In terms of computers, a router on a stick is known as a one-armed router. It is a type of router that has a single physical or logical connection to a specific network. It is a method of inter-VLAN (virtual Local Area Networks) routing where one router is connected to a switch via only a single cable. The router has a physical connection that broadcast signals to the different domains. The configuration process of a broadband Wi-Fi router is not that tough. Although ISPs try their best to make it easier to install their products, so if you still have issues with the configuration then read this full article for better understanding.
How to configure Router on a Stick?
There are two main ways in which you can configure the Router. But read all the instructions carefully and follow the steps to complete the procedure.
- Switch Configuration
- Router on a stick configuration
Switch Configuration:
The first step is to create the two required VLANs on the Cisco switch and configure them with an IP address. As we all know, Cisco switches contain VLAN1 (Default VLAN), we only need to create VLAN2:
You need these commands to instruct the switch:
- Define the ‘trunk’ value to use the 802.1q protocol.
- Set the specific port to the ‘Trunk Mode’ option.
- Enable the ‘Spanning-tree Portfast trunk’ function to ensure the port will move forward with the packets immediately when connected to the device.
- You should never use The ‘Spanning-tree Portfast Trunk’ command on the ports that connect to another switch.
- This will create your connection faster without any loops.
Router on a stick Configuration:
- Connect your router
- Access your router’s interface and build it
- Configure security and IP addressing
- Set up sharing and control
- Set up user accounts
Connect your Router:
The broadband Wi-Fi router is the bridge between the Internet and your PC. That’s how the devices on the network communicate with one another. The device that is connected to the Wi-Fi router, must have an appropriate network adapter. In order to configure the Router, you need to follow the steps:
- Firstly, unplug or turn off the cable or DSL modem.
- Now, plug in the wireless router and connect the network cable to the port.
- After that, connect the other end to the cable or DSL modem and then turn on the modem.
- But remember this, Do not try to connect any devices such as laptops or tablets until you have a high strength signal indicating a WAN connection on both the router and modem.
Access your Routers’ interface and built it:
- Connect the Ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports and the other end to the Ethernet port of your laptop.
- Now, Click on the ‘Network and Internet’ option and then ‘Network and Sharing Centre.’
- After that, click on the ‘Change adapter settings’ option.
- Then, right-click on ‘Local Area Connection and then tap on “Properties.” to select the IP version.
- Hold the cursor on ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4)’ and once again, tap on the ‘Properties’ button.
- Once the changes are done, open up a browser and go to the web address using the account name “admin” and password ‘admin’. Now, you are done with the setup.
Configure Security and IP address:
After accessing the router, the next step would be getting the security, SSID, and IP address settings. These settings can be found under the ‘Basic’ settings. They might show you the name of ‘Security’ or ‘Wireless Settings’. Now follow the further steps to configure the security and IP address:
- Change the default administrator password and enter a new password in the field.
- Change the router’s default SSID, but use a unique name to avoid confusion.
- Go into the router’s wireless security page and opt for WPA security.
- Set up the IP address, as the router comes at its default DHCP setting.
- Disconnect the laptop and reboot it.
Set up Sharing and Control:
Lastly, you have a network to set up your Router on a stick Configuration, from this simple procedure you can set up all the devices to access data on the network. You can simply do this task by setting up a “Home Network” by using your current location.
Set up user accounts:
Now, lastly, the only task left is to set up the personal user’s accounts:
- Select the User Accounts icon.
- To add and configure other devices to access the network, click on ‘Manage User Accounts’, and then click on the ‘Advanced’ tab.
- Under ‘Advanced User Management’ click on the ‘Advanced’ option and select the user and add them to your network.
Conclusion:
In this article, we have discussed the procedure for Router on a stick configuration via different modes. However, if you are using different types of WLAN routers then some settings may differ but all the router follows the same procedure. However, if you still face any problems with the configuration, then contact the specific Router company’s customer support team or visit the official website.