How to Connect a Laptop to a Netgear
- 1). Turn your computer, Internet modem and wireless router off. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to your Internet modem and one to the Internet port of the router. The Internet port will be separated or even be a marked in a different color than the other four Ethernet output cables on the router.
- 2). Insert one end of a second Ethernet cable into one of these output Ethernet jacks. Insert the other end directly to your laptop's Ethernet jack. You have now made a connection through the router directly from your computer to your Internet modem. Turn off your laptop's wireless capabilities so that it will not search for wireless Internet but will instead use the Ethernet cable's connection.
- 3). Turn on your Internet cable or plug in your DSL modem power cord and wait two minutes. Messing up the order of connections can prevent you from accessing the Internet, so be sure to keep your power plugs organized. Plug in your Netgear wireless router to a power source and wait one minute.
- 4). Turn on your computer. Check the wireless router's lights to make sure that the power is connected, the wireless is working, the Internet is engaged and the LAN light is on. If any of these lights are not on or flickering, check all the cable connections to make sure they are not loose or disconnected.
- 5). Open up your Internet browser and enter one of the following into the address field: routerlogin.net, routerlogin.com or 192.168.1.1
- 6). Wait to be prompted for log-in information. The default log in username is "admin" and the default password is "password". The setup wizard will guide you through the rest of the connection process. Once you click "Done", you are connected to the Internet. By accessing the router directly through the Ethernet cable, you can click the "Wireless Settings" link on the main menu and change the default username and password and create your own connection requirements. Make sure that the SSID says "Netgear", set the region and click "Apply" to save the changes.
- 7). Unplug the output Ethernet cable from your router and your laptop. Turn your laptop's wireless capabilities back on and connect by clicking the Netgear from the available networks. Enter your username and password and click "Connect" to finish your wireless connection.
