User's Manual

that connects directly to the cable company or DSL provider’s network and thus to the Internet. You could
connect a computer directly to this modem so that you can access the Internet through your computer’s Web
browser or other applications. However, many people connect a router to the modem instead to allow for multiple
computers and devices to all share the same connection to the Internet through one modem. The router also
allows the attached computers and devices to connect with one another.
Wireless Network
Before wireless networking became common, routers only allowed for computers and devices to connect
physically through cables. This limited where you could place your computer or device based on the location of
the router and the length of the cable. With the advent of wireless networking in the home (commonly referred to
as “wi-fi”), many routers began including wireless technology in addition to the physical cable connections. This
type of wireless router allows you to connect a wireless-enabled device from anywhere around the home as long
as the wireless radio signal can be maintained. Many of the computers and devices built today come with internal
wireless hardware so that they are ready to connect to your wireless network. As a wireless device, a smart
device can connect to a wireless network, and applications installed on the smart device (including the lighting
application) use that network connection to access the Internet or other devices on the home network.
Since any wireless device within radio range can connect to a wireless router (and thus the corresponding home
network), wireless routers allow you to set up a user name and password so that wireless devices must be
authenticated in order to connect. Modern smart devices support this type of wireless infrastructure. Typically,
when you set up your wireless settings on your smart device, you store the user name and password for your
wireless network so that your smart device is always connected when in range of your home network.