Can I connect the Kindle through my wifi router?

[Atagahi]

have a Kindle that I can't connect to the net and use its whisper-net feature because it can't find a Wifi signel near my immediate home area. The thing is our home computer is connected to the net by way of a router and I was wondering if I could use the info from the router and use it to connect the Kindle wirelessly. My nephew did something like this when he visited to connect his iphone. If I could do this how would I go about it? The Kindle ask for a Network name and a password. I think the password would be the WEP number on the routers bottom but what would be the network name?

[FF2]

Yes. You should be able to search for wifi signals. You would see a listing of one or more in the vicinity. Some might be neighbors' routers and one should be yours.

In many cases if folks don't change it, for instance the Linksys router will be identified as Linksys. Then, yes, you would need to know the password or key for your router if it had been protected.

From your browser you might be able to get some info

Enter 192.168.1.1

And see if it pops up your router configuration screen(s).

[DMSmillie]

I think perhaps you're going straight to "Turn WiFi On"? To connect for the first time, select instead "Settings", then go down to WiFi settings. That will show you a list of all WiFi networks the Kindle can see. Select yours (hopefully you'll be able to identify it from the networks listed - check your PC's network connections to see which network it is connected to and select the same one for the Kindle) and click on "Connect". Then it'll have the network name, and you can just enter the password for your router.

Once you've connected that first time, you should just be able to select "Turn WiFi On" and "Turn WiFi Off" without having to enter the password again.

[bobmielke]

Also, if you have a wi-fi setup running in your home it's probably password protected. You'll need to tell your Kindle that password.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Atagahi

have a Kindle that I can't connect to the net and use its whisper-net feature because it can't find a Wifi signel near my immediate home area. The thing is our home computer is connected to the net by way of a router and I was wondering if I could use the info from the router and use it to connect the Kindle wirelessly. My nephew did something like this when he visited to connect his iphone. If I could do this how would I go about it? The Kindle ask for a Network name and a password. I think the password would be the WEP number on the routers bottom but what would be the network name?

Does your router actually have WiFi? If not, the Kindle isn't going to connect to it! If it doesn't, you need to buy a WiFi Access Point (they aren't expensive) and plug it in to one of the ports of your router. Alternatively, replace your router with one that has WiFi built in.

The password is most assuredly NOT the WEP number, by the way.

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The password is most assuredly NOT the WEP number, by the way.

Hmmm... it is on mine, Harry. Perhaps it varies between different setups?

[fjtorres]

Well, yes; it does vary by set-up.
Most wireless routers allow a great deal of optional customization.
If the router wasn't set up by the owner he may not be aware of what settings and options are in place and that might affect the Kindle's ability to connect.
Some routers are set to broadcast their SSID while others aren't.
Some routers are set to filter would-be clients by MAC address.
Some implement WEP or WPA or WPA2 encryption while others don't.
It's not black magic but it isn't trivial. And typos can be nasty.

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

And typos can be nasty.

Heh... they surely can!

~~~~~

The fact that the OP's nephew was able to connect his iPhone successfully makes me reckon that:

a. It is a wireless router.
and:
b. The WEP on the label on the bottom of the router is most likely what needs to be entered to connect successfully. Otherwise they'd have had to dig out some other password, and the OP would likely remember having to do that.

[DiapDealer]

Call the nephew.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DMSmillie

Heh... they surely can!

~~~~~

The fact that the OP's nephew was able to connect his iPhone successfully makes me reckon that:

a. It is a wireless router.
and:
b. The WEP on the label on the bottom of the router is most likely what needs to be entered to connect successfully. Otherwise they'd have had to dig out some other password, and the OP would likely remember having to do that.

If this is the original poster's own router, the easiest thing to do is for him to simply go into its management interface and look what the settings are. That's a lot more reliable than us making random guesses.

[cybmole]

with an unsecured wi-fi router, kindle connects straight out of the box - no set up needed - well mine did anyway. that's with a Linksys wrt45 I think

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cybmole

with an unsecured wi-fi router, kindle connects straight out of the box - no set up needed - well mine did anyway. that's with a Linksys wrt45 I think

Hmmm. Unsecured WiFi networks are an extraordinarily BAD idea.

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's a lot more reliable than us making random guesses.

Well, I'd hardly call referring back to the information provided by the OP as "random", but yes, if they're able to access the router's admin interface, that would likely provide the required info.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hmmm. Unsecured WiFi networks are an extraordinarily BAD idea.

I just knew someone would say that :0


we don't all live in urban jungles you know

- but if you wish to drive by my out-in-the-country humble abode & steal a bit of bandwidth, then feel free to do so.

- there is no confidential data in shared folders on our home network & I strongly doubt that anyone wants to snoop our family photo collection :-)
it's much less hassle for visiting friends and family for us to have a wireless network that's easy to access, even though the family desktops & xbox are using wired Ethernet

[chyron8472]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Call the nephew.

This.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hmmm. Unsecured WiFi networks are an extraordinarily BAD idea.

Also this.