere within your home.
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Things You'll Need
- Cable Modem
- D-Link Router
- CAT5 cable
- Computers with wireless capability
- Power strip
Instructions
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Preparation
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Unpack your cable modem. You can rent one from Charter or you can buy one from any electronics store. Whatever you choose, check that you have a power cable, a CAT5 network cable and the modem itself.
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Unpack your D-Link wireless router. Make sure it came with the power cable, network cable and the router itself. If it came with external antennas, attach those now.
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Locate where your cable line comes into the house. This is where your network setup will be located. If you have multiple cable lines coming into your house, choose one that is closest to the center of the home, so you end up with good signal strength throughout your home.
Setting Up Your Wireless Router
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Screw the Charter coaxial cable to the back of your cable modem. This is the round wire coming into your home, with the round fitting and a little wire in the center of the fitting. Attach the network cable into the rear of the modem in the slot that looks like an oversized phone jack. Attach the power cord to the rear of the modem and plug it in to your power strip. This will start the modem; wait for all of the lights to stop flashing before attaching the router.
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Plug the network cable that comes from the modem into the back of your D-Link router, making sure you use the port marked WAN. Plug the power cord into the rear of the router and plug it in to your power strip. Now the router will begin to boot up.
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Turn on one of the computers that you will be using on the wireless network. Make sure that your wireless card is enabled. Laptops usually have a switch somewhere that turns this on or off. Make sure it is on. In Windows 7, go to the Start menu and select "Network." Select "Network and Sharing Center," then click "Set up a new connection or network." Follow the steps for adding a wireless network, and you should see an indicator on your computer's task bar showing that you are connected to the wireless router.
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Open up a browser on your computer, and in the address bar enter http://www.192.168.0.1. It will prompt for a password, but leave it blank for now. This will take you to the setup screen for your router. It will ask you to choose a password that you will use for future logins, enter one now. Do not skip this, or anyone will be able to log into your router and mess with your network.
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Follow the setup wizard, which will ask you to choose a time zone, among other things. You will get to a screen that asks if you want to use DHCP. Select yes. This is where Charter Cable is nice, as it handles all of the IP assignments for you, making this step easy to set up so there is no need to delve into IP and MAC addresses.
Security
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Continue following the setup wizard. The next part is where you will configure your security settings. This is an important step that will protect you, your data and even your identity from unscrupulous individuals on the Web. You will see a prompt to set your SSID name. Use the same name that you used when you set up your network settings from your computer. Default is D-link, which tells the whole world how to crack your security, so be sure to change that SSID name.
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Enable encryption on your router by selecting WEP, WPA or WPA2. What this does is encrypts your wireless signal, and no one without the password can gain access the signal from your router. WEP is the oldest standard, and there is little reason to use it with today's devices. WPA2 is the newest standard, and unless your wireless computers and devices are older, you should be fine using this, and it is the most secure of these as of 2010.
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Pick a pass phrase. Use one with a combination of letters and numbers that is not obvious like your birthday or phone number. This pass phrase is your final line of defense against hackers, so make it a good one.
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Reboot your D-Link router. Once it boots up, your computer will need to be set up with the pass phrase. Right click the signal indicator in your system tray to open the network center. Edit the network information to add the pass phrase, and you should be connected. Use the network center on any other computers you wish to connect, and enjoy your new high-speed wireless network.
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Tips & Warnings
In the long run, purchasing your own cable modem will save you money over renting one month-to-month.
All recent versions of Windows have a network center, found by selecting the Start menu. Use the built in wizard to connect to your network. Remember your password.
Most routers come with a hardware firewall installed in the device. However, be sure to install a firewall on each of your computers as well for added security form malicious software or hackers.
References
Resources
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