A router facilitates communication between your home’s internet-connected devices and the internet. These devices establish a network with the router, and the router will manage incoming and outgoing internet traffic on that network. In addition to the router, there is a modem. Your home network is unable to access the internet without a modem. The modem’s function is to provide internet from your internet service provider into your residence. It establishes a connection with your router and provides your home network with internet connections. Here are a few things you can do with a Wi-Fi router. While the majority of these features are available on most models, some features could only be available on particular Wi-Fi router models.
File Sharing
A Wi-Fi router is frequently used for file sharing. Heavier files might be time-consuming and difficult to transfer using techniques like Bluetooth. You can instantly transfer data between numerous devices at once because they are all connected to your home network. To share a file or folder over a network on Windows 11, all you have to do is right-click the file and select “Give access to > Specific people.” By selecting Share with > Homegroup (Read or Read/Write), you can share files with other devices as well. Navigate to the Control Panel > Network and sharing centre on the home network. To use the function, select “Change advanced sharing options” from the left panel, then “Turn on file and printer sharing.”
Parental Controls
Parental controls are a common feature of Wi-Fi routers. Access to specific websites can be restricted thanks to parental controls. To block websites, open a browser and connect into your router using the IP address 192.168.1.1. The default username and password are admin and password, respectively, unless you manually alter them. Check the login information on your Wi-Fi router. To block the websites, login and select Advanced > Security > Block sites.
Printing Files
Many printers can establish wired or wireless connections with networks. In order to connect, the printer needs to have a wired network connector or a Wi-Fi adaptor. Once connected, you can send the files for printing.
Setting Up Guest Networks
Even if asked, you are not required to disclose your Wi-Fi password to every visitor. Instead, create a guest network, either with or without a password. By doing this, you can protect the network-connected devices on your network against vulnerabilities. You can log into your router and enable guest Wi-Fi access there, just like how you would set parental restrictions.
Schedule Access
You can apply scheduled access limitations in addition to creating guest networks. You can set an access control policy for your network and configure the router to schedule for specific devices to achieve the same results.
Personal Cloud Space
External hard drives can be connected to Wi-Fi routers that have a USB connection. Once connected, any device on your home network can exchange files with the hard drive plugged into the router.
