How to Set Up Local Area Network (LAN)

In this article, the wikiHow will show you how to create a LAN (Local Area Network), allowing connected computers and devices to chat and access the internet.

Table of Contents

Determine the network you need

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Count the number of computers to connect. When setting up a LAN, you need to know the number of computers connected to the network via Ethernet. This will determine the number of ports to use.

If the number of computers to be wired is 4 or less, you can simply use a router. If you have more than 4 machines, you need a switch to expand the number of ports available on the router.

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Decide whether to create a wireless network or not. If you want your device to connect wirelessly, you need a router that can broadcast the wireless network. Most routers on the market have this capability.

The switch does not allow wireless device connection, can only be used in wired LAN or expands the number of ports available on the router.

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Decide whether devices on the network can access the internet or not. If you want all connected devices to be able to access the internet, you need a router to handle the connection. If you don’t need a network connection, just use a switch.

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Calculate the distance between wired devices. This is not a problem in homes, but the network cable cannot be longer than 100 m. If you want to connect wires longer than 100 m, you need to use a switch as an intermediary.

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Consider future needs. If you already use the entire port, you should consider expanding the port so that more devices can be connected in the future.

Basic LAN setup

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Prepare hardware devices. To create a LAN, you need a router or switch that acts as the network hub. These devices will route the information to the appropriate computers.

The router will automatically assign an IP address to each device in the network. This is necessary if you want to share your internet connection with connected devices. You should set up a network with your router even if you don’t intend to share the internet connection.
A switch is a simpler version of a router. It allows connected devices to communicate with each other, but does not automatically assign IP addresses and does not share the internet connection. The switch is most suitable when used to expand the number of LAN ports available in the network, as it can be connected to a router.

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Set up the router. You don’t need too complicated setup for basic LAN. Just plug in the power, put it near the modem if you want to share the internet connection.

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Connect the modem to the router (if necessary). If you plan to share your internet connection via modem, connect the modem to the WAN/INTERNET port on your router. This port is usually a different color from the rest.

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Connect the switch to the router (if necessary). If you’re using a switch to extend ports on your router, you’ll need to plug an Ethernet cable into any LAN port on the router and switch. Here’s how to extend the network to the entire LAN port on the switch.

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Connect the computer to the LAN port. Use an Ethernet cable to connect each computer to the LAN port on the router or switch. You don’t need to care about the order in which the ports are connected.

An Ethernet cable cannot transmit data correctly if it is longer than 100 m.

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Set up a computer as a DHCP server if using a switch. If you only use the switch as a network hub, set up one computer as a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocp) server so that all computers on the network can easily receive the address. IP.

You can quickly create a DHCP server on your computer by installing a middleware.
The rest of the computers on the network will automatically get an IP address when the server runs, as long as it’s set up like that.

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Check the network on each computer. After the computer receives the IP address, the machines can communicate with each other over the network. If you use a router to share the internet, each computer can access the internet.

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Set up file and printer sharing. Once you set up your network, you won’t be able to see data on other computers unless those machines have file sharing enabled. You can set up sharing files, folders, drives, printers with devices on the network so that anyone on the network or only certain users can access the data.

Set up a wireless network

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Set up the router. When setting up your wireless router, there are a few things to keep in mind:

For easy troubleshooting, you should place the router near the modem.
You should place the router in a central location to maximize coverage.
You need to connect a computer to the router via an Ethernet cable during the installation process.

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Connect the computer to one of the LAN ports on the router. You will use your computer’s web browser to configure your router’s wireless network.

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Open a web browser on your computer. You can use any browser.

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Enter the router’s IP address. You can see the IP address printed on the underside of the router, or in the accompanying documentation. If you can’t find it, you can try the following:

Windows – right click on the Network button in the system tray → click on Open Network and Sharing Center → click on the Ethernet link → click on Details → look for the Default Gateway entry to see the router’s IP address.
Mac – click the Apple menu and choose System Preferences → click Network → click Ethernet connection → look for the Router item to see the IP address.

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Login to the administrator account. You are asked to log into your router account. The default login information depends on the product line you use, but the username is usually “admin” and the password is “admin”, “password”, or blank.

You can look up your modem type at https://portforward.com/router-password/ to find the default login information.

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Open the Wireless section in the router settings. The location and terminology of this section will vary from router to router.

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Change the network name in the SSID or “Network name” field. This is the name displayed in the list of available networks.

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Select the WPA2-Personal security standard. This is the best security standard on routers. Avoid using WPA and WEP unless you have to connect older, incompatible devices.

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Create strong passwords. This is the password used to connect to the network. This field may be named “Pre-Shared Key”.

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Don’t forget to enable the wireless network. Depending on the router you use, you may have to check the box or click the button at the top of the Wireless menu to activate the wireless network.

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Click the Save or Apply button. This is saving changes on the router.

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Wait for the router to reboot. You will have to wait a few minutes for the router to reboot and get network.

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Connect the wireless device to the wireless network. Once you have a network, you’ll see the network name show up in the list of available networks on wireless devices that are within range. When connecting to the network, the user is asked to enter the password you just set.

Computers that connect to the router via Ethernet do not need to enter a password.

Steps

Determine the network you need

Basic LAN setup

Set up a wireless network

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