How do I set up a modem, router, and switch?
How do I set up a modem, router, and switch?
It needs a specific order: Modem -> Router -> Switch. The modem (and your ISP) gives out just one IP address. Usually, the router gets that job. The router then shares many internal IPs for devices connected via wired or WiFi. If you put the switch first, the modem only sees whatever device is plugged in right there. That means it only talks to that single thing.
Where does the modem and router sit around your home? Often, weak Wi-Fi signals happen because they aren't placed right in the middle. Sometimes it's due to using old power lines or other things like MoCA that move the internet signal along the wires instead of sending it directly through the air.
It's a two-story home. My modem and router are on the first floor, way over by the east side. But my internet is weak for the second-floor living room, which is across the hall from the west. I used to live in a much bigger house that had one single modem-router combo in the corner of the wall. It gave great Wi-Fi all around. Now, why doesn't my smaller setup work like the big one did?
If your gadgets are right in the middle of your home, they will likely fix everything there. Every living room has its own quirks. The same items might work great in one house but not quite as well in another.