Vocal Voices

OK clever people here, wondering if I can pick your brains please.

I'll start by saying that I personally haven't seen the set up yet so am not 100% sure what is plugged in where, but....

One of my elderly neighbours called the other day because her computer had died (it was old!) Anyway with my help she is now the owner of a little Lenovo Chromebook and I collected it for her on Sunday and then Monday popped round to help her set it up. It's her lifeline and she uses it for her online shopping etc

Yesterday I got a call saying the chromebook was asking her for a password, which I assumed was her google password, but she says she tried that. Then this morning I got a call to say the chromebook wasn't connected to Wi-Fi. Now, and this is the bit I'm very confused about.... her Wi-Fi router seems to be hardwired into her old computer. So at night she switches everything off, including the Wi-Fi and the Chromebook is obviously struggling to reconnect.

I said I'll pop around again tomorrow afternoon to see what I can figure out, but would be nice to have a vague idea of what I may be dealing with. My router is plugged into the phone socket and obviously a power source. I know when you set up Wi-Fi systems you sometimes need to hardwire the computer to the router with an ethernet, but generally once that's done you can remove the ethernet cable - no?

Her phone socket apparently is in the hallway and she seems to think that her late husband set it up the way it is so the dog wouldn't chew cables; but it's just a bit mad that she now potentially needs to keep this big box under her desk just so she has Wi-Fi.

Any thoughts anyone? What (if anything) should I possibly look to take with me when I go there. I'm sure I've got spare phone cables / box splitters for phone - router.

thanks!

x

Hi Ria,

Is the old computer connected to anything else via an Ethernet cable ?

Is there any power to the Wi-Fi router ?

Anything to identify the model for the Wi-Fi router ?

Who is her broadband supplier ?


If it's someone like Virgin then there may be just a single connection where the Mac address of the old computer is hard corded into the old model. The Wi-Fi router connected to the computer maybe as a pass through where the computer allows the router to share it's internet .

Mick.

Thanks Mick - I'll check all those things tomorrow. Not sure who her broadband provider is; but maybe we can get a newer router from them.

but at least I sort of now know what I should be looking for tomorrow and can try sort things. I just don't want to leave her without a connection so won't mess about too much

It's Kaz again Ria, hope that all helps xxx

it does, thank you - at least now I have some idea where to start

xx

Basics.

The router connects to the Internet by wire - the one from the phone socket splitter to the router. It needs a password to connect and that is usually on a plate / notice on the router along with the network name, say BT4EF76D. Once set up it can remember this so that if it is switched off but is still plugged in it can reconnect automatically.

You can now setup your home network either by Enet or WiFi. It will give you a menu of the Internet connections it can "see" and you should pick the one from your ISP (Vodafone, TalkTalk, BT etc) - the one you always used. Let's say it's BT4EF76D. Now, it matters not whether you connect by WiFi or Enet each device connection / adapter needs to connect using the password on the router.

So, for example, phone WiFi connection: look for your BT network, enter the router password and connect. Same with Chromebook, laptop, desktop, tablet..... look for the same BT network and use the same router password. Your devices can mix and match connections - some on WiFi and some on Enet.

Ria, the golden rule is to attach the router via the splitter to the fist socket to enter the house and not an extension. If the first socket is the one in the hallway that is where the router should be - it can broadcast around the house. You do not need to hard wire the Chromebook via Enet, you can set it up using WiFi.

ETA. Take my ex, please take my ex.

Her BT phone line comes in to the hallway where she has a table with a DECT phone. The other cordless DECT is in the living room. Her router is on the bottom shelf of the phone table in the hallway - that is what I am thinking your neighbour might have (to do).

My phone socket is on the windowsill in the office and the router is directly connected to it, also on the windowsill. The first DECT is on my desk, the cordless one is in the bedroom. My hard wired simple phone is via an extension in the dining room - another configuration. I would not use the extension for the router.

Hi Ria, bit late I know, but work is a bit frantic at the moment as the company take over happened on Monday and the new owners are acting more like a highwayman than a colleague.

My suspicion is this.

The router sits next to the computer and the computer is cabled (not WiFi), to the router. I would expect that the router is cabled to the socket in the hall.

The whole lot, computer, monitor and router, is likely connected to the same power source. So that, at night, it can all be turned off with one switch.

She has probably been told you just switch the computer off at the wall when you don't you want it or when you are not using it. As the computer is also connected to the same power as the router, when she switches it off, there is no router.

With a hard wired PC, this is not an issue as when you are not using it you don't need the router.

It took me decades to stop Mrs S from switching everything off at the wall every night.