Windows XP Unwired

Configuring an Access Point

To connect your access point to the Internet, use a straight-through Ethernet cable to plug the access point’s WAN port into your cable modem, DSL modem, router, or whatever piece of equipment in your home or office that is responsible for providing Internet access. After you plug it in, turn on the access point’s switch (assuming it has one — some access points can only be powered down by unplugging them), and it will power up, perform its initialization, and then request a DHCP address from the cable or DSL modem or router.

Tip

You may need to reboot your cable or ADSL/DSL modem in order for the access point to obtain an IP address. This is especially important in cases where the modem was initially connected directly to the PC and may have locked itself to the MAC address of the PC (see Locking MAC Addresses in Chapter 2).

Web-Based Configuration

To configure the wireless router, connect your computer to one of the wireless router’s LAN ports using a straight-through Ethernet cable (if your computer has an autosensing Ethernet port, you can use either a straight-through or crossover cable). For the Linksys BEFW11S4, load the following URL in your web browser: http://192.168.1.1/. For the D-Link DI-714P+, use http://192.168.0.1/. When prompted for a username and password, use “admin” as your username and leave the password field empty.

Tip

The default IP address, username, and password may be different for different access point models and manufacturers. ...