Router

[Tech Wizard]

Hello,

 

Going to buy a WiFi router tomorrow, named D-Link DIR-809 WiFi router - http://www.dlink.com/uk/en/products/dir-809-wireless-ac750-dual-band-router

I only need to plug it in power, and the wifi will be up and I can connect on it, right? Thanks in advance

[Lurick]

You'll need to configure the WiFi and some other basic options but so long as you've got a modem already then it's pretty much plug and play.

[minibois]

You can connect to the router and stuff that is connected to that router can connect to each other, but you can't access 'the internet' if you don't plug this device into a modem or other router.

It will have a WiFi name and password out of the box, but I would highly suggest you change it.

[LienusLateTips]

change the wifi name and password

also you have to connect to modem

and sometimes you have to bridge by calling your cable company

and also go through painstaking setup

[Tech Wizard]

23 minutes ago, Lurick said:

You'll need to configure the WiFi and some other basic options but so long as you've got a modem already then it's pretty much plug and play.

21 minutes ago, Minibois said:

You can connect to the router and stuff that is connected to that router can connect to each other, but you can't access 'the internet' if you don't plug this device into a modem or other router.

It will have a WiFi name and password out of the box, but I would highly suggest you change it.

15 minutes ago, JDE said:

change the wifi name and password

also you have to connect to modem

and sometimes you have to bridge by calling your cable company

and also go through painstaking setup

 

Thanks for your answers. What exactly is the difference between a modem and router? Thought it was the same thing. How do I "plug my router that I'm buying into a modem?"
There is two ethernet holes here. Am I supposed to connect the router to one of those to create a WiFi? I'm really unexperienced in networking, as you can probably tell. Thanks in advance!

 

 

[minibois]

Just now, Tech Wizard said:

Thanks for your answers. What exactly is the difference between a modem and router? Thought it was the same thing. How do I "plug my router into a modem?"
There is two ethernet holes here. Am I supposed to connect the router to one of those to create a WiFi? I'm really unexperienced in networking, as you can probably tell. Thanks in advance!

Modem and router are two terms that could refer to the same device, but in what I was saying it did not.

Modem I would say in this case in the box you get from your cable provider that takes the signal from outside your house and brings it inside. A router is a device that takes 1 'internet signal' and shares it with every device in the house. Giving them all an IP address (so your webpage that you try to load doesn't go to the wrong device in your house, etc.) and actually making the WiFi in your house. You can't have multiple modems and you can't have multiple routers (well you can, but for someone inexperienced with networking you don't want that, since it will give you conflicts).

So if you have a modem in house (that connects to the ethernet wall sockets I would assume) and no other routers, it will be plug and play. Otherwise you will have to turn off the router functions in your modem/router, or set up your new D-Link router as an access point (which basically just shares WiFi and brings all data to the Router/Modem to deal with it all) or bridge mode.

 

So to give you a better idea of what you should do, identify if there is a modem, router or both present in your house already (assuming a home connection and not a dorm, hotel or whatever).

[Tech Wizard]

3 minutes ago, Minibois said:

Modem and router are two terms that could refer to the same device, but in what I was saying it did not.

Modem I would say in this case in the box you get from your cable provider that takes the signal from outside your house and brings it inside. A router is a device that takes 1 'internet signal' and shares it with every device in the house. Giving them all an IP address (so your webpage that you try to load doesn't go to the wrong device in your house, etc.) and actually making the WiFi in your house. You can't have multiple modems and you can't have multiple routers (well you can, but for someone inexperienced with networking you don't want that, since it will give you conflicts).

So if you have a modem in house (that connects to the ethernet wall sockets I would assume) and no other routers, it will be plug and play. Otherwise you will have to turn off the router functions in your modem/router, or set up your new D-Link router as an access point (which basically just shares WiFi and brings all data to the Router/Modem to deal with it all) or bridge mode.

 

So to give you a better idea of what you should do, identify if there is a modem, router or both present in your house already (assuming a home connection and not a dorm, hotel or whatever).

I'm living in a "student house". We have no wifi (router nor modem), only wired ethernet holes.
The reason why we want to buy a router, is so we can have wifi on our mobiles too. 
Hope this helps?

[minibois]

5 minutes ago, Tech Wizard said:

I'm living in a "student house". We have no wifi (router nor modem), only wired ethernet holes.
The reason why we want to buy a router, is so we can have wifi on our mobiles too. 
Hope this helps?

You will likely want Access Point mode, explained on page 34 of the router's manual:

http://www.dlink.com/uk/en/-/media/consumer_products/dir/dir-809/manual/dir_809_a3_manual_v1_01_eu.pdf

What this does, is turn off some features (like it trying to give your devices IP addresses) in favor of working better together with the network already set up in the dorm.

This will give you your own WiFi point to connect to.

 

I said likely, because all places have their networking set up differently. Maybe you can have it in 'regular' router mode, but that just kinda depends. The only thing you will be missing out on with AP mode instead of router mode is: static IP addresses (so certain devices always have a specific address), QOS settings (setting who gets better Wifi/Bandwidth) and that sort of stuff.