Do I also need a modem? We are moving into a housing complex that has free WIFI. The property manager states we just need a router and when we plug that in our internet will bring up a home page asking us to set up an account to the service which will offer faster speed upgrades if we want. Does this sound correct? We are trying to get things lined up right away so it works when we move in.

Question

Best · Accepted Answer

Yes

DarthF · Answer

If your housing complex offers WIFI, you don't need a router, but more than likely, your complex offers an Internet service provider (ISP).
This is a router only, normally you would need a modem to connect to your ISP; but since your complex probably provides the ISP, all you need is a router to connect the ISP to your desktop, laptop, TV, Phone etc via WIFI.

Samj123 · Answer

No

Kaynwil · Answer

Yes, we needed to use the Ethernet cord to hook it up to the modem. It wouldn't work for us without the hook up.

Perdue125 · Answer

Depends, if you have an internet cable jack in the wall then most likely you don't need a modem. If there's only a cable jack then you will need a modem probably.

Minigote · Answer

I can't 100% guarantee my answer, as I'm not a professional at these types of things, but I think there are two possibilities.

1. Based on your Property Manager's statement, I'm thinking your housing complex may have free internet, but not free WiFi. This means that the internet is activated and runs with wires into your home, but there is nothing to broadcast the signal wirelessly. In this case, you probably only need a router, but that could depend on exactly how the whole system is set up. If it were me, i would pick up a router and plan for it to be sufficient, but i wouldn't be shocked if I ended up needing a modem.

2. If the complex has free WiFI, as in something somewhere is broadcasting a wireless signal you can access, I wouldn't expect you need a router or a modem as long as the device you want to use has an antennae for the WiFI signal (i'd be surprised if any modern smart phone or laptop doesn't have this capability).

Overall, my hunch is it is situation number one and that you'll only need a router. If this is true, you should have a wall-jack that you can plug an ethernet cable into and then the other end into your router. most routers come with an ethernet cable, but its usually only a few feet long.

Hope this helps

Miner · Answer

My answer may not quite fit because your post is a little vague.

Do you mean free *WiFi* or free *Internet*? You wouldn't need your own router if there's free WiFi - all you'd need is the SSID (network name) and passphrase (if any). You'd also possibly be on the same network as everyone else, which isn't a good idea (no privacy, and very little security).

If you mean free *Internet*, it depends on how many devices you have that need Internet access and whether or not they're wired or wireless.

If you have phones, Tablets, gaming consoles, and other wireless devices, you'll need a router.

If you just have desktop/laptop computers that only need a wired connection, you can probably get by with a network switch (5, 8, 16, 24-port, depending on how many devices you have). Hopefully this helps a bit.

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