How Much Does It Take To Set Up A Wireless Router

Well, apparently it takes a LOT. They claim that Easy Installation will only take three minutes, but today I have been struggling to re-install my two-year-old 54g wireless router since 3:30pm to no avail (that's 3.5 precious hours). I called the router maker three times, and every time a new service agent would make me do the same things again and again. They also suspected that my internet provider had some problem, too. So I called my internet provider. Of course they blame the router maker, saying that the router would make a lot changes to the modem.

Well, I think the first service agent with the router maker is correct: the router is broken. It is just very hard to convince the other two to believe it. I believe it because my old-fashioned wired router works perfectly fine (but where am I gonna find two 40-foot cables for it?).

Oh, it's so frustrating! I could have used my time better!

By the way, judging from the service agents' accent, I believe the router maker's service center is in India.



Added 12:13am Oct. 24:

Now I am online, wireless, and it has been working fine!

Of course, this was only after some 30 minutes with the guidance of a very knowledgeable friend of my new roomie: unplugging and plugging the power cord to the Comcast modem, and eventually resetting while powering on the modem worked.

The following is just a record of what I have done, what could be the reason etc. It serves as a reminder to myself, in case I face the same problems again.

1) I bought a new wireless router, and it failed installation. Yes. That told me that it definitely was not the router. It must be the connection between the modem and the router.
2) Comcast modems are one of a kind: they don't like routers. They think they should only connect to ONE computer. So when setting up a router, the router might have difficulty finding the internet (because the modem refuses it).
3) In order to make the modem forget its default settings, it has to be power-cycled, or reset, or reset-while-power-cycled.
4) Access the router via web configuration page. Make sure WAN connection type is DHCP client or fixed IP. Under Status, if WAN connection is disconnected, do DHCP release, and then DHCP renew. It should work.

It is easily said than done. I'm so very grateful to my roomie's friend. More knowledgeable than Belkin and Comcast technical support.

Hmm, I am not sure that my two-year-old Belkin is dead after all!