“INSERT CD FIRST”, screamed the sticker on the back of the Linksys wrt54g router.

A decade with Macintoshes has taught me the suggestions are normally for Windows machines. The router was persistent – and the sticker was blocking the power port – so, I thought I’d humor it. I was right. The CD shipping was filled with setup software for Windows. Nothing about how to setup from a Macintosh. Anywhere.

Everyone at Amazon said I’d be up and running in seconds. The Linksys site barely acknowledges Macintoshes exist.

Here’s the steps I took to setup a Linksys Router with Mac OS X

1. Peel off the sticker on the back of the router.
2. Plug in the router’s power cord.
3. Connect the router to your modem via the supplied Ethernet cord and the port marked ‘Internet’.
4. Connect the router to your Mac via Ethernet.
5. Open up the ‘Network’ panel in the Mac’s System Preferences and plug-in the following specs:
   

   IP Address: 192.168.1.5
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.1.1

6. After applying the settings, open a browser to http://192.168.1.1 using the password 'admin'

Now you’re in the router’s control panel. Enter all your ISP’s settings and name your new wireless network something other than ‘linksys’.

Now you’ll finally be able to program from the gazebo in your backyard.