Need Help Setting Up Linksys Wireless Router

Hilly ho!:wave

Well sir ... I purchased this router and I know absolutely nothing about wireless routers and am confused because the instructions say to hook up wires ... so I don't know where the wireless part comes in. I have no internet when it is hooked up to the modem and computer. I tried installing the software after I hooked it up, but it get to the second step and freezes. It shows pictures of going to the files, but there is no next or back buttons. I'm hooking up the rigs in my sig. What am I doing wrong.:confused A friend told me it should be plug and play, but it's plug and sit.:zzz Can anyone help me get this going.:cry

 

That's old if it is B and also is for dsl. Usually DSL service has a modem and router in one.
The router appears to be from 2003 so it is 12 years old. YIKES!
http://www.digitaltrends.com/router-access-point-reviews/linksys-etherfast-befw11s4-review/

You should be buying a router if you have a cable internet ISP and it should be g or n not b.

 

Are you saying it won't work? I have a cable modem. I'm using a wired router now ... I don't understand:confused What's the difference between a g and b?

 

You don't need their software to set up your router. You can set it up through your browser. Here is the Linksys support page for your router:
http://support.linksys.com/en-us/support/routers/BEFW11S4
Also, you will need a wireless adapter in any PC you intend to use on a wireless network.

As plodr pointed out, it is a very old model router. It will work but it has a rather slow wireless data speed. You can buy much better current routers for reasonable prices.

 

I don't understand how I can set it up through my browser when I can't get internet access when it is hooked up. Do I do it before hand?:confused

My ISP speed is 100Mbps will the one I have be fast enough? I really have no understanding of wireless. The router I'm using now is pretty old but I'm getting acceptable speed. Thanks for the link.:wave

 

Alrighty then ... a poster on another forum showed me how to power cycle the modem and router to get internet access. I had to shut everything down and wait 15 min. Then I powered up the modem and waited for it to get its act together, then I powered on the router, waited for all the lights, then powered up the computer. Internet access baby ... :drool So far I don't notice any difference in speed from my wirer router. Now I have to see about configuring for wireless connect so to the link I was given.:wave

 

What kind of wireless adapter am I going to need with this router to make my PC's wireless???

Will these work:confused

 

Very bad buy for a 100Mbps speed from your ISP.

Source: http://blogs.cisco.com/smallbusiness/understanding-the-different-types-of-wireless-routers

Speed: Wireless router performance varies by standard with 802.11b providing the slowest speeds at up to 11Mbps. Wireless “g” routers deliver a maximum speed of 54Mbps while devices based on the 802.11n standard are fastest, topping out at 300Mbps.
same source as above link.
Notice it says up to 11Mbps meaning your wireless speed will probably be slower than that.

Do yourself a huge favor and buy a newer faster router.

That device will work because it has b as part of the description. It will also work with g and n wireless routers.

 

So are you saying this older router will not allow me to fully access the 100 Mbps speed my ISP is offering? I guess I don't know any better because the connect speed is acceptable to me.:-o

 

Hooked up by wire, there will be no difference. With a 802.11b wireless connection, you won't even get 10% of that connection speed. Get a wireless adapter and try it out. If you're still satisfied with the wireless performance, no problem. If it doesn't cut it, you can shop for something newer and faster.

I recommend something like this one found on in the same store. Those mini adapters are OK, especially if you're concerned about space, but I've fared better with external antenna units. They seem to have more range and sensitivity.

 

:wave Oh I see now ... with the router hooked up to wires it will get a good speed, but when I go wireless I won't get that speed at all. What kind of wireless router would you recommend that would get me the kind of speed I get with the wires hooked up.:confused

 

Any one that supports the 802.11n standard.
Here's some examples I found.
The first is a basic router if you don't want to spend a lot of money. The other two offer more features, such as a USB port for sharing an external drive or a printer over a home network.

 

I've been checking around ... which one of these routers would best get the speed like a wired connection? :confused

 

Wireless will always be slower than wired. But the speeds are so much better than the current "b" router with speeds of Up to 300Mbps.

Is there a reason that you feel you have to go wireless? I always select wired over wireless because of security. Our netbooks and my tablet are wireless but all our desktop computers are wired and we do the heavy lifting on those.

The only difference I see between the two models is the cheaper one has 1 USB 2 port (used to connect a printer or an external hard drive), while the higher priced model has 2 USB 2 ports. So if you have 1 item you want to attach buy the first. If you have 2 items you want to attach, buy the 2nd.

 

:wave Well sir ... the reason I decided to go wireless is because the cable wire keeps splitting open over time exposing the small wires ... I have replaced them a few times because of it. I can usually find 50ft ... more than enough ... for 5 or 6 bucks, but the problem remains. I thought I wouldn't have to worry about that problem with wireless.

What is the difference between 1x 10/100 and 1x 10/100/1000M?:confused

I know you stated wireless will not be as fast as wire, but would this router be able to get the 100Mbsp speed that is in my status?

Thanks for reading my post.

 

First I'm not a sir.

The speeds at which the net work card is capable of running on a wired network. Most internet cable is only fast enough to use the 10/100. The 10/100/1000 is for an extremely fast connection only businesses have and pay a lot for.

I'd like to see a screenshot from http://www.speedtest.net/
to see what your download speed is.
Like this

taken a few minutes ago using my 11 year old "g" router.

 

Well sir ... this is an expression rather than a title ... and I'm not a sir either ... very nice to meet a fellow woman :wave Thanks for the explanation ... I was wondering what that was all about ... well sir ... again an expression ... I bought this refurbished router from ebay ... will this do the job?:confused

 

I don't get anywhere near those speeds ... rolleyes:-o

 

Then you do not have 100Mbps, as I suspected.
Forget about wireless, it will be even slower than what you currently show.

If you have Suite224 internet as the speed test shows, I was able to find info on speeds.

Source: http://testmy.net/hoststats/suite224_internet

The "b" router you have will work because the speeds of your ISP are lower than the router is capable of getting.

Again, I say, forget wireless.

Speed is determined by your ISP. Nothing you can do on your end will increase the speed above 11Mbps.

 

Too late ... I already purchase another one ... I posted the link in an earlier post.rolleyes

 

Well sir ... I got this network adapter for the first linksys router I bought. I installed the software hoping once I did and plugged it in I would get wireless connection, but I don't ... what do I need to do?

 

Re: Problem Solved!!!

:wave Well sir ... I got the wireless connection going finally! rolleyes I had to use the network adapter software to do it ... when I tried doing it in windows or clicking on the wireless icon in the system tray I got no where. :cry

But when I clicked on the software and clicked on find wireless connection it got me there. :-D

I know the poster that said this was going to be too slow meant well, but she was wrong. I see no difference between my wire connection and this wireless connection with the old router ... as it is called, that I posted in the beginning.

It was a total cost of less than $14, including the adapter ... but I wasted $38 bucks with network adapter included on the better router. :-o :***

I will simply chock it up as experience and put it into storage in case the one I have now stops working.

Thank you for reading my posts. :clap

 

Wired

Wireless

Since your top speed is capped at 4Mbps, you won't notice the slow down but people with faster connections most definitely will.

 

:wave I understand that ... my internet speed is only 2.0Mbps not even 4, so it is very slow compared to others.

But now I'm having a new problem getting the wireless connect to remember to stay connected. For some reason when I shut down or reboot the computer I loose the wireless connection.

I was unable to even find a view of available networks ... only after taking out the usb network adapter and plugging it into another usb port was I able to find a network. I plugged the usb adapter in the back of the computer in the hope it would remember, but each time I boot up I have to go into the adapter software config. and go through the routine of clicking on my network and putting in my password. :mad

I looked through all the software to find some kind of option to make it remember the connection, and I don't know if XP has it or not.:tired So that's what I have to work on now ... once it's connected it works fine. :clap