Make sure your Internet connection is fast enough to handle lots of traffic.
Many wireless routers have a "guest networking" feature that allows the network administrator to set up two completely separate wireless networks on the same router. Both networks share an single Internet connection, but computers on one network cannot access computers on the other network. This keeps your personal computers safe while still letting you provide wireless Internet access for guests.
Instructions
1. An Ethernet cable.
Plug an Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port on the back of the DSL or cable modem.
2. A group of numbered Ethernet ports.
Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the "WAN," "WLAN" or "Internet" port on the wireless router. Different routers have different labels for this port, but there is never more than one of them. It is separated from the group of numbered Ethernet ports.
3. A coaxial cable.
Plug the telephone cable into a phone outlet and connect the other end to the phone jack on the back of the DSL modem. If you are using a cable modem, screw the coaxial cable jack into the wall outlet and screw the other end onto the coaxial receiver on the cable modem.
4. Plug the modem and wireless router's power supplies into power outlets and wait two minutes.
5. Connect an Ethernet cable to one of the numbered Ethernet ports on the wireless router and plug the other end into an Ethernet port on your computer.
6. Open a Web browser and enter the IP address of your wireless router into the Web address bar. Check out Resource 1 for a list of default IP addresses and log in information for most brands of wireless routers.
7. Enter the administrator's user account name and password to log in to the wireless router.
8. Set up your private network. Choose a name, security type and password. Disable "SSID Broadcasting" if you don't want your private network to be visible to them. Network setup differs between routers; consult the wireless router's manual for detailed instructions.
9. Enable "guest networking" or "guest zone." The name of this feature, and the setup process also differs between router manufacturers. Check out Resources 2 through 4 for some examples, but the best place to get detailed instructions on set up guest networking is the router's manual.
