Setting up your internet should be painless, but it rarely is ...

Connecting your computer to the internet at your residence is pretty easy to do.  For a very basic, typical setup, you’ll need an internet connection subscription, a modem, an ethernet cable and a computer.  Plug in the power and connect the cable or telephone line to the modem, connect the modem to the computer using the ethernet cable and you are connected. Yeah, that would be ideal, except there are a number details that can complicate this fairly simple process.

I wrote this post to help you overcome those details to help save you from ripping out your hair, and yes, I realize the irony of putting tips for setting up an internet connection on the internet. Cut me some slack … people still have friends with printers don’t they?

In this post, they key to instant, pain-free success is convincing your ISP that they should perform the installation for you. If that isn’t available, another likely avenue of success is getting bribing a friend who is technically inclined to do the installation for you (bribery and pleading are good techniques to use in these cases). Another way is to begin by reading the instructions before you begin stuffing plugs into sockets at random, call your ISP if you have questions, that’s what they are there for. And after all that, the next big hurdle will come when you try to convince your computer that you put everything in their right places, and that it can start using the internet now.

Headache I: Your Internet Service Provider and Your Modem

To get connected to the internet, you are going to need to get an internet connection from an Internet Service Provider (ISP). You could get lucky and piggy back off of someone else’s wireless network if you have wireless capabilities (which nearly all computers have these days) but that’s somewhat unreliable in terms of connectivity. Their problems become your problems and besides, its unethical. Better to cough up the cash so that you have your own connection and have the ability to call in for support when something goes wrong (and trust me, something WILL eventually go wrong).

Installation Headaches

Depending on the wiring in your home, your service provider may need to send a technician to perform the setup, so you might want to check with your ISP before subscribing to see if any wiring or installation needs to be done before you subscribe to the service; this is just to ensure that you are aware of any service charges that may apply for the set-up. It’s likely that you will have one of three options for connectivity: Cable, DSL or Wireless. While these aren’t the only options (don’t even bother asking me about dial-up and if you have a T1 connection or something better, call your service provider for help … you pay enough to get that “Personal Touch” assistance) they are, at the time this post is written, the most common means of connectivity.

Quick Notes on the Different Types of Connections

Each of the aforementioned connectivity options basically describe how the internet connection will be partitioned or provided to you.  DSL services are provided over a your telephone line, cable over cable and wireless is provided using satellites and / or relay towers. Each has it’s own benefits and limitations, but for the scope of this post, these little details are not critical. Suffice to say that we are only concerned that connectivity is established at this point.

Image via Wikipedia

Picking a Good Spot for Your Modem

Your ISP internet connection subscription typically provides you the modem and many ISP’s also provide detailed instructions on how to set up your modem. Some ISP’s offer free installation, and if this is the case for you, take it and be done with it. If not, continue on my friend. While you may be limited as to where you can put your modem, due to the logistics of wiring and aesthetics (you don’t want to be that geek with a rats nest of cables in the middle of your living room do you?), you’ll want to keep your modem in a relatively cool, out of the way place, out of direct sunlight and away from any areas prone to hazards that may damage electrical equipment (think less leaky roof and more spilled soda). While modem placement not especially critical to the longevity of your modem, picking a good spot will extend the life of your modem, which usually needs to be replaced every 5-7 years; a figure based off of years of experience as an IT Support Tech for an ISP.

 Visual Equipment Check

Modems usually come with their own assortment of power, telephone (if necessary) and ethernet cables (which will always be too short). Before you start stuffing plugs into sockets, take a moment to read over the installation instructions and warranty while giving the components in the box a good once over.  You are checking to make sure the modem unit itself isn’t cracked, or damaged in some way (you might want to double check for a “Refurbished” sticker to make sure that you have a new modem and not a refurbished one too … it happens), and that there are no breaks, severe bends or exposed wires on any of the cables.  If you have subscribed to a DSL service, make sure that you have micro-filters as well (everyone else, don’t sweat it, you won’t need the micro-filters).

While you may not be an expert, but if you see something that doesn’t look right to you, you may save yourself a few hours of frustration during set-up with a quick call to your ISP’s technical support specialist. More often than not, they can order a replacement for you if necessary.

After you have verified that you haven’t been given a box of junk, it’s time to start jamming in plugs into sockets.

Wiring Up The Modem

You’ll really want to begin this part of the self-installation by reading the Quick Set-Up instructions included with your modem (sometimes there are no instructions, yikes!). These are usually diagrams of pictures showing you what goes where and if you follow  them (in the order that they are presented) you drastically improve the chances of setting up your internet connection successfully. So come on, just at least glance at them … most of the time they are just pictures anyway.

For those of you baffled by the pretty pictures, or just wanted to get a taste of what’s in store, your typical modem will have three or more sockets in the back. A power socket, a cable or telephone socket and one (or in the case of modem/router combinations, more ethernet sockets) Ethernet socket. We usually refert to these sockets as ports, so don’t get freaked out if you see terms like Ethernet Port thrown around in the installation instructions.

Plug in the power cord and the cable or telephone line into the appropriate sockets in the back of the modem. The power, powers the unit. The telephone line (sometimes called by its more proper name RJ14 cable in particularly evil instructions) or the cable line (or onto in the case of cable connections) gives your modem internet connectivity. Once that is done, you should see some flashy lights on the modem. Usually, you will see your DSL or Cable light flash for a little while and then stay on. This usually indicates that a connection has been established, and that you are ready to hook up your computer.

This is where you wire up your computer to the modem with the ethernet cable. Now, don’t be surprised if you don’t have connectivity at first. Depending on your operating system, you may have to set up the internet connection (which is easy to do). You will usually see a notification on your screen that will alert you that you computer has detected a connection, and again, depending on your operating system, the computer may ask you to go through a set-up process. Follow the instructions (if any), to complete the set-up.

Static IP vs. DHCP

One thing that you may encounter is a distinction between a Static IP and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). These kinds of things are the reason why you really want to have someone who knows about this kind of stuff to do the installation for you. I’ll cover it in brief, but instructions on what to do depend on both your ISP and computer.

To begin, it might be helpful to know what an IP address is. In brief, an IP address is, at its most basic definition, a unique number that identifies your computer on the internet. Now, when you hear the term “static IP” what this means is that your IP address that your ISP gives you will stay the same. There are several advantages to having a static IP address, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. I’ll probably cover that later. DHCP is the opposite, where your IP address changes from time to time. Just know that this is ok if all you need to do is surf the web, run an email address and hook up your Xbox.

Your ISP will tell you which you are getting and if you are not sure, just call their tech support line, and they can tell you.

You might be asking “Why is this important?” The reason that I mention this is that some internet connections require you to set up your computer with Static IP configuration settings. If this is the case, this WILL suck. What is probably going to happen next is that you will need to find your IP configuration settings on your computer (or modem, which will suck more) and manually input your IP address information. This you will need to get from your ISP, there is no getting around this one.

If you have DHCP (and most ISP’s enable this) there isn’t much required except making sure that you computer is configured for DHCP. Again, and I know I sound like a broken record, instructions on doing this will depend on your computer. Once done, you are connected.

There are a lot of missing details here, but this post was meant to give you an overview of the process of setting up your internet connection. If you have specific questions, about your own set-up, just email me and I can help point you in the right direction.

Related articles

• Is my modem dying?(ask.metafilter.com)
• ISP and Bandwidth(bestcm312classever.wordpress.com)
• How to choose an ISP for your small business(macworld.com)

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