# Wireless router question.. (Stupid and easy)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 26, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938 "2005-10-26T02:17:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/1 "2005-10-26T02:17:03Z")
Do I need a computer hooked up to the wireless router to access the internet from it?
Or… can I just hook the cable modem into it and access the internet from the wireless signal (with no computer directly attached)?
Please pardon my ignorance.
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### Author:  [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/2 "2005-10-26T02:26:37Z")
Yes. Cable from wall into the cable modem. Ethernet cable from cable modem to wireless router. Wireless card in your computer. Should work.
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/3 "2005-10-26T02:26:58Z")
I am pretty sure that you do not need a computer connected to the wireless access point except to do the initial setup. Most default do a wide open signal so it may just work right away anyway. When I put in my wireless access point a few weeks ago, I got the laptop connected before I got my wired computer set up.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/4 "2005-10-26T02:42:29Z")
It would be a strange wireless router that required a wired connection to a PC to make internet access possible.
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### Author:  [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/5 "2005-10-26T03:31:27Z")
You’ll probably need to hook it up to a computer once so that you can initialize the settings, but after that, it doesn’t need to be hooked up to anything other than the modem.
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### Author:  [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/6 "2005-10-26T13:44:36Z")
If you have a wireless card in your PC, you don’t need to hook up a physical ethernet cable to access the internet. Just as **leenmi** said.
Enjoy the wireless.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-router-question-stupid-and-easy/327938/7 "2005-10-26T14:02:36Z")
Actually, I just bought a wireless router a couple months ago, and it defaulted to deny wireless access (for security purposes). It required an initial wired connection for setup purposes, but once I got the access codes from the router, I can turn off my wired pc and my roommates can still get wireless access.