Have you ever arrived home from a long day at work to find your internet connection is not working? You sit down at your computer for a relaxing session of email and music downloads, only to find your browser is going nowhere fast. I have been there more than a few times. Often the problem is easy to fix if it involves your own equipment. It is best to diagnose the problem starting with your own modem and router. Even if you call the ISP, the first thing they will do after the 40 minute wait for a technician, is to walk you through procedures to test your modem and router. If the problem is inside your house, the ISP is not responsible and will most likely send you off to buy a new piece of equipment at your favorite retailer.

These procedures will help the average consumer to diagnose an internet service problem. Different brands and models of modems and routers have different combinations of lights and indicators. It is suggested that prior to starting these troubleshooting procedures, you locate the manuals that came with your machine. Use the manuals to assist you in diagnosing any problems involving your equipment.

A brief review of a network

Before you begin checking equipment and turning things on and off, let's quickly review how a network system works. In most installations, the internet is connected your computer with either two or three pieces of electronic equipment. If you have cable internet, the signal enters your house through a cable which connects directly to a modem. A modem looks like a small box about 4 by 6 inches. If you have DSL, then the internet signal enters your house through the telephone line. A cable connects a phone jack inside your house to a DSL modem. In either case, the modem processes the signal and sends it to a router.

The router is a similar sized box which will normally have one input and at least 4 wire outputs. If the router is a wireless router, it will also have an antenna which will broadcast the internet signal inside your house. The 4 outputs can also transmit the internet signal by cable to your computer. The third piece of electronic equipment is installed in or at your computer. This is a network adapter or sometimes called a network card. A wireless network card is a receiver for the signal that your wireless router is broadcasting. A hardwired network card is simply a network adapter into which you plug a cable from the router.

Summary

Modem - Takes the signal from outside your house, processes it and sends it to your router.

Router - Takes the signal from the modem and sends it's to your computer network adapter either by broadcast (wireless), or by hardwired cable.

Network adapter - Installed in your computer and takes the internet signal and makes it readable by your computer.

1.1 Begin the diagnosis

If you have any other computers in your home, try to access the internet from these other machines. If the internet is available from a different machine, then the problem lies with individual computer, not the internet signal.

1.2 If all computers in your home are unable to access the internet, examine the DSL or Cable modem. The modem is the first piece of equipment that the internet signal reaches in your house. A typical installation would have a network or phone type cable coming out of a wall jack and going into the input of the modem. On the modem is a light which indicates that the internet is available. Check to make sure that the modem light for the internet is lit.

- If the modem indicates that the internet is available, that means the signal is probably fine and the problem most likely lies with the router or computer. go to step 1.3

- If the modem internet signal light is not on, go to step 1.3

1.3. If the modem indicates that an internet signal exists, move your attention to the wireless router. Again, like the modem, the wireless router will have lights indicating whether it is receiving an internet signal. Check to see if the router internet signal is lit.

- If the router indicates that the internet is available, the problem most likely lies with your computer network card. Continue on to step 1.4 to verify the modem and router are working correctly.

- If the router does not indicate an internet signal, go to the next step.

1.4 Turn off the modem and router in that order. Wait 15 full seconds and turn the modem on and wait for the modem to indicate that there is an internet signal. When the modem shows a signal light, turn on the router and wait for an internet signal light. Check for an internet connection.

If all equipment is working properly, the internet connection should no be working. If the internet is not accessible and all equipment appears to be functioning properly, you should contact your ISP for more assistance.

If however, the signal lights are not lit, or the lights are on but there is no signal, now is the time to call your Internet Service Provide. They can usually run a test from their location to see if there is an outage.

Finally, if it appears that the internet signal is available and the modem and router are working properly, the last possible problem is the computer network card. Consult your computer manual to obtain information on how to diagnose a malfunctioning network card. Computers and diagnoses procedures vary depending on the manufacturer.

To perform this test you will need: Internet service, Modem, Computer and all peripherals.

Move your modem at least 5 feet away from any other device that has an electrical current running through it. If it is not plugged in, you do not have to worry about moving your modem away from it. This includes speakers for your home theater or any that are connected to your computer.

