I have discussed previously in this book how IP addressing and DHCP servers operate. If you are interested in some of the technologies behind this, back up and have a read. For now, let’s just get down to business and get you sharing an internet connection.

The first thing you might need to do is configure your router. The good thing here is that many routers will automatically configure themselves to work with most cable services. More times than not, when I have set up a simple network, all of my computers can simply get online as soon as I plug them into the router. However, if you are using DSL or if your cable modem provider requires username/password authentication, you will need to perform a little router configuration. Also, if your ISP is providing you with a static (fixed) IP addresses, you will need to configure your router to use this.

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To access your router’s configuration, you simply type in the IP address for the router in a web browser. That IP address can be found in the manual for the router. Note that your network needs to be fully set up and functional for this to work. To make sure your Windows computer is properly connected to the router, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the Control Panel and click on Network Connections. Right-click the connection (such as “Local Area Connection”) and click Status. Then click the Support tab. You should see a window which provides your computer’s IP addresses.
2. If you do not see an IP information, click the Repair option. This will re-request an IP address from the DHCP server on the router. IF it is successful, you will receive a notice for it. If it fails, you will be notified as well. On failure, double-check all connections and that your router is powered on. Also note that if you are using wireless, the Repair action might fail if your wireless signal is too weak for the computer to make contact with the router.
3. Now that you have a working IP configuration, write down the IP address for the Default Gateway. This is your router.
4. Start your web browser. If you can already get online, you’re done. Otherwise, you’ll need to continue with configuration.

Router configuration varies from router to router, although many of the common themes apply. I will try to cover the basics in as general a way as possible. To configure the router, perform the following:

1. Access the router using the manufacturer-set IP address. You can get this IP address from your manual, however it is also the Default Gateway address found in step 3 above. Enter the login information to access the router’s configuration.
2. Usually the router will have some central setup screen or tab. Some routers use a wizard. In either case, go the appropriate section of the router settings.
3. You will see options for host name and domain name. These are optional and in most cases you can just leave them blank.
4. The LAN IP is usually pre-selected for you and can almost always be left as is. The only reason you would need to change it is if that IP conflicts with another device on your network. The subnet mask likewise will always be left at 255.255.255.0. That never needs to be changed unless you have over 253 computers on your network, and I rather doubt that is the case.
5. The WAN Connection Type is important as this determines how the router will get it’s public IP address for accessing the internet. If you are using cable or DSL and your ISP does not require any username/password, then you can have your router obtain the IP address automatically (called Dynamic IP addressing). If your ISP requires authentication, then you will need to choose PPPoE from as the connection type. You will be promoted to enter a username and password which are both supplied by your ISP. The service name is not necessary and can be left blank unless your ISP specifically tells you to enter something. Settings for “Connect on Demand” and “Keep Alive” can be left as default. If your ISP is assigning a static IP address for you, you need to select Static IP as your connection type and then enter the IP addresses provided by your ISP.
6. Click the Apply button. If your router requires restart, then select the Restart button and the router will restart itself.

Rarely, an ISP will require that you enter a specific computer host name to verify that you are one of their customers. A select few actually make use of MAC addresses, which is a unique numerical identifier for your computer. They will log the first MAC address which connects to the account and then expect all subsequent connections to come from the same MAC address. If this is the case, your router can “clone” your MAC address, basically giving the ISP the impression that your computer is making the connection when it is in fact your router.

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