Linksys instructions purposely makes it more difficult than it needs to be by forcing you to first connect to internet.
Here are the items you will need:
- Linksys router
- Laptop with ethernet port (if not, an USB/Eth dongle like this one)
- Ethernet cable (CAT5 or 6, any variety)
STEPS
#1 – connect the one end of your ethernet cable to on of the ethernet ports on your Linksys router (usually marked 1-5)
#2 – do NOT connect the ethernet cable to Linksys router’s INTERNET / WAN port
#3 – connect the opposite end of your ethernet cable to the ethernet port on your laptop (if not, to a USB dongle and connect it to your computer)
#4 – open up your favorite browser and type in the address bar (a.k.a. URL bar; like where you type in the web address): 192.168.1.1
Now you can look around and make any changes to the router’s settings.
FINAL WORDS
Couple of things to keep in mind as you setup your wi-fi network.
An access point can be a router that is connected with cable (Cat5) to your primary router or modem.
If you are re-using your old router, you want to make sure that the max signal throughput matches that of your primary router, or else this secondary router or access point will be bottlenecked.
An access point usually has its own wi-fi network name (SSID) and password.
A repeater (or network extender / signal booster) is a wireless device that simply repeats wireless signals to extend the signal coverage area without being connected with cable to your primary router/modem, or your clients.
In order for a repeater to be successful, it needs to establish a strong signal between it and your primary router/modem.
Most repeaters also come with one or two ethernet ports so that you can use an ethernet network cable to physically connect your repeater to your primary router (this will definitely outperform wireless signals between two devices)