Take off any device of any kind that is connected to your phone or DSL line that is connected to your modem for connecting to the Internet. If you have a filter, splitter or fax machine of any kind connected to the line, you need to disconnect it. Turn off all of phones that are connected to the phone lines. This does not include any cellular phones or phones that are not in use.

Reconnect all of your phones and other devices one at a time to see if your modem works with each of them connected. If there is one specific item that causes your modem lights to flicker, this should be permanently removed from the line to keep your connection active.

If you have instances where your modem works and then all of a sudden stops working, you should check to see if the wall it is closest to has a microwave on the other side. This can emit frequencies close to that of a modem, and will cause you to lose your connection even when the microwave is not in use. Cordless phones that run at 2.5 Ghz will also interfere if they are not filtered on the phone line that your modem is connected to. Filters can be purchased at any electronics store.

• The blue and lilac sections are those parts of the installation that use normal telephone cabling
• The green sectors are the Ethernet UTP cabling (Cat 5 and Cat 6) and RJ45 connectors

Electrical Supply Protection

If you also want to include surge, spike, and lightning strike protection then you are best advised to insert them in the following places:

• If you are going to use only 1 such device then it is advisable to insert the Surge Protector between the Telephone Wall Fixture and the Telephone Line Splitter (Double Adapter)
• As this is not always possible you could use 2 of these devices:
  • One between the Telephone Line Splitter and the Micro-Filter
  • The other between the Telephone Line Splitter (Double Adapter) and the Router/ADSL Modem/Bridge/Switch
• Please note that these surge protectors are in addition to those that you have already installed and not to replace them

Note: If you are going to be using USB, IEEE1394 (FireWire), etc. other specialty adapters may be required but the same basic configuration is still applicable. Basically the only section which will change is the Ethernet cabling and RJ45 connectors.

This setup will allow you to share your Internet connection while retaining a fully functional landline telephone service. Multiple computers can be connected to the Internet in this way which will certainly save you considerably on ISP charges for your connection particularly in comparison with a dial-up Internet connection service.

Another benefit is that because you will be using Network Address Translation (NAT) you will have the added bonus of a hardware firewall to add protection against hackers.

In the main part of the window on the right look for the option "Limit reservable bandwidth". Turn the feature on. By clicking the properties box you will now enable this and change the amount from 20% to 0% or if you want to be able to reserve a little bandwidth for the updates set it to 2 or 5%. Even if it says its not enabled it is. Restart your computer and the change should take effect. If you don't believe this run a speed test on you internet. When I first did this it was at 4000KB/s which shocked me that really slow for cable modems. After I put the reserved bandwidth to 0% i was able to get it to a shocking 14000KB/s but its usually about 10000 which is still good. Anyway hope you do it right and your system should be running the way it was meant to be.

Why Should I Secure My Router?

Whenever you go into an electrical shop and take a glance at the wireless routers you see many different brands and routers clamouring for your attention. One of the "benefits" of using Brand A's router is that it broadcasts up to 50 metres (164 feet), whilst Brand B only broadcasts 25m.

This is not always a good thing. I am sure most houses are less than 50 meters away from their neighbors. Without proper security your neighbors can hop onto their computer (or Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Portable or any other device that supports wireless internet) and search for wireless access points. When your device appears on their screen, they can say, “Hey, I can use Joe Bloggs' internet connection so I don't run up my monthly usage meter,” and happily waste your internet quota which may eventually lead to a higher phone/internet bill.

There is a more serious reason to secure your wireless network. If your neighbor (or anybody on the street with a laptop) engages in fraudulent activities, law enforcement authorities can trace the activities back to your IP address (a unique number to your modem/router in the format of xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) and possibly prosecute you for fraud.

Well, I'm Convinced! How Do I Do It? I've Got a D-Link Router.

