How to Connect a Router to a Cable Modem

Tech How To

For people that don’t know, a router acts as a junctions between two or more networks. Basically, in simplified form, a router will connect your Internet Service Providers network (ISP) to your computer(s). Usually, a router is used to gain the ability to connect multiple computers to the network, or to broadcast a wireless signal throughout your house. You can connect to the Internet via just your cable modem, but this will likely limit you to one computer via an Ethernet cable.

You have to have a cable modem to use a router. The cable modem generally has 3 connections: a cable input, an ethernet input, and the power cable. You can connect your computer directly to the modem via the ethernet jack, but this will only allow you 1 connection to the Internet. This is where a router becomes very useful. If you simply connect the cable modem to your router via the ethernet cable (there is usually an input jack on the router marked as ‘incoming’), you can then use the multiple outgoing jacks on your router to connect various computers via ethernet cables. Many routers these days also have Wireless, so they will broadcast a wireless signal throughout your house. Most new laptops can pick up a wireless signal, but many desktop computers need a wireless adapter to pick up the signal.

Some pictures illustrating how this works will be available shortly.