A new router arrives with a short leaflet: plug in, connect, open the app, done. Ten minutes later the internet is on.
The trouble is that the leaflet stops exactly where the settings that actually matter begin. What you do after the internet comes on decides whether the year ahead is quiet or full of small, recurring irritations.
Before plugging anything in
Two things are better decided first, because changing them later means redoing part of the work.
First, where it goes. A router tucked into a corner on the floor beside the TV cabinet will perform badly no matter what it cost. Position matters far more than specifications, the reasoning is in the guide to positioning a router.
Second, its role. Is this router replacing the box from your provider, or sitting alongside it? If alongside, you need to decide which one hands out addresses. The difference between a modem, a router, and an ONT is covered in the guide to modems, routers, and ONTs.
Two devices both handing out addresses is the single most overlooked cause of trouble. The symptom is not the internet failing, it is a scattering of small, confusing problems: the printer is not visible, the camera will not open from your phone, smart devices come and go. One of the two devices needs to be set to bridge mode, or have its DHCP function switched off.
The right order
Connect to the router, then open the admin page
Connect by cable if you can, it is steadier during a firmware update. The admin address is usually printed on the sticker underneath, along with the factory password.
Change the admin password first
This is step one, not the last thing you do. Many routers leave the factory with the same combination across every unit, and those lists circulate freely. Until it is changed, anyone connected to your Wi-Fi can alter every setting you have.
Update the firmware
Do it now, before configuring much else. A router that sat in a warehouse for months often carries outdated firmware, and some updates reset settings to defaults, far better that happens now than after you have configured everything.
Set the Wi-Fi name and password
Use a name that does not give away the router brand, its model, or your house number. For the password, length matters more than a mix of symbols, guide to changing your Wi-Fi password.
Make sure the security is WPA2 or WPA3
Some routers still offer older options for the sake of ancient devices. Do not pick one unless you genuinely have a device you cannot avoid, guide to WPA2 versus WPA3.
Turn off WPS
That quick-pairing button makes connecting devices easier, and makes it easier for other people too. The benefit is small; the risk is not worth it.
Save the configuration
Almost every router has a menu for downloading a configuration file. Do it once you have finished. If the router ever needs resetting, restoring takes two minutes instead of repeating all of this.
What you can safely skip
A router's settings pages are full of menus that sound important. Most of them need no attention, and changing them without a reason causes problems rather than solving them.
| Setting | Change it? |
|---|---|
| Admin password | Essential, and first |
| Firmware | Essential, early on |
| Wi-Fi name and password | Essential |
| WPS | Turn it off |
| Wi-Fi channel | Leave on automatic for now |
| Transmit power | Do not touch |
| DNS | Leave as supplied |
| IPv6 | Leave as it is |
| Port forwarding | Only if you actually need it |
The channel row is tempting. Leave it on automatic for a few days first, modern routers choose reasonably well, and setting it manually only makes sense once you have actually seen an overlap.
The IPv6 row gets fiddled with unnecessarily too. If it is on and everything works, there is no reason to turn it off, the considerations are in the guide to whether IPv6 needs enabling.
On having two network names
A dual-band router offers a choice: one name covering both bands, or two separate names.
For most homes, use one name. Devices will move to the better band on their own, and you never have to think about it again.
Split them only where there is a real reason: a device that clings stubbornly to 2.4 GHz when 5 GHz is far clearer, or an older smart device confused by one name spanning two bands. The difference is covered in the guide to 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz.
Two settings that get forgotten
The guest network. Switching it on takes a minute and settles a problem that becomes awkward later, visitors, tradespeople, and smart devices do not need to share a room with your work computer. How to do it is in the guide to separating a guest network.
Limits for children. If there are children at home, setting this up now is far easier than after a problem appears, the options are in the guide to parental controls on a router.
One thing you do not need to do: hide the Wi-Fi name. It is often suggested as a security step, when in practice it achieves almost nothing and makes daily use more awkward, the reasoning is in the guide to hiding a Wi-Fi name.
Testing before calling it finished
- Walk through every room while playing a video. Any dead spot shows itself immediately.
- Run a speed test over cable and compare it against your subscription, guide to checking internet speed.
- Connect one device to the guest network and confirm it cannot reach your computer.
- Open the admin page from another device using the new password, to be sure you noted it down correctly.
When to call someone in
For a single router in a home or a small shop, everything above can be done yourself in under an hour.
It is different once the network involves several access points on different floors, cabling that has to run through walls, or separation that must hold consistently across a whole building. At that point, hiring an installer is usually cheaper than doing it twice, the considerations are in the guide to choosing a Wi-Fi installer.
If you only need one more router to reach the upstairs floor, that is still within reach of doing it yourself, guide to setting up two routers on one network.
Frequently asked questions
What should you change first on a new router?
The admin page password, not the Wi-Fi password. Many routers leave the factory with the same combination across every unit, and those lists circulate freely. Until it is changed, anyone connected can alter every setting you have.
Do you need to update the firmware on a newly installed router?
Yes, and do it early, before configuring much else. A router that sat in a warehouse for months often ships with old firmware containing holes that have since been fixed. Updating first also avoids losing your settings if the update resets them.
Should the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks share the same name?
For most homes, yes, devices will then move between them on their own. Split them only if you have a device that stubbornly picks the wrong band, or an older device that cannot handle one name covering two bands.
What happens if a new router is placed behind an old modem?
You may end up with two devices both handing out addresses, which produces odd symptoms such as cameras or printers that cannot see each other. The fix is to set one of them to bridge mode, or turn off its DHCP function.