What router type is it? This matters in figuring out what type of security you should use. There are three types of wireless security: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2. These are ranked in order of encryption strength (in other words, how hard it is to hack the code), with WEP being the weakest. D-Link suggests you use only WPA and WPA2 (however, the Nintendo DS does not support the WPA and WPA2 encryption, only WEP), so we'll look at that. You can use WPA/WPA2 on:

• DI Series
• WBR Series
• DIR Series
• Most other D-Link routers

Information on how to set up the routers is only available for the DI, WBR and DIR series.

DI Series

1. Open up your internet browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.).
2. Type in the address bar "192.168.0.1".
3. Type in the username, which is admin. Leave the password field blank.
4. Click on "Home" at the top, then click "Wireless" on the left sidebar
5. Select WPA-PSK
6. Choose a passphrase. It can be between 8 and 63 characters and may include symbols and spaces. This must be entered on all computers accessing wireless. Your computer will prompt you when connecting.
7. Click "Apply" to save your settings. Click "Continue" (important!).

WBR Series

1. Follow steps 1-3 from the DI Series instructions
2. Click Setup at the top and click Wireless Settings on the left hand side
3. Select the type of WPA you want using the drop down menu marked "Security Mode"
4. Enter in your passphrase. It must meet the requirements in DI Series Step 6.
5. Click Save Settings

DIR Series

The DIR Series uses the same steps as WBR Series steps 1-5, however the passphrase is the "Pre-Shared Key".

There! You are all secured! However, securing your wireless network does not safeguard you online. You must still be on the lookout for fraud!

This wireless modem/router allows you to share your ADSL connection and files without cables.

What Does It Do?

The modem part connects to your ADSL phone connection and the router connects to your computers either via the 4 port wired ethernet connections or via the 802.11g wireless ethernet standard.

This standard is backward compatible with existing 802.11b wireless networks.

More Details

• Transfers data at speeds up to 54Mbps
• Features security modes including WPA, 128bit WEP and 64bit WEP encryption.
• Protects your network from hackers by ising NAT and SPI firewalls
• Connect 4 wired computers to your network
• Works with PC's and Mac's (I use both and they share files/connections easily)

The Manufacturer: Belkin

I have used Belkin products for years and only ever had one problem. My previous modem/router died - no power at all, tried a different power adapter but still the same. So, rather than go and buy a new one (this one was 2 years old) I decided to use the Belkin lifetime warranty. I had a brand new updated model router on my doorstep within 2 weeks. I didn't pay a penny - they even paid for the postage. Wonderful service.

My Personal Experience With The Product

The wifi range around my house is great - much better than my current BT HomeHub. Just make sure you place it in a pretty central location in your home. I had mine in the cupboard under the stairs.

The 4 port router was wonderful - had my Xbox connected to it for Xbox live - no problems.

You can buy network hard drives now with ethernet connections so one could be connected here and all the computers on your network could share the hard drive - makes it so easy to watch movies/listen to music stored on the hard drive on multiple computers.

I even managed to stream movies using wifi from one computer to another which was connected to my TV, there were no drops in connection.

The NAT firewall has managed to withstand all the security probes I have fired at it. Top marks for that.

The firewall is easy to manage through the user interface - it is all set out very nicely and easy to navigate around using your web browser.

The modem itself is easy to setup, I had my BT broadband details to hand and entered them on the welcome screen - within seconds I had my connection up and running. A few minutes later i had WPA security setup and my connection was secure.

How Easy Is It For My Computers To Connect To It?

• My laptop uses the Belkin PCMCIA wifi card - connects no problem.
• The PC upstairs uses a Belkin USB wifi adapter - connects no problems.
• My Apple iMac uses Airport extreme and connects no problems.
• My Apple Mac Mini uses a Belkin USB wifi adapter - this can cause some problems and needs to be pulled out and reinserted after starting the computer for it to be recognized. No big deal - I just keep the computer on 24/7!
• Xbox - connects via ethernet - no problems at all.
• Nintendo DS lite - connects via wifi, no problems whatsoever - can even connect whilst i lying in bed so I can play people all over the world - much to the annoyance of my wife!

Summary

I bought my router new from PC world 3 years ago for £79.99, you can pick it up on eBay for about £25 - worth every penny. I highly recommend this product to anyone looking to setup a cheap, secure and good ranged wifi network.