05-13-2008, 03:14 PM

hi.

Newbie needing advice. Just got a Linksys Cable/DSL Router (BEFSR41) off ebay and am having trouble setting it up.

Basically I do not know what settings to put into the set up screen. I thought it would do it all automatically under the "obtain an IP automatically (DHCP)" selection but obviously not and the instructions seem geared for PC.

Also my plan is to be able to connect my works laptop to the router, once installed properly on the Mac. Does anyone know if it will just work? At the moment I unplug the cable modem, disconnect mac, connect laptop and turn it on and it does just work.

I'm on UK Virgin cable if it helps.

All help greatly received.

05-14-2008, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by hiya

hi.

Newbie needing advice. Just got a Linksys Cable/DSL Router (BEFSR41) off ebay and am having trouble setting it up.

Basically I do not know what settings to put into the set up screen. I thought it would do it all automatically under the "obtain an IP automatically (DHCP)" selection but obviously not and the instructions seem geared for PC.

It depends on your ISP. Some use DHCP, some use static IP. It may also be tied to your MAC address (MAC meaning "Machine Access Control" and not "Macintosh). In the case of DSL, it's also possible that you'll need to configure PPPoE. But this will vary from ISP to ISP - frankly, I'd just give them a call and ask for help.

Also my plan is to be able to connect my works laptop to the router, once installed properly on the Mac. Does anyone know if it will just work? At the moment I unplug the cable modem, disconnect mac, connect laptop and turn it on and it does just work.

I'm on UK Virgin cable if it helps.

All help greatly received.

The router does not need to be "installed" on the Mac per se. You just need to configure the router. This is done via any computer connected to the router via Ethernet. You simply point your browser to the router's IP address (the default is typically 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1), sign into it with the username and password provided by the documentation and then configure it to work with your modem.

In general, these are the settings you want to configure:

1. Your ISP settings, in the vast majority of cases it should be DHCP, but there can be a number of pitfalls even if it does use DHCP.
2. Your Wireless SSID. You should change this from the default (probably "linksys") to something easily identifiable to you.
3. Wireless channel. Survey pre-existing wireless routers using a tool like AirPort Radar. Then, change the channel so that it's notconflicting with an existing router.
4. Wireless security. Set this to WPA and choose a "passphrase", this is the password you'll use the first time you connect to it wirelessly.

Once this is done, just close your browser, then:

5. Reset the modem by unplugging it, wait 10 seconds, plug it back in.
6. Reset the router by unplugging it, wait 10 seconds and plug it back in.
7. Reboot the computer, unplug the ethernet cord.
8. Click the wi-fi control in the menu bar (looks like a fan), your network SSID that you configured in step 2 should appear in the list of choices.
9. Click on it and enter your WPA passphrase when prompted.
10. After about 10 seconds, it should connect and you should be on the Internet wirelessly.

05-18-2008, 05:00 AM

All working now, thanks.

05-18-2008, 05:24 AM

Glad to hear you got it working and Excellent help as usual CWA!!!