follow the directions given with the router you do not change any cords till the cd tells you to take that step. Leave your desktop as you have had it, put the cd in the desktop cd drawer, run the cd follow the instructions it will tell you and show you exactly how and when to change the cords it will lead you through step by step, READ the instruction pamphlet that came with it that tells you what the cd does. When it tells you to set up a password for the router do it and write it down then tape that to the bottom of your router along with the name you give the SSID for your wireless network, you will at some point have to select to choose WPA2 for your method of security it is generally set there default, then it will give you a long WPA password you can accept that or create your own just keep that one it is more secure than one you create, be very very sure you write it down as it is caps and lower case and put that on the paper under the router. That is the key anyone in your house that wants to get on the wireless will need to enter into their laptop to connect, so that laptop will detect the wireless and then will ask for the password that is the one you just saved so you will enter that into the box and then it should connect if all is correct. On my linksys it asked during the set up if I wanted to print out all that info and yes I did and it also asked if you want to put a text file on your desktop with the info sure let it do that too you can delete it at any time if you no longer need it. Just take it one step at a time do not change anything till you have the cd in the machine and it tells you to. depending on the router you bought you can go to the company website and look up the model number and they all have a pdf manual on line with directions and pictures also. If you tell us which router you got someone might know more specifics of that particular one.

If you were putting together some sort of very high speed local network for high end computers to communicate with each other over, the answer is generally "no". For general home and business use the answer is yes, though you really don't splice the cables. Instead you terminate both cable ends with male RJ45 connectors and purchase an "RJ45 cable coupler". It's just a small inline connector with an RJ45 female connector on each end. In the case of these couplers stick with Cat5e rated as opposed to Cat5. You can google "Cat5e coupler" to see exactly what I mean - though sometimes they are hard to find at local stores - and don't confuse them with RJ11 couplers for telephone line, which are fairly easy to find.

Oakley - figured that was it, when you said half the kitchen. Really, they should be installed so every other one is on different circuit (2 small appliance circuits required by code) and not half the room on one and half on the other. Sorry about washer! bpathome - yes, that was my point - our TV and modem/router, printer etc. are on pro-quality surge protectors, not those power strip things but the range, DW, fridge (I have very old W/D) have electronics too and I worry about them but not enough to pull the range and fridge out to unplug them every storm. Maybe we'll get whole-house protector installed, just hate to spend $100 min for electrician when I could do it myself, but warranties generally void unless professionally installed. Engineering degrees don't count.

It's called "standby" electricity, and yes, you can save by unpluging some things. One of the biggest energy gobblers are the transformers that continuously recharge your cell phone, power your computer peripherals and keep your Game Boy ready for use. "A recent study by students and scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) shows that the average California home pays between $50 and $70 every year to keep those little red lights burning, the clocks ticking and the electronics humming while the appliances go unused. Eliminating this standby or "leaking" electricity could save households between six and 26 percent on their average monthly electricity bill, the study found". Instant-on features for TVs are constantly using electricity. I unplug any TVs that aren't in use. I also turn off and unplug the computer at the end of the day. "Computer printers are one of the big energy wasters, some of them drawing 11.5 watts when idling. Some TVs and video cassette recorders draw almost as much, while set-top cable boxes can draw twice that: the most wasteful Ross found drew 23 watts when the box was off". There are colleges/universities that encourage students to "unplug" when they are gone on breaks. It saves a tremendous amount of money in dorms when students unplug all those TVs, computers, and other electronic gadgets while they are absent during breaks. You can check with your local electric company for more information. -Grainlady