Using a DSL modem as the wireless router not the modem?

**MissSeetonFan** · 11-12-2010, 06:10 PM

Has anyone ever tried to do this? We have fiber-optic internet service but no wireless router. We also have a wired router available but we don't want to string ethernet cables all over the house so we are attempting to find alternatives. Our previous internet service was DSL and we bought the modem. Does anyone know if we can use the DSL modem as the wireless router? Any sites you would recommend looking at that may help us with this?

Thank you,
Clorinda

**nodmicks** · 11-12-2010, 06:58 PM

I'm so not a techie and my teens rigged our up. We have a wired modem. they connected a wireless router to the wired modem so we have wireless for the netbook, wi etc. It was $40 for the wireless router and took them about two minutes to hook up.

**HappyMama** · 11-12-2010, 07:55 PM

You can connect your DSL modem to a wireless router, then you buy wireless adapters for each computer you would like to connect to it ( such as wireless USB adapters). This works great for us !

**Trishagirl** · 11-12-2010, 09:51 PM

We have wires all over the house we need to get the adapters!!!

**Keildra** · 11-14-2010, 03:56 PM

You can get a modem that has a wireless router built in through your DSL company but I don't know if they'll let you buy it from them, ours will only let us rent if. You could buy one off amazon.

**mndtrp** · 11-14-2010, 05:04 PM

I'm fairly certain you couldn't use the modem as a router. It would require hooking the wireless DSL router up to the Optical router, and I don't see how that could work properly. I would just drop the $50-$100 on a wireless router that has proper security features.

**lwlynch** · 11-14-2010, 11:22 PM

i just switched to the fiber optic at att and i just asked for a wireless adapter and they dropped me on off.. maybe just call them and ask, and tell them your prob..maybe even a discount

**MissSeetonFan** · 11-15-2010, 12:22 PM

We were hoping it would work somehow so we could save money. Oh well, some things you just have to spend on.

Clorinda

**Pianolady** · 11-16-2010, 01:20 PM

I've been reading Black Friday ads, and it looks like there will be D-Link wireless routers for $19.99 at Office Depot and Office Max.

**CarePlus** · 11-18-2010, 08:17 PM

It should be fine. You need to plug an ethernet cable into one of the ethernet ports in the modem and the other end into an ethernet port on the router. That will connect your wireless access point (old dsl modem) to the Internet.

From there you just need to follow the directions for the wireless set up that apply to your modem. There are two things about this kind of configuration that are important.
(a) Wireless Security, don't leave your wireless accessible to anyone in the neighborhood that's within range.
(b) Only your wired router or your wireless access point can be configured to assign addresses to the computers in your network, not both. You'll probably have to disable this function (known as DHCP) on one of them. I'd say disable it on the dsl modem.

Sorry these comments are so general. I could give more specific instructions if I knew the brands and model numbers of your wired router and your dsl modem.