Not everyone knows that the wireless router used to connect to the internet has several useful options that you can configure to your liking. These options are located in the control panel of the router which is hidden for those who do not know it, easily accessible for those who have more experience.
This guide with the main options of a Router, even if each brand has a different configuration page and the settings may appear differently, applies to all models, including more limited wifi routers such as the Tre's WebCube or Vodafone Station
READ ALSO: How a Router really works "> find the IP address of the router refer to another guide.
Usually this address is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 which are conventionally used addresses for internal networks.
The router options page can only be opened if after connecting the computer to the network.
READ ALSO: Enter the router to access settings easily
Accessing the router settings means configuring access to the network and, therefore, also to the internet.
Since a wifi network can also be viewed from outside the home, from neighbors or on the street, access to the router is protected by a password.
This password is predefined for each type of router and written on the box or in the instructions (all router passwords are found on the internet).
The first time you configure a router (or now if you haven't done so already) you need to change this password.
If you don't remember the password, you can reset the router and the password
Once logged in, you can open the router's web-based setup page from your browser and change the various options.
2) See who is connected
All the computers that connect to the network established by the router are listed with their Mac Address under the Wireless -> Statistics or Clients List section .
In reality, as already seen in another article, a simple PC program is enough to find out who is connected to your wifi network and connects wirelessly
3) Wireless channel
From the router settings you can change the wireless channel of the network.
Changing the router's wireless channel can speed up data transmission speeds in heavily populated areas or where there are other wireless networks.
In fact, if other wifi networks use the same wireless channel, the interferences cause slowdowns.
To find the wireless channel with more powerful channel there are some programs like inSSIDer, really effective (see related article).
4) Repeater
A single router may not be sufficient to cover a larger area with the wifi signal and it may be necessary to use another, without however creating separate networks.
In some routers, you can set the Repeater function on the configuration page to join it to an existing network and make it work as a repeater.
If it is not present, see the guide to increase the wifi signal with two wireless routers connected together
5) Quality of Service (QoS)
Many routers have a set of options under the QoS heading.
QoS can reduce the network bandwidth available for transfers of programs such as BitTorrent or prioritize internet browsing, preventing other programs from slowing down the loading of websites.
This is particularly useful if the network is used by several people and you want to prevent someone from continuously downloading from the internet creating a permanent blockage.
6) Dynamic DNS
If you use a program that makes the computer become a server (for example with a trivial FTP program to make a file server), you can use the dynamic DNS service to connect to the computer remotely.
In practice, even if the external IP address of the computer changes continuously, the router makes sure that it always corresponds to a registered DNS address such as, for example, pomhey.no-ip.com.
To find out more, read the guide to connect to your home PC from anywhere with dynamic DNS.
To activate dynamic DNS you need to register a hostname such as no-ip.com or dyn.com.
7) Port Forwarding, Port Triggering, DMZ and UPnP
Routers block incoming traffic by default and for security.
If you want to set up a computer as a server or use other services that require incoming connections, such as peer-to-peer file transfer or the use of some VOIP programs, you may need to open these connections.
Routers provide several options, including port forwarding.
In another article we saw how to open the router's ports.
You can use DMZ to automatically send all incoming connections on the network to a single computer, but it is not recommended because it exposes the home network to access from all over the internet.
UPnP, generally enabled by default, allows programs to transmit their ports on demand.
If you are going to set port forwarding or DMZ, it is better to assign a static IP address to the computer, using the "Network" -> "WAN" configuration option and disabling DHCP
READ ALSO: How do we connect to the internet and why with the same Public IP address?
8) Change DNS to all computers on the network
DNS servers can be changed for the entire network on the router.
This allows you to activate a censorship against dangerous sites (for example using OpenDNS or SecureDNS) or to bypass blockages on obscured sites in a country (for example with Google DNS)
DNS options can be found under DHCP.
9) Parental control and blocking of inappropriate websites
Routers often contain Parental Control functions to block certain types of specific websites.
You can also set a maximum time for the internet to remain active by interrupting the connection at night or at certain times.
On some routers, you can limit these rules on specific computers and not on the entire network.
10) Reboot
If there are network problems, in any case, the first thing to do is to restart the router, which can be done from the configuration page or manually by pressing the physical button above the router.
As you can see, there are also other options on the web configuration page of a wifi router and you can click on each of them to discover, perhaps through instruction manuals or more detailed guides, all that you can do to optimize and customize the network.
