La Fonera

Now go to Control Panel and check to see if you have a wireless network adapter already installed. Most of the laptops and netbooks these days come with an internal wireless network adapter (look for ON/OFF WLAN switch).

If not, visit the Newegg page and buy one of the USB adapters. They are fairly cheap and most work directly out of the box. PC/Cardbus/ExpressCard adapters are also available for purchase. A good choice would be the D-Link WUA-1340 available here.

Once you have all the hardware you’re ready to set up the network. Read the manual that came with the router and connect your internet connection to the router. Basically, you have to connect the cable from your cable/DSL router to the wireless router, turn the router on, connect to the router’s signal, access a web configuration page and do some minor tweaks.

Modern wireless routers are extremely easy to configure, and most come with wizards and walkthroughs that explain everything as you go along. Here is a screenshot of my configuration panel that I access by typing 192.168.10.1 in the address bar of my browser. That address is the IP address of the wireless router, and may be different for your router, but it is clearly pointed out in the router’s manual.