When I hit the point where I had three desktop computers, one laptop, and one X-box game sharing a single DSL connection; I knew I had to do something about the web of ethernet cables running all over the house. I chose Linksys products specifically because they are made by a division of Cisco -- a professional standard in networking devices.  Linksys is the affordable version of this well-known and well-respected product line.

To set up a wireless network, you will need:  

The Linksys wireless router does allow you to have four wired/ethernet cabled connections as well as wireless devices, so it's not an "all or none" decision.  You may, for example, choose to install wireless adapters on your desktop and laptop computers, but continue to use a wired connection for your X-box or other game machine.

A word about "wireless B" and wireless G":  most Linksys products available today are Wireless G, which basically just allows for faster (i.e., broadband or gigabit ethernet) data transfer rates. Wireless G products are compatible with older wireless B products, but if you are starting out new with wireless, start with all wireless G components.

Here the basics to complete the process of installing your wireless network:

(1) Make sure you disable any active firewalls / don't install new firewalls until AFTER you have your wireless network set up.  You may also need to disable antivirus software during installation.

(2) Setup is very simple. In most cases, it is a matter of running the setup disk (CD) and following the step-by-step instructions -- visual examples included. You only need to run the router setup disk once on one machine -- you don't need to follow this step on each machine you want to convert to wireless.

(3) Once you have your router connected, you will install a wireless adapter on each machine you want to convert to wireless. Set these up one at a time using the setup CD that came with the adapter. This, too, is a simple step-by-step process with excellent visual aids to guide you.

(4) You can either manually configure your adapter connection (which I recommend for DSL users), or let the setup program auto-detect your settings (if you have cable Internet). Again, simply follow the instructions on the setup program to complete this step.

If you need to troubleshoot:

There are a couple spots that can be tricky. First, if you are using a DSL connection (as opposed to cable; I wouldn't recommend going to the expense of setting up a wireless network without high speed broadband access), you may find that you need to manually configure the Linksys router to work with your DSL modem.

Sounds harder than it is.  For example, most AT&T/SBC customers have a 2Wire Home Portal DSL modem. These must be manually configured to work with Linksys products.  To do this, don't waste a minute on the AT&T/SBC Web site -- you won't find any useful support there.  Go to 2Wire's Web site.  You'll find complete instructions for accessing, configuring, and connecting your modem to networking devices.  Sound scary?  All you're doing here is using your Web browser to read the directions, then using the browser to follow the directions. It's all "point and click".

If the automatic install/setup CD that comes with your router doesn't result in a live connection, open the PDF manual included on your setup disk, and follow the "troubleshooting" instructions. If all else fails, remember these basic secure router settings, and make sure they are configured:

• Setup > Basic > DHCP enabled
• Setup > Basic > Wireless mode: Mixed
• Setup > Basic > Infrastructure mode
• Setup > Security > WEP 64-bit encryption
  Choose a password, write it down and keep it in a safe place.

If you have trouble establishing a connection to the Internet, check the following settings on your computer:

1. In Windows XP, go to: Start > Control Panel > Network Connections > right click on your network adapter connection and choose Properties > select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) from checklist and click on Properties > make sure "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" are selected.
2. Open your browser and go to: Tools > Internet Options > select "Connections" tab > (dialup should already be set to "never dail a connection") LAN settings > make sure "automatically detect LAN settings" is selected.
3. Click on the gray or green icon in your systray (bottom left of your screen) and manually adjust the adapter connection settings.  Allow the adapter time to find available networks -- this shouldn't take more than a few seconds.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER USERS:
According to Linksys Customer Service (May, 2006), there are no driver updates available at this time for Windows XP Media Center.  If you are using Windows XP Media Center, you may not be able to establish a wireless Internet connection using a Linksys adapter. (I have had mixed results.)

This is a lot of information at one time, but honestly, if you print this page out for reference and simply place the install disk that comes with each Linksys product into your CD drive, you will find it all makes sense very quickly. Please feel free to email me if you have questions or suggestions for improving this guide and making it more useful.