As we have already said before, the main problem with wireless broadband routers is that their wireless capability works out of the box but without any encryption enabled. So after you turn on your router for the first time anyone with a wireless network card in the neighborhood can have access to your network. Of course we need to change that as soon as possible!

The first thing you need to know is the configuration panel IP address for your router. This information is written on its manual. It is usually 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or 10.0.0.1. So, launch your web browser and open http://[IP address here]. The router used on our examples uses the address 192.168.1.1, so we would need to open http://192.168.1.1. Of course you need to change that according to the IP address used by your router.

This address will only work automatically on computers connected to the router through a regular network cable. On computers with wireless connection to the router, you will need first to connect it to your network, subject that we will be talking about in the next page. This is one of the reasons we recommend you to make the initial router setup using a computer connected to your router using a regular network cable.

After entering the router control panel for the first time, you will need to:

• Change the administrative password.
• Disable remote management.
• Upgrade the router firmware to its latest version to make sure it doesn't have any known flaws.
• Enable WPA-2 encryption.
• Select the kind of broadband connection you have (cable, ADSL, etc).

We explained the first four steps in details on another tutorial, Basic Security in Wireless Networks. Please follow the instructions present there before continuing. After configuring all security options, select the kind of broadband connection you have. This is usually done on a menu called "Basic Setup" or similar. Several options are available, like "Automatic Configuration - DHCP" (which should be selected if you use a cable TV service), "PPPoE" (which should be selected if you us an ADSL provided by your phone company) and "Static IP" (if you hired a service that gives you a static IP address).

Your wireless network will now be 100% operational and protected. On the same Basic Security in Wireless Networks tutorial we explain how to make your computers using a wireless connection to access your network. As a last step you may want to read our How to Share Folders and Printers on Your Network tutorial in order to learn how to share files and printers between the computers on your network. Don’t be afraid, encryption is enabled so no one outside your network will have access to your data, even your snoopy neighbor.

On the next page we will talk about some advanced configurations that we think are interesting even to the average home user.