help needed by non techie

mrsv05

hello, i never knew this techie section existed until tonight or i'd been here before !

anyway, i am hoping you can help me. our mobile phone provider supplies our broadband but is wired. i have been given a surplice router etc that i want to connect to mine but i dont know how. because it was sent for a different company i am scared to load their disc as im worried it will override my provider and i wont be able to get online. it is a thomson router and i have a acer laptop. will i be able to use the wireless router?

many thanks in advance

PeteHerts

Usually the disc will give you a step by step guide on how to install the router.
As far as I know only AOL software would be intergrated into the drivers if that's who your with but other than that the disc as I said should be a step by step guide.
Just a tip but when you first install a wireless router you will need to hard wire it first i.e. connect the router to the laptop but that should all be on the disc.

vyseyboy

You rarely actually <i>need</i> the disc the supplier gives you. It just "brands" the browser and installs other software that may or not prove useful.

A few vendors have been known to "lock" their routers so they only work with their own connections, but most routers will work with any provider... just follow the instructions, set up your username and password in the router's settings and away you go.

albertross_2

attach with ethernet cable, start, run, cmd

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

ipconfig

note the gateway ip address, and put it into IE browser

e.g. http://192.168.0.1

you don't need to install any software, just need to enter your isp username/pwd, and set a wpa-psk\tkip encryption pwd

mrsv05

i am about to try this later so may be back !! albertross, thanks for your help, i think what you say may become clear as i do it but at the mo im lost. fingers crossed ! i am on a 'colour' network and the disc is tiscali i think. ill load the disc and hope it will not stop my current one from working.

espresso

mrsv05 wrote: »

i am about to try this later so may be back !! albertross, thanks for your help, i think what you say may become clear as i do it but at the mo im lost. fingers crossed ! i am on a 'colour' network and the disc is tiscali i think. ill load the disc and hope it will not stop my current one from working.

Don't load the Tiscrapi disc! Do as above because no software need to be loaded to use a router.

mrsv05

ok, please treat me like i dont know what im doing and who knows nothing. step by step would be very good and id be very grateful, what do i do?

espresso

When you get your router, connect it to your PC using the Ethernet cable. Read the instructions for the router and enter the routers IP address into your browser to get to the configuration screens. Enter your username/password and you should then be able to connect. The router stays connected so when you want to use any PC, you just connect to the router.

mrsv05

this is so embarassing ! ive got the ethernet cable and can connect that, ive got a telephone (?!) cable too. ive got the routers power supply and thats it, other than the disc that i havent loaded. no idea how to get the ip address, what am i doing wrong?? thanks again !

albertross_2

see post 4

mrsv05

i did but run what? and whats cmd? where do i put in the ip..........?