**I back timed this post so it appears before the MayDay flower. Not everyone is fascinated by routers…

I made a change in my DSL service and as I was doing that my 4 year old router “gave up the ghost” so I ordered a new one to be delivered toute suite.

The new baby was supposed to arrive Wednesday – after a Tuesday internet meeting and before a Thursday internet meeting. Mother Nature decided differently. The spring snowstorm that didn’t dump much snow on me, but DID on areas around, shut down the mountain passes and with them our FedEx service for Wednesday. Big Mike, my FedEx guy, was happy to have had Wednesday off with pay, but had no time for chit-chat on Thursday as his truck was full of 2 days worth of stuff. Karl did get his treat, though!

The bad news for me is that I had an extra day to worry about the installation. Routers and I have not gotten along well in the past and twice I’ve had to call for help. It has been 4 years since the last and I hoped that they were now “plug and play”. I mentioned this to one of the people on my programming team and he just laughed nervously…

I was encouraged by the “Start Here” – and also by 2 other labels that cautioned to insert the CD before plugging ANYTHING in to ANYTHING else. To me, that boded well for automatic configuration vs having to delve into IP and DNS and other acronyms I have only a passing knowledge of.

Things went pretty well! The main trick, which was one I DID know, but I think they could have been more explicit about is that anytime a setting is changed on the router, everything: DSL modem and router (and to be “safe”, I also cold boot my computer) has to be shut down and the order of restart is modem, router, computer.

But the CD did all of the configuration as well as leading me through adding the security for the wireless part.

Kind of cool looking…internal antenna instead of the directional “rods”. I’m getting the same strength signal everywhere with this router that I was with the old AND getting my new DSL speed.

Router and DSL modem live discreetly in a corner of the living room behind an antique dry sink. Everyone is happy, wires are hidden (I have a thing about wires and cords) and we get wireless internet like magic all over the house, yard and out to the motorhome